Book Talk: Murder Never Looked So Good

There's something really satisfying about getting stuck into a good crime novel.  Murder and mystery, serial killers and stalkers, madman and monsters, it's all there.  The darker the better is always my motto.  Books that keep you up all night, madly turning the pages as you try to figure out what the heck is going on. 

Some of my recent all-nighter page turners have been so good that I felt I just had to share.  After all what's a little bit of murder and mayhem between friends.

A Room Full of Killers by Michael Woods 
The 3rd in the Matilda Darke series, Matilda this time is investigating a murder at a secure facility for underage offenders.  Offenders who have committed some truly horrific crimes.

Yet Matilda begins to wonder if one of them is innocent and if they belong here.  No longer just investigating one case, she's now investigating two.  The lines between guilt and innocence have never been so blurred.

Don't Let Go / Harlan Coben

Anything by Harlan Coben pretty much always get my vote for a gripping read and his latest is no exception.

Detective Nap Dumas life hasn't been right since the night his twin brother died and the girl he loved disappeared.

For years he has kept feelers out for her in case she turned up and now she has.  Only its at a crime scene involving a cop killing.  Pulled into the case Nap finds himself on the hunt for the girl he never got over, a hunt that leads back to the death of his twin brother and what really happened that night.

Girl Last Seen by Nina Laurin

10 years ago she escaped from the monster who had held her captive for 3 long years.  Assuming a new name she has tired and failed to get on with life and instead lives day by day relying on booze and drugs to block out the memories.

Now though another girl has gone missing.  A girl who looks just like her.  And suddenly Lainey is forced to not only face the horrors of the past but to rescue a frightened girl from a monster.

Here and Gone by Haylen Beck 

What starts out as a road trip with her 2 kids to escape her abusive husband turns into something else altogether when she is pulled over by a small town sheriff and taken into custody.  

Suddenly her kids are gone and the police are saying she never had any children with her in the first place.

Insidious Intent by Val McDermid

The latest in the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series, this one sees the pair on the hunt for perhaps their toughest foe yet - a serial killer who hunts his prey at weddings.

Soon the pair are caught up in a case that even they begin to doubt they can solve.

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

Nearly 30 years ago two sisters lives were devastating and permanently altered by a terrible crime.

Now another violet crime has happened in the same town and the sisters are once again involved only this time the past isn't going to go away quite so easily.

The Ultimatum by Karen Robards

Bianca is a thief.  She's also really good at what she does.  After all she was taught by the best.  Her father.

But when her father is killed she finds herself caught up in something much bigger and the realisation that her father might not be the man she thought he was.

Watching You by Arne Dahl

One of those twisty dark Scandi-noir novels, this one is the first in a new series.  Featuring lots of moody, depressed Scandivanans with tragic pasts and a serial killer on the loose.

At each crime scene there is a hidden clue.  A hidden clue that is sending a message for Detective Sam Berger.  A message that only he understands.

The killer it seems is killing just for him.

August, Septembers and Octobers Buyer's Archive

You win some, you lose some. 

Or in other words I managed not to spend a single cent in August but ended up having a complete blow out of epic proportions in September.

At least I made up for it October by once again spending nothing.

As for last years purchases.

August's buys were mostly for my Canadian holiday  The suitcase, luggage label and vanity case have been used a couple of times since then as they are the kind of items you totally need and all three will probably last me quite a few years.

The 3 quarter blue capri pants have been heavily used all year round since they became my go to walking pants.  Sadly they are starting to look a little sad around the edges and weirdly they have a small bleach white mark on them so I'm going to be on the hunt for a replacement pair some time soon.  I'm hoping they will last me through this summer at least.

The blue camisole top has also been well worn and should see me through another year.

As for the white skirt I worn this a couple of times in Canada but sold it once I got back as it wasn't the most flattering skirt on me.

The floral pjs have not been worn at all and have instead been sitting in my chest drawers looking all pretty and unloved.  I'm still debating as to whether to wear them as they look so comfy or get rid of them because of buttons (i.e. me and button tops don't go well as they always seem to pop open no matter how big a size I get)

September's buys were all gifts to myself so as you can imagine all were used well.  I am however totally in love with all things Bath and Body Works which is kind of sad and depressing as they don't do international shipping and they don't have a store here in New Zealand.  I will forever be sobbing over that.

