A Grimm Warning - Chris Colfer

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series.

It's not just the wonderful spin on 

favourite fairy tale characters

but it's also the well crafted characters

and story line.

A Grimm Warning

does not disappoint.

Alex Bailey now lives in The Land of Stories.

She's training to one day become

the Fairy Godmother

and taking over for her grandmother. 

Meanwhile, 

her twin, Connor,

goes on a school trip to Germany

to hear the unpublished story

by the Brother's Grimm

that was found in a time capsule.

Soon the twins find themselves on another adventure.

This time, 

they are trying to protect the land

from a 200 year old French Revolution Army.

Now, 

the last two books

have that lovely fairy tale ending.

You know,

happily ever after.

And when you pick up the next book

you feel like you're back with some old friends

and hearing their latest adventure.

But this time,

this time,

oh my!

Colfer leaves you hanging!

Yes, he leaves us with a cliffhanger.

An OMG-did-that-just-happen

cliffhanger.

And I have no idea

when he'll publish the next installment!

Yikes!!!

Blood Genesis - Tessa Dawn

I have loved this series

since the beginning.

So when I heard there was a 

prequel

I had to read it!

This did not disappoint!

Blood Genesis

gives a glimpse into the origins

of the Blood Curse.

We learn more about the brothers,

Jadon and Jaegar,

the patriarchs of these great vampire houses.

It's a story about 

Timaos and Jessinia

and their sacrifice.

If you haven't started this series yet,

this is a good,

short,

introduction!

The Sisters Grimm - Michael Buckley

I have a love for fairy tales.

So when a parent at school

told me about this series

I had to give it a try.

It is lovely!!!

Sabrina and Daphne's parents

mysteriously disappeared.

They have spent the last year

floating between foster families.

Then, 

they are told their grandmother wants them to go

live with her.

This surprises the sisters,

as they were told their grandmother was dead.

So Sabrina and Daphne meet 

their eccentric grandmother,

Granny Relda.

She informs them,

that they are descendants of the famous

Brothers Grimm

and that all these fairy tale characters

actually exist.

Not only do they exist,

but it's part of the Grimm's family job

to keep them in line.

Soon, 

the girls find themselves on an adventure.

There's a giant on the loose,

and he's kidnapped Granny Relda.

The mayor (Prince Charming)

acts awfully suspicious.

With the help of Jack

(as in and the Beanstalk)

and Puck

(yes Shakespear)

the girls are out to

save their grandmother!

My Dad

My dad was a little man,

with an extremely large heart.

His heart was made of gold.

He cared about everyone, 

and tried to help everyone.

He never judged.

My dad was an avid reader.

Something I inherited from him.

He instilled in me the love of books

and the power of the written word.

He was able to talk to me about any book I read as a child.

It wasn't until later I learnt,

that every night,

after having gone to sleep,

he would read the book I was reading

just so we could discuss it together.

My dad has a large family.

And family is important.

And while the four of us lived quietly in Ottawa,

vacations were spent with the family.

It was important to him

that we knew we had a support system.

My dad loved to travel.

He saw beauty wherever he went.

He was intrigued by the history and culture

of every place he visited.

He'd enthusiastically share with you

the hidden gems

and myths about every place he visited.

My dad believed my brother and I

could be anything we wanted to be.

And while we often mistook it to mean

we were a disappointment,

he always supported us in our choices.

He encouraged us to be better.

He knew we could do anything

and taught us to aim high.

My dad believed education

can get you anywhere.

I hated school

and was never any good at it.

But I am so grateful

I finally got my Masters

and got to see the shine in his eyes

when he realized

I always heard him.

My dad had a way with words.

He wasn't always able to express himself verbally,

but give him a pen and paper,

and wow!

He'd blow you away.

My dad was religious.
He believed in that God is gracious.
He believed there was a reason for everything.
I wish I had the same faith as he.

