Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 27

#Quotes About Children And #Reading

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”

~Dr. Seuss

 

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“Parents should leave books lying around marked ‘forbidden’ if they want their children to read.”

~Doris Lessing

 

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“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”

~Emilie Buchwald

  

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“Every book is a children’s book if the kid can read!”

~Mitch Hedberg

  

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“I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think interior decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.”

~Anna Quindlen

  

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“A child who reads will be an adult who thinks.”

~Unknown

  

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“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”

~Margaret Fuller

  

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“I wanted to read immediately. The only fear was that of books coming to an end.”

~Eudora Welty

  

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“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.”

~C.S. Lewis

  

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“I was born with a reading list I will never finish.”

~Maud Casey

  

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“There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book.”

~Frank Serafini

  

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“It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading.”

~Katherine Paterson

 

Rapid Fire Book Tag - #AmReading

Here's yet another tag I found via Cat of The Strawberry Post when she did it on her blog a couple of months ago.  As usual, I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to play along, feel free to do so, either in the comments section of this post, or on your own blog.  Don't forget to let me know if you do it on your own blog though, because I'd hate to miss your post, since I'd like to read your answers.  But, for now, here are the questions, along with my own answers.

1. E-book or physical book?
 

I'd love to pick physical, since nothing beats the feeling of holding a real book in your hands, and the smell... Well, if you don't know what I mean, you won't understand.  But unfortunately being blind means I have to go with eBooks, because I need to be able to read them, and at least those are accessable to me.

 2. Paperback or hardback?
 

Hardbacks are beautiful, but paperbacks are easier to carry around, so I have to confess to having had a preference for those when I could still see to read print books.

 

3. Online or in-store book shopping?
 

When I have the choice, in-store shopping.  Online is more convenient for me with my lack of sight, but inside the shop you get to enjoy the physical feeling of holding the book in  your hands, and inhale that bookish smell... Even now, when I have to head for the audiobook section, I love taking my time passing the print books so I can enjoy that scent for a bit.

4. Trilogies or series?
 

I don't get why this question comes up in so many tags.  Does it really matter? A story takes as long as it does to tell.  It doesn't matter if that means one book, a trilogy, or a 30 book series.  What matters is that it has a solid plot, and characters you don't mind spending however many pages it ends up being with (or at least care enough about what happens to them to not mind tolerating them for that long).

 

5. Heroes or villains?

 

Both.  Everyone loves a hero, but a villain with a good story can be an excellent main character too, so I actually enjoy hearing both sides of the story, and can't really pick between the two.

 

6. A book you want everyone to read?
 

There isn't one.  I mean, I think everyone who loves fantasy should read J K Rowling's "Harry Potter" books and C S Lewis' "Chronicles Of Narnia" series, fans of cosy mysteries should read Agatha Christie's books, everyone who loves historical fiction set in pre-historic times should read Jean M Auel's "Earth's Children" books and Michelle Paver's "Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness" series, and could likely find books to recommend for other genres too if given enough time.  But recommending just one book? I don't think I can do that, especially since it depends on your genre preference to what you may or may not enjoy reading.
 

7. Recommend an underrated author?
 

Again, this is tough to do, since it depends on your genre preference.  Plus, since I don't follow the crowd, so to speak, I'm not entirely certain who does or doesn't count as being under rated these days.  If I've given a book four stars or higher, it means I think it - and by extension its author - is worth checking out, so check out my past reviews.
 

8. The last book you finished?
 

"HMS Lanternfish" (The Lanternfish, #2) by C.S. Boyack.  Which shows how long ago I put this post together for those following my reviews, since it was one of my August reads.

 9. Weirdest thing you’ve used as a bookmark?
 

A cup coaster.  It was a thin plasticy one with a cartoon lion on it, just in case you're interested.

 

10. Used books: Yes or no?
 

Yes.  Although I prefer new most of the time, I'll never say no to a book just because it's not new, and got some great reads in the past from grabbing used books from charity shops, snatching up books from bring and buy sales, buying cheap ones the library was trying to clear out, etc.  Not so easy to do now I can't grab print books, but still.

11. Top three favourite genres?
 

This is easy: Fantasy, Science fiction, and Mystery (especially cosy mysteries).
 

12. Borrow or buy?
 

Buy.  I don't like to lend my books to people, and I don't like borrowing books myself because I'm worried I'll accidentally damage them (even though I generally take very good care of books).  Plus, I always hate having to give books back.

