Monday Night Bookgroup: Marching Powder

Summary: Rusty Young was backpacking in South America when he heard about Thomas McFadden, a convicted English drug trafficker who ran tours inside Bolivia's notorious San Pedro prison. Intrigued, the young Australian went to La Paz and joined one of Thomas's illegal tours. They formed an instant friendship and then became partners in an attempt to record Thomas's experiences in the jail. Rusty bribed the guards to allow him to stay and for the next three months he lived inside the prison, sharing a cell with Thomas and recording one of the strangest and most compelling prison stories of all time. San Pedro is not your average prison. Inmates are expected to buy their cells from real estate agents. Others run shops and restaurants. Women and children live with imprisoned family members. It is a place where corrupt politicians and drug lords live in luxury apartments, while the poorest prisoners are subjected to squalor and deprivation. Violence is a constant threat, and sections of San Pedro that echo with the sound of children by day house some of Bolivia's busiest cocaine laboratories by night.

I did enjoy this book but it was pretty poorly written. Was desperate for it to end about 3/4 way through and some of the incidents were just a little too far fetched to believe...

Kaszazz workshop

On Friday night I headed to my friend's for another scrapping workshop. This time though we made a tissue box. It is actually really cute. Was even thinking of making another one for a friend at Christmas but am a little time poor at the minute!

Uni: HRM & Operations Management

Well Uni is done and dusted for another semester. I am now only 3 subjects away from completing my MBA. This semester saw me finish Human Resource Management and Operations Management. I thought the first would be easy but it happened to be the harder of the two. I could grasp concepts easily enough but the lecturer was a REALLY hard marker so you never really knew if you were putting in what you were meant to... Operations Management on the other hand took me way out of my comfort zone. It was all about manufacturing and included maths and formulas (yuck!). However I did learn a lot by studying hard and blitzing the exam (I think!). Am still waiting the results of exams which are due in about 10 days or so but am pretty sure I passed. Also am waiting for next year's timetable to be released. Not sure if I can finish next year or the one after. There is a summer subject starting late January but I just don't know...

Book: Kimberley Sun

Summary: Lily Barton is beautiful, adventurous and looking for a complete life change. Sami, her daughter, is 30, driving alone through the outback and finally, reluctantly, confronting her family roots. Together they are swept into a world where legends, myths and reality start to converge. Among those who come into their orbit are Farouz, the old Afghan camel driver, Bobby, the Chinese/Aboriginal man who is tangled in the murder of a German tourist, and Biddy, the survivor from Captain Tyndall and Olivia's era… All have a secret and all have a story to tell until each finds their place under the Kimberley sun.

I am so loving Di Morrissey. This again swept me in... Once again though I later discovered it was a sequel! So annoyed. Will probably wait a few years before reading the first one now.

Book: Parvana's Journey

Summary: Homeless and alone, Parvana begins a desperate journey through war-torn Afghanistan in search of her family. Living in constant fear of the Taliban, often without food or water in the barren landscape, Parvana and the children she rescues journey on foot through a country laid waste by years of conflict, in search of peace and safety.

This was a beautifully written story. I loved the relationships between the children. Only problem is that it's the sequel which I only discovered after reading. Now my dilemma is to go back and read or wait a few years and read the first one...

Cardmaking class - Christmas

In late October I headed to my friend's house for a Kaszazz cardmaking class. This time it was Christmas cards. Here's what we produced:











This one is also a Kaszazz card and is the card I am making for Christmas this year:

Book: No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club

Summary: Don’t harass her about parasailing or taking Italian language courses. Forget about suggesting she join a gym. Marie Sharp may be a little creaky in the bones as she heads toward the big 6-0, but she’s fine with it. She would rather do without all the moving-to-Florida-bicycling-across- Mongolia-for-the-hell-of-it hoopla that her friends insist upon. She’s already led an exciting life: She came of age in the 1960s, after all. Now, with both a new grandchild and a new man on the horizon, all she wants to do is make the most of what she considers the most interesting stage of her life. In this wonderfully astute novel based on the author’s own experiences, No! I Don’t Want to Join a Book Club is the funny—and often poignant—fictionalized diary of an older woman . . . a decade or two past her prime and content to leave it all behind her. So don’t tell her to take a gourmet cooking class, and whatever you do, don’t you dare tell her to join a book club.