As for Octobers it was a total win all round.  All three items have been worn regularly and I love them all.  I'm going to be in a state of mourning when my pretty pink skirt finally bites the dust.

Now onto the big spend of 2017.

Set of Orange Bangles - $1 from Hospice Shop

I really didn't need these but at just $1 how could I resist.  And look how pretty they are.  Can you really blame me.

Gold Nail Polish - $3.50 from PriceWise

As some of you know I've mentioned my lust before for gold nail polish so when I saw this, the absolutely perfect gold colour I'd been searching for, I just had to buy it.  

Black,Grey & Red Floral Skirt - $3 from Salvation Army Shop

This skirt is so pretty and in a really lightweight cotton that once again it was a have-to-have-it buy.  I now just need a top to go with it. 

Blue Skirt - $2 from Salvation Army Shop

Nothing beats a nice casual blue skirt for the summer, especially one that is kind of swirly.  Unfortunately this one has horrible polyester lining which makes it super hot and itching to wear so I'm not sure how much longer I'll get use out of it before I throw it out in a hot and sweaty fit.  So disappointing.

Blush Pink Skirt - $59.99 from Max

Another thing on my want list was a summer pleat skirt, something cool and pretty and swirly which this totally is.  I ummed and ah'd about this one as I usually don't spend quite so much money on a single item but as it was already down from $99.99 I was persuaded by the Other Half that it was a bargain.  I'm still not sure but I do really love it.  Now I just need some more occasions to wear it.

Pale Pink T-Shirt - $4 from Kmart

I've said before how much I love Kmart bargain buys so naturally I had to pop in when we went near one.  They are, for me, one of those stores that are great for getting t-shirts and camisoles so of course I had to leave with some.

First up this v-neck in a pale pink.

Mint Green T-Shirt - $4 from Kmart

And of course I had to add one in mint green to my collection.

Pale Blue Camisole - $3 from Kmart

And then finally a camisole in the babyist of blues.  Because you can never have too many camisoles I say.

CandyFloss Pink T-Shirt - $10 from CottonOn

Of course you would think with both the above purchases and previous ones that I wouldn't need any more t-shirts, at least thats the theory.  Trust me to go against the theory and buy even more.

Especially when it's a 2 for $20 deal. 

Apricot T-Shirt - $10 from CottonOn

I know.  I may have a problem.  Then again they are all in such pretty summer colours so totally justified.  Right? 

Navy Blue Camisole - $10 from Glassons

Having brought my pretty blush pink pleat skirt I had nothing that worked with that colour which meant a hunt for something that would work.  In the end I settled on navy blue as it's such a versatile colour. 

Navy Blue Cardigan - $19.99 from Glassons

It was only natural to get the cardigan to go with the camisole so I did.  And I've already worn this quite a few times so I'm pretty confident that this will be a buy that I'll get a lot of use out of.  

Total spend for the month:  $130. 48.

 

A Little Bit Of Something Russian

I know.  I'd never heard of Rimouski before either.  But with our usual random holiday planning (i.e. it was on the map and half way between our next destination) it seemed like a nice quiet place to take some time out from our holiday.

Which is exactly what we did.

Rimouski became our weekend break where we did our laundry, shopped at the local supermarket, ate out at a 1950's style retro diner...

... walked along the waterfront and just plain rested.

It was heavenly.

And helped to make Rimouski one of our favourite places.

Going to a small, quiet town, totally off the usual touristy beaten path really is a great way to unwind and to experience a little bit of local culture all the while being completely anonymous.

As the only tourists in town, Other Half and I kind of stood out, but the locals just left us to it and we were able to enjoy the town all the more because of it.

Views like this also helped.

Novembers Plans and Octobers Outcomes

A little late I know, what can I say except that it's been a hectic few days if not weeks and trying to fit in things like blog posts have been hard to come by.  When I have had some free time I've been too shattered to do anything other than blob out in front of the TV screen and watch mindless TV shows.

Shock horror, I haven't even picked up a book and read for  weeks, which just goes to show how busy things have been.

Having said that I did manage to read pretty much everything that was on last month's list so in the scheme of things I'm taking that as a win even if the writing and blogging did come to a complete stand still.

