Chuckles Update

This morning we received a phone call from the hospital-it was the doctor looking after my uncle. He has deteriorated badly overnight. Basically the heart and lung conditions he has, along with his general health have left him very weak indeed, and he may not have survived those issues in normal times. Add in a severe chest infection and a mild dose of Covid 19 and it has been too much for his body to cope with. It has been decided by the medical staff that there is nothing else they can do for him as he is just too weak to fight it all, and they intend to make him comfortable now. It'll just be a matter of time before they call us with the news of his passing and all we can do now is wait, and be grateful that he is unconscious and not suffering. The medical staff attending my uncle on the ward have been amazing and I thank them for everything they have done and the risks they take daily to look after our loved ones.

As you can imagine, I need to look after my dad in the coming days and we will then have some arrangements to make for the funeral and dealing with legal stuff surrounding my uncle's house, so I might be absent for a bit, or my posts might be a bit scattered for a while, or I may be able to give updates here and on Twitter-it'll depend how things are going day to day. Blog visits may be sporadic and it might take longer to answer your comments, but I will do so. Trying to deal with all of this in lockdown while self isolating is going to be pretty challenging but we'll get through it, as others have had to do in these trying times.

Let me take this time to thank all of you for your kind thoughts and prayers for my uncle over the last few weeks as you have been a great support to us. You are all amazing. My thoughts are always with you all, hoping that you all remain in good health and that your loved ones are ok. For those dealing with serious medical issues of their own, or the health issues of family members and friends, I send you my best wishes.

Thanks guys
Chuckles 

Virus Days #12

WEDNESDAY
There is a crisis happening in my home-my Kobo e-reader is full! It's FULL! How did that happen? Well ok I know how it happened-downloading too many books and not reading them quickly enough- but it just sort of sneaked up on me during lockdown, y'know? Now I'm going to have to store stuff on my computer until I can delete a pile! At the moment I'm trying to clear a pile of paperback books to give me space on my physical bookshelves and I had wanted to focus on that. Now I might need to do a post about an e-reader clearance as well. This just had to happen at a time when my reading has really dropped! 

Reading is a little better now that I'm working hard on that list I mentioned. A few DNFs but that is ok too. That will all feature on my Friday Reading Roundup. I'm still slowly going through my Harry Potter re-read, about halfway through the Half Blood Prince now. That reminds me, I hope the next illustrated book comes out soon. It also reminds me that I need to find somewhere to properly display all these big hardbacks-but that is a problem for another day I guess.

I found my Wii system while I was searching for other stuff and all the wires and controllers are there. I'm very excited about the thought of getting it up and running to give my brain more fun during lockdown plus a bit of exercise. I just need to dig out my games which are on one of the bookshelves. I have the Wii Sports and Fit, a pile of Raving Rabbids games, Animal Crossing Let's Go To The City, Super Monkey Ball, Samba De Amigo, Lego Harry Potter years 1-4, Lego Indiana Jones, Ashes Cricket. I used to use the Fit a lot along with Monkey Ball and Samba De Amigo which was always fun. Have you tried any of these games? What did you think of them?

My uncle has had a setback and hasn't been too well the last couple of days with his breathing and panic attacks thrown in for good measure. It's driving my dad mad that he can't see my uncle or meet with his doctor but of course we understand the reasons why this can't happen. It's for everyone's safety and health. He's still on the Covid Ward so no change there. My uncle isn't on a ventilator and that is the positive news for the moment. 

On the virus side of things, talk is of easing restrictions to let non essential shops and businesses open. I get why they need to open it all but I'm worried about a second wave so I'll be staying safe indoors thank you. As long as deliveries arrive at my house, we're doing fine and there is no need for us to take risks.

I hope everyone is doing ok, staying safe and maybe getting some reading done!

Would You Rather Book Tag

I've done this tag a few times before but I enjoy doing it again if I see a good bunch of questions. Greg at http://gregsbookhaven.blogspot.com/  has picked out a good set of questions so here we go!

