tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80634264608998071942024-03-05T01:26:49.154-08:00careful scissors sharpKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-41388370691545155482016-11-12T12:56:00.000-08:002016-11-12T12:56:55.702-08:00Semi-Charmed Winter 2016 Book Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;">Flushed with success from finishing the last <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2016/09/summer-2016-book-challenge-month-3.html" target="_blank">Semi-Charmed Book Challenge</a> with a month to spare, I’m excited to be taking part in the <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2016/10/semi-charmed-winter-2016-book-challenge.html#more" target="_blank">Winter 2016</a> one. Here are my preliminary choices:</span><br />
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">5 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> Freebie! Read any book that is at least 150 pages long.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">TBC from the huge pile of books I have beside my bed...</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">10 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">Read a 2016 finalist (longlist or shortlist) for one of the following literary prizes: </span><a href="http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2016.html#.WAEkmJMrIxc" style="color: #009966; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">National Book Award</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">, </span><a href="http://themanbookerprize.com/fiction" style="color: #ff5900; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;" target="_blank">Man Booker</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> or </span><a href="http://themanbookerprize.com/international" style="color: #009966; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Man Booker International</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25694617-his-bloody-project?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnett (280 pages) - a shortlist finalist for the Man Booker and donated to me by my </span></i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>sister</i></span></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">10 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">Read a brand-new release (something published between November 1, 2016, and January 31, 2017).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30057557-the-odds-of-loving-grover-cleveland?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane (260 pages) - published 1st December</a></span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">15 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">Read a book by an author of a different race or religion than you.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7097443-three-sisters?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Three Sisters by Bi Feiyu (288 pages) - a Chinese author</a></i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;" /></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">15 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> Read a book featuring a main character who is of a different race or religion than you.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/141473.A_Sunday_at_the_Pool_in_Kigali?from_search=true" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444;">A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali by Gil Courtemanche (248 pages) featuring main </span></span><span style="color: #444444;">character Giselle who is Rwandan</span></a></span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;" /></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">20 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> Read a modern retelling of a classic (e.g. an </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/113943-the-austen-project" style="color: #009966; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Austen Project</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> novel, </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27070127-vinegar-girl" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Vinegar Girl</a> </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">by Anne Tyler, etc.)</span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> — Submitted by SCSBC16 winner <a href="http://www.beeautifulblessings.com/" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kaity</a>.</i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27070127-vinegar-girl?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler (237 pages)</a></span></i><br />
<i><br /></i><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">25 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> Read a book with an alcoholic beverage (neat or cocktail) in the title. — </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">Submitted by SCSBC16 winner Kerry. </i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909774-martini-henry?from_search=true" target="_blank">Martini Henry by Sara Crowe (416 pages)</a></span></i><br />
<i><br /></i><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">30 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> Read a book with a character that shares your first or last name. (Alternate spellings are okay, e.g. Megan and Meghan or Smith and Smyth.) </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">— Submitted by SCSBC16 winner <a href="http://edb214.blogspot.com/" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ericka</a>.</i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1166131.The_Recruit?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Recruit by Robert Muchamore (342 pages) featuring character Kerry Chang</a></span></i><br />
<i><br /></i><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">30 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> Read two books: a nonfiction book </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">and</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> a fiction book with which it connects. For example: </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23848320-a-is-for-arsenic" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> and one of </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/123715.Agatha_Christie" style="color: #009966; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Christie</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">'s mystery novels that features poison, or </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6514074-the-monuments-men" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Monuments Men</a> </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">and </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18143977-all-the-light-we-cannot-see" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">All the Light We Cannot See</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">. The possibilities are endless, so have fun with this one! </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">— Submitted by SCSBC16 winner Bev. (And remember you must finish both books to get the 30 points! No partial points will be awarded.)</i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6728738-committed?from_search=true" target="_blank">Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert (285 pages)</a></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42156.Something_Borrowed?from_search=true" target="_blank">Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin (322 pages)</a></span></i><br />
<i><br /></i><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">40 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> Read two books: one by an author whose </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">first</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> name is the same as the </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">last</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> name of the author of the other book. For example: You may read a book by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8258.Martin_Cruz_Smith" style="color: #009966; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>Martin</u> Cruz Smith</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> and a book by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/346732.George_R_R_Martin" style="color: #009966; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">George R.R. <u>Martin</u></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">, or a book by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5144.James_Joyce" style="color: #009966; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">James <u>Joyce</u></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> and a book by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3524.Joyce_Carol_Oates" style="color: #009966; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>Joyce</u> Carol Oates</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">. The shared name must be spelled exactly the same, no variations. </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">— Submitted by SCSBC16 winner <a href="http://jannghi.blogspot.com/" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jamie</a>. (And remember you must finish both books to get the 40 points! No partial points will be awarded.)</i><br />
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<i style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22248942-what-would-mary-berry-do?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">What Would Mary Berry Do? by Claire Sandy (450 pages)</a></span></i><br />
<i style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20801166-a-little-something-different?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall (272 pages)</a></span></i><br />
<i style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></i>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-89963490882022480022016-10-13T11:52:00.000-07:002016-10-13T11:52:31.838-07:00On alcohol and reading...<div style="background-color: white; color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
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It was with great pleasure I accepted the invitation to choose a category for the Semi-Charmed Winter Book Challenge 2016! After (just) finishing in fourth place in the Summer Challenge, I finally achieved a goal I’ve held since summer 2013. Mostly I have a small boy to thank for it. His sleeping pattern is so non-existent that many a night our room is illuminated from the glow of a kindle as I try to nurse him back to sleep.</div>
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Anyhow, my category is thus:</div>
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<em>Read a book with an alcoholic beverage (neat or cocktail) in the title.</em></div>
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And I promised Megan that I’d come up with some suggestions. Here they are roughly categorised. While I haven’t read most of them, I’ve linked each one to its goodreads entry – I hope you find something that whets your appetite!</div>
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<strong>Wine Books</strong></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/611395.The_Wine_of_Angels?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/611395.The_Wine_of_Angels?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">The Wine of Angels – Phil Rickman</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50033.Dandelion_Wine?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50033.Dandelion_Wine?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Dandelion Wine – Ray Bradbury</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15101.Blackberry_Wine?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15101.Blackberry_Wine?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Blackberry Wine – Joanne Harris</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/944103.The_Palm_Wine_Drinkard?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/944103.The_Palm_Wine_Drinkard?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">The Palm Wine Drinkard – Amos Tutuola</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/152986.An_Omelette_and_a_Glass_of_Wine?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/152986.An_Omelette_and_a_Glass_of_Wine?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Omelette and A Glass of Wine – Elizabeth David</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/938791.The_Wine_Dark_Sea?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/938791.The_Wine_Dark_Sea?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">The Wine Dark Sea – Patrick O’Brian</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29760062-pour-the-dark-wine?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29760062-pour-the-dark-wine?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Pour The Dark Wine – Deryn Lake</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31391839-corkscrew-the-highly-improbable-but-occasionally-true-tale-of-a-prof?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31391839-corkscrew-the-highly-improbable-but-occasionally-true-tale-of-a-prof?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Corkscrew: The highly improbable, but occasionally true, tale of a professional wine buyer – Peter Stafford-Bow</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31934738-hugh-johnson-on-wine?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31934738-hugh-johnson-on-wine?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;">Hugh Johnson on Wine – Hugh Johnson</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25510347-the-history-of-wine-in-100-bottles" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25510347-the-history-of-wine-in-100-bottles" style="color: #00aadc;">The History of Wine in 100 Bottles – Oz Clarke</a></div>
