2010 Books in Review

WOW! I read 34 books. I am so proud of myself. What a big year. Anyway, a quick overview of what I read:

Teenage, 11 books (10 of which were the amazing Tomorrow series!)
Chick Lit, 6 books
Crime, 3 books
General Fiction, 6 books
Non-fiction, 8 books

Hmm, any surprises? Not really.... Disappointed that I read very few of my bookgroup ones though. But you know, I always go into the next year saying that'll change! LOL. Plus, I will be home more in 2011 (with 2 small kids mind you) but hopefully that'll help. Would love to conquer the 52 books again. Only time will tell...

Book: Skipping Christmas

Summary: Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on Hemlock Street without a rooftop Frosty; they won’t be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren’t even going to have a tree. They won’t need one, because come December 25 they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences–and isn’t half as easy as they’d imagined.

Loved this book. Was a quick read but just perfect considering Christmas is only a week or so away. Highly recommended...

Book: The making of me

Summary: Tegan Wagner, 14, thought she was going to a party with friends. Instead, she found herself trapped in a house with a group of older boys she had never met before. She was gang raped that night by three brothers. What followed forms the basis of Tegan Wagner's riveting story as she struggled to cope with the fallout from that horrific night – the betrayal of friends, the school yard scrutiny, the psychological scars and the eventual descent into drugs and self harm as a way of dealing with the trauma of the rapes.

But eventually she found the courage and determination to pick herself up and speak out about what had happened to her. After three frustrating years her case finally came to trial and she faced the brothers in court. She withstood the anxiety and pressure of the legal process and then, in one further act of bravery, unveiled her identity to the media in order to encourage other victims of rape to report the crime and not hide away in shame.

A great quick read. So sad to hear how our legal system works at times. What a brave girl. Brilliant.

Book: Head over heels

Summary: At the age of nineteen, a young farmer, Sam Bailey, became a quadriplegic after a freak car accident. After years of struggle, he learned how to resume his life as a farmer, running a sheep and cattle property in north-west New South Wales. Then he met and fell in love with Jenny Black, an ABC Rural journalist, proposed to her on air, and the rest is history.

A great story. Both Sam and Jenny are remarkable people. really inspirational read. Loved it!

Night Bookgroup: Never Say Die

Summary: It was a cruel twist of fate: in November 2006 Chris O′Brien, one of the country′s leading head and neck cancer surgeons, was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive and almost inevitably lethal form of brain cancer. As he knew, few sufferers survive past 12 months. Nevertheless, he was determined to beat the odds.

I really enjoyed this book and got through it in a few days but it wasn't the best autobiography ever. There was too much about childhood etc. rather than focusing on the cancer which was what I was more interested in. Brilliant man though, pity he is no longer with us.

Health Libraries Inc Conference

On Friday October 22^nd I headed to Melbourne’s RACV Club for the 7^th Health Libraries Inc. Conference. It was great to catch up face-to-face with lots of people as I haven’t really made it to many events since I left work last time to have my first bub. Here are my notes from the day…

TROVE : Alison Delit

1 million registered users.

Thousands of volunteers.

20-30 new releases this year.

Wikipedia, Flickr, YouTube search “on the side” – no control.

Should we:

Bulk upload our A-Z journals?

Share old photos on Picture Australia?

Training and Support for Remote Library Users : Jane Ryan

They use WebEx.

Cost, scalability, functionality all things to consider.

DimDim & Yumya – both free but limited.

Should we:

Citrix (which IT may implement here…)

Otherwise who do IT/GRAHnet use? If at all?

KOHA : Marion Steele & Heather Walker

Free open source LMS.

Available in multiple languages.

41 in Australia using – 33 health/medical. Includes ABS and soon to be NT Health.

Appealing features: low cost; web based; simple interface; independence from IT; support; ease/speed of implementation.

Trade offs: some of the above; bugs; authority files incorrect.

ENDNOTE : Jenny Ward

Purchased per PC – approx $500 each.

On shared network drive.

There are free reference management systems available.

Reusable Learning Objects : Sharee Crocker

RLO is information literacy by any other name ie. Electronic; multimedia etc. For instance video clips on YouTube on how to search Deakin Library Catalogue etc.

Captivate and Camtasia are the 2 products they use to “shoot” the clip.

