Christmas Eve Tradition

I managed to find several Christmas Books over the years and have started a lovely tradition in our family of reading them on this lovely night.

I have the usual great one....
"Twas the night before Christmas...."

Which we all know so well with the stockings hung by the firplace and visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads.

And then I also have the New Zealand flavoured one....
"A Kiwi Night Before Christmas"

Twas the night before Christmas, and all round the bach
Not a possum was stirring; not one could we catch
We’d left on the table a meat pie and beer,
In hopes that Santa Claus soon would be here

We children were snuggled up in our bunk beds,
While dreams of pavlova danced in our head;
And Mum in her nightie, and Dad in his shorts,
Had just settled down to watch TV sports,

When outside the bach such a hoo-ha arose,
I woke up at once from my wonderful doze.
I ran straight to the sliding door, looking about,
Jumped out on the deck, and let out a shout!

The fairy lights Dad had strung up round the door
Let me see everything, down to the shore.
And what did I see, when I took a peep?
But a miniature tractor and eight tiny sheep,

It has a true New Zealand flavour to it and compliments the traditional one so nicely.
By the way, a bach = a holiday house by the beach

So that is how we end Christmas Eve as we try to settle the boys down to sleep on a sunny light evening with the temperature still warm and the humidity still high!
Do you have a tradition that you love to follow on this day?

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

Reading

I am a terrible reader, don't get me wrong, I can read! Have been able to since I was about 7yrs old.
I am a terrible reader in that it is all or nothing.

Once I pick up a book then life stops.

I am not the person who reads a little prior to falling a sleep. I am the person who reads a little prior to going to sleep then gets so engrossed in the book that suddenly it is 1am and I am determined to finish the last 2 chapters before I turn the light out.

I am a person who will do everything else around reading.
I will watch the tv but as soon as the adverts come on during the programme I have my book open and I carry on reading.
Same with cooking. I love that the kitchen is not connected to the living room. I can stand and read whilst waiting for something to cook, stopping every now and then to stir the pot.

If I get into a good book and then find that it has another connected to it then I am screwed, as I will want to finish book 2 just as quick as book 1.

I have been known to read myself stupid, so much so that I have then not picked up another book for weeks  due to being read out! At that time the thought of reading a book is the worst thing imaginable.

And just to prove the point, I have just spent the last week reading 5 out of 7 books in a series. Thus the reason why there have been no posts for a week!!

Fifty Shades

Have you read them? Have you even heard about them?
The Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy?

I came across them on the back of the TV Guide (I know odd place), there was a full 1 page ad for the full trilogy. Nothing much mentioned just a quick statement about how they were the next best trilogy to be published.

Now why is it I only find out about great sets of books when the last one is being published and everyone seems to know about them except me?
I decided that I would check them out the next time I was near a book store, as I had never heard of them and knew nothing about them.
Turns out when I did find them in the store I didn't have to go far, there they were front and centre when I walked in the shop, there was no missing this book or books as they were all there for all to see.
Wow, made me realise that these must be a really special well written book that everyone was loving.
So I read the back of them.....worked out which one was the first in the set and read the back of that again to get an understanding of the story plot.....

"Romantic, liberating and totally addictive, this is a novel that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you for ever. When literature student Anastasia Steele interviews successful entrepreneur Christian Grey, she finds him very attractive and deeply intimidating. Convinced that their meeting went badly, she tries to put him out of her mind - until he turns up at the store where she works part-time, and invites her out. Unworldly and innocent, Ana is shocked to find she wants this man. And, when he warns her to keep her distance, it only makes her want him more. But Grey is tormented by inner demons, and consumed by the need to control. As they embark on a passionate love affair, Ana discovers more than her own desires, as well as the dark secrets Grey keeps hidden away from public view...."

Wow a new love story, my type of book, maybe it is about more vampires, maybe witches or some other weird and wonderful creature that is going to take over human love stories...?
I did read the Twilight series and thoroughly enjoyed the well written books.

I decided to check them out on Amazon for Kindle when I got home because at $30 per book there was no way I was buying them in hard copy.
Amazon had them, and at a much more reasonable price too, so I brought all 3........and then I read the first one!!

Ok, well yes, hum ok err are you sure, did I choose the right book? Are they serious about all the fuss, has anyone actually read this book? Are they sure this is what they want to promote? Not sure how this would ever work as a movie and lets face it, most powerful out there books seem to get converted into a movie at some stage nowadays. Is there a health warning attached to this book these books? Am I actually allowed to read this in public, with kids around?

