Catching Up

...so I'm well behind on listing my 52 books for you! But I HAVE been reading - between writing a fair amount too - so I'll get the titles up as soon as I can :)

Keep an eye on the LoveCats blog as some winners of MELT are due to be announced there soon and if you're so inclined, come on over to the Pink Heart Society where I'm talking what happens when real life impacts on your story - in my case, setting!

52 Books: 4. A Stitch in Time

I know, I'm a week behind already in posting but I will catch up shortly - promise!!!!

This week it was A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively which I read with my eldest daughter...

Maria is always getting lost in the secret world of her imaginations. So when she begins to hear things that nobody else does, she's not sure if they are real. Then Maria finds a Vicotrian embroidered picture, and feels a strange connection with the ten-year-old girl, Harriet, who stitched it.
As Maria becomes more absorbed in Harriet's world, she fears that something tragic took place...

This was a lovely book - looking at a shy, lonely child and the summer she spends by the beach, making a new friend, discovering fossils and thinking about some of life's big questions.

It's a big weekend in the Anderson household as it's Wonderhubs and my WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! Yay!!!! Number 12 this year :) I spent some time at the beautician yesterday getting a bit of polish on as we're having a night in Wellington just the two of us which will be lovely. We're going to go to Te Papa (our national museum) to see the wedding dress exhibition that's on - Unveiled - (Wonderhubs is an amazingly patient guy and happily there are other exhibitions in the museum that he's keen to check out too - lol!). I shall report back on the exhibition next week (what romance lover doesn't love wedding dresses!!!!???)

Meanwhile, there's still time to WIN a copy of MELT over at My Book Addiction - so get on over there!!!

52 Books: 3. Mackenzie's Mission by Linda Howard

Who doesn't love a Flyboy???

Like his father before him, Joe Mackenzie was as wild as the wind, and not about to settle down. But he couldn't ignore a challenge - and Caroline Evans was just that. 
Caroline was bright, beautiful and determined to keep her distance. But Joe had another mission in mind... making her his own.

This was such a great book and absolutely what I needed this week - a full on alpha hero with an intelligent, formidable heroine to match him. I loved the dialogue, the action and those steamy scenes - and I also loved the bit in Linda Howard's letter to readers at the beginning where she says she wrote a whole 'nother version of Joe's story that she scrapped and then started again with this one. So nice to hear as I completely overhaul my latest story myself!!!!!

Meanwhile, you head over to Pimpin' Reads - where I am today, talking about Summer vs Winter - do come and say hi!!!

52 Books: 2. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The book I've been reading this week is children's book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. The movie was released here in New Zealand just this week and I'd promised my eldest that we'd get the book, read it and then I'd take her to see the film with a friend.

She'd gotten Brian Selznick's latest book, Wonderstruck for Christmas and loved it but Hugo hadn't been easily available. Now, just two weeks later with the movie out, the book is back in shops and YAY that it is. There is something so wonderful about a massive, hardback that is just so richly and lushly illustrated. It is like dipping into a magical world - which of course, we are.

I love the whole presentation of the book - the text pages as much as the illustrations. It is just gorgeous. And the story is a heart-melting one too. It has so many classic elements of a great children's story - the mystery, the orphan, the isolation and grief, the discovery of friends, the fear of being found out - and the magic world that he discovers. And it doesn't let you down - it's a wonderful story. I just loved it. So did my daughter.

We went to the movie this afternoon - and loved that just as much although it does differ from the book (as movies tend to do). But it was such a treat to watch - I'd wondered HOW Martin Scorcese was going to get across the wordlessness - that sense of story-without-text which the book does so well - but he did - so much of that first part of the movie was ultra-visual (of course, given it was a movie, but you know what I mean??)  but there seemed to be very little dialogue and yet so much expression was conveyed. Beautifully done. And it was so, so rich in terms of colour and the 3D element was magical. Both book and movie were fabulous :)

Sigh. I really want to go to Paris again.

52 Books: 1. The Most Coveted Prize

Over at the Pink Heart Society last week I talked about my resolutions and goals for the New Year - one was to read more. I've set myself the not-impossible aim of at least one book a week. To hold myself to account, I'm going to tell you all right here what that book was each week :) And I'd love it if you share with me what you've been reading too!


And yes, I'm a little past the first week already (I did read it last week, but didn't get to blog it. Blame the deadline). Anyway, when it came to picking a first book of the year, there was only one author to turn to.


I was very saddened to learn that Penny Jordan had passed away just over a week ago. I never had the privilege of meeting her, but I have read so many of her books. She was an absolute inspiration to me as a writer and as a reader, I adore her work. There was a lovely tribute to her over at the PHS.


So my first book for 2012 was The Most Coveted Prize - a 2011 release from Penny Jordan, featuring one very ruthless hero and a sweet heroine who learns to deal with him. I read it in one sitting and loved it.


The Most Coveted Prize.


His latest acquisition… 
Russian oligarch Kiryl Androvonov has one rival: billionaire Vasilii Demidov. Luckily, Vasilii has an Achilles’ heel – his younger, over-protected half-sister Alena...
Kiryl’s master plan is to seduce the tantalisingly beautiful Alena. Then, once he’s had his fill, use her to blackmail Vasilii for the contract that will complete his business empire. It’s a winner-takes-all situation for the Russian tycoon, as Alena herself might well be the most coveted prize of all. 
Until she discovers just how ruthlessly Kiryl has been using her…
RUSSIAN RIVALS
Demidov vs Androvonov – let the most merciless of men win…


What did you read and love this week?