Sally and the limpet

I found the best book ever - it features limpets (what i study). How could i resist buying it for my niece!!!

LibraryThing and reviews of early release books

This year i joined LibraryThing which is a website where you can catalogue all your books, similar to Goodreads which you may have heard of. It is very addictive, adding all the books you have read and listing the ones you want to read. I find it great as it gives you book recomenndations based on what books you have already have, both through automated methods and by other members of the website.

What I also enjoy is how it has a service called "LibraryThing Early Reviewers" which provides free pre-release books to members willing to review them. Every month a list of books is released and you can request which books you would like to review. So far I have been selected to review 3 books, the reviews of which I have listed below. Unfortunately, living in Australia most books listed are only available for people in the US. You make think that most of the books are the type not likely to be very popular but this is not the case. In previous months the list has included "Bring up the Bodies" by Hilary Mantel - the sequel to Wolf Hall which won the Man Booker Prize a few years ago!

Below are the two books I have reviewed so far - just very brief reviews though

On the Edge by Gill Shutt
An interesting book, though I found it a bit disconcerting at times. I found myself seeing it as a reflection on human behaviour or the evolution of behaviour. The style is easy to read but I could not read it all in one sitting. 3 Stars

Hepen the Watcher by Linda Nagata
I found the book suprisingly enjoyable though it does contain some adult themes so not suitable for a younger readership. The female characters were strong and I could find myself relating to the problems they faced. Plot: fast paced and kept you interested. Writing style: easy to read. I will be on the look out for books by the same author. 4 Stars

* note in no way has this post been asked for or anything..i just really like using the website and I thought not as many people may have heard of it as opposed to Goodreads

Eurovision 2012

Sunday Night went to an awesome Eurovision party!

I am really liking a lot of the songs from it this year - can't stop listening to them on youtube. Here are some my favourite

The winner - Sweden - love this song.

Germany - cute guy

Malta - love those foot movements - check it out from 1.01 minutes

Turkey - So outrageously crazy!

It was a fantastic night with friends, laughing at all the craziness, and occasional cute guys with hot dance moves...

We all dressed up as different countries - I was Italy - as a piece of spaghetti. Photo to soon follow

Did anyone else watch any eurovision?

Men and hair(cuts)

Just a quick post about something which came up for me today.

I just hate when boyfriends or guys you are interested in have a haircut - and they end of with next to nothing in the hair department!!! Grrrr. For me, I like to have something to run my hands through. I don't get the shaved look. Sigh

Just needed to vent my frustration as this cute guy decided to practically chop off all his hair off today.

What hair does it for you and how do you react when your guy/interest changes it?

I am back

Hi Everyone, I have decided to start blogging again! Yay. Proper blog post to follow in next few days. Cheers Clarissa Head Limpet follower

Teaser Tuesday 100608

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

5.3.21.01.002: Once allocated, postcodes are permanent, and for life.

pg. 79



I discovered this book via someone's teaser tuesday and I am glad I added it to my reading list. I really enjoyed it - unfortunately the sequels are not due out for at least some years. :( I tried to buy the first book in another series by this author...but to no avail!! But this book was a lot of fun.

Teaser tuesday 100601

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

"I've heard that before" I tell her. "I'm sure the Congolese heard it every day for a hundred years while they had to forbear the Belgians. Now they finally get a fighting chance, and we're sitting here watching it get born dead...."
pg. 476.



I loved this book - I couldn't put it down. It was one of those books which makes you angry and also makes you rethink how you treat people and the assumptions you make. I highly recommend it!!!

Sorry

Sorry I have not been around. Just had an ultra hectic week - so tired and exhausted. Hopefully shall catch up on everyone's blogs this weekend and write a post of my own.

On an excited note ...

I got a first class honours :) (well..i was told this informally..but still!!!) so I shall have a

Bachelor of Science (Advanced) (Honours First Class)!!

Yay

Seven Deadly Sins!

I was tagged by E. at Whining at the World



Sloth - how do you relax?

With a bath and a book. Or with a book of pixel problems (a type of logic problem).

Gluttony - What can't you get enough of, even though it's bad for you?

Cheese (and crackers). Salsa and cornchips.

Greed - What do you get greedy for?

For more books! And time with my boyfriend!!

Envy - What makes you green?

At the moment - people who have had already had their honours consensus meeting and know how they went! Otherwise...my grandparents who get to travel around australia all the time!

Lust - What does it for you?

Ummm...long eyelashes. In terms of if I could have anyone...David Tennant in Doctor Who...Richard Armitage (when in North and South..and I am actually kinda liking him in Robin Hood at the moment) and the phantom of the Opera. So I guess..what really does do it for me is confidence and someone who is skilled at something and gets exitable about it!