Need Flash; Quicktime; Adobe Reader; MP4: Windows Media Player etc. also…

Library instruction with Screencast Software : Jann Small

Jing – free program. Felt Camtasia was too complex.

Screencasting – same as RLO ie. Information literacy by another means.

These are to be seen as complimentary to face-to-face, not as the main alternative.

Jing can be viewed in web browser, don’t need media players/programs.

5 minutes recording time.

Book: Broken

This sort of followed on from the Ladykiller but you could have read it out of order if you wanted to (unless you remember EVERYTHING you read in a book). Again it was great trashy crime.

Summary: Leading an investigation into the neglect and abandonment of a number of young Grantley children throws DI Kate Burrows into contact with the most vile and repugnant of criminals. As a mother herself, Kate finds their crimes almost incomprehensible. And with the case becoming ever more sinister, she knows she needs to find answers quickly.

Book: Ladykiller

Back into my crime spree. hadn't read a Martina Cole for ages and she is just as good as I remember. This was fairly predictable etc. but still a great trashy read!

Summary: George Markham has a nasty little hobby, one that erupts into an orgy of viscous sexual depravity. Patrick Kelly is a hard man. His one soft spot is his daughter, and when she falls victim to the Grantley Ripper, Kelly wants revenge. The DI in charge of the case is Kate Burrows. She feels for Kelly but her growing involvement with a known villain is putting her career at risk... As the forces of law and order and London’s underworld converge in a huge manhunt, Kate fears she’ll lose everything she’s ever cared about... to the ladykiller.

Baby news

The reason I actually read the last book was because we are expecting baby number 2! I am about 22-23weeks at the minute so am due in late January 2011. We are very excited and we are sure that Adam will be an amazing big brother. We don't know what we are having but we have affectionately called it Gertrude - or Gertie for short (was the worst name we could think of to go with Frank who turned into an Adam!)

Travelling along OK now thanks to some amazing tablets otherwise the morning sickness has been UNBEARABLE! Have been completely exhausted so hopefully my second wind kicks in soon! No photo to post this time but will be sure to let you know of any developments...

Book: From here to maternity

Summary: Emma and James have waited ages for one to turn up, then two come along at once. Not twins – but an adopted Russian tot called Yuri, and an as yet unnamed bump already wreaking its special brand of havoc. Not only are Emma and James overwhelmed by the crying, the crankiness, the fitful sleeping, the fussy feeding – and that's just the new mother . . .

An new Irish chick lit author to love. I enjoyed this book. It wasn't amazing but gave me a few laughs and tears in all the right places!

Book: Billie Jo

Summary: Terry - the lucky villain with a heart of gold - is riding for a fall. Michelle - the wife he hates and is plotting to leave - knows something is afoot, but not quite what. Billie Jo - their adored only daughter - loathes her parents quarrelling and her mother drinking, but will she understand when Terry tells her the truth: that he is planning to marry his pregnant secretary? Jade - a cut above the rest - waits patiently for the day when she and Terry can live peacefully together on his ill-gotten gains. But fate is about to deal a terrible hand and change everything in a way which Terry has not planned at all, leaving Billie Jo's protected world in tatters...

Really enjoyed this book. They said she is meant to be like Martina Cole and though good, not a patch on her. Will keep reading her books though but may duck into another Martina first!

Book: Big sky

When i was a teen I was obsessed with Dolly fiction and this is today's alternative:

Summary: When her dad breaks his leg, Skye has to lead the muster on her family's cattle station in the Kimberley. She's never been the boss on a muster before and her job gets harder with the surprise arrival of her high-maintenance fashionista best friend from boarding school. On the upside there is the very handsome Dan, a young jackaroo. But while Skye is a great horse rider and a seasoned cattle wrangler, she's ill-equipped to handle the human element and in this beautiful yet harsh country, jealousy, hot-tempers and inexperience may cost her more than she could have imagined. It will certainly be a cattle muster Skye will never forget...

Oh, a sweet teen read. We were so innocent back then...

Book: Travelling tales

Collection of the author's favourite travelling stories. Charles Wooley is a reporter on '60 Minutes' and the 'Sunday Program' and his reporting style is reflected in these adventures which include a trip in the back of a WW11 Lancaster bomber with a couple of septuagenarian venturers, riding the perilous seas in the Sydney -Hobart yacht race, close encounters with voodoo in west Africa and experimenting with an alternative lifestyle in Nimbin. Not a bad read, one you can dip in and out of. Makes me see that I have so many adventures ahead of me!

