October 30, 2013

Wishlist Wednesday #29


Welcome to my twenty-ninth Wishlist Wednesday; part of the great blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper. In keeping with the season I've chosen Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill

Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it’s been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever. A young American woman, Apryl, arrives at Barrington House. She's been left an apartment by her mysterious Great Aunt Lillian who died in strange circumstances. Rumours claim Lillian was mad. But her diary suggests she was implicated in a horrific and inexplicable event decades ago. Determined to learn something of this eccentric woman, Apryl begins to unravel the hidden story of Barrington House. She discovers that a transforming, evil force still inhabits the building. And the doorway to Apartment 16 is a gateway to something altogether more terrifying . . .


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? Leave me a link to your post, I'll be sure to pop by and check it out!

October 25, 2013

Flashback Friday

I found this photo on my laptop this evening and it took me on a little trip back to when Holly was a puppy and I was a blonde. I had to share as it totally shows mine and Holly's relationship as it always has, and probably always will be... she goes exactly where she wants to regardless of who or what is in the way, and even if that means she's standing on my head she'll still be making me laugh.

October 23, 2013

Wishlist Wednesday #28


Welcome to my twenty-eighth Wishlist Wednesday; part of the great blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper. This week I've chosen Locked In AND Vigilante by Kerry Wilkinson.


They think they are safe at home. Someone knows better.
When a body is found in a locked house, Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel is left to not only find the killer but discover how they got in and out.
With little in the way of leads and a journalist that seems to know more about the case than she does, Jessica is already feeling the pressure – and that’s before a second body shows up in identical circumstances to the first.
How can a murderer get to victims in seemingly impossible situations and what, if anything, links the bodies?



Dead bodies are piling up for Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel. Usually when a serial killer is on the loose, the pressure would be building to find the perpetrator but the victims are all hardened criminals themselves. 
The national media can’t believe their luck with an apparent vigilante on the streets, while Jessica’s new boss seems grateful someone else is doing their job for them. 
But things aren't so straightforward when forensics matches blood from the apparent killer to a man already behind bars.


Ok, slightly unusually for me there's not one BUT TWO books on my list this week. Originally I was just going to write about Vigilante which is the second in the Jessica Daniel Series but I thought I'd look at the first for reference and really liked the sound of that one too! The descriptions don't give too much away along the lines of the other themes of the books and people involved, but if I like the protagonist I definitely think this sounds like a series I'd enjoy.

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? Leave me a link to your post, I'll be sure to pop by and check it out!

Staying Positive

Since my move to the USA I've already faced several challenges. I flew out shortly after some surgery and as a result getting ready to travel and the journey itself was a lot to conquer. Since I arrived, submitting the correct paperwork to live here, open bank accounts and pass driving tests have each come with their own set of challenges. Then just as I thought I was getting on top of it all, I ended up having more surgery last week.

However despite the hurdles I'm feeling really optimistic about everything. I've successfully negotiated the challenges that came my way, despite what sometimes felt like a one step forward two step back approach! We successfully arranged the most awesome wedding in just one week. Plus I've coped well with this most recent surgery and keeping my focus on resting and healing.

"Life's problems wouldn't be called hurdles 
if there wasn't a way to get over them"
~Unknown

Most importantly I never forget that I have a lot to be thankful for. I'm so happy to be here with Paul and he has been so supportive through everything. I've constantly reminded myself the last few months that although the health issue is uncomfortable, sometimes painful and just not very nice, there are also worse things in life. I found a specialist here who is confident that this operation may cure the cause of the problems I've been having and that keeps me feeling optimistic. Although I'm out of action right now, over the next few weeks/months I'm hoping to heal well and get back to being me. I have a wonderful family here and in England and I have lots of adventures to look forward to!
Oh, and how can I forget to mention little Kiki... nursing her mum back to health one cuddle at a time. I'm thankful for this bundle of brat every single day!

October 9, 2013

Don't forget....

"To play it safe is not to play."

~Robert Altman

 

 

Wishlist Wednesday #27


Welcome to my twenty-seventh Wishlist Wednesday; part of the great blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper. This week I've chosen Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham.


It's rare for a young woman to die from a stroke and when three such deaths occur in short order it starts to look like an epidemic. Then a sharp pathologist notices traces of benzodiazepine in one of the victim's blood samples and just traceable damage to the ligaments in her neck, and their cause of death is changed from 'natural' to murder.The police aren't making much progress in their hunt for the killer until he appears to make a mistake: Alison Willetts is found alive and D.I. Tom Thorne believes the murderer has made a mistake, which ought to allow them to get on his tracks. But it was the others who were his mistakes: he doesn't want to take life, he just wants to put people into a state where they cannot move, cannot talk, cannot do anything but think.When Thorne, helped by the neurologist looking after Alison, starts to realise what he is up against he knows the case is not going to be solved by normal methods - before he can find out who did it he has to understand why he's doing it.

I like the sound of this book a lot. It's got great reviews on amazon and sounds a bit out of the ordinary with the baddie trying to permanently trap people in their own bodies, unable to communicate rather than actually murder them. My only concern is the depiction of the protagonist who a few people mentioned falls into the typical worn out detective, divorced with a slight drinking problem. However I'm interested enough in the plot to want to find out what I think for myself!

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? Leave me a link to your post, I'll be sure to pop by and check it out!

October 6, 2013

A Wonderful Wedding

Paul and I have been waiting for what feels like forever for the time that I could come to the USA and we could get married, though due the time scales between getting my visa and travelling, planning a big day wasn't an option. As I mentioned in this post, I wasn't going to let that worry me though!

When I flew into Houston I was told we had 28 days from the date of my arrival to get married so at the beginning of my second week here we decided to get married that Sunday.
Thankfully I'd already bought a dress in England so we had a starting point for us to work from, plus I'm incredibly lucky that my mother in law is so amazingly creative! We went shopping on Thursday afternoon and got me some flowers as well as picking up all the things we'd need to dress a table and decorate the house.

This was the perfect day for Paul and I as it was so wonderfully simple. We got married outdoors, and our guest list consisted of just a few close friends, Paul's immediate family, our 2 black labs plus a friend of ours that was able to marry us (hence the slightly unconventional-looking Reverend).


As my family were unable to make the trip at short notice we facetimed the ceremony to my parents and brother (you have to love technology!) then got to chat to them afterwards ....

Even though we arranged it in less than a week, I wouldn't change a thing about our wedding day. Even if we'd had a year to plan, I don't think we could've arranged a more perfect day.



The focus was our love and this was expressed with simple ceremony witnessed by the people that mean the most to us (and our puppies of course!)

October 5, 2013

Priorities

Once again I feel the need to apologise to those of you that take the time to follow and comment on my blog regularly as I haven't been around recently. 
I've had an amazing whirlwind of a month but blogging had to take a back seat to allow me to prioritize my health, moving abroad and arranging a wedding in a week!

I think I'm heading back in the direction of creativity though so stick with me...