1) Would you rather read or watch Netflix for an entire year?
I'm not interested in paying extra subscriptions to watch stuff so I'd pick the reading. I've got so much to read that it would be more productive to do that for a year. I've got a ton of dvd box sets and films waiting to be watched anyway so I don't really need a ton of new stuff to watch!

2) Would you rather read all new releases or used/ backlist books for a year
Oh getting on with the backlog for sure! I'm ploughing through that with boots stuck in treacle as we speak so I'd want to get on with that. I'm not really interested in reading ARCs and don't keep up with new releases except for series and authors I follow. Even then I need to wait a year after everyone else to grab a paperback copy!

3) Would you rather have pizza or Chinese food?
Erk this is a tough choice! I do love a good cheese pizza with extra cheese, topped by more extra cheese but I also like a good prawn curry to tickle the tastebuds. I do think I'd have to go with the pizza as I love cheese more than curry!
 
4) Would you rather use Bookstagram or Twitter- only one- for a whole year?
Frankly I could live quite happily without any social media. I'm on Twitter and find it useful so I suppose I'd pick that. Bookstagram is probably really interesting to follow people on and less toxic with trolls but I just wouldn't have the time to get involved with it right now.

5) Would you rather have your blog professionally designed or do you like to DIY?
I don't have the money to waste on professional design and I prefer to choose my own stuff and change it around when the mood takes me. I'm fine with the cheap design of blogger as it suits all my needs really.

6) Would you rather have a bookstore or be hired by your fave publisher?
I'd rather own the bookstore but I'd leave my brilliant staff to deal with all the customers! I'm not really a people person these days though I don't mind talking to nice people about the books they love! I'd be full of ideas on design-children are put in a soundproofed cage to keep them out of everyone's way like a left luggage area, so adults can book buy in peace. Bigger sections for horror and apocalypse. Lots of fiction and non fiction choices. Indie book promotions. A huge mural on the walls of favourite book covers and book scenes. free postcard/bookmark with every purchase, goody bags for buying a book pile. Free Indie book with every ten books you buy. Events, discount offers, a reading area and a safe covered area where people can bring in their dogs to get out of the rain. It would of course be the size of IKEA with a book swag area, cafe that sells stuff from books like Butterbeer, bookshelves for sale, book repair area, maybe even a library rental area...BEST BOOKSHOP EVER!!!

7) Would you rather have dogs or cats?
Faithful hounds! I have a particular hatred of cats shitting in my garden and killing the birds we feed. I've always liked dogs better.

8) Would you rather go to the past or future?
Hmm that's a tough one. The temptation would be the future to get winning lottery numbers to get money to open my book shop and see if vampires have 'come out' and can make me immortal so I really can read all the books forever! I could then turn my dad and any book friends that are interested! We could build an underground complex under my book superstore so we can live in safety...

9) Would you rather be in a Victorian era mystery or a future setting book?
I'm not a fan of Victorian settings for reading books so I can't imagine I'd want to be in one! I don't like all that society tea dance and manners for marriage stuff! I'd have to be in a future book with an exciting world...

10) What is your best book of 2020 so far? 
Sadly there haven't been many books to choose from this year with a slump starting about February but there have been a few good ones. I'm excluding re-reads or it would be Harry Potter so my pick is John Major's memoirs.

And now my questions for YOU if you want to take part! If you do, please answer these ten questions and then ask ten of your own, or reuse mine.

1) Would you rather be a vampire or a werewolf?
2) Would you rather use magic or technology for an easier life?
3) Would you rather be invisible or able to fly?
4) Would you rather have gas or electricity?
5) Would you rather read fiction or non fiction?
6) Would you rather have sweet or savoury snacks?
7) Would you rather have Indian or Italian food?
8) Would you rather have a beachside house or a riverside cabin in the woods?
9) Would you rather visit Asia or Africa?
10) If you could only read one genre for a year, what would it be?

