Liebster Award Nomination

Hello everyone

Awhile ago I got nominated by Casual Book Reviews for the Liebster Award. I had only just begun blogging so I wanted to wait before replying via a blog because 1. I didn't feel like I deserved it and 2. I wanted to have a more substantial backing. The Liebster Award is about highlighting small blogs that you think deserve more support with less than 200 followers. I am most definitely a small blogger and I was very pleased when I got the nomination by Kelly. I had only just started and I was unsure if anyone other than friends were reading my posts or if I was just shouting into the void. So thank you Kelly, you helped me keep motivated with this blogging thing.

The rules for Liebster Award are simple:

1. Thank the person who nominated you

2. Answer the questions given by the nominator

3. Nominate another 11 bloggers (with 200 or less followers) and link them

4. Create 11 new questions for the nominees to answer

5. Notify all nominees by social media/blogs

Questions from Casual Book Reviews:

1. Why did you start blogging?

I've been wanting to blog for quite awhile but I never felt motivated to it or I didn't feel like I had time because of University or school. I think my self-confidence was also a reason I left it for awhile because I didn't think my writing was good enough. I decided to start this year because I had chosen to do the 2015 Reading Challenge as a fun resolution and I figured doing a blog would be a good way of illustrating my literature journey I was taking.

2. Indoors or outdoors?

I think I'm a mixture but I do tend to spend more time inside. I like being on my computer, reading books and watching movies/tv shows. The main sport I've played in the past was underwater hockey and that was in a pool inside so even my main exercise was inside... But I do enjoy going to the beach and going for walks. I've recently found a love of scenery and natural beauty, and have started to enjoy photography. Although I am very much an amateur, it is quite exciting when you take a really good picture.  

3. The last song you listened to?

Shatter Me by Lindsay Stirling feat. Lzzy Hale (the Halestorm lead singer)

4. A place you like to go to think?

Probably the place I have gone the most in the past to think is the Botanical Gardens in Dunedin as I used to live by there. To be honest, I mainly just need to go outside and go for a walk if I want to think. It's preferable if it is somewhere beautiful and serene. I also like long road trips in the car when I can just put in my headphones and daydream. 

5. Favourite thing to bake/cook?

I am not much of a baker or cook. It's more of a means to an ends for me. However, I do like making pikelets, I make them more frequently than anything else. Pikelets are my "I'm craving something sweet but we have nothing and it's two o'clock in morning" kinda thing. Cooking wise I would say my Grandma's chicken pie. It tastes so good.

6. Favourite day of the week?

I'm going to say Sunday or Monday as they are my weekend days. They switch around and sometimes one is better than the others.

7. A story that always makes you smile when looking back on it?

When I was three or four years old, I had a moon bouncer.

My moon bouncer looks something like this but I think it was green.

I loved my moon bouncer and one day my sister, Beth offered to help me. My sister is four, nearly five years older than me. She asked me if I wanted to make the moon bouncer more bouncy, so bouncy that I could jump as high as the roof (or something like that, my memory is kinda hazy). I, of course; agreed and asked how I could do that. She then told me that if I put a pin in my moon bouncer it would make it more bouncy. So of course, I obliged, I found a drawing pin and pushed the tip into the rubber of the moon bouncer. My moon bouncer obviously began to deflate and never bounced again. I was very upset and my mother refused to by me a new one despite it being my sisters fault. This memory has scarred me but at the same time I find it hilarious, at least now anyway. I think it's funny remembering how tricky my sister was. I also have never let her forget that she did this to me...

8. Chocolate or Vanilla

Chocolate, except in Upn'Gos (A morning cereal-esque milkshake), the vanilla is the best.

9. A book you never finished and why?

Boy, I have plenty of these. Atonement, I started reading this at school but got bored so stopped reading it. I might go back to it but at the time it bored me listening about a girl who had no problems kinda complaining about having no problems/secrets.  

P.S. Sorry if this is completely wrong but that's what I remember thinking at the time. I was only 16, that was 6 years ago... 

10. A book you will love forever?

The Harry Potter series, it needs no explanation.

11. Something people may not know about you?

I'm actually quite introverted. That probably isn't that surprising amongst the blogging world. I'm very social and I get along with new people fairly easily but I do love my alone time a lot. Sometimes, I like it more than being around people. I think I'm very much a mixture between extroverted and introverted.

My Nominations:

Amy - Wonderings Of an Old Soul 

Aimee - An Author's Inspiration 

Spencer - Science to a Student 

Siobhan - The Only Blonde in Osaka 

Carmen - Carmen Huter 

Kalliope - Frick Frackin Feminist

Kristelle - Forever Dreaming 

Sam - Life of Sam

Amber - Fawntales 

Dallas - Sister Blog 2

Dulce - Chamber of Creation

P.S. It took me ages to find these blogs, I wanted to make sure they were good and they all are!
P.P.S I have assumed all these bloggers have less than 200 followers but sometimes it is hard to tell so bear with me...

