Nayu's News #169 Slow start, happy end

I want to bring fun your lives, like Nagisa from AKB0048!

Part of my several goals for this year is having more Nayu's News posting, talking about life which is why this isn't a review post. 

I felt spacey this morning

Today I woke up early so read for a bit before getting up to blog. Browsed a bit online, and then realised that my body was on a go slow (probably after only sleeping 3 hours on Thursday night & staying on extra at work yesterday), so I put my laptop to one side and went a watched a film. 

I watched Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars (2010, link to IMDb), English version. It was an ok film. I felt what Harriet was doing was really wrong. Spying on people isn't a nice past time, and Harriet has to deal with the consequences of her actions. I kept watching it until the end because it was an easy watch & I wanted to know how her lying and spying turned out. I thought it was a bit weak because while people applauded Harriet for her writing skills, they seemed to skip the part where she was writing about people's private lives which is a moral no-no in my world. 

After that due to a months free Netflix subscription (I was with them before so usually this is an offer for new members, but they offered it to me today) I settled down to watch a show by Rainbow, makers of Winx (which I adore!)

My favourite fairies in one of their Believix transformations (Possibly Speedix...which makes them fly extra fast)

This is called Mia & Me. They call Mia an elf when she is in the animated magical world, rather than the real life world, but to me elves don't have wings, fairies do. So she's a fairy in my mind! I love the bright colours of the anime scenes, the girliness of it all. 

Lots of pink, flowers, butterflies & wings!

 Like Mia I agree her dress is a teeny bit short but I have the same issue in Winx & other shows. I've only seen the first episode, and so far she can talk to unicorns and has made several friends including Yuko who reminds me of Faun in the Disney Fairies Tinkerbell series. I shouldn't have a problem watching this entire series within 1 month! 

Mia, Yuko & the prince

Fawn, who has similar coloured hair and clothes to Yuko

This afternoon I've come back to blogging and emailing, I'm shortly going to do a few chores before settling down with reading, anime, and crochet, although not all at once! With memory issues these days my multi-tasking is more mono-tasking. 

Like Sophie in the anime PriPara I can get confused easily.

Unlike Sophie I don't have special guardians to help with my flakey-ness!

I hope you've had a fun first half of the weekend! Tomorrow here on NRC there's a blog tour to look out for ^o^

Go smile like Yukirin from the anime AKB0048!

Blog Tour: Review + Q&A for Vendetta by Catherine Doyle (Young Adult, 10/10E)

January 2015, Chicken House, 384 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Content: lots of suspense, a bit of violence, teen romance

Summary from Chicken House

When five brothers move into the abandoned mansion next door, Sophie Gracewell’s life changes forever. Irresistibly drawn to bad boy Nic, Sophie finds herself falling into an underworld governed by powerful families. 

When Sophie’s own family skeletons come to life, she must choose between two warring dynasties – the one she was born into, and the one she is falling in love with. When she does, blood will spill and hearts will break …

Nayu's thoughts

The moment I saw that this book was all about the mafia I went into mega  squee mode. Obviously the mafia aren't necessarily good people, but I admire their strength of family loyalty which to me seems central to all that they do. To have a story about them, oh boy! Not just any story, but the first in a series - yippee!

Sophie's life may not have got that extra E in my rating, but it is a top notch book that you must add to your bookshelf. I think she takes risks because of her background. After all, she doesn't have much to lose, and by the time she does have second thoughts it's way too late. Now, it has to be said that a lot of readers will be drawn in by the romance side of things. I'm not. I was far more interested in how the brothers acted (sometimes like morons, but often with semi-well conceived plans), how those who protected them took care of them, how secretive they were, and also how human they acted because they didn't always follow orders to the letter.

Sophie's curiosity does get the better of her, and there are several 'she's so dead' moments, but she manages to survive until the end. There are several big revelations which I can say little about without spoiling the book other than the next book can't come soon enough. Vendetta is a book I will be rereading a lot, especially when the next books get published - refreshing my memory before book 2 and 3 is a brilliant reason to dive back in and look for earlier clues and hints about issues I didn't fully understand or even know about until the end of Sophie's exhilerating tale.

You can find out more on Catherine's website.

Suggested read

For more edge of the seat reads involving the criminal underworld be sure to read the duology by Michelle Davidson Argyle of #1 The Breakaway (Young Adult, 10E/10E)

and the sequel read Pieces (not reviewed here on NRC but read several times: Young Adult, 10E/10E)

Question and Answer session with Catherine

Nayu here! Additional squee-ing commenced when the opportunity arose to ask Catherine a few questions about this awesome read. I know you'll find them as fascinating as I did! 

