Book Review – Terry Pratchett’s fantasy novel Soul Music

This review is a short one, mainly because I don’t want to give the plot away. Terry Pratchett rocks! I just love him, and have lots of his novels. He’s great if you like offbeat, funny, fantasy tales from another time, place and planet. The book that I’m briefly reviewing today is Terry Pratchett’s discworld novel titled “Soul Music”. Discworld is a crazy Universe, peopled with weird and crazy characters invented by the writer. He’s written so many volumes of discworld, and each one is different, and can stand on its own as an adventure into escapism.

This is a crazy story about Death, his Grandaughter (told you this book was mad!) and the beginnings of rock and roll. Except in this novel it’s called Music With Rocks In.

To enjoy Terry Pratchett’s work, you have to completely suspend your belief in every day life; in what’s possible and what’s not possible. And you should bring a sense of humour. Imagine being left the task of carrying on the family business when Death is your grandad. That’s Susan’s life – she tries her best to work the evil killing eye and scythe thing and handle the business, but stuff, madly infectious music and people keep getting in the way. This includes trolls, musicians with instruments that demand to play their own tunes or else, and talking rats…then at the end Death can’t stand it and he steps back in to clear up the tangle. Then it’s a kiss on the top of his old shiny, bald skull, and back to boarding school for our heroine.

It’s a litle difficult to explain a Terry Pratchett novel, but so easy to get into them, have a lot of laughs and enjoy the literary experience. You read one, then you want to go to the next book, and the next and so on! Recommended for fun fantasy reading.

Soul Music: (Discworld Novel 16): A Discworld Novel (Discworld Novels)

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Crafting fun with the “Easy to Make Dough Crafts” book review

This week I found this gem of a crafting book which I’d forgotten all about. It’s using that ever so simple combination of flour, water, salt and oil to make all kinds of interesting objects. You’re only limited by your imagination.

Once I learned to make things from dough, I made all kinds of objects to put on greeting cards or make into brooches -from babies, to dolphins, to dolls to flowers, – mostly using my freehand drawings. Here’s one of my efforts for a light-hearted greeting card design:

This excellent book, Easy to Make Dough Crafts – Over 25 Delightful Gift Ideas, will teach you how to do a little better than my effort! There are designs in here for all seasons and numerous special occasions as well, such as weddings and holidays.

There’s a section on Better Techniques which gives advice on the formula to make dough, tools needed and good practices. All the projects come with very easy to follow, clear directions and a full colour picture so you know exactly what you’re doing. These would be good projects for craft fairs, for mementoes to give to friends, items for yourself OR fun projects to work on with the children to keep their little hands happy and busy. Some of the designs include door plates, candle holders, an even how to make a necklace. They could be a starter for your own ideas as well.

Here’s an example of one of the seasonal designs in the book:

It’s good fun to working with this book, and the frustration level is very low because of the lovely directions and pictures. I recommend it!

Easy to Make Dough Crafts

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Do you feel Lucky today? “The Luck Factor” book review

This is one interesting book! While reading a book can’t change your life and luck instantly, it can certainly get you thinking and acting in a different and better mode. This book is called “The Luck Factor – Four simple principles that will change your luck – and your life.” It’s by Richard Wiseman.

Professor Wiseman’s theories centre around the beliefs that – 1) We hold the key to creating our luck; and, 2) There are four simple behavioural techniques that are scientifically proven to help us attract good fortune. Simple eh? One of the chapters deals with maximising opportunities, whilst another talks about turning bad luck into good.

I like this book because it’s not just all “happy talk.” Prof. Wiseman gives lots of concrete examples, and there are tests throughout the book so we can test our own luck factor. Then we can find concrete examples of things to do to turn things around. He recommends starting a “Luck Journal”, a diary. I started one when I first read this book several years back, and even today I make frequent notes on a little journal app that I have on my iPod. It makes me both aware of lucky things and days in my life and grateful for them.

This is a book well worth reading (and re-reading), and especially so if you’re willing to do the homework that comes with it!

The Luck Factor

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More Vegetarian Goodness – Veggie Cooking for 1 and 2 people

Well I’m back with a third book review of a cookbook. This is another one of my favourites. I bought it some years ago shortly after I decided to become a vegetarian. It has some of the most unique and yummy recipes. But, the good point is the book speciliases in cooking small quantities of delicious food. So, you’re not stuck with eating the same thing for a week, just because there’s a massive quantity of leftovers. The book is called – Vegetarian For One or Two – Exciting Ideas for Delicious Meals, and it’s edited by Jillian Stewart and Kate Cranshaw.

We can tell a well-loved cookbook when it has the odd stain here and there, and tons of scribbles in it as the creative cook adds her/his special touches and amendments to the recipes. This book meets those qualifications.

