tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40392036499717477562024-03-05T17:41:09.240+10:00My Reading ListA Bookcrosser's love of reading...
and other book-related things.Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.comBlogger962125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-69475130394850333642020-11-15T12:23:00.007+10:002020-11-15T12:23:50.948+10:00Busily Writing - Finally<p> <span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Every November, almost on schedule, I tend to get the best ideas and I'm jumping on the computer and writing them down.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This year is no different. I've been taking part in National Novel Writing Month since 2015, and it's been fun and interesting for me to do it. There's different badges you can accomplish, NaNoWriMo camps you can go to - a virtual on this year - and groups to take part in as well. However, I'm one of those to usually take things like this on my own. And you know, since I was young, I was always better working on my own than in a group. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I had better ideas, could think them out, work them out and execute them in a better manner on my own, than if I was in a group. Groups made me feel as though I was inferrior somehow. But if I was on my own, I made up my own rules and could work through the problems which cropped up, without anyone confusing me, battling against me or locking horns with me about my ideas. Okay... I may not have been the most confident person around at school, but when I did try to put forward my ideas, other kids poo-pooed them in a horrible way: 'Yeah, yeah... don't think so.' without even hearing my idea. So, in the end I'd just keep my mouth shut and they'd tell the teachers I 'was no help.'</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thus why I work better on my own... even when I'm doing NaNoWriMo. I get in, do my work and then see how far I get with the book-writing. It's a quiet, lonely and enjoyable kind of thing for me. And with the pandemic, it's something which makes my work even more enjoyable.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the first week, I passed 25,000 words! Oh yeah, I was kicking butt in the word count - but I crashed and burned in myself. I didn't take care of myself and ended up falling asleep in front of my television at 8pm at night by the weekend. Yeah, that's not good, is it? But once you hit that 25,000 words, in the first week, you can take your time with the other 25,000 words... yeah, I've figured out that much with this. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And the book I'm writing is fun! There's magic, warlocks, demons, two young kids who find love in the oddest places, gargoyles and ... well, it's very cool. I enjoy something which kinda writes itself. I've just thrown my characters in and let them go with it - and that's the fun part of writing, letting the characters do the story-telling. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, how are you doing with your NaNoWriMo? Are you taking part this year? If so, is it going well? If not, why do you think that's so? Until my next post, Happy Reading and Writing!</span></p>Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-20622423776629880512020-11-01T22:58:00.002+10:002020-11-01T22:59:41.954+10:00A Nano of a Blog<p> <span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This year, I decided to be different... and I created a NaNoWriMo blog, so if you want to follow along with the chapters I've written, you can. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Just follow this link, and you'll find it:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><a href="https://awitchsjourneyinlife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo 2020</a><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Enjoy, and comment if you wish.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Remember, the chapters and writings are a first draft, full of mistakes and problems and are written out in a rush - but lots of fun. They are not finished, and you'll get a taste of what I'll be doing with them in about a month or so after I've fiddled with a few of them, and reposted them... :D</span></p>Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-89098139906864145202020-10-13T23:05:00.004+10:002020-10-13T23:05:36.925+10:00NaNoWriMo Around The Corner!<p> <span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Well, it's that time of year again, where we all sit down for a whole month and write a 50,000 word book! Yep, it sounds easy, but it's not really.</span></p><p><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We get the idea in our minds and no matter how much prepping, research and brainstorming we do, sometimes, it's just too difficult to get out those words every day.</span></p><p><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But then, you might be the prolific writer who can hit those scores of words without trying; and hey, lucky you! Personally, I've never really been able to sit down and set myself a number to hit and do that... I know that sounds weird but really I find it kinda morbid to do that.</span></p><p><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, just like every year I've been in this - my 4th year this year - I'm going to do my very best and see if I can get past the 50,000 word mark. And you know? I did not have a single clue what I was going to write until last night, when I had the weirdest, out-there dream which turns out to be the best story idea I've had in a very long time.</span></p><p><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And no, I'm not discussing it with you guys - my rule number 1 is to not tell anyone about anything I'm writing or thinking of writing about. I'm not worried about it being stolen, I just don't like sharing my ideas I'm working on or thinking about.</span></p><p><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Anyway, I hope you have a good time with NaNoWriMo this coming month and best of luck writing your book. Until my next post, happy reading and writing. </span></p>Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-90976961015298359232020-07-03T13:34:00.003+10:002020-07-03T13:34:41.939+10:00Late Night Scribblings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the past few weeks, I've gone out and bought myself a brand spankin' new tablet! Yep, it's gorgeous little thing, and I love it. My phone made friends with it and digitally moved everything I wanted to move everything from it to the tablet over... so cute and yet so... very, um... 2001 Space Odyssey. Yep, it felt as though Hal was right there in my Mum and Dad's house taking over my devices and I had no control.