All About Me And A Bag Of Chips!

Flippin 'Eh!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies: A Book of Zombie Christmas Carols

"This book takes over two dozen of our most beloved Christmas carols and shreds them limb from limb, rewriting them from a zombie's point-of-view. Tiny tots' eyes are no longer aglow - they're in a bowl. And Mommy's not kissing Santa under the mistletoe - she's chewing his face. Nobody - not Rudolph, Old Saint Nick, or even those three Wise Guys who traveled afar - is spared when the undead come knocking."

Words cannot describe how much I enjoy the zombiefication of classic novels...ATTENTION SANTA...this book must be in my stocking on Christmas morning or it is gonna be a very cold and lonely 2010 indeed! LOL

Until next time..TATA!!

Just a heads up....

Image via Wikipedia

For those of you who follow my book blog, I am going to be doing away with the separate book blog thing (just don't have time to keep two blogs going) and just go back to posting my book reviews on here when I get a chance!

You can also follow me or friend me on GOODREADS and keep up with what I am reading and my reviews that way!

Until next time..TATA!!

A Middle of the Week Quiz....

You Are Fantasy / Sci Fi

You have an amazing imagination, and in your mind, all things are possible. You are open minded, and you find the future exciting. You crave novelty and progress. Compared to most people, you are quirky and even a bit eccentric. You have some wacky ideas. And while you may be a bit off the wall, there's no denying how insightful and creative you are.

What Kind of Book Are You?

Blogthings: We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!

New book reviews!!

Thanks everyone for your comments yesterday, I have to run around all over the city today so I don't think I will have time to comment back on everyone's blog, but wanted to thank you all for the kindness!

I also have a bunch of new book reviews up on my book blog, so be sure to check those out!

BETWEEN THE BOOKENDZ

Have a good one and until next time...TATA!!

The Start of a New Week!

So after sweating my butt off in the heat last week, this week is stating on a cooler note and will remain that way through the week! Of course the kids will be bummed since they really enjoyed going swimming every day. Speaking of which S. is really catching on and turning into a little fish! A lot of big firsts this Summer for her (learning to ride a two wheeler and swimming) L. is not overly crazy about the water, he will go in up to his waist and let DH hold him and dunk him quickly, but I think he finds the water too cold..c'est la vie. LOL

In other news I have been reading up a storm lately, so there is a lot of new reviews and things up on my book blog (Link to the right in the sidebar under my photo) so be sure to check that out! I was especially impressed with THE LOST CITY OF Z by David Grann. A fabulous adventure read that I just found out they may be making into a movie!

Last night we also watched a really good Swedish movie "Låt den rätte komma in" (Let the Right One In) "Oscar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl who turns out to be a vampire"

I read the other day that Hollywood is remaking it, which for the life of me cannot figure out why since it just came out last year?? Why not just watch the Swedish version, it comes with subs or overdubbed. I worry that the subtlety and whole feel of the movie will be lost in the whole Hollywood need for special effects and gore, we will see though. If you get a chance though you should definitely give this one a watch!

So with that I will wrap things up for today..I hope you have a good one and until next time...TATA!!

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Lost City of Z (telegraph.co.uk)
• Let the Right One In American Remake Planned For 2010 (pastemagazine.com)

Crazy busy today!!

I am short on time today and have a million errends to run, so I will just make a quick post letting you know I have a bunch of new book reviews and book related "stuff" up on my seperate book blog you might like to check out!

You can find the blog HERE (<--LINK)

So be sure to check that out! Until then have a great day and TATA!!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Book Review Podcast: Katie Roiphe on Love and Ross Douthat on 'Digital Barbarism' (papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Book Review Podcast: John Irving and Danielle Steel (papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com)
• BookArmy Suggests New Books, Readers with Similar Tastes [Books] (lifehacker.com)

Books and TV...oh my!!!

Good morning peeps! Another day..another dollar as they say! I wanted to let those of you that read this blog and have a book addiction like me know that I started a new blog. A group of friends and I have decided to challenge ourselves and take part in a "50 Book Challenge" basically that means we have set the goal for ourselves of reading 50 books in one year. Now considering that I read at least 1 to 2 books a week, this should be a cake walk! lol Anyways, I wanted somewhere else to keep track of the books I read and so people could find the books and reviews easily without have to dig through my other rantings and ramblings.