Each recipe is easy to follow with clear directions, and there’s a big full-colour picture on the facing page. There are chapters on Starters, Light Meals, Main Courses, Accompaniments and Desserts. This is a good cookbook to use when introducing your meat-eating friends to veggie cooking and to show them it’s not all about nut roasts, or to impress a vegetarian guest. The Corn Oysters (fritters) are really tasty; and one of my favourites which I’ve cooked for countless times for friends, and family – is called Imam Bayildi. The book describes this as meaning, “the priest has fainted”, saying that legend has it that the priest fainted with delight because this dish was so good. It is heavenly!

This is one of the recipes which is supplemented by scribbles and pen marks as I’ve experimented with this extra ingredient and that. And, it’s nice with served brown short grain rice and a salad. Here’s a picture of the dish from the cookbook –

If you like aubergine (eggplant), you’ve got to try this one!

This is a fantastic book for people who like to cook, and who like to eat well — even if they’re by themselves. Recommended with 5 big, shiny gold stars!

Vegetarian For One And Two

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Japanese Cooking – A review of one of my favourite cookbooks

I am totally enamoured of the Japanese language and culture. I’ve studied the language for 9 years and still continue to review and learn even now, via my iPod and Android apps. So, sometimes I get the urge to make my own Japanese dishes for myself and the hubby, or for friends.

This is one cookbook that I’ve had forever and love to work with. It’s called – “Japanese Cooking – A complete guide to the simple and elegant art of Japanese cuisine”.

The recipes are simple and easy to make. I have to say there are not as many pictures as in other cookbooks in my collection. But maybe because I know what many of the dishes look like, it’s not a worry.

The book gives a bit of information about Japanese culture as well, such as what constitutes a formal banquet (with pictures). There’s also a lot of information on utensils and ingredients. This is helpful if you, like me, often like to roam through Japanese and Oriental grocery stores. You can get some ideas for different dishes that you can make, once you know and can recognise the different ingredients used in Japanese cooking. Many of these ingredients can then be adapted to Western cooking as well.

There are also tips – with pictures – on preparing fish and vegetables. The thing that I like about this book, is that there are many everyday Japanese dishes to be found here like, making dashi, miso soup, various rice dishes — including the one that people often eat when they’re under the weather “ochazuke (tea and rice)”.

Horenso no goma-ae (Spinach salad with sesame dressing) is an easy recipe to make and good to eat in warm weather. Nasu No Rikyu-ni (Eggplant in Sesame and Bean Sauce), is another good easy recipe. Though the recipe doesn’t call for it, I often like to put in some firm tofu as well.

Near the end of the book you’ll find lovely pictures of Tokyo and other areas, and a few colour pictures of the dishes in the book.

If you like to cook – whether or not you’ve been to Japan – you can have fun experimenting with the dishes in this book. I recommend it highly for good, easy Japanese-style cooking.

Japanese Cooking: Complete Guide to the Simple and Elegant Art of Japanese Cuisine

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Dark Romance – My Favourite — Christine Feehan’s Dark Predator

Today’s book review is about romance, fantasy, and a bit of good old frightening sauciness. I discovered the Carpathian Novels series, written so superbly by Christine Feehan, a few years ago and have now just about read them all. I keep a list and tick the books off as they’re read!

This one, Dark Predator, I discovered over the holiday season. It’s fairly recent written in 2011. In each of the Carpathian novels the hero must find his lifemate or be doomed to the rest of eternity as a vampire. When he finds his lifemate, his world which was formerly in shades of gray turns to vivid colour.

I found this book to be one of the most thrilling of the series because of the evolution of the character from a cold-blooded hunter into a gentler person. But, his core remains the same and his lifemate accepts that in him from the beginning. In the beginning of the book, the prime character Zacarias is determined to face the dawn and die in the sun rather than continue his cold bleak existence. For some inexplicable reason to herself, Marguarita Fernandez, whose family has served the De La Cruz household for generations, can’t let him die, and rescues him from his self-inflicted end. And he’s not happy about it either! It’s chalk and cheese; apples and oranges.

There are many spicy scenes in this book, but moreover the plot is solid and you feel for the characters and want to know how they’re going to make it from one hurdle to the next. Each of her characters is totally believable in their roles. It’s the kind of book that you think about the characters even after you put the book down and between reading sessions as well.

I shan’t give away any more of of the plot in case you haven’t read it yet and are now curious. It’s a real page turner. It’s 5 out of 5 for me.

Here’s a link to a You Tube video in which Mrs. Feehan talks about her writing process. Christine Feehan on Writing Her Novels

Dark Predator: The ‘Dark’ Carpathian Series: Book 19

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A Stitch in Time…is sooo satisfying…Embroidery

One of my embroidered designs.

