Wednesday 30 October 2013

Winner of 4 Read It Yourself With Ladybird books is....

You could get this as the level 1 book!

As part of my post promoting Ladybird books for being awesome, the lovely people at Ladybird offered a selection of 4 books, 1 from each level for a winner. I can proudly announce the winner is number 3....

Mary Preston! 

Congratulations Mary! I do promise that I'm using a random number generator for the draws - Mary's name keeps coming up! 

Thank you to all who entered - keep an eye out for more competitions coming in November - there will be at least 1 to keep you busy on the longer nights.

Review & Guest Blog Post Mouseton Abbey The Missing Diamond by Joanna Bicknell and Nick Page, Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E

I want to knit these!
September 2013, Make Believe Ideas, 32 pages, Hardback, Review copy

Themes: aristocracy, a mouse world, extremely large house, cheese, family life, servants, governess, helpful daughters, a forgetful father, housekeeper's wrath, sliding down bannisters, treasure hunt (of sorts)

Content: Drama, lots of humour,


Summary from Make Believe Ideas
Meet the Mouseton family and their staff, who inhabit the many rooms of Mouseton Abbey. Every Cheesemas, the Mouseton family has a banquet, where each mouse gets a chance to hold the Great Big Cheesy Diamond and make a wish.  Everyone is preparing for this year’s party, when Lord Mouseton, a very forgetful mouse, loses the precious diamond! Drama unfolds as the mice join forces to find the diamond before Cheesemas dinner is served. Will Cheesemas be ruined? Or will they find the Cheesy Diamond in time? Explore Mouseton Abbey to find out . . .

Nayuleska's thoughts 
Although I've seen some episodes of the internationally known TV series Downton Abbey, I'm not overly fond of it - but I'm totally in love with Mouseton! I love mice in both real life and in fiction. I think they are
adorable, especially when they live like humans. What makes the mice of Mouseton special for me is the
fact that they are knitted. I love knitting, and admire the skill that has gone into creating the Mouseton
household. The mice are the only knitted items in the book - most of the book is illustrated, with a few
photos of items adding to the realistic feel of the story. I love how each mouse is named after cheese,
some I haven't heard of and would like to try (Raclette, anyone?)

My favourite mice are as follows; Raclette, not just for her name but I do like the maid's outfit, Miss
Swift who is formidable even with Lord Mouseton, Lady Mozzarella - 2nd daughter - is pretty in pink,
and the star has to be Lady Fontina, the youngest daughter. She is adorable with the way she peeps around
the kitchen door with her doll in paw, how she becomes captivated by a spinning top when they are
helping Lord Mouseton search for the Great Big Cheesey Diamond, how her doll is with her at dinner and sliding down the banisters - I so hope one day a story of Mouseton will focus on her.

The book missed a perfect grade because info about the history of the house was on both of the book jacket flaps as well as right before the story - I was expecting extra info, not the same 3 times.

Suggested read
Another sweet read which (if memory serves correctly) has some photos worked into illustrations is The Adventures of Abney and Teal: Bop's Hiccups by Joel Stewart (Children's, Picture book, 10/10 (pre 10E rated review)

The Mousetones On Holiday

It is a great privilege for Lady Brie to have agreed to not only show a few of her holiday snaps, but tell us a bit about them too. Here they are! 

Greetings from Mouseton Abbey! We’re all back home after taking a tour of the UK and Ireland this summer. With the impending Autumn release of Mouseton Abbey and all our PR commitments, we decided to enjoy a holiday before celebrity stardom surely beckons! I do hope you enjoy our photos – Lady Gouda insisted on hogging the camera!

Hampstead Heath (Lady Gouda)
First stop, London and a delightful stroll around Hampstead Heath. We enjoyed one of Mrs Cheshire’s
legendary picnics, nibbling on a wide selection of cheeses. Here’s Lady Gouda at the top of the heath.
That sky looked a bit threatening! Luckily, we had Monterey Jack to get the carriage ready for us just in
time.

Buckingham Palace (Wensleydale)
The highlight of our trip! I came away armed with interior decorating tips and ideas. I feel a makeover
of Mouseton Abbey coming on! This photo shows Wensleydale imagining himself as butler to royalty. I
don't think we'll be losing his services too soon…

Durham (Lady Brie / Lord Mouseton)
Here I am with my husband, Lord Mouseton, in Durham. Great Uncle Gorgonzola was hoping to
enjoy some fresh air with a walk around the Durham Dales, but we spent too much time enjoying the
cathedral. Good job too, because I didn’t have my walking boots and goodness knows I don’t enjoy a
soggy petticoat!

