Month: January 2014

The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus)

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The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus) by Rick Riordan

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jason has a problem.

He doesn’t remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper. His best friend is a kid named Leo, and they’re all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids”, as Leo puts it. What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea—except that everything seems very wrong.

Piper has a secret.

Her father, a famous actor, has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he’s in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn’t recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on?

Leo has a way with tools.

His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What’s troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all—including Leo—related to a god.

My thoughts:

I was found it really hard to decide between 4 or 5 stars – This book is fast paced and I found it really enjoyable.

I was hesitant to delve into the next Demigod Hero series by Riordan knowing that Percy Jackson wasn’t going to be that main character all the time. I’m glad I did. With every Percy Jackson book I got drawn into his world a little bit more and that continued with this book.

So it seems with this series we still get all our favourite characters from the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series, plus we get new demigod heroes.

In this book we get three new heroes and it really does open up endless possibilities and breathe new life into the world that Riordan has created. I really enjoyed this book, maybe even more than the Percy Jackson books, but they all tie in together and I think I really liked this book as much as I did because I already cared about the background characters, Percy, Annabeth, Chiron, Rachel etc.

In this the first of the ‘Heroes of Olympus’ series The Lost Hero (1 of 5), Riordan gives us four new characters you can’t help but like – Jason, Piper, Leo & Coach Hedge. “What about a compromise? I’ll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I’ll apologize.” (Coach Hedge) Rick Riordan, The Lost Hero.

It took me Four-Five books to fall in love with Percy, I liked him for the very start, but he really got me in the last two ‘The Battle of the Labyrinth’ and ‘The Last Olympian’. Just after this one book I’m already in love with Leo Valdez.  “Can we just call them storm spirits?” Leo asked. “Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks.” (Leo Valdez) Rick Riordan, The Lost Hero. Obviously when I say ‘in love’ I don’t mean romantically, just that I adore the Characters. I’m too old to romantically fall for the characters but I can see girls going crazy for them and I can imagine a younger version of myself going crazy for them!

Toot Your Horn

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Today’s post presents us with “Most of us are excellent at being self-deprecating, and are not so good at the opposite. Tell us your favourite thing about yourself’’.

Self-deprecating yep that’s me.

My favourite part of myself is my overactive imagination. My overactive imagination has gotten me into all kinds of strife over the years, caused me needless stress, but always kept me entertained.

I over think everything and worry about the outcomes of things that never happen. My mind is always wondering, playing out melodramas in my head, telling me there’s demons under my bed, but always keeping me occupied. I am an only child, but never lacked for company, I was always off in my dream world and still today as an adult I quite like to shy away from company.

I had many sleepless nights as child fearing the monsters I’d made up. I can’t remember all the baddies I’d created in my head but I can remember the story I’d play in my head so I could get it to sleep at night.

I used to imagine my Cat Chum and my Dogs Astro and Cassie could turn into fearsome dinosaurs that answered only to me. Now Chum used to sleep every night on my pillow so I’d tell myself, if anything tried to harm me Chum would alert the others and the three of them would morph and protect me.

I still see demons clawing up the side of my bed to get me even now. It took me until my twenties to be able to sleep without the covers up over my head and if my husband’s not home I have to leave the hall light on.

I can lose a whole day dreaming about faraway lands and future plans. I get so caught up in my head I don’t want to return to the real word, but I like it that way, the real world stinks.

I would like to be able to turn it off at night and get some sleep.

365daysofprompts   Post 16/365 (missed 3)

 

Ripped from the headlines

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Today’s post asks us to visit our favourite online news source and pick an article with a headline that grabs you and write a short story based on it.

Now I’m going to give you the story, then I’ll tell you the headline!!!

*****                            *****                           *****

Rufus & Max

Rufus loved Max. Max had saved Rufus from downing when he was only a few months old. Max had been out paddling his canoe in the creek near his house when he came across a distressed little puppy trying to climb back up the bank. Max picked the wet mess of fur up and took him home, washed him, dried him and gave him a feed. Max decided to call him Rufus as he’d been watching Bill and Ted’s awesome adventure the night before and the name sprang to mind. He called up his local vet and off they went for a check-up. Rufus wasn’t microchiped, so max had him microchiped and registered him as his own. He didn’t bother looking for Rufus first owner, he figured if they didn’t bother to keep the pup safe or have him microchiped that they didn’t deserve him. The vet said that Rufus was approximately three months old and that by the looks of it he had wolfhound and kelpie in him.