Now don't get me wrong, I have actually read book 2 and am half way through book 3, I found I read them very fast out of pure fascination, where was the story going, what was going to happen, how was this going to play out?
Did I find them well written - yes and no. They are easy to read, not the greatest writing I have ever come across but if you want to loose yourself in a book then what better way than with an easy to digest story.
However that also brings me on to the story line, not sure how this has managed to play out over 3 books, a little long and drawn out, the story is predictable to a point and a little boring in places, a little repetitive I could say as well, also a little over the top I think.

Would I recommend someone else read them - maybe!
If you have not read them and want to know what all the fuss is about then yes sure read them, you will then understand and maybe enjoy them. But would I rank them on my top list of great books to read, probably not, although with all the hype they are getting I can see why people are reading them, why wouldn't you? But would they be one of the greatest all time books you just have to read? NO, again I think people are reading them purely because of the hype around them at present.

And they are making a movie!!
Although as I read on a website the other evening when checking stuff out, one person wants to know how they are going to rate this movie, because if they manage to re-enact some of the book then it will not have a rating scale as an 'R' just won't cover it. But to change the story in anyway will just loose the power and aspect of the story and therefore is just not worth making.

Watch the websites people, only time will tell what the movie makers decide to do....!

On a more lighter note - don't forget the kids pyjama give-away I have running at present. Just pop on over to this post and leave a comment to be in with a chance of winning a pair.

T is for Twilight

What....... you mean out of 1600 people in this challenge you didn't expect at least 1 person to do "T is for Twilight"?
That is like saying that out of all these people you didn't expect someone to do "E is for Easter"!

But anyway back to T is for Twilight.... I have read the books...in fact I own the books and because of that I have read them twice, back to back, end to end, so much so that when I finished them all I was brain drained for a few weeks! I loved them.

They were some of the best written books for their intended age group, her (Stephenie Myers) style of writing and her way of describing was just enough for someone of that age to totally understand and relate to what she was explaining.

However, that brings me to the movies.
Very well done, well portrayed, well represented from the books but I hated (too strong) I did not like them.
I have watched all 4 of the movies, yes I will go and see the last part in November when it is released but give me the books to read anyday.

Oh and by the way....I vote for Team Jacob! I can not stand Robert Pattinson!

E is for Enid Blyton

When I was a little girl, I read lots of books by Enid Blyton.
She did simple basic stories for children of all ages, ok I will agree they are aged. When you read them nowadays some of the stuff makes you laugh as they were definitely books of their time but they are still pleasant enough to read for young children today.

I have started to see many of her books in local bookshops here in New Zealand recently, I get the feeling they are reproducing them and releasing them again.
Things like The Enchanted Wood which houses the Faraway Tree, written and first released in 1939, The Wishing Chair and many books that hold lots of little one off stories. All written and released in the 1940's.

I have been collecting the books and we have started to read them to the boys at night.

She is also famous for writing the "Famous Five" and the "Secret Seven"
I never actually read these when I was little as I always thought they were for boys, but I will definitely show my 2 boys these books and see if they are interested in reading them.

Did you ever read any of these books or any of the other hundreds of books Enid Blyton wrote?

Reading

I go in fazes where I get stuck in a book and woe behold anything get in my way.
Sometimes I can be strong and know that if I start a book I won't put it down so I don't start it until I know there is nothing going to get missed by me reading it.
Other times I can go weeks without reading a book!
However what I can't do is go to sleep at night without reading something.
Magazines work best, because books, as mentioned get addictive and suddenly I find myself still reading at midnight!

So I am always finding magazines to read. People bring them to Judo to share, there is the biggest pile of them in the reception at work, so I borrow the magazine and then return it 2 days later.
The ones I like the best and this may shock some of you is People's Friend.

The normal magazine comes weekly

Or you get a Fireside that is filled with extra stories every couple of months

Or you get a seasonal special

I know, I know, an old magazine, usually aimed at old people, but the little short stories in them are great. they are always feel good stories but they are just enough to read 1 or 2 of before falling asleep.
My mum seems to get them from friends and when she has finished with them she passes them on to me. I then in turn usually pass them on to a waiting room either at the hospital or the doctors surgery.
I happily enjoy reading the gossip magazines but sometimes there is nothing interesting in them to read and I really don't need to know what the Kardashien's are up to this week!