Book: Behind the bestsellers

This is a collection of 50 fascinating stories about the lives, loves and literature that inspired the world’s greatest books. There is a small chapter on each book such as Pride and Prejudice (of course), Peter Pan, Jaws, DaVinci Code and Harry Potter and each chapter attempts to delve behind the scenes. For instance I never knew that as a young child, Charles Dickens was forced to work in a rat infested factory as his father served a prison sentence. I really enjoyed this collection as it helped me to learn more about where each novel originated. The only problem is that now I have added another 20 books to my TBR pile!

Book: Balanda - My year in Arnhem land

This is the story of the year Mary Ellen Jordan spent living and working in Maningrida, an Aboriginal community in Australia's Far North. I actually quite enjoyed the book though she is no fantastic author. It was refreshing to look at the way she saw the culture and community she became a part of rather than what we always see and hear on TV. Not sure if I could survive a year away from all my creature comforts!

Uni: Business Economics & Competitive Analysis

So the first half of 2010 has been busy. I did two subjects at uni and received Distinctions in both (so happy as Business Economics was horrible!) That now leaves me with 7 down and 5 to go before finishing my MBA. It may take a few years though but am sure I will get there in the end!

Books: The Ellie Chronicles, x 3

So after reading and falling in love with The Tomorrow series, I had to keep going. I read all three of the Ellie Chronicles which continues on with the story of Ellie and her remaining mates. Again, just brilliant. Quite different to the Tomorrow books which are based in war time, but still had the same theme and flavours throughout. All I want now is more follow up as questions still remain unanswered... John Marsden = brilliance!

Book: No place for a woman

Summary: Finn Delaney longs to join the family building business, but her dad Joe insists the building trade is no place for a woman. Finn’s determined to prove him wrong, even if it means telling a few white lies along the way. Meanwhile, Gina Tate’s having similar trouble trying to get her wealthy father to take her seriously. She and Finn don’t seem to have much in common, but little do they know they both hold the key to each other’s dearest desire..

I really enjoyed this book though it was typical chick lit. Will definitely keep an eye out for more of her stuff (and no, this is a different Donna Hay to the cookbook one!)

Book: Silver in the sun

I love Tony Parsons (the Aussie one) as he is very similar to Rachael Treasure and co. When handsome young Ian Richardson inherits Kanimbla, a vast merino stud property in the Queensland Murrawee district, there's great speculation about whether he'll sell up and take the money and run back to England. But Ian soon proves himself to be a capable boss, earning the respect of his employees, and winning hearts too, especially of the beautiful Fiona McDonald. A lovely rural romance from an author that is in his 80's!

Night Bookgroup: On Chesil Beach

I am a glutton for punishment because I joined another bookgroup with my friend once a month on Tuesday night's. I am still in the Saturday one but have had problem actually getting there! Nights are easier sometimes. Anyway, so we read On Chesil Beach. It was OK. I mean nothing really happened! It was all a big build up to.....nothing! It opens on the anxious Dorset Coast wedding suite dinner of Edward Mayhew and the former Florence Ponting, married in the summer of 1963 at 23 and 22 respectively; the looming dramatic crisis is the marriage's impending consummation, or lack of it. Their fears about sex and their inability to discuss them form the story's center. It was an easy read but not one that I would be recommending in a hurry...

Book: Librarian's passionate knight

I got quite sick so didn't read much for a while and instead opted for trash in the form of a Mills and Boon. Only read it because it was about a librarian. Easy trash, happy ending yadda, yadda....

Books: The Tomorrow Series, the final 3

I finally got back around to finishing the Tomorrow series and I wasn't disappointed. Just disappointed that it had taken me so long to read them! Absolutely brilliant. The inspiration to get cracking on them again was because the movie is released in a few weeks time. I can't say much more than if you haven't read them - why not? Just fab. John Marsden really is amazing...

Book & Bookgroup: White Tiger

Summary: The White Tiger is the debut novel by Indian author Aravind Adiga. It was first published in 2008 and won the Man Booker Prize in the same year. The novel provides a dark comical view of modern day life in India through the narration of Balram Halwai, the main character. The overall main theme of the novel is the contrast between India's rise as a modern global economy and the working class people who live in crushing rural poverty. Other themes touched on include corruption endemic to Indian society and politics, familial loyalty versus independence, religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims, the experience of returning to India after living in America, globalization, and the tensions between India and China as superpower countries in Asia.

