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Showing posts from 2018

Challenges I've Participated In This Year

As it is the last day of 2018 I decided it was probably time to do a wrap up post for all the challenges I've participated in this year. As usual, I overestimated a bit on how many challenges I would manage to participate in, so I didn't accomplish the goals in all of them. Regardless, I still had a fun reading year and here's my lists. Foodies Reads Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies by Evy Journey The Uninvited Corpse (Food Blogger Mysteries #1) by Debra Sennefelder Poké! fargerik gatemat fra Hawaii av Oskar Sellin og Helle Øder Valebrokk The Cosy Teashop in the Castle (The Cosy Teashop #1) by Caroline Roberts The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss Death by Dumpling (A Noodle Shop Mystery) by Vivien Chien Slow-Cooker Fall Favorites by Gooseberry Patch Food Wars! Vol. 2 by Yuto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki and Yuki Morisaki Food Wars! Volume 3 by Yuto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki and Yuki Morisaki Bake for Syria Recipe Book by Lily Vanilli The Street Food Secret: The World’s

Monthly Summary; December 2018

December is almost over, which means it's time to write a monthly summary of the books I've read this month in addition to my book haul. Even though I'm a book dragon, I ended up recieving just one book for Christmas, believe it or not. Nevertheless, I've both read and got my hands on a variety of books this month. Books I've Read Reisen til jordas indre by Jules Verne En dag i desember by Josie Silver Boken - en hyllest by Burkhard Spinnen Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi De døde by Christian Kracht Kuk og hjarta by Heidi-Anett Haugen Smadra by Brynjulf Jung Tjønn Kvinnen som ble saget i to by Kari Slaatsveen Bernard banker på by Ellen Mari Thelle Djeveldansen by Tore Aurstad and Carina Westberg Book Haul Kvinnen som ble saget i to by Kari Slaatsveen (press copy from the publisher) O jul med din glede - julens fineste fortellinger by Trude Monssen (press copy from the publisher) Jeg vet ikke helt hva det er by Silje Bergum Kinsten (press cop

Book Tag Saturday; Ringing in the New Year Book Tag

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Last year I came across the Ringing in the New Year Book Tag over at  Megan @ Ginger Mom & the Kindle Quest , but I was a bit too late in writing a post at the time. The tag was created by  Bookmark Chronicles . First off, the rules. Link to the person who tagged you (that would be Kristin @ Lukten av trykksverte ) Link to the creator of the tag ( Bookmark Chronicles ). Share the tag image (it’s up there at the top of the post if you need it). Answer the questions below. Tag friends (or not). Now, over to the fun part - the questions. Q1 – Best book and/or series that you’ve read in 2018? I read so many good books this year, but three of my favourites were Coffin Road by Peter May, A Pair of Silver Wings by James Holland and The Girl Without Skin by Mads Peder Nordbo. Q2 – Authors that you’ve recently found and would like to read more of in the new year? I discovered Peter May this year and I want to read more of his books. Q3 – Most anticipated book turne

Book Blogger Hop; Books as Christmas Gifts

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It's the last Friday of the year, which means it's the last Book Blogger Hop of the year, courtesy of  Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer . Suitably, the question of the week was "Do you get any books for Christmas? If so, name the titles." Book Blogger Hop It happens from time to time that I get books as Christmas gifts. This year I recieved a cookbook called Asfalt: Middag.

Book Tour & Giveaway; The Ghost Had An Early Checkout by Josh Lanyon

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The Ghost Had an Early Checkout Sequel to The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks by Josh Lanyon Genre: LGBT Mystery To live and draw in L.A. Now living in Los Angeles with former navy SEAL Nick Reno, artist Perry Foster comes to the rescue of elderly and eccentric Horace Daly, the legendary film star of such horror classics as Why Won't You Die, My Darling? Horace owns the famous, but now run-down, Hollywood hotel Angels Rest, rumored to be haunted. But as far as Perry can tell, the scariest thing about Angels Rest is the cast of crazy tenants--one of whom seems determined to bring down the final curtain on Horace--and anyone else who gets in the way. Add to Goodreads Amazon * Apple * Smashwords The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks by Josh Lanyon His romantic weekend in ruins, shy twenty-something artist Perry Foster learns that things can always get worse when he returns home from San Francisco to find a dead body in his bathtub

