tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28569417200217590762026-08-15T12:11:51.777+10:00Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-36869203426630481102013-04-02T17:21:00.001+11:002013-04-02T17:22:46.563+11:00

Well usually my post title would be a reference to books, from the book I am reviewing... However I am so out of practice (and go so sucked into this story) that I completely forgot to keep an eye out for one! I love Tracy Chevalier, and have read everything she has published thus far. I can't stand it though, that every time she brings something new out, it is compared to The Girl With A

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-21736244367057170512012-12-30T20:24:00.000+11:002012-12-30T20:30:26.076+11:00

Danny the Champion of the World, is yet another Roald Dahl I had not read. It is a lovely story. Filled with the usual wit and humour that Dahl wields so well. The love between parent and child just leaps off the page and I thoroughly enjoy the warm, small, but rich world that the main characters inhabit. I think this kind of story is best read aloud. I certainly found myself laughing out

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-57913385019247559112012-12-15T09:05:00.002+11:002012-12-30T20:30:43.318+11:00

Bride Flight by Marike van der Pol is an epic sweeping tale! It focuses on the lives of three very different women who immigrate from Denmark to New Zealand in 1953. I was drawn in by this story and the characters. There is a lot to this book, however I do feel a little disappointed with how everything unfolds. There are strong characters here that seem to change, however in essence,

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-50392750943854823372012-10-18T17:13:00.000+11:002012-12-30T20:30:58.706+11:00

The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin was recommended to me by a friend. It starts out interestingly enough and is actually quite funny until you realise there are people actually like this and it isn't all tongue in cheek. It becomes very confusing as to why a supposedly intelligent woman would continue to nanny for such highly strung and extremely rude people. She put

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-40465149174283723452012-10-17T08:37:00.000+11:002012-12-30T20:31:16.476+11:00

Going Solo by Roald Dahl picks up where Boy left off. It is quite a different set of tales I can tell you. In Boy, there are a lot of characters and situations where you can see Dahl has drawn from later to write his magnificent children's fiction. Going Solo however is much more 'grown up' and the stories, while unbelievable, are not the types of things that make good children's fiction. I

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-746936996247589252012-10-07T08:55:00.003+11:002012-10-07T08:55:40.891+11:00

It shouldn't be that I have reached the age I have and not have read Boy by Roald Dahl. Dahl is by far one of my favourite authors. When I was a child his books were a pure joy, as they still are today. I bought my son a set of Dahl books for his First Birthday. A little premature I grant you, but I wanted to get him a book he would keep forever and then I just couldn't possibly choose

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-35477928617128648392012-09-29T12:10:00.000+10:002012-12-30T20:31:35.388+11:00

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender was an interesting read. I would describe it as whimsical, however it was also a little melancholy, so I don't know if it can really be classed as whimsical. A story about a young girl, Rose, who discovers she can tastes the emotions and feelings of the people in the food that they make. Her brother also has an interesting hidden talent

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-39447969849731509522012-09-26T15:37:00.000+10:002012-12-30T20:31:50.244+11:00

The Red House by Mark Haddon was quite a let down for me. Haddon's previous two novels, including A Spot Of Bother which I read in my original quest, had warm voices, interesting characters and humour. These elements were completely absent from this story. It actually made me feel depressed and unsettled about life and what it's all about, pretty horrible really. Two families, 8 characters,

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-15535423964252984852012-09-26T10:37:00.001+10:002012-12-30T20:32:09.866+11:00

French Children Don't Throw Food by Pamela Druckerman was a lovely eye-opener into the world of French parenting. Nothing to do with the title 'French Women Don't get Fat' - This story is told from the point of view of an American raising her children in Paris and noting the vast differences in child rearing. I must admit, I do like the French approach. Calm, and effective... although I

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-62859371176824808232012-09-01T19:13:00.002+10:002012-12-30T20:32:24.847+11:00

One Born Every Minute - Real Stories From The Delivery Room, by Maria Dore and Ros Bradbury is the book based on my favourite BBC documentary series. This was a lovely book. Very easy to read and had some beautifully told stories about birth. If anything I wanted more stories or a little more depth. I felt sometimes they glossed over people or situations I would've like to have known more

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-17238954854380376232012-09-01T18:42:00.001+10:002012-12-30T20:32:43.083+11:00

I read The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume as my Husband has recently worked on a Tele-Movie Production of the story, coming sometime to your ABC! I downloaded this onto my IPad as part of Project Gutenburg Australia, a place where you can download all kinds of free ebooks. I'm still not a fan of the ebook, mostly as I can't read it in the bath!! Back the the book at hand. I found it

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-26653658893552255852012-08-03T20:09:00.001+10:002012-12-30T20:33:01.377+11:00

There was much that I liked about Jane Austen in Australia by Barbara Ker Wilson. It had however, one major downfall, there was no story or plot tying the whole thing together. The story is fictional, and entertains the question, what if Jane Austen had visited Australia in 1803. Unfortunately, Jane Austen as protagonist was barely present at all, and there was no antagonist to speak of.