Max was a rather active kind of bloke, he loved camping, fishing and hiking in the bush and so did Rufus. Rufus was convinced he had the best human in the world and that Max had been made just for him. They had many fun filled years together while max was finishing high school, then starting Uni. Max had even perceived and taught Rufus to swim.

Rufus loved it when Max got his own place and Rufus no longer had to deal with Max’s mother’s evil cats Muffin and Patsy. Muffin and Patsy where always breaking things and Rufus was always getting the blame, no matter how much Max stood up for him. But alas the pressure of having their own home was weighing Max down. Rufus could see how tired Max was getting now that he was working full time and still trying to complete his final year of study. Rufus decided he’d take matters into his own paws, Max needed to rest, he needed a break, so the next morning when Max’s alarm went off, Rufus pulled cord out of the wall with his teeth before it could make enough noise to wake Max, he then smiled to himself and trotted into the kitchen and pulled the telephone cord out just to be sure. Rufus then went and curled up on his favourite purple plush pile rug in the lounge room.

Max awoke a few hours later, he sat up with a shot upon seeing how bright the sun was outside. He looked at his clock but it was turned off, he jumped out of bed and grabbed his phone and turned it on. I think everyone within a kilometre radius would have herd the words he exclaimed when he saw what time it was. There was 10 messages on his mobile phones answering service. He listened to them grimacing as in each message his boss got angrier and angrier. He looked at his alarm clock and wondered how in the hell the power cord had been ripped from the wall, he went and checked his land line telephone and found it’s cord had been pulled out also. He was trying to figure out what had happened, he thought that maybe he had done it sleep walking perhaps.

Max looked at Rufus lying peacefully on his rug, he glanced at the time and decided that he was already in the shit at work anyway so he may as well take Rufus for a swim and some fishing, perhaps when he was fishing he’d be able to come up with some sort of excuse, he hoped.

So Rufus got what he wanted, Max had a sleep in and then they spent a relaxing day fishing and swimming in their favourite spot and Max never really figured out what had happened.

*****                              *****                             *****

The headline that called out to me was “Snooze Dogg turns off owner’s alarm” as it was the only remotely entertaining/ happy sounding title, all the other headlines where sad or serious and I wasn’t in the mood for that.

365daysofprompts  Post 14/365 missed 3

Clean Slate

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Today’s post asks us to explore the room we’re in as if we’re seeing it for the first time – What do we see? Who is the person who lives there?

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As I walk up to the door I can smell the scent of lavender, the kind of smoky lavender that comes from burning incense and I can see an old faded green fabric one seater lounge chair just inside the doorway. As I walk through the door I step on something hard, I look down to see a baby’s plastic rattle under my foot. There are a few baby toys strewn around the ground, obviously to keep a little someone occupied while a bigger someone is trying to use the room. The rooms one large window has its blinds drawn to the left side and the room is filled with bright sunlight. What the bigger someone would be using the room for becomes obvious once I see the big black desk under the window. Now this desk looks like it was probably an old rectangular dining table it’s so big. At the table is a computer chair. On the table is an open Laptop Computer and Tablet PC, multiple paper filing trays with bills and books, pen holders, an open daily planner, a large silver desk lamp as well as an empty oil burner and an incense holder with a extinguished incense cone in it. As I turn around to leave the room I realise there is a white built-in wardrobe that I didn’t notice as I walked in. I open the wardrobe and am immediately hit with a divine smell, I look up first and find a rather large supply of candles, incense and oils. There is also a collection of craft and painting supplies, some old work out equipment and a massive box full of aged by still in good condition Lego all stuffed in the little wardrobe.

Judging by the desk this is the home office of someone who likes a lot of space when they are working, I assume they have a baby and that the baby isn’t old enough for the Lego so it’s hidden away for once they are older. Maybe it’s ever the room’s owners Lego from when they were a kid and they intend to pass it on. They must like candles and incense and all things pretty smelling.

I look back around the room as I go to leave, It is a rather clean and tidy room, if you don’t count the few baby toys on the floor, everything on the desk is lined and grouped just so, it’s possible the owner of this room is a bit obsessive.

So the owner of this room is a slightly obsessive person, who likes space, who likes the air around them aromatised and who is a parent trying to keep their child occupied while they work.

*                         *                           *

The room I wrote this in is my home office/ writing room.

365daysofprompts Post 13/365 missed 3

Take Two

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Today’s post asks up to run outside and take a picture of the first thing we see, then run back inside and take a picture of the second thing we see, then write about the connection between these two random objects, people, or scenes.