Review; Super Sikh #2 by Eileen Kaur Alden

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I recieved an ARC of Super Sikh #2 by Eileen Kaur Alden in exchange for an honest review. I thought it fitted in nicely with Platypire Diversity Challenge, so I'll post the review today. Description from Goodreads Super Sikh is a secret agent who loves Elvis and hates bad guys. In this issue Super Sikh begins his U.S. adventure in a holding cell, makes a new American friend, and the Group X gang launches their evil plot against him. My Thoughts on the Comic What I did like about Super Sikh was the fact that Deep Singh is a non-white religious minority, which is not too often portrayed as the protagonist of a comic. What I did find a bit annoying is the over-used trope of "us versus them", which in this case was both good vs bad, but also sikhs vs muslims. But if you want some quick entertainment in a comic with a religious minority, feel free to pick it up.

Review; Frida's Fiestas by Marie-Pierre Colle, Guadalupe Rivera and others

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As part of both Foodies Read Challenge and Literary Voyage Around the World (Mexico), I ended up reading Frida's Fiestas by Marie-Pierre Colle, Guadalupe Rivera and others. Today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads In the tradition of the best-selling Monet's Table, Frida's Fiestas is a personal account in words and pictures of many important and happy events in the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, and a scrapbook, assembled by her stepdaughter, of recipes for more than 100 dishes that Frida served to family and friends with her characteristic enthusiasm for all the pleasures of life. Full-color photographs. My Thoughts on the Book It was fun and interesting going through the pages, as Frida Kahlo is a pretty iconic artist. One can learn a lot about a country and a person when it comes to food and one does so in this book. If one is interested in either art or food, feel free to pick up Frida's Fiestas.

Top Ten Tuesday; Books I Hoped To Find Under The Christmas Tree Yesterday Evening, But Didn't

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Merry Christmas everyone. It's time for the last Top Ten Tuesday post of the year, thanks to  That Artsy Reader Girl . The theme of the week was "books I hope to find under the Christmas tree this morning", but as the "big day" in Norway is Christmas Eve, I had to twist this week's theme a bit. My picks are; The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe The Atlas of Beauty by Mihaela Noroc Symmetry Breakfast by Michael Zee Girl Hearts Girl by Lucy Sutcliffe Dracula, My Love by Syrie James Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide

Review, A Highland Christmas by M. C. Beaton

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It's time for the last review of a Christmas-inspired book. Today I'm writing about A Highland Christmas by M. C. Beaton, which I read earlier this month. Description from Goodreads Christmas is an ancient Roman festival, not to be celebrated by decent folk in the Scottish Highlands. Police Constable Hamish Macbeth has always loved the festivities, but this year his family is vacationing in sunny Florida. He is stuck with the long, lonely Christmas shift in freezing Lochdubh. A cranky old lady kicks off the holidays by reporting her cat missing. Then the Christmas lights and tree in a nearby village disappear soon after the local council voted to allow decorations. As Hamish finds a way to bring Christmas to the Highlands and make a little girl's dreams come true, he finds -- to his delight -- that he has the best Christmas ever. My Thoughts on the Book It's a light and charming read, especially if one has a weak spot for anything related to Scotland. It

Omtale; En dag i desember av Josie Silver

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For et par måneder siden fikk jeg tilsendt et leseeksemplar av romanen En dag i desember av Josie Silver fra forlaget og i dag kommer omtalen av boka. Beskrivelse fra forlaget Laurie er temmelig sikker på at kjærlighet ved første blikk ikke forekommer i virkeligheten. Det er bare på film slikt skjer, ikke sant? Men så, gjennom en duggete bussrute en snøfylt desemberdag, ser hun mannen hun instinktivt skjønner er "Den ene". Øynene deres møtes og det oppstår et øyeblikk av ren magi før bussen hennes kjører ut fra holdeplassen igjen. Laurie tror ikke hun noen sinne vil se mannen igjen. Men på julefesten deres året etter, blir hun presentert for bestevenninnens nye kjæreste. Og der står han, selvfølgelig, mannen hun så fra bussen. Jack. Laurie er bestemt på at det ikke kan bli de to. Men hva om skjebnen har andre planer? Hva om en dag i desember faktisk kom til å endre alt? En dag i desember er den hjertevarmende og intenst rørende kjærlighetshistorien du har ventet på og øn