Chuckles Mini Reviews Catchup part 2

I review everything I read, on my blog and on Goodreads. Most reviews are of a decent length but sometimes you don't have much to say about the book because of its length or you DNFed it or various other reasons. In cases like that it makes sense to write a few mini reviews in one post and clear them out your way! So lets catch up with some reviews from May.

1) Andy Hall-Denali's Howl
In 1967, twelve young men attempted to climb Alaska’s Mount McKinley—known to the locals as Denali—one of the most popular and deadly mountaineering destinations in the world. Only five survived. Journalist Andy Hall, son of the park superintendent at the time, investigates the tragedy. He spent years tracking down survivors, lost documents, and recordings of radio communications. In Denali’s Howl, Hall reveals the full story of an expedition facing conditions conclusively established here for the first time: At an elevation of nearly 20,000 feet, these young men endured an “arctic super blizzard,” with howling winds of up to 300 miles an hour and wind chill that freezes flesh solid in minutes. All this without the high-tech gear and equipment climbers use today.

As well as the story of the men caught inside the storm, Denali’s Howl is the story of those caught outside it trying to save them—Hall’s father among them. The book gives readers a detailed look at the culture of climbing then and now and raises uncomfortable questions about each player in this tragedy. Was enough done to rescue the climbers, or were their fates sealed when they ascended into the path of this unprecedented storm? 

This book tells the story of the 1967 climbing disaster on Denali which killed seven climbers in a storm as they attempted a climb. The son of the park superintendant has researched all the available documents and talked to the survivors and rescuers about the events of the disaster, trying to discover what went wrong and if more could've been done to save them. I found it to be a balanced account that sets the scene and the background to the climb, the conflicting personalities of the climbers and the harsh environment that they were going into. It goes into a brief history of climbing on Denali, the training and recruiting of team members, the journey to the mountain, who was working in the park and how the expedition got under way. I found the detail to be pretty interesting and it helped us get to know the various climbers before following them on the mountain, as well as the pilots and park staff who would be drawn into the disaster.

As the climb progressed, the group became split as the strongest climbers pushed ahead to gain the summit before retreating down the mountain to rest and recover at a lower camp, which is the accepted way of doing things. The others waited to make their attempt on alater day which is when the storm hit the mountain. The book looks at the men who were safer and the struggles they faced in trying to raise the alarm for their missing colleagues. It also looks at how a rescue plan was put together and the way that the weather prevented any chance of rescue until the storm had ended. It asks all the difficult questions about a series of decisions taken on and off the mountain and ponders if the expedition was doomed from the start. I felt that this seemed to be a fair account which allowed all the major players to put their point across and I thought it was an interesting book to read. I would certainly recommend it to people interested in expeditions and mountain disaster books.

Read April 2020
3.5 stars  

2) Art Davidson-Minus 148 degrees
In 1967, eight men attempted North America's highest summit: Mount McKinley (now known as Denali) had been climbed before but never in winter. Plagued by doubts and cold, group tension and a crevasse tragedy, the expedition tackled McKinley in minimal hours of daylight and fierce storms. They were trapped at three different camps above 14,000 feet during a six-day blizzard and faced the ultimate low temperature of 148 F. Minus 148 is Art Davidson's stunning personal narrative, supplemented by diary excerpts from team members George Wichman, John Edwards, Dave Johnston, and Greg Blomberg. Davidson retells the team's fears and frictions and ultimate triumph with an honesty that has made this gripping survival story a mountaineering classic for over 40 years. 

This book is about the deadly attempt to do the first winter ascent of Denali in 1967 and the life and death struggle which came as a deadly storm hit the mountain and trapped the men at different places across the mountain. The story is mainly told by expedition photographer Art, who is brutally honest about every aspect of the climb, and also from diary extracts written by other climbers in the group. It starts with a couple of near misses when members of the team failed to adhere to accepted safety in an area known for hidden crevasses. The lack of attention to these details was always going to lead to a disaster and so it unfolded. The details about the crevasse falls were fascinating and it shows how dangerous Denali actually is even before you hit bad weather around the peak. After a bad accident the team have to look at their own ambitions and decide whether or not to continue with the climb. 