 

13. Character or plot?
 

I pick both, because you need both.  A great plot with weak characters wouldn't be as bad as great characters with a weak plot, but you really need both to make a story work.

 

14. Long or short books?
 

Either.  A book should be as long as the book needs to be to tell the story.

 

15. Name the first three books you think of
 

"Dark Matter" by Michelle Paver, "Slip" by David Estes, and "Matilda" by Roald Dahl.

 

16. Books that make you laugh or cry?
 

I think most people would rather books make them laugh rather than cry (unless it's tears of joy).  On the other hand, sometimes having a good cry along with a character you've grown to care about can help if you're dealing with things in real life and need that release.  To be honest, as long as the book makes me feel something, I don't really mind whether it's joy or sorrow.  What matters is that the writing makes you feel some kind of emotional response.

 

17. Our world or fictional?

 

Either, but if I had to pick one: fictional.  I mean, sometimes it's great to read about stuff happening in the real world - especially countries I'd love to visit but  know I never will beyond the pages of a book - but there are often some wonderful things in fictional worlds.  Plus, with how 2020 is going, I'd much rather be in some other world right now, as I'm sure many others would.

 

18. Audiobooks: Yes or no?
 

Yes, because they are generally nicer than having the Kindle's text to speach reading to me (even though I read more eBooks as a rule, because they cost less).  I always enjoy them better with a good narrator though, and have to wonder why some people choose the narrators they do sometimes, because some of them are just dreadful.

 

19. Do you ever judge a book by its cover?
 

These days, no, because I can't see to do so.  Before though.. Yes.  Honestly, who doesn’t? I wish I could say that covers weren’t ever important to me, but it used to be what would get my attention.  That's not to say I wouldn't buy a book with a cover that wasn't so nice.  I just would have been more likely to pick it up and take a closer look if I liked the look of the cover.  I wish I could say that wasn't the case, but I'm afraid it was.  Like I said though, these days I can't judge a book by its cover.  I am guilty of judging books by their titles these days though.

 

20. Book to movie or book to TV?
 

I don’t know that it matters.  On the one hand, TV shows have more time to go in to things, because you'll have a whole series to work with.  On the other hand, some books really don't need thatlong to be shown on screen, and doing a TV series can result in a load of stuff that shouldn't be there being added for no reason.  So whichever works best for the book in question, or whichever will make people keep it closest to how the book was.

 

21. A movie or TV show you preferred to the book?
 

I can’t think of one right now.  I'm sure there's probably something.  In fact, I'm sure I remember saying about something that was better than the book not too long ago, I just can't think what it was.  Usually the book version is better, but I do know there are a few exceptions to this rule.  Very few, admittedly, but still.

 

22. Series or standalones?

 

Whichever is needed to tell the story.  If it can be told in one book, great.  If it needs a duology, trilogy, or even a much longer series, that's fine too.  A story should take as long to tell as it needs to.  No more and no less.

#MondayMotivation - #Quotes + Words Of #Wisdom 16-11-20

Look at life through the windshield, not the rear view mirror.
~Byrd Baggett

The decisions of our past are the architects of our present.
~Dan Brown

Ones best success comes after their greatest disappointments.
~Henry Ward Beecher

For success, attitude is equally as important as ability.
~Harry F. Banks

Today, many will awaken with a fresh sense of INSPIRATION. Today, many will open their eyes to the BEAUTY that surrounds them. TODAY, many will choose to leave yesterday behind and SEIZE the immeasurable POWER of TODAY. Why not YOU?
~Steve Maraboli

Whatever Fortune brings, don’t be afraid of doing things.
~A.A. Milne

As you breathe in, cherish yourself. As you breathe out, cherish all Beings.
~Dalai Lama

Love is the bridge between u and everything
~Rumi

Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.
~Paulo Coelho

When you love what you have, you have everything you need.
~Unknown

Anyone can be a critic. What takes guts is to see the best in people.
~Robin Sharma

There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast
~Charles Dickens

The Birthday #Book Tag - #AmReading

Since it's my birthday today, I had to do this one. It's another tag I found during my hunt for new ones to play earlier this year, which I found on the Sassy Geek blog, where she says she doesn't know who originally started it. But at least you now know where I found it.  A lot of the tags I've done this year have come from her.
      
