Sunday 13 March 2016

Things That Make Me Happy #....

I haven't done one of these posts in a while, but this week a lot of the things making me happy are specifically book related and also I wanted a chance to celebrate the better weather, so here we are!

1. Better Weather 
While it's still been freezing this week it's also been sunny! We've been out in the garden a bit planting seeds and generally preparing for the spring and summer. Our garden has been concreted and paved over almost entirely. Last year we managed to dig out the gravel along one side and turn it into a long bed where we planted potatoes. This year we're going to have courgettes and peppers there once the garlic comes out, and we spent yesterday making a new little flower bed towards the back of the garden and sorting out, lining and filling our new planter ready for planting all the goodness for carrot pesto from the One Pot Gourmet Gardener cookbook.

2. Ninja Book Swap


It's been the Valentine's Ninja Book Swap at the moment and I received my parcel this week from Frankie. I signed up for the swap with my 'all indie' wishlist and was so ridiculously excited that she picked me The Book Collector by Alice Thompson, which so many people have been reading and loving recently! It's published by awesome indie publishers Salt (check out my Make Mine an Indie piece on them for more info! I put Lush in my list of likes, and she reciprocated by getting me the most amazing face and body scrub. I've been using it constantly since I got it - it's sea salt, lime and avocado butter and it makes my skin smell and feel gorgeous. I'm saving the bath bomb for a special occasion, but this was an awesome Ninja Swap parcel! We're waiting for our parcel from the family swap still, so I'll talk about that in a separate post, but if you've not heard about the Ninja Book Swap and want to be involved check out our blog for details or email ninjabookswap@gmail.com to get on the reminder list.

3. The Re-Readathon 

The third Re-Readathon is coming up in just over a week! I'm planning mini challenges and giveaways and stuff so look out for a scheduling type post in the next few days, but for now I've been working away at my TBR and have whittled it down to this lovely lot:

Dead Clever by Scarlett Thomas, Peter Pan by J.M Barrie, American Gods by Neil Gaiman and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll with illustrations by Camille Rose Garcia fit in with the month - long Weirdathon I'm participating in, and True Notebooks by Mark Salzman and The Secret Seven Collection are just for fun! Of course I might veer completely off list and pick up something else altogether, that's the beauty of it! If you want to join us all the info and sign up post is here
4. The Classic Children's Literature Event

Classic Children's Literature Event April 2016I found out from Lynn's blog about this event being hosted by Simpler Pastimes and as you can imagine me and my spare room full of children's books were immediately in! I spend a lovely half hour yesterday pulling stuff of my shelf to compile a (ridiculous) TBR, and I'm hoping to get a copy of Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner from the library to take part in the readalong for the event. You can find all the info and declare your intention to join us reading classic children's literature during April here
This is my TBR at the moment - I can't believe I still have three unread Noel Streatfeild titles! 


In case you can't see from the blurry photo, they are On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder (the April read for Lynn's and my Little House Read-Along), Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson, New Town and The Children of Primrose Lane by Noel Streatfeild, The Family from One End Street by Eve Garnett, The Phantom Tolbooth by Norton Juster, My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, and The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L Konigsburg. 

There's lot more making me happy this week, but for now check out Ellie's gorgeous blog for other people's happy lists and to link up your own!

11 comments:

  1. It actually feels like spring here now! We sat on the becah for a couple of hours reading this afternoon (OK, still in jeans and jumper but it's better than bracing yourself to nip outside for lunch).

    I look forward to comparing our thoughts on The Book Collector!

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    1. Me and my dad dragged a bench out into the sunshine this afternoon and sat chatting with coffee, it was lovely! Still nippy on the fingers and all, and we were getting a bit cold by the time we went back inside, but still! VITAMIN D!

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    2. I'm so excited we both got The Book Collector, I'm going to start it soon! Hooray for (almost) spring!

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  2. Awww, I like reading these posts so much, they make me happy too! Some of my things this week:

    1) Knowing my Parcel of Joy arrived (completely by coincidence) at just the right time to give someone a smile during a bad week. It was like a double joy whammy.

    2) Taking a deep breath and going for my first post-accident walk on my own. Less than five minutes, just to my grandmother's down the road, but I DID IT, and she gave me cookies to bring home, so... WIN. :)

    3) Snuggling with Leo on the sofa even though he's NOT OUR CAT. He's just so warm and purry.

    4) Really enjoying reading Brooklyn - and finally starting Fangirl.

    5) Taking part in the KeepBookMarching Instagram challenge and getting gently pushed into exploring my own bookshelves and creating some pretty or fun bookish photos each day.

    6. A hot bowl of porridge, sugar, nutmeg and raspberries, a couple of squares of dark chocolate and an episode of Once Upon a Time at the very end of each day - complete with sexy Robert Carlyle and Colin O'Donoghue ogling, obviously. ;)

    7. Looking forward to next week when I'm housesitting again. I'm going to spring clean the whole house while my parents are away, as a kind of bonus surprise, plus treat myself to some yummy 'staycation' food and spend some quality time catching up on movies and taking part in your Re-Readathon!

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    1. Your week sounds fantastic! I may have to do some OUaT rewatching before Season 5 comes out on boxset,I'm seriously feeling the lack of Hook in my life at the moment!

      That's so great about your parcel of joy - mine did similarly last week and it is an awesome feeling :-) and hooray for your grandma and cookies and sun!!

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  3. It's been rainy here in California, which is great as we need it badly. And book swaps are always so awesome especially when it's with a fellow book worm!

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  4. So glad you found the Children's Lit Event for April! At least we'll both have read On the Banks of Plum Creek! Speaking of which, I loved Farmer Boy and have my review about done! I'm really trying to come up with something for your Re-Readathon but I'm got library books due, etc., and those are NOT re-reads! Hopefully I can get something lined up for that. As always, a nice "happy" post!

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  5. So many wonderful choices for the Children's Classics Event! I hadn't been thinking about reading any of the Moomin books this year, but now I'm tempted... Whichever you end up reading, enjoy!

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    1. I read them to my kids in picture book form allllll the time but I've actually never read one myself so I thought that had to change! Love the Moomins,this is going to be a great event,thanks for organising it!!

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  6. These posts always bring a little sunshine to my day :)

    It's been fantastic weather so far (fantastic for Minnesota anyway - it's still 10C so hey, I'll take it!)

    I had to google "courgette" because we call it "zucchini" here instead! It's my favorite :)

    Glad I got my books in the mail for ninjaswap - waiting for part 2 of my package, so the excitement has been drawn out for this one!!

    Your mention of "The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler" brings back fond memories. I haven't read that book since the 4th grade! Makes me want to read it as well :)

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  7. Oh, Charlotte bought me The Book Collector for Christmas! I read it right before New Year but I never got around to reviewing it.

    I love Lush too - I found a bottle of American Dream conditioner that I'd forgotten I had, and now my hair smells unbelievable. I keep sniffing it, which is a bit weird...

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