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-91254866737264708952012-08-03T19:55:00.000+10:002012-12-30T20:35:09.368+11:00

Monday's Child is Fair of Face by Steve Roud, is a lovely book to have as a reference sitting in your bookshelf, however it doesn't make for the best read. It's constructed much like I remember constructing essays in University, badly and without much evidence to back up any comments or theories. There was not a lot of evidence or support of where or how most of the beliefs and myths started

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-79263060050297464202012-06-19T10:48:00.001+10:002012-12-31T08:42:12.591+11:00

I finished Agatha Christie's The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding - and a selection of Entrees last week. I can't recall how many short mysteries were in this compilation, possibly about 8. They were mainly Poirot stories with one Miss Marple. I thought they were a mixture as I am a fan of Miss Marple, especially the TV adaptations, she's just gorgeous and hilarious at the same time. I also

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-11038553717564134922012-06-07T16:37:00.002+10:002012-12-31T08:42:30.526+11:00

Death Comes To Pemberley by P D James was a pretty good read. There were a few things I had to look past. Such as the ludicrous tongue in cheek references to Pride and Prejudice and also to current day crime solving techniques. It was easy to read, not quite as complex or juicy as I like in a murder mystery. Give me Miss Marple any day. I missed the absence of red herrings, and there wasn't

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-28015295935411158382012-05-24T11:38:00.004+10:002012-12-31T08:42:45.860+11:00

Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis wasn't quite on par with the original Parvana. In Parvana's Journey, I found the characters to be very one dimensional, quite robotic in their actions and reactions, and not terribly interesting. I also felt that while what was happening to Parvana was devastating and more than likely is happening to some poor child at this moment, it read very much like a

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-51622809415127469042012-05-22T15:51:00.001+10:002012-12-31T08:43:13.933+11:00

The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin, is the second of the two books I have recently read in relation to selling handmade goods. If I were to suggest only one book to buy about selling handmade, it would be this one. It covers the same things as How to Make Money Using Etsy, however in more broader terms. It also looks at selling and marketing face to face as well as online. It is a neat

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-51810307169244329262012-05-22T15:40:00.004+10:002012-12-31T08:43:33.682+11:00

How to Make Money Using Etsy by Timothy Adam was a well presented somewhat useful reference. At the end of last year, I set up a small online business, Felix George & Me, selling Iron On Letters and Motifs. I launched into it with much enthusiasm, however over the months, with a demanding toddler and another one on the way, my enthusiasm has waned. Recently I have come across two books

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-27185910163202471892012-05-22T15:19:00.002+10:002012-12-31T08:43:55.539+11:00

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a difficult book to describe. I enjoyed it immensely and finished it quite quickly. If you were to look at the subject matter, it appears to be a very grim book indeed. Set in Nazi Germany and narrated by death.... a little bleak to say the least. Somehow though, it is a beautiful story. There are wonderful characters, and the style of storytelling has a

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-83453807865819801922012-04-25T14:41:00.000+10:002012-12-31T08:44:17.830+11:00

I couldn't really get into A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Apparently one of The books, I just wasn't moved. I didn't care for the main protagonist to whom things seemed to just happen. At the beginning of the story she was young and naive, at the end, she was older and naive. Yes many things happened to her and her family, yes she faced many hardships, however I didn't feel that

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-62396121633856579882012-03-26T16:54:00.000+11:002012-12-31T08:45:20.797+11:00

Parvana by Deborah Ellis, another story about women in Afghanistan. It is a Junior Fiction novel, and I read it in a couple of hours (mainly as I couldn't put it down). It is the story of a young woman and her family in Afghanistan during the time of the Taliban. Her father is taken by the Taliban one day without warning and it falls on Parvana to dress as a boy so that she can go out and

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-70251699773627861692012-03-26T16:34:00.000+11:002012-12-31T08:45:37.005+11:00

The Kabul Beauty School is a biography by Deborah Rodriguez. Once again, as in her work of fiction, the storytelling is fantastic and the characters are truly beautiful. If you are able to overlook some of the odd decisions made by Rodriguez, such as her numerous marriages and leaving her young children behind in America, this is a pretty amazing adventure. After reading this I did do a

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-10225786899194932852012-03-26T16:14:00.001+11:002012-12-31T08:45:04.982+11:00

The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez was, quite simply, a wonderful story. Rodriguez is an amazing storyteller. With very few words she is able to paint a vivid picture of the people of Kabul, their surroundings, the time of year, everything. This story is filled with fantastic and inspirational characters. It is a rather large cast, however I always knew who was who, never

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-55018688046151801952012-03-26T15:58:00.002+11:002012-12-31T08:46:02.410+11:00

I wasn't really a fan of Observations Of A Short Man by Nigel Marsh. His observations were mainly other peoples' philosophies or ideas that he has taken on board. No real narrative or objective which was probably my main issue. There was a lot of 'I'm not saying this, I'm just saying that' So what are you saying? Yet another endorsement by David Koch should have given it away. I was also

Karen - My Handmade Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916380869544373533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856941720021759076.post-17432511869286240242012-03-26T12:18:00.000+11:002012-12-31T08:46:28.136+11:00

I have 4 books to write about! I had a week away from home staying with my parents who, by chasing after my son, allowed me some very valuable reading time. Since getting home however, I have not yet blogged. I hope to catch up with the books I have read over the next few days.

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