My Questions for Nominees:

1. Favourite memory?

2. What is the top location in the world you would like to visit?

3. Why did you start blogging?

4. Favourite book at the moment?

5. If you could only eat one food for the rest of you life, what would it be?

6. Favourite song at the moment?

7. A place you go to get away from everything?

8. What is a weird dream you've had recently?

9. Who inspires you?

10. Who is your favourite blogger? 

11. What is quote to you find inspiring?

Thank you Casual Book Review once again for nominating me.

Jenny

Highland Guard by Hannah Howell

2015 Reading Challenge

8. A book your Mum loves: Highland Guard by Hannah Howell

Well, I have a confession to make. I sometimes like reading Mummy porn-esque books. They're my guilty pleasure, don't judge me. I wasn't initially going to write a review about this book but then I thought "I'm an adult and I shouldn't be embarrassed." I'm quite picky on what books of this kind I read because I still want a good story. (So I guess 50 Shades is out of the running...) If I wanted to read pure smut I would just go online and google it. If I'm honest, the main reason I read these books is they don't make me over think and the endings are always happy. When I was studying these were the the main kind of books I would read if any because I couldn't deal with anything really substantial. My Mum loves Hannah Howell's books and she has got me hooked as well. Howell has a couple of different series, the Murray/Highlander one, the Wherlocke one and the MacNachton Vampires one. I've read most of her books except for the vampire one because I really dislike vampires. This is the newest book out and I had to read it straight away. It was perfect timing because I really needed a silly book like this.

This book is set in historic highland Scotland, they don't give a specific date in this one but sometimes she does. The book is centred around Annys MacQueen and her difficulties in keeping her young son's lands safe from a cruel kinsman after her husband has died. This is quite a typical storyline for Howell to make. She requests help from Harcourt Murray to come and help her as her deceased husband once saved his life. They have a bit of a complicated history that gets unravelled during the course of the book. The book is full of intrigue, action and sexual tension. Howell's book always contain strong female characters which is pretty refreshing. Though there is always a level of submission involved but that's usually because of historic setting.

I really enjoyed this book because although there was an aspect of the storyline which was quite typical to Howell's other books, she managed to mix it up a bit. The romance aspect was quite different as for once the female protagonist wasn't a virgin. I know shock, horror but seriously some of the previous books where the female protagonist had been married, she still managed to be a virgin. These highland men love their virgins, I tell ya. But you don't expect much in that regard so its not that big of a deal and if I'm honest Annys is nearly a virgin in this book too. Another aspect Howell mixed things up with was the two main characters had this complicated past. I won't get into it because it may ruin the beginning of the book but it is quite intriguing and unique. But ultimately this book was full of cliches. However, the silver linings are that you read these books because you want cliches and Howell managed to make them difficult to see coming, at least to an extent. I also appreciated that she didn't over do the sex scenes. Sometimes in other books I'm thinking "Guys, can you stop with all the sex, there's a murderer on the loose! You need to focus!" but then I continue reading...

I'm really quite a fan of Howell's books even if I don't hold them in the highest regard. Her books have been great for me when I just want to read something with a happy ending, that won't make me think to hard and has a small sprinkling of smut... I recommend that you should try out these type of books if you are a bit stressed and like a sweet love story. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I do really enjoy them but they are still more of a guilty pleasure rather than my favourite books.

Thank you for reading!

Jenny

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief By Rick Riordan

2015 Reading Challenge

7. A book that became a movie: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief By Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and The Olympians #1)

I've been meaning to start this series of books since I became aware of them, when the movie came. I always like to read the book first so I still haven't seen the movie but now I can since I've finally finished the book. I've loved Greek mythology for a really long time, it's probably a huge reason why I wanted to study archaeology. Though admittedly I never continued with Classics after first year at University. I liked Classics but I couldn't fit it in and I prefer and was better at History. So because of my love of mythology I was really looking forward to some fictional books on it. Especially since I knew they were highly recommended. Helen had the first three books so added them to my pile of books from her. So expect a review for those two soon because I freaking love this series.

The Lightning Thief is based around 12 year old Percy Jackson. He is dyslexic and unintentionally a troublemaker, who has been expelled from six schools. He tries to do his best but things always seem to go wrong. Things get worse when he accidentally vaporises his maths teacher. He then discovers he is a Half-blood, a child of a God and human, which explains all the problems he has at school. Percy is sent to Camp Half-Blood, a safe haven for Half-blood children to spend their summer. Percy begins to train as a hero but then is thrust into a quest with two of his friends to find Zeus' lightning bolt that was stolen from him to prevent a war between the gods.