Anyway, as I always say, I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to play along, feel free to do so, either in the comments or on your own blog. I'd love to see your answers. For now though, here are the questions, along with my own answers:
      
1. Count Your Birthday Along Your Bookshelf and Then Subtract Your Birth Month
     
Ah, we've hit a snag already. You see, right now my books aren't on shelves, because of the need to pack to move. So this isn't going to be from all my books. Having said that though, the 2nd book on my audio book shelves should be "The Diary Of A Killer Cat" by Anne Fine, if I remember correctly.  Unless I'm missing some that are on my Kindle that would come before it. 

    

2. If You Could Spend Your Birthday With Any Fictional Character Who Would It Be and Why?
      
OK, confession time. You see, I don't often go down this route, but it's the first thing that came to mind, so I'm going with it. My answer is Aeson Kassiope from Vera Nazarian's "Atlantis Grail" series, just for the excuse to spend some time with him, because... WOW! Aeson is one of those characters that really makes me wish I was the female main character in the book, because I'm so jealous of Gwen. It's rare for me to be crushing on a fictional character this hard, but if Aeson was real, and I wasn't married...
      
*clears throat*
      
Mind you, James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser - more commonly just called "Jamie" - from Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series is another option. I would pick Aeson over him - sorry, Jamie - but it's a close one, and I am as jealous of Jamie's Claire as I am of Aeson's Gwen. But, hey, if Aeson's not available, and Jamie is...
      
OK, so... Moving on...
      
3. Find A Book That Takes Place In The Season You Were Born In
     
Erm... OK. So do you consider November to be Autumn or Winter? The thing is, some people consider it to be part of Winter, while many people insist Winter doesn't start until the solstice, which isn't until December.
      
You know what? Never mind, let's just go with "The Scorpio Races" by Maggie Stiefvater, since the whole plot of that one revolves around an event that takes place on November 1st every year, so the main event takes place in my birth month.
      
4. Find A Book That Is The Color of Your Birthstone
     
This one's tricky too. The thing is, the main birth stone for November is topaz, and topaz can come in a variety of colours including - but not limited to - clear, blue, yellow, and pink. Most people think of blue when thinking of a topaz though, so I'm going to use that colour for simplicity's sake.
      
Anyway, Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins has blue involved in the cover. At least, it's on the list of books with blue on their covers I found on Goodreads when I looked up books with blue on the cover, and since it's one I've read, I figured I'd go with that one.
      
5. Pick A Book Set In A Time Period, World, or Country You Would Like To Have Been Born In
       
If you want to go with a book based on a real period of history, my choice is "The Valley Of Horses" (and the rest of the "Earth's Children" series) by Jean M. Auel. Why would I like to have been born way back then? Because, though they certainly didn't have all the modern conveniences we have these days, and times were tough - especially in Winter - at least people still had plenty of respect for the land, killed for food rather than sport, and made use of everything from their kills. None of this wasting and taking the planet for granted you see a lot of these days.  Being vegan would have been tricky, but still.
      
Alternatively, if you want to go with a book set in a country I wish I'd been born in, I'm going to go with "Amanda In Alberta" (part of the "Amanda Travels" series) by Darlene foster, which is actually set in the same part of Canada Kelly is from, where Kelly and I got married, almost stayed, almost went back to, and often wonder where I'd be if I had stayed.
      
Or, if you want to go with a fictional world, then "The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe" by C S Lewis, because then I'd get to live in Narnia with all those talking animals, which is the only thing that would be cooler than getting to go to Hogwarts.  Though if you could move Hogwarts to Narnia, that would be so totally awesome!
      
Then again, if I go with a different planet instead, and pick "Win" (the third book from Vera Nazarian's "Atlantis Grail" series, and the first of the series to be set on Atlantis) there's Aeson Kassiope... Need I say more? *wink*

#AmReading + #AmWatching + #AmListening - Media Shares And #Reviews 12-11-20

A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.
~Madeleine L’Engle

    

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Welcome to this week's weekly media shares and reviews post!
    

~ 

    
*Disclaimer: no matter what's being reviewed, all opinions in this post are entirely my own, and I reserve the right to have them, regardless of who may or may not share them. Feel free to express your own in the comments, but please respect my right - and the rights of other commenters - to have opinions that might differ from yours, and to express those opinions too.
    