My dad was encouraging.
He saw the best in everyone
and encouraged it.
When Ethan was two,
he scribbled.
But then told my dad an elaborate story to match the scribble.
My dad went out and bought
pens, colors, paints and paper
to encourage this budding artist. 

My dad was a sensitive man.

He didn't like conflict

and tried to please everyone.

He was open-minded and tolerant.

Qualities I will teach Ethan. 

My dad was amazing.

He raised two incredibly independant kids

and had two amazing grandkids.

He will always be loved.

He will be missed.

I love you. 

Seventh Grave & No Body - Darynda Jones

It took me a long time 

to gobble this one.

But it was not due to the book,

but that I was uber busy.

A flight home from Dubai

gave me the time I needed 

to catch up with Charley, Reyes,

Cookie and the gang.

The fun stuff included:

Cookie and Ubie are a couple.

And a cute one.

Osh, aka The Dealer

is a fun and intriguing new character.

I can't wait to see more of him.

Reyes pushes Charley to learn

more about her powers.

And then there's Jessica.

Dead, but not gone.

Will she continue to be a pest?

This time around,

Charley has to deal with a bunch of people

disappearing,

leaving behind suicide notes.

But they didn't write the notes.

She looks for a grave robber,

deals with the Twelve Hell Hounds

and learns the Vatican has been spying on her.

Oh, and then there's her dad.

He's gone missing.

Yes, 

life with Charley is never boring!

Gotta love that girl! 

This Makes Me Happy

There are many things that can make me

happy.

This weekend,

I was in Dubai.

And while the weather,

shopping,

food and

 mates

were great,

there was something else

that made me truely happy.

I attended a Cultures of Thinking

workshop

presented by Ron Ritchhart.

To spend 2 days,

listening to this man

was inspiring.

And truely made me happy.

Writer's Workshop - Power's Out

List 7 ways to survive a power outage.

Oh MamaKat,

how you make me laugh!

I mean really?

Seriously?

Do you really know what it means 

to have a power outage?

I'm talking serious outages,

for days, 

weeks,

months.

Not just the bad weather,

oops power's out,

city is under emergency

outages.

I'm talking about the 

welcome to my world,

summer's here,

so the power goes off

every day,

for hours,

for weeks.

So,

I consider myself the expert

on power outages.

In fact,

just two weeks ago,

we had serious power issues

that we had no power for the entire weekend.

So here are the top 7 things,

for power outage survival:

7. Live in a house that has a pool.

It's getting hotter and hotter here.

Summer is on it's way.

Which means the power issues will continue.

You'll need to cool off,

so make sure you have a pool.

6. Do not have a lot of meat in your freezer.

We learnt this the hard way.

Years ago,

we had a mate that went hunting

and brought us some buffalo meat.

It sat in our freezer.

Then the power went off. 

And the meat went bad.

So we threw it out.

Only,

it left behind a horrible stench.

And I mean horrible.

And virtually impossible to get rid off.

It was gross!

5. Have lots of fruit, veggies 
and water handy.
Cos if the power's going to be out for a long time
you won't be able to cook,
unless.....

4. Use a gas cooker.
....you have one of these.
Because with the gas cooker,
as long as you have matches,
you're all set.

3. Get matches. And candles.
That way you can at least walk around the house
without walking into anything.

2. Stay at a hotel. 
Seriously,
if the power's going to be out
for a long time,
and the house is too hot to bear,
stay at a hotel!
The bonus is you get an awesome breakfast
in the morning.

1. Get a generator.

Yes it can be noisy.

Yes the fuel is expensive.

Yes, there are times there's a fuel shortage,

but seriously,

get a generator!

Awaking - Madeline Freeman

This book is a hard one

to review.

I really enjoyed it.

But there were times I got frustrated.

It's almost like there was something missing.

Something lacking.

I loved the characters

and the storyline,

I even felt the pace was great.

But something...

something was missing. 

Morgan Abbey is about to begin

her senior year. 

She has always had the ability

to read palms. 

She's even started a little side business.

A few weeks into the end of summer,

she meets a stranger who tells her

she's The One.

