Happy August

I know, it is the 11th of August already but between work and we had been away, only got home late the other night, this was the back garden of where we stayed. We were away for a week so as well as my loaded kindle these are some of the books I took, you never know what you want to read.





We went out trekking (see more piccys on my Instagram) and to visit some animals, we saw baby meerkcats, two of them!








The weather was up and down, typical Scotland. We had thunder and lightning so I had my blanket and curled up watching it and reading.








But when the sun came out it was as hot as 20 degrees.





And the owners of the place had 3 cats and two dogs (a westie and a great dane). All super friendly and for an animal lover like me that was just a huge highlight of our visit.





This is Bubba and Bruce, was hard to tell them apart if only one visited but together you noticed differences!


One even posed with my then current read.





So we are home and back to reality. Sorting uniforms and getting ready for going back to work tomorrow, the weather is pretty miserable. Anyway, as you know we like to support small businesses and I have bought from these guys quite a lot. So for the August giveaway, UK only sorry, the winner will get X1 candle from Night Light Candle.




These guys have great customer service, their candles are soy wax, they can do personalised but they also have ones from series. Check them out. This is one I got done, personalised for my blog (and this is my current read!)




To be in with a chance of winning just use the Rafflecopter below, UK ONLY sorry guys, the comp will run until the end of the month.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our road trip

So if you follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram you will know we took miss paws on her first ever road trip and ticked a few things off her bucket list. Trixie is seventeen, has a lot of health problems and we had to come home on an emergency flight in March as we thought we were going to loose her as she took unwell. I tell you, the trip up north, the country air fair agreed with her. She was up on counters (I haven't seen her do that in years!), actually sprinted three times in one morning and played chasing a light reflection.





She gets really car sick, she was only sick once on the way up and not at all on the drive home. I think the travel cage really seems to help. Look at her wee harness!








I took a fair few books, mostly hardback and my kindle and now catching up with the reviews and prepping blog tours I have agreed to before focusing on work stuff. My foot is getting better and whilst going through intense physio hoping to get back to work soon!





Because I now have the boot off and focusing on the exercises we managed to go a decent walk whilst we were up there. An abandoned building is normally all shut off. This time they have opened a wee path you can walk in to go in so I was delighted to get a wee nosey through it. No miss paws this time and we got caught in the rain but it was so worth it, I love abandoned buildings and whilst we couldn't go inside properly and I certainly couldn't climb anyway I was delighted to get so close.


The sky pictures, if you follow my instagram you will know how much I love them, managed to get a fair few snaps.











We always go up to the tourist shops at John O'Groats and I buy a bookmark, sweets or a book. I saw this and couldn't resist. I used to collect coins as a kid, now it is books/bookmarks and look, a wee wren (I think) on the farthing so I HAD to buy it.





Miss paws is exhausted but I think she had a great trip, I certainly needed a few days away, just some down time, recharge and it is lovely seeing family. I think we will keep up trying to get kitty to see a bit more of the outdoors (she is an indoor cat) as she coped so well out and about. Climbing furniture like a kitten, on the beach and up on her first wall looking like a boss!





So, that has been our adventures, 370 piccys by the way just from the phone - she is the most photographed kitty in the world. Happy 1st of August, I am looking forward to the new shark movie Meg (may even get a chance to re read the book before we see it), it is my birthday this month, I am looking forward to seeing some of my fav humans. Being stuck indoors so much and seeing so little people has been horrific for a gab a minute social butterfly like me. So I am just going to draw the winner for July's comp and I will get August's giveaway prepped and ready to go. Have an amazing August you guys, a fresh new month.

Happy birthday to me

Today is my birthday, I am just home after gallivanting around - I went to Amsterdam with the girls and then off for two nights with my o/h around Scotland.


The buildings in Amsterdam are beautiful, some squint and tipped forward, apparently this is because they use pulleys to get heavy goods up to the flats and by tilting the buildings they reduce the risk of damage to the building and furniture.





I found a few bookstores there but only one that sold books printed in English, I ended up buying three, I was restricted as I only had hand luggage with me. I bought The Fireman by Joe Hill, The Rivals of Dracula by Nick Rennison and Ghost Road Blues by Jonathan Maberry.





The view from the plane was stunning.








Then driving around Scotland for a wee road trip with the o/h. There was some stunning views, I took my wee TripFiction postcards with us. If you haven't heard of them please check out their website HERE. TripFiction matches up readers to books by locations, it is such a great idea and they have a FB/Twitter account and do giveaways.


This one was in Loch Long




This one was in Amsterdam




We stayed overnight in Oban and I found a Waterstones, they had some great book displays out, the new Rebus book by Ian Rankin with the crime scene tape, small things can be so eye catching. I tweeted the piccy to Rankin, I think authors must miss so much stuff and I love things like that and I am just a reader.