Also, please remember that I read/watch/listen to things in a variety of genres, and for all ages, so you should make sure you check that the book/movie/show/song is suitable for the intended audience before reading/watching/listening to it, especially if children are involved. I take no responsibility for anything which may happen as a result of failing to do so.
    

~ 

    
OK. Let's see what I've been reading, watching, and listening to, and which song I'm going to share this week, shall we? After all, that's the point of this post, and why you're here today, right? 

    

*~*
    

Reading:

This week I read five books, all by the same author.  Yes, I said five.  Well, they were good books, and relatively short, so... *shrugs* Anyway, here's what I read, along with my book reviews. 

    

Future Earth Chronicles Shorts
by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: five out of five stars

This is a wonderful collection of short stories, which do an excellent job of illustrating how humans will always find a way, and are a delight to read. 

    

~ 

    

Adventure Song (Future Earth Chronicles Book 6)
by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: five out of five stars

This was an exciting addition to this series, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I just love the characters and worldbuilding of this series, and I’m glad we are getting to explore more of this world. 

    

~ 

    

Sun Kissed (Future Earth Chronicles Book 7)
by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: five out of five stars

Once again this is an excellent addition to the series. It’s fun to read about how different people might have adapted to an apocalypse, and meet all sorts of different types of characters. I really enjoyed the bonus vampires through the centuries story that came at the end of this book too. 

    

~ 

    

Asian Ways (Future Earth Chronicles Book 8)
by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: five out of five stars

I loved exploring so many places with Arjun and company, and liked how this particular story ended a lot, especially the way certain character relationships developed. I've said it before - and likely will again - but this is an excellent addition to the series. 

    

~ 

    

Wind Rider (Future Earth Chronicles Book 9)
by Barbara G. Tarn
 My rating: five out of five stars

I know I often say how a book is a great addition to its series, but... I was so swept up in this one that I read it in one sitting, and it only occurred to me that I was doing so - and several hours had passed without me noticing - when I got to the end of the book, and was reading the interesting author notes at the end. If that's not the sign of an excellent book that makes a great addition to the series it's a part of, I don't know what is. 

        
*~*
    

Watching:

This week I started watching "The Mandalorian" on Disney+.  I've watched all of season 1, and am really enjoying it, but I'm not loving it as much as most people seem to, despite the fact it's got everything Star Wars should have, plus Baby Yoda.  But I'm not blown away by how amazing it is.  I'm not sure if it's just that I'd built my expectations up too high based on what others were saying - that's certainly possible, though I always try not to go in to anything I'm watching or reading with high expectations (admittedly not always successfully) - or if it's something else.  It could even be the fact it focusses more on the bounty hunters and guns than the jedi and spaceship aspects of Star Wars, and that side of it doesn't appeal to me quite as much.  Either way, though I'm really enjoying watching it, I don't think it's the best Star Wars thing ever... Though it's worth watching just for Baby Yoda, even if for no other reason.  Anyway, having said that, I do recommend it to any Star Wars fan, and I give this show four out of five stars.
    

*~* 

    

Listening:

This week I've been listening to more country and 80s music.  However, I've decided we all need something cheerful to listen to, so I'm going to start sharing Christmas music now Halloween is over, whether people think it's too early to start thinking about Christmas or not.  Hey, it is six weeks to Christmas Eve today, after all.  With that in mind - and with the excuse the family recently mentioned it on their Facebook page to justify my choice - here's Claire Crosby reminding you to have yourself a merry little Christmas. 

     

 

#WriterWednesday 11-11-20; #WritersLife + Writerly #Quotes And Links

"Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the best."
~Henry Van Dyke

  

The reason for a lack of a proper writing update lately is that we're not talking about my writing progress - or lack of it- right now, because of everything going on with getting ready to move.  Between stress, using most of my energy for packing (again) and things I need to fit in to my day that are a much higher priority than writing, writing is taking so much of a backseat that it's only just visible in the rearview mirror.  2020 has definitely not been a productive writing year for me, and the chances of that improving during these last couple of months of the year are slim at best, because moving preparations, and various day to day tasks - the fun ones like doing things with the petkids, as well as the not so fun ones like housework - have to remain my priority right now, and I don't have the energy to squeeze writing time in there too, no matter how much I enjoy doing it.  Yes, I could technically trim time off things like my watching and reading time, but with a lack of mental energy for the task of writing right now, there's no point.  Oh, and reducing my blogging schedule won't help, since then I'll just feel guilty about missing days.  Plus, a lot of the posts for the rest of the year are already written and scheduled anyhow.  With that in mind, I'm giving myself a writing break, with plans to take up the keyboard properly in January, and only write between now and then if the urge takes me and I can't - or don't want to - resist it.