Ok so I didn’t run, when I run I tend to fall! But this is what I saw when I opened my front door:

outsideMy Car (and my dying front lawn) were the first things I noticed. My green Lancer wagon. My nice family friendly safe little Lancer wagon aka My G.L.W (green lancer wagon). Before I got the GLW for its baby carrying wagon benefits, I had a Commodore (aka the Bombodore). The Bombodore was actually a bigger, heavier and faster car then the GLW, but alas it was a sedan and a wagon is much easier to hall prams and things out of. The GLW uses half the fuel of the Bombodore because it’s got half the engine. I am really enjoying the ease of a wagon carting my son around, but when I’m driving ALONE I still yearn for the rear wheel drive Holden power that used to put me sideways when I’d take off too fast – ummm no I’ve never done that I swear – oh who am I kidding, I can be a typical Aussie who likes being a lead foot and a dickhead some of the time!

When I turned back around I saw my floor mat covered in dirty foot prints, making my think I needed to clean it. Second thing I saw was a display cabinet. I never realised my hall was so boring until I looked at this photo.

insideThe cabinet is full of mementos from family trips, my wedding and trinkets my husband and I have collected over the years. The things that you can probably make out in the photograph inside the display cabinet are; the number plate off of my motor scooter which I kept when I sold the bike just before my son was born and one of my Astro Boy figures, I loved Astro Boy when I was younger and when I was four I named my first dog after him. Up on top of the display cabinet is evidence that I am a Harry Potter fan as I have a Dobby stuffed toy, two white owl statues representing Hedwig and a toy cat I made representing Crookshanks. Also up on top there are two photos from my wedding.

The connection between the two things – well they’re mine for a start, It’s my car and my display cabinet, one holds a lot of memories and the other has the ability to take me to places to make new memories.

365daysofprompts   Post 12/365 missed 3

Tripwire (3rd of 18 Reacher Novels)

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Tripwire (3rd of 18 Reacher Novels) by Lee Child

Goodreads synopsis:

Jack Reacher, ex-military policeman relaxed in Key West until Costello turned up dead. The amiable PI was hired in New York by the daughter of Reacher’s mentor and former commanding officer, General Garber. Garber’s investigation into a Vietnam MIA sets Reacher on collision with hand-less “Hook” Hobie, hours away from his biggest score.

My thoughts:

This book grabbed me that’s for sure, I didn’t want to put it down. This book has all the fast paced page turning action and thrilling mystery of the other Reacher novels I’ve read, but also you get to see the more loving side of Reacher through his relationship with Jodie. I would like to think he sticks with Jodie, but I know from reading later penned Reacher books that she’s nowhere to be found, maybe later I’ll come across another book that will tell me what happened to her and General Garber’s house. I really like how with Lee Child we get a running account of all the big players in the story and how they always all come together at the end somehow. I always find myself trying to guess the puzzle, then he gives you another piece and you’ve got to guess again. Mr Child and his Jack Reacher always keep you guessing.

Four out of five stars for another enthralling Reacher investigation.

Turn me into a curry

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Sometimes when my sons sitting on my lap he stares into my eyes and it’s like he’s reading my soul – Other times I swear he’s thinking ”if I cut her up and put her in a curry she’d be delicious” then he’ll smile, slap me and bite my chin, which makes if perfectly obvious he wants to turn me into a curry!!

Teacher’s pet

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Today’s post prompt asks us to write about a teacher who had a real impact on our lives, either for the better or the worse and how is your life different today because of him or her?

Haha well I could talk about my mum, she is a high school art teacher, oh wait WAS, its 2014 she’s now retired. So anyways she was a teacher and she’s taught me a hell of a lot over the years – but I think the prompt probably means more along the lines of your past school teachers.

So I’ll start off saying I didn’t really have any teachers that impacted badly on my life in the long run, although I’m sure I impacted badly on some of their lives.

There are a few teaches who stand out:

Primary School. My year 6 teacher Mrs Anderson, the first teacher I ever tried to behave for, first class I actually tried to learn in. She separated me from my friends and put me down the front of the class between Nick Redman and Guy Faseas, it was probably the smartest thing anybody had ever done. I already knew Cathie Anderson (now Cathie Black) before I had her as a teacher as she was and still is friends with my parents and grandparents. She’d known me my whole life and I cared about what she thought of me, I was probably still loud and un-agreeable some of the time, but I did try to behave for her! Well in my head I did, she might tell you a different story!