Nayu 1) Where did your love of all things mafia begin? 

Catherine: I think I first fell in love with mafia movies after I saw Goodfellas at 14 years old. I worked in a movie rental shop throughout my undergrad in college so I really got to discover a great love of films while there, and a big part of that was finding more favourites that involved the criminal underworld, like The Godfather, Donnie Brasco, Casino, The Departed. I'm just fascinated by the idea of a secret culture with its own strict set of rules, commandments, hierarchies and dangers that lives and breathes in the world without anyone really noticing. 

Nayu 2) There were several big twists that took me by surprise. Had you planned them or did some of them pop up naturally while you were writing the book? 

Catherine: Some of the twists were planned from the outset and these are the ones that are quite easy to spot if you've read the book blurb and are on your guard while reading, but other sneakier ones arose quite naturally as I was writing. Sometimes I even surprised myself!

Nayu 3) Sophie has a fair number of events which tell her to stay away from the Falcones, yet somehow she doesn't. If you were in Sophie's position would you have stayed away from them? Or is Sophie rather close to your own personality?

Catherine: I always say that if I was in Sophie's position, I would have been in witness protection so fast, there would have been a cloud of dust where I was standing. Hell to the no. I'm far too suspicious and conscious of my own mortality at this point in my life! But with Sophie, I wanted to make her a product of her upbringing. Despite her father's history, she has lived a sheltered, comfortable life. She's crying out for something interesting to happen -- she hates the monotony of her summer and the boredom of the diner. She wants that big romance, that big change, so when it comes along, dark or not, she's more receptive to it. She begins her journey in a place of great naiveté because she always wants to see the best in people. But as the trilogy progresses these parts of her will change, as she witnesses the true darkness brewing around her, and how it will swallow her up if she doesn't get her act together. I'm really looking forward to writing this particular part of her journey.

Nayu 4) I have to say when the leader of the Falcone was revealed it was a surprise, but one that made sense. Without giving spoilers away, had you always had that particular character in mind to be the leader? Or in the drafting stage had it been someone else? 

Catherine: Initially the leader was someone different but it ended up being this particular person because as I was editing the first draft it all clicked into place, and I knew it would generate a far more interesting plot down the line if the leader was someone much closer to home. The decisions would be deadlier, the stakes would be higher. Plus, it quickly became apparent that this person really just felt like the perfect fit.

Nayu 5) Where's your favourite place to write, and what do you like to drink and eat while writing? 

Catherine:  I usually write late at night in bed (which is really bad for my back!) or in the kitchen during the afternoon. I curse the mornings so I can never write before noon. I usually just have coffee or flavoured water. Pretty boring, I know.

Vendetta by Catherine Doyle out now in paperback (£7.99, Chicken House). Find out more about the author at http://catherine-doyle.tumblr.com and http://www.catherinedoylebooks.com.

Stardust Stables #2: Wildfire by Sable Hamilton (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E semi-short & sweet review)

  May 2013, Stripes, 160 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Summary from Little Tiger Press

Welcome to Stardust Stables – only daredevil riders need apply! Stardust is a stables with a difference… Set in the Colorado mountains, it’s home to the super-talented kids who are stunt riders for movie stars!

Alisa and Diabolo have been chosen to work as stunt doubles on a big adventure movie being shot in Colorado. But the minute Alisa begins work, her co-rider, Lucy, seems to have it in for her. Things go from bad to worse on set, and all is not well at Stardust either – Lizzie’s ex has put in a claim for fifty per cent of the Stardust horses, and Diabolo is on his list…

Nayu's thoughts

I liked seeing Stardust Stables from a different point of view to book one (see suggested reads). Alisa is fun to be with. I felt so sorry for her because due to her rival she got blamed for incidents which were awful yet not her fault. Thankfully everything becomes right in the end, but only after a lot of anxiety for Alisa, who finds that the fire stunts she has to perform are the least worrying part of her current job. 

Find out more on Sable also known as Jenny Oldfield's website.

Suggested read

Be sure to read book 1 in the series, A Star Is Born (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)

Nayu's News #168 Expect the Unexpected, Reading & Writing Mojo, Successful Holiday

Feeling bright like Holo from the anime Spice and Wolf

Hi all! I hadn't expected to have some down time this week, but, as it says in today's title, always expect the unexpected. Monday I became unwell, which continued through to Tuesday, unfortunately resulting in me being unable to attend my grandfather's funeral. The positive result of that is that thanks to the wonders of modern technology and several people living abroad who were unable to attend the funeral was filmed, so I will get to see it soon. I spent the afternoon focusing on resting. I can happily say I'm on the mend.