He also claims to know her mother

who disappeared 10 years ago.

Morgan is suddenly thrown into a world

she never knew existed.

She learns she is a part of a secret society,

called The Veneret

who have special powers.

They now live in hiding and she's viewed as the One

to save them.

I liked Morgan. 

She's an outcast,

her father was arrested for killing her mother.

Her mother disappeared,

no body was ever found.

She discovers her hobby as a psychic 

isn't just fun and games,

that she has a talent.

She also discovers she's developing new powers.

There's a love triangle,

of sorts.

First we meet Corbin.

Morgan's best friend has a serious crush on him.

Morgan attempts a reading on him

and suddenly opens him up to powers.

Then there's the barista, Lucas.

Again,

after a reading, 

he learns he has powers too.

And let's not forget Kellen.

The mysterious stranger who introduces Morgan

and her friends to the Veneret.

But is he a decent guy?

Or the villain? 

The Shadows - Megan Chance

I love going on vacation

with a Kindle full of books.

We were away this past week

and had no internet network.

I grabbed my iPad to find something to read.

But without internet,

I couldn't check what some of the books

were about.

That meant taking a risk.

And this turned out to be a great one!

The Fianna are a legendary group 

of ancient Irish warriors.

They have been asleep for over 2,000 years

but have now been summoned to help

the Irish fight the British.

Yet, they do not know who summoned them

and start to look for the veleda.

Patrick Devlin,

is a New Yorker of Irish descendant.

Having spent the last 3 years in Ireland

trying to help the cause,

he comes back determined to call the Fianna

for help.

He's passionate about Ireland

and Grace.

Grace Knox is about to turn 17.

Her family,

once wealthy,

have lost everything.

If she married a rich man,

her family can be saved. 

Grace's grandmother has told her the folktales

of the Fianna and Fomorians.

But she believes it's just stories.

Suddenly,

Grace finds herself in the middle of a battle.

The ancient tribes of Fianna and Fomorians

need her as the veleda.

She is also torn between Patrick

and Diarmid,

a Fianna,

whom she finds herself drawn too.

I've always loved mythology.

But have never looked at Irish myths.

I think it's high time I do!

Breeders - Ashley Quigley

In Breeders

we meet Ariet.

She lives in a new world.

One isolated from disease and war.

Her daily life,

follows a simple routine.

Each morning,

everyone has a brief medical examination.

One day,

what seems like a routine medical exam

everything is thrown upside down.

Ariet is drugged

and taken away from her family.

She is told she is the carrier of a unique gene

and therefor she is to become a breeder.

Her family will be told she died of an illness.

Ariet learns,

that not only is she a breeder

but her mate has been chosen for her.

She is given a few weeks to get to know her mate,

and then she is expected to start the breeding.

However, 

if the child does not carry the desired gene,

her pregnancy

and possibly her herself 

will be terminated. 

The concept of the book was fabulous

however,

it felt rushed.

Her relationship with Mason

doesn't really develop.

Do they have feelings for one another

or not?

We learn his parents were terminated

but never learn why.

At the end,

Mason's friend Thor

meets his grandfather.

And then we're at the epilogue.

Really?

Just cut us off like that?

So I don't know.

Did I love the book?

No.

But I did enjoy it.

That counts,

right?

Sixth Grave on the Edge - Darynda Jones

Oh Charley!

How I love you!

Sixth Grave on the Edge

has our favourite Grimm Reaper 

on a new adventure. 

She has a dead naked man

riding in her car. 

(He's a departed.)

She's learning,

or trying to learn,

more about Mr Wong,

the departed hanging out in the corner of her living room.

Her newest client wants her to help get his soul back.

Yes his soul.

He sold it to a demon,

but now wants it back.

Which means she now has to deal

with this demon

tricking people out of their souls.

Oh, 

and then there's the scared girl

who was abused.

Charley wants to find out what happened.

Yes Charley has her plate full.

On top of all this,

she has Reyes' proposal to answer,

she's looking into the 'kidnapping' of him 

as a child.