      

So... Let's just see what I've got to share with you this week, shall we? 

 

     

"A writer’s duty's to register what it's like for him or her to be in the world."
~Zadie Smith 

    

The writing process, and writing life in general:

Writing tips: do it anyway 

 Adjusting your writing schedule

 5 things to do to combat burnout 

NaNoWriMo, and other writing challenges:

Off and running 

“One word after another. That’s the only way that novels get written.”

~Neil Gaiman

 

Characters:

Creating pets for your characters - the hidden benifits 

 Has  your antagonist stolen your story? 

5 ways to write characters readers can relate to 

Random writing tips:

 The nutshell climactic choice and final step

 Let's break the rules, or at least bend them 

Autobiographies and family history:

Writing your family story - tips and ideas

“You can make anything by writing.”

~C.S. Lewis

 

Editing:

May be Vs. maybe and how to get it right all the time 

Tips for avoiding grammar mistakes 

Fiction grammar: is it okay to start a sentence with 'And' or 'But'? 

Publishing:

How to publish with KDP: part 18, how to check all of your sale pages once the book is on sale 

Why self-publishing works for me 

“A book acts as the getaway car when you need to escape. Even when you're the one writing it.”

~Julie Wright

 

Readers and reviewers:

Engaging with your readers 

The #Fireworks #Book Tag - #BonfireNight #AmReading

It was Bonfire Night here in the UK this past Thursday (November 5th) and Cat did this fireworks tag over on her blog that day.  Since I hadn’t done it, and I love fireworks, I had to play along.  I mean, it’s books and fireworks.  Not to mention my slight obsession with these tag things. *clears throat* Anyway, since I wanted to do it as soon as possible after Bonfire Night, I even rescheduled the one I was going to post today for another day.  So, let’s enjoy some bookish firework themed fun!

     

~ 

     

1.      Screamers: A book that made you want to scream! (In a good or bad way)

 

Any book that ends on a cliffhanger makes me scream with frustration, especially if it’s one I’m really enjoying (or was really enjoying until it just suddenly ended).

 

2.      Bombers: A book that you read before it “exploded” in the book community

 

The books in David Estes’ Dwellers Saga.  He was just starting to try and get noticed as a self-published author when I started reading his books, and read “Moon Dwellers” as part of a read and review programme.  Now David’s books are much more widely known, and he’s getting some of the attention he deserves.

 

3.      Banger: A banned book you read

 

I’m going to follow in Cat’s footsteps here and go with “1984” – not the most amazing of books, but one that was banned in several places, and that people should get a chance to read.

 

Having said that, I think the Harry Potter books were banned for a while at one point, and those are definitely ones I’ve read – several times.

 

I actually hate that books get banned at all.  If you don’t want to read something, don’t read it.  But allow others the freedom to decide if they want to or not for themselves.

 

4.      Peony: A book/author you think everyone needs to read

 

Michelle Paver.  Whether you go for her ghost stories – I especially recommend “Dark Matter” – or any of her other books, you need to check her out.  She’s got an excellent series called “The Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness” that I highly recommend, especially if you like historical fantasy.

 

5.      Crossette: A book/series with a complicated plot

 

A Song Of Ice And Fire – more commonly known as “A Game Of Thrones” – enough said.

 

6.      Diadem: A book/series with a set of amazing central characters

 

Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” books.  I love Jamie and Claire as characters, and Brianna and Roger too when they start being bigger parts of the story.

 

7.      Matches: Light your own fireworks by tagging 5 people!

 

I don’t tag people in these any more, so I’m not going to tag anyone in particular.  But – to make sure my fireworks are lit – I’m going to take this opportunity to invite anyone who wants to do this tag to play along, either in the comments section or on your own blog.  After all, I’d love to read  your answers.