You never know who you'll make smile

Whenever I look at my blog I scan which posts are the most popular (see the bottom of the page). When Nayu's News #35 showed up, I jumped to have a peek and it ended up that I gave myself advice which I'd needed to hear but had forgotten I'd given. I love it when that happens!

Books, glorious books!

You'll be pleased to hear that my reading and writing mojo is back. Energy permitting I can be found curled up on the sofa with a good book (haven't read a 'bad' book for ages).

It's a wonderful thing to see my mostly grumpy Muse so annoyed - I'm looking forward to making her smile!

 Writing wise Muse has pushed through the fog of grief & is now tapping her feet a lot. I'm going to let her loose this afternoon after giving her inspiration from some anime episodes.

Speaking of anime, I've taken up my subscription with Crunchyroll again. I wanted to watch a few anime but couldn't easily find them online. Since I knew they were on Crunchyroll, I tried watching it for free. Oye! The frequency of ads had me dashing to resubscribe at once. I'm sure the ads are put that way on purpose! It's £5 a month, which isn't too dear, not considering how much anime I watch. I'm loving rewatching favourite series like:

Lilpri

Turns out I liked music idol anime a long way back!

Bodacious Space Pirates

An anime filled with oodles of comedy

and delving into new ones whose titles elude me right now but which are awesome! I'd love to hear if you subscribe to any online channels. Video streaming is certainly a wonderful invention!

A break is always welcome

Today is the last day of what has been a successful holiday. Due to illness on 2 occasions I didn't quite do all that I had planned, but I'm all relaxed and ready to face the stack of email in my inbox when I reach work tomorrow. I've worked a bit more on the website for Nayu's Crochet Dreams, and will be setting up an Etsy account soon (now that I learnt that joining a community isn't mandatory. I will in time, but for now I won't).

I hope you have made it safely to this halfway point to the weekend - not long to go now!

Go unleash your creative side!

Blog Tour: Review, Guest Blog Post & Competition Suzy P, Forever Me by Karen Saunders (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)

 January 2015, Templar, 352 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Themes: friendship, school life, bullying (including phone bullying), families, lies,

Content: oodles of humour and oh no moments, tissues needed

Summary from Karen's website (it's not yet up on Templar's)

Suzy P’s made a promise she can’t keep. Kind of a big promise. To her entire school!

Why, oh why, did she say The Drifting would be performing at the Collinsbrook fundraiser? As if trying to sort out that mess wasn’t enough, she also needs to make sure Dad’s birthday bash isn’t a total disaster – especially as he’s already showing signs of a mid-life crisis…

Suzy has her best mates helping out, but will she be able to pull off TWO parties of a lifetime?

Nayu's thoughts

With only a dim recollection due to a poor memory that I loved the other 2 books in Karen's Suzy P series, I jumped at the chance to be part of the blog tour for this 3rd book. Once I began reading I started grinning at the book because I then remembered just how much I love Suzy's crazy life. Suzy doesn't always make the best choices - certain huge lies did just fall out of her mouth - but she means well and has a good heart. She wasn't so wise to keep the bullying to herself, not really, but I promise it gets sorted eventually. I feel for Suzy when life continually gets worse, just when both she and I don't think it can. That's why her story is charming, she ends up with a load of unbelievable stuff going on, which you can guarantee eventually irons out. Well, that incident with the school fire alarm can't exactly be put right but distance will make that a thing of the past. Which Suzy probably will remember forever...

Suzy's books aren't just about herself. Not that any book is just about the main character, but I happen to be fond of a lot of Suzy's friends and family. Millie, Suzy's best friend, is a sugar addict. Watching her go through a detox just to get an ipad was a bit insane (not least because I intensely dislike anything Apple related). I felt both sorry for Mille, and in awe of her bravery to follow her mother's wishes. I was surprised at the alternative she took to jelly babies, simply because I thought sugar substitutes were still sort of like sugar. The effect of the detox is hilarious, and a total joy to read.

Next up on my favourite characters is Harry, Suzy's sister (not a brother). Harry is quite a prankster, whose antics make me cringe on the behalf of whoever is on the receiving end and smile at Harry's genius. Be warned: if you let a sibling read this book (which they so should) you could well end up having a lot of mishaps on film, should they go and copy what Harry does.