Book Tour & Giveaway; Starla's Christmas Conundrum by Carol E. Keen

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Starla's Christmas Conundrum by Carol E. Keen Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Clean Romance In the greatest conflict of her life, can she figure out who to trust? Starla Devaroux is at the peak of her music career. Life as a popular Christian music artist is good. This Christmas she finds herself at the crossroads of several life-altering choices. It's quite a conundrum; the path she takes this time will not only define her future but alter the lives of others as well. "The main characters were very likable, I could really put myself in Starla's shoes." "It was charming and romantic, and I want to marry Mason, lol." **Only .99 cents!!** Goodreads * Amazon  Carol E. Keen enjoys fresh coffee, hot tea, and a good book. She was published for several years in FAMA magazine (Freshwater And Marine Aquarium) as a contributing editor. She published her first book on CD, called Simply Seahorses. She is t

Book Tag Saturday; My Life in Books - 2018 Edition

I discovered the My Life in Books tag over at  Books and Me! . As the year is soon over, I decided to play along. The rules are pretty easy, answer using only books you've read this year. Here's my answers, books read in 2018 style. In high school I was: The Reading Buddy by Bryce Gibson People might be surprised (by): The Haunting of Dr. Bowen by C. A. Verstraete I will never be: The Girl Without Skin by Mads Peder Norbo My fantasy job is: The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell At the end of a long day I need: Heavy Metal and You by Christopher Krovatin I hate it when: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Wish I had: You by Caroline Kepnes My family reunions are: Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto At a party you’d find me with: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell I’ve never been to: The Blackhouse by Peter May A happy day includes: The Cosy Teashop in the Castle by Caroline Roberts Motto I live by: A Murder to Die For by Stevyn Colgan On my bucket list is:

Book Blogger Hop; Book Club and Book Exchange

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It's Friday, which means it's time for another Book Blogger Hop post, courtesy of  Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer . The question of the week was "Does your book club have a book exchange for the holidays or any other time during the year? If you don't belong to a book club, do you think that would be something fun to do?". Book Blogger Hop I've honestly never belonged to a book club, but I do like the concept of a book exchange.

Omtale; Hjemmelaget jul - pynt, bakst, godteri, gaver av Miia Seppäla

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For en liten stund siden var jeg såpass heldig at jeg fikk tilsendt et leseeksemplar av boka Hjemmelaget jul - pynt, bakst, godteri, gaver av Miia Seppäla fra forlaget og i dag kommer omtalen. Beskrivelse fra forlaget Dette er boka for alle som elsker å lage ting til jul. Her får du en rekke oppskrifter på julekaker, kjeks og godteri, klassiske og moderne. Du får også oppskrifter på juletrepynt, kranser og andre dekorasjoner, fuglemat, samt tips til lekker og personlig innpakning. Varierte og hyggelige juleaktiviteter for hele familien! Mine tanker om boka Hjemmelaget jul er en bok med et vidt spekter av ideer til blant annet julepynt, men personlig syntes jeg det kunne vært enda flere ideer i selve boka (det kan hende at jeg er litt vel bortskjemt med Pinterest hvor et enkelt søk kan gi flere hundre ideer). Uansett så er boka en grei innfallsvinkel til litt nordisk-inspirert jul og en får i hvert fall inspirasjon, samt juleglede av å lese den.