So I may be old before my time, but I will happily continue to read all and any People's Friends that come my way.

Authors

I have found the public library again, I go through phases where I don't go very often and don't even come away with books, other times I am on the website reserving books in the next series I want from a particular author.

My latest author is a very easy read, nothing too hard to pick up or even put down. Everything is light hearted and as always with me, family romance is the main theme.

Debbie Macomber is the latest and she even has a website which I have looked through, finding out about all her books and what order certain ones come in so I read them correctly.

There is nothing I hate more than finding you have read a book in the wrong order, so I am always very careful when taking books from the library to ensure that it is not book #4 of 8 or anything stupid like that.

So I did sign up to updates from her website, just the usual sort of thing, what book is next out in paperback, what her latest book is and how other books have faired in the publics eye. Sometimes that influences whether I read the book or not but more often I read it anyway.

So imagine my surprise when I received a letter from them the other day.

Now don't get all excited, it was nothing but a flyer and 2 bookmarks, but it was fun to receive, especially as they are all based in the US and I am down here in New Zealand.

Interesting to read what is happening with the latest book coming out etc.
Wondering how long it will take for the local library to have them in and then also wondering how many copies they will get.

So I have to go now as I need to check out the library website and see what si available, catch you later.

Library Books

I like to read, although I am quite fussy about what type of book I read, it usually has to be a romance novel or family saga, unfortunately the 'Classics' have still not got into me just yet.

We use the local library all the time, well at least I do, seeing as I always take out at least 4 books when ever we go there. Steve usually takes 1 or 2 because he only reads at night just before going to sleep.
Plus we have also made sure that the boys are into reading, well we hope we have instilled into them the joy of books, they love having a story read each night and are happy to look at books before going to sleep, so hopefully when it comes to being able to totally read for themselves they will discover the full joy of totally immersing oneself in a book and the wonders that they can hold.

If I find an author I enjoy reading then I will try to read all books that are written. So to help me with this I have a notebook by my bed. I have alphabetised the book and as I read a book by an author then I write down under the correct letter who the author was and what the book was.
The idea being that I should really take this notebook with me when ever we go to the library and then if I find a book I am interested in I can look to see if I have read the book.

I also write down in there under the author any other book they have written, so if I am looking for a book to read I can search for a particular book as well. When I have read a book, then I will tick it off in my notebook. Sometimes I have even marked next to it if it was a really bad book so I know never to read that one again!
I have had this system going for nearly 13 years now and it is really quite useful.
My main author's I seem to read all of are:

• Danielle Steel
• Debbie Macomber
• LaVryle Spencer (although she is not writing anymore)
• Barbara Delinsky

As you can see, nothing really heavy, just your typical family saga romance.

There are several libraries around Hamilton, all branches of the main one downtown. However there are 4 that are no more than 15 mins away from us.
They have an awesome internet system as well so I am able to search for a book online at home and reserve if I want for $1.50. I can then nominate which branch I wish to collect from. I have also been known to see a book I want to borrow online and actually drive to that branch to collect it, usually lumping it in with an errand I have to run on that side of town.
So I would say we are really utilising our local library well at the moment and they in turn are being very good for our family.

e-Books & My Wishes

A little behind the time, New Zealand has just recently launched the Kobo, an e-book device.

You can only buy it in one store in NZ and it is through their website that you can down load the books. You do still have the ability to download to your PC as well.

Steve mentioned the other day, as we were packing to go to Auckland, that I could do with a Kobo, as I packed the library 3 large books into the bag.
So whilst in Auckland I sought one out and had a play.
It was nice, the concept was good and the size and weight was reasonable for what it is, although there were one or two features I didn't like.

The other evening Steve was on the computer and happened to come across the Kindle, the more world wide version of the Kobo.

Unfortunately to begin with it is not available in NZ as a hand held device, although you can download to your PC.

Upon further reading I decided I actually liked this device, it is actually going to hit NZ shores at the end of August. But unlike the NZ Kobo, this has a better selection of material available for it online.

I have also seen the ipad.

Now this gives me the ability to have Kindle on it, which I think is a good thing as then the device is actually used for other things and not just reading a book.

However I do also wish to have something else and that is a laptop computer.