Continuing on with my craft theme, here’s a book that’s like a bible to me… The DMC Book of Embroidery…is the name. Written by Melinda Coss, it is an absolutely wonderful book, and I can always get ideas for different stitches which can give texture and variety to my projects.

The book lists over 100 embroidery stitches and gives very clear step-by-step instructions on how to execute them. This is a fabulous reference book to look up stitches that one may see in a painting, a costume or other piece of embroidered work; or if you’ve spare time…it’s brilliant for practicing embroidered needlecraft, and expanding one’s repertoire. To me, embroidery is like painting with stitches, so I’ve found this book extremely useful.

I’d recommend it as as good book for beginners to learn the basic stitches, and an extremely clear reference book for more experienced embroiderers. It’s even got a stitch library section about how to make stitches that belong to the same group. For instance, with Satin Stiches there are actually 9 different variations. Wow! That was news to me.

There are also 20 projects that one can have a go at, or simply use them as as springboard for one’s own creative ideas. But yes, it’s very good. It’s like having a dictionary about. One might not use it everyday, but we’re sure glad there’s on about when we want to look up a word.

The DMC Book of Embroidery

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Good things come in small packages! Crafting mini-cards

This book is a good one for crafters, and for people who just want to dabble in the art of making their own greeting cards. All of the items in this collection are small, and many can be done fairly quickly. This book is titled Making Mini Cards, Gift Tags and Invitations. It’s by Glennis Gilrut.

They are so sweet. Some of them are collage creations, some use stencilling, some use stamping. some of the techniques are as simple as tearing paper to a certain shape. They’re just good fun to make no matter what your actual career profession is. There are tons of full-colour pictures and very clear instructions.

The first part of the book discusses and explains the techniques needed to create the card, then the rest of the book is full of ideas that you can create as is, or use as starters for your own creative direction. There are projects to suit all ages, so it’s good fun for an afternoon by oneself, or helping a child learn the art of greeting card making.

Making Mini Cards, Gift Tags and Invitations

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Who Dunnit and Can Anyone Stop Them — Fiction — Peter James

Today is crime/mystery day. Peter James to be specific. I discovered his books through his agent on twitter. Though I didn’t know she was his agent. We began talking about Brighton (UK) where I planned to spend the day. And Carol told me about the Peter James’ novels that were set in Brighton. I went browsing in a book store when I got there, bought my first book and haven’t stopped enjoying his gripping crime novels and Superintendent Roy Grace since.

His novels are always highly researched, so Peter James knows what he’s talking about, and the realism adds to the validity and vitality of the story. It’s the kind of book you really,really don’t want to put down until you finish it. This one I read slowly and savoured every chapter.

It’s about the human organ dealers, and the story moves back and forth between Britain, Romania, and Germany. There’s a side plot in there as well, that regular PJ fans will pick up on. Bodies are dredged from the seabed of the Sussex coast, and the body count starts to rise. The investigative team is racing against time to prevent any more deaths and catch the perpetrators before a young street girl becomes one more in a line of very unwilling organ donors. It’s a bit sad as well because this – in some variation – is actually a current issue in the world today.

It’s so well written, every character has a story and is well fleshed out. Everything meshes well, it’s easy to keep track of everyone, even in the midst of all of the action and counteraction. If you like crime novels which are multifaceted, gripping and well researched, this is a good one for you.

Next week, it’s back to crafts with a watercolour painting book review.

Dead Tomorrow

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Make 2012 the year to burst out of the ratrace

This one is a book I bought several years ago, and I still like to read it bit by bit. It’s a book about how to make major changes in our lives, one step at a time. It’s by Dr. Daniel T. Drubin and it’s called “Busting Your Rut.”

This is a book that I’m currently reviewing on my podcast

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but it’s worth writing about too. The lessons are so powerful, but to me, so practical and simple as well. There’s not a lot of complicated theory to this book.

Dr. Drubin talks about things like Change is about loss and gain; there’s always a price to pay; excuses or excellence (this is a great chapter — sometimes it’s really easy to come up with some really great excuses for why we’re not pushing for changes in our lives!); letting go; conquering fears (still working on this one);image impacts change; work backwards; managing emotions; make money your slave and change is the only certainty we have.

It’s a brilliant book. Easy to read and understand, easy to relate to, I think, no matter what your life circumstances are; and the steps are easy to put into practice, once one commits to giving it a go. I can’t say my life has changed radically because of reading this book; but it’s very encouraging and gives me a lot of signposts for guidance along the road of life. It’s one of my staples in my positive-thinking, motivation library.

Busting Your Rut: 33 Practical Lessons to Alter Your Destiny, Transform Your Life and Free Your Spirit

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