I thought this was a fantastic book as did everyone at Bookgroup (well, those who read it). We agreed that it was hard to get into but then you got suckered right in. It is just so hard to believe that people live so differently to what we do over here. A really fascinating insight into India.

Clunes Booktown 2010

Once again I headed to Clunes for Booktown. I was very restrained this year as I only bought about 7 or 8 books! I was lucky enough to hear a few talks but couldn't stay for them all as I only had the one day in Clunes this year. Here are my notes from the talks:

Begin a writing career, Stefan Laszczuk & Glenda Guest

Both - writing came from university course
Both - both acclaimed writers but say they still have no $

GG - Age in writing makes no difference, however life journeys and experiences can make a difference

SL - Writers are sometimes the quiet ones at parties listening into everyone else's conversations. Observing.

SL - Uni helped nurture his talent. Met other like minded people. However, thinks that you cannot necessarily teach creative writing. Uni provided structure, goals. ie. assignment x due on date y. Forced to come up with work instead of dreaming about it.

GG - Uni opened up other understandings of the world. Opportunities to meet authors, learn their craft etc. As she had a restricted childhood, uni was an eye-opener.

SL - Music sonata form - he adapted this to his novel aka "literary form". This idea was from his mother (a concert pianist).

SL - Really riled by bad reviews when they haven't read the book properly. However, have to remember that you write for yourself.

GG - In review process she listens to everything (doesn't do everything they say) but looks at the comments from the readers view.

Australian Book Publishing Panel

We are one of the top 5 reading nations of the world.
One of the highest literary rates.
Shelf life of a modern author is somewhere between the milk and yoghurt....
8,500 new books published in Australia each year.
Only 20 of books sold more than 100,000 copies in Australia last year.
Only 2 of those were Australian. The Slap, and breath (Tim Winton).
80% dominated by chain stores for sales.
60% of market through 5 publishers.
Challenging for the minority and for all with the changing environment.
E-books. Lots of issues. No Australian publications (as no one makes $), forced by Amazon, licensing issues.
10% of the Australian book market is owned by Amazon.

Malcolm Fraser

Liberal PM 1975-1983. Packed audience - standing room only.
Having a co-author gave added integrity to the book.
Co-author (Margaret Simons) did all the archival digging.
Many jokes - lots of laughter (but all about stuff from before my time).
From Wanon in Western Victoria.
Strong views on today's political leaders - bit at both parties regarding asylum seekers.
Has hindsight regrets but he acted on the information and resources he had at the time - therefore no regrets.

All in all I just love Booktown. Can't wait to go again next year!

HLI: Drug Information Databases Night 28/4/10

Last month Michelle and I headed down to the HLI: Drug Information Night to learn more about the Therapeutic Guidelines and MIMS. It was great to catch up with everyone as I have been out of the library scene for quite a while. Here are my notes:

Therapeutic Guidelines
New 2010 Palliative Care TG
Roughly 3/13 updated each year.
New Antibiotic TG coming soon
Patient information sheets
Mini TG - application based

MIMS
Image search - shape, number, colour etc.
My doctor - consumer health website
Drug Alert = Drug Interaction
PI = product information ie. full PI/abbreviated PI
CMI = consumer medicines information
MIMS PDA - windows based application, updated with downloads
MIMS mobile - internet based, updated monthly

Book & Bookgroup: Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Summary: This work was set in Berlin, 1942. When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance. But, Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than what meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

What a brilliant read. We all loved it at Bookgroup. An easy read, but such a sad ending (which I didn't see coming). Just thinking about how life was so different just amazes me. I really am a very lucky person.

Book: Farmer wants a wife

Summary: Flora Parker is sassy and stylish with a mouth as big as Wembley Stadium and a tendency to act before she thinks, which is how she ends up getting drunk and on the front of a newspaper in her Wonderbra and not much else. Filled with self-loathing she retreats to her aunt's house in the country to look for a little meaning in her life. Instead she finds an overbearing uncle, a farm on the brink of bankruptcy, a child who won't come out of the airing cupboard and a precocious 10-year-old who lists all Flo's faults. As if she didn't already know them. But, being Flo, instead of running away she itches to put it all right...especially when the farmer next door announces an intriguing bet: he will give his farm and glorious farmhouse to whichever of his handsome nephews finds a wife by Michaelmas. So Flo takes up matchmaking full-time, ignoring the fact that it might be she who is the object of their affections. Meanwhile she finds she's falling in love herself...with a way of life that is muddy, smelly and under threat. But is she prepared to put her head on the altar to keep it?