#MondayMotivation - #Quotes + Words Of #Wisdom 09-11-20

I'd rather be a failure in something that I love than a success in something that I hate.
~George Burns

When opportunity comes, it's too late to prepare.
~John Wooden

The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself.
~Orison Marden

Nothing ever happens in the world that does not happen first inside human hearts.
~Fulton J. Sheen

One of the most courageous decisions you'll ever make is to finally let go of what is hurting your heart and soul.
~Brigitte Nicole

If you want to know how rich you are, find out how many things you have that money can’t buy.
~Unknown

A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.
~Tim Cahill

Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.
~Albert Schweitzer

Rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles.
~Thomas Brown

See the light in others, and treat them as if that is all you see.
~Dr. Wayne Dyer

If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.
~Dolly Parton

You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.  What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.
~Jane Goodall

Packing + Buzzers + Lockdown + #Pet #Halloween Themed #Photos + Celebrating #Samhain 2020

I've been busy making sure everything is packed...

    
It was Logan's idea to get in the box he's pictured in above, and it was actually harder to get him out of it than in to it, in case you're wondering... He climbed in to the box eagerly, and was quite content sitting in the box, which I'd actually grabbed to pack some books in to.  It was my idea for Kelly to get a photo though.  Took me ages to persuade Logan to get back out of the box.  LOL! 

    

~

    

Anyway, I've been working hard to get things packed sooner rather than later, because we might be moving this side of Christmas instead of early in the new year.  I don't know for sure yet if it will happen, but we're going to try to make it happen, because we all agree it would be better if we could move sooner rather than later - and that includes the landlord, who has spacifically asked us to try and move sooner. 

     

So if we can arrange it, we're going to be moving before Christmas instead of after it.  With that in mind, I'm hoping to have the rest of the non-essential stuff packed by the end of this week.  With how well I've done with packing over the past couple of weeks, that should be achievable.  As for the actual moving part... Well, just stay tuned for a moving date announcement, since one will be coming in the not-too-distant future one way or another anyhow.  

     

~ 

     

I don't want to go in to it right now, but... Given how things are starting to become in this area, we're starting to be glad we have to move, and have to agree it will definitely be a good thing if we can move sooner. 

 

    Plus, like I said, the landlord has actually asked us to try to do so, and this is one thing we actually agree with him on, so we're more than happy to do just that if we can make it happen.

    

*~* 

     

By the way, the buzzer broke again. 

 

    Yes, really. 

      

It was meant to have been fixed by now, since someone was supposed to come fix it again last Friday.  We're still waiting though. *sigh* 

 

    So not going to miss dealing with this stupid buzzer. 

     

~ 

     

Well, it works enough that people can buzz, we can hear it when they do, and we can use the button to let them in, so that's a good thing (and more than it had been doing).  But it makes this horrid screaching sound whenever we (or the neighbours) pick up the receivers, and we can't hear anything people are saying properly over that. 

    

I wonder if they'll get it to stop doing that before we move out? 

    

 Yeah... I'm not holding my breath. 

   

*~* 

     

 As if this whole moving thing wasn't complicated enough, we're also dealing with lockdowns again. 

     

Wales has been in lockdown for a couple of weeks, and is due to come out of it on November 9th.  Where as England went in to lockdown yesterday (November 5th) and is due to come out of it on December 2nd.  Because, of course, they couldn't just have it happen everywhere at the same time, and apparently England needs a longer one than Wales. 

    

 I think areas with numbers of confirmed cases of Covid-19 that remain high will be forced to stay in lockdown after December 2nd, but - though it sounded that way to me from Boris Johnson's conference the other day - I'm not sure on that, and don't want to think how people will take that news if it comes to it.  Let's just hope it doesn't.

     

~ 

     

The plan is to organize things so we can move the moment England's full lockdown is lifted. 

     

I'm hoping we can arrange things so we can be moving right at the start of December, assuming property availability allows for it.  As I mentioned earlier in this post, I'll let you know for sure when we'll be moving after a moving date is confirmed.

 

~ 

     

Although, there is a loophole that would allow us to move during lockdown. 

     

Since we're moving because of issues - harassment among them - and the landlord certainly won't want us to postpone the move (he actually wants the opposite) we can technically move during lockdown, because you're allowed to if it can't be postponed, or if physical or emotional health issues could result from postponing it.  I checked.  But since we couldn't be ready until the end of November anyhow, even if we do find a place immediately now we're getting in touch with people about one, it won't be a big deal holding off for that one extra week. 

     

The landlord will just have to put up with it, and I'll just have to count down the days once we have a date. 

 

    ~ 

     

Having said that, if we can find a suitable place, and it does turn out any areas that affect me – by which I mean the area I currently live in, the one we move to, and any we have to pass through during the move - are put in lockdown later than December 2nd, I’m going to make use of that loophole and go ahead and move, because I really have to unless there isn’t a place available that’s suitable. 

