M.L. Sparrow's Blog, page 34

Day Three

 Today the rain and grey sky put an end to my plan to take the bus up to Kegon Falls. Instead I decided to head up to the Art Museum I passed yesterday, near the temple complex, however, that turned out to be shut, so I meandered around some of the smaller, less impressive temples that I didn't see yesterday, before wandering back down the main street in search of something to do. I returned to that little Dragon Art shop I mentioned in yesterdays post and brought myself the most beautiful, hand

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Book 1) by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen   Blurb: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”  So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are

Day Two

My first day in Nikko. I didn't sleep well last night and am still seriously jet lagged - it took a mountain of make-up to disguise the dark circles under my eyes - so I decided to take it easy today. Walking from my hotel to the park where loads of temples are gathered only took about twenty minutes and the entrance to the park was easily recognisable because of the fact that the Shinkyo Bridge is right next to it.  I took a while to admire the bridge from afar and took a few photos. For a fee

Day One

So, today was my first day in Japan. I stopped over in Tokyo for the night after landing, but headed up to Nikko on the train at about midday. Before I left though, I managed to check out some of the beautiful cherry blossoms that are currently decorating Tokyo and the surrounding areas. There was a lovely walk-way with cherry blossoms - sakura - on either side, leading to a park, where I got some nice photos to remember the brief experience.  The train ride up to Nikko took two hours and was

Sakura

It's now cherry blossom season, the word for cherry blossom being sakura. I missed this last time I came to Japan - I left just before it started - however, this time I managed to take a look around and get a few photos. Unfortunately, I was only in Tokyo last night, after flying in, before heading to Nikko today, but you could still see all the blossoms from the train and people picnicking beneath them.   

How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon, (How to Train Your Dragon, Book 1), by Cressida Cowell   Blurb:  Hiccup Haddock Horrendous III was a truly extraordinary Viking hero. The warrior chieftain and awesome sword fighter was known as 'the Dragon Whisperer', on account of his power over these terrifying beasts. But it wasn't always like that, and this is the story of his rise to fame, in his own words.   Yes, before anyone else points this out, this is a kids book and I'm not a kid. However, that small factor

Keeping the Peace

Keeping the Peace, (Aspen Valley, Book 1) by Hannah Hooton   Blurb:  London waitress, Pippa Taylor has no interest in horses or country-living. But when she inherits Peace Offering, a hopeless racehorse, she embarks on a career change in order to see her late uncle’s wish to run him in the Grand National come true. But having talked her way into a job as racing secretary to champion National Hunt trainer, Jack Carmichael and moved to the West Country, Pippa finds herself faced with more daunting

Cover Reveal Time!

Off to See the WIzard, by Clay Johnson   Check out this great cover! I love it; it's very unusual and quirky. I actually can't wait to review this book...  You can also check out the book trailer here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThJsU...   Excerpt: Section One: The Curse Testimony of Illric IV, High Lord of Toth      From the beginning? Are you certain? The beginning is pretty dull, you know. All of the violence comes later. The beginning is just sex and blood and guts, and—

October 32

October 32, by Larry Rodness   Blurb:  It's October 31, and insurance agent Alexander Malefant is sent to picturesque Elora during its annual Halloween festival. No sooner does Alexander arrive than he witnesses the near-drowning of a boy bobbing for apples. Shortly after that, a group of children are attacked by crows. Later that evening, all the children in the village suddenly disappear. Soon, every person becomes a suspect as residents frantically try to discover what happened to the

Allegiant FILM

Yesterday, I went to see Allegiant, the 3rd film in the Divergant series. I absolutely loved the first film (I went to see it three times in the cinema) and thought the second one was great too, therefore, I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunatley though, I left the cinema feeling very disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad film, it just didn't live up to its predecessors. It had a much different feel to the others - which makes me  wonder if maybe they changed