Waterstones Challenge: Wrexham

Hello My Fellow Book Dragons!

I have had a wonderful day with my husband, we went to Chirk Castle and then afternoon tea at a Hotel called The Sweeney. Between these two locations we also managed to fit in a Waterstones visit.

 

We visited the Waterstones at Wrexham and I was really impressed with what I saw, even though we only had a quick ten minutes in the store because we had to get to our booked table for afternoon tea. Everything was laid out well and I loved the genre signs above the bookshelves and the staff were wonderful.

The thing I was really impressed with was that Wrexham store had a big display of the A Very Short Introduction books which are done by Oxford University Press and I needed one of these for a course I am starting in October. So I immediately bought the book and a cute notebook to go with it because I do love a notebook.

The book I bought was Classics: A Very Short Introduction by Mary Beard and John Henderson.

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So after a busy and enjoyable day I am going to have a sit down and read a few chapters of my new book.

Happy Reading.

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New Books: 27/08/2019

Hello Everyone.

I have been busy trying to complete my Diet and Nutrition Diploma and this has also involved getting a few more books. So my new books are course related but some fun ones as well.

Course books

Fed Up with Asthma by Sue Dengate

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By the author of the bestselling books Different Kids, Fed Up and The Failsafe Cookbook, Fed Up with Asthma tackles one of the most dangerous and insidious health issues to be associated with the Western lifestyle: asthma. Sue Dengate examines the scientific research to show links between a whole range of synthetic and natural food chemicals such as sulphites, MSG and salicylates and the steadily increasing numbers of children and adults diagnosed with asthma; and also shows how to avoid them using the failsafe diet. If you are interested in good health and being free of asthma, you can’t afford not to read this book.

 

The Inflammation Syndrome by Jack Challem

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Completely revised and updated-Jack Challem’s powerful plan to safely prevent and overcome inflammatory disorders

Inflammation is what happens when our body’s own defenses turn on us-and it is a huge and growing problem. Written by the author of the groundbreaking Syndrome X, this essential updated edition of The Inflammation Syndrome draws on cutting-edge research conducted around the world to provide a revolutionary approach to healing inflammation-related problems through an easy-to-follow nutrition and supplement program.

Includes new recommendations for individualized diet and supplement plans
Presents fourteen steps for restoring dietary balance, plus recipes and menu plans
Reveals the powerful role inflammation plays in a wide variety of common health conditions-from simple aches and pains to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, and athletic injuries
Features dramatic case histories and the latest information on dosage recommendations for anti-inflammation supplements such as fish oils, vitamins, and herbs
Other books by Jack Challem: Syndrome X, The Food-Mood Solution, Feed Your Genes Right, and Stop Prediabetes Now

Read The Inflammation Syndrome and learn just how easy it can be to take charge of your diet and health.

 

Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom by Dr Christine Northrup

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‘Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom’ demonstrates that when women change the basic conditions of their lives that lead to health problems, they heal faster, more completely, and with far fewer medical interventions. This book offers up-to-date information on every aspect of women’s health.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fun books

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

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THE BRAND NEW SERIES FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR

England 1648. A dangerous time for a woman to be different . . .

Midsummer’s Eve, 1648, and England is in the grip of a civil war between renegade King and rebellious Parliament. The struggle reaches every corner of the kingdom, even to the remote Tidelands – the marshy landscape of the south coast.

Alinor, a descendant of wise women, crushed by poverty and superstition, waits in the graveyard under the full moon for a ghost who will declare her free from her abusive husband. Instead, she meets James, a young man on the run, and shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marsh, not knowing that she is leading disaster into the heart of her life.

Suspected of possessing dark secrets in superstitious times, Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her out from her neighbors. This is the time of witch-mania, and Alinor, a woman without a husband, skilled with herbs, suddenly enriched, arouses envy in her rivals and fear among the villagers, who are ready to take lethal action into their own hands.

 

The Last by Hanna Jameson

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For fans of high-concept thrillers such as Annihilation and The Girl with All the Gifts, this breathtaking dystopian psychological thriller follows an American academic stranded at a Swiss hotel as the world descends into nuclear war—along with twenty other survivors—who becomes obsessed with identifying a murderer in their midst after the body of a young girl is discovered in one of the hotel’s water tanks.

Jon thought he had all the time in the world to respond to his wife’s text message: I miss you so much. I feel bad about how we left it. Love you. But as he’s waiting in the lobby of the L’Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland after an academic conference, still mulling over how to respond to his wife, he receives a string of horrifying push notifications. Washington, DC has been hit with a nuclear bomb, then New York, then London, and finally Berlin. That’s all he knows before news outlets and social media goes black—and before the clouds on the horizon turn orange.

