I'm Up for a reading challenge

Especially when it involves my favourite Jane Austen novel "Pride & Prejudice"

Yes I know I have my reading challenge page up there that needs updating but I have been reading, just not updating and I know I am a super baaaad blogger but here is the gist of the challenge (as copied over from the following bloggers)

Kylie @Little Black Marks, Miss Dove, Car.

Everyone knows who Jane Austen is (hopefully) so here is the challenge:




The challenge to anyone who cares to take part is to read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. Given the general craziness of most people's lives, the suggested time period of just over 3 months - from now until August 31, 2013 - consider it the perfect winter challenge.

You may also choose in those three months to do the extended version of the challenge and watch what started this all - The Lizzie Bennet Diaries which can be found on the official site, on tumblr, or YouTube.

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If you are really brave, you can go the super deluxe version and also watch the movie or BBC production or any other production you know of.

The 2005 movie version starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth and Matthew Macfadyen as Darcy Which I happen to have in My collection

The 1995 BBC version with Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth and Colin Firth as Darcy

 which I have been dying to watch

I am going to try the super deluxe version - Book, both movies and the Lizzie Bennet Diaries.  Also in case anyone is reading and interested I read another book last year that was free on Kindle for a while called "Darcy's Voyage"
It's just another little take off of the original Pride and Prejudice and I loved it.

I will write up a review after I re-read it as part of an extra challenge for myself.

Candle for a Corpse book review

My first every official book review:
(Please not this review is un-paid, I receive no compensation in any way for reading and reviewing this book, except the pleasure of a free book to read)
I am a member of "The Romance Reviews" website and the original review can be found here: http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=7996

Author: Marilyn Leach
Publisher: Pelican Ventures
Release Date: December 2012
ISBN: 9781611162646
Four Stars from me....
Book Genre: Romantic Suspense/Mystery

An Advent gathering that ends in murder, a vicar's wife with a nose for investigating and a small English village full of colourful characters that all seem to have something to hide. 

Along with an incompetent police constable and a reluctant husband, Berdie Elliott investigates the mystery, uncovering town secrets along the way very discreetly over tea and scones. Her best friend/sidekick Lillie accompanies her and has the good fortune to meet a handsome caring doctor who then jumps into the fray and assists them in their pursuit of the murderer.

An Indian grocer who happens to be in the right place at the right time, the electrician apprentice who tries to leave town, the strange visiting clergyman with a short fuse and the poor confused neighbour are just a few of the interesting people you will meet.

With a whole cast of wonderful characters that feel like you could meet them should you walk into any small country village in England, CANDLE FOR A CORPSE is a great romp through the countryside.

This was a very enjoyable read, the characters felt very real without all the excess waffle and fancy conversation that seems to appear so much these days in books. Berdie and her husband are lovely caring characters and their relationship is a good old fashioned marriage with all the right values of caring for each other and the people around them. The story rolls along nicely, meeting new characters and discovering new elements smoothly.

Overall I found it a great read. The story flowed well and was a very enjoyable old fashioned murder/mystery without the sex and gore that can sometimes occur in today's fiction. I hope there is another mystery for Berdie Elliot to solve soon for me to read about.

New Year, Sewing, Reading and other things.

Hello, hello to anyone out there who still bothers to read my blog.

I am not one to make New Years Resolutions, I am usually very happy with life and what I have been dealt and where life is for me right now.

However, this year I would like to make a couple of resolutions and place them here for anyone to see.

1. Blogging at least once per month. Simple really, let's see how I go, more than once is all good but at least once is my goal.
2. Reviewing on my blog. I have found some wonderful sewing patterns and other things that I would like to share with anyone who cares to read about them.  I will blog here and share with you what I find.
3. Books, books and more books.  I have 2 challenges concerning books this year.  I have taken on the job of reviewing some books that are not yet published.  Now these will be a wide variety of books but mostly based around the romance genre.  I am not getting paid for these reviews it is merely for the love of reading for myself that I am doing this.  
4. I have also joined a challenge being conducted by a blogging friend of mine to read 13 books in 2013.  Now this will not be a great challenge for me as anyone that knows me will know that I always have a book on hand and sometimes 2 or 3 on the go at onces.  So I have taken on the extra challenge of reading 13 different genres for my 13 books.  I have created a tab at the top of the page where I will be adding all the books and a short review for this challenge.
5. Last but not least just to enjoy life.  I have a wonderful and I mean amazingly wonderful husband and 2 fabulous children (they are challenging but still wonderful) and we are super happy on our farm but occasionally I get a case of the "Woe is Me's" so this year I will have another page at the top of the blog called 'WONDERFUL', here I am going to make a list of all the wonderful, fun things that happen this year to share with you all but also to have them to read at the end of the year.

So there it is, I am wishing you all a wonderful 2013, may your hopes and dreams be fulfilled.

Bec

Sewing & Reading some more

I have been sewing for my niece Adelaide.  My one and only brother moved home to Australia in August this year.  He had been living in the USA for 5 1/2 years.  While he was there he met a lovely lady and got married and they now have this little cutie on their hands.  

Adelaide is 18 months old, which is really handy as she is almost 1 year exactly behind my Jess so I can send her any lovely clothes that don't fit Jess anymore.

It also means I can quite easily make her cute outfits to wear in a snap.

Not sure why this photo turned itself around when I loaded it up.
It's just a little A-line pinafore with snapped tabs on the shoulders.
Fabric: It's a Hoot

This one is the Same dress but with Buttons on the shoulder tabs.
Fabric: Amy Butler Soul Blossom.
It may be a tad big right now.

An a 3rd dress.
A cute tie neck halter with ruffle around the bottom.
It has elastic around the chest with a slight frill at the top.
Fabric: Amy Butler Soul Blossom.
I think I accidentally made this in Jessie's size so it will go away for next year.

Then there is all the books that I have been reading.
I have been terribly hooked lately and have been going to bed early with the intention of reading for half an hour and going to sleep.
Well 2 hours later I look up at the clock and realise this is not what has happened and the next day I suffer for it.
I just can't seem to help myself when I start reading I can't stop.
To see how busy I've been check out my reading lists on the page tabs up the top.  I am up to 98 books all up for the year, I may even have forgotten to put a couple of the list too.