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Okay, it wasn't really that bad. But I watched it to this and it was really creepy.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, it's been a few weeks, and at night, after I've finished watching my regular shows on television, I'll turn on the tablet and start writing on the Notebook app I moved across from my phone. I've decided to try to write my life story - again. It's interesting what happens when you try this kind of thing and take it from a totally different perspective. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This time, I'm just writing about things I remember clearly, and putting in my own opinions of them. It's kinda like automatic writing, but I've put in some feelings and I'll fill it out more when the time comes to putting it onto the computer. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You know, I can't wait until this second part happens. It's something I do enjoy - the fleshing out part - as it brings the story to life. Right now, though, I'm just writing what comes to mind, and it'll work out for the moment.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, what are you getting yourself into? I'm also reading a book my brother bought me in India when him and his girlfriend were travelling overseas earlier this year. He found a book by Mahatma Gandhi - two volumes in one! How great is that? I've read the introduction and am up to chapter one. I'm reading a bit at a time in the afternoons. Until my next post, happy reading and writing!</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-73534961942205391892020-06-07T12:26:00.003+10:002020-06-07T12:26:47.292+10:00Reading and Writing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's been a while since I last wrote; and there's a good reason: I don't really have much to write about... well, not until now. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've been sorting through my written work and put the finished books and works onto a flash drive where I can edit them and sort through them and get them ready to publish. I have found this much easier on how I've been finding my writing lately.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, I have begun reading a funny book titled: </span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">'Wicked Appetite' by Janet Evanovich</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">. I have got most of her series of funny crime books which are numbered with witty titles; but I haven't read them yet. I'm that kind of person where I have to have the whole, completed series before I can read it. I know that sounds weird, but it's how I can go from one book to the next easily.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, I've been reading this 'Wicked Appetite' book and have been getting some good laughs while reading it, simply because it's so easy to read - and I've seen the movie based on 'One For the Money'.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, that's what I've been doing in my reading and writing life at the moment. I'll be doing a lot more soon as time goes on. Until my next post, happy reading and writing.</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-79835073627738736042020-05-15T10:09:00.001+10:002020-05-15T10:09:20.377+10:00Not Much Going On<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I haven't been in here much, mainly because there's not much going on with my reading. I haven't read any books while in isolation - but... I have begun writing again.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've been getting a new book together, and with the help from a fellow writer, I've been pulling my ideas together and writing it little by little.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's not easy when I'm normally writing a lot of imaginative works over the past few years so easily. So, what I'm doing - when I'm stuck - is going back over my older work, which isn't edited yet, and reading over it. This gets met into the writing mood.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you're a writer, what do you do to get yourself into your writing mood? Do you read over your old work, do you meditate? Do you listen to loud heavy metal (like I've heard Stephen King does)? Or do you go for a long walk with a notebook - seeing we're permitted to do that now. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, this Covid-19 is really taking our most-loved privileges away from us, isn't it? At least it's not taking away my love of my books and writing from me... or my painting. </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Truthfully, I think it may be that my social life is gone that I can't write what I want to. I know that sounds weird, but when I don't get out to where I want to, in the way I used to, it effects the way I write. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How about you? Has this virus affect your life this way too? Until my next post, Happy Reading and Writing.</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-78540120131218587412020-04-24T13:15:00.001+10:002020-04-24T13:15:13.330+10:00Reading or Writing Time in Isolation!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, it's been a few months since Corona Virus has hit this planet in a big way, and we're all going a little bananas in our homes.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So far, we've probably become very accustomed to washing our hands for 20 seconds every 20 minutes... which really drives me around the twist, but I understand it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've wiped down all my books - no matter how long they've been in my house; they're squeaky clean. And recently, the computer has seen more company than I have with computer people coming to look at it and the inside of it more than they were talking to me... yeah, my computer had a better social life than my wheelie bin and me put together!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And still the computer didn't work by week five of me being home. I ended up taking it to a guy who I Googled about over breakfast this week - and I had never heard of, but his reviews were fantastic.