Oh, she's also conspired with Cookie

to make her uncle jealous.

And in the end,

well,

in the end,

Charley leaves us with an 

OMG!!

Immortal - J.R. Ward

And another series comes to an end.

Immortal is the final installment in 

The Fallen Angels series.

And what an ending it was.

I'll admit,

I cried a little at the end.

So far, 

Jim, our fallen angel

is loosing to

Devina, our evil devil,

2:3.

He would have been up one,

but he exchanged a win in a previous book.

So now, 

there are 2 souls left.

If Devina wins the next round,

Hell wins.

But who is this soul?

Will Jim be focused?

He lost the last round,

as he could not focus on the "game".

His mind was focused on Sissy.

Even Nigel was disappointed in him.

Immortal begins with Jim deciding he needs to get

Nigel back.

He decides he must enter Purgatory.

The first half of the book 

you wonder who the soul is.

We all know Jim will be the last soul.

Jim spends the first half of the book

getting Nigel back,

working out his feelings for Sissy

and controlling his anger against Devina.

And even after he wins,

he's too focused on winning

and beating Devina

to realise there is another soul in play.

But really,

it's the last book with Jim.

Did you ever have any doubt he'd win?

This Makes Me Happy

Every once in awhile,

you see something that really makes you happy.

You know,

you can't stop smiling,

and every time you think about it,

you smile.

You know those things,

right?

Well, 

this is one of those things

that makes me happy.

So I had to share. 

Writer's Workshop - Books

October is National Book Month, 

tell us about the best book you've read so far this year. 

For the last couple of years,

I've challenged myself to read a certain number of books.

The challenge, 

and keeping track of the books

are all on Goodreads. 

So for MamaKat's prompt,

I decided to take a look at the 

26 books I've read so far.

Now really,

I'm suppose to choose the best

book from these?

Yikes!

Not sure if I can.

The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

is a children's book

that I could not put down. 

Phoenix by Dawn Rae Miller,

was the end of an amazing YA trilogy.

And this one did not disappoint. 

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

is the last book I read.

It's one I probably would never had read

had it not been recommended.

And I loved it!

I was chatting with a mate the other day,

commenting how I had a lot of reading to do

as it appears all the authors have chosen

October as the month

to release their new book.

In case you're looking for something to read

here are some great ones to look out for.

Baking Cakes in Kigali - Gaile Parkin

OMG! I loved this book!

Angel Tungaraza is a Tanzanian.

She now lives in Kigali, Rwanda

with her husband

and their 5 grandchildren.

In Angel's kitchen,

she bakes cakes

and listens to the stories of her clients.

A mate of mine recommended this book.

She loved it.

I loved it.

And then I noticed on Goodreads

that not many people loved it
as much as we did.
And that got me thinking
about the different reasons
I found the book endearing.
It was the stories
that Angle shared.
I found myself laughing out loud
at different parts.
And one reason I laughed so much
were these are things I could see happening here
in Dar.

Here, listen to the following story.
A baby is named Goodenough.
When asked why,
the reply is simply
"They really wanted a boy.
But a girl is good enough."
How many of you are shocked?
How many of you laughed?
How many of you can't stop laughing?
I'm the third.
Even now I'm still laughing!

Writer's Workshop - Pin Me

Pinterest inspired! Try something you saw on Pinterest and share the results.

My Pinterest feed

has been full of all kinds of 

pumpkin delights

lately.

And,

being a HUGE Halloween fan

I thought I'd try a couple. 

Here is the 

Healthier Pumpkin Spice Latte

I found. 

(Click on the picture to go to original site)

Now,

I don't have a pretty clear mug

to show off my creation.

(Note to self:

Buy some clear mugs to show off drinks)

I also opted not 

to add the whip cream.

I can already hear my trainer

bug me

"Why are you drinking coffee?

Didn't I tell you to cut back?"

The last thing I need is for her to bug me

"Whipped cream? Are you serious?