As I am currently undertaking some new study I wish to have something a little more portable and user friendly than my PC at home in the study. I will also find it useful for my work when all is completed.
The boys are starting to take more of an interest in the computer too, even if it is just to play games on, I believe it is not long before we are going to have to consider another PC at home, I feel a laptop would be a suitable solution.

It would fit with the family in that we could have it to take with us when going places and I do like the ability to be able to do computer work in someother place than the study.

I would be able to have Kindle or Kobo on there and although it is bigger and bulkier than either the Kobo or Kindle, I like the fact it has multi functions that would make the device more financially viable.
We would get more use out of the laptop for the $1200 we would be spending than we would from the $299 for the Kobo or the $300 odd for the Kindle or even $800 for the ipad.

If I was suddenly given the ability to obtain any of the above then I would choose the laptop, I am a reader but not enough that I feel I need a device especially for it, when I can have a laptop and still use the programme but get some much more use from it.

Although if money was no object then I would go for the ipad and the laptop, but then who wouldn't?

Books

Lucky for us, although totally all our own doing, the boys love books.
This was always something important to me, I wanted them to have that ability to loose themselves in the imagination of the books.
Ok they are still not reading on their own, but they have a love of books and so I am hoping it will continue.
Ben is at that age where he is just starting to consider books that are not mainly pictures. Maybe even books that have a chapter or 2 in them, rather than a book that takes 5 minutes to read.
At the library today I managed to find one or 2 books that are easy readers with about 6 chapters in them.
Ben and I have read the first chapter and already I have managed to get his imagination running overtime!
He has understood everything that has happened in the first chapter and he is thinking about where the story could go from here and what might happen.

We will have fun tomorrow when we read the 2nd chapter.

I also managed to get a few books to read, which will of course be read before the 4 week loan period is finished.
I did however, just as we were walking out the door of the library, find myself a book that doesn't take too much reading.
It is a book all about Art Quilts.

'500 Art Quilts'

An Inspiring Collection of Contemporary Work

It is a fairly new book published this year and it is amazing.

The details people go to with material etc to make a quilt for the wall is just mind blowing.

Now these are quilts for display, not for your double bed in the spare room!

This book is making my imagination run wild, wild with ideas on pictures I would love to see in quilt, although I am not sure my imagination runs wild enough to know what products etc to use to create something like this, maybe it is all trial and error at the end of the day?

Although having seen some of these quilts up close at a quilt show, it just takes a lot of talent with using material.

Yes, for those that haven't seen this picture before, that is a quilted book that hangs out from the wall.

Simply amazing, aren't some people just so clever.

Green Gables

I do not remember when I first got into Anne of Green Gables.

In fact, like all other wonderful literature, I probably saw it first on the screen before I realised it was from a book!
I do have the book and I am currently reading it.
I love the writing and the fact that Anne can be "in the depths of despair", it is such fun to actually read the paragraphs where she manages to just talk and switch subjects after everyother word, typical Anne fashion.

But however, I still love AGG and the sequel. There is however the Continuing story, but as I read on another blog the other day, it is a little far fetched and really not in with the books, however it is watch able.

I have the DVD set of the 3 movies, all something like 9 hours of it, and I have just managed to spend a couple of days watching the whole thing again.
Yes I fell in love with Gilbert Blythe all over again.

I would love to visit Prince Edward Island some day, I do know that not a lot of the films were actually filmed there, but still I have heard it is a beautiful place

New Moon

I have read the Twilight books, all 4 of them. I read them at the beginning of the year, one after the other, a little while after the first movie had been released.

I wanted to know what all the hype was about and to see if they were as good as everyone was saying.

I found Twilight to be ok, nothing too special but good for a first book.

New Moon got better, a very morose book, but given the storyline, then I think the author did a wonderful job with the line she was following and making it relate to the age group of the choosen audience.

Eclipse was good, the bringing of the 2 sides together for the same cause and Breaking Dawn was great and clever way to cover everything and finish it off.

I actually read in a newspaper the other day that a journalist was asking the question "what is it about them, why are they so liked?"

My answer to this is the writing. I guess that is all the author can hope for, that their style of writing will be enough to draw you into the characters and want more, want to know more, want to live their lives.

Well guess what, Stephenie Meyer does just that.