This book was actually really funny. I know a few ladies who have recently turned 60 so I had them in mind when reading. This was a great light read and I've recommended it those 60 somethings!

Book: Size 12 is Not Fat

Summary: Heather Wells Rocks! Or, at least, she did. That was before she left the pop-idol life behind after she gained a dress size or two -- and lost a boyfriend, a recording contract, and her life savings (when Mom took the money and ran off to Argentina). Now that the glamour and glory days of endless mall appearances are in the past, Heather's perfectly happy with her new size 12 shape (the average for the American woman!) and her new job as an assistant dorm director at one of New York's top colleges. That is, until the dead body of a female student from Heather's residence hall is discovered at the bottom of an elevator shaft.

I really enjoyed this book. Light and fluffy with a bit of crime thrown in. Looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

Rachael Treasure talk

Back at the start of October I was lucky enough to go to one of our local bookshops to see Rachael Treasure talk about her latest book. She is one of my all time favourite authors. She writes about farms, outback and rural romances. Just love her work. It's all very Aussie which I love. Anyway, she has just published a short story collection which I am currently reading now. I love listening to authors read their own words and just listening to them discuss how they got into writing, why they write, when they write etc. The bonus of going was that I also got to be a groupie and get her to sign all my books that's she's written!

Cardmaking class

Sometime in late August I went to my friend's for a Kaszazz workshop. Basically we made Father's Day cards and male cards. Here they are. The shirt folding one I replicated for all the kids at Mother's Group to give to their dad's:

Book: Noah's Law

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Noah is a troublemaker. His father is a hotshot barrister.
This is not a good combination. When Noah gets caught mucking up at school, his dad sends him to work at his aunt's law firm during the holidays to 'learn responsibility' and 'fix his attitude'. There he meets Jacinta - the cute intern who knows her way around a photocopier, and Casey - the wicked witch of the firm. Noah becomes involved in a case where a woman has been killed during a mugging gone wrong. There's a grieving husband, a guilty employer, and an open and shut case involving lots of money. But right and wrong, and crime and punishment are soon entangled as Noah realises that things are seldom what they seem.

I really loved this book. At lot of it was a bit far fetched but still enjoyed it. There is just something about the law that fascinates me...

Book: Heart of the Dreaming

Summary: At 21, Queenie Hanlon has the world at her feet and the love of handsome bushman TR Hamilton. Beautiful, wealthy and intelligent, she is the only daughter of Tingulla Station, the famed outback property in the wilds of western Queensland. At 22, her life lies in ruins. A series of disasters has robbed her of everything she ever loved. Everything except Tingulla – her ancestral home and her spirit's Dreaming place. An extraordinary tale of one woman's courage and her determination to take on the world and win.

Oh my, what a romping great read. Outback romance at it's best. Will have to borrow the sequel now. Just adored this book and the characters in it. Trashy rural romance, handsome farmers, determined women.... Bliss!

Paperific

In late August (I think) I headed to Melbourne to catch up with the lovely Tania, Rebecca and Rachel to attend Paperific. WHAT FUN! Sooooo many scraping and cardmaking products. Just boggling. I spent about $150 which included buying a Big Shot machine (which is still all wrapped up but will be unleashed this week). Plus lots of embellishments and stamps and other bits and pieces. Just insane what you can buy though. I'm still very much a newbie to this hobby. Anyway, one of the best things was the "Make and Take" demonstrations. I got to make the following cards and a few other things (scrap pages and tags which I don't have pictures of). Anyway, Paperific is definitely on my to attend list every year!

Book: Fly A Rebel Flag - The Battle At Eureka

Summary: "We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties!" The diggers' oath, 30 November 1854.

The diggers were fed up. Ever since the gold rushes began, the police had hounded them, forcing them to show their licenses like common criminals. At last the diggers of Ballarat made a stand. They would pay no more licence fees. They took up arms, built a stockade, and swore to defend themselves against the authorities. When government troops stormed the Eureka stockade the battle lasted just twenty minutes, but it changed Australia forever...

I read this one basically because I live in Ballarat and often forget the wonderful history of this town. Was OK. Great for school kids.