The next part of the book has all the niggles and bickering that you would expect on this kind of climb, and I enjoyed reading about it. I did find all of the men to be good and normal guys who make mistakes, but don't disguise any of it for the book, which I appreciated. As the climb gets tougher, the weather starts moving in and traps them on the mountain. One group are in the area of the summit when they become trapped away from any of their camps with limited supplies and no chance of rescue. At the lower camps, their friends wait anxiously for news or the chance of a rescue attempt. It is a book full of tension as we see through the diary entries what the men were thinking and feeling. I don't want to give anything away but I found it to be an excellent book for anyone interested in mountain expeditions in harsh winter climates. An excellent read.

Read May 2020
3.5 stars

 

Chuckles Mini Reviews Catchup

I review everything I read, on my blog and on Goodreads. Most reviews are of a decent length but sometimes you don't have much to say about the book because of its length or you DNFed it or various other reasons. In cases like that it makes sense to write a few mini reviews in one post and clear them out your way! So lets catch up with some reviews from earlier this year.

1) Steve House-Beyond The Mountain 
What does it take to be one of the world's best high-altitude mountain climbers? A lot of fundraising; traveling in some of the world's most dangerous countries; enduring cold bivouacs, searing lungs, and a cloudy mind when you can least afford one. It means learning the hard lessons the mountains teach. Steve House built his reputation on ascents throughout the Alps, Canada, Alaska, the Karakoram and the Himalaya that have expanded possibilities of style, speed, and difficulty. In 2005 Steve and alpinist Vince Anderson pioneered a direct new route on the Rupal Face of 26,600-foot Nanga Parbat, which had never before been climbed in alpine style. It was the third ascent of the face and the achievement earned Steve and Vince the first Piolet d"or (Golden Ice Axe) awarded to North Americans.

I didn't like the attitude of the author from the start. When Bruce wants to turn and go back due to how slow Steve is climbing, it is a weakness in Bruce, not Steve. Steve thinks because he is willing to die to summit that others should be as reckless and he is mad that Bruce has actually saved his life. A climber decides not to try a second climb and Steve sneers that the man's recent divorce has made him weak. He sneers at the people who choose to do proper jobs like teachers, taxi drivers, scientists as they are sellouts to the Man and don't deserve a better life. What a total asshole this guy is. It's people doing jobs like driving you to the airport, treating you in hospital, flying planes etc that allow you to climb, you womble. Here are his thoughts. 'That is the ultimate sellout-to work for the man. To cast your only soul into a hell of cubicles and workstations and dollar bills. And if they don't see this, they don't deserve the chance to find out who they might become.' Yet he of course thinks others have no right to pass comment on his choices!

He also seems to care little about people who are meant to be his friends. On hearing about one death, his immediate thought isn't for his friend or their family-it was about how to persuade a girl he fancies to go out with him. I also didn't like the writing style which was choppy, incoherant and had no flow to it. He meets his team at Base Camp, he's sick at Camp One, we jump back to how he got on the team, back to mid climb, back to how he got sick...it was all over the place. I wanted to read about the climbing events in order as they happened but this book was jumping ahead and jumping back so often that I just couldn't enjoy the climbing bits. And not liking the author at all made it hard to get invested in the story. I certainly won't read anything else this man produces.

Read April 2020
1.5 star

2) Mark Pfetzer-Within Reach
In May 1996 the media scrambled to document the gripping story of sixteen-year-old Mark Pfetzer's expedition to Mount Everest. Not only was he the youngest climber ever to attempt the summit, he also witnessed the tragedy documented in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, in which eight climbers perished in a sudden storm. Within Reach is Mark's extraordinary account of this experience and of his triumphs over several other challenging peaks. At once triumphant and tragic, this story will be an inspiration to climbers, athletes, and armchair enthusiasts alike. 