Does your coffee really need whipped cream?"

So now,

I have an open can of pumpkin

with two spoonfuls missing.

Obvioulsy I need to try something else.

Thank you

Pinterest!

It looked good.

And easy to make.

So how hard can ot be,

right?

Very easy!

And fabulous!

I made it for my son

to eat as breakfast,

but am not sure I'm willing to share.

Here's my version.

Have your tried any Pumpkin

treats?

Fifth Grave Past the Light - Darynda Jones

I love Charley.

I believe,

if she were real,

we'd be awesome mates.

We both love coffee

and we both love Reyes.

I think

Fifth Grave Past the Light

is my favorite one to date.

Here,

our favorite Grimm Reaper

discovers her apartment is filling up

with dead blond women.

Twenty-seven women 

to be exact.

Charley needs to figure out

where these women are buried

and who killed them.

Oh, 

and let's not forget the arsonist.

Yes, 

someone has been burning down vacant lots.

Charley suspects she knows who it is

but can she prove it?

Then there's the husband

of a client.

She wants Charley to prove her husband is cheating.

The husband isn't too happy with Charley.

Yes our dear friend

gets into a lot of trouble.

But we'd never take Charley

any other way!

Chocolate Fruit Leathers

Ethan has been loving the fruit leathers

I have been making.

He has been bugging me

for a few weeks now

to make chocolate ones.

I decided,

if he wanted them,

he could make them.
So he did!

Ethan chops the bananas

Blends them with cocoa

We have to add here, 

we used pure cocoa powder from

Chocolate Mamas.

I LOVE their chocolate.

The cocoa is awesome

as there is no added sugar.

Ethan helped me spread the mixture out

onto trays

and off in the dehydrator they went.

Yes he loves them!

High Five for Friday

It's been another lovely week,

filled with love, friends,

and wine.

Highlights include

Wine and yoga pants

There was a cute picture on Facebook

about yoga helping with de-stressing.

It went on to joke,

that the best way is to have a glass of wine

while wearing yoga pants.

I've got to add,

that wine and yoga pants

are a great way to relax

on a Sunday evening!

Flowers

In Zambia,
Ethan use to buy me flowers every week.
It was great.
Our dining table
always had a vase of
fresh flowers.
This week,
a friend of mine gave me a bouquet.
I have flowers again!!!!


Almond Butter

I made almond butter.
Yes, me!!!
Ok, granted,
it's not that difficult.
It just takes a lot of patience,
and well,
since I tend to lack in that department,
I'm pretty chuffed!!

Sports Day

Ethan had his first Sports Day
of the school year.
The third graders
are placed in Houses.
Ethan's a Mamba.
Today's events were track and field.
Not working,
meant I got to spend the whole morning
cheering him on!


Training

I have a fantastic trainer.
She comes 3 times a week
and makes me sweat
and feel pain.
Lately she's been on a burped kick.
Which,
since I've gotten better at them,
I don't seem to mind so much.

The Taking - Kimberly Derting

The idea behind this story

has potential

to be great.

Kyra and her dad

are driving home from her softball game.

They're talking about college

and they disagree.

Kyra gets out of the car,

to protest.

Suddenly she sees a white light

and hear her dad scream.

She wakes up behind a dumpster

still wearing the clothes from the day before.

She heads home,

but it's not her home.

It would seem,

she's been gone for 5 years.

A lot happened in 5 years.

Her father,

who saw the light,

is believed to be crazy.

Her parents divorced

and her mum not only remarried,

but also has a new child.

Her best friend is now dating her boyfriend.

And her boyfriend's 12 year old brother,

is now 17 and gorgeous.

But here's the thing,

Kyra doesn't seem to interested

in learning what happened to her.

Whether she remembers the light 

or not,

she doesn't support her father.

She's upset over,

rightly so,

about "the husband" and "brother"

but never really deals with it.

And when things do start getting interesting,

it ends.

Granted,

you'll probably learn more in the next book,

but do you really want to wait?

And do you really care?