Cardmaking

I often have my friend's daughter over for a sleepover if they are out for the night (as Miss 9 is the best baby sitter EVER, my kids adore her). Anyway, tradition is that when the kids go to bed we sit up and make cards. Here are some of my creations from one of those nights. I think it must be when I got some new chalks for my birthday!

July Scrap Challenge

Back in June I did a 30 day card challenge. July's challenge was to make a scrap layout per week and incorporate the theme. I only managed to do one. The concept of the week was "7 things I love..." At the very end of my kids albums I plan to include a page like the one below. This page now lives in Adam's album which chronicles the adventures of him as a one year old. Love my little man to the moon and back xoxo

Tuesday Night Bookgroup: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Summary: Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine, order and predictability shelter him from the messy, wider world. Then, at fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents' marriage. As he tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, we are drawn into the workings of Christopher's mind.

What a fabulous book. Highly recommend.

Book: Where The Streets Had A Name

Summary: Thirteen-year-old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, as well as the check points, the curfews, the permit system and Hayaat's best friend Samy, who is mainly interested in football and the latest elimination on X-Factor, but always manages to attract trouble. But luck is on their side. Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel to Jerusalem. However, while their journey may only be a few kilometres long, it may take a lifetime to complete.

Again I really enjoyed this. Makes me feel so very special to live in Australia where we are free to do as we please. Others live such very different lives...

Book: Ten Things I Hate About Me

Summary: For the past three years Jamie has hidden her Lebanese background from everyone at school. It's only with her email friend John that she can really be herself. But now things are getting complicated: the most popular boy in school is interested in her, but there's no way he would be if he knew the truth. Then there's Timothy, the school loner, who for some reason Jamie just can't stop thinking about. As for John, he seems to have a pretty big secret of his own...

Really enjoyed this. Am a big fan of teenage fiction and I read her first book years ago and just stumbled across this at the library. Oh to be a teenager again and have all that angst!

Book: Last Mile Home

Summary: It is 1953 in a small Australian country town, a time of post-war prosperity and hope. The Holtens are wealthy, yet austere, graziers who have lived on the land for generations. The McBrides are a large and loving shearer's family who are new arrivals to the district. When the McBrides eldest daughter falls in love with the Holtens only son and heir, it seems impossible that they can have a future together. As conflict and tragedy confront them, it is only with great determination that their love can survive.

Loved this! A beautiful country romance full of drama. The McBrides remind me of the family from the Darling Buds of May! I've started to become a major fan of Di Morrissey.

Book: The Silent Country

Summary: TV producer Veronica Anderson travels to the Northern Territory to retrace the journey of an expedition that had set out 50 years earlier to film the outback, but which mysteriously ended in tragedy. Of the group, led by the eccentric Maxim Topov, few are still alive and they are reluctant to talk about the intriguing events. It is through the help of local NT Park Ranger, Jamie McIntosh, that Veronica begins to piece together the puzzle and discover the answers...

Really enjoyed this book. The way she writes about the outback really is like you're there. Such magnificent places I have yet to visit. One day...

Monday Night Bookgroup: Spare Room

Summary: Helen prepares her spare room for her friend Nicola, who is flying down from Sydney for a three-week visit. But this is no ordinary visit—Nicola has advanced cancer. She is coming to Melbourne to receive treatment she believes will cure her. From the moment Nicola steps off the plane, Helen becomes her nurse, her protector, her guardian angel and her stony judge. The Spare Room tells a story of compassion and rage as the two women — one sceptical, one stubbornly serene — negotiate their way through Nicola's gruelling treatments.

I wasn't keen on reading this one as my mother-in-law died of cancer last year so really wanted to stay away from the topic. However, this was an amazing book. A brilliant insight. I really gained a lot from reading it. Highly recommend.

Book: Lucy's kiss

Summary: Lucy never forgot 'The Kiss'. Or the bad boy she shared it with. Now, 17 years later, he's back - and, dammit, he's still sexy as hell… As owner of The Book Spire in the sleepy town of Cypress Hollow, Lucy Harrison isn't used to too much excitement. But in one night all that changes when Owen Bancroft walks back into her life and sparks - quite literally - fly.

I enjoyed this but not as much as her first book. Think it was the farmer (cowboy) who sucked me into the first one! LOL. My life is trashy sometimes!