Now, two months later, there are twenty survivors holed up at the hotel, a place already tainted by its strange history of suicides and murders. Those who can’t bear to stay commit suicide or wander off into the woods. Jon and the others try to maintain some semblance of civilization. But when the water pressure disappears, and Jon and a crew of survivors investigate the hotel’s water tanks, they are shocked to discover the body of a young girl.

As supplies dwindle and tensions rise, Jon becomes obsessed with investigating the death of the little girl as a way to cling to his own humanity. Yet the real question remains: can he afford to lose his mind in this hotel, or should he take his chances in the outside world?

 

Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise by Katherine Rundell

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As you can see, lots of lovely new books. I’m hoping that my course books, will prove useful in helping my asthma, as well as writing essays. Tidelands by Philippa Gregory has been preordered for so long that I had forgotten I had ordered it, so it was a wonderful surprise when a signed copy arrived in the post. 

Please drop me a comment if you have read any of these books, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Reading

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New Books: 30/07/2019

Hello!

Today I have had in influx of books! That in my opinion is a glorious day. One book that I have had preordered for a very long time and the rest from NetGalley. I just need more time to read them all.

Here are the books:-

NetGalley Books

The King’s Evil by Andrew Taylor

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A royal scandal that could change the face of England forever…

London 1667. In the Court of Charles II, it’s a dangerous time to be alive – a wrong move may lead to disgrace, exile or death. The discovery of a body at Clarendon House, the palatial home of one of the highest courtiers in the land, could therefore have catastrophic consequences.

James Marwood, a traitor’s son, is ordered to cover up the murder. But the dead man is Edward Alderley, the cousin of one of Marwood’s acquaintances. Cat Lovett had every reason to want her cousin dead. Since his murder, she has vanished, and all the evidence points to her as the killer.

Marwood is determined to clear Cat’s name and discover who really killed Alderley. But time is running out for everyone. If he makes a mistake, it could threaten not only the government but the King himself…

 

Under Pressure: Living Life and Avoiding Death on A Nuclear Submarine by Richard Humphreys

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A candid, visceral, and incredibly entertaining account of what it’s like to live in one of the most extreme man-made environments in the world.

Imagine a world without natural light, where you can barely stand up straight for fear of knocking your head, where you have no idea of where in the world you are or what time of day it is, where you sleep in a coffin-sized bunk and sometimes eat a full roast for breakfast.

Now imagine sharing that world with 140 other sweaty bodies, crammed into a 430ft x 33ft steel tube, 300ft underwater, for up to 90 days at a time, with no possibility of escape. And to top it off, a sizeable chunk of your living space is taken up by the most formidably destructive nuclear weapons history has ever known. This is the world of the submariner. This is life under pressure.

As a restless and adventurous 18-year-old, Richard Humphreys joined the submarine service in 1985 and went on to serve aboard the nuclear deterrent for five years at the end of the Cold War. Nothing could have prepared him for life beneath the waves. Aside from the claustrophobia and disorientation, there were the prolonged periods of boredom, the constant dread of discovery by the Soviets, and the smorgasbord of rank odours that only a group of poorly-washed and flatulent submariners can unleash.

But even in this most pressurised of environments, the consolations were unique: where else could you sit peacefully for hours listening to whale song, or…

Based on first-hand experience, Under Pressure is the candid, visceral and incredibly entertaining account of what it’s like to live, work, sleep, eat – and stay sane – in one of the most extreme man-made environments on the planet.

 

A Gift in December by Jenny Gladwell

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Love can grow anywhere in this cosy, romantic tale inspired by London’s most famous Christmas tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout

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Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine. Whether with a teenager coming to terms with the loss of her father, a young woman about to give birth during a hilariously inopportune moment, a nurse who confesses a secret high school crush, or a lawyer who struggles with an inheritance she does not want to accept, the unforgettable Olive will continue to startle us, to move us, and to inspire moments of transcendent grace.

 

 

 

 

 

Book that arrived today

The Enterprise War by John Jackson Miller

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A shattered ship, a divided crew—trapped in the infernal nightmare of conflict!

Hearing of the outbreak of hostilities between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire, Captain Christopher Pike attempts to bring the U.S.S. Enterprise home to join in the fight. But in the hellish nebula known as the Pergamum, the stalwart commander instead finds an epic battle of his own, pitting ancient enemies against one another—with not just the Enterprise, but her crew as the spoils of war.

