Bling it on: some (pretty) gift ideas

Hullo readers!

Did you all have a good weekend? Have fun? Take time to relax? Do something for yourself or others? Whether it was leisure time or tending to admin/ cleaning/ humdrum activities, I hope that you’re all ready for the new week… and a new month.

So my birthday is coming up on Sunday. I’m still not sure exactly what we’ll be doing, although (1) I’d really love a birthday cake/cupcake/some sort of confectionary with a candle stuck in it and (2) a cup of tea to start my morning off with… even though I know I’m usually up before my Significant Other and will thus end up making my own tea 😉

Birthdays are a great occasion to show your appreciation for special people in your life, which is why I love buying gifts (in general). The only ‘worrying’ factor when it comes to birthdays is deciding on what to get the other person. Gift cards come in handy, but it’s nice to know what that person’s interests are so that you can buy something the recipient will be genuinely pleased to receive.

That being the case, I’ve decided to share some trinkets that someone such as myself would love to receive:

I enjoy baking, which is why this bracelet *cue lame pun* is CHARM-ing

Not sure if this ring will ward off kitchen disasters or if it'd serve as a bad omen/ warning...

Nothing says 'domestic goddess' like wearing a bottle of cleaning liquid around your neck

Bring out your inner sexy librarian/ hipster with this ring

Some days you cannot help wishing for a bit of immortality... Harry Potter readers will recognize this as the sign of the Deathly Hallows

More Harry Potter love with the trademark lightning bolt scar ❤

Last Harry Potter pic: golden snitch bracelet

While I wait for THE HUNGER GAMES film to be released here in SA, these earrings can help to psyche me up some more

The couple who builds/plays together, stays together! I'm pretty sure my husband would want to turn it into another gadget by adding some buttons and switches...

These earrings are the closest I'll ever get to being a (mad) scientist

Readers unite!

I am so incredibly excited.

Why, you ask?

Because we’ve started a book club on Facebook!!

Okay, I suppose you need me to back it up just a little bit. Here’s the backstory:

At the beginning of the year (January/ February), I read the HUNGER GAMES trilogy – which I loved, of course. As the year progressed, I went on to read a lot of other books – and I mean a lot – but kept wondering how the film adaptation of the first book would turn out. I wasn’t all too happy to see who they cast for some of the parts, since they didn’t fit the descriptions in the book (don’t you just hate it when they choose someone who doesn’t even have the right hair colour?), but when I saw some pictures from the work-in-progress on IMDB, I started to think that perhaps they could pull it off. It’s amazing what a dye job, haircut and make-up can do…

Anyway, back to my story. I shared a link to the IMDB page with photos on my Facebook, and then a friend that went to university with me started chatting to me about the series and books in general. From that point on (probably at the start of September) we’ve been sharing and recommending books we enjoyed. She told me about the CHAOS WALKING trilogy, which I enjoyed just as much as the HUNGER GAMES (didn’t really like the ending, though), so I told her about the MAZE RUNNER trilogy – the final book came out a few days ago, making my timing for reading them perfect 🙂

You’ll note that all the aforementioned trilogies are dystopian novels (see my blog entry about it here), yet do not despair: we’ve shared other recommendations, as well. If you’re into light reads that include mystery and baking, you can try the Hannah Swensen Mysteries series by Joanne Fluke. If you still want a bit of mystery/ a ‘detective story’ and bring in the newspaper industry – and cats, don’t forget cats! – you can turn your attention to The Cat Who… series. My friend, Ms. Booklover, has introduced me to the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher – a cross between detective stories and wizards. To quote Wikipedia (and yes, I am going to do it, even though it isn’t always a reliable source), the series is pretty much “Dirty Harry Potter”… get it? Dirty Harry + Harry Potter (a hard-core detective and plenty of wizardry)? Ah, forget it.

Okay, one  more recommendation, then I’ll shut my trap. If any of you liked THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, I’d give THE WASP FACTORY by Iain M. Banks a read. It’s odd, interesting, destructive… Not everyone’s cup of tea. I won’t take offense if you read a few pages and then discard it. As long as you’re reading and engaging with the wonderful world of words, it makes me extremely happy. I’ve always have a great fondness for books, which is why I am glad to be sharing the experience with others… and to be able to do that. Not a lot of people have or make time for reading; others simply say that they don’t like to read *tsk-tsk* Where would we be without literacy? Without imagination, some form of escape?

If you love to read, feel free to post books you enjoyed in the comments section (which should be at the bottom of this blog entry). You can also share books you have started – perhaps a few times – and just cannot seem to finish/ get ‘into’. I’m always looking for new books to read…

Yip, pretty excited about sharing book recommendations with friends. Pretty darn much.

Readers unite!!! 😀

[PS: Do I even have to say that I recommend each and every work by the literary master writer Stephen King? No, I didn’t think so.]

Smudgy the cat loves… (Part 1)

Smudgy really seems to take after her human mommy – she LOVES books.

Perhaps not in the same way that I love them, since kitties cannot read, but it’s the thought that counts.

Ever since she was a tiny 7-week-old fur baby, she’s been fascinated with books. Hardcover, paperback, magazines, recipe books, e-books (on my NOOK)… none of these are too good for her to have a sniff (or gnaw!) at. Probably ties in with the whole curiosity cat thing.

And, of course, she does love sleeping on my bookshelves (her being a cat and all). I’ll even admit to feeling sleep tugging at my eyelids and making them droop while immersed in my reading late at night – just shows you the kind of example I’m setting for Smudgy *laugh*

Or, perhaps, she’s the one setting the example for me…?

Either way, books play an important role in both our lives, forming part of our personalities and bringing us closer together *awww*

We might not share genes or the same species, but she’s my little fur baby, part of our little family, and I wouldn’t have her any other way…

Here are a few photos of Smudgy ‘enjoying’ some books.

Have a happy Meh-day/ Whensday, everyone!

Filling in a sudo-x-word. She was sooo tiny!!

Delving into poetry and Shakespeare at an early age

Helping me fill in a number crossword

Selecting a book she can sink her teeth into... literally!

Proud kitty protecting 'her' Stephen King collection. She's really into horror/ mystery/ suspense (i.e. all things King)

Breathing in that 'real' book smell

Immersed in the magical world of Harry Potter

Smudgy gets tired while reading "The cat who turned on and off" - seems fitting

Smudgy in one of my bookcases (bottom shelf) - she's quite partial to napping in front of Chelsea Cain & Dan Brown novels

Sleeping on the middle row of a different bookcase. She's working her way to the top 😉