Edinburgh (Lady Gouda)
Next, it was up to Edinburgh to enjoy some haggis and the odd thimble of whiskey. We even popped by
the Edinburgh International Book Festival to check out the literary competition, but couldn’t find a book that had quite such a stellar cast!

Here’s Lady Gouda (again!) against Edinburgh’s spectacular backdrop and later propping up a bottle
of whiskey. Note to self, DO NOT let Lady Gouda drink too much whiskey, unless you want to see her
dance the highland fling with men in kilts!

Eilean Donnan Castle (Lady Gouda)
And then it was across to Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most iconic images of Scotland. We fell in
love with the majestic scenery and had a rare moment of family calm before I realised that we had lost
Ricotta, Mozzarella & Fontina! Those naughty mice had scampered off to the gift shop. Luckily, theywere found by Lady Gouda, who was just checking out the whiskey selection.

Thank you for looking through our holiday snaps, I do hope you enjoyed them.

Yours truly,

Lady Brie

Thank you Lady Brie for letting us peek at what happened on your travels - sounds like all had fun! May your next adventure come very soon....

Tuesday 29 October 2013

What are YOU reading? #190




What are you reading on Monday? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where you post books completed last week and plans for upcoming books. Jump over to her blog and see who else is participating.



Read


Evanescent by Andria Buchanan
Young Adult
10E/10E
(A brilliant middle of a trilogy read with humour counteracting the bleak outlook...)





Infinity by Andria Buchanan
Young Adult
10/10E
(A truly magnificent ending to an awesome trilogy!)





Troll and the Oliver by Adam Stower
Picture book
10E/10E
(Oliver is hilariously annoying - I felt sorry for the troll!)





Two Nests by Laurence Anholt and Jim Copleston
Children's, Picture book
10E/10E
(This book on divorce made me cry!)





The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Children's, 9 years +
10E/10E
(Charming read about 4 highly likeable sisters on holiday...)








Watched 



Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream
Anime, Japanese version
10E/10E
(This is in the realms of anime which get better each time I watch them, just like....)





...AKB0048!
REWATCH! - Anime, Japanese version
10E/10E
(This time I'm watching with subs to understand it a bit more [& pick up more vocab] - oddly reading the sub isn't decreasing my enjoyment. I'm picking up more nuances too!)





Fantasista Doll
Anime, Japanese version
10E/10E
(The end was perfect! Despite having dark undertones [a little] it's such a positive outcome I was crying from happiness. So sad this series has ended - maybe they will do another season [it can't just be 13 eps!]...)





Mako Mermaids
Drama, English version
2/10
(I was so excited at watching this spin off to H20 Just Add Water, that I'm bitterly disappointed. For me it was abysmal, no real sense of friendship between the female mermaids, who were extremely moany-groany. Don't get me started on male mermaids! Doesn't sit well at all with me, I'm afraid. Only watched 3 and a bit episodes, can't watch any more...) 





Pretty Rhythm Dear My Future
Anime, Japanese version
9/10E
(It's a bit hard watching this series as a lot of eps I'm having to see raw, without subtitles, but I'm getting the gist and some parts are AWESOME - Rhythm is engaged! & we'll see her married in the penultimate episode [got a way to go yet with 52 eps in the series]...) 






My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season 1
Anime, English version
10E/10E
(Another show improving every time I watch it - got the movie where the ponies turn into human girls winging it's way to me!)





Care Bears
Anime, English version
10E/10E
(I love how obvious the moral of the story is, it's superbly conveyed and super cute...)





H20: Just Add Water - Season 1
REWATCH! - Drama, English version
10E/10E
(I had to watch a few eps to purge Mako Mermaids from my brain. There's no comparison.)





Winx: Season 4
REWATCH! - Anime, French version
10E/10E
(*smiles* The girls are Believix fairies now!) 





Cardcaptor Sakura: Season 2
Anime, French version
10E/10E
(This is getting quite dark, so I won't watch many episodes each week, but there are still plenty of funny and cute moments!) 





Gwendoline
Anime, French version
10E/10E
(This is a super cute anime from the 1980s [I think...] with a strong plot about a sweet girl whose mother dies, so she goes to live with her father in England, with her stepsister [or half sister?] who is a meanie until their joint father looks to get remarried to an evil woman with an evil son & daughter [the son likes shooting blanks at Gwendoline for fun! Hate them!]...)





Hanamaru Kindergarten
Anime, Japanese version
10E/10E
(A gentle, extremely funny anime about a male kindergarten teacher starting his first job. Ordinarily I'm not into anime with a male protagonist, but it iis extremely well done, with one of the actresses from my beloved Aria the Animation anime feature as a main character.) 





Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya
Anime, Japanese version
10E/10E
(Well, I had to start a new anime online now that I've finished Fantasista Dolls - this is a magical girl show, super cute, very funny, a bit dark but that's countered with the humour...) 





Chocolat & Vanilla (Sugar Sugar Rune)
Anime, French version
10E/10E
(Chocolat is still my favourite character - she gets into the most scrapes and has the cutest pjs!) 





Winx:  Season 6
Anime, English version
10E/10E
(SQUEEEEEEEEEEE! Those on Twitter know how happy I am that season 6 - a season I didn't expect to see for a few years [I don't keep up to date when it gets shown] appeared! Well, the first ep, the 2nd is on Nov 3rd. I suspect I will rewatch ep 1 quite a few times before then as it has Daphne in it as the central plot! She is so likeable, with all her insecurities at being corporeal. *happy squee*) 







Craft etc

Been feeling not so great so no crochet this week. I did, however, discover the joy of online jigsaw puzzles! Here are the one's I've done so far - they were either 40 something or 60 something pieces - nothing too taxing for my heavily brain fogged brain. 





Saturday 26 October 2013

Nayus News #94 Bear with me

I'm just waiting for my body to quit throwing a strop
After recovering from a cold I had some ketamine, and ever since the cold recovery I haven't been quite myself. It feels like I'm fighting a virus of some sort, but nothing is materialising. I'm resting as much as I can in the hope to bop whatever it is on the head. 

I'll put up reviews when I can, but I'm not prescheduling them at the moment. I'm still reading! Writing...yes well need my head to be on the ball which it currently isn't. The plus side is Muse will be like a whirlwind when I've beaten whatever 'this' is. Til then, please bear with the lack of posts.

Thursday 24 October 2013

Red House Children’s Book Award 2014 blog tour: Helen Stephens

Today's blog is something a bit different, as I've been invited to take part in the blog tour for The Red House Children's Book Award 2014! It is the only national children’s book award voted for entirely by children - more info can be found by clicking on the link.  It is an award owned and co-ordinated by Federation of Children's Book Groups and sponsored by Red House.
  
Official RHCBA artwork by Lee Wildish

 I was approached by the Federation of Children's Book Groups  about the tour. It's a tour with a difference because until a few days ago I didn't know whose book I would be hosting for a guest blog post - there were strict embargos about the shortlist of book nominations. 

I'm super excited because I'm presenting a guest blog post from Helen Stephens, author of How To Hide A Lion. Due to the embargos I haven't as yet read the book, but I fully intend to as it looks super cute and funny, the type of picture book that I adore. Look! 
Big awww!
Congratulations Helen on the shortlisting nomination, and many thanks for the following guest blog post from you too. 

Book summary from RHCBA

How does a very small girl hide a very large lion? It's not easy, but Iris has to do her best, because mums and dads can be funn about having a lion in the house. Luckily, there are lots of good places to hide a lion - behind the shower curtain, in your bed and even up a tree. But can Iris hide her lion forever?

Guest Blog Post: Helen Stephens' Top 5 Children's Books

1.Sixes and Sevens by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake
 This funny rhyming book about a boy called Barnaby was my favourite as a child. I have a strong memory of my Dad reading this to my sister and I while we were in the bath, and speaking the words just ahead of Dad. I can still quote passages of it now. 

2. The Happy Lion by Louise Fatio and Roger Duvoisin
I bought an old copy of this in a charity shop when I was at art school. It has beautiful sophisticated drawings of Paris with a very limited 1950's colour palette. It has remained a firm favourite and was a big influence on my book, 'How to Hide a Lion'

3.Madeline and the Gypsies by Ludvig Bemelmans
I was attracted to this book by the cover. That red a green do something magic, they vibrate off the page and make you desperate to look inside. I am a big fan of Bemelmans and his naive-sophisticated line mixed with rich colour.

4.Edwardo the Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World by John Burningham
This is a wise and funny book about a boy who is judged as bad by adults. But when one adult wrongly assumes he is being a helpful boy when he tips a bucket of water over a dog, he gradually becomes good. BUT, not simply good, he becomes good and bad, like all of us. He becomes a normal boy. I love that.

5.The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman
Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman make such a good duo, and this my favourite of all of their books. It opens with a pencil poised ready to draw, and before long it has created a world populated with rather cranky individuals, pets, and talking objects that make demands for names, food, companions, etc. Then pencil draws a rubber that threatens to rub everything out, but there's a clever twist...

Thanks Helen for more fun books to check out! It's not surprising that a lion one features on your list. I'm delighted to see a Madeleine book, as I loved those stories when I was little (although don't think I've read that particular one). I don't know about you, but I'm certainly hoping that How To Hide A Lion will win! You can vote for it here.