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<strong>Cider Books</strong></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/292314.Cider_With_Rosie?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/292314.Cider_With_Rosie?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Cider With Rosie – Laurie Lee</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/765769.Cider_With_Roadies?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/765769.Cider_With_Roadies?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Cider With Roadies – Stuart Maconie</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4687.The_Cider_House_Rules?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4687.The_Cider_House_Rules?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">The Cider House Rules – John Irving</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/364834.Rough_Cider?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/364834.Rough_Cider?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Rough Cider – Peter Lovesey</a></div>
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<strong>Whiskey/Whiskey Books</strong></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24820532-whisky-from-small-glasses?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24820532-whisky-from-small-glasses?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;">Whisky From Small Glasses – Denzil Meyrick</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23432231-the-whisky-affair?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23432231-the-whisky-affair?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;">The Whisky Affair – Michael J Gill</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/655425.Whisky_Galore?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/655425.Whisky_Galore?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;">Whisky Galore – Compton Mackenzie</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14427601-whiskey-rebellion?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14427601-whiskey-rebellion?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;">Whiskey Rebellion – Liliana Heart</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/655421.Polly?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/655421.Polly?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;">Polly: The True Story Behind Whisky Galore – Roger Hutchison</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18937236-whisky-wars-riots-and-murder?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18937236-whisky-wars-riots-and-murder?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Whisky, Wars, Riots and Murder: Crime in the 19th Century Highlands and Islands – Malcolm Archibald</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9386736-spirit-of-adventure?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9386736-spirit-of-adventure?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Spirit of Adventure: A Journey Beyond the Whisky Trails – Tom Morton</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15713761-whisky-charlie-foxtrot?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15713761-whisky-charlie-foxtrot?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Whisky Charlie Foxtrot – Annabel Smith</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9389043-whisky-wit-wisdom?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9389043-whisky-wit-wisdom?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Whisky Wit and Wisdom: Light and Quirky Stories from Inside the Whisky World – Gavin D. Smith</a></div>
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<strong>Vodka Books</strong></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23356688-vodka-and-limelight?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23356688-vodka-and-limelight?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Vodka and Limelight – Yuri Kagan</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40173.Are_You_There_Vodka_It_s_Me_Chelsea?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40173.Are_You_There_Vodka_It_s_Me_Chelsea?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea – Chelsea Handler</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27485039-love-vodka?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27485039-love-vodka?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Love and Vodka: My Surreal Adventures in Ukraine – R. J. Fox</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/95991.Vodka?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/95991.Vodka?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Vodka – Boris Starling</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17847507-vodka-politics?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17847507-vodka-politics?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Vodka Politics: Alcohol, Autocracy, and the Secret History of the Russian State – Mark Lawrence Schrad</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30973829-the-final-summer-of-vodka?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30973829-the-final-summer-of-vodka?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">The Final Summer of Vodka: The Marmaris Diaries – Louise Bell</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/949206.Milk_Eggs_Vodka?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/949206.Milk_Eggs_Vodka?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Milk Eggs Vodka : Grocery Lists Lost and Found - Bill Keaggy</a></div>
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<strong>Rum Books</strong></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/168579.The_Ascent_of_Rum_Doodle?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/168579.The_Ascent_of_Rum_Doodle?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">The Ascent of Rum Doodle – W. E. Bowman</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24034128-rumrunners?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24034128-rumrunners?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Rumrunners – Eric Beetner</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240910.Rum_Punch?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240910.Rum_Punch?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Rum Punch – Elmore Leonard</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1768976.A_Rum_Affair?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1768976.A_Rum_Affair?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">A Rum Affair: The True History of a Botanical Fraud – Karl Sabbagh and Adam Nicolson</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240908.And_a_Bottle_of_Rum?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240908.And_a_Bottle_of_Rum?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New world in Ten Cocktails – Wayne Curtis</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18864.The_Rum_Diary?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18864.The_Rum_Diary?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">The Rum Diary - Hunter S Thomson</a></div>
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<strong>Gin Books</strong></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28286132-the-curious-bartender-s-gin-palace?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28286132-the-curious-bartender-s-gin-palace?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">The Curious Bartender’s Gin Palace – Tristan Stephenson</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22745381-gin-glorious-gin?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22745381-gin-glorious-gin?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Gin Glorious Gin: How Mother’s Ruin Became the Spirit of London – Olivia Williams</a></div>
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<strong>Various Other Drinks</strong></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18104720-campari-for-breakfast?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18104720-campari-for-breakfast?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Campari For Breakfast – Sara Crowe</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909774-martini-henry?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909774-martini-henry?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Martini Henry – Sara Crowe</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31844850-in-a-manhattan-minute?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31844850-in-a-manhattan-minute?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">In a Manhattan Minute – Helen J Rolfe</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27190170-sleepless-in-manhattan?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27190170-sleepless-in-manhattan?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Sleepless in Manhattan – Sarah Morgan</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27970470-the-cosmopolitan-islander?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27970470-the-cosmopolitan-islander?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">The Cosmopolitan Islander – M. P. Tonneson</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7690214-tequila-oil?from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7690214-tequila-oil?from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Tequila Oil: Getting Lost in Mexico - Hugh Thomson</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64916.One_Good_Turn?ac=1&from_search=true" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64916.One_Good_Turn?ac=1&from_search=true" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw – Witold Rybczynski</a></div>
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The first five <em><a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/50842-murder-she-wrote" href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/50842-murder-she-wrote" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Murder, She Wrote</a></em> series by <a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/50842-murder-she-wrote" href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/50842-murder-she-wrote" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Jessica Fletcher</a> are all alcohol based. I won’t be trying these due to an irrational hatred of <em>Murder, She Wrote</em>, which came about when we first moved to France and it was the only thing on television. Ever.</div>
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There also exists a series of <em><a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/42689-jacqueline-jack-daniels" href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/42689-jacqueline-jack-daniels" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">Jack Daniels Mysteries</a></em> by <a data-mce-href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/42689-jacqueline-jack-daniels" href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/42689-jacqueline-jack-daniels" style="color: #00aadc;" target="_blank">J. A. Konrath</a>, the first six of which are named after famous cocktails.</div>
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And you could be sneaky with this one too. Many words contain the word ‘gin’ – begin, aubergine, avenging, belonging, engineer – or ‘rum’ – crumb, drum, forum, grumble, instrument. My sleep addled brain is probably missing out on many more (and possibly being optimistic that there is a book out there with <i>aubergine</i> in the title).</div>
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I don’t think you’ll have any difficulty in finding a book that fits into this category. My list is by no means exhaustive. For what it’s worth, I heartily recommend <em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18104720-campari-for-breakfast?from_search=true" target="_blank">Campari For Breakfast</a></em> by Sara Crowe which is a beautiful and hilarious novel about a young woman coming of age pursuing her dream to become a writer while living with her aged aunt in a rundown, ramshackle mansion. I’ll be choosing the sequel, <em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909774-martini-henry?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Martini Henry</a></em> for this category in the challenge.</div>
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Thank you, Megan, for hosting another challenge. Have fun reading and good luck!<br />
<br />