Last but not least because they are 3 characters, is Suzy's older sister Amber and her twin girls, Chichi & Uni. Those aren't their full names either. At first I was amused, but by the end they seemed entirely normal. The poo on the carpet incident cracked me up because I hear of babies who managed to get themselves & everything around them covered in poo from time to time. I better state now I don't have any children and don't have younger siblings so I haven't personally experienced this level of torture. I like the girls as smurfs! Amber, I really love Amber. She is what you could call an air-head, but the lovable kind. She lives in her own little world (like me), she mostly sees the good in situations (like me), often misses the point even when it is spelled out (sort of like me), and every now and then surprises her family by saying/doing something rather sweet, especially at the end (I like to think I do this). I don't share her numerous terms of endearment for those she loves, but it's cute to read.

Find out more on Karen's website where you can read chapter 1 for free!

Suggested read

This is a no-brainer but you must read book 1, Me, Suzy P (Children's, 9 years +, 8/10E - I suspect on rereading this the grade will change)

and book 2, Suzy P and the Trouble with Three (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)

 

 Guest Blog Post: Which Suzy P Character Are you?

Nayu here! It's with great pleasure to present the following fun quiz created by Karen - I ended up as Suzy, which was a little disappointing as I am more in my own world like Amber and a bit crazy hyper like Millie, but still a good result as Suzy's cool too. Time to pass you over to Karen!

Picture by Neil Griffiths

*sounds the exciting news klaxon* There’s a new Suzy P book available RIGHT NOW! The third in the Suzy series, Suzy P, Forever Me, has just been released. This time, Suzy’s opened her big mouth and promised everyone in her school that super-famous band The Drifting will come and play at the Collinsbrooke fundraiser. Uh oh. And if that wasn’t enough to contend with she’s stuck helping plan her Dad’s surprise birthday party too. Just to make matters even worse, both parties are happening on the same day…

The Suzy books are stories about mates, boyfriends, family and finding yourself in ridiculous situations, and to celebrate the release of this latest title, we’ve got this fun quiz for you so you can find out which Suzy character you’re most like!

1. What do you like to do for fun?

A Hang out with your mates

B Leap around on your bed singing along to your favourite music

C Read gossip magazines

D Secretly film your family

2. What do you think about your siblings?

A Ideally, they’d disappear

B They’re total argumentative drama queens
C I love them, they’re my favourite people
D They’re there to be tortured as much as possible

3. Which most describes your style?

A Anything that blends in with the crowd and isn’t a dress
B Bright colours and individual
C Designer wear if possible, modelled on celebs
D Jeans and t-shirts, absolutely nothing girly

4. What’s your favourite food or drink?

A Hot chocolate with marshmallows
B Jelly babies
C Whatever my favourite celebrity is eating
D Anything and everything

5. What do you think about your boyfriend?

A He’s fab, although more affection in public would be nice
B He’s amazing, although he eats ALL THE TIME. And never stops playing football
C I love my little snoochy-poochy snuggly-wuggly pup to pieces!
D Boyfriend? Yuck, I don’t have one. Boys are gross!

6. What’s your favourite animal?

A Anything you don’t have to exercise
B Irish Wolfhound

C Chihuahua or unicorn
D Rat

Now tot up your answers…

Mostly A’s

You’re SUZY!

The heroine of the stories, you always seem to find yourself in daft situations and your mouth often goes off before your brain can engage. Luckily you’ve got a great group of mates around you to help you out when you get yourself in these pickles!

Mostly B’s

You’re MILLIE!

Suzy’s best friend. You’re a great mate, and very loyal, as well as being high energy and super enthusiastic about everything. Plus you’ve always got sweets to hand.

Mostly C’s

You’re AMBER!

Suzy’s ditzy older sister. You’re obsessed with celebrity culture and live in your own delightful fairy tale world. You’ve got a heart of gold, though.

Mostly D’s

You’re HARRY!

Suzy’s younger sister, who’s dedicated her life to annoying her older sisters. You love magic, movies and aren’t really interested in boys yet. Tormenting your siblings is much more fun!

 

Book 1, 2, and 3

Suzy P, Forever Me; Suzy P and the Trouble With Three and Me, Suzy P by Karen Saunders are available to buy online and from all good bookshops. If you’d like to find out more about the books or the author, do visit Karen online at www.karensaunders.co.uk, ‘like’ her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/karensaunderswriter or follow Karen on Twitter @writingkaren. Suzy tweets too, @suzyputtock, so don’t forget to follow her, too!

