Wishlist Wednesday #10

Welcome to my tenth Wishlist Wednesday post for the awesome blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper 

This week my WW book is The Bubble Gum Thief by Jeff Miller...

Special Agent Dagny Gray is smart, athletic, and fearless. She's also fragile, depressed, and anorexic. If she doesn't get healthy soon, the FBI will drop her--and she'll never have a chance to end the crime spree of the so-called "bubble gum thief."
It all started with the theft of a pack of gum, and the ominous note he left behind: THIS IS MY FIRST CRIME. MY NEXT WILL BE BIGGER. Every two weeks, he delivers on this pledge, committing a bigger crime, and promising that the next will be even worse. When petty theft gives way to bloody murder, the stakes become clear. He may have begun with the smallest crime possible, but he's building toward the biggest crime imaginable.
There's a method to the gum thief's madness, and Special Agent Dagny Gray knows she can figure it out...if the Bureau will let her. But will it be in time to prevent the cataclysmic finale of his escalating spree?

I can't tell if I'm going to love the protagonist in this book or if she has the potential to get on my nerves but I like the sound of the plot enough to want to give it a go and see how we get along! I don't think it'll be long before I get this one!

Want to join in??

• Follow Pen to Paper as the host
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
• Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
• Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
• Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)

What's on your wishlist this week? Comment below and share or share a link to your post :)

Do Something

I hate mess! Untidiness and dirt can really unsettle me and if my house is untidy I can't relax until I've put things right. It doesn't have to be perfect but it does need to be reasonably clean and orderly before I can sit down and enjoy it. Right now I'm living in a house that is undergoing building work. What that means is that every room seems to be upside down, floorboards are up all over the place, stuff is in places it shouldn't be and there's dust. So much dust. And even more dust. Apparently there will be an end to it but right now it doesn't feel that way!

In an attempt to settle my OCD in the middle of this madness I hung up some sweet hooks that my mum had given me. I've been meaning to do it for ages but just hadn't got around to it (you know all that faff, finding a hammer and some nails (in a building site no less!) etc etc i.e excuses excuses). I didn't realise how doing something so simple would have such a positive effect on my state of mind....

Which brings me to this post;

You know... one of those things you've been meaning to do for ages. Order a print for the photo frame you got for Christmas. Hang up a picture. Tackle the pile of paperwork that you've been putting off. Pick up the pile of clothes that have gathered on the chair in your room. Whatever it is... take 15 minutes away from your laptop/iPad/phone/whateveritisyou'rereadingthison and GO DO IT!

I promise you'll feel better for it!

The Dreaded Iliotibial Band Again...

Just as I dared to think I was back on track with running and starting to make plans my dreaded knee pain/IT band problem is threatening to return. The first time it really became a problem was in April last year but I thought I had got past it and was running quite good distances again comfortably.

I can only think it's because I've neglected to do my exercises this last few weeks while things have been too crazy at home. I'm also running in my trail shoes a lot but, while they're brilliant for the muddy off road bits, we spend quite a bit of time on roads too and they probably aren't the right support for it.

So for now I have to go back the basics: RICE

Rest

Ice (cream)

Compression

Elevation

However I'm also on the lookout for tips and recommendations of how to overcome this injury. I know the problem isn't really in my knee even though that is where the pain is right now. My trainers are right for me (maybe not my trail ones admittedly) as I had my gait checked only a month or two ago.

I'm going to return to my regular exercises that helped last time but please suggest exercises or websites you have used and recommend as I really want to put this behind me once and for all! Also feel free to share success stories to let me know that I'm not going to be out of action forever!

Thanks :)

Wishlist Wednesday #9

Welcome to my ninth Wishlist Wednesday post for the awesome blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper 

On a rain-drenched night, a young husband runs to the corner shop - and never returns.

Eighteen years later, his body reappears.

-Reappears, wearing the same clothes, and on the same street from which he went missing.
-Reappears, and is the victim of a hit/run driver.

He looks exactly the same now as when he vanished.

His widow, Jennifer Parkes, is determined to solve this enigma once and for all.

Other bodies are found, all missing eighteen years. None seem to have aged.

On the trail of a vicious killer, Jennifer and homicide detective Neil Lachlan are drawn into a human minefield of deception and terror; into the depths of a mystery that baffles the police and defies logic. Investigating at the forefront of scientific and medical technologies, they confront a threat that is closer than either of them could ever have imagined.