<i>Edited: I’ve since been on goodreads and found a huge number of books with aubergine in the title. Seriously, my category could have been </i>Read a book with the word <i>aubergine</i> in the title <i>and you’d have been spoiled for choice!</i></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #bd081c; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 193px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 35px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #bd081c; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 193px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 35px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-57064391858595176302016-01-03T03:36:00.000-08:002016-01-03T03:36:39.236-08:00Oh, boy...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-VLKWTkrySJSspajonACC7lR5bA1ynXBOprgA_Rvj_goT5rEQt6xJ__uzfaEdoJuggzEHXASSNftR1h_TjtrEane4jmJF9scc1H_1k8DDUqeVGTG9z-SkSDYmjNyFDc13l9e9tynXQFF/s1600/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-VLKWTkrySJSspajonACC7lR5bA1ynXBOprgA_Rvj_goT5rEQt6xJ__uzfaEdoJuggzEHXASSNftR1h_TjtrEane4jmJF9scc1H_1k8DDUqeVGTG9z-SkSDYmjNyFDc13l9e9tynXQFF/s320/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is Ross. Milk drinker, co-sleeper, night waker, poo maker. And responsible, since his arrival in mid-November, for turning his mother's brain into mush. So much so that she can't concentrate on any books that require a modicum of thought. Which is why I sadly need to resign from The Semi-Charmed Winter 2015 Book Challenge. I hope to get round to reading most of the planned books during the year to come, but at the moment I'm happy to indulge in the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. A guilty pleasure maybe, but a pleasure I can easily partake of in the middle of the night by the light of my kindle.Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-86813773970639520982015-10-31T15:05:00.000-07:002015-10-31T15:05:15.078-07:00The Semi-Charmed Winter 2015 Book Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2015/10/semi-charmed-winter-2015-book-challenge.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYc403b-61fVVjAlRRm0wch8ARIfJmc357jbZqJDdLELPPk-l2-E4yKDySs3wGTRIWlouT7z5uhySVk2CIZ6JOmrbwlubPHkiAAtWebvBMwEvdyXunnGt1yKXhPRSkvDO8vJk3ZD0tQIWQ/s1600/SCWBC15.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;">It's almost time (55 minutes to go!) for the <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2015/10/semi-charmed-winter-2015-book-challenge.html" target="_blank">Semi-Charmed Winter 2015 Book Challenge.</a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">Here is my preliminary list. As you can see, I'm quite undecided about one or two categories. I'm also a little worried that I appear to have favoured books that are somewhat on the long side. But we shall see how I go, I suppose. All suggestions and comments are welcome!</span></span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">5 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"> Read a book that has between 100 and 200 pages.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34268.Peter_Pan?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Peter Pan by J M Barrie (176 pages)</a> or <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/517188.The_Prime_of_Miss_Jean_Brodie?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (150 pages)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">10 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"> Read a debut book by any author. (The book does not have to be a 2015 debut.)</span></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18498569-the-miniaturist?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (400 pages)</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">10 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"> Read a book that does not take place in your current country of residence.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9317452-rivers-of-london?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (392 pages)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">10 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"> Read a book that someone else has already used for the challenge. — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher </span><a href="http://www.seeyouinaporridge.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #009966; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kristen @ <i>See You in a Porridge</i></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">[Edited to add: The book must be at least 200 pages long.]</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm hoping someone else reads <span id="goog_790488205"></span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11250053-the-snow-child?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (386 pages)</a><span id="goog_790488206"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br style="background-color: white;" /></i><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">15 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"> Read a book published under a pseudonym (e.g. Robert Galbraith, Sara Poole, J.D. Robb, Franklin W. Dixon, Mark Twain, etc.). — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher Megan M.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16160797-the-cuckoo-s-calling?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (455 pages)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">15 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"> Read a book with “boy,” “girl,” “man” or “woman” in the title (or the plural of these words).</span></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1754278.The_Boy_in_the_Striped_Pyjamas?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne (224 pages)</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">15 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"> Read a book with a one-word title (e.g. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">Attachments</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">Americanah</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">Uglies</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">Wild</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">, etc.).</span></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7937843-room?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Room by Emma Donoghue (321 pages)</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">20 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"> Read a book with a person's first and last name in the title (e.g. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">The Story of Edgar Sawtelle</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">).</span></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2731276-the-story-of-edgar-sawtelle?ac=1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (608 pages)</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">20 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">Read a food-themed book. — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher </span><a href="http://jannghi.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #009966; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #009966;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;">Jamie @</span></span><span style="color: #009966;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;"> </span></span><i style="background-color: white; color: #009966; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;">Whatever I Think Of!</i></a></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4313522-the-school-of-essential-ingredients?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (240 pages)</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">20 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"> Read a book with a verb in the title. (For any grammar nerds out there, I mean “verb” in the most general sense, so gerunds count. For non-grammar-inclined people, just use any book that appears to have a verb in the title!)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24388326-the-heart-goes-last?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (320 pages)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">30 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">Read two books with the same title (by different authors). — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher </span><a href="mailto:confuzzledomblog@gmail.com" style="background-color: white; color: #009966; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">bevchen @ </a><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="mailto:confuzzledomblog@gmail.com" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span id="goog_204093209"></span>Confuzzledom</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;"><span id="goog_204093210"></span></a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">[Edited to add: The titles must be the SAME save for alternate spellings. For example, The Alchemist and Alchemist would be two different titles and would not work for the challenge, but The Alchemist and The Alchemyst would work.]</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TBC - I'm considering <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21104828-the-lake-house?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">The Lake House by Kate Morton</a> (400 pages) and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25200176-the-lake-house?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Helen Phifer</a> (400 pages) or <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43926.The_Innocent?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">The Innocent by Harlan Coben</a> (503 pages) and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6868.The_Innocent?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Ian McEwan (226 pages)</a> or <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10692.The_Historian?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (704 pages)</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23654406-the-historian?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Rachel Bohlen (317 pages)</a></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br style="background-color: white;" /></i><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">30 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">Read a nonfiction book and a fiction book about the same subject (e.g. a biography and historical fiction novel about the same person; two books about a specific war or event; a nonfiction book about autism and a novel with a character who has autism, etc. The possibilities are endless!). </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;">[Edited to add: This one is very broad! Just have fun with it!]</i></span><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/357486.Voices_from_Chernobyl?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich (236 pages) </a>and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18505785-all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">All That is Solid Melts Into Air by Darragh McKeon (464 pages)</a></span></i>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-59699138672889944272015-08-07T05:40:00.003-07:002015-08-07T05:40:50.577-07:00Citrus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKjxQ1G9HLhrYslnAeno23p3FAmnTomUtvATiuDVWc1akamWj8-y4KFCbikkva_GzJrnjIi5S044NGUmIhkjfoK1THIUt-CiVJX38DB_pZfBWsKAL52XRaA7jjt-7CUBNzbS_0OU7dleF/s1600/photo+1+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKjxQ1G9HLhrYslnAeno23p3FAmnTomUtvATiuDVWc1akamWj8-y4KFCbikkva_GzJrnjIi5S044NGUmIhkjfoK1THIUt-CiVJX38DB_pZfBWsKAL52XRaA7jjt-7CUBNzbS_0OU7dleF/s320/photo+1+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lemons, destined for a fruit cake. In one of my favourite bowls.</div>
<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-55633482731998213432015-08-07T05:39:00.001-07:002015-08-07T05:39:22.092-07:00Numbers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWmrxUH_3ZLuQJJFpOXhyphenhyphen_PVqEmtDzbWpW-yeI-YhNfL_I1l-Yde-IGJHs2b7jN6XeNx5tYkKMR7x8zPYok5LJ9od76TjmdXVzqdNtv_47b0G_lPVqAemVGtBFiI5cbdA-K18keceIjz0_/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWmrxUH_3ZLuQJJFpOXhyphenhyphen_PVqEmtDzbWpW-yeI-YhNfL_I1l-Yde-IGJHs2b7jN6XeNx5tYkKMR7x8zPYok5LJ9od76TjmdXVzqdNtv_47b0G_lPVqAemVGtBFiI5cbdA-K18keceIjz0_/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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932 paper cranes - our contribution to my sister's upcoming wedding.</div>
Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-35174074264954971002015-08-03T14:24:00.000-07:002015-08-03T14:24:45.242-07:00Skin<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnEtykZxu0OYouON2xLN6F7MqrEKDq7G2kfMDueCYat-33wJ9MIUNCWx47Rut35QyTj9y4_iruvsm8GGQMTMmtCNOJ0HHHD9nMlo2SJqHuB6T4F68f1eTpQZPidi59OkqiK7fcgKD99-7/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnEtykZxu0OYouON2xLN6F7MqrEKDq7G2kfMDueCYat-33wJ9MIUNCWx47Rut35QyTj9y4_iruvsm8GGQMTMmtCNOJ0HHHD9nMlo2SJqHuB6T4F68f1eTpQZPidi59OkqiK7fcgKD99-7/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Slightly colour enhanced, but my legs are the brownest they have ever been. And it beats a photo of my peeling skin - a reminder of the day when we spent slightly too long on the beach.</div>
<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-4733715122322424242015-08-03T03:09:00.000-07:002015-08-03T03:12:23.188-07:00Air<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXE8z39-_tUr3_Q71kTJmVjvkQrRUkQi9FNA7nXTbS40_V80d9dDm3TIw_TbysoUENxnni1-a5CiP3HqIkkZWJYwtR_H6u3w1iUVj5fkmZFiM-4nu7k-f24CMPxeQmp9hyphenhyphencpvpswQrX8Y/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXE8z39-_tUr3_Q71kTJmVjvkQrRUkQi9FNA7nXTbS40_V80d9dDm3TIw_TbysoUENxnni1-a5CiP3HqIkkZWJYwtR_H6u3w1iUVj5fkmZFiM-4nu7k-f24CMPxeQmp9hyphenhyphencpvpswQrX8Y/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The sky, from my garden.</div>
Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-40172577757577742412015-08-01T23:52:00.001-07:002015-08-03T03:12:37.276-07:00Breakfast<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJCz8CIkNaeSYRBpIHwZ1nuotvYv8K2Y6Hf8Zqb_B9xgeqDQMlDgOimm6hy8bw7rcHIxm6fy8MJBgwD7GFcgCYL5x9uq2tU8M8etrrXY6nimIHKQ9w0J-rtnsB_ijJnt5Z_zTCdnqfA0f/s1600/IMG_0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJCz8CIkNaeSYRBpIHwZ1nuotvYv8K2Y6Hf8Zqb_B9xgeqDQMlDgOimm6hy8bw7rcHIxm6fy8MJBgwD7GFcgCYL5x9uq2tU8M8etrrXY6nimIHKQ9w0J-rtnsB_ijJnt5Z_zTCdnqfA0f/s320/IMG_0081.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Two years on from my last participation in one of <a href="http://www.susannahconway.com/the-august-break-2015/" target="_blank">Susannah Conway's August Breaks</a> and the photo for the <i>Breakfast</i> prompt remains pretty much the <a href="http://www.carefulscissorssharp.com/2013/08/breakfast.html" target="_blank">same</a>. Alfresco coffee on the balcony with my cat, Meg.Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-38181306265710896122015-05-29T01:55:00.000-07:002015-05-29T11:14:55.666-07:00Semi-Charmed Summer 2015 Book Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhxJytqxoa1riKJTqlOkSAQzn72KPHNrK1dUrMFERo9naFtlMmn-ZiEv0wgVm9fEziRNW2Wz5X_F4q1XHkrv-1LZBLxP5kPL3WDnkZIvNPj9JsM4uDqXQwTcE7F6kiCeZnz4MvXTc3HY0/s1600/IMG_20150529_091020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhxJytqxoa1riKJTqlOkSAQzn72KPHNrK1dUrMFERo9naFtlMmn-ZiEv0wgVm9fEziRNW2Wz5X_F4q1XHkrv-1LZBLxP5kPL3WDnkZIvNPj9JsM4uDqXQwTcE7F6kiCeZnz4MvXTc3HY0/s320/IMG_20150529_091020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Sunny balcony, peanut butter on toast and a couple of good books - #livingthedream</i></div>
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I don't know how it happened, but I somehow missed the sign-up for the Semi-Charmed Summer 2015 Book Challenge! I stumbled across it last week and was horrified to discover it had already been running for a good three weeks. Given that one of my main goals in life is to finish fast enough to choose a category for the next challenge, I was a little upset. And I ain't a fast reader at the best of times. But undaunted, I set to choosing books. Luckily I was able to count one I'd already read in May towards one of the categories, and the one I was currently reading towards another. Sadly, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28920.A_Pale_View_of_Hills?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">A Pale View of Hills</a></i> by Kazuo Ishiguro wasn't long enough to fit the general rules, although, in trying to make sense of it, I must have reread enough of it to bring the total number of pages read to at least 300. I've since passed it onto a friend to see if she can explain what it was all about.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are the books I've chosen for the categories:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">5 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Freebie! Read any book that fits the general rules. - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/960246.The_L_Shaped_Room" target="_blank">The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks</a> (272 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">10 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Read a book you have never heard of before. (Just go to a shelf and pick a book based on the cover, the title, whatever you want!) - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/294140.Hex_and_the_Single_Girl" target="_blank">Hex and the Single Girl by Valerie Frankel</a> (320 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">10 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Read a book that has been on your TBR list for at least two years. (If you've had a Goodreads account for 2+ years, this will be easy to figure out. If you don’t, do your best to pick a book you’re pretty sure you’ve been wanting to read for years.) - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/860532.I_Capture_the_Castle" target="_blank">I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith </a>(408 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">10 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Read a book that won a </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2014" style="background-color: white; color: #009966; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads “Best Book” award in 2014</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">. - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18081809-landline?from_choice=true" target="_blank">Landline by Rainbow Rowell</a> (308 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">15 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Read a book by an author who is completely new to you. - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2895896-silver-bay?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes</a> (392 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /><b>15 points: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Read a book by an author you have read before. (No re-reads for this one.) - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/862779.My_Lover_s_Lover?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">My Lover's Lover by Maggie O'Farrell </a>(288 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">15 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Read a book with "light" or "dark" in the title. (Or "lightness" or "darkness.") - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8350864-dark-matter?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Dark Matter by Michelle Paver</a> (243 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">20 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Read a book with the name of a city, state or country in the title. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Edited to add: </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">The place must be </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">real</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">, either current or historical, but not fictional. - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088236-baking-cakes-in-kigali?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin</a> (361 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">20 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Read a book with an animal on the cover. - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3230930-sea-otters-gambolling-in-the-wild-wild-surf?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Sea Otters Gambolling in the Wild, Wild Surf by John Bennett </a>(272 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">25 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Read a book that is part of a series with at least four books. - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9542439-the-lady-of-the-rivers?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregor</a>y (501 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">25 points: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Read a book that is longer than 500 pages long. — Submitted by winter finisher Kristen from </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><a href="http://www.seeyouinaporridge.com/" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">See You in a Porridge</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">. - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20821087-the-paying-guests?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters</a> (576 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">30 points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Read a book with an alliterative title. (</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">All </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">words in the title must begin with the same letter; no exceptions for articles or prepositions. Examples: </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12837725-gone-girl" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Gone Girl</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> or </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/325085.Nicholas_Nickleby" style="color: #009966; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Nicholas Nickleby</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">. Yes, this is tough, which is why it's worth the most points!) - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/295687.Ursula_Under?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Ursula, Under by Ingrid Hill</a> (512 pages)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-27235388336138552322015-02-22T00:16:00.000-08:002015-02-22T00:16:22.276-08:00winner, winner, chicken dinner!*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://img1.etsystatic.com/058/0/9706685/il_570xN.682049243_p55p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://img1.etsystatic.com/058/0/9706685/il_570xN.682049243_p55p.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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image from etsy - available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/211030178/all-i-want-to-do-is-read-books-by-the?ref=sr_gallery_42&ga_search_query=book+poster&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery" target="_blank">here</a></div>
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By jiminy, I think I've done it. I've only gone and completed the <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2014/10/semi-charmed-winter-2014-book-challenge.html" target="_blank">Semi-Charmed Winter 2014 Book Challenge.</a> Go me, go me, go me! (We've been watching Yo Gabba Gabba again recently. Does it show?) </div>
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And for anyone interested, here is how I did it:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">5 points:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Freebie! — <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68210.Gilead" target="_blank">Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (247 pages) ****</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">10 points:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Read a book written by an author who has published at least 10 books. — <i> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1250284.The_Red_Room" target="_blank">The Red Room, Nicci French (407 pages) ***</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">10 points:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Read a book of short stories. — <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15161.The_Ladies_of_Grace_Adieu_and_Other_Stories" target="_blank">The Ladies of Grace Adieu, Susanna Clarke (235 pages) ****</a><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">10 points: </span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Read a book with a food in the title. — <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6218281-the-sweetness-at-the-bottom-of-the-pie?ac=1" target="_blank">The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley (363 pages) ****</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">15 points:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Read the first book in a series that is new to you. — <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6186357-the-maze-runner?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Maze Runner, James Dashner (384 pages) ****</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><i><br /></i><b>15 points:</b> Read a book that was originally written in a language that is not your native language. — <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2313328.The_Butterfly_Effect" target="_blank">The Butterfly Effect (originally published in Norwegian), Pernille Rygg (224 pages) ****</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">15 points:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Read a book written by a local author i.e. French. — <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17707634-the-yellow-eyes-of-crocodiles?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles, Katherine Pancol (447pages) ****</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">20 points:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Read a "bookish book." — <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69136.The_Book_of_Lost_Things" target="_blank">The Book of Lost Things, John Connolly (321 pages) *****</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">20 points:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Read a book with a direction in the title. — </span><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17799.South_of_the_Border_West_of_the_Sun" target="_blank">South of the Border, West of the Sun, Haruki Murakami (224pages) ****</a></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">25 points:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Read a book from a genre you don't usually read. — <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7438521-stalin-ate-my-homework?ac=1" target="_blank">Stalin Ate My Homework, Alexei Sayle (321 pages) – autobiography ****</a><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">25 points:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Read a book with a song lyric in the title. — <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6334.Never_Let_Me_Go" target="_blank"><i>Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro (304 pages)</i> after <i>Never Let Me Go by Florence and the Machine *****</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> 30 points:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Read two books with a different meal in each title. — <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18104720-campari-for-breakfast" target="_blank">Campari for Breakfast, Sara Crowe (304 pages) *****</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13258142-dinner-at-mine?from_search=true" target="_blank">Dinner at Mine, Chris Smyth (295 pages) **</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">200 points! (dances around room doing victory dance with glitter hands)</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">My favourite book was without a doubt, Campari for Breakfast which I laughed and laughed and laughed at. It was hilariously funny, and I have suggested it to everyone who has asked me for a book recommendation since the start of the year. All two of them. It was one of those books you want to race through because it is too good to put down, but that you also never want to end. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Finding out later that Sara Crowe does the voice for Queen Thistle in </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> in no way put a damper on it for me. That show is genius. I have yet to get bored of it. Bear in mind that I have seen most episodes at least 10 times. And the ones with the Wise Old Elf in his underpants at least 20.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The biggest surprise (aside from realising two chapters in that I'd already read <i>South of the Border, West of the Sun</i> but c o m p l e t e l y forgotten) in doing the challenge has, again, been the rediscovery of my LOVE of reading and I'd like to thank Megan, again, for hosting such an exciting challenge. I'll be back for the next one (not least because I am desperate to finish fast enough to choose a category for one of her challenges one day!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">*I'm actually in no way the actual winner since some speedy readers managed to finish the whole thing in <i>less than a month</i>, and many more have finished before me as the months have progressed. But in the race against myself, I can claim victory. I think. My set ideas of victory have been severely challenged recently by my three year old (constantly concerned at the moment about "being the winner"). When I pop the pirate, she is the winner. She is also the winner if she pops the pirate. Go figure.</span></span></div>
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Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-42724576675486242782014-12-09T14:43:00.001-08:002014-12-09T14:43:43.254-08:00Bad Reader<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/6345515/il_570xN.248249959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/6345515/il_570xN.248249959.jpg" width="185" /></a></div>
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(image from etsy - available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/75168047/dunce-cap-childrens-illustration-print?ref=sc_1&plkey=bee26911a7eed708158e5a3a01bb2b0cb7a5fcea%3A75168047&ga_search_query=dunce&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery" target="_blank">here</a>)</div>
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Oh, I've been bad. Really bad. Bad at reading.<br />
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I had high hopes of crossing a large number of books off my list for the <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2014/12/winter-2014-book-challenge-month-1.html" target="_blank">Semi Charmed Winter Book Challenge,</a> but I only managed two. And some people have finished the whole bleeding book challenge! Most annoyingly of all, I am way behind my <a href="http://dropstitchblog.blogspot.fr/2014/12/and-so-on-official-book-challenge.html" target="_blank">sister</a>. That really grates, especially since it was me who suggested she sign herself up for the challenge. What was I thinking?!? I'm hoping the Christmas break will give me a chance to catch up, but in all honesty, I'm probably deluding myself.<br />
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So what did I manage to read?<br />
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1. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6218281-the-sweetness-at-the-bottom-of-the-pie?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie</a> - Alan Bradley (374 pages) which I would rate 3.5 stars. Yes, I'd recommend it. In fact I did, to my father in law, who has taken in home with him. This earns me 10 points as a book with a food in the title.<br />
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2. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13258142-dinner-at-mine?from_search=true" target="_blank">Dinner at Mine</a> - Chris Smyth (352 pages) which I would rate 2 stars. It was entertaining enough, but lacking in substance. Would I recommend it? If you were in dire need of something to read. As this was one half on my two books with different meals in the title, I can't even count it towards my total points!<br />
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So, these two tomes bring my total to 10 points. I'm not impressed at myself. Let's see what next month brings, heh?Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-71876171488317105242014-11-03T13:22:00.000-08:002014-11-03T13:22:41.546-08:00nose in a book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzhtwWEQ7qobmwsat-bRpTp0de1rpxNW47eLcTRP5M57AfdS0tPQ-R5L9GC73MzVhyphenhyphenn3WMiVxjweT_2kufoEBHbCDIIxb2UusMtixvDD9svm7u1_0aUAWG6KqRoFDWtURvto3x4EXwgTQ/s1600/Photo+on+03-11-2014+at+22.02+%232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzhtwWEQ7qobmwsat-bRpTp0de1rpxNW47eLcTRP5M57AfdS0tPQ-R5L9GC73MzVhyphenhyphenn3WMiVxjweT_2kufoEBHbCDIIxb2UusMtixvDD9svm7u1_0aUAWG6KqRoFDWtURvto3x4EXwgTQ/s1600/Photo+on+03-11-2014+at+22.02+%232.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's Day 3. And I'm still in the middle of <i>The Winter Vault</i> by Anne Michaels. There's nothing wrong with it, it's a beautifully written book and all, it's just not on the list I've supposed to have started for the Semi-Charmed Winter Book Challenge. And boy, I really want to start some of those books!Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-56926844048543808082014-10-26T12:38:00.000-07:002014-10-26T12:38:04.095-07:00like a kid in a book shop?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1K3cUawGSZDmE5Ns3vUIkK-zXNnqSmIHURXCWNcvNa028W5CXrhuD6l18xaHfkSKt8g5fw3Rg9oze73YCdWYoRmbJTJnmGjAvGgn-9dWFVL2ceoboDIL6WXwDDChLi-pfkW-jxgV58Qa/s1600/SCWBC14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1K3cUawGSZDmE5Ns3vUIkK-zXNnqSmIHURXCWNcvNa028W5CXrhuD6l18xaHfkSKt8g5fw3Rg9oze73YCdWYoRmbJTJnmGjAvGgn-9dWFVL2ceoboDIL6WXwDDChLi-pfkW-jxgV58Qa/s1600/SCWBC14.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2014/10/semi-charmed-winter-2014-book-challenge.html" target="_blank">Semi-Charmed Winter 2014 Book Challenge</a> is about to commence! I'm very excited, since I didn't manage to participate in the summer one and I really missed it. This challenge seems to be the main motivator for me to keep reading (although I have recently joined a lovely book group so that's been helping too). Since the challenge was announced, I've been scouring the internet to find contenders for the categories that I didn't already have on my bookshelf. Here are my ideas, although I can't promise that these decisions are final!</span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5 points:</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Freebie! — I’m leaving this one open at the
moment, since I’m hoping to read one of my book group books for it, and we
haven’t chosen the next selection of books yet!</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white;">10 points:</span></b><span style="background: white;"> Read a book written by an author who has published at least 10
books. — <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steep-Approach-Garbadale-Iain-Banks-ebook/dp/B002TZ3D8U/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414337248&sr=1-1&keywords=steep+approach+to+garbadale" target="_blank">The Steep Approach to Garbadale, Iain Banks (390 pages)</a><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10 points:</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Read a book of short stories. — <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Echoes-Macabre-Selected-Daphne-Maurier/dp/0884115437/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1414337281" target="_blank">Echoes From The Macabre, Daphne Du Maurier (319 pages)</a><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10 points: </span></b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Read a book with a food in the title. — <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sweetness-Bottom-Flavia-Luce-Book-ebook/dp/B002U3CC92/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414337351&sr=1-1&keywords=sweetness+at+bottom+pie" target="_blank">The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley (363 pages) </a></i></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white;">15 points:</span></b><span style="background: white;"> Read the first book in a series that is new to you. — <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maze-Runner-James-Dashner-ebook/dp/B008LUM25M/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414350903&sr=1-1&keywords=the+maze+runner" target="_blank">The Maze Runner, James Dashner (384 pages)</a> </i>or, and I’m slightly ashamed to admit
this,<i> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anne-Green-Gables-illustrated-Montgomery-ebook/dp/B00N2F2YRM/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351303&sr=8-8&keywords=anne+gables+illustrated" target="_blank">Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery (280 pages)</a>.</i> My eldest daughter has just finished reading this and is adamant that I should read it too.</span></span></div>
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15 points:</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Read a book that was originally written in a language that
is not your native language. — </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grotesque-Natsuo-Kirino/dp/0099488930/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351361&sr=8-2&keywords=grotesque" target="_blank">Grotesque, Natsuo Kirino (467 pages)</a>. If anyone else is looking for ideas for this category I highly recommend <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blindness-Vintage-Classics-Jose-Saramago/dp/009957358X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351383&sr=8-1&keywords=blindness" target="_blank">Blindness </a></span><i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blindness-Vintage-Classics-Jose-Saramago/dp/009957358X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351383&sr=8-1&keywords=blindness" target="_blank">by </a></i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blindness-Vintage-Classics-Jose-Saramago/dp/009957358X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351383&sr=8-1&keywords=blindness" target="_blank">Jose Saramago (320 pages)</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">15 points:</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Read a book written by a local
author. — <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yellow-Eyes-Crocodiles-Novel-ebook/dp/B00C5R76U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351440&sr=8-1&keywords=yellow+eyes+crocodile" target="_blank">The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles, Katherine Pancol (447pages)</a> (</i>She's French. And this was a hard topic to find a book for. Yet another reason to move back to Scotland, methinks).<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">20 points:</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Read a "bookish book." — <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Lost-Things-John-Connolly-ebook/dp/B002V0918O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351470&sr=8-1&keywords=lost+things" target="_blank">The Book of Lost Things, John Connolly (321 pages)</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><br /></i>
<b><span style="background: white;">20 points:</span></b><span style="background: white;"> Read a book with a direction in the title. — </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><span style="background: white; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/South-Border-West-Haruki-Murakami-ebook/dp/B005TKD710/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351494&sr=8-1&keywords=south+of+the+border+west+of+the+sun" target="_blank">South of the Border, West of the Sun, Haruki Murakami (224pages)</a></span></i></span></span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444;"><span style="background: white;">25 points:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444;"> Read a book from a genre you don't usually read. — <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stalin-Ate-Homework-Alexei-Sayle-ebook/dp/B0043VDC3Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351537&sr=8-1&keywords=stalin+ate+my+homework" target="_blank">Stalin Ate My Homework, Alexei Sayle (321 pages)</a> – autobiography<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">25 points:</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Read a book with a song lyric in the title.