Pride - What are you inordinately proud of?

Me handing in my honours project on time. And for lasting over 6 and a half months without my boyfreind (yay..half way point).


Wrath (Anger) - What makes you cranky?

Injustice. SO angry I sometimes cry. In a more trivial light..people who are always late.

So to pass it on...
well...basically most people who regulary comment on this blog have either been tagged for this meme or I have recently tagged for something else...so anyone can do it!!!

Teaser Tuesday 100518

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I have a bed made of Buttermilk Pancakes by Jaclyn Moriarty

"It's just that we all agreed on this, okay? It's no offence or anything. See we just decided things are kind of different now we're in Year 7, and you have to kind of like make the tough decisions? If you're going to survive. And we think you're not kind of right for survival. okay?"

pg 73 -74



This book is set in Sydney - so a big plus for me there. I love reading this book ..probably the fifth time I have read it. It is quirky, easy to read and funny, everyone should check it out :)

A guest post

Today I am guest posting about my favourite books at A study in contradictions..so go check it out!

My photoshoot

I thought I would just post up some of the photos from my recent photoshoot with SF Marler Photography. No laughing! I thought I would do some book reading ones (since I am such a book nerd) and some pretty ones...













What is everyone's favourite? Also, since everyone has been posting photos of themselves without makeup I thought I would add the note that I am sans makeup aside from a tiny bit of mascara..

Simple pleasures

Ages ago E. from Whining at the World awarded me the Beautiful Blogger award so now I am finally getting round to it!!!



The rules are as follows
1. Thank and link to the person that gave you the award
2. Pass the award along to 7-9-15- however many bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
3. Contact said Blogs and let them know they’ve won
4. State 7 things about yourself

So I am going to list 7 simple pleasures of mine which I have been aprecciating recently.

* Lying on the grass looking up at the sky on a brilliant sunny autumn day. I love looking at the trees as they silloute with the sky.

* Riding home on the bus across the harbour bridge. I love the view, no matter if it is afternoon with a sunset or nightime with the opera house lit up. I feel so priveldged to see this view every day.

* Arriving at my beautiful field site. I love it when I am just arriving there and there is the endless ocean on one side (seriously an enormous area of horizon) and the beautiful blue ocean and rocks in the bay which is my site. Sometimes I just want to leap in for a swim but I can't!

* Having a bath with all the windows closed and no air thing going - I love the steaminess!


www.studiohousecards.com/MicheleWright.html

* Getting in to bed just after a hot bath and the feeling of the sheets on my skin

* Reading - anywhere!

* The pleasure of getting a phone call from someone you love!

Ok...to pass it on...most people will have already received this..but ah well.

Dar from Satisfy my soul
Nichol from Possible Thunderstorms
Mrs P from A study in contradictions
Pink Patent Mary Janes
Psych Babbler at Over cups of coffee

Since I have some awards I needed to give back...don't feel left out now because you might get one of those!!!

Teaser Tuesday 100511

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Two large glasses of decant claret in the middle of the day were not part of the Major's usual schedule. He had to admit that they imparted a rosy air to a luncheon that would otherwise have been stilted.

pg. 192

This book was quite enjoyable, easy to read and kind of sweet. It was good to be reminded of somethings. This book was also recommended for those who enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Teaser tuesday 100504 and reflections

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The piper's son by Melina Marchetta

If you think I've forgotten anything about that night, you, most gorgeous girl, are labouring under a great misapprehension. I remember everything. I remember your petticoat...slip..whatever the hell it's called, and you let me take it off. You made me close my eyes and that was even more of a turn-on.

pg. 309.



I absolutely loved this book!!! The whole book is infused with a sadness. At first I was a bit nervous to read it as I really love most of M. Marchetta's books but once I started it was just great - just like her other books. So easy to read, so moving. I think "On the jellicoe road" is still my favourite though - but that is partly because it improves on reading. This book is ones of those you stay up late cause you don't want to put it down.

I also love how it is set in Sydney, though not in the supurbs/area where I live but I have visited this area many a time. It lends the book a kind of familarity, makes it easier to relate to. This book is maybe for an older age bracket then that which presides it (Saving Francessca - i also really like this book)and it is filled with characters my age.

The story rings so true. Though I have never experienced a level of grief or guilt like those in the book - how they react and deal with things feels true. I cried a lot during this book. Even on the bus when surrounded by a bunch of strangers.

This book is definently worth a return visit :)

postscript - i just read this and it makes the book sound really sad. but it actually isn't all that sad - there are heaps of parts where you just laugh and smile. It is just a moving experience and you can you read it on more than once level

My first post!