If you are interested the link to my 50 BOOK CHALLENGE blog is HERE (<--LINK) you can also find the link right there off to the right under my little smiling photo! LOL If you scroll down to the bottom of the book blog you can follow me or subscribe, if you so wish! Book #1 is already up and I am starting #2 today!

So onto some TV talk! With 99% of our usual viewing done for this season DH and I had been searching for some new shows to catch up on in the off season. We have had our eye on SUPERNATURAL for awhile and so we nabbed the box sets and have happily been watching 2 to 3 episodes a night for a couple weeks now!



What can I say..hot guys..demonic possession..vampires..who could ask for anything more?? It really is turning out to be a really great show! Show this one gets two very big thumbs up from us!

With that I will call it a day for today, I hope you have a good one and until next time..TATA!!

A Plethora of Book Reviews!!!

Happy hump day peeps! It is time once again for some book reviews, apparently I have been racing through books again because I have a quite a few to review today! So sit back, grab a cup of joe and enjoy. ;)

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love the HBO series True Blood so thought it would be interesting to read the books they are basing the series on. This was a fun quick read and I can't wait to move on to book number two!

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book, it alternates between the World's Fair and the exploits of serial killer, Dr. H.H. Holmes and the author tells the story in an entertaining way and packs it with interesting bits of information about the Fair's creation and also the effect it had on society at the time, add in chilling details about America's first serial killer and you have cracking good read!! The combining of the two is an ingenious idea that works amazingly well...hats off to the author!!

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
What can I say about this book, it was just a really good solid story, great characters, great plot, beautifully written, just a really enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from this author!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is simply a piece of art, it looks quit daunting when you first see it, but most of the book consists of amazing pencil drawings. The story itself was just OK I thought, but definitely worth the read!

Night by Elie Wiesel

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a beautifully written book, if such a thing can be said about a horrific topic such as this. It is a very short book at just over 100 pages, but those pages hold the pain, suffering and hope of so many. I actually had to put it down a couple times and step away for a few minutes. A very powerful book and one everyone should take the time to read!!

Olive Kitteridge: Fiction by Elizabeth Strout

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
A friend recommended this book to me and I wasn't sure it was going to be my thing, I generally am not a big fan of short stories, but as it turns out this isn't a collection of separate short stories but more a collection of connected stories (Olive Kitterigdge being the character that ties them all together) about life in a small New England town. It's a poetic, profound and a extremely beautifully written book. Each story peels away a different layer and exposes more about Olive. I found myself just sucked in from the very first page! This is my first time reading anything by Elizabeth Strout, but I will definitely be adding her other books to my "to read" list!!

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this one, a nice easy read, fun, the kind of book that makes you smile when you are finished. The characters are well developed and quirky and full of flavor! I can't wait to read the other books in the series. :)

Last Voyage of the Valentina by Santa Montefiore

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
I have been a big fan of Santa Montefiore's books for awhile now and her novels set in South America are some of the best I have read, so I looked forward to this one with much anticipation, alas it just did not live up to her other novels. The characters were unlikeable, the plot predictable and the ending confusing! If you are thinking of trying this author definitely try "Meet Me Under the Ombu Tree", "The Butterfly Box" or "The Forget-me-not Sonata".

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow I just whizzed through this book in one afternoon! I love Sophie Kinsella and this was another great book from her!

So with that I will wrap things up for this Wednesday, I hope you have a good one and until next time...TATA!!

Book Reviews!!

Good morning everyone! I am back on this somewhat drab Tuesday here to beguile you with more reviews of some books I have finished reading lately! A nice little mix of genres in this latest batch and have I mentioned how much I am enjoying being able to borrow all the books I can read from the library??!! I can't believe I went so long not knowing about bibliotek.dk...I feel like such a dork! LOL

OK, onto the reviews...

The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I seriously just LOVE these books! I really liked the change of scenery for this one, these books are without a doubt one of the best series I have ever read. I can't wait to read the last two in this series and the two in Jasper FForde's Nursery series!! Just another cracking read....

1st to Die by James Patterson

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have been watching the very short lived TV series based on these novels and have been really enjoying it, so I thought I'd check out the books it was based on. I have to say that I really enjoyed this book, it was an easy read with a nice twist at the end. The characters were likable and well developed and the plot is fast passed and has some of the shortest chapters I have ever seen in a book! lol I'll definitely be checking out the others in this series....

Map of Bones by James Rollins

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Oh man I really like this one! Dan Brown meets Clive Cussler, great action, great plot, well developed characters. I've forgotten how much I enjoy books like this. I will definitely be looking to read more from this author!