Lost and out of contact with Earth for an entire year, Pike and his trusted first officer, Number One, struggle to find and reunite the ship’s crew—all while Science Officer Spock confronts a mystery that puts even his exceptional skills to the test…with more than their own survival possibly riding on the outcome….

 

That’s my list of new books. I’m very excited to get reading them. If anybody has any opinions on the books or authors please drop me a comment.

Happy Reading.

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Waterstones Challenge: Orpington

Hello everyone!

It has been ages since I visited a new Waterstones but yesterday I finally found another one. We had to stay the night in Orpington because it was close to where we need to be today so we decided to visit the Waterstones. Only problem was we did not realise it’s not technically in Orpington but in St Mary Cray and is a 1.2 mile or more walk from where we were staying in the centre of Orpington. Oh well the walk there and back did us good.

The shop was wonderful, it was packed with books but laid out really well. We also really liked the children’s section and all the cuddly toys. A member of staff greeted us and asked if we needed help and it all felt very friendly and relaxed. There was also a massive New Book section which was very exciting.

I only bought two books and they were paperbacks. I didn’t want to go crazy because of the long walk back in the very hot weather so I went for thin books as well.

The two books I went for were:-

A Room with a View by E. M. Forster

This is on my summer challenge list and I don’t own it so I was happy to get a hard copy as all this Kindle reading is upsetting me. I just prefer a real book!

The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths

As you probably know by now I love the books by Elly Griffiths, so I keep buying any I have not read when I see them.

Anyway, that was my little Waterstones adventure. If you are near or in Orpington anytime soon pay the store a visit as it is really good.

Happy Thursday reading everyone.

A New Book Store

Hello my fellow book dragons!

Today was my day off and I needed to go to Bewdley to run a few errands so I used this as an excuse to visit Bewdley’s new book store Wyre Forest Books.

I have many happy memories as a child visiting Bewdley with my big sister and going to the book store Bewdley Books. Sadly this book store closed quite a few years ago and so we haven’t had an independent book store anywhere local for quite a long time.

Wyre Forest Books was a lovely store, it was spacious and well laid out and the man who was running it was helpful and very friendly. The best part was the children’s section, this was beautifully laid out and there was a palace for the children to sit in and read.

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I loved this store and will be a regular shopper there. I start a new job in September which is in Bewdley so I think that will be an excellent excuse to make little trips to the book store.

I did buy some books and a bookmark, one book I bought for my husband and one I bought for my dad but the other two and the bookmark I bought for myself.

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The two books I bought were:-

The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal

The Familiars by Stacey Halls

Very excited to read these once my summer reads are finished.

Anyway, if you live near Bewdley check out Wyre Forest Books it is brilliant.

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New Books: 13/07/2019

Happy Saturday everyone!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. I must confess I have not done any reading since coming back from holiday, as I just keep falling asleep all the time. Jet Lag is taking its toll. This has also affected my book reviewing.

However, I have bought two new books!

The first book I have bought is because I watched the film adaptation on the plane and cried my eyes out. I loved the story so much I hope the book will be as good if not better.

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis

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Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?

 

The second book I have bought is by a fellow blogger, Fractured Faith Blog who has just had his first book published. I read this blog everyday and I am very excited to read and review the book. 

The Kirkwood’s Scott Chronicles: Skelly’s Square by Stephen Black

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They want him to save the world. But, first, he must save himself.

Kirkwood Scott is having a bad day. Languishing in a dead end job and recently dumped by his girlfriend he struggles with a crippling form of OCD which manifests itself in the form of Colonel Augustus Skelly, a phantom voice from Kirkwood’s childhood who controls his every waking moment via a series of tortuous routines, ‘The 49’.

Kirkwood has little to look forward to, bar a weekend of drunken oblivion in Belfast with his equally deadbeat friends. All that changes when he meets Meredith Starc, a young homeless woman struggling to survive on the streets and come to terms with her own troubled past. Kirkwood realises Meredith may hold the answer to him finally being free of his mental demons.

But what if Skelly is more than just a voice? Kirkwood and Meredith join forces to unearth a supernatural battle raging on the city’s back streets between ancient forces of good or evil, the outcome of which will decide the fate of the planet. Between them, they hold the key to saving mankind from a new Dark Age but can they survive long enough to do so as Skelly unleashes a legion of vicious ghost soldiers upon the unsuspecting city?

‘The Kirkwood Scott Chronicles: Skelly’s Square’ is a fast paced and darkly humorous supernatural fantasy guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

 

Very excited to read both these books.