— <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Let-Me-Kazuo-Ishiguro-ebook/dp/B002RI9ZX6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351571&sr=8-1&keywords=never+let+me+go" target="_blank">Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro (304 pages)</a></i> after <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMBTvuUlm98" target="_blank">Never Let Me Go by Florence and the Machine</a></i></span></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>30 points:</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Read two books with a different meal in each
title. — <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Campari-Breakfast-Sara-Crowe-ebook/dp/B00H8PHKPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351635&sr=8-1&keywords=campari+for+breakfast" target="_blank">Campari for Breakfast, Sara Crowe (304 pages)</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dinner-at-Mine-Chris-Smyth-ebook/dp/B007IL4NKM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414351657&sr=8-2&keywords=dinner+at+mine" target="_blank">Dinner at Mine, Chris Smyth (295 pages)</a></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-63623514361131415722014-08-06T05:56:00.001-07:002014-08-06T05:56:34.865-07:00Day 4: Orange<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkRIQNtl0i11GUO8WKkPoyXysVBiDr6YdcV0nsGkB62PBo1XkCVgrjXxFfyQGgJUGZRq4qNpZnOYh_shGgBVtiIUkFm0ynFQVW6KF7FHZw1Z4gImpxr6rFLQfTVgD1lpaoC0RZGc9-gIP/s1600/2014-08-04+12.04.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkRIQNtl0i11GUO8WKkPoyXysVBiDr6YdcV0nsGkB62PBo1XkCVgrjXxFfyQGgJUGZRq4qNpZnOYh_shGgBVtiIUkFm0ynFQVW6KF7FHZw1Z4gImpxr6rFLQfTVgD1lpaoC0RZGc9-gIP/s1600/2014-08-04+12.04.33.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-68357940808407955652014-06-30T13:47:00.000-07:002014-06-30T23:42:10.528-07:00The Rituals of Elsie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I started thinking about my daily rituals this week, I immediately thought I didn't have any. I spend so much time actively looking after my kids - cooking for them, clearing up after them, helping with homework, finding pieces of LEGO and Playmobil, taking them to and from school and activities - that I would honestly have said that there was no time for a daily ritual of my own. Well, I do insist on a morning cup of coffee, but even that is gulped between spreading Nutella on toast and making the snacks for school.</div>
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Then, last Friday, I took the time to take some photos of me and my littlest spending our day together. I realised that our day together has a lot of structure and that these "rituals" are very important to my littlest girl. This is our typical Friday. Let me talk you through it.</div>
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1. I go get Elsie from her bed. I am greeted with a big smile and often we have the following conversation - "Where's Elsie?" - silence - "Oh there she is!" (giggling) followed by, "Hello, Mummy!" "Are you feeling cheeky today?" (grabbing her cheek) "Leth!"</div>
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2. Elsie has a cup of milk every morning. It has to go in the "round and round" and she has to be picked up to watch it do its round and round thing. When it pings, she opens the door, takes the cup out, places it out of the way, then closes the door. She picks the cup up, I put her on the floor. I ask, "What do you have to do?" She answers, "Close it, shake it, open it, drink it."</div>
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3. Before we go anywhere she gets her sandals and while I'm putting on the first one, she grabs the second and hides it behind her back. It's brought out with a flourish and much giggling. And an explanation for me ("Sandal, hiding, back, mummy!"), in case I thought it was real magic.</div>
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4. She always gets a croissant to eat as we go around the supermarket.</div>
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5. When we get back to the house in the car, by the time I get to her door to get her out, her eyes are squeezed tight shut. In case I am in any doubt she tells me she is "sleeping" and stays that way, big grin on her face until I tickle her.</div>
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6. We walk to playgroup together. She holds my hand.</div>
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7. Until she gets to the ditch. Then she has to walk in the ditch. Right to the end.</div>
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8. She stops to look at the water in the barrier. In each and every individual section of the barrier, I should mention.</div>
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9. At playgroup we count the stairs as we walk up them together. There are three sections of 6 stairs each. We have been doing this for nigh on a year. Today she said, "No. My count them. Three, six, three, six."</div>
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10. Every Friday night since she could sit in her high chair she has made her own pizza for pizza night with her siblings. More often than not, this involves eating as much topping as she can get away with before it goes on the pizza.</div>
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These little rituals sometimes take a lot of patience. I would not like to calculate how much time we have spent going through the rigmarole of heating up her milk. I'd probably find it quite depressing. But the fact that these rituals are so important to her makes them worth doing. If we have to miss one, maybe because we're in a rush to be somewhere, I can't stand to see her brave but disappointed face. And like other rituals that seemed so all consuming (singing Incy Wincy Spider 400 times a day, for example) I'm aware that these too are fleeting, to be replaced by others and then forgotten by her, remaining important in my own mind only, when she was my littlest girl, and these things were everything to her.</div>
<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-25939440687566897422014-03-31T14:38:00.000-07:002014-03-31T14:38:14.829-07:00yellow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMhnJxFllGjq5UbzfYP7ipRHit7osQNIvIPNLEPggN8OrKoQl2jeCoExoc-WzGcrUUMCeRdnWDHAyLzu2UptIOH3JJdkqmQkSlR3pd48YH58Nh0d9JeTdWe31o0pC8P0F0jQEiJR7yywb/s1600/yellow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMhnJxFllGjq5UbzfYP7ipRHit7osQNIvIPNLEPggN8OrKoQl2jeCoExoc-WzGcrUUMCeRdnWDHAyLzu2UptIOH3JJdkqmQkSlR3pd48YH58Nh0d9JeTdWe31o0pC8P0F0jQEiJR7yywb/s1600/yellow.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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A rare opportunity came our way and led to my husband and I spending last weekend alone, without children, in a posh hotel in Geneva. This is the first night that we've spent without at least one of our children for nearly 8 years. We did all sorts of things we had forgotten were possible. We dined on curry after getting tipsy on fizzy wine <i>before </i>going out, we strolled around a flea market without buying a thing, we visited (but failed to understand) a modern art gallery, we drank hot chocolate in a posh Geneva <i>chocolaterie</i> and even managed to sneak in a beer at a pub <i>in the afternoon.</i></div>
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But the highlight of my weekend was simply enjoying Channel 4's <i>Sunday Brunch</i> from the comfort of my bed while sipping a complimentary Nespresso or two. I know technically I live in a hotel, but it doesn't quite compete somehow.</div>
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Anyhoo, yellow was my photographic theme of the week so here are some yellow things we came across as we tramped our way around the city.</div>
Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-22792634296170274832014-03-22T13:49:00.000-07:002014-03-22T13:49:46.452-07:00spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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For those of you who don't know me, nearly four years ago my husband and I bought what we thought was the house of our dreams. A big, old, rambling former hotel, it was a fixer-upper. The roof leaked, the hot water boiler gave out on us during the first six months and half the house had neither heating nor electricity. We soon discovered the windows let the rain in when the wind blew in a certain direction, which happened to be the direction that always brought rain. </div>
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But something drew us to this old house. There have been many moments over the past years when I have lost sight of what that something may have been. These have included moments such as when we had to set the sprinkler up in the garden to have our first shower in a week, due to the inside shower leaking through the hall roof whenever it was used. Moments like the time I phoned the council in tears because for six weeks I had been bathing my children in a baby bath filled from the kettle and a national strike meant that our mains gas couldn't be connected. Moments like the night the ancient and decrepit swimming pool burst and drained down the hill into the neighbours' garage.</div>
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It's nice to be reminded of the things we liked about the house because it is fair to say that this old house has caused us more infighting and stress than anything else we've gone through yet. Bringing up small people, and doing up the inside of the house so that we have somewhere to do the bringing up of said small people is horribly time and energy consuming. That's why the small insightful moments, when they come, are delightful. For instance, this week I was reminded how excited we were by the potential that the garden offered us. </div>
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I spent a morning photographing what was going on in the garden and I think it's fair to say that spring is here. But the best thing is that these signs of spring have not come from any kind of intentional gardening - they are things that have sprung up from what was here already, growing wild. And they are beautiful. Taking the time to seek them out has inspired me this week. If my garden can contain such beautiful snippets without me trying, what can it be capable of showing us when I actually get round to getting it under control? Maybe this year is the year for that.</div>
Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-43922200938827736202014-01-22T13:45:00.000-08:002014-01-22T13:45:22.897-08:00Winter Colours<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was such a beautiful afternoon, I made the time to take a short walk (in between ballet lesson drop off and pick up) to record the winter colours in our village.<br />
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I should mention that my assistant posed for each and every one of these photos, even though she wasn't always in shot! </div>
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<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-78850266767753052032014-01-19T13:07:00.000-08:002014-01-19T14:42:19.183-08:00The Year in Books: January<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you have happened to stumble on this little blog, you may have noticed that when I do get round to writing something (an infrequent occurrence I am sorry to say) that most recently it has been about books. If you have delved slightly further into my older posts you may have discovered that at one point in my life I loved to read. But then life kind of took over and I failed to find the time. <br />
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Last summer I came across a <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2013/09/semi-charmed-autumn-2013-book-challenge.html" target="_blank">reading challenge</a> and thought it looked like fun, so I signed up. And to cut a long story short, it seems to have given me back my reading mojo. And I also discovered that when I have a book on the go, I begin to feel a bit more like myself, like the genuine me and I am all the better for that.<br />
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Sadly, the <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2013/09/semi-charmed-autumn-2013-book-challenge.html" target="_blank">reading challenge</a> is having a bit of a break until summer. When I discovered this I panicked. Without some sort of goal would I still manage to make time for books? The answer is probably yes but to keep me from speculating I've decided to join in with <a href="http://circleofpinetrees.com/january-the-link-uk/" target="_blank">The Year in Books</a> over at <a href="http://circleofpinetrees.com/" target="_blank">Circle of Pine Trees</a>, if Laura will be kind enough to have me. This means I will be posting my book choice at the start of each month, and aiming to read it before said month is out.<br />
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My January choice is Amy Sackville's <i>Orkney </i>chosen because it is about a couple who met at university honeymooning on one of the Orkney islands. Well, my husband and I met while both working for our university in Orkney and we returned to spend our honeymoon there a few years later. I can't let a good coincidence like that pass me by! I shall be back in February to let you know how I got on.<br />
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By the way, that's our new wood burner in the background. It's been a dream to get one installed for quite some years and so far we are absolutely loving it.<br />
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<br />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-46756493756118571012013-10-04T14:06:00.001-07:002013-10-04T14:06:30.349-07:00More Challenging Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I've decided to launch myself straight into another of <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2013/09/semi-charmed-autumn-2013-book-challenge.html" target="_blank">Megan's Reading Challenges</a>. My mum is visiting for a little while, and it's been great fun to discuss the potential books I might read for each category with her. She's a librarian and avid reader herself, and she has always helped me to choose my books, so much so that I often get a little bewildered if I have to choose a book all by myself from the huge selection that's out there.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Again, I've additionally challenged myself to limit myself to what's on my bookshelves at the minute. There are some categories I can't do this for so I'll be treating myself (on my Kindle most likely!) <i>Chocolat</i> by Joanne Harris will be a reread. I don't often do these but I'm already looking forward to sampling that lovely book again.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Here are my ideas, though I'm not always good to sticking to a plan, so these may well change as we go along.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b>5:</b> Read a book that does not have "the," "a" or "an" in the title. — </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Confinement-ebook/dp/B0037472NE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380920425&sr=1-2&keywords=confinement" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">C</span>onfinement</a></i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">, Katherine McMahon (368 pages)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">10:</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="null" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Read a book that has been featured in Oprah's Book Club. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">— </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white;">The B</span>ook of Ruth</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">, Jane Hamilton (328 pages)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">10:</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> Read a book that takes place in the country where you currently live.</span><span class="null" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">— </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elegance-Hedgehog-ebook/dp/B00BS030RQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380920476&sr=1-1&keywords=elegance+of+the+hedgehog" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">T</span>he Elegance of the Hedgehog</a></i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">, Muriel Barbery (322 pages) (France)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">15:</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> Read an epistolary novel.</span><span class="null" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">— </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diary-Young-Girl-Definitive-ebook/dp/B0055N0FZM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380920501&sr=1-1&keywords=anne+frank" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">The D</span>iary of Anne Frank</a></i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diary-Young-Girl-Definitive-ebook/dp/B0055N0FZM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380920501&sr=1-1&keywords=anne+frank" target="_blank">,</a> Anne Frank (352 pages)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">15:</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> Read a book first published in 2013.</span><span class="null" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">— </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-After-ebook/dp/B00AQIFNGM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380920543&sr=1-1&keywords=life+after+life" target="_blank">Life After Life</a></i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">, Kate Atkinson (480 pages)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">15:</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> Read a book with something spooky in the title.</span><span class="null" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">— </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Uncle-Montagues-Tales-Terror-ebook/dp/B002VQ7QCQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380920574&sr=1-1&keywords=uncle+montague%27s+tales+of+terror" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">U</span>ncle Montague's Tales of Terror</a></i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">, Chris Priestly (241 pages)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">20:</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> Read a book with "air," "water," "earth" or "fire" in the title.</span><span class="null" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">—</span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Late-Nights-Air-Elizabeth-Hay/dp/1847247873/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1380913609&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=late+nights+on+air" target="_blank">Late Nights on Air</a></i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">, Elizabeth Hay (276 pages)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">20:</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> Read a book on which a television series has been based.</span><span class="null" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">— </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orange-New-Black-Womens-ebook/dp/B00DHHFKE4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380920604&sr=1-1&keywords=orange+is+the+new+black" target="_blank">Orange is the New Black</a></i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">, Piper Kerman (298 pages)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">25:</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"> Read a fiction book that has someone’s first </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">and</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"> last name in the title.</span><span class="null" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">— </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_6?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the%20unlikely%20pilgrimage%20of%20harold%20fry&sprefix=unlike%2Cstripbooks%2C166&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Athe%20unlikely%20pilgrimage%20of%20harold%20fry" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">The </span>Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry</a>, </i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Rachel Joyce</span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">,</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"> (338 pages)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">30: </b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Read two books by the same author. — </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/White-Nights-Shetland-Quartet-ebook/dp/B003GK21XA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380920647&sr=1-1&keywords=white+nights" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">W</span>hite Nights</a></i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"> and </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Bones-Shetland-Quartet-ebook/dp/B004CJ8X6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380920669&sr=1-1&keywords=red+bones" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">R</span>ed Bones</a></i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">, Ann Cleeves (412 and 406 pages)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">35:</b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> Read a fiction and non-fiction book about the same topic.