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, the computer is back on track, and so am I. And this is why I've been off-line with my blogs for so long. I'm really sorry about this. Anyway, I hope you can all forgive me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope you're all going okay with the lock downs around the world, and keeping up your reading and writing. I've been trying to think of what to write... let alone read; as my focus is still not complete here since my friend died. But I'm getting new ideas for stories, and writing them down. So, that's a good thing - that I'm not completely done for, right? </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, I hope you're doing better than I am. I haven't read any more books since 'David Boring', but I am looking at what to read next... and it might be something Stephen King wrote way back in the 70's (no, not 'The Stand' - too close to home and way too creepy to read right now). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hey, why don't you guys let us all know what books you've read so far this Isolation time, while you've all had the time to read. I know a lot of us aren't sleeping well either - which is a good time to get in and read too. Until my next post, happy reading - or writing!</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-59919616160067271732020-03-26T12:10:00.000+10:002020-03-26T12:10:05.337+10:00Isolation Reading Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the world goes into lockdown, it seems that Australia is way behind in doing what is right.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But a lot of us are voluntarily staying home - and I'm one of them. I have a medical condition which would make it easy for that virus to enjoy itself in my system; and it would do some real damage to me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The libraries are empty of books because the government closed them all on Monday - and gave members up to 3 months to read them all. I have my own home library and it's all the books I'd ever want to read in my lifetime; which is a great thing, seeing I now have the time to do all the reading I want to do.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I also want to do some writing and editing as well; as I wrote a book while I was house sitting at my brother's house. And it really needs a good look at... and seeing the virus is spreading quickly, it's advisable to stay at home.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It'd be great to know which books you've been reading since January - when the virus broke out - and which books you're up to. So far, I've read:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">'David Boring' by David Clowes - Graphic novel.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm working my way through other books right now, and I'm also writing books as well. Until my next post, happy reading.</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-34461841851074259392020-03-23T09:39:00.001+10:002020-03-23T09:39:33.785+10:00Social Impact On LIbraries<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the impact of the Corona Virus hits home for all of us, we have to really feel awful for the workers around the world who have been told to stay home - or have been laid off from workplaces; in particular, libraries which are closing up around the globe.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For some of these libraries, it's the first time in over a century - and for others, it's the first time ever. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I used to frequent libraries on a regular basis, however, over the past decade I became a germaphobe and just can't stand the places - which caused me to form my own library at home of over 2,000 books. I'm pleased to say that all of my books are either brand new or second-hand (which are wiped clean with sanitiser when I arrive home before being added to the collection) and it does feel great to have a collection of what I want to read here in my house. Do you have a collection of books where you are? </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I do think that if you have your own library at home, it keeps your sanity? I most certainly do! It's something in a way of keeping in contact with the mind of other people through the written word. Music does the same thing - and that's why I have an extensive music collection as well.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, if you wish, please do drop a comment below and tell us all how you're doing in this global crisis. We'd love to hear about your reading commitments right now. How many books have you read so far? Are you well? Are you self-isolating? And most of all: are you okay? Until my next post, happy reading.</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-42885763224995165602020-01-01T11:28:00.002+10:002020-01-01T11:28:14.613+10:00New Books and Old<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's a New Year and a new decade, and there's so much going on in my life right now. However, that doesn't mean I'm not going to get in and read.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last year, was dreadful for me - as was the year before. But I've been reading a couple of books over Christmas and it's been good for me to slow down and get into them. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How about you? What books have you been getting your nose into lately? Or have you been hanging out with family and friends more? If you've been doing the latter, hey that's cool too. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, until we all return back to the normal stations in our lives, I thought to tune into here and let you know what I'm currently reading:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">'The Institute' by Stephen King</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">'The Secrets of the Monarch' by Allison Dubois.</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The second one is explaining a lot about my grief I've been working through during the past two years. And so, it's been good for me to read it. Well until my next post, happy reading.</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-33686914246009456992019-12-17T13:12:00.005+10:002019-12-17T13:12:47.308+10:00Christmas Reading<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Okay... it's a little before that crazy, weird time of year where we just simply won't have time to ourselves. We'll be out and about visiting family (or will we?) and we're blowing out the credit cards just to keep our kids and family happy.