I was a little bit surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. I mean it is meant for children aged 9 and up but I loved it. I think it has similar qualities to Harry Potter where it is written for children and young adults but adults can still enjoy it. I also realised I don't usually read books where the protagonist is a male but like Harry Potter I still really loved it. I found Annabeth, Percy's friend to be very similar to Hermione. She is the daughter of Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, War and Useful Arts. Annabeth is brilliantly clever and really skilled at fighting like Hermione. But unlike her, Annabeth is really creative and wants to be a architect. I enjoyed their similarities because Hermione is such an awesome character and more people should be like her.

I loved the references in  this book. The mythological references were perfect. Though admittedly, because I'm such a mythology nerd; I found myself correcting it ever so slightly. They may not have been incorrect, I may have just remembered them wrong or they were just interpreted differently. But the small inaccuracies I found, didn't bother me, I still was really pleased with it. I loved the Hilary Duff references because they were hilarious and because I love her. She was one of my idols growing up and still remains one. Though admittedly it is more in a more ironic sense now. I was surprised that there was a Barry Gibb reference. I assume it was put there for the parents or adults who read because I imagine there would be few children who know who he is. But I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The plot was written really well by Riordan. The pace was great, I didn't want to put my book down. Though I felt like Percy was sent on his quest really quickly considering he only just got to the camp but that kept the story moving so I understand why they did it. I found the story really funny too. The only negative I felt was because of my age. I just found it strange that it's normal to send a 12 year out on a dangerous quest, half-blood or not. But that is the way of children and young adults books. I'm just old enough now that it seems a little ridiculous. I'm going to give this book a 4.5 out 5 stars. I highly recommend this book especially to anyone who liked Harry Potter and mythology.

Thanks for reading.

Jenny

Star Crossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

A Non-Challenge Book Review

6. Star Crossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Thief Errant #1)

One day while I was perusing Goodreads, I came across this book. I was really interested by the blurb so added it to my To Read list and added it to my wishlist on my Kobo. By my latest reviews, you've probably noticed that I love fantasy books and that currently I am in a young adult fantasy funk which I am thoroughly enjoying. So despite the fact that it fills none of the Reading Challenge's categories I decided to read it anyway. However, I still wanted to write a review and add it to my total of 2015 books so here we are.

Star Crossed is set in a fantasy alternative universe, in the classic medieval-esque way. The world has several moons surrounding it and these have become their gods The king of this land has outlawed magic, any academic study and any worship of other gods other than his own. Their had been a war 18 years before the time the book is set, it was a Sarist (magic believers) rebellion which was unsuccessful. Our protagonist is 16 year old Digger, she grew up on the streets and is a thief. During a routine job, Tegen her beloved and the only person she trusts is killed by the Green men (the police force). She runs and is unintentionally helped by a group of merry young noblemen and ladies. She is accepted as a maid to one of the young ladies and Digger intends to hideout there until the she is forgotten by the Green men. However, she is caught stealing by one of the lords and is then blackmailed by him to be his spy. She is unwittingly thrown into a world of intrigue and politics. It is from here that story picks up pace.

I loved this book so much. I really enjoyed the fact that there was no love story other than Digger's memories of Tegen. I do love a good romance but it was quite refreshing to read a young adult book that didn't use a love interest as a main plot device. There was no distraction from the main story line. There was enough drama and interest in the main plot that I don't think you could have fit in a love story anyway. The pace of this book was superb. I found it difficult to put this book down. There wasn't a huge rush to go from big event to big event but at the same time it was never slow. I loved how the story unfolded and how we slowly pieced together the back story of Digger and of the world she resides in. I found the intrigue in this story really interesting and suspenseful.

The character development in this story was done really well by Bunce. Digger was a really well rounded character as were many of the other characters. I loved the slow change in Digger when she realised she had come to care for these people and that she couldn't take advantage of them like she used to or had planned. She reminded me a lot of Aly from the Trickster books by Tamora Pierce. But it wasn't annoyingly so. They are still distinct characters but I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the Trickster books. I also really enjoyed how the secondary characters were developed. Bunce didn't demonise the characters but she showed how the people had been misguided or blackmailed into doing things aren't considered moral. I especially like how Bunce developed the character Marlytt, a courtesan of sorts and Merista, the young lady who Digger serves.

This book is everything I would want and I love in fantasy books. It was awesome and I can't wait to read the second book, Liar's Moon. Which I believe may have a love story in it, which I'm looking forward to after enjoying a book without it. I highly recommend this book. I'm giving it 5 out of 5 stars, that's how much I enjoyed it.

Thank you for reading!