     

I really don’t want to be here longer than absolutely essential.  Apart from anything else, the stress of dealing with everything we're having to put up with while we're still living here isn’t doing me any good. 

    

~ 

        

Like I said a couple of times earlier in this post though, I’ll let you know when I have an actual moving date.

     

In the meantime, any positive house-finding thoughts would be appreciated.  Think of two or three bedroom houses with gardens when you think of us in our new home, please.

   

*~* 

    

In other news: 

     

As I'm sure you don't need me to point out, Samhain - or Halloween, for those who prefer to call it that - happened this past weekend.  Of course, I naturally had to have a pumpkin so I could make 2020's version of Mr. Pumpkin-Head.  So, here he is:

 

 

I didn't bother with decorations this year (other than Mr. Pumpkin-Head) because of trying to get things packed up.  But I had to do a bit of a petkid photoshoot, didn't I?

#Halloween Week's #AmReading + #AmWatching + #AmListening - Media Shares And #Reviews 05-11-20

I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.
~Harold Kushner

    

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Welcome to this week's weekly media shares and reviews post!
    

~ 

    
*Disclaimer: no matter what's being reviewed, all opinions in this post are entirely my own, and I reserve the right to have them, regardless of who may or may not share them. Feel free to express your own in the comments, but please respect my right - and the rights of other commenters - to have opinions that might differ from yours, and to express those opinions too.
    
Also, please remember that I read/watch/listen to things in a variety of genres, and for all ages, so you should make sure you check that the book/movie/show/song is suitable for the intended audience before reading/watching/listening to it, especially if children are involved. I take no responsibility for anything which may happen as a result of failing to do so.
    
~ 

     

OK. Let's see what I've been reading, watching, and listening to, and which song I'm going to share this week, shall we? After all, that's the point of this post, and why you're here today, right? 

     

*~* 
    

Reading:

This week I read three books. So, here's what I read, along with my book reviews. 

        

Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
My rating: five out of five stars

This was an excellent imaginative and creepy read, which I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend. I ended up reading it in one sitting, because I just couldn't put it down. Also, I've seen the movie a few times, and was impressed at how close the book and movie are to each other. 

    

~ 

    

The Ballad of Mrs. Molony (The Hat, #3)
by C.S. Boyack
My rating: five out of five stars

Having read the previous books in this series, I was eager to read this one, and let me tell you I was definitely not disappointed! I devoured this book in one sitting. It's an excellent read, filled with action and humour, with some great rodeo action and paranormal activity thrown in. Plus, the characters are fantastic, well-rounded, and believable as real people - yes, even The Hat. Like I said, I read this book after having previously read the first two books in the series, but you could easily read and enjoy this book without having read the others. 

    

~ 

    

Murder They Wrote
by Judi Lynn, C.S. Boyack, Mae Clair, Kathleen Palm, Julia Donner, D.P. Reisig, and Rachel Sherwood Roberts
My rating: four out of five stars

This is an excellent collection of stories, which made for a great read. As with all collections like this, there were stories I enjoyed more than others, though all were well-written and worth the read, and this collection has a fantastic mixture of genres, so the stories would appeal to a variety of tastes. My favourite story was "Within the Plum Attic" by Kathleen Palm, with "From The Files Of Jason Fog" by C.S. Boyack and "A Winter Reckoning" by Mae Clair in tied second place, though all the stories were enjoyable in their own way.
    

*~*
    

Watching:

This week I finished re-watching "Friends" (watched the rest of season 9, and all of season 10).  I also watched some more things I've seen in the past from my DVD to-watch pile.  This week I watched... 

     

Alvin And The Chipmunks 1 & 2The Lost Boys 1 & 2

    

*~* 

    

Listening:

This week I've still been alternating between listening to 80s and country music.  But I planned on doing another Halloween music share today anyhow - since this is my Halloween week roundup - so it doesn't matter.  With that in mind, here's Jack Skeleton singing his "Pumpkin King" song from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" movie.  It's a sort of sad song, but since I've covered purple people-eaters, witches, vampires, ghosts, and a song mostly focussed on zombies but where werewolves seem to be featured too, skeleton pumpkin kings needed a turn.  Plus, it's from a movie that's a good one to transition from Halloween to Christmas with, which is my plan.  Anyway... Enjoy!