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But when the days come to an end, we all settle down into bed and pull out the reading glasses to read before the lights go out, and I'd love to know what you all get your noses into at this time of year.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do you read a little bit of horror from Stephen King and Peter Straub. Or do you get into some Polly Evans? Or are you into Janet Evanovich and her witty, sassy look at crime-solving?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Right now, I'm reading two books - yeah, I love a challenge. I'm reading</span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">'The Institute' by Stephen King</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">. I bought this one at Target 'Country' for $16.00 at Ocean Shores, Northern New South Wales while I was on holidays there. At first, I was going to wrap it up and put it under my tree as a pressie for myself... but then, I began to read it, and just couldn't put it down!</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The second one I'm reading is </span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">'Secrets of the Monarch' by Allison Dubois</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">. Now, I have three of her books, and found she's easy to read. But I'm reading them backwards. This is the book I should be reading last... oh well. It's a good read, and she makes sense too. She's not a heavy-handed writer either which is good for me at this time of year.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, I hope you're reading some great works right now, even while you're catching up with family at the same time! Until my next post, Merry Christmas, and happy reading!</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-1729206447084223242019-12-01T10:11:00.002+10:002019-12-01T10:11:27.737+10:0050,000 Words Blasted!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I finished NaNoWriMo! Woohoo!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Did you finish your book in the allotted amount of time, or did you come up short? Or... did you blast through the 50,000 words and keep going to 60,000 or 70,000? Well, if you did, way to go!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I only just made it with 8 words to spare, and that included an epilogue... to show there's going to be a second book.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, to enjoy Christmas and clean the house. And yesterday, I did just that! I concentrated on cleaning out my art area, and threw out a huge amount of things I didn't need.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And today, I'm hoping to get back into the office and put the children's books away and some other things away too... thus giving me space to put up the Christmas Tree and decorations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">I'm looking forward to working on getting in and sorting through more books and other things in the office as well today; if I get the time to, as I have other housework to get done. I do have other ideas for the office before the year is out. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Well, that's all for today. I hope your NaNoWriMo was as successful as mine has been. Until my next post, happy reading!</span></span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-90061712840223888172019-11-17T14:01:00.002+10:002019-11-17T14:01:20.823+10:00Past 30,000 Words In 10 Days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">NaNoWriMo is great this time around. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So far, as you can see, I've blown past the 30,000 word mark; and I'm up until midnight pumping out those words without even realising it!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's been fun, inspirational, and pretty much the best NaNoWriMo I've done thus far. I'm not really sure what's made it fun this time, but it's been something exciting for me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've gotten more story ideas by working through my sci-fi fantasy collection than anything else; and getting enough sleep is something I've been doing as well. One of my biggest secrets is making sure I eat properly - absolutely zero junk food this year. And if I want some (like pizza or nachos), I make it from scratch myself. There's no going out and ordering it - no matter how much easier it is for me. There's way too much salt in the takeaway variety for me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm also a pantser writer. Yep, I have some idea where my writing is going, I write up rough sketch of what I want to do, and then I throw the character into the thick of it and let them take the reigns. They take the roads they want, they make the deals, they blow up what they want to blow up and everything else is cannon fodder. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Which is the most fun way of writing... right?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Right...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, a storm is grumbling and thundering its way to Logan City. I have a home office to get cleaned up and cleaned out before midday tomorrow. And I better get my chapters written before that storm hits too. So, I best be going. I thought to check in and let you know I'm still here. I'm still pumping out the words into my NaNo book and I'm flying past the 30,000 word mark and heading up the highway to the hellish 40,000 word mark (yep, I'm driven this horrible highway before - it's right when The Block shows its fugly face). Until my next post, happy reading and writing. </span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-34854993019440639952019-11-07T11:03:00.002+10:002019-11-07T11:03:29.472+10:00Reached 20,000 Words<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Okay, there was a good way of doing this easily... and it's because I started writing a draft about a month ago on something I really started research on in September. And the story was about something I had written a flash fiction on a couple of years ago.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, I didn't really cheat, it was something in the wings that I wanted to write, but I wanted to write a draft to see if it would take off first... and well, it kinda did. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Towards the end of October, I held off and did the Halloween thing and organised my folks' house (as they were coming home from a long holiday overseas) and then, I jumped right back into it on 2nd November - only to have some major teething problems with the NaNoWriMo site. But I wasn't the only one. So, it was a matter of spending most the that Saturday reorganising and counting words.