I'm interested to read this book though it has mixed reviews on Amazon, mainly concerning the writing style. I'm fairly open minded when it comes to that sort of thing and for the most part can forgive a quirky or even dodgy writing style if the characters are interesting and if the plot is well thought through. I also like to make up my own mind so wouldn't let a couple of average reviews put me off as there are a lot of positive ones too. No doubt I'll let you know what I think if I get around to buying and reading it :)

Want to join in??

• Follow Pen to Paper as the host
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
• Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
• Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
• Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)

What's on your wishlist this week? Comment below and share or share a link to your post :)

Urgent vs Important

This last three weeks have been non stop craziness for me. I'd love to say it's been too much play and no work but in reality it's been work, work, work with a little bit more work on top. I think I'm through the worst of it now, which shows by the fact that I have the time to write a blog post and catch up on some reading (yey!). I also opened my notebook at this quote which I wrote down a while ago....

''Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important''

Stephen R.Covey

Now that I'm managing to create a bit of time for myself I think it's about time I step back, reassess and figure out what is important. 

Wishlist Wednesday #8

Welcome to my eighth Wishlist Wednesday post for the awesome blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper

So here's my WW selection for this week is A Perfect Evil by Alex Kava

Serial killer Ronald Jeffreys was executed for three murders. Three months after his death, the body of a boy is found, killed in the same style as Jeffreys' victims. Is there a copycat killer on the loose? Or is this the real thing? Sheriff Nick Morrelli isn't equipped to deal with the case, so calls in one of the FBI's best criminal profilers, Maggie O'Dell. Together they start to uncover the gruesome picture of a killer. The picture of someone who has already been executed for his crimes. When another victim is found, the terrible truth begins to come clear. Was Jeffreys convicted of crimes he didn't commit? Or has a cold-blooded killer been given the chance to perfect his crime?



I love the sound of this book as it's just my kind of thing. Plus as it's the first in a series of novels about protagonist Maggie O'Dell there seems to be plenty more to go at if it's any good :)

Want to join in??

• Follow Pen to Paper as the host
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
• Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
• Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
• Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)

What's on your wishlist this week? Comment below and share or share a link to your post :)

Book Review #3

This week I finished May Day: A Murder-By-Month-Mystery by Jess Lourey....

Minneapolitan Mira James has been taking it easy since college graduation--too easy. Due to a dead-end job and a cheating boyfriend, the Twin Cities have lost their charm, and Mira decides to begin a new life in rural Battle Lake. Right away she is offered jobs as an assistant librarian and part-time reporter, and falls into an unexpected romance with a guy who seems to be the perfect man until he turns up dead between the reference stacks her tenth day on the job. Anxious to learn more about the man who had briefly stolen her heart, Mira delves into the hidden mysteries of Battle Lake, including a old land deed with ancient Ojibwe secrets, an obscure octogenarian crowd with freaky social lives, and a handful of thirtysomething high school buddies who hold bitter, decades-old grudges. Mira soon discovers that unknown dangers are concealed under the polite exterior of this quirky small town, and revenge is a tator-tot hotdish best served cold.A hip, humorous, and gripping account of small-town murder, this novel is the first in a series of cozies featuring Mira James, an urban woman with rural Minnesota roots.

I got this book when it was a freebie from Amazon on my Kindle. As you probably know by now I'm a fan of murder mysteries so I figured I should give it a try. I have to be honest, I don't know if I liked this book or not. Part of me did because at points it actually made me laugh out loud, but on the other hand it really wasn't my type of book as the characters were just a bit too odd and it was a little bit too light-hearted for me. It was an easy read and I was interested enough to stick with it to the end but I probably wouldn't have been too happy if I'd paid the £13.50 list price or £7.43 kindle price. There are several more books in this series but to be honest I think I'll pass. If another comes up for free I would consider it but if not I won't be adventuring any further into the life of Mira James.

 

Mental Fatigue vs Physical Fatigue

This week has been a tough one. Extra long work days, very little sleep and lots of stress and worry left me struggling. But wait!... I'm not here for sympathy, I'm coping and everything will be back to normal soon so I'll be able to take some time to catch up with myself.

What I am here for is to share something I read earlier in the week from this post on Runners World...

'Don't confuse mental fatigue with physical fatigue. Researchers from Bangor University in Wales report that short-term mental fatigue doesn't impact the physical function. So it's your mind - not your body - that craves downtime. And running is the perfect antidote.'

