Pamela’s Book Spot and other interesting things

Hosted by Freda at  Freda's Voice " Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. "  Winston Churchill  1874 – 1965 British Politician and Statesman " It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare. "   Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens 1835 –1910  American author and humorist. " Courage is knowing what not to fear. "   Plato  424/423 BC – 348/347 BC Greek Philosopher

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda over at  Freda's Voice . The rules are simple: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56. *Find any sentence that grabs you. (I cheat sometimes and put a little more than a sentence!) *Post it. *Add your post URL to the Link. This week The Friday 56 is taken from The Perks of Being a Wallflower By Stephen Chbosky. "My dad had glory days once. I've seen pictures of him when he was young. He was a very handsome man. I don't know any other way to put it. He looked like all old pictures look. Old pictures look very rugged and young, and the people in the photographs always seem a lot happier than you are."

Title : The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie Author : Alan Bradley Published: Orion Books, Great Britain No. Pages: 358 Genre: Fiction, Mystery Rating : 4.5 stars Review The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first book of the Flavia de Luce Mystery Series by Alan Bradley. The novel is centred around the incredibly intelligent and witty heroine Flavia de Luce, who is determined to solve the mystery of a stranger’s death in the cucumber patch of her home, Buckshaw, in 1950’s England. This was such an enjoyable, easy read and I instantly loved the character of Flavia which means that I know I am going to enjoy the remainder of the series! Despite Flavia’s obvious intelligence, Alan Bradley also captures the innocence, curiosity and cheek of her 11 year old mind so beautifully that although you are reading a mystery, you find yourself grinning and even laughing as she grapples with the evidence that she uncovers in her own roundabout way. I am really glad I finally ...

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! This fun meme is hosted by   The True Book Addict . Go over to her site to join in the fun. Here are my two beautiful girls Melanie on the left and Burma on the right in two photos that I love. As I post this Mel is asleep on my feet and she is snoring her head off!! Yes, cats snore...well at least my melanie does!! lol :)           

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by  MizB of Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! Just do the following: * Grab your current read * Open to a random page * Share 2 “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page * BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) * Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Well, here is my teaser for this week....taken from The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie By Alan Bradley which is part of the Flavia De Luce Mystery Series. "And then I remembered Gladys! I had left her at the Thirteen Drakes, where she could be spotted by anyone. If the police hadn't been there already, they soon would be." (p.101)

Hosted By Sheila @  Book Journey Well, firstly I cannot believe it is Monday again already!! I think that is because I have to go back to work on Friday and that means less reading time...oh well :( Okay....here is where I am at with my reading: * The Happiness Project By Gretchen Rubin.....am sorry to say that this one has gone back to the TBR pile. I don't hate it, but I really don't love it and there are too many other great books to spend my time reading! It was a great concept and it is interesting, but it feels a bit forced and laborious when a motivational book should be grabbing me with its every word. Plus, I saw a couple of YouTube interviews with Rubin about the 'inspiring' moment that gave her the idea for the book and she gave two slightly different versions of it which gave me the impression that it was  made-up or altered to be more 'inspiring'!....all about selling the book and not really her story...so that put me off. * Uncle To...

Quote it Saturday hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice " I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be very miserable if I have not an excellent library. "  Jane Austen  1775 –1817 English Novelist

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda over at Freda's Voice . The rules are simple: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56. *Find any sentence that grabs you. (I cheat sometimes and put a little more than a sentence!) *Post it. *Add your post URL to the Link. This week The Friday 56 is taken from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot which is absolutely amazing so far! "The normal cells which make up our bodies are tiny objects, five thousand of which would fit on the head of a pin," he said, his voice a bit too loud and stilted. "How the normal cells become cancerous is still a mystery."

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! This fun meme is hosted by   The True Book Addict . Go over to her site to join in the fun. Here are my two beautiful girls in photos that I like to call 'Long Legs Melanie' and 'Pot Plant Burma'.

Hosted By  Reading Between Pages Theme Thursday Rules: * A theme will be posted each Thursday * Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from your current book * Mention the author and the title * It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)  So this weeks theme is: COME The except I have selected is taken from the book Uncle Tom's Cabin By Harriet Beecher Stowe. "She wondered within herself at the strength that seemed to be come   upon her; for she felt the weight of her boy as if it had been a feather" (p.58)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! Just do the following: * Grab your current read * Open to a random page * Share 2 “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page * BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) * Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Well, here are my teasers for this week.... The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul By Deborah Rodriguez "He breathed in deeply, his chest filling with the rich scents of the room, and felt two things: proud that maybe this brave woman warrior would come to his coffeehouse, and angry that her visit would put his mother, Sunny, and especially Yazmina in danger. Yazmina , he thought, look at her tonight . She is like the sun in that dazzling dress, with her hair showing under her scarf...