Jenny

The Pain Merchants - The Healing Wars: Book One by Janice Hardy

2015 Reading Challenge

5. A book with magic: The Pain Merchant - The Healing Wars: Book One by Janice Hardy

The Pain Merchants was another book from the book pile Helen lent me. As you can see I went through a binge on her books. I got overly excited by her books, that I forgot that I was going to have a mixture of books on this blog. Instead I've had three similar books in a row. Whoops. I had never heard of it before but the blurb intrigued me and with Helen's recommendation, I decided to give it a go.

The Pain Merchants was set in a alternative fantasy universe, there has been a war and the city, Geveg is under control by the all powerful Duke. The protagonist is Nya, a fifteen year old; who barely survives by working odd jobs. Her younger sister is a apprentice at the Healer's League but Nya was unable to join so remains on the streets.  She is a Taker, a healer who can pull pain and injury from others. However, she is unable to release the pain into pynvium, an enchanted metal that can store pain like other healers. She has the unusual ability to only shift pain from person to person. This is a dangerous ability that she must keep hidden from the various forces within Geveg. However, a bungled egg theft exposes her to the pain merchants and the Healer's League. Nya now has to protect herself and discover why League apprentices are going missing before her sister is taken.

The plot of the story was written fairly well. It flowed well and was full of surprises, you were not always sure what was going to happen next. However, I found the ending to occur too suddenly, when in the rest of the book the issues the characters faced and how they were resolved happened at a reasonable pace. The conclusion happened so quickly and the main issue in the story was resolved but there had been no real thought put into it. It just happened. I found it quite unsatisfying, Hardy kind of bungled the climax.

Also, the story fell into the classic young adult cliche of making the protagonist the most skilled and powerful character. It's fine but its quite frustrating. I would love the main character to not be the best thing ever. I think it's a good lesson to teach people that you don't have to be all powerful to be a important or brave person. However, in other books that I have enjoyed more it hasn't bothered me. It could be bothering me because its the third young adult book I've read in a row.

The main issue I found with The Pain Merchants was the character development. Nya's character was well developed and she was likeable. However, all the other minor main characters were terribly developed. I felt no real connection to any of them. I first noticed this with the love interest, I just didn't really like him. There was no really reason to not like him but he appeared bland, there was nothing special about the character. He barely had chemistry with Nya and their intimate dialogue was uninspired. The only chemistry you could see was what Nya told you about, like she can't stop looking at him and thought he was cute. Her sister was just as poorly developed, you as a reader felt no real connection to her. When she (spoiler alert) disappears, I found I only cared because Nya was so upset but I wasn't hugely worried if she was only used as character development for Nya or not. The other main character was Aylin, who is initially introduced as someone Nya knew but wasn't really friends with and not someone she can trust but then suddenly she is "like a sister". It was bizarre and a little unsettling.

I found this book alright. I think I will read the next one, hopefully the character are better developed. Overall, it was a okay read, I did enjoy it and found the storyline to be fairly unique. Though there is a part when they are worried they can't heal anymore and I was thinking, "Haven't you learned how to heal without it like we deal with everyday especially if no one can affords it." But of course this a different universe with different norms. I give this book a 3 out 5 stars. I wouldn't really recommend this book unless you like fantasy and magic and are curious by the blurb.

Thank you, I hoped you enjoyed reading.

Jenny

The First Adventure Of Travelling Donkey

A Day Trip To Cromwell, New Zealand

I recently took a small day trip with my friends to Cromwell in Central Otago. Two of my best friends, Tyler and Emily were heading up there for a day trip. They knew I'd be doing nothing... So asked me along for the ride. I'm quite a big fan of car rides, I love letting my mind wander and just listen to music and daydream. It was also really nice to hang out and catch up with my friends.

Me. Emily and Tyler taking a selfie (I know embarrassing) in front of the giant fruit in Cromwell.

 I love travelling through Central Otago. I have done it many times before as my Nana lives in Wanaka so the trip is full of nostalgia. Recently, I've found a love of scenery and New Zealand is full of that kind of beauty. It's quite novel to really appreciate the beauty of the land that you had always taken for granted. 

Looking back towards Clyde, along the Clyde River
Photo taken by Emily

Along Clyde River, between Clyde Dam and Cromwell.
Photo taken by Me

My favourite part of the journey has always been the Clyde Dam. It's one of the industrial structures that I think has this unique beauty, that I just love. I always marvel at it. Dams are just so grand. I hope one day I can visit the Three Gorge Dam in China as it's the biggest Dam in the world. 

