Happy New Year!!!

Closing 2014

This year has seen a lot of changes in my life and one of those is that time for blogging has been virtually non existent. I tried by best to keep up but I'm afraid I won't be back in the next few months... Maybe one day...

In the mean time I am still reading and recording my reviews on Goodreads. I don't have much time to read blogs so I mostly keep up with the series I was reading. And the lack of time has also led me to read "categories" which may be nice reading snacks for when you just have an hour of two to kill.

I hope to be back one day but as for right now I just don't have the time and the energy. I just want to close the Port HF Reading Challenge and then let's see what the future brings.

Reading and Blogging Pause

I am so sorry for this unexpected pause in my reading and blogging. Sometimes life happens and our daily routine changes. My professional life has been full of ups and downs lately and I am trying to make something of it. 

I'm afraid I won't be able to post much in the near future but I hope to came back to it eventually. I will post an update on the Portuguese Historical Fiction Challenge soon. It hasn't exactly been a success this year but if someone would like to pick it up and continue it just let me know.

Happy Birthday L&M

It's hard to believe three years have passed already...

Living the Simple Life - Elaine St James

If your life seems hectic, stressed, and complicated, then it's time to start simplifying. In Living the Simple Life, best-selling author and simplicity expert Elaine St. James shows you how to eliminate clutter so you can free up time for the things that really matter. Read and discover:
Ten ways to gain an hour a week Five ways to gain a day a week How to get rid of all that "stuff" How to simplify shopping, cleaning, laundry, and other household chores How to say "No!" to life's time-wasters and crazy-makers 

Having two small children at home and not that much space - not to mention a growing need to declutter both my home and my mind - have led me to look for books that could be halpful in that process. I had seen this one recommended on a minimalist blog I visit so I decided to try it.

I wasn't as happy with it as I thought I would be. Some suggestions were just common sense and others showed concerns that are totally outside my reality but I guess for a fist read on the subject it wasn't that bad and that also why I decided to start the new year with this review - I am definitely  trying for a more organised, green and simple lifestyle and hopefully 2014 will see the reflection of my attempts in that direction.

I'm back...

I sort of disappeared a month ago because my computer crashed again. It's the second time in a few months so maybe it's time to get a new one. Or maybe get a Tablet, I've been thinking one of those might be useful for most of the things I do online and it would be much cheaper. My ebook reader crashed around the same time so I read little this past month. In a way that was a good thing as I used that time to organise things at home and check out some new TV series. 

Now that I'm back (and I'll hopefully stay that way till I get a new computer/tablet) I'll catch up on the challenges I'm involved in. I missed a few deadlines and the update of the Portuguese HF Challenge but I'll get back on track in the next few days.

Reviews on hold......

...Till the computer gets fixed

Happy Valentine's Day...

... to my three boys!

The reason why I've been absent...

and why I don't know when I'll be coming back to blogging...

Going Away and other stuff

September is once again time to go on vacation. It's also a time to relax and spend some time away from the computer. I have reading plans, crafting plans, travelling plans and I do need to devote more time to myself so I'll be back to blogging only at the end of the month. 

I hadn't realised it before but this means I'll miss the 7 year anniversary of one of my groups. 7 years ago I founded a group devoted to the discussion and exchange of books. I had started reading in english only recently and had some problems finding cheap books here. I knew of many such groups but, due to high postal rates, they were only available if you lived in the US. That's how I came up with the idea of creating one just for european members.

There weren't many europeans lurking in forums and groups devoted to book exchange then. Nowadays there are many, and since Bookmooch and Bookcrossing helped making more books available the focus of the European Romance Trading Group has changed from mainly trading books to mainly discussing books. We have members of different european countries such as Spain, Italy, France, UK, Germany, Austria, Romania, Greece not to mention Portugal. And, although in the beginning it was mostly romance, we also discuss mysteries and thrillers, classic literature and whatever else comes to our mind.

So if you like books and would like to talk about them with other like minded people, all located in Europe, you are hereby invited to join us at the ERTG. I promise I'll greet everyone when I get back!

See you in October!

Birthday Weekend

Clip art courtesy of DailyClipArt.net

I haven't been much online this weekend because yesterday it was my birthday and today it is L.'s birthday. We were really lucky in the fact that we both had the saturday off so we have been spending time with the family and friends.

I received some really nice presents and was wonderfully pampered which is always nice. Today is my turn to pamper the birthday boy so I better go and do just that! TTYL!!!

Some End of the Year Conclusions & New Year Resolutions...or not...