The Rose Labyrinth by Titania Hardie

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I didn't know what to expect from this book going into it since it has gotten such mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it a lot! It was sort of The DaVinci Code meets a romance novel! Also kudos to whomever was in charge of marketing for this book, it came in a really nice box with the book and 17 cards with the puzzles the characters have to solve in the book, so you can try solving them before hand or along with the characters. A very cool hook! Overall a really fun and enjoyable read. I look forward to more from this author.

So with that I will wrap things up for today. I hope you have a good one and until next time..TATA!! (no idea why this is underlined and I can't seem to get it to remove the underline, oh well LOL)

Recipe recomendation...Rent a book...and a weekend update!!

Good morning peeps! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Ours was busy, but lovely nonetheless. I have a bit of a mixed bag for you today, so sit back and enjoy the show. lol

First up, I have a recipe recommendation. I don't usually cook these types of dishes that often because I find them pretty heavy and carby, but this one sounded yummy and indeed it WAS really yummy, so I thought I would share it on here with you all!

Scalloped Turkey (or Chicken)
serves 4 - 6

3 to 4 cups cooked turkey or chicken
4 ounces butter
1/2 cup flour
salt and black pepper to taste
2 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 4-ounce tin of sliced mushrooms, drained well
(Or you can slice up some fresh mushrooms like I do, and brown them
off in a bit of butter)
For the dressing:
2 cups toasted bread cubes
2 small onions, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried sage, crumbled
2 ounces butter

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly butter a 2 quart casserole dish and set it aside.

Melt the 4 ounces of butter in a saucepan. Blend in the flour and cook, stirring for one minute. Slowly stir in the broth and the milk. Cook, stirring constantly until bubbly and thickened. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Set aside.

Lightly toss the bread cubes, onion, celery, 1/2 tsp salt, crumbled sage and the 1/4 cup of melted butter together in a bowl. Add a grinding of black pepper to taste. Arrange in the prepared casserole dish.

Place the sliced turkey over top of the dressing in the casserole dish. Top with the sliced mushrooms and then pour the sauce over top, covering it completely.

Place in the heated oven and cook for about 1 hour, until nicely bubbling and well heated through. Serve hot.

I made a couple tweaks, I didn't have cooked chicken, so I marinaded some chicken breasts in chopped fresh rosemary, 3 garlic cloves sliced, some chili flakes, sea salt, pepper and olive oil for a couple of hours and then roasted them until they were almost cooked and then just sat them on top of the dressing mix. I also made a tiny bit more sauce then the recipe called for and threw in some broccoli that I had steamed, but still had some of a bite to it so it wouldn't go all mushy in the casserole. So definitely give the recipe a try!!

I also ran across a very cool website for those of you who live in the US. I really wish they had something like it here, but the library is working out pretty good, so I can't whine to much!

Anyways, the website is http://www.bookswim.com/ and it an online book rental club. Seems to be along the lines of Netflex just for books. It is a pretty cool concept and probably a really cool option for those of you that live far away from your nearest library or have long waits for new books etc. Like I said if they had it available here I would be on it like white on rice! LOL

Ok, that brings us to my weekend update. Saturday was just gorgeous and we headed off to the mall. The mall is only about a 20 or 30 minute walk from me, and as the day was gorgeous we hoofed it. I had a ton of things I need to pick up for the kids and as luck would have it a show store in the mall is going out of business and all their stock was 50% off. I picked up two pairs of running shoes and a pair of sandals for my daughter, a pair of running shoes and sandals for my son and a pair of shoes fo me, all for 400 kr (which is about 70 US dollars). Talk about a sweet deal huh!? I managed to pick up everything I had down on my list except a spring jacket for me (of course lol), H&M didn't have my size in the one I liked and the other store in the mall that carried my size clothing appears to have closed down..sigh. I will have to hit Fields next week and see if I can find one their.

We also stopped and had a nice sot down lunch and then headed back home and hung outside for the rest of the day. Sunday we had a lot of cleaning, laundry and stuff to do and some friends came over for a visit, so that was nice and here we are back to another Monday! My daughter has a friend coming over after school for a visit and she will have dinner with us, then Wednesday she has another friend coming over. The girl has a better social life then me! LOL

So with that LONG rambling post, I will say bye for now. I hope you have a great day and until next time..TATA!!