Clyde Dam
Photo taken by me

When Emily, Tyler and I made it to Cromwell we went to the historic part to explore. I really enjoyed this, it was interesting seeing some of the equipment and then recognising some that I had seen during my archaeological dig at field school. I also enjoyed going through the art galleries. I only wish I could afford to but some of the art. One day, one day. While in Old Cromwell I spied a second-hand book store (we nearly missed it!). I, of course had to check it out. There weren't any books I was super keen on but They had these awesome cards and postcards of old photos. The photos had been taken by the owner's father in the 1920s. I thought they were really cool so I had to buy a few.

Postcards made from photos taken in the 1920s.

Next, we went and got lunch at a Turkish place, which was nice if classically greasy. After that we headed to a cherry farm where we could pick our own cherries. I hadn't done this since I was a kid so I was quite excited. There's something quite novel about picking your own berries. Though, I imagine people who do it for a living would not feel the same, the work must be quite grueling. However, for us it was a fun way to obtain some yummy fruit. I'm also kinda picky about my fruit not having blemishes or bruises so I really liked picking the best. Emily proved to be the most efficient berry picker, while Tyler ate most he picked and I enjoyed making jokes about popping out cherries... In the end we picked ourselves a lot of cherries, too much in my case (NZL$20 worth...). They were really good though.

The Yummy Cherries
Photo taken by Emily

 We headed home after that, all of us rather tuckered out, despite sitting down most of the day. We were really lucky as a thunder storm hit Dunedin and Otago during the day and we managed to miss it all except for a small shower. We enjoyed a lovely summery day, I love it when the weather works in my favour. 

Thanks Emily and Tyler for inviting me out on your adventure, especially to Tyler for driving the whole way and for enduring Emily and my music. I hope I didn't cramp a romantic trip! Hahaha

Jenny

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

2015 Reading Challenge

4. A book by an author you've never read before: Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

This was probably the easiest category in the Reading Challenge. Most of the books I read are written by authors I have never read or even heard of before. As previously stated in my last blog, I had acquired a lot of books from my cousin, Helen. This was one of the books that I had received that I immediately wanted to start reading so I have just squeezed it into one of the easy categories. I had seen this book on Goodreads and was looking forward to diving into it. I was not disappointed.

Graceling is set in an alternative universe in the usual medieval style standard of fantasy novels. There are people throughout this world who are born with an exceptional skill, known as a Grace. These people are both feared and exploited. The protagonist of this story is Katsa, she has the unfortunate Grace of killing and her uncle, King Randa; makes use of her Grace. She despises having no control over her life and of the killing. She wants to use her Grace for good and not at the whim of a King. The story details how she does this and follows her part in the investigation into the kidnapping into the King of Lienid's father.

I really loved this book, I thought that Katsa's character was just the right amount of spunky and headstrong. I enjoyed her relationship with her love interest, Po. I was surprised how much I liked it because he was the perfect person, with no real flaws that I could see. Usually that frustrates me to no end but I didn't really mind. He was just such a good person and I loved that he had complete faith in Katsa's skills as a fighter. He never tried to play that chivalrous role, which I hate a lot of time. I found their romance really sweet and realistic. They didn't suddenly change their goals and opinions of love and relationships, despite their love for each other. It was nice to see a female protagonist that still had control over herself around the guy she likes.

The plot in Graceling was written really well, it flowed really nicely and wasn't predictable. There wasn't always a clear idea of where they were heading but that reflected how the characters were feeling themselves about the investigation. However, I found the end to the antagonist quite abrupt, it all happened rather quickly but it was unexpected so that was refreshing. I liked how Cashore sorted out all loose ends and that it was smoothly done, rather than lengthening the book for no reason.

This review ended being a bit smaller than usual. I really enjoyed this book so I'll give it a 4 out 5 stars. I highly recommend this book if you love fantasy books and especially if you enjoy any of Tamora Pierce books like I do.

Thanks for reading.

Jenny

The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey

2015 Reading Challenge

3. A book a friend recommended: The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey

I recently went to visit my cousin, Helen who has a huge collection of books. I was there to hang out and help her clear her room of unnecessary clothing and things. While "helping" (A.K.A reading the blurbs on all the books) we had a huge discussion on books and she made a pile of the ones she thought I would like. I only managed to take half of them... She really has a lot, I'm quite jealous. One of them was The Girl with all the Gifts. I had read the blurb on Goodreads so I was already keen to read it but with Helen's recommendation it had to be the first book to read from the pile. P.S. You will be seeing more book reviews from the pile, some as part of the Reading Challenge but I think some won't fit and I want to read them!

The Girl with all the Gifts is set in a post-apocalyptic England. It's quite difficult to summarise or give a good description of this book. When I read this, I went in fairly blind and I think that's the best way to read it because it quite enjoyable finding out the setting as the story goes on. This poses a problem for writing a review but I think I'm safe discussing the characters but event and proper setting-wise I'll say as little as possible. I will give you the blurb that M.R. Carey wrote for the back of the the book:

"Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite. But they don't laugh."