It's time for some reflexions about the year that is at an end concerning what I usually post about here. This was the first year I got involved in Reading Challenges, it seems they have been around for a long time but, although I enjoyed reading other people's posts about them I had never joined. This year, thanks to A., I finally found the courage to join some and what started with just a few soon became a huge task as I couldn't resist joining more and more challenges. I have to say that this made me read books I wouldn't otherwise have read and I found that a positive thing. I reread some of the classics that were a part of my teenage reading and found more authors and genres to enjoy. Although I may not be joining as many challenges in 2010 as I did in 2009 they definitely were something that I enjoyed and that I plan to repeat. I read a bit less this year, 160 books in 2009 as opposed to 185 in 2008. I was planning to highlight my best reads but I already wrote a post for Historical Tapestry about my favourite historical fiction books so I'll just leave you the link. I don't read only HF though so check my Goodreads account if you want to know what more I've been reading.

I also watched a lot more movies and TV series than in the past. My involvement with the Lights Camera History blog has definitely contributed to that, at least in the period drama department. I had been a fan of the british period drama for some time but this past year I tried other cinematographies. My discovery of the year was the cinema made in India. Thanks to A. I have watched some movies that quickly became favorites like Lagaan, Jodhaa Akbar or Mughal-e-Azam.

http://www.graphicgarden.com/

Hobbies wise it seems that only my crafts have been a bit abandoned, during the first half of the year I think that happened because painting takes space and you need to do it in some place where you don't mind if the floor, table, etc gets dirty. I used to have a place for that but I don't anymore and at home there's not much space so most of the materials have been in storage and I only painted one or two things for Christmas. I think sewing and knitting might be more suited for me now but I haven't had much time to devote to it. At least not as much time as I used to. I did set up a blog (in portuguese) to show what me and my Mom have been crafting.

Now to the resolutions...I have been setting myself goals in past years and I just decided that I am too bad at keeping them so there's no point in continuing. I have great hopes for this new year, like most people I wish the world crisis would end soon! And, a bit closer to home, I wish we may all stay healthy and happy! I want to value more my family and my friends, to enjoy the little things in life, to learn new things, to do more with less... But those are not exactly resolutions, they are a part of my journey in this life. On the subject of being happy I've been following Gretchen Rubin's blog for a while now and I'm greatly enjoying it. Some things are great food for thought...

So, I suppose the only resolution I have is to keep blogging. That means continuing reading, watching movies and Tv series, crafting and sharing my thoughts about all that with you. That's it! I do have other plans for this year but we'll get to that when we get there...

I wish you all a great year in 2010! May all our expectations be fulfilled!

Organising Myself

It seems I must needs to organise myself. I started taking some classes in Web Design 3 times a week which are totally ruining my reading time (I only read 5 books in October... ) and since Christmas is around the corner we're already hard at work on some of the gifts, another time killer. So if I want to keep up with everything I better do a list of things to do and stick with it.

So this afternoon I'll be:

1. 
   
   Putting all the books I have to read for the challenges till December in a separate pile
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Organising my Christmas TBR pile
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Doing house chores
   
   
   
4. 
   
   Reading all the feeds on my Google Reader, something I have been unable to do ever since I returned from vacation in September
   
   
   
5. 
   
   Writing my review of Sara Donati's Into The Wilderness
   
   
   
6. 
   
   Starting a book from the pile I mentioned in point 1
   
   
   

I can't believe that I haven't even started yet and I'm tired already...

No New Additions To The TBR Pile

There were no new books arriving at my house this week. It's all for the good of the old TBR pile but it's kind of sad at the same time because I so love to get new books... But considering I haven't been ordeing that many books lately I might have to stop this weekly "new additions" post. I'm also planning to spend the next two months doing christmas presents so I wont read all that much.

So, for today, here are a couple of fun quizzes about Halloween, we don't exactly have that tradition in Portugal although we do have one about children going trick or treating in the morning of November 1st. The doorbell ringing is not my favourite waking sound but I always have candy for everyone!

You Are Not Crazy for Halloween

You are what's known as a Halloween humbug. For some reason, you really can't get into the season. Low carb diet? Hate kids? Have an irrational fear of fake blood? Whatever it is, Halloween just isn't your bag. Your best option is to camp out until November 1. Resist the urge to smash pumpkins and toilet paper houses. Start your own anti-Halloween movement. If it worked for Valentine's Day, there's sure to be some takers for Halloween!

Are You Crazy for Halloween?

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

You Are Kooky

You are all about sweet treats on Halloween. You don't mind if people get a little scared, but no one should get PTSD from a haunted house! You believe that Halloween should be about fun not fight. You love to dress up in an amazing costume and go out to show it off. You've even been known to take in a scary movie or haunted house, but only if it's well done and not too freaky. You'll pass on anything too gruesome. Your favorite thing about Halloween is watching the tiniest kids have fun. Looking at them makes you feel a little bit younger too!