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yeah, a royal pain in my butt - and not to mention everyone else's for that matter. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway... my story is really up and running a course I never thought it would. I totally Australian too - with every Aussie slang word there is; along with a few I've made up. But this story has really been a lot of fun to do; making it dead easy to get it up to the 20,000 word mark. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, the counting up on the side there. Each chapter is the in the smaller thousands... the bigger numbers are the above chapters counted together (including the one next to it). If I've mis-calculated, let me know; I'm not good at numbers. I'm only good at writing a book. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, until my next post, I hope you're enjoying the month of NaNoWriMo. I certainly am. Happy Writing and Reading. </span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-57290924973582983362019-11-03T12:59:00.001+10:002019-11-03T12:59:10.208+10:00Welcome To National Novel Writing Month!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Aah yes! November. This is the month where all would-be writers - published and not - jump onto their tablets, computers and phones and write as much as they can to get to 50,000 words (or more if they wish) to write a book in a month!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, last year it was so much fun to get in and just do the deed of getting down and dirty with the words, and I loved it! I completed my book; but it was under the 50,000 words - even when it was fleshed out. But never mind, I enjoyed the ride none-the-less.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This year, the NaNoWriMo site has been updated and has been the most difficult to navigate ever. So many people have put in bug complaints about where to update their word count, that their word count isn't been updated properly, the 'plus sign and clock' aren't on their home page - and they have to sign out and sign back in again to activate them. Or worse still: they have to delete their project and started a new one! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, this year, I put in a new project a month early, and thought I was being uber-organised. It turned out that no, I wasn't being all that organised at all, and the site screwed up my project royally. So, I had to delete my project, sign out completely, sign back in and put up a new project (which was the exact same one, but well, you know computer systems - it just had make me repeat myself). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wasn't the only person who had to do this, and was also more than miffed about how I couldn't just jump into my writing and put on my game face for this challenge. It's just not right when you're doing a massive challenge like this, you get all organised and find there's a huge glitch in the matrix of the system, forcing a lot of people around you - you included - to have to stop doing what you're doing and redo something. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love to write; and this is the first book I'm writing since last year... which I really struggled with. I just hope after this year, they don't 'update' the NaNoWriMo site again. There's so many people still in the dark. Well, until my next post, happy writing.</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-134608296209741492019-10-31T10:28:00.003+10:002019-10-31T10:28:47.839+10:00Halloween Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This time of year is by far my favourite! I get to carve pumpkins, dress up and scare kids, and hand out lolly bags. Yep, it's the fun part of the year.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's also fun to get in and read some good horror too; and as a lot of you know, I'm a big Sai King fan. I love 'Christine' and 'Salem's Lot' as well as 'The Stand' and 'The Talisman' and 'Black House'. There's also Sai King's 'Dark Tower Series' - which I'm still up to book 4 of; if I can find it around the house! I did have it around here somewhere. Yes, it's in a safe place. And you know what happens with safe places, they turn into a wormhole; a bit like where the Tardis vanishes into every now and then.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But it's the way Sai King writes his works which pulls me in. I always feel as though we're sitting by a camp fire - or having a cup of coffee in a local cafe - and he's telling us a tall tale while we're all leaning inwards waiting with bated breath at what what will happen next!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, bang!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He says (writes) something which makes sure when you go to bed that night, you turn to switch off the bedside lamp, and well, you hesitate and wish you didn't have to. King's words whisper in the back of your mind and you wish you hadn't read that book - or that part of the book - this afternoon. But then, he's your favourite writer. </span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, he's mine. And he's why I enjoy his work so much. His work has influenced how I work my own work, my own writing, as well. And you know, it's not easy to pull in an audience, to scare them, to make them feel something with just the words you write. This takes effort, emotion and letting people into your deepest thoughts and feelings - and that's harder than you'll ever think possible. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And so my favourite Halloween reads have to do with how a book is written. I do enjoy the books I mentioned above, truly, and I've reread them a few times as well as watched the movies. However, the books are always better. And even though I have an extensive Stephen King collection, I haven't read all of them, it's just the status of owning them all which makes me want more of his written work. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, how about you? Who is your favourite horror author and how do they keep you coming back for more? Do you write because of them or do you just enjoy reading their work because it takes you places and scares you really good? Until my next post, happy reading and Happy Halloween.