I'm really hoping that I can get back on track this month.

So what's on this month's reading list...

1.     Two nights / Kathy Reichs
        The first of three thrillers that I am really looking forward to getting stuck into.
2.     Don't let go / Harlan Coben
        I can always rely on anything by this author to be a good read so of course his latest 
        had to be on my list.
3.     Into the water / Paula Hawkins
        Would you believe I never read her first book?  Unless listening to the BBC audio book 
        counts?  Yeah it totally does.

4.     Chasing Christmas eve / Jill Shalvis
        You just knew I had to start working my way through this year's Christmas romances 
        and Jill Shalvis is my go to author for all things romance.
5.     The Christmas project / Maxine Morrey
        And more Christmas romance goodness.  I've got this one in my ebook list
6.     Candy cane Christmas / Laura Trentham 
        And another one 

7.     Everything everything / Nicola Yoon
        This has been on my reading watch list for absolutely ages.  Finally I've got a chance to 
        see what all the fuss is about. 
8.     The knowing / Sharon Cameron 
        I loved the first book so I'm hoping this is just as good.
9.     Everybody lies : big data, new data, and what the Internet can tell us about who we 
        really are / Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
        And finally something a little bit more serious and heavy and which sounds utterly 
       fascinating. 
10.   Life in pieces
        With everything that has been happening ending the day with some comedy is just the 
        thing to unwind.  
11.  Medici: Masters of Florence
        Something gritty to get my teeth into 
12.  Alias Grace
        So many good hard hitting shows this year and this is yet another one.

13.    Writing
          Always on the list
14.    Lose weight and get fit
          Half going well and half going not so well.  Another thing on the list that I need to get 
          back on top of.

Le French Canadian Style

Bonsoir.

Don't you just love the sound of French?

There's something very happy and yet also sexy about it at the same time.  Even with my very bad pronunciation I love trying out just a few words and in Quebec I was able to get in some much need practice.

We were very lucky to able to stay in the heart of the Old City which meant that everything we wanted to see was in walking distance.

Yes even more walking.

Though on our visit day there it poured down with rain.  Sometimes you just have to write a day off and go with it.  For us it meant hiding out in the nearest mall where we drank hot chocolate, tried some poutine and caught up on emails etc.

Luckily the next day was a lot better so we started the day with a walk around the city; starting at the really wide boardwalk which is near the Chateau Frontenac.  

The boardwalk connects up with the ramparts of the wall which surrounds the Old City and is a great walk to do as you get to see so much of the city and it's also a good way to have a break from the tourist crowds.

As you can see from our pics we managed to have most of the walk all to ourselves which was nice.

The walk takes about 2 to 3 hours to do (depending on how long you stop at some of the sites along the way) after which a nice cold drink is definitely called for.

From above the city walls to below the city. walls.  

The alleyways and lanes that run along the bottom of the wall were another great place to have a wander, this time at a more sedate place.  Filled with interesting and quirky shops and cafes it's a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours and if you're like me you can do some souvenir hunting too.

Going even further down, this time all the way to the river at the bottom, we had a browse around the Open Farmers Market where we picked up something nice to eat.  

After that it  was more walking which gave us a chance to take in Chateau Frontenac in all its glory before heading back up the 'hill' and finally collapsing in our room.

Octobers Plans and Septembers Outcomes

It's hard to believe that it's October already and that I have been a member of the great unemployed for 3 months now.  Wow that time really did seem to fly by so fast.

Going into my 4th month of life with no job I'm starting to get a feel for it and am really getting on board with this whole slower pace of life thing.  Don't get me wrong I am on one hand still quite busy what with daily walks, spring cleaning, runnings a variety of errands, reading and so on but on the other hand it feels totally different because it's all done at my pace.  No alarm clocks, no deadlines (mostly), no meetings or schedules; everything is instead done when I feel like it, as I feel like and if I don't do something I no longer beat myself up about it.

Taking some much needed time out is something I can totally recommend.

As for this months plans... well reading as always figures high on the list.