</span></span><span class="null" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">— <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chocolat-ebook/dp/B0031RS7MW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380920694&sr=1-1&keywords=chocolat" target="_blank">Chocolat</a> </i>Joanne Harris</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"> (382 pages) and</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle"><span style="color: #444444;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chocolate-Connoisseur-Everyone-Passion/dp/0749925647/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380920733&sr=1-1&keywords=chocolate+connoisseur" target="_blank">The Chocolate Connoisseur: For Everyone with a Passion for Chocolate</a></i></span></span><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18px;">, </span><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 15px;">Chloe Doutre-Roussel</span><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18px;"> (224 pages)</span></span></h1>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">This time there is the added incentive that if I am an early finisher, I get to choose a category for the next challenge. Nothing spurs me on like a reward so I'm already reading every chance I get. But in addition to this challenge, I'm attempting to knit my daughters a Christmas present, and trying to squeeze in some French lessons. The hall is half stripped of wallpaper and I'm about to embark on an introductory course to landscape gardening. My littlest is teething and not sleeping as a consequence. Time is not something I feel I have to hand at the moment. But reading is something I love to make time for so we'll see how I go.</span></div>
Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-76959557615468048832013-09-22T14:46:00.000-07:002013-09-22T14:46:25.680-07:00I like big books and I cannot lie...<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2013/04/fridays-freebie-printable-bookmarks.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">printable bookmarks available from I Should Be Mopping the Floor</span></a></i><br />
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That phrase always makes me titter. I'm not sure why really. Hmmn. Childish sense of humour maybe? I'm <i>still </i>giggling out loud about the Agent Zoil joke in <i>Paul </i>which we watched<i> a week ago</i>. Yup, a childish sense of humour probably explains it.<br />
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Anyways, I'm just popping in to say that I've finished the <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2013/06/semi-charmed-summer-2013-book-challenge_24.html" target="_blank">Semi-Charmed Summer 2013 Reading Challenge</a>! Yay, me! In case you are wondering, the final books were:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;">15: Read a banned book. - The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky (244 pages)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;">20: Read a book that takes place in a state you have never been in. If you have been to all 50 states, choose a book that takes place in a country you have never been in. Also do the latter option if you are not American. - Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Book Store, Robin Sloan, (304 pages)</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;">25: Read a book with a main character who shares your first name. - Pedigree Mum, Fiona Gibson (400 pages)</span><br />
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And boy, have I enjoyed it! I honestly never thought I'd finish but it seems that having a goal in mind really spurred me on. I'm very grateful for Megan at Semi-Charmed Kind of Life for her book challenge and for giving me back my reading mojo. I am determined not to stop, so I've jumped straight into another book recommended by my dad (The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant). And all that kindling I did made me realise how nice it is to get straight to the right page, saving me from my more normal three-minute-faff-around-while-I -search-for-my-place-each-and-every-night, so I've printed some lovely bookmarks as a reward to myself. You can have some too if you follow that link up there.<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;" />Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-77972314001532135452013-09-03T14:19:00.002-07:002013-09-03T14:19:47.585-07:00On Reading (and not taking photos...)<br />Poopity poop. I kind of lost track with the <a href="http://www.susannahconway.com/the-august-break-2013/" target="_blank">August Break</a> (sorry, Susannah). I took a lot more photos, but some of the categories really stumped me.<br /><br />I have been reading though and was surprised when I checked up this morning that I'd almost completed the <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.fr/2013/09/summer-2013-book-challenge-month-2.html" target="_blank">Semi-Charmed Summer 2013 Reading Challenge</a>. Woo hoo! Would you like to know what I've been reading?<br /><br />5 points: Freebie! Read any book you'd like. - <i>Mockingjay</i>, Suzanne Collins (448 pages)<br /> 5: Read a book that is less than 150 pages long. - <i>A Sense of an Ending</i>, Julian Barnes (150 pages)<br /> 10: Read a book with a color in the title. - <i>The Red Queen</i>, Phillipa Gregory (432 pages)<br /> 10: Read a book that is not the first in its series. - <i>Catching Fire</i>, Suzanne Collins, (480 pages)<br /> 15: Read a book it seems everyone but you has read! - <i>The Hunger Games</i>, Suzanne Collins (484 pages)<br /> 15: Read a banned book. <br /> 20: Read a book written by a celebrity. - <i>Is It Just Me?</i>, Miranda Hart (336 pages)<br /> 20: Read a non-fiction book that is not a memoir. It can be pure non-fiction or narrative non-fiction. – <i>Attention All Shipping (A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast)</i>, Charlie Connelly (373 pages).<br /> 20: Read a book that takes place in a state you have never been in. If you have been to all 50 states, choose a book that takes place in a country you have never been in. Also do the latter option if you are not American.<br /> 25: Read a book that is at least 400 pages long. <i>Gillespie and I</i>, Jane Harris (624 pages)<br /> 25: Read a book with a main character who shares your first name. <br /> 30: Read a book written by an author who was born in or died in your birth year. - <i>Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close</i>, Jonathan Safran Foer (368 pages)<div>
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So, that gives me 140 points and three books to read by the end of the month. I've started <i>Pedigree Mum</i> by Fiona Gibson which features a main character called Kerry and am thoroughly enjoying my divergence into 'chick lit'! I've long been a fan of Fiona Gibson's musings in her columns about family life, which I used to read in The Herald of a Sunday.</div>
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<i>Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Book Shop</i> by Robin Sloan is set in San Francisco, so that will fit the 'country I've never been to' category. It's downloaded onto my Kindle already. (Did I mention that I am currently LOVING my Kindle? We've not always been friends, but we're getting on well at the minute.)</div>
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I don't know what to read for my banned book. I was hoping to read <i>The Great Gatsby</i> but I've unpacked the final box of books from our house move (three years ago) and can't find it. <i>The Kite Runner</i> is on my shelf, but I saw the film and don't relish the thought of reading it. I suppose I could change the category for <i>The Hunger Games</i>, but I can't readily think of a book that everyone has read but me.</div>
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I won't worry about it at the minute since so many books have practically fallen at my feet to be included in this challenge. For example, I stumbled across Fiona Gibson's book with my name in it from a random non-book related Google search. And I had planned to read Jonathan Safran Coer's novel, which I'd never heard of until I found it in a charity shop recently, only because it takes place in America. It was as I was randomly flicking through the bits at the back (not true. I'm actually stalker like in my search for information about authors...) that I realised he was the same age as me. Like the character of Chloe in Sarah Addison Allen's <i>The Sugar Queen</i>, I'll trust that the right book will find me when I'm in need of it most.</div>
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Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-70971870579951750252013-08-11T12:08:00.000-07:002013-08-11T12:08:15.699-07:00Play<br />
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/9486525729_d56081f3b8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/9486525729_d56081f3b8.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kerry_mccance/9486525729/in/photostream" target="_blank">play</a></div>
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Even play needs to be taken seriously sometimes!Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8063426460899807194.post-32656020774857846682013-08-11T12:06:00.001-07:002013-08-11T12:08:24.812-07:00Red<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kerry_mccance/9486544813/" target="_blank">red</a></div>
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This is a drill bit which my husband bought to drill a hole to let water into our new water butts. I don't normally get excited about machinery and tools, not in the way he does, but I love the colours on this. And it did drill a very nice hole. We must be the only people in France hoping for rain now to see how the water butts perform!</div>
Kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03528777222882060194noreply@blogger.com0