I have recently been tagged with heaps of thing recently so I am trying to catch up but I thought I would just do this one today! Jacintah from Live more now tagged me to repost my first ever post! THis is what you are meant to do..

What I want you to do is repost your very first blog post. I want to see how things are different now, if you write differently, if you write about the same topic, if you did a “hi this is why I’m blogging” sort of post or if you just got straight into it.

Then I want you to tag five people to do the same.

So here goes!

"Why limpets and penguins?" posted on 10th November 2009

Limpets are what I am studying. What are they? They are kind of like flattened snails which live down on the rocks at the beach. Most people think they don't move but they do...just very slowly. I personally think they are pretty cool. When something attacks them they clamp down and to cool down they mushroom up - lifting their shell off the ground. As this is my honours year I predict I am going to get pretty obssessed with them. Even start having crazy dreams!

Penguins? Well apart from the fact that they are pretty cute - especially baby emperer penguins - my boyfriend is shortly to depart for Antartica for a year - so they represent him. Just need to convince him to start his own blog. So expect to see lots of pictures of them :)

So this is going to be the year of Limpets and Penguins for me.

I don't think I write differently. After finishing my honours I think I am slightly more obsessed with limpets! I am even going to a world congress on molluscs in July! (yay...but will post more about that another time!) And I did have crazy dreams about them.

Anyway..five people...most of the people who follow me seem to have done this so hopefully no overlaps

Mrs P. from a study in contradictions
Nichol from Possible Thunderstorms (my boyfriends blog!)
Melissa from Sugar Coat It
Miss Carly from everyone want this
The Fat Chick

I have heaps of exciting purchases to show everyone so hopefully will get time to do that tomorrow...but tomorrow I am having a photoshoot! Yay!!!

My recent cooking attempts

In the past couple of days I have attempted to do some cooking.

On Sunday I was having some friends over for a picnic and I really wanted to show I was capable of cooking so I decided to bake a cake. Now, I have this recipe for the birthday cake my mum always made me every year so I thought I would give that a go. All seemed to go well at first - the mixture tasted right. But then...I put it in the oven. The recipe said medium oven for 35-40 minutes...and since I had no idea what temperature was medium I just selected around 150 degrees. The cake...did not rise. I used self raising flour by the way so it should have. And it seemed to take ages to bake. In the end my cake was 1 cm in height! It tasted great though and I ate 75% of the cake myself over 3 days!

As my boyfriend is in Antartica they don't have a lot of fresh produce, including yoghart. So they make their own yoghart using Easiyo. Since he liked the yoghart so much - and got really excited about it - he decided to buy me a easiyo youghart maker and lots of yoghart making supplies. SO finally on Monday night I made the yoghart. And so far it seems I have succedded. The yoghart tastes and looks like normal yoghart and last night I made some tzakiki dip using it. The dip is a bit stronger than I am used to but is tasty enough :)

So yay - I have kind of managed to succed in some cooking.

I hate my laptop!

My laptop has been having power problems again! I hate my laptop and its power problems. Have not been able to use it since last Tuesday (currently sneaking on to my mum's beautiful lap top). I will probably have to buy a whole new power supply thing - again! At the moment I am just trying to replace the faulty plug in my universal adaptor power thing but the stupid company is not getting back to me! Rant!

I will attempt to post tomorrow. I have so many posts stored up in my head - just need the energy and the motivation to do them!

For the past week I have been watching a hell of a lot of chick flicks but today I went in to uni as I am now bored of just resting! Yes - I am such a nerd - going to uni after I have handed in my honours thesis and asking for more!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Mr Rosenblum's List by Natasha Solomons

Sadie had never thought of a house as a living thing before - it was a thing, which one filled with other things, like furniture and books. Yet the walls were painted with limewash so that the stone could breath and at night the house did feel almost alive, with its creaking and the sounds of the stream, trickling, trickling.

pg. 79



So far I am finding the book really sweet. It was recommened to be liked by those who enjoyed "The Guensey Potato Peel and Literary Society" and as I enjoyed that I thought I would give it a try. And again, it is easy to read and an interesting story.

For those who read last week's teaser from Requim for a Wren - I finished that book. I really liked it and the ending was both sad and moving.

It is finished!!!

Today I handed in my honours thesis. All four bound copies of it. Am so over it by this point - but hello my free time (well...until I get a job). Unfortunately my celebration plans have to had be curtailed as yesterday I came down with a horrible flu type thing. Only 3 hours of sleep last as I was so clogged up :(

Sigh.

But I did reward myself with an icecream (it was very hot) and an hours worth of book shopping!

My plans are
- get a massage
- borrow some dvds
- sleep
- catch up with friends and family
- buy some much needed clothes!!