I really like this blurb. It doesn't really tell you much about the the plot but it does intrigue you, which I thought was really cleverly done.

I found the the point of view very odd but refreshing and I couldn't quite figure out what was so odd. The only thing I could tell was that it was in third-person. However, while reading a Goodreads review the person had pointed out that it was written in present tense and in third person, which I had not noticed. It felt like you were being told the story as it was happening, rather than being told a story after it had happened which is a more normal case for books in third tense. I found it quite an interesting and refreshing style of writing. It helped with understanding Melanie's character as a 10 year old but who was extremely clever. Her perspective was seen as quite childish, naturally, but I think the third person perspective and present tense assisted in that due to it's oddness.

The characters in The Girl with all the Gifts were all made really well. There are five main characters:

• Melanie - 10 years old, incredibly clever, the protagonist, loves Miss Justineau.
• Miss Justineau - Possibly in 40s, Melanie's favourite teacher, psychologist, caring and empathetic
• Sergeant Parks - Possibly in 40s, classic military man, has a lack and white understanding view of the world from his experience, kind of horny...
• Dr Caldwell - Possibly in 40s, scientist/researcher, obsessive over work, un-empathetic.
• Gallagher - Age 18-21, green military man, cowardly, abused family life, kind, obedient, unlucky in life

Each had negative and positive qualities but surprisingly all the characters were quite likable. Though Dr Caldwell isn't very likable due to obsessiveness, her thought pattern is quite interesting and hilarious. I really enjoyed the characters and how you learnt about them. Each character would have their own chapters, where the story was focused on their thoughts and actions. I like how realistic each character was and even some of their thought patterns. I found this one quote that illustrates this, it's kind of funny and bit random from Sergeant Parks perspective:

"He stares up into the featureless dark, thinks of the flash of Justineau's crotch he glimpsed when she was pissing on the gravel outside. But the future is uncertain, and he can't get up enough enthusiasm even to masturbate."

This quote is quite crass but what I love about it is that this is what people really think. People think about masturbation and sex but a lot of times they a left out. This sentence helps convey that Parks has normal "urges" despite the situation they are in. Just because a disaster has struck doesn't mean people stop thinking about sex. It was quite refreshing to see the characters, specifically the men still think about normal things, which I think is quite realistic.

I loved this book. It was written well, the characters were realistic and each well-rounded and interesting. There was quite an interesting and new take on the genre and it was executed really well. I loved the ending and it was unexpected. You never really knew what would happen next, it wasn't predictable. At points you thought it was going to be predictable but were later pointed wrong, well at least in my case. I want to give this book a 5 out of 5 stars which is kinda a big deal for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone. The only possibly kind of negative is that it was named one of the best original thrillers. I didn't think it was much of a thriller, if it was made into a movie it would be a thriller but I never got spooked while reading and I'm a bit of a wuss. But this doesn't affect my view on the actual narrative.

I hope you enjoyed this review, I'd love some comments or response to my reviews if you'd like.

Thanks

Jenny

Picture Maker by Penina Spinka

2015 Reading Challenge

2. A book with more than 500 pages: Picture Maker by Penina Spinka 

I took this picture, I want to redo it but I've finished my hot chocolate now and don't want another. Does the chocolate on the cup annoy anyone else or is that just me being nitpicky? Hah

 Picture Maker is the first book in Penina Spinka's Norse/Mohawk trilogy. I initially bought this book at a second-hand book store and mistakenly thought it was a Jean Auel book. I have been meaning to read her books for awhile. However, this book was from another author entirely, which I stupidly didn't realise from looking at the cover... I know, I know, don't judge. I was interested by the blurb on the back so after making sure it was the first book in the series I bought it and started another book journey. AKA it sat on my shelf for a couple of months, I then started reading it halfway through last year, read it haphazardly until this year when I focussed all my attention on it. You know, that kind of journey.

Spinka's Picture Maker documents the journey Gahrahstah or Picture Maker (Actually she has dozens of names throughout the story. She's given a new one at every new culture she meets.) takes after she is kidnapped by the Algonquin tribe, an enemy to her Ganeogaono tribe. Gahrahstah is the daughter of a powerful warrior and was given the name 'Picture Maker' because of her ability to foretell the future in her drawings. Gahrahstah's journey is a grand epic that shows her amazing ability to survive and adapt to new cultures but still holding onto her own tribal values. Picture Maker is set in North America and Greenland in roughly the 1300s, the dates aren't specific but Spinka's Author's Note suggests that date.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book but it did take a bit of effort to read. This book had great description of each culture you meet along the journey with Gahrahstah. Each culture was obviously thoroughly researched and I assume accurate. However, I am not the best judge of this as I have never studied North American history other than the Black Civil Rights movement. Spinka mention the research she undertook, so I'm assuming, if not a bit ignorantly; that it is accurate. That being said, I loved learning about each culture and Spinka did an excellent job of keeping the reader interested in each culture and the description. I have a terrible tendency to skim read long descriptive passages which is why I'm really struggling with Lord of the Rings but I didn't skim the descriptive passages in Picture Maker, I found it fascinating. I also enjoyed learning the differences between the different Native American tribes, I think there's this rather pervasive stereotype of Native Americans but in fact all the tribes were quite unique in their own way. Spinka illustrated this really well.