High School. I walked into Toronto High School with a bit of an attitude and walked out with a rather bad and major one, BUT most of the teachers I had there had a positive effect on me, I just had to grow up to understand their lessons.

Science became one of my favorite subjects. Now I was never a very good ‘learner’ at school, WAY! to easily distracted, but in my four years at Toronto I had two super awesome science teachers Mr Morgan and Mr Delbow (that’s not how he spells it I’m sure) who made learning science easier for me because they kept me captivated. I don’t really remember getting into much trouble in science class.

I loved music class, but that’s because it was always a bludge and the only class I got straight A’s in. Art class was also one of my favorites, even though I really liked my art teacher, it was more the subject matter that held me. I Hated Math!!! No teaches fault! Just F*#king hated having to think really hard on boring numbers LOL and now I’m an office clerk who works with numbers each day, oh what a world. Numbers and I became friends after I left school. Sorry I got a bit off track there.

Last but not least Mrs Ireland my Drama teacher, I’ve mentioned her before, she could always get me to behave. Everybody respected Mrs Ireland, she was a hard teacher, but a good one. It was Mrs Island who encouraged the angry loud mouthed fifteen year old Sarah to try reading. I had read as a child, school forced you to read and some of my fondest early child hood memories are of reading with my mum and my Nanma, but somewhere along the teenage path I’d lost that love. She helped me to find my love of reading again, which has no doubt improved my writing, spelling and concentrating abilities over the years.

Ok I’ll shop boring you with my ramblings now 🙂

365daysofprompts   Post 8/365 missed 1

Helpless

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Helplessness: that dull, sick feeling of not being the one at the reins – Today’s post asks us when did you last feel like that, helpless and what did you do about it?

I laughed when I saw today’s post prompt, a bitter laugh! I think the question for me would be when do I not feel helpless. I’m going to be brutally honest here (which I think I’ll regret when I hit publish), I break down almost daily, feeling trapped, feeling like everything is out of my control, feeling that the things I want for myself are out of reach and that going on is pointless. I breakdown feeling helpless, sorry for myself and mad at myself for feeling the first two.

What am I doing about it, well to be honest I’m sick of dealing with it and I’m sick of talking about it, talking just drags it out, talk talk talk talk, talking around in circles, talking to my husband who doesn’t understand, talking to a ‘professional’ I got sent to see – talking is pointless when nobody’s listening – so I’m done with talking.

I can suffer through it. I can try to think about the things that make me happy to help the current wave of depression wash over me. Once the wave is gone I can go back to being the ME I enjoy, until helplessness, fear and anger come rolling to my shore again and I’ll suffer through them again until that wave passes also.

I think you can tell I’m under a wave while writing this, my sons been cranky this afternoon and his crying always sends me straight to the bottom. There is nothing that makes me feel more helpless than his cries, it really is amazing how you can love something so much but have it cause you so much anguish.

But I will say I am thankful for the life I have, things could be much worse, but unfortunately that doesn’t stop the waves crashing over me.

365daysofprompts   Post 7/365 missed 1

Reading books

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As a generalisation I won’t read a series until it’s finished. I hate the waiting. I dread falling in love with a book and not being able to read it’s follow up straight away and having to wait another year or so. I’m rather impatient in all aspects of life actually, one of my major flaws, causes me all sorts of grief, but that’s a trillion different stories right there.

I purchased all of J K Rowling’s Harry Potter books at once, then read them back to back! I read all five of Douglas Adams’s HHGTTG in one go, all The Percy Jackson series, hunger games trilogy etc. I’ve got Shadows of The Realm and A Time of Darkness sitting on my book shelf and I’m waiting for Dionne Lister to publish the third instalment so I can sit down and read them all.

I know you’re thinking ummm you bought the whole series before reading the first book, what if you don’t like it? – In my defence, I read reviews to get a feel of the book and see whether I think I’m going to like it or not, I can’t just read for readings sake, it’s got to draw me in! Normally the first book will come out and I’d decide I wanted to read it, if I find out it’s a series I’ll note it down to keep track of it and wait for all the books to come out, then buy the first book, read it and see if I like it before buying the rest – but by waiting till they all are published I can go and buy the next one straight away, no anguish waiting.

Yeah, I should just learn to be patient hey!

My big problem with reading at the moment is my ‘want to read’ list keeps getting longer, my bank out keeps getting lower and I can’t seem to get much time to read, hmmm I’m wasting reading time right now!!

Night All.