Other bloggers taking part in the tour with guest posts for the book they have been assigned are....

FCBG Blog who on Twitter is @FCBGNews   
 
The Book People Blog who on Twitter are @TheBookPeople and @RedHouseBooks

Storyseekers who ho on Twitter is @StoryseekersUK  

Rainy Day Mum who on Twitter is @rrainydaymum 

Mammasaurus  who on Twitter is @MammasaurusBlog

Childtasticbooks who on Twitter is 
@Childtastic

Library Mice who on Twitter is @librarymice 

Playing by the Book who on Twitter is @playbythebook   

Chicklish who on Twitter is @Chicklish 
 
We Sat Down who on Twitter is @WeSatDown 

Go check them out! 

Monday 21 October 2013

What are YOU reading? #189





What are you reading on Monday? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where you post books completed last week and plans for upcoming books. Jump over to her blog and see who else is participating.



Read


Clementine Rose and the Pet Day Disaster by Jacqueline Harvey 
Children's, 7 years +
10E/10E
(Clementine isn't the one having the disaster...)





Usborne Activities: Royal Dolls House Sticker Book illustrated by Elisabetta Ferrero, designed by Lucy Wain and Jamie Ball
Children's, Sticker book, 4 years +
8/10E
(Elegance, style and familiar items are in this luxury sticker house...)





Royal Fairy Tales For Bedtime retold by Mairi Mackinnon, illustrated by Lorena Alvarez
Children's, 7 years +
10E/10E
(Jam packed with both familiar and new fairy tales with a royal theme...)





Twee' by Susie Caron
Children's, Picture book
10E/10E
(An adorable read about being thankful for what you have...)





I Am Twee' by Susie Caron
Children's, Picture book
10E/10E
(Twee' is back! This time she thinks of others more...)





Penelope Crumb Never Forgets by Shawn K Stout
Children's, 9 years +
10E/10E
(Penelope continues to get into mischief by her good intentions...)





Nina and the Kung Fu Adventure by Madhvi Ramani
Children's, 7 years+
10/10E
(A superb jetsetting book which sees Nina hurting someone she loves as well as saving a new friend...)





Everlast by Andrea Buchanan
Young Adult
10E/10E
(This is a brilliant tale full of humour alongside major peril...)







Watched 


Loulou de Montmartre
REWATCH! - Anime, French version
10/10E
(This is the 3rd 4th time I've seen the series, and I'm in love with it more than ever! Finished it too!) 





Cardcaptor Sakura
Anime, French version
9/10E
(Watching this in bursts depending on my mood as it can be quite dark [note this is the original NOT the heavily cut English version]...)





Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream
REWATCH! - Anime, Japanese version
10/10E
(This is my most watched anime at the moment because it is light & lovely - well, full of fun transformations which I adore!) 





Pretty Rhythm Dear My Future
Anime, Japanese version
9/10E
(It's growing on me a lot more & I'm loving it now, although watched slightly less as I need more rewatches when I'm tired...) 





Winx: Season 4
REWATCH! - Anime, French version
10/10E
(Squee! Winx - what more can I say?) 





AKB0048
REWATCH! - Anime, Japanese version
10E/10E
(Don't sue me for skipping 1 episode that I find quite hard to watch as it's a bit dark...I've also finished the series [again]!) 





Fantasista Dolls
Anime, Japanese version
10E/10E
(Sadly the penultimate episode, and it is TORTURE having to wait for episodes to be released each week!) 





Winx: Season 5
REWATCH! - Anime, French version
10E/10E
(My disc 2 of English version has gone awol [a common occurrence in my dvd collection] so for now watching French version online [no dvds just yet...although 1 in November!].) 





Winx: Season 1
REWATCH! - Anime, French version
10E/10E
(I love all the fun in the first half the series - now getting to episodes where I can only watch one at a time as they get quite dark/gloomy, just seen Miss Magix episode which I adore!) 





Winx: Season 4
Anime, Spanish version
10E/10E
(So what if my Spanish is super rusty & I can't get any of the other series in a boxset - it's Winx! Remembering more than I thought I would language wise too...) 





Holby City
Drama, English version
10E/10E
(This week's episode didn't have Chantelle in...it centered on Malik but it was truly a perfect episode.) 





Casualty
Drama, English version
9/10E
(Don't approve of Tess's actions at all, but I thought the ending was sweet...) 





The Great British Bake-Off
Documentary (food), English version
10/10E
(This loses a point as I always want to eat cake when I watch it!) 







Crafts and more...
Crochet - As you can see I've done a few more squares! (Pictures coming soon!)



Here are some pics of my African violets when they were all in flower, and how they are now with no flowers... (pictures coming soon)