The plot of the story is really good, it rises and falls throughout, helping to depict a realistic journey. Various upsetting and happy things happy to Gahrahstah throughout her journey but she shows herself to be a strong protagonist but most importantly a survivor. She struggles so much on her journey but she keeps on moving forward and picking herself up. It's quite inspirational. This story is more plot based than character based. We learn a lot about Gahrahstah and a bit about the other characters but for the most part it is about the events and the journey. Usually I'm more of a fan of character based work but I really enjoyed this.

There's a part in the book I really want to discuss because I loved it but I can't because I would be ruining parts of the plot so I'm just going to leave it... *Sigh. Picture Maker was a fascinating book that had a great plot and depicted the cultures really well. However, I did struggle in keeping motivated to read it, that was probably down to my mood because it is quite an intense read and it was quite long. However, that is my main reason I am giving it a 4 out of 5 stars rather than 5. The book has to be crazy good to get a 5 out of me. I'm looking forward to reading Dream Weaver which is the second installment in the trilogy but I think I'll have a wee break first and save my pennies too.

Thanks for reading, I hope you are still enjoying my wee book rambles.

Jenny

Iron Pendulum by Megan Curd

2015 Reading Challenge

1. A book set in the future: Iron Pendulum by Megan Curd (Periodic, #2)

Iron Pendulum is the second book in Megan Curd's The Periodic Series. I initially started reading this series as I obtained the first book, Steel Lily free on my Kobo. I will admit that I didn't love Steel Lily but I was pleasantly surprised that for a free book it was pretty good. Some of the free books on Kobo are awful but then have good Goodreads reviews and I'm just moaning "WHY??" at the computer. But I digress, I can discuss other people's taste in books at another time, I'm attempting to review Iron Pendulum here. If I'm honest, I'm not completely sure I would have continued with the next book but it was only $4NZ and I was in the mood for an alright dystopian young adult book. With that bleak beginning let the review begin! (F.Y.I.To properly review Iron Pendulum I may need to discuss Steel Lily and divulge some spoilers but I will attempt to do that as little as possible... )

Steel Lily and Iron Pendulum are both set in a post-WWIII apocalyptic United States. The population has dramatically decreased due to a nuclear war between the Alliance and the Resistance. The war has caused a rapid increase in carbon dioxide making the outside world uninhabitable. What is left of the population of the world live in dome like structures that cover entire cities. The nuclear radiation has caused mutation in a few which has made these people "Elementals" as they can manipulate the elements. Our protagonist, a young 14 year old by the name of Avery Pike is one of these "Elementals" and the most powerful. Classic young adult fiction.

 In Steel Lily, we are initially led to believe that there is only one dome left, Dome Four. Avery provides steam through her abilities to power Dome Four. However, she is rather rebellious with a big heart and cannot stand the corruption of Dome Four especially within the Polatzi (the police force) and the huge class divide between the Traditionals and the residents of Wutherford Tower. This part of the story ends when Avery and her best friend, Alice are all but kidnapped by a dashing teenager with dreads by the name of Jaxon (#LoveInterest) to Dome Seven to attend an academy for Elementals. It becomes clear that Dome Seven is just as corrupt as Dome Four and lots of events and twists happen and a group that we have come to know, led by Avery, ends up in the Alliance's Headquarters. The group had thought to have been destroyed by the war . This is where Steel Lily finishes and Iron Pendulum begins. 

Iron Pendulum begins with Avery dealing with events that happened in the first book and enjoying her newfound relationship with the ever charming, wise-cracking Jaxon. The Alliance wants to infiltrate Dome Four, discover the corruption within and potentially make an alliance with the Dome. So who do you think is best for the job? Why a bunch of teenages of course! (#YACliche) Avery and her friends are given the job to infiltrate Dome Four. She will "resume" her old life as steam provider while attempting to unearth the corruption, help the people of Dome Four and help the Alliance. 

I would say I enjoyed Iron Pendulum more than Steel Lily. I think Curd's writing improved, the storyline felt a lot smoother and less jumpy. In Steel Lily, there was a lot of jumping from one drama to another whereas in Iron Pendulum there was a lot more tension building. I also think the steampunk theme that runs throughout the series was a bit jarring initially in Steel Lily only because it was so obvious and because I'm not a huge fan of steampunk.  

