Currently ill

Just the usual, but I'm heading to bed for a doze. No review today, hopefully one tomorrow.

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home: Buddy and Holly's Story (Children's, 5 years +)

September 2011, Red Fox

112 pages, Paperback

Review copy 

Children's, 5 years + 

Themes: having a pet, best friends, fun coincidences, holiday festivities, family life, lots of happiness, 

Summary from Random House Children's Books

There's double the fun this Christmas when two of Battersea's cutest residents arrive to live on Bell Lane. Best friends Jo and Helen live next door to each other, and Santa has delivered the perfect surprise - a gorgeous tabby kitten for Jo and a cuddly golden Labrador puppy for Helen! Will Holly and Buddy prove to be best friends too? 

Nayuleska's thoughts 

I love how close Jo and Helen are, and it was fun being able to relate to some of their characteristics. I'm more like Jo because I wear odd socks (although on purpose rather than by accident) & I'm not a neat freak. However, cats are way better than dogs, and Helen's new family member is as mischievous as my own cat. This gets 9/10 from me. 

You can visit Battersea Dogs and Cat's home website here. My current cat is a rescue cat! If you want a dog or cat, do give rescue centres a though (there are several different ones). And do be put off by how the cats behave. Mine had had a really rough time and all she did was sit on her bed. We felt sorry for her. She's a totally different cat now, known as the Tabby Tornado for the way she races around the house. The other day she shot through the cat flap so fast she didn't register a cupboard door was open and banged her head right into it (sorry for going off topic a little, I love my cat!) 

Suggested reading

Check out more of the Battersea Dogs and Cats books, including one about this cute cat Cosmo's Story

Update on how I'm doing

As I'm starting to poke my head into cyber space again, I'm bumping into friends who naturally ask how I'm doing. I'm thankful to them for caring so much to say hi, especially as I go to zero social events at the moment. 

I'm not going to give all details, but here's a November update for how I'm doing. 

Some of you know I had a treatment in May. It was an infusion of a strong painkiller. The aim was to help bring the pain down a little. (Note: the pain is super high, constant, and never goes away. Nothing makes it better, doing anything (and even doing nothing) can make it worse. I've had it for 2 years now). 

The infusion didn't work. I got an appointment for late October to go back and discuss what to try next (that wasn't even to try another treatment.). Unfortunately due to my supreme ditzyness, and family being on holiday so not able to get me to double check things, I missed the appointment. I wasn't a happy bunny. The pain clinic didn't chuck me off their list (as I thought they would), I'm seeing them at the start of January. So we're probably looking at Spring before I try a new treatment, which has no guarantee of working. 

I'm watching light anime (including Winx French version), ones which make me smile and laugh. Reading children's books is helping too, as I'm picking lighter ones. I'm having to check books when I get them, and put them to one side if they are dark. I love dystopians, but at the moment I'm staying clear of most of them. 

So it's a muddle on with things and hope for the best next year! Personally I'm seeing how many times I can watch the Winx seasons. On the plus side, I'm making good progress with my wips, so I'll be able to query soon - hopefully this month. - whoohoo! Writing helps a lot. I'm putting my energy into that, so we'll see how it goes). Plus the photocopier at work is being it's usual misbehaving self and causing jams at completely inappropriate times of day. The world is normal when I have to give it a bash or too! 

(This friendship hug is how I feel for my friends (left to right: Musa, Flora (my favourite!) Musa, Stella (also my favourite - ok so all of them are but Flora & Stella probably more so). The world survives on love.)

Winner of 300 follower competition

Midnight of 8th November has been and gone, so it's time to announce the winner of the 300 followers competition. 

A massive 158 of you put your names in to win my (read once) ARC of Elizabeth Miles' Fury. 

So after putting the numbers in the random number generator, the person getting this copy is...

Lakshmi!

Many congratulations, I'll be in touch shortly by email to verify the win. 

Thank you to everyone who entered, and spread the word about my blog because now I've got 322 followers! I hope over the next few months I might make it to 400, which I've got a special prize in mind for. Make that prizes as there is more than one! 

I hope you continue to enjoy the reviews here on Nayu's Reading Corner, because I fully enjoy reading the books and sharing my thoughts on them. 

Gargoylz Wild in the Woods by Burchett and Vogler (Children's, 5 years +)

September 2011, Red Fox

128 pages, Paperback

Review copy 

Children's, 5 years + 

Themes: inseparable friends, bullies, school life, camping with school, having to explain strange goings on, parents who are like their children, lots of humour 

Summary from Random House Children's Books

Max and Ben are off for an awesome adventure in the woods - going camping with their favourite Gargoyle friends. A scary story about a monster that lives nearby has spooked the Gargoylz, and Max and Ben want to investigate....But will bully Barry the Basher meet the monster first? 

Nayuleska's thoughts

I shouldn't have be surprised about Barry's father, or what the pair do, but I was. I did like how justice was served by the end. It was hard to work who was more excited about the camping, the Gargoylz or Max and Ben. They all have oodles of enthusiasm, which bounces off the pages. This is definitely a 10/10 read. 

Make sure you check out the Gargoylz website which has fun games, facts about the characters and other exciting things! 

Suggested read

Catch up with some of the other Gargoylz books, perhaps my favourite one Gargoylz Summer Fun

Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk (Fantasy, Urban Fantasy)

October 2011, Penguin,

384 pages, Paperback

Review copy

Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Themes: families, true friendship, taking risks, hunted, injustice, personal journeys and discovery, sunshine after rain and vice versa, funky powers, knitting! cute cat, a balance of thrills and fun, 2ish strong adult romance scenes, lots of humour 

Summary from Penguin

"Using magic, meant it used you back. Forget the fairytale hocus pocus, sparkles and pixie dust crap. Magic, like booze, sex and drugs, gave as good as it got"

Everything has a cost. And every act of magic exacts a price from its user, maybe a two-day migraine, or losing the memory of your first kiss. But some people want to use magic without paying and they Offload the cost onto innocents. When that happens, it falls to a Hound to identify the spell's caster - and Allie Beckstrom is the best there is. 

Daughter of a prominent Portland businessmen, Allie would rather moonlight as a Hound than accept the family fortune - and the strings that come with it. But when she discovers a little boy dying from a magic offload that has her father's signature all over it, Allie is thrown into the high stakes world of corporate espionage and black magic...

Nayuleska's thoughts

I've found a book which vies alongside one of my top favourites (which are by Maria V Schnyder). Allie is instantly likeable, probably more so because I share a lot of character traits with her and her friend. (I adore knitting fingerless gloves). I love the concepts of magic, and how it all works. What happens to Allie is terrifyingly awesome, and feels as if it could happen in our world. There is a lot of danger in the story, but it isn't all encompassing - there's almost always a sense of hope soon after dark moments, especially at the end. 

It will be a long wait to January to read the sequel to this 11/10 book. Yes, 11. I'm miscounting on purpose. I want to reread the book already (but I have a stack which need my attention first). 

Check out Devon's website for more about her books 

Suggested read

For an equally fun read (with vampires) try Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill. 

What are you reading? #89

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


Books I've read this week

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Young Adult

(A re-read for me....I love the world of mermaids in this humerous tale.)

10/10

New Beginnings by Rebecca Emin

Children's

(A highly readable tale about a girl who suffers from bullying, but is able to pick herself up and get help in the end.  Scheduled for release, January 2012.)

10/10