</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-33071098144758584112019-10-19T10:28:00.000+10:002019-10-19T10:28:00.994+10:00NaNoWrMo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes! It's coming up to that time of the year again. And I'm taking part in this novel-writing month again.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Are you taking part? I hope you do. It's a great way to get into the habit of writing a book, and taking part in something which will help you work on your words with writing a book.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember my first attempt with National Novel Writing Month - it was less than a success. But as time went on, I became better at it. I was more prepared and I wrote faster.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's something I've found I'm looking forward to each year. And I don't write all day with it. I write a couple of hours a day and that's it; there's not huge demand on me as it's something I've usually planned around - and I try to write a bit every day too.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've been preparing for my book this year in such a way that I've begun working on it beforehand to see if it'll work out - and so it's up the draft stage at the moment; which is good. I'm able to get into it better than any other year. The best thing is that I've even got a cover ready for it too. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, are you taking part in NaNoWriMo? I hope so, it's a great way to get yourself working on a book of any type. Until my next post, happy reading and writing.</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-10448397349681504752019-10-12T11:19:00.004+10:002019-10-12T11:19:57.926+10:00Birthday Gifts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had a wonderful birthday last week; and spent the weekend at my brother's house. It was a good place to hang out and with good company too!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I spent the day doing some cleaning up and packing to drive to my brother's house. It was pretty much a chill-out day until then. But I didn't unwrap any presents until I got to my brother's house - as living alone makes it more an obvious thing that you're not a part of any family when you open your presents on your own.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, once there, and my SIL was there, we exchanged gifts and I found my Mum gave me a <a href="https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/556687203941031220/" target="_blank">Book Bed</a>; along with an </span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Andy Griffiths</span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> book (</span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">'The Big Fat Cow That Went Ka-Pow!'</span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">). I love the book bed, it's just lovely to use! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, I bought myself <a href="https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/556687203940859622/" target="_blank">'The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet' by Benjamin Hoff</a>. What a book! I've begun reading it and it's great so far. I read it before I turn out the light using the book bed. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, yesterday, I picked up the parcel of my Birthday Buddy's and there was a good collection of <a href="https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/556687203941022380/" target="_blank">wonderful reads</a> in that box! I saw some good supernatural books and an animal book (she knows I love animal books) and a journal (yep, I enjoy writing out my thoughts at the end of the day). She also included a Claude Monet mug too; it was one of 'The Lilies'. So pretty! And it's a great size too! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also received a hand-thrown pot from my SIL and two vinyls from my older brother... great presents from the family and plenty of birthday cards too. But I do enjoy the books the most as they last so much longer in my life; and I remember them for so much longer as well. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How about you? Do you remember your book presents better than other ones? Until my next post, happy reading!</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-88695651966294092019-09-28T10:44:00.003+10:002019-09-28T10:44:47.018+10:00Up-coming Birthday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, I have a birthday coming up, and it's always fun to buy myself a little something special for that day.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Usually, I get a set of shelves, a lot of pots and plants or something for the kitchen - you know, something I can build on with care and love. This year, I bought myself a book. I was in the city last week meeting up with friends from 'A Place to Call Home' craft group - of the Brisbane people - when I popped into Archives Bookstore to see if I could track down </span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">'Black House' by Stephen King and Peter Straub</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My lovely big black copy of this book has gone missing, and I really would love to read both books again in the next year. But without the second book, I simply refuse to read the first. So, there I was looking around this gorgeously big and full to the brim bookstore - and not to mention one of Brisbane's oldest bookstores as well! And I found I was lost! They had moved the book around and shifted all the genres around since the last time I was in.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, after asking, I found the ladies there said that their Stephen King section was very tiny. His popularity has come back in a huge way and so when something comes in of his, it doesn't sit on the shelf very long. Then they asked what I was looking for and when I mentioned 'Black House' they said no, it hadn't been in a long time. Well, there went that endeavour!</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, I Googled which books I was looking at next... and remembered I was also searching for a cool little book titled: 'The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet' by Benjamin Hoff. When I asked about it, the lady pointed me in the direction in the shelves I'd find it, when she stopped me then showed me the lovely <a href="https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/556687203940859622" target="_blank">blue book</a> I was searching for and it was only $9 or so. Well! What a great find! And I've got it all wrapped up for my birthday this Saturday! I really can't wait to read it - and I did get my nose into the first 20 pages on the way home on the bus (I didn't have anything else to read with me). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, what books have you been looking for and found another you've been looking for instead, much to your surprise and delight? Until my next post, happy reading!</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-29870437057612063482019-09-16T13:39:00.001+10:002019-09-16T13:39:16.653+10:00It's Been A While<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yep, it's been a while, and there's a good reason for that. My internet was cut off. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, it's not because I didn't pay the bill, it was because in my area, the National Broadband thing was going through and they switch everyone off so you can either join or make your phone a hot spot and make life harder for yourself.... I chose to be normal and join the Broadband system.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today it came all together and I'm all hooked up on the system and now back onto my computer! Yay!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My home office has undergone the first of its renovations: the tall bookcase and Grandpa's home made desk swapped places. That took a day to do on Friday - after much swearing, cursing and needing to be patient.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, now, I'm going through a 2-drawer filing cabinet and shredding anything I no longer need - and believe me, there's a lot in that drawer! I've already filled 2 garbage bags to the brim with unwanted paper; all shredded and ready for the bin! It's a great thing that I've also finally decided to get rid of the filing cabinet too. Dad said he wants it - so there's a home for it as well. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now all I have to do is save up for a new desk and two bookcases... there's around $300 right there I have to save for in the next 2 months. It's not going to take long, I know it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Grandpa's journals are going really well... and I've found some photos of the family when they were living out at Allora and Warwick and the work he used to do out there too. So, it's getting a lot easier seeing what he used to do as well. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, what kind of work are you doing in writing or reading? Are you reading any good books lately? Until my next post, happy reading!</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-70028718050021862642019-08-25T10:18:00.003+10:002019-08-25T10:18:40.296+10:00Home Office Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Seeing I'm not writing that much at the moment, I thought you'd like to know what's going on with the home office. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've tossed out two big bags of rubbish into the wheelie bin, have sorted out bills and other things into a pile to be filed and still haven't found my large, hard cover copy of 'Black House' by Stephen King. I loaned it to a friend and he insists he gave it back - but nope, I haven't found it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Still I'll look seeing he said he gave it back.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, the office is being cleaned out slowly; and I'm also looking around for a newish desk and a just as newish bookcase. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Grandpa's desk has writing stationery in it which I will use in due time - along with the other stationery I have collected over time. Then, I've got to collect more boxes to box up the things I have. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The good thing about doing this big thing to the home office is that I'll be cleaning out a lot of things which will be sorted out in a big way... and this will help me work out what to take with me when I do move to my next place.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My books will still be with me, but I'm hoping to work out how they're sorted out and stored. I just want my office to be a place I want to be in, instead of a junk room to dump things. And seeing I'm not writing at the moment, cleaning my office out is a good starting point for me. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, what do you do when you're not writing or reading? Do you clean out things, or do you do something else? Until my next post, happy reading.</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-89345150723037840962019-08-08T12:20:00.000+10:002019-08-08T12:20:02.328+10:00Even Better!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm doing the next best thing with the home office! I'm doing a big clean out and revamping the room to the next degree!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is going to be fun! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This means I will be cleaning it out completely and getting rid of my old corner desk I've had for over 10 years (and it's so unstable it rocks when you lean on it and the front laminated piece is rotting and falling off) and replacing it with a nice op-shopped desk. The saggy, brown bookcase I've also had for years will be tossed out at the dump - simply because the shelves are so bowed they are unusable; and the whole bookcase itself is not plum (aka: square). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The great thing is that I'll be working on a lot of things in this room and be as brutal with the crap in my home office as I am with the rest of the house. And once I have enough of my things sorted out in this room, and everything organised and enough money put to one side, I'll be asking a few of my family and friends to help me out with pulling apart the desk, and the bookcase and tossing them away.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, I have to get in and clean the room, vacuum and dust and make it useable for the next upgrade and then put in the new-ish desk and bookcase and move what needs to be moved back in... and then put in the books again. Oh, that's going to be a big thing to do! But seeing the library was cleaned out recently, I'll have a good lot of work to get done here in the room, right?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, have you got a reading - or writing - room you've had to update? If so, have you done it successfully? And how did it go? Did it cost you much? How long did it take? Until my next post, happy reading!