I adore Avery and Jaxon's relationship. They are both wise-crackers, always at the edge of being rude. They have this amazing rapport, Curd did an excellent job on their dialogue, it is quite funny. I also loved that although Avery and Jaxon seemed to have an instant connection, the old love at first sight archetype, Avery was still in control of herself. I get very frustrated with heroines losing their ability to control themselves over the love interest even against their better judgment. However, Avery could see this attraction for Jaxon but she initially fought it and remained wary of Jaxon until she could trust him. This all occurred in Steel Lily, in Iron Pendulum we see the growth in their relationship and the dependence they have for each other. They feel the jealousy and overcome it because the trust each other. That was incredibly refreshing. I hate love triangles so I was glad the outside characters were there to test relationship's strength not break or alter it.

The main storyline was quite fast paced but with room to build tension. It saw Avery dealing with the backlash of her impulsive actions, more responsibility and more emotion. Iron Pendulum had just as many twists as Steel Lily. However, they were more easy to guess, whereas in Steel Lily, the main twist came as a huge shock. Overall, it was a fairly enjoyable read, there were a few inconsistency that bothered me but that is mainly brought down to the fact that I'm a tad pedantic. The characterisations were great, they had flaws so they acted like real people. The storyline was good, it flowed nicely. Curd sets the scenes really well, the descriptive language was quite beautiful and I'm sure if you love steampunk you'd really enjoy it. 

Although this is a fairly positive review, I still didn't hugely love the book or series but I can't quite put my finger on why that is. I've struggled with young adult books in the past because I found them too shallow but in this one the characters are more realistic and they deal with emotion in a normal way so I'm unsure. I even looked through other Goodreads reviews of it, not to plagiarize I swear... I was hoping someone else had pinpointed what I could not but alas, that had not happened. So if you have read it and know what I'm talking about I'd love for you to explain it to me!  Therefore, I'm going to give a 3.5 out 5 stars for a mark. I do plan on reading the next book when it comes out, it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and I have to know how it is resolved! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves young adult dystopian books and especially to anyone who loves steampunk.

Thank you and see you next time for another installment of Jenny Read A Book And Will Write About It For Your Entertainment (hopefully). Oh God, I'm still cheesy... Sorry, you guys will just have to deal with the brie or maybe feta. Whatever, I feel like. I'm hungry. Byeeee 

3.5/5 stars

Jenny

And So It Begins...

Hello, Kia Ora, Bonjour, Guten Tag, Aloha, Ciao, Ni Hao and Kon-nichiwa Everyone

I have been wanting to start a blog for a very long time but I either didn't have time, motivation or I didn't think I would be "good enough" at writing to do it. However, here I am, attempting to write a blog post. It seems to be going fairly well, a bit unsure if the hello is too cheesy but I do like cheese especially brie, so we'll leave it. Though, I doubt people who speak all those languages will really read this. Oops, I have to stop that self-deprecating nonsense, this blog should be a positive place full of sunshine, rainbows and all that crap.

I have had a rather difficult last year and among my other New Year's goals and resolutions I decided to do a fun one. I decided to do a 2015 Reading Challenge, I found the PopSugar list floating around my tumblr dashboard and thought it would fit the bill. I read a lot already but this challenge will give me the motivation to broaden my reading horizons. Initially, I was going to do a little review on tumblr but I thought a blog would be more appropriate and it would give me the perfect excuse to start one. My Mum is doing the challenge too, but she will be doing it a bit more privately. If you would like to do this book challenge too, feel free to join me on this journey!

The name idea for "The Travelling Donkey" came from my name, Jenny. A jenny is a female donkey (a male donkey is a jack if you're curious). The idea first came to mind when I was thinking of doing a blog when I start travelling. Unfortunately, travelling doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon but I still like the name. "The Travelling Donkey" sounds like a name given to a quaint inn or pub similar to "The Prancing Pony" from Lord of the Rings. I decided that despite the fact that I currently am not travelling and that this blog will be primarily a book blog (at least in the beginning), I still like the name so I'm going use it.

Do you guys want some background information? I don't really care because I'm going to do it anyway... Sorry. I have lived in New Zealand all my life. I went to the University of Otago and completed a Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology and History. In 2013 I began an Honours year in Archaeology, which was pretty exciting because we finally got to do field work! Unfortunately, I had to pull out near the end of the year because I was overwhelmed and had other personal/familial problems going on at the time. Last year was a recovery of the Honours drama so I have decided to make this year moving forward year! That's the plan anyway.

I hope you will enjoy the future updates and thank you for reading.

Goodbye (i'm not going to be cheesy with the goodbye...)

Jenny