Frankly, the author is a self obsessed entitled little brat whose indulgent parents let him do anything he wants to do with little regard for safety and common sense. I want to go ice climbing at 13-yes dear. I want to go trekking in Nepal at 13 without my parents-yes dear. I want strangers to pay all the costs for me-yes dear. I want Mummy to arrange permission for me to skip school-yes dear. GAG. If he is the superb go getting achiever who gets all his goals, why didn't he get off his arse and get a job to pay for his whims instead of writing bleating begging letters to others to pay for it all? And the thanks the parents get for pandering to him? He ignores them at the airport because they are embarrassing. Nice. His bragging about how easy everything is bugs when when it was all handed to him without earning any of it for himself! Of course it's bloody easy when Mummy and co do it all for you! When he hears of others on the climb dying, it's obviously because they aren't as great and careful as him. Ugh, talk about an entitled brat!

Mark constantly claims he didn't have any interest in setting age related climbing goals but he certainly seems to brag about the records all the time each time he gets one. The actual writing about Everest and the killer storm was pretty poor and a major disappointment as that was the big selling point in the blurb and the reason I wanted to read it. It claims he was a witness to the infamous 1996 Everest disaster but in truth, he was in his tent sleeping and not invested at all in what was happening. The little he wrote about the aftermath was very much in a detached manner and lacked detail, emotion and interest. It was all very vague and dull. In truth this is a YA version of the expedition climbs, written by someone glowing with his own success who likes to remind us how good but humble he is and of all the records he breaks. I don't doubt his talent as a climber but I got tired of the childish ego and I can't say that I enjoyed the book.

Read April 2020
2 star 

3) Jules Mountain-Aftershock
Jules Mountain is a survivor. The odds of surviving his type of cancer were one in five; the odds of dying on Everest are one in sixty. But just as he reaches Base Camp in April 2015, the giant earthquake in Nepal sets off an avalanche that will kill 21 . Jules is within touching distance of his life's ambition and is now faced with an agonising choice about his next move. Aftershock is a heart-stopping eyewitness account of the deadliest day in history on the world's most iconic mountain. It is also an exploration of the choices we make in life, and throws up difficult questions about how logic and compassion can be affected by altitude and extreme stress. 

This is the first book I've read about the earthquake that hit Nepal and Mount Everest in 2015, the devastation shown all over the news. The book got off to a rocky start with the author rightly trying to test himself in difficult conditions to prepare for interest. Whilst I applauded his preperation, I found it selfish that he dragged along his poorly eqipped friend to help test the equipment in a blizzard, putting poor Fred at risk of frostbite. Jules got on my nerves by refusing to follow any of the rules for the expeditions he joined. He refused to get up for an early start to the climb then raced to catch up so he could be seen to beat the others to prove how great he was. He races other climbers up and down the mountain to show he can beat them when it is all about adapting to the conditions. He hates guides and their rules so he ignores them and frequently shows that he'll do what suits him and sod being a team player. I don't know if he expects the reader to be impressed by his childish behaviour but I wasn't. He of course takes time to brag about all his talents in case we missed his greatness.

In the aftermath of the earthquake he lends a hand with medical help for the injured which I do commend him for, but at times it sounds more as if he resents the injured for being there and forcing him to look after them. He spends time being critical of how others are acting, not considering that they might be suffering from shock. He barely mentions his loved ones back home worrying about him and we barely get a mention of him trying to contact them. As soon as the injured are taken away, he's focused on getting up Everest. I don't grudge him that as these expeditions are costly and you might not get another chance to come back. I do get their obsession in a sense. There were interesting bits in this book, especially the situation after the earthquake, but again it was spoiled by the author behaving like an ass during training. I'm getting a bit tired of this trend in expedition books.

I also found the continual comments about drinking 'Her Maj's Finest' really annoying. Can't you just say you had a cup of bloody tea???