</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-82712060150831914612019-07-21T10:49:00.002+10:002019-07-21T10:49:24.831+10:00Library Clean-Out Time!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Woohoo!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's that time of year where I've looked at my library and thought: 'OMG! I've got too many books; and I don't know if I'm going to read this one, or that one, or any of those! I seriously need to clean this library out!'</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, I grabbed a couple of boxes from Bunnings (a big gardening store which leaves their boxes out for anyone to grab) and today, I'm cleaning out my home library.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I usually have a lot of fun doing this because I come across a lot of books I haven't seen in a long time, and usually I wonder how long they've been there and why I never read them. And, if I'm doing this clean-out, it means I'm never going to read them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, with the books I'm getting rid of, I'm hoping to sell the good ones off to new homes and give away the other ones in a Big Book Giveaway on Bookcrossing... this will be fun! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Have you done this to your library over the years? It's very cleansing isn't it? I do it every year to keep my library fresh and know what's there. Until my next post, happy reading!</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-42111240150147594712019-07-18T23:12:00.002+10:002019-07-18T23:12:49.166+10:00Tossed Out<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of my neighbours died recently. I didn't know anything about him - not his name, what he looked like, his age; nothing. I knew he was around 30 years old, died from a heart attack and was Irish, and had only been living in my unit complex for around 2 months before he died alone in his bedroom.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is no way to die. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Over the past few weeks, the Irish Embassy have been working with his family to get his remains back home and his belongings as well - and I really wish I had gotten to know him as a neighbour; as I normally say hello to everyone around the place I live because I've lived here for so long, it's just something I do.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But today, I saw something which was really sad: there were a couple of guys who were throwing out his things and this included all of his books. Man, there must have been over a hundred books just being tossed into the recycling bin outside his townhouse. I noticed them being tossed as I drove past and it caused me to turn around and park my car next to one of the other neighbour's places, walk over and ask if I could look through the bin. The guys said yes, and so I started looking.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There were so many titles I was amazed at the collection he had. He read Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe, Dick Francis, Michael Connelly, and other great author as well. He was into biographies as well... authorised and unauthorised editions. There were some greats such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Hutchence amongst the collection too; all of which I picked up to add to my collection. Sadly, they all had bookmarks in their pages, places where he had gotten up to and he'll never finish. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I kinda felt sad as I cleaned the books with anti-bacterial wipes at how nice the books were, and yet he'd never read them again. He had great taste in literature and in murder mysteries and the classics, and yet nobody knew who he was as a person here all because we were too busy to talk to him as a person. The books alone make me feel as though we really should get to know others before anything else goes horribly bad in our lives... and even though reading and books are a good connection, how are people supposed to know this if we don't talk about our passions of the written word openly? </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, do any of your neighbours know you love to read? Do they know which of your books are you favourites, and who your favourite poet is? If not, why not? Are you too shy to let somebody know you like Poe or that you're into Shakespearean Theatre or even the opera? Why are we so scared to let people know what we love the most - after all, we're all so open to let everyone know what we hate. Until my next post, happy reading.</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039203649971747756.post-10142299153582541742019-06-29T16:11:00.000+10:002019-06-29T16:11:16.136+10:00Favourite Places<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Reading has taken up a big chunk of my life; and over the past few years, I've been working on my arts - which has taken me away from my love of the written word.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, I've found that reading a little before I go to bed at night has become quite a good habit for me because I totally enjoy doing a little reading just before the light goes out. </span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But in the past my bedside lamp was too dim to do this and I couldn't sit up in bed to read - yep, I was angling myself on my stomach towards my reading lamp to read; very uncomfortable. Recently, I found these bigger lamp shades at the local op-shop and with my Dad's help, we got them to fit onto my current bases. Now, I'm getting back into my before bed reading again... how cool is that?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last night, I caught up with </span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">'The Haunted Bookstore' by Christopher Morley</span><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> - a book I haven't read since last February because of its complexity and language due to it being written and published just after the first World War. And I totally enjoyed reading it without straining my eyesight. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, where is your favourite place to read? Is it your home library? Or out in your back yard on a nice cool afternoon? Or if you haven't had time lately, do you also read in bed before you turn out that light late at night? I would love to know. Until my next post, happy reading.</span></div>
Mozettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16267731815392625679noreply@blogger.com0