December ’19 wrap up and January TBR
Good morning bookworms! It’s time for the final monthly wrap-up for 2019, the December wrap-up! During December I read an excessive amount of books. For me. A grand total of 18 books, which is definitely my highest monthly total for the year!! This mostly had to do with Sam @ Fictionally Sam’s Mrs Claus’ Readathon, but also probably to do with the sheer number of romance novels I devoured (why can’t I read fantasy this quickly?!*). Book Author Series Format Rating (/5) Cover Masterson Lisa Lang Blakeney The Fixer #1…
WWW Thursday?! – 26 December 2019
Good evening bookworms! I hope you all had an amazing holiday period, no matter whether you celebrated a festivity or not. Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday Thursday! Because this week was slightly distracting and we’ve had a couple of family activities!! What is this, you ask? Well, it’s a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. All you have to do is answer the three following questions: What did you recently finish reading? What are you currently reading? What do you think you’ll read…
WWW Wednesday – 18 December 2019
Good morning bookworms! Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday! What is this, you ask? Well, it’s a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. All you have to do is answer the three following questions: What did you recently finish reading? What are you currently reading? What do you think you’ll read next? FYI – The Of Wonderland theme for December is villains and anti-heroes II! However, I seem to be only reading romances this month, so I’m switching my icon out this week and next for…
November ’19 wrap up and December TBR
Good morning bookworms! It’s time for the November wrap-up! During November I read a very reasonable 10 books. Honestly it feels like that long ago I can barely remember it… but we are almost nearly halfway through December, so I imagine that it did happen! Book Author Series Format Rating (/5) Cover Against the Rules Laura Heffernan Gamer Girls #2 eBook via Netgalley 3.5 Make Your Move Laura Heffernan Gamer Girls #3 eBook via Netgalley 3 Serpent & Dove Shelby Mahurin Serpent & Dove #1 Hardcover 5 The Last of…
Bookending Summer: Lemonade Stand book tag
Good morning bookworms! This post is part of Bookending Summer 2019, which is organized by Sam & Clo! My prompt for today, “Lemonade Stand book tag” is hosted by Jeimy @ A Novel Idea! (And you SHOULD go check out Jeimy’s blog because it’s super cute, and don’t we all need some more cute in our lives? PS: The answer to that is yes.) Tags, are pretty self explanatory, so let’s get to it! Sour – Name a Character that left a sour taste in your mouth Unpopular opinion time!! Also, please don’t @…
Bookending Summer: Bookcation
Good morning bookworms! This post is part of Bookending Summer 2019, which is organized by Sam & Clo! My prompt for today, “Bookcation” is hosted by Charvi @ Not Just Fiction! (And you SHOULD go check out Charvi’s blogs because I feel like maybe I don’t scream about that enough every fortnight when I do Off Tangent Thoughts…) If you aren’t sure what a ‘bookcation’ is, then I’ll let Charvi explain it here: You’re off to the beach for a nice time and you can take 10 other fictional characters with you. Whom would…
Mystery Blogger Award
Good morning bookworms! The amazing Andy @ Andy Winder – YA Writer tagged me in the Mystery Blogger Award, which sounds awesome because it sounds MYSTERIOUS!! and also because I’ve not been nominated (or tagged?) to do this one before!! THANK YOU ANDY!! 💕 What’s the Mystery Blogger Award? “It’s an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun…
Top 5… summer reads
Today’s Top 5 Tuesday is ‘top 5 winter reads’. Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by the super lovely Shanah over at the Bionic Bookworm. You can visit her here, and join in for Top 5 Tuesday by checking out all the amazing topics we have coming up! So, I know that this week’s topic is top 5 winter reads, but … I live in Australia and we’re coming into summer. So, I’m changing it! (Sorry Shanah!) So, let’s get into some amazing books that I love reading in summer! Adored by…
A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J Maas
Release date: 1 November 2015 Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ – 10/10 Goodreads link Book Depository link A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #2) blurb: Feyre is immortal. After rescuing her lover Tamlin from a wicked Faerie Queen, she returns to the Spring Court possessing the powers of the High Fae. But Feyre cannot forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people – nor the bargain she made with Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court. As Feyre is drawn ever deeper into Rhysand’s dark web of politics and passion, war is…
A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J Maas
Release date: 5 May 2015 Rating: ★★★★★★★★ – 8/10 Goodreads link Book Depository link A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR series #1) blurb: Feyre is a huntress. She thinks nothing of slaughtering a wolf to capture its prey. But, like all mortals, she fears what lingers mercilessly beyond the forest. And she will learn that taking the life of a magical creature comes at a high price… Imprisoned in an enchanted court in her enemy’s kingdom, Feyre is free to roam but forbidden to escape. Her captor’s body bears the…
Mixed berry cheesecake
Summer in Australia can be brutal – and as we move towards the end of the seemingly constant stream of 30°C plus days, I felt the need to indulge in a light, cool dessert. Lo and behold, the mixed berry cheesecake. Yum! Ingredients 250g plain biscuits (I use Arnott’s Butternut Snap, so an ‘oaty’ biscuit is great) 100g butter 250g cream cheese 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup thickened cream 1 tsp lemon zest 1 tsp lemon juice 3 tsp powdered gelatine dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water 2 cups mixed…
Hummingbird cake
This cake is a favourite – it’s sweet and moist, but not over the top. It has that fulfilling ‘tea cake’ feel to it, which I think comes through with the cinnamon and fruit taste to it. And if you like Banana Bread, then you should absolutely love this too! Ingredients 1 cup plain flour 1/2 cup self raising flour 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp bi-carb soda 3/4 cup caster sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 bananas, mashed 200g crushed pineapple in juice, not drained Method Preheat…
Mullumbimby, NSW
I’ve been relatively quiet this week – I’ve been on holidays with family. I’ve used the time to catch up on some books, catch up with family, and just relax. Relaxing includes swimming in the ocean, getting a massage, shopping, drinking, napping, and of course, reading. Being an Aussie, there was some cricket involved as well. We’ve been staying in a little (four bedroom) cottage in a town called Mullumbimby. For those of you not entirely sure where this is, I’ve included a handy little map reference for you here…
Pavlova
It’s summer here in Australia at the moment, and the weather has been amazing over Christmas. The days have been clear and sunny, hot at around 30°C (which is about 86°F). I remember being a kid, helping my mum or my grandmother bake sweets in the summer. I particularly remember making the pavlova because my grandmother didn’t have an electric beater and it took forever to whip that egg white! Ingredients 4 egg whites 1 cup caster sugar 1.5 tsp cornflour 1 tsp white vinegar 300mL thickened cream fresh berries to…