1.     The grave keepers / Elizabeth Byrne
        To be honest I can't remember what this book is about so I'm going to be going into it 
        completely blind.  Which is kind of nice in a way.  I'm thinking it was the title that caught 
        my attention. 
2.     All rights reserved / Gregory Scott Katsoulis
        I love the idea of this.  A world where every word literally costs you money and a girl 
        who decides to use silence as a form of protest and freedom.  I have really high hopes 
        for this one.

3.     Not afraid of the fall / Kyle James
        I haven't read many travel books this year so I've been on the hunt for something quirky 
        and interesting.  This one sounds like exactly that sort of thing.

4.     Hygge and Kisses / Clara Christensen
        This one sounds so warm and snuggly so of course I have to read it.  Sometimes all it 
        takes are a few words and a snowy cosy cover to make you read a book.
5.     The Flower Shop on Foxley Street / Rachel Dove
        Another cosy chick lit book.  What can I say.  Sometimes I just have to have something 
        that's not too taxing on the brain and the reading equalative of taking a hot bubble bath.
6.     Sunrise at Butterfly Cove / Sarah Bennett
        More chick lit.  Yes I know.  There's a pattern emerging.

7.     Driving Home For Christmas / A L Michael
        It's never too soon to start reading Christmas romance books.  At least for me.  
        Because they are my jam. 

8.     Girls Like Me / Lola StVil
        I've really been getting into angsty YA this year.  No idea why.  This one sounds a little 
        more upbeat what we'll see.

9.     Being Miss Nobody / Tamsin Winter
        Being kind of a weirdo myself I can totally relate to Rosalind in this book.  And I love the 
        cover too.  Because yes somedays we all feel like that.

10.    Writing

         I actually did some, so there.  Maybe not a lot but still there were sentences.  Even if 
         they probably didn't make much sense.  We'll just have to see how this month goes. 

All Things Bio: From Biospheres to Biodomes

As with most of our Canadian travel plans we picked Montreal because it was on the map and seemed like the sort of place one should go to if one was doing a holiday in Canada.  Our holiday planning as you can see is very well thought out and researched... 

Arriving in Montreal the first thing you'll noticed is that French is spoken everywhere, probably even more so than English, which meant that I had to pull out my very rusty, very bad French to help us get by.  Not as scary as it sounds and actually quite fun once you start to give it a go.

Montreal in itself is like a cross between Toronto and Ottawa with high rise buildings and shops and malls intermingled with lots of really big parks and green spaces and even an wider river.

All of which meant that once again we did a ton of walking.  

Because yes that's what we do on our holidays, partly because it's good exercise and a way of clearing our heads but mostly because it's a great way to see a place at your own pace.

A looming great sphere that rises out above the trees at Parc Jean-Drapeau, the Biosphere.  had caught our attention the moment we had arrived in Montreal so naturally we had to check it out.

The sphere doesn't actually have a great deal going on inside it except a few exhibits about the environment, most of which were made up of photos.  But that's okay because it's more fascinating to look at the actual Biosphere.

At least for 5 minutes or so.

After that you can spend the next hour having a pleasant walk around the park, topped off with a picnic lunch in a nice shady spot before heading back into the city.

From there it was then a trip out to the Biodome.  

Yes more circular buildings.  What can I say.  Montreal seems to be filled with funny looking buildings. This one though is part of what was the Olympic Park which nows houses several exhibitions which makes for an interesting day out.

Pretty much everyone else thought so too hence be prepared for lots and lots of people.  And though crowds and noise aren't really our sort of thing we did still manage to have a few enjoyable hours looking at all the different habitats that make up the Biodome.

For me the puffins were my absolute favourite.

I mean look at them.  How cute are they.

Of course if puffins aren't your thing then there are a handful of really interesting museums in Montreal which are definitely worth checking out.

We spent an enjoyable day first at the Pointe-a-Calliere which is a fascinating archaeological museum that takes you underground.  History nerd that I am I really liked this and loved seeing a real life archaeological dig.

It goes down about 3 levels so you really get a feel for the whole site. 

Carrying on with the history theme Redpath Museum is another fascinating museum filled with all kinds of skeletons and fossils.  Even the inside look of the building has an old Victorian feel to it and makes you think you are stepping back into time.

Once you're finished with all things old and dusty you can then have a nice walk through the McGill University campus before heading out to an even nicer dinner.

Cherry pancakes.

Naturally, of course.