If you have read any of these books I would love to hear your opinions, drop me a comment.

Happy reading.

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New Books 4/06/2019

Happy Tuesday!

I have recently bought a load of books to help me complete my Level 3 Diploma in Diet and Nutrition. So far I have really been enjoying dipping into the books and finding out more facts.

The books are:-

Nutrition for Dummies by Carol Ann Rinzler

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The Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford

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Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

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You Are What You Eat by Dr Gillian McKeith

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The Digestive System by Margaret E. Smith and Dion G. Morton

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Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch

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So these are the books for my course, I do not think I will read them cover to cover but I will definitely be using them a lot. The Water book I have started reading from the beginning and so far can not put it down.

Happy reading.

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Waterstones Challenge: Birmingham

Hello everyone.

I have finally managed to get to a Waterstones this month, it was very overdue.

This Waterstones was the one in Birmingham, I love this store as I always go there just before Christmas when I visit the German Market. I usually go to buy Christmas presents but I must admit I usually end up spending a lot of money on Christmas books for myself. Very naughty I know.

So I bought two books from Waterstones and strangely enough they both have yellow covers. Although yellow is one of my favourite colours I promise I didn’t get the books just because they have yellow covers.

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Six Tudor Queens: Anna of Kleve Queen of Secrets by Alison Weir

I have been getting the full series of these books so I was quite happy to see the next one was out in the shops.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

This has been on my TBR list for while so now I own it I hope to read it soon.

I love this store because it has so many books in it and it is well spaced out. I highly recommend this Waterstones if you are taking a trip to Birmingham.

Happy Reading!

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New Books 9/05/2019

Super excited about my new books as they are to do with my upcoming honeymoon. Yes the husband and myself have finally saved enough for our dream honeymoon and we are going to Hawaii! As you can see in the photo Pan our cat is really not bothered by my new books.

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This meant that we had to get some holiday guide books and so I immediately bought two with the best reviews. One for Hawaii in general and one for Maui where we are staying. I hope they will be good. I have had a flick through and already found a list of activities I would like to do, not entirely sure my husband agrees with some of the choices, but we will see.

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This is the first Eyewitness Travel guide I have had but it had excellent reviews on Amazon so I hope it proves useful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I think this should prove to be good as I know a few fellow book dragons who love the Lonely Planet guides. Don’t think I will be surfing like the person on the front cover though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So here are my new books that I will be reading and planning with soon.

I will also be looking for books to read when I am on the plane for many, many hours so any recommendations would be gratefully received. Also if you have been to Hawaii or live in Hawaii please feel free to recommend places to visit. Would love to hear other people’s opinions on places. Thanks.

Lady Book Dragon.

New Books (25/04/2019)

Yesterday on our way back from Wells we visited the National Trust property Tyntesfield, which was stunning, possibly one of the best National Trust properties I have visited so far.

A brief history before we get to the books. Tyntesfield was purchased in 1844 by the merchant William Gibbs as a country retreat for his family. The Gibbs family made their fotunes from Guano, or dried bird poo, which the Victorians used as fertiliser. The house was in the family for three generations and each generation made their mark on the house by expanding it and adding extras. Richard Gibbs was the last Gibb in residence and sadly passed away in 2001, the National Trust then bought the house in 2002.

Whilst we were there we checked out the second hand book shop and the main National Trust shop and I managed to buy quite a few books. In my defense some are very small books.

New Books

In the second hand book shop I started off inside and to be honest I was not that impressed. However as I went outside my husband spotted a complete set of Penguin 60’s. These little books were published in 1995 for Penguin’s 60th Anniversary. After some research I discovered this set with the orange spines are based on 20th century writting and that the black set which I am now hunting down is based on classic writing. The whole set cost me £25, well my husband £15 and myself £10, I only had change and I didn’t think at the time the lady taking the money would be impressed with £25 in change of varying sizes.

The set is gorgeous and in rather good condition. I certainly can not wait to start reading them.

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The next two books I bought were in the main shop.

I bought:-

A Poem for Every Day of the Year Edited by Allie Esiri

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I’ve seen this book a few times and after having a little look through I thought I would buy it and read a poem a day. Still trying to further my knowledge and understanding of poetry.

Tyntesfield 

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This is the guidebook done by the National Trust. When I visit new places I always like to get the guidebook and read it when I get home. It helps me absorb more about the visit and helps me remember for the future.

 

So here is my book haul, I hope you like it.

Happy Reading

Lady Book Dragon.