Read May 2020
2.5 star  

Virus Days #11

SATURDAY
Last night, my dad went out to our bin and *SURPRISE* found a bag of recycling in our general waste bin. He removed it and I was up at 6am this morning to check there were no more surprises from the Phantom Bin Litterer. Between that and chasing pigeons that were annoying Rodney the squirrel, I wasn't in a great mood! 

MONDAY
If there is one thing my dad and I both HATE doing, it is having to deal with official stuff by phone. Occupational Therapy at the hospital told us to get in a landline so they can fit a care alarm. My dad spent yesterday dealing with two nice women who set up the billing and everything but an engineer will need to come next week to replace a few cables and things. The woman at Occupational Therapy wanted it in by this Friday so my uncle could be sent home this coming Friday. There are a few issues with this plan:

1) The ward staff nurse and doctors knew nothing of this plan to release him
2) There is no care package in place for his personal care
3) They haven't even checked the house for suitability
4) The house has not been upgraded with mobility aids
5) HE STILL HAS THE VIRUS!!!!!!!!!

I don't know what planet the woman from OT was living on but the ward nurse says he's still having bad nights from breathing difficulties and panic attacks, still has the virus and will be in for weeks yet! My dad feels really pissed at OT for the confusion but when he phones for an update on all the care equipment and packages etc, he feels he is being fobbed off and nobody calls him back. We can't even speak to my uncle while he's in the Covid Ward so he is fretting about it too. Grr.

TUESDAY
Today it was my turn to lose my temper with technology. For the first time I was subjected to this new system when arranging an ASDA delivery. It seems the EU has decided that as an anti fraud thing, debit and credit cards must join this security scheme where when you make an online purchase, you have to wait to be sent a code by your bank to your mobile phone, which you then use to complete the transaction. We don't have a mobile phone so I spent this morning arguing with the bank, who won't let me opt out of the stupid thing. Finally they decided to send this dumb code to my email instead. I'm really unhappy about it. Email can be hacked! It's hardly more secure than a password only I know! 

So I went back to ASDA, completed the delivery form...and wasn't asked for this code anyway!  STUPID CRAP!!!! The bank snootily told me that I better get a mobile phone as otherwise I might be frozen out of online shopping! Cheek of it. Stupid bloody EU bureaucrats messing me about. Thankfully Amazon refuse to implement this rule on their site. 

At a time where so many are self isolating and needing these vital deliveries, not allowing customers to complete their food order until they sign up to something they don't want is disgusting. I'm in a right mood today I can tell you!!! I'm researching banks who may not implement this after Brexit is completed and may change to them.

Top Ten Tuesday-Books That Should Exist But Don't

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account. 

This week's topic is about opening lines in books which is far too time consuming to research so I'm going rogue this week. Books That Should Exist But Don't

1) Hogwarts-A History
Every time Hermione tells Harry and Ron about something she read in this book, it makes me want to read it too! If I got a letter, I'd have wanted to know everything about the Castle, the traditions and the history before I went there.

2) Robert's Rebellion
We hear a lot about this from characters in Westeros but how cool would it be to have a few books about it with the viewpoints of Ned, Jaime, Cersei, Tywin, Rhaegar, Lyanna, Robert etc? I would LOVE to get my hands on that! 

3) The Secret Diary of Rupert Giles
I was such a big fan of Buffy and had the hots for Giles! I'd love to get a detailed diary or autobiography of his Ripper years and his Watcher years with Buffy. I don't think this exists but I want to read it anyway. Maybe one for Wesley and Lorne too!

4) Deep Blue Sea
I totally love this film and want to have a really good novel written about it by someone like Chris Jameson or Hunter Shea! I want a bit more about the MCs and their relationships, flashbacks to that mountain disaster, the shark experiments, then the full disaster. I love creature features and want a great one of this film.

5) Mamma Mia The Novel
I find myself really wanting to have this for a light and fun summer read. I love the film and would enjoy the chance to read a novel of it with extra depth into the current life of all the characters before the gathering on the island.

