The Night Watch

Title: The Night Watch
Author: Sergei Lukyanenko
Series: The Night Watch Trilogy - Book 1
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Adult
Format: Personal copy

From Goodreads: Walking the streets of Moscow, indistinguishable from the rest of its population, are the Others. Possessors of supernatural powers and capable of entering the Twilight, a shadowy parallel world existing in parallel to our own, each Other owes allegiance either to the Dark or the Light. The "Night Watch," first book in the "Night Watch" trilogy, follows Anton, a young Other owing allegiance to the Light. As a Night Watch agent he must patrol the streets and metro of the city, protecting ordinary people from the vampires and magicians of the Dark. When he comes across Svetlana, a young woman under a powerful curse, and saves an unfledged Other, Egor, from vampires, he becomes involved in events that threaten the uneasy truce, and the whole city...

What I thought:  This was the only thing available to me when my Kindle died during our camping trip. I was devastated! Thankfully my husband had brought along a paper based series.
This series sounded intriguing - walking among humans are The Others. Some are Light (good), some are Dark (evil). There is a treaty between the two groups and the Night Watch monitors the Dark Others to ensure they stick to it.
This series is translated from Russian and unfortunately I think it loses something in that translation. Basically if I'd had any other option, I wouldn't have gone onto the second. However, it was all that was available so I went with it. 

DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT IN ORDER TO WIN AN EBOOK COPY OF CONNIE CORCORAN WILSON'S HELLFIRE AND DAMNATION II!

Today tell me about a book you had to read and didn't enjoy.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

Title: The Girl Who Played With Fire
Author: Stieg Larsson
Series: Millennium Trilogy - Book 2
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Adult
Format: Kindle

From Goodreads: The Expose Millennium publisher Mikael Blomkvist has made his reputation exposing corrupt establishment figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with an investigation into sex trafficking, Blomkvist cannot resist waging war on the powerful figures who control this lucrative industry.
The Murder When a young couple are found dead in their Stockholm apartment, it's a straightforward job for Inspector Bublanski and his team. The killer left the weapon at the scene - and the fingerprints on the gun point to only one direction.
The Girl Who Played with Fire Ex-security analyst Lisbeth Salander is wanted for murder. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behavior makes her an official danger to society - but no-one can find her. The only way Salander can be reached is by computer. But she can break into almost any network she chooses...

What I thought:  I read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo almost 12 months ago - after most of the hype had died down and I enjoyed it. I agreed with most of the reviews I'd read - slow to start, but unputdownable once you got  into it. What I didn't experience was the burning need to read the second.
Spending a week and a bit on an island camping is a perfect setting for good holiday reading so I finally opened The Girl Who Played with Fire on my Kindle and WOW! I actually enjoyed this a lot more than the first one. Salander and Blomkvist appeared to be completely unconnected at the beginning, leaving me desperately wanting to find out how their seemingly separate stories were going to connect. And then once they did I only wanted to know how the whole thing resolved itself.
As I said, perfect holiday reading. - and this one did leave me hungry for the next one. Unfortunately my Kindle decided to start playing up - freezing and needing to be rebooted every 5 -10 mins. After going through the last 10% of Fire with this issue, I gave up 2% into The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. A new Kindle was bought on our return home - stay tuned for book 3!

Challenges: EBook Challenge

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Today tell me a series where you couldn't wait to get your hands on the next installment.

Moving Pictures

Title: Moving Pictures
Author: Terry Pratchett
Series: Discworld
Genre: Fantasy/ Comedy Fiction
Audience: Adult
Format: Kindle

From Goodreads: The alchemists of the Discworld have discovered the magic of the silver screen. But what is the dark secret of Holy Wood Hill? It’s up to Victor Tugelbend (“Can’t sing. Can’t dance. Can handle a sword a little”) and Theda Withel (“I come from a little town you’ve probably never heard of”) to find out.

What I thought: One of the things I love about Pratchett is his ability to take the ordinary and stand it completely on it's head!
In Moving Pictures Pratchett takes a swipe at the unreality of Hollywood - or Holy Wood. A place where dreams are made and broken. People from all over the disc are being drawn there for reasons they can't explain and the real question is who is controlling the actions. All done of course, with Pratchett's trademark humour. Love it!

Challenges: EBook Challenge

DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT IN ORDER TO WIN AN EBOOK COPY OF CONNIE CORCORAN WILSON'S HELLFIRE AND DAMNATION II!

Today tell me your favourite Hollywood Blockbuster!

The House At Salvation Creek

Title: The House at Salvation Creek
Author: Susan Duncan
Genre: Memoir
Audience: Adult
Format: Personal copy

From Goodreads: Continuing the story of Susan Duncan's much-loved memoir, Salvation Creek, this book picks up after Bob and Susan marry and, two years later, move from her Tin Shed into his "pale yellow house on the high, rough hill," Tarrangaua, built for the iconic Australian poet, Dorothea Mackellar. Set against the backdrop of the small, close-knit Pittwater community with its colorful characters and quirky history, this story is about what happens when you open the door to life, adventure, and love. But it's also about mothers and daughters, as Susan confronts her mother's new frailty and her own role in what has always been a difficult relationship. Where Salvation Creek was about mortality—living life in the face of death—The House is about stepping outside your comfort zone and embracing challenges, at any age. In turn funny and moving, Susan Duncan's beautifully written sequel reminds us to honor what matters in life, and to disregard what really doesn't.