Competition Time! 

Win this!

 Nayu here! The lovely people of Hot Key Books are hosting a fun competition to win a copy of Suzy P, Forever Me. This is for UK & Ireland residents only, and ends 12pm GMT Sunday 1st February 2015.

Tweet Suzy @suzyputtock to let us know what your favourite animal is using the hashtag #SuzyPQuiz and the best answer will win a copy of the book, all cute animal pictures welcome! Good luck!

What are YOU reading? #253

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

Read

Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine

Young Adult/New Adult

9/10E

(Romantic parts aside this is a heart-wrenching read about a girl with an abusive mother who becomes ever so strong.)

The Tender Moments of Saffron Silk by Glenda Millard and Stephen Michael King

Children's, 9 years +

10/10E

(À charming read covering so many life topics including illness, adoption, loss of a young child, depression...)

Rules for Riders: Best Friends. Deadly Rivals by Natalie Scott

Young Adult

8/10E

( Bebe's life is full of surprises that I had no idea about!)

Chestnut Hill: Making Strides by Lauren Brooke

Young Adult

10E/10E

(Dealing with an abused horse is no walk in the park as Malory discovers...)

Saving Quinton by Jessica Sorensen

New Adult

10/10E

(Ever so much a realistic read regarding drug addiction...)

Listened

Many books, just not finished any this week!

Watched 

Casualty

Medical drama, English version

9/10E

(Brilliant episode involving Connie learning what her daughter Grace could end up like if Connie doesn't find a way to connect with her.) 

Holby City

Medical drama, English version

9/10E

(I know it was a good episode, I just can't remember what happened!) 

Waterloo Road

School drama, English version

9/10E

(Back to its wonderful melodramatic self with a plot twist I didn't see coming among the more obvious ones.)

Aikatsu

REWATCH! - Anime, Japanese version

10E/10E

(I vaguely remember dreaming/daydreaming about when Mizuki dances the song Precious this week.)

Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream

REWATCH! - Anime, Japanese version

10E/10E

(I know Mion is stuck up at the beginning but she does really care about Aira & Rhythm...) 

Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live

REWATCH! - Anime, Japanese version

10E/10E

(The episode where Beru/Bell has to fight her mother to keep on doing Prism shows makes me well up whenever I watch it!)

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Season 4

Anime, English version

10E/10E

(Twilight is wonderful as a princess! She has wings, but is her usual graceful self...so long as its not when she's learning how to fly!)

Outnumbered

Family comedy, English version

10E/10E

(A slice of life show filled with laughs...)

Prison Break: Season 3 & 4

Thriller, English version

10/10E

(I'm on the final season, and oh boy are the surprises coming thick and fast!) 

Top Gear

Car show, English version

10/10E

(I love the specials which focus on bizarre challenged across the world. This is a hilarious show, which only misses the top grade due to a tiny bit of mature content...)

The Ugly Duckling and Me

Animated film, English version

9/10E

(This is much sweeter than I expected it to be!) 

Mirror, Mirror

Fantasy film, English version

9/10E

(A brilliant version of Snow White's tale, which I'm finally getting into, some parts weren't to my taste but some of the costumes were amazing! One to rewatch.)

Help I'm A Fish!

Animated film, English version

9/10E

(A bit scary in places, but the three children who turn into fish learn to help each other and make new friends. You'll need tissues for the seahorse!)

Cynthia et la Rhythm de la Vie

Anime, French version

10E/10E

(Watching Cynthia succeed in the competition is brilliant...not so brilliant is the sabotage which goes on from the jealous girls.) 

Winx: Season 2

Anime, French version

10E/10E

(Nearly at the part which Bloom meets the pixi/mini fee [fairy in French] Lockette!) 

Angelic Layer

REWATCH! - Anime, Japanese version

10E/10E

(I want to have/be one of the battle dolls almost as much as I want to be in the world of Aikatsu, Pripara & Pretty Rhythm. Happy sigh!)

Games, craft and more

As ever this week I've been playing and leveling up on the usual 3 10E/10E games...

...Ice Age Village where I got some cute raccoons, Littlest Pet Shop where I'm wishing I could exchange bits (money) for bling (what you need to get the special pets which I refuse to pay for so I'm having to save ever so slowly) & My Little Pony where I got a second pony who is part of the Wonderbolts!. 

I've made a lot of progress on the secret project I can't tell you about! I've also started this pink and cream crochet blanket...(picture following soon)

...and continued with this cute bubblegum coloured blanket. (picture following soon)