Are You Spooky or Kooky?

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

You are a Vampire Movie

You believe that evil isn't exactly black and white. In fact, the dark side can be incredibly seductive at times. You like vampire movies because they are more morally ambiguous and complicated. Sometimes it can feel so good to be with someone bad. You like the dance between good and evil. You prefer that the conflict is more nuanced and mental than physical. Your favorite movies portray a complex villain ... films like Blade, Dracula, and Twilight.

What Kind of Horror Movie Are You?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

The Firefighters Parade

We don't have that many community traditions in my town but very 2 or 3 years we have a big parade to raise money for the local firefighters. Farmers from the rural aereas help by donating fruit, vegetables and animals to be auctioned and the rest of us help by bidding on them. Everything that is donated arrives in decorated cars and they parade through the streets before arriving at the firefighters headquarters where the auction takes place.

Since my brother is a firefighter we always support the cause by buying something at the auction. This year's parade happened yesterday and I couldn't resist taking some photos.

My brother and his colleagues in one of the cars.

More pictures here

And... This blog is Back!!

I'm back from vacation! Ready to start working again and to start reading and reviewing at good rythm too. I actually read quite a few good books these past few weeks, I especially enjoyed the much talked about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society which was even better, and more surprising, than I expected. But I read others too so expect lots of reviews in the next few days.

I must confess that I had been feeling a bit tired and with little wish to blog lately. I do love all the blogs I participate in besides my own but I must confess that sometimes the pressure of wanting to post reviews so I can chat about the books I read (or movies I watch) gets to me. It's highly addictive yes, but it's also stressful when you start to think that you need to read more and faster. Is it just me or does it happen to you too?

Fortunately that bad feeling only comes once or twice a year and at the moment I'm quite ready to take on the TBR pile and start blogging regularly again. Being away these past two weeks made me miss all the buzz of the BBAW Awards. It seems there are some interesting memes around so I'll go catch up on those and see which ones I can still participate in.

I received quite a few books while away (I'll post a picture of the pile in the next few days)however, the fact that the mentioned TBR pile is getting bigger, and that I'm having trouble with space available for all the books I read, I decided that besides trading my extra copies and read books at Bookmooch I'll now sell them at Bibliofeira too. This is a portuguese site so this is mainly a heads up for my portuguese readers. :-) But... I'm also planning a couple of giveaways here at the blog so stay tuned for more info!

I guess that's it for now, I got a bit carried away and this seems like an overly long post... sorry! Tomorrow we resume the regular schedule. ;-)

Away For The Weekend

We are going away to the Alentejo for the weekend, we're going to stay here and do some sightseeing, eat some good food and go for some walks in the countryside. Happy Easter!

Still Celebrating

I was planning to take a photo of my cake to show you but can you believe I totally forgot? Now there's only one slice left so it doesn't look pretty anymore... and I am eyeing that slice, she is just begging to be eaten!


Anyway, it was a great day although I ended up having to solve an emergency at work through the phone. I got mostly clothes for presents and only one book, Patricia Cornwell's Book of the Dead. I have already started Predator which was in the TBR pile so I can get to this one next.

Today we're celebrating L.'s birthday but he has a class this afternoon so I have some free time to come and check emails and messages.

I've been looking at the Rita nominees for this year and once again I haven't read most of them. Of the ones I've read something strucks me as odd. In the best novellas the two chosen from the It Happened One night anthology are the ones I thought were weaker. Most reviews I've read agreed with me so I wonder what happened for the best ones to be left out.

I'll be back tomorrow with the usual "new additions to the TBR pile".

Temporarily Closed!!

Today I'm celebrating my birthday. I took the day off from work so I'm just going to read a book leisurely, have lunch with my parents, go to the hairdressers and then have a family dinner with cake and hopefully lots of fun.

I'll be back tomorrow with some news but very briefly because it's L's birthday and I have to celebrate with him and eat more cake! :-)

I'm back!!!

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth but I have been without internet access at home and so unable to blog or to visit as many blogs as I normally do. It was quite an experience to constantly feel the lack of information that the internet can provide but I must confess that I also enjoyed having more time to read, watch movies, knit, etc, than what I normally have as I tend to spend quite sometime online everyday.

The result of having more time to do all those things is that I now have a number of reviews to post, I have finished one of the challenges I was involved in and I have watched quite a few movies that I plan to mention here.

I'm back and ready to resume the normal blogging schedule! :-)