After Blue Skies I had to keep on with the farmer theme. Again, great trashy chick lit. Not much in it but a nice easy read.

Book: Blue Skies

Summary: Blue Skies tells the inspirational story of a young woman battling to save the family farm no matter what it takes. Armed with an honours degree in Agribusiness, Amanda Greenfield dreams of employing all the skills she's learnt at college to help her father turn the family farm from a debt-ridden, run-down basket case into a thriving enterprise.
Then tragedy strikes with the death of Amanda's mother in a car accident. Wracked by grief and guilt, and wearied by the long struggle to keep Kyleena a going concern, Amanda's father argues that they should sell up and get on with their lives away from the vagaries of drought and fluctuating stock and crop yields. Having inherited half the farm from her beloved mother, whom she also grieves for, Amanda determines to summon all her strength, grit and know how to save Kyleena. Along the way she faces mixed fortunes in both love and life...

I loved this book. Read it in a day. Similar to my favourite Rachael Treasure. Definitely trashy chick lit with an Aussie country focus - my fav! Story was very far fetched towards the end but who cares! Not me!

Book: Raw Voices

Summary: In RaW Voices: True Stories of Hardship and Hope, Vanessa Feltz meets men and women who have overcome great difficulties to change their worlds, and asks each to tell their own story.These extraordinary people were brought together from all walks of life by the BBC's Reading and Writing campaign (RaW), and they all show us what we can do to take control of our future, achieve new goals and reach ever-greater heights. These amazing real-life journeys are a tribute to the strength of the human spirit. Gripping, funny, sometimes sad and always inspiring, they will strike a chord in us all.

This was a very quick read and though it is great to hear about people overcoming adversity the quality of writing was pretty poor.

Book & Bookgroup: Tuesday's Child

Summary: Kathy and her partner had spent months agonising over whether to have a third child, then, at thirty-five, Kathy decided it would be now or never. When Caoimhe was born there was nothing to suggest anything was wrong. The following day a midwife baldly told Kathy her baby had Down syndrome. Tuesday’s Child tells of Kathy's journey through shock, anger and grief to, ultimately, a kind of acceptance. From the bombshell of diagnosis - the defining moment that was to reshape her life - she charts her initial obsession with 'Why?', the impact on the family, the often hurtful, ignorant responses of strangers (and friends), and, most importantly of all, the battle to reclaim Caoimhe as an individual, not just a 'Downs child'. As Kathy wrote in her original article: ‘I don’t know where she fits in society, but a family is a world in microcosm. And I do know that right here, right now, she fits perfectly within my arms.’ A compelling mix of heartfelt personal story and insightful journalism, Tuesday’s Child highlights society's attitudes to difference and the ongoing ethical debate about genetics, as well as examining the minefield that is prenatal testing.

I enjoyed the book but I think it was mainly due to my age and situation. When I fell pregnant with Adam I didn't undergo any prenatal testing and I still don't know if I would... It really opened up my eye to disability and the appalling way people are treated. Mixed reactions from bookgroup as most thought the author was wallowing in her grief. We all thought it would be interesting to hear her thoughts now as the child will be about 10. The book however was when she was still very little so it would be interesting to see how she how differently she handles the situation.

VALA 2010

I was lucky enough to go for a 1/2 day this year thanks to Health Libraries Inc. I went down on the train on Wednesday morning and did the Trade Exhibition (brilliant) then did sessions in the afternoon. Notes from the sessions I attended:

Developing Trove: by Warwick Cathro & Susan Collier

Trove, as in treasure trove
For the public and end user
Streamlined and integrated
Interactive, adding tags/reviews etc.
Looking at adding RSS feeds
Journals should come online in the second half of the year

Libraries at the network level: by Roy Tennant

API - method for one software application to communicate with another (ie. using book images in your catalogue from Amazon/Library Thing)

Linked data - naming things and stating relationships; expose data; link your data to other data.