I'm pretty sure I was both mentally and physically exhausted this week, though this did encourage me to get out and run. I have to admit that from the moment I woke up on Wednesday I was thinking of excuses not to go, but I'd arranged to run with Lou and didn't want to cancel so I had a word with myself, manned up and went. Would you believe it was the BEST run I've had in ages! Similarly on Saturday, feeling pretty shattered, I still put on my trainers and ran some trails. I'm so glad I did as it was a great day to be outdoors and I ended up running stronger than I had expected

What I've realised is that I'm physically more able to cope with all of this than I thought, and that for the most part it's my mind that's struggling with the sheer volume of things I try to do at the same time.

Now, as I write this post, I think about the times when I've been the most under pressure and that somehow I always end up lacing up my trainers to escape for a bit even when I don't really feel like it. Most people I know think I'm bonkers, they assume the best use of that hour or two would be to sleep instead of doing something that will make me more tired. But what they don't realise is that the time I get to myself is invaluable. I can clear my head of things that have wound me up and by the time I get back I feel like a different person who is refreshed, energised, positive and able to cope with whatever I need to do.

All in all I think it's important to recognise that there's a balance. Sometimes that hour might be best spent sleeping (like today!), but sometimes fatigue is more mental than physical, and a run or brisk walk might be just the remedy to turn a tough day around.

Wishlist Wednesday #7

Welcome to my seventh Wishlist Wednesday post for the awesome blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper

So here's my WW selection for this week is Pattern of Wounds by J.Mark Bertrand.

For Detective Roland March, his latest case has become personal. March doesn't know the young female who was stabbed to death, but he thinks he recognizes the crime scene. Nearly ten years ago, March gained national fame as the subject of a true-crime book. But now this crime scene bears eerie similarities to that one. And whispers begin to emerge that March may have put the wrong man behind bars. Worse, Houston may now have a serial killer on the loose. As more cases emerge that seem connected, and threats against March and those closest to him build, he must solve the case--rescuing not only the city but his own reputation as a homicide cop.



I've just finished the first in the Roland March series and was really impressed by it. I like that they are set in Houston and that I understand the references to places and people which I may not have done before I started spending time there. I enjoyed the character development and way that Bertrand linked storylines in the first book so would be interested to give this a go too.

Want to join in??

• Follow Pen to Paper as the host
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
• Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
• Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
• Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)

What's on your wishlist this week? Comment below and share or share a link to your post :)

Book Review #2

Back On Murder (A Roland March Mystery Book #1) by J. Mark Bertrand

Det. Roland March is a homicide cop on his way out. But when he's the only one at a crime scene to find evidence of a missing female victim, he's given one last chance to prove himself. Before he can crack the case, he's transferred to a new one that has grabbed the spotlight--the disappearance of a famous Houston evangelist's teen daughter.With the help of a youth pastor with a guilty conscience who navigates the world of church and faith, March is determined to find the missing girls while proving he's still one of Houston's best detectives.


I really enjoyed this book, in part because it was set in Houston so I knew many of the references that the author made to places and people which I wouldn't have understood a few years ago. I liked the character development that the author put into this book, not explaining everything straight off but letting things fall into place over time, although there are quite a few people to keep track of which I sometimes have difficulty with! With it being a mystery I'm not going to go into detail about plots and whether there are or aren't twists and surprises because that's why you read them in the first place! All I will say is that I love a good murder mystery and this doesn't disappoint. It's J.Mark Bertrand's first mystery and he's clearly got a talent for it, I'm really tempted to check out the second in the series.

Even when we're miles apart...

Welcome to the Weekend Blog Hop!

This week I'm happy to be a co-host for clairejustineoxox and her Welcome To The Weekend Blog Hop. Why not come and join in?! It'd be great if you would follow us both on GFC if possible and we will follow back (please comment to let us know you're a new follower)

• You can link up to 3 of your favourite posts or just your main blog
• To get the most out of the hop please try to visit a few of the websites and leave some comments. If someone stops by your blog and leaves a comment please try to visit theirs and comment to make the hop more fun. Don't forget if you're a new follower to their website to let them know!
• Please leave a comment here to let me know you popped by so that I can check out your blog :)
• If you're a new follower to my blog please leave a message to say you're new and point me in the direction of your blog for me to follow back

Have fun hopping around and have a great weekend!