Omtale; Adventstid - med aktiviteter i kalenderen for hele familien av Sonia Anita Jensen

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Siden jeg har omtalt og skal omtale en bunke med julebøker nå i desember, tenkte jeg at det kunne være passende at jeg omtalte Adventstid - med aktiviteter i kalenderen for hele familien av Sonia Anita Jensen. Boka var jeg forøvrig såpass heldig at jeg fikk tilsendt som leseeksemplar fra forlaget for en liten stund siden. Beskrivelse fra forlaget I en tid der vi kan kjøpe det meste for penger, trenger vi å bli minnet på gleden ved jula og verdien i adventstidens forventning og spenning. Adventstid. Med aktiviteter i kalenderen er en inspirasjonsbok for småbarnsforeldre som ønsker et alternativ til pakkekalenderen, og som gjerne vil skape rom for samvær og kos med barna i dagene frem mot jul. Boken er fylt med ideer til hyggelige opplevelser for hele familien og prosjekter som kan gjøres både ute og inne. Her er det baking og bading, tradisjon og nyskaping, håndarbeid, stjernetitting og ekspedisjoner i Hundremeterskogen. Her finner dere opplevelser for store og små og forslag til e

Top Ten Tuesday; Winter 2018 TBR

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It's Tuesday, which means it's time for a new Top Ten Tuesday post, courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl  and the theme of the week was Winter 2018 TBR. My list is basically my TBR for  Late-a-thon , a readathon hosted in January, which suits me well in terms of kickstarting the  2019 Blogger Shame Challenge . I've planned to participate in both, as it gives me a proper kick in the rear in terms of reading some of all the press copies I've got. My picks are; Effekten av måneskinn på nyfallen snø by Tove Braathen Mischling by Affinity Koar Vi som er annerledes by Veselin Markovic Trikset by Emanuel Bergmann Håpet by Mich Vraa De tapte barna by Rosanna Ley Kjærlighetens magiske regler by Alice Hoffman Ingenlund - Morrigans forbannelse by Jessica Townsend Klokkemakerens datter by Kate Morton Tre kvinner av Mari Ann Augestad

Review; Death of a Christmas Caterer by Lee Hollis

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I am not going to deny that I've got a weak spot for cosy mysteries. Recently I've read Death of a Christmas Caterer by Lee Hollis and today I'll post the review. Description from Goodreads Who better than food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell to book a caterer for the Island Times holiday party? But Hayley's quest for a cook turns into the pursuit of a killer who caters to no one. . . Office Christmas parties can sometimes mean career suicide--but they rarely lead to murder. Hayley thought Garth Rawlings would be the perfect caterer for this year's bash, but when the gourmet sees her budget, he goes galloping. Unfortunately his run is short-lived. Garth is found dead on the floor of his kitchen, with his delectable creations burning in the oven. Faced with a spread of suspects, Hayley is determined to discover who would want to take out the Christmas caterer, because--no matter what the season--justice must be served. . . Includes seven delectable recipes

Review; Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto

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Just to have a bit of variation in the Christmas books, I decided to read the picture book Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto and today I'll post the review. Description from Goodreads Christmas Eve started out so perfectly for Maria. Snow had fallen and the streets glittered. Maria's favorite cousins were coming over and she got to help make the tamales for Christmas dinner. It was almost too good to be true when her mother left the kitchen for a moment and Maria got to try on her beautiful diamond ring . . . This is the story of a treasure thought to be lost in a batch of tamales; of a desperate and funny attempt by Maria and her cousins to eat their way out of trouble; and the warm way a family pulls together to make it a perfect Christmas after all. My Thoughts On the Book It was a sweet and heartwarming read that easily can introduce a bit of Mexican culture to kids.

Review; Purring Around the Christmas Tree by Liz Mugavero

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As it is December, it's time for another review of a Christmas-related book. Today I'll review the cosy mystery Purring Around the Christmas Tree by Liz Mugavero. Description from Goodreads In the New England town of Frog's Ledge, the Holiday Light Festival is a Christmas tradition. Killing Santa is not. To bring joy back to the season, organic pet patisserie owner Kristan "Stan" Connor will have to find another Santa before it's too late . . . To the townspeople's delight, the annual lighting of the tree is a spectacular success. Unfortunately, Santa pulled up in his sleigh, DOA. At first Stan is sure it's Seamus, her boyfriend's uncle, inside the red suit. But the victim turns out to be an employee from the town's Christmas tree farm. Rumor has it the deceased was a mean drunk with a soft spot for feral cats. Stan has no idea why he was dressed as St. Nick--or why he's dead. Meanwhile, Seamus, a jolly Irishman who comes to Americ