I also bought some wee bits and bobs from Waterstones, I had been given money for my birthday and saw some bookmarks, who can resist. I also found a Star Glider, you remember those Styrofoam aeroplanes from the 80s? If not see the picture, this is a mini one and I thought Princess Trixie (the kitty cat) may enjoy it. Wonderwoman magnetic bookmarks and a wee metal one with my initial. I think I did pretty well not to buy any books, o/h pointed out buying a book would have been cheaper, just no pleasing the non book geeks!





I spent the last night in a deep bubble bath with my book relaxing and then we traveled home today, stopping off at a castle where we found a birds nest with four babies in it, you can find loads of piccys from the trips on my Instagram, click HERE.








So after all that travelling tonight is chill, I am re reading IT by Stephen King and finally got a reason to break out the new bookmark to match it. My book is one of the older ones, 1987 I believe and published by BCA Hodder & Stoughton. I wanted to reacquaint with the book before the movie comes out, I have re watched the old one, love Tim Curry as Pennywise, totally freaks you out. Hope you guys are having a great night and chilled Sunday.

Jodi Picoult Book Launch Small Great Things

You can read my review for Small Great Things here, I was very lucky to get an ARC copy from Netgalley.



Last night me & my beautiful friends and friends eldest daughter went along to the Kelvin Grove Art gallery & museum for the book tour Small Great Things. How stunning is the inside of the gallery! Tickets were £20 which I know some people think is quite steep for a book event however this included a signed hardback copy of the new book and Picoult is a fabulous speaker. Not only that the poor lamb had laryngitis and kept going like a trooper!





You can read the review for the book as above however I just want to reiterate that this is a book that will stay with you, racism, injustice and it will make you question yourself too. Last night someone asked her how she felt about the timing of the book what with everything that is happening in America just now. Her answer gave me goosebumps, she said this book is 200 years in coming, it addresses issues that even now are often skirted around. 2016 and racism is still an ugly but very real issue, more so or certainly more in the public eye with Trumps election, Jodie answered with class and honestly she is just such a classy woman with such a great attitude.







The book cover is not like the one posted on Goodreads and linked on my review, it is beautiful and I know I am not normally one to comment much on covers. The front Is black and white striped with a mild texture to it, the writing is a gold/orange shimer as is the spine cover. I was planning on giving the book away as a competition prize but I may just hold on to it, see the pictures below and Princess Trixie is of course in the picture too!.







If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing Picoult speak and back and fro over going, seriously guys go. It is a great night, really worth it and we all enjoyed it. You come away with a great book and thinking a little bit differently!

Merry Christmas you lovely people!

This is just one of my jumpers that are out for December :) Apologies for the lack of reviews posted and indeed the lack of visiting to your lovely blogs. I have been so caught up in university work that reading, for pleasure, has taken a back seat. Even putting my Christmas decorations up, which are always 12 days before, was late. However, now it is Christmas eve, our decorations are up, most of the presents are wrapped and I have made a small dent in the assignments that are due.



The amazon giveaway still has just under a week left on it so if you haven't already, you can still enter. As long as you have an email address you can enter.

A little heads up on a fabulous wee facebook book club group, with authors and bloggers has been created and I am sharing the owners post for anyone interested. *Reposting for Tracy Fenton* "If any of my facebook friends love reading I set up a new book club on facebook 2 months ago and already we have 850 members. We also have huge big name authors involved in Q&A's including Elizabeth Haynes, Linwood Barclay, David Nicholls, Chris Carter, Mark Billingham, Julia Crouch, Charity Norman, Julie Cohen, Joanna Rees plus loads more." - It is called THE Book Club and is a secret privacy set group, you can find it via Tracy.



Now let me share some of my Christmas pictures with you all. We bought the cat a Christmas jacket, didn't think for one second I would actually get it on her and yet she let me put it on her. She is so very cute in it!



My mother always loved tacky and over the top decorations, as a result I have also embraced this. My house is covered in mismatched tinsel, even the bathroom has not escaped. When I saw this Santa seat, well I couldn't help myself, much to my o/h horror :P



We had a beautiful wee robin come visit us, I put out food so he comes by a fair bit however I can never quite catch a picture of him, I got one this day.



And the big star, is older than me. It is held together by quite a bit of tape, glue and staples. I love that even though my mother is no longer with us, we still have some of her decorations we can put out and she so loved Christmas.



I won't be on tomorrow so would like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a very happy new year. Here is to getting lots of wonderful new books, happy times with family and to new friendships. Thank you so much to my blogger friends who have recommended me so many new books, shared their love of reading and to all my followers and visitors who always come back, take part in the giveaways and leave comments.