It has nothing to do with whether you are 'Team Edward' or 'Team Jacob' it has to do with how well the author has managed to get you into the story and created it in your head and she has done it beautifully.

Yes they are addictive, yes you read them and want to keep on reading the whole series without stopping, yes it is easy to reread them and that just goes to show how wonderful a job at writing the author has done.

As for the movies, well like any movie based on a book, there is always that threat that it will not come across how the audience would imagine it.

We have all seen movies based on books that just haven't worked, where you have decided afterwards that the book was by far better than the movie and that the movie never did it justice.

Twilight unfortunately was like that, it covered the story but was very bitty and not the best I had seen. I sadly feel it did not do the books any favours.

However, someone must have been listening to all the comments that came out because New Moon was different. It covered more and really did give you that feel of 'OMG which team do you support?'

At about 2 hours long it is not a short movie, but even though you know the ending (because everyone who watches it will have read the books, and not just once either) it does not feel like it is dragging by.

Jacob is played by an amazing young actor and carries the movie very well with Bella, especially as this time round the Vampires are actually not the main characters in the movie, and I think this is what I like, the fact that the author was able to create these books about Vampires but hardly have them in the 2nd book, be able to expand on things and successfully bring them altogether and have it work, again back to her amazing writing.

As for 'Team Edward' or 'Team Jacob'? Well sadly I can't say that I have a particular side, well not at least for the reasons that others have them. I myself have to quietly say that I do not care much for Robert Pattinson, I didn't like him in Twilight and I really found him no better in New Moon. Taylor Lautner as Jacob was well done and for one so young I think he did and amazing job in his role. So I would have to say I am Team Jacob, although I think that the role of Alice Cullen is an amazing one as well and I think they did an awesome job at how they portrayed her character in the movies.

So if you are in 2 minds about the Twilight Series, then my advice would be this....yes, do read the books, and like always please read them before you see the movies. Are they worth reading? Yes, even if your 16yr old daughter is reading them they are worth reading.

As for the movies, give Twilight the benifit of the doubt and then enjoy New Moon. This will then put you in good stead for June of 2010 when Eclipse hits the Movie Theatres.

I do like the fact that this was one of those movies that they realised was going to already be a hit and managed to release it worldwide at the same time, like Harry Potter Books. There is nothing like being in another country and watching on the evening news how wonderful something is being accepted only to know that we still have 6-8 weeks until it arrives on our shores!

Happy reading and happy watching.

Win

This morning I won a book on the radio.

I won the new book out on Michael Jackson - Life of a Legend.

They were talking about IAE (Internet Alta Ego's)

In simple terms, what does it say if you put your name in Google.

If your name was 'Jessica Martin' and you put that in Google, would it tell you anything about you or about someone else named the same. And what exciting thing does it say?

Well I happen to know that if you put my husbands name in he apparently went over Niagra Falls in a barrel!

So I called and told them this. They Googled him and thought it was a hoot. After several other people calling in with names and stories they choose my husbands IAE as the best and so I won the book, or he won it or maybe we both won it!? Anyway, not exactly a book we really need or want. So not actually sure what we are going to do with a book about Michael Jackson?

Twilight

Yes we had the Twilight movie here and yes we have had the books but not to the extent that I think others have had them!

I have started to read the series, yes, I know....where have I been? Why has it taken me so long to catch up with Bella and Edward?

There just wasn't all the hype here in NZ like there was in the US!

I knew about The Twilight Movie at the end of last year from reading everything that Julie wrote from My Journey to Family.

I then googled it to find out what was so special about the movie? Only then did I find out it was taken from a book that had been written and caused so much ho ha amongst the ladies.

It came out in NZ just after Christmas, but there was no hype, no special previews, no crazy girls going silly in the sun waiting for the midnight showing or anything like it.

It was a movie, it came out on a Thursday like all others and if you knew to watch it, then goody for you.

So while you are all still going gooey over Edward dolls, we still have people who are only just discovering the series, in written form, let alone know there was a movie made!

It is due out on DVD here soon and I am sure there will be a bigger uptake on this than the movie at the cinema mainly because the books are everywhere, people are now talking about it and most people have read the books.

Me, well I am now on book 3. Yes I am enjoying them, they are different. Although I did find book 1 a little boring, book 2 was interesting and I am now only at the beginning of book 3.

I will get the movie out on DVD from the rental store when it is available. I am interested to see it now, but am glad I have read the book first!