What I thought: I loved Salvation Creek, it's description of life in areas of Pittswater accessible only by boat reflect my own island living so much I frequently found my self exclaiming yes! or nodding in agreement.
While Salvation Creek documented Duncan's journey through cancer and her discovery of a quieter, simpler life, The House at Salvation Creek was about Ducan's search for the origins of Tarrangaua, the house her and her husband live in that was built for the famous Australian poet, Dorethea Mackellar. Through this book, Duncan tries to establish who the architect was for the iconic house. Interwoven is her continuing love affair with Pittwater and it's lifestyle.

Challenges: Aussie Author Challenge

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Today tell me if you long for a quieter, simpler life.

Freedom

Title: Freedom
Author: Jonathan Franzen
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Adult
Format: Personal copy

From Goodreads: Patty and Walter Berglund were the new pioneers of old St. Paul—the gentrifiers, the hands-on parents, the avant-garde of the Whole Foods generation. Patty was the ideal sort of neighbor, who could tell you where to recycle your batteries and how to get the local cops to actually do their job. She was an enviably perfect mother and the wife of Walter’s dreams. Together with Walter—environmental lawyer, commuter cyclist, total family man—she was doing her small part to build a better world.
But now, in the new millennium, the Berglunds have become a mystery. Why has their teenage son moved in with the aggressively Republican family next door? Why has Walter taken a job working with Big Coal? What exactly is Richard Katz—outré rocker and Walter’s college best friend and rival—still doing in the picture? Most of all, what has happened to Patty? Why has the bright star of Barrier Street become “a very different kind of neighbor,” an implacable Fury coming unhinged before the street’s attentive eyes?
In his first novel since The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen has given us an epic of contemporary love and marriage. Freedom comically and tragically captures the temptations and burdens of liberty: the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, the heavy weight of empire. In charting the mistakes and joys of Freedom’s characters as they struggle to learn how to live in an ever more confusing world, Franzen has produced an indelible and deeply moving portrait of our time.

What I thought: A friend bought this for my birthday over 12 months ago. I'd heard mixed things about it so I kept putting it off. In the end, I don't think I was missing much! I almost gave up reading it so many times, but then it would catch my interest again and I'd keep going. In the end, I just decided to see it through. It's the type of book that frustrates me, because I cannot pinpoint exactly why I don't like it. I know that by the end of it I didn't really like any of the characters, but I've had that before and still enjoyed the book. I understand why it's been give the Great American Novel  by some, it has that feel to it, and maybe the problem I have is I'm not American and therefore don't get all the references or have the perspective needed. I'm glad I read it though.

DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT IN ORDER TO WIN AN EBOOK COPY OF CONNIE CORCORAN WILSON'S HELLFIRE AND DAMNATION II!

Today tell me if there is a book that has frustrated you!

Hellfire & Damnation II - Book Tour and Giveaway!!

***BREAKING NEWS - GIVEAWAY EXTENDED UNTIL OCTOBER 31!!***

Hi all - long time no blog. We've just had a two week break camping and I'm back refreshed and ready to get into it again - and what better way than to kick off than with a giveaway - but more about that soon.

I've been lucky enough to be asked to participate in a Book Tour for this book.

Hellfire & Damnation by Connie Corcoran Wilson.

The tours starts with me on October 11 and I'm thrilled to have been able to do an author interview to include with my post!
Here is a link to Connie's website if you would like to check out what she has written.
I've also been lucky enough to been allocated an ebook copy to give away to some lucky reader. So, competition will be open until October 11. To enter, all you need to do is comment on any of my posts between now and October 11. If you comment on this post, tell me which of the seven deadly sins do you suffer from the most? For me it would be gluttony - especially if chocolate is involved!  I'll do my best to post something every day to increase your chances of winning. Winners will be selected at random and announced on October 12.

Other stops on the tour  will be at the following blogs.
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 The Wormhole Oct 12

The Bookworm Oct 15 

 Rhodes Review Oct 16

J.A.Beard's Unnecessary Musings  Oct 16

Joystory Oct 17, 18

 Turning the Pages Oct 18, Oct 19

 Over Cups of Coffee Oct 22, 23

Mom in Love with Fiction Oct 23 

Books & More Books Oct 24

Celticlady's Reviews Oct 25 

Em Sun Oct 25

Peaceful WishingOct 26

Butterfly-o-Meter Books Oct 26

Sweeps for Bloggers Oct 30

 Alexia's Books and Such... Oct 31

Hope to see you on the tour!