Hosted By Sheila @ Book Journey It is so incredibly wonderful being on holidays and having time to read and read and read and read!!!  Last week I finished 100 Things by Sebastian Terry and The Language of Flowers By Vanessa Diffenbaugh and I LOVED both of them!! Click on the titles to read my reviews! This week I am reading 3 great books! The Happiness Project By Gretchen Rubin, The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul By Deborah Rodriguez and Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. First up..... The Happiness Project By Gretchen Rubin . I have begun reading this and am enjoying it so far.  The book is divided into twelve chapters which correlate with each month of the year covering; Vitality, Marriage, Work, Parenthood, Leisure, Friendship, Money, Eternity, Books, Mindfulness, Attitude and Happiness.  Secondly.... The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul By Deborah Rodriguez. I noticed this book everywhere at the shops and avoided it for a long while, although I...

Quote it Saturday hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice " Imagination is more important than knowledge "  Albert Einsteen 1879 - 1955 German born American Physicist

The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffenbaugh was a fantastic read! I enjoyed the storyline immensely and found the reference to flower meanings really intriguing and was surprised to find a copy of Victoria's flower dictionary at the back of the book! Initially I thought it was a bit lacking in depth, but as the story about Victoria's childhood and her relationship with her long term carer Elizabeth emerged I found myself completely invested in it and connected to the characters as though they were real people. The concept of a novel about love, family and redemption is not uncommon, but Diffenbaugh's unique approach to this theme in the Language of Flowers was beautiful. When a book moves me to tears, as this one did, I know that it was a great book! I think most people would enjoy this novel.

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda over at Freda's Voice . The rules are simple: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56. *Find any sentence that grabs you. (I cheat sometimes and put a little more than a sentence!) *Post it. *Add your post URL to the Link. Ok...so my first Friday 56 was taken from the novel One Day, By David Nicholls which I read over the Christmas break! "These days she drank white wine, wore neat little suits from Jigsaw and handed out Kettle Chips at dinner parties." (p.56)

Hosted By  Reading Between Pages Rules: * A theme will be posted each Thursday * Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from your current book * Mention the author and the title * It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)  So this weeks theme is:  KNOW The except I have selected is about 'knowing yourself' and is taken from the book by Gretchen Rubin titled: The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean my Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. "So once again, one of my resolutions led me right back to my First Commandment: 'Be Gretchen .' I had  to know and pursue what was truly fun for me . That was the road that led to happiness. But what else, besides the children's literature reading group, could I do for fun? I was stumped. Was I so cheerless and dull that I couldn't think of a single other thing?...

Please take the time to buy and read a copy of Sebastian Terry's 100 Things, as you will not regret it and you will be helping the amazing Camp Quality cause! Not only is the book so amazingly well written and easy to read, it is utterly captivating. The story of Sebastian Terry's 100 Things adventure will make you laugh, gasp, cry and even cringe at times, but mostly it is just so inspiring. The message that Sebastian is trying to get out there is so much deeper than 'make a list of crazy things to do' - it is about living life as the universe intended you to live it. Story after story illustrates how everything can fall into place if you have the courage to just let it happen. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to experience Sebastian Terry's amazing 100 Things journey documented in this book. If you would like any more information, check out his website by clicking here and make your own 100 Things list!

McCarthy’s writing in The Road is amazing. The novel tracks a father and son as they travel along a road, trying to survive in a desolate world after an unnamed apocalyptic event, but this is not what captivates the reader. Despite their despair and seemingly hopeless plight, McCarthy is able to tell a story of hope, of strength and of love. There is so much more to this novel than the bleak, depressing struggle that is the setting. It is heart wrenching.

Set in early nineteenth century England, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is the tale of a poor orphans struggle to free himself from the clutch of criminals in London’s dark underworld. I particularly enjoyed Dickens’ witty and satiric comments on the society of the time. The characters were vividly portrayed and starkly contrasted; from the evil Fagin right through to angelic Oliver. Fagin’s downfall and Dickens description of the hours before his demise had me glued to each page…..I could not put the book down and I loved the way the novel ended….everything just came together beautifully. This was my first Dickens novel and it will definitely not be my last!!

This was not what I was expecting at all, but it was so good! I couldn't put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting. Slaughterhouse 5 is a deeply moving story about the bombing of Dresden with an important message told from the remnants of Billy Pilgrim's tortured mind that can seem absurd, but which really makes it all the more poignant. Definitely worth reading!