Cloud computing - a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often visualised resources are provided as a service over the internet

Open source software:
Cons - no control; network space; connectivity/speed
Pros - no need to store; pay as go; no big upfront fees

Xerses: Worldcat(books), Metalib (journals)

Problem - the data needs to be continued and accessible in the future

WOW - very full on, a bit overwhelming and most went right over my head!

The Louvre DNP: by Stephanie Orlic

Using multi-lingual system
Using tagging/reviews/leaving impressions
Touch screen/Audio/PDA user guides?RFID tickets/3D design
Interactive, enlarge/zoom/step into painting
Deconstructing/reconstructing layer by layer - going beyond the naked eye

Top trends panel: user generated content

How to check user content. Is it authoritative? Should we use the info/tag?
Could treat them as "letters to the editor" rather than sensing them.
But still need a degree of control. ie. user must identify themselves.
Leave it as a comment.
Cannot "fact check" everything.
Users will then discuss amongst themselves and the authoritative answer will emerge.
However, moderation is required to an extent.
Don't look at barriers to including user content. Make it easier.
As long as the original library data cannot be changed and the user data is clearly highlighted then all is good.
Tags make this more accessible rather than using LCSH/DDC which can be outdated. This data can be used with synonym lists to make content more relevant/accessible.
Librarians make mistakes as they aren't necessarily subject specialists in the field they are cataloging.
You can track "search terms" with some systems then see what it is your users click through to.
Users only tag if it delivers something back to them.
LCSH/DDc is the seed/structure. Users can go from this starting point.


All in all a great (exhausting day).

Book: Friday Night Knitting Club

Summary: Juggling the demands of her yarn shop and single-handedly raising a teenage daughter has made Georgia Walker grateful for her Friday Night Knitting Club. Her friends are happy to escape their lives too, even for just a few hours. But when Georgia's ex suddenly reappears, demanding a role in their daughter's life, her whole world is shattered.

Luckily, Georgia's friends are there, sharing their own tales of intimacy, heartbreak, and miracle making. And when the unthinkable happens, these women will discover that what they've created isn't just a knitting club: it's a sisterhood.

I really enjoyed this read. Can't believe the ending though. Big shock! I mean this wasn't a wonderful piece of literature or anything but still a lovely story. Looking forward to the second in the series to see how everything turns out!

Books: The Tomorrow Series, 4 books

OMG - how could I never has read these before? I started them because they are Dan's favourites and they are absolutely brilliant! Am having a break after the first 4 and will go back and finish the last 3 soon. Just fantastic books. John Marsden rocks!

Book: Remember Me

Summary: When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed. Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all. Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?


Ah, Kinsella at her best. Such a light easy read. Really enjoying her stuff. She is fast becoming one of my favourite chick lit authors.

2010....

2010 promises to be a massive year. Tomorrow I go back to work full time whilst my little boy stays at home with his dad for the next 6 months. On top of that my husband and I are both going back to Uni, he will work part-time too. I will also look after my friend's child for one day on the weekend. Then, there are the usual activities of life. Catching up with family, friends etc. Playing sport, taking Adam to Mother's Group, Storytime, Swim lessons etc. And that is just the beginning!! So I am sure 2010 will be fantastic and more. Stay tuned!

Uni: Organisational Behaviour

The 2nd semester of 2009 also saw me back at Uni doing my MBA. Just one subject though. Organisational behaviour. And I passed with flying colours. A Distinction. Yeah for me! 5 subjects down, 7 to go...

Books 2009, a year in review

WOW! I read 52 books. I am so proud of myself. Didn't think I'd get there in the end but good on me! I can't say 2010 will be the same. I think I will be lucky to read half that amount. Anyway, a quick overview of what I read:

Teenage, 7 books
Chick Lit, 14 books (4 of which were Aussie outback ones)
Crime, 6 books
General Fiction, 11 books
Non-fiction, 14 books

Hmm, any surprises? Not really. However one current disappointment. Bookgroup consists of 11 books for the year of which I only read 10. I have the December book to read still. Here's hoping I'll get there....

Books: Gossip Girl (books 5,6,7,8,9)

My final book bender of the year. Books 5 -9 of the Gossip Girl series. Complete and utter teenage trash which I just love! GG follows the lives of the teen elite in New York's upper east side as the finish the last year of school before heading off to college. I just love them. I read the first four years ago and now only two more to go.... bliss!