The Time Traveler’s Wife, By Audrey Niffenegger was a book that I had not initially intended reading, but became curious about due to the conversations others were having. I had mixed opinions about this book at first because I really struggled to become invested in the plot and characters for the first half, but then absolutely loved the second half so I am glad I persevered! Overall, a beautiful love story with a unique time travel/sci-fi twist which will ultimately tug at your heart. 

WOW! Please read this book if you have not already. It is so beautifully written and tells such a touching story. I cried, but mostly this book makes you smile and even laugh. The characters are beautiful and the way they live as a community and care for each other will touch your soul. I find myself wishing to be in Guernsey amongst such amazing, kind and spirited people. I recommended it for our first book club read last year and everyone loved it! Definitely a favourite.

The Mysteries of Udolpho is a fantastic book for lovers of a great gothic romance. Austen's reference to The Mysteries of Udolpho in Northanger Abbey was intriguing and led me to Radcliffe's work. Her writing is full of beautiful landscape descriptions and her character development in the first half of the novel captivates you. It is a long novel, but it keeps you in suspense until the very end and takes you on a rollercoaster ride throughout the last 100 -150 pages! The romance, gothic castles, horror, intrigue and mystery are everything you could wish for in a novel of this genre. It is a really great read and I recommend it to all.

The Book Thief B y Markus Zusak was a wonderfully pleasant surprise for me because it was not what I expected at all. This is the story of a young girl growing up in Germany under Hitler’s reign but the story is actually narrated by “Death”. I really thought the personification of Death was going to be morbid and dark, but Zusak gives Death a deeply moving, compassionate and humane voice which is captivating. The characters are beautifully developed and the story will stay with you forever. I definitely recommend this book.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! Just do the following: * Grab your current read * Open to a random page * Share 2 “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page * BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) * Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Well, here are my teasers.... The Language of Flowers By Vanessa Diffenbaugh "A bare lightbulb illuminated an empty blue room, blue as a painter's palette on a boat in the middle of the sea, bright as illuminated water. The carpet was white fur and almost looked alive." (p.61) 100 Things By Sebastian Terry "Although our brief email conversation was now a distant memory, I knew that a man willing to push a skateboard for five and a half months would at least co...

Hosted By Sheila @ Book Journey Okay....so I have never participated in 'It's Monday! What are you Reading?' and am pretty new to this book blogging adventure but am excited to be able to join in! I only hope that I can keep pace with everyone so that I am not the only one saying "Ummm...still reading xxxxx" every week!! LOL :) That shouldn't be a problem at the moment though as I am on holidays for the next 3 weeks so no work distractions are in the foreseeable 3 week future. This week I am reading The Language of Flowers By Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I have only read the first 60 or so pages and am already keenly searching for my own text about flower meanings which I have found very interesting! I am enjoying it so far - definitely an easier read than Safran Foer but I think that's a good thing for me at the moment. Beautiful cover on this book too!  I am also reading 100 Things By Sebastian Terry. The story of this guy's adventure is amazing. If you do...

Do you judge a book by its cover? Well I do...quite literally when I am choosing a book to read! I love beautiful, thoughtful cover-art that leaps out at you from the book stand and I very much dislike the movie version poster replacing the original covers!!!!!!...although I do unhappily own some. I believe that there is something very personal and self-reflective about the books we are most drawn to and hold close to our hearts. The beautiful energy that our most treasured books contain grows stronger each time they are read by us or those with whom we have shared them...I can't imagine a world without books!!  One of my favourite weird pastimes is scouring 2nd hand and antique bookshops for different editions/covers of my favourite books. Pretty sad hey!?? oh well...I find it interesting to see all the different (and amazing) cover art that is used for the one book, because you not only see the influence of that time period, but also how the book has been marketed to a range of ...

Okay....well this is my first post ever! This blog is going to be my book spot where everything 'books' is going to go. I am forever reading everyone else's blogs and thinking to myself 'I wish I could do that!'...well now I am going to. Plus, I have started up (with the help of friends) our own little book club which I will keep updated here too. We are called "The Making-Time Booklovers Club" because we all want and need to 'make time' to read and enjoy books. I love reading so much - I always have, and now I am dedicated to making time for it in my life.  To tell you the specific genre I love the most is impossible because I pretty much read and enjoy anything and everything, BUT I am partial to classics, historical fiction and what the shops seem to call 'literary fiction' - which I am still unsure about the exact meaning of given that you find all sorts of stuff in this section - nevertheless, I buy a lot from the shelves labelled ...