6) The Rise And Fall Of Voldemort
This needs to be at least a trilogy, featuring Dumbledore forming the Order, Voldemort gathering the Death Eaters and making horcruxes, the battles between the sides, corruption and fear at the Ministry, the prophecy, the defeat of Voldemort and the capture of the Death Eaters. I want to read these books so badly-someone persuade JK to write them!

7) My Bloody Valentine
This was one of my favourite retro slasher films-I also enjoyed the different killer angle in the remake of it. It would be great to get novels of both films to sit and enjoy!

8) Maurice
Maurice was my favourite character in the Monster Haven novels-he cooks, he cleans and is a Closet Monster who looks after an empath and her haven of magical creatures. There was a wonderful short story from the Maurice POV but I want a full novel of his adventures...a trilogy at least!

9) The Secret Diary of Severus Snape
Most of what we know about Snape's deeds come from his memories or the little that Dumbledore says about things. I'd love to read about his school days, his dark arts obsession, the double agent stuff and how he views the years that Harry is at Hogwarts. We could have a few volumes of this and maybe the diary of Dumbledore and others too!

10) The Winds Of Winter/A Dream Of Spring
Where is it FFS!!!

Around The Blogs With Chuckles

We all enjoy snooping and lurking on other people's blogs right? Why not share those entertaining things you found with other readers and bloggers too! Welcome to Around the Blogs with Chuckles, where I take time out to show you some of my favourite blog posts from the previous seven days and link you up so you can check them out. 

It is vital that we all stick together online at this time. Do what you can to show some love to other blogs, to books and authors and let us all know that you are staying safe and well. Hearing from our friends will make it easier to deal with whatever is coming in the next few months. Stay safe everyone.

This week...

1) Book Review-A Werewolf In Riverdale by Caleb Roehrig 
Greg's review.
http://gregsbookhaven.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-werewolf-in-riverdale.html 

2) Cover Drama 
Sam discusses the use of illustrated covers for romance books.
http://www.weliveandbreathebooks.com/2020/05/discussion-cover-drama.html 

3) Book Review-Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson 
Karen's review.
http://www.fwiwreviews.net/2020/05/review-real-men-knit-by-kwana-jackson.html#.XspCCcDTXcs 

4) Book Review-Breath Like Water by Anna Jarzab
Lindsi's review.
https://www.doyoudog-ear.com/2020/05/breath-like-water-by-anna-jarzab.html 

5) Book Review-Mousse and Murder by Elizabeth Logan
Katherine's review.
http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2020/05/mousse-and-murder-cozy-mystery-review.html 

6) Book Review-Catfish In The Cradle by Wile E Young  
Erica's review.
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/book-review-catfish-in-the-cradle-by-wile-e-young/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=book-review-catfish-in-the-cradle-by-wile-e-young

7) Book Review-The Girl Beneath The Sea by Andrew Mayne
Mogsy's review.
https://bibliosanctum.com/2020/05/21/thriller-thursday-audio-the-girl-beneath-the-sea/ 

Chuckles Weekend Roundup

Welcome to my feature Chuckles Weekend Roundup where I will be looking at what books I've received, anything interesting I've done or bought or watched and other random stuff. I'll be taking a look back at what happened in my blogging world too, sort of like The Sunday Post that some of you do! 

Please note that I'll be visiting your STS/SP as normal, but I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow DISQUS to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I am the only one who does that on my social media! I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account. Sometimes, I have problems leaving messages on blogs hosted by Wordpress-they try to block me because I deleted my account with them but I will persevere as it only happens the odd time!

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

It really can't be Friday already. It seems like hours ago that I posted my last weekend roundup! I seem to have had brain fog all week and been a bit tired but other than that I'm doing fine, as is my dad, and my uncle is still slowly improving. The highlight of my week was chatting with Rodney the squirrel this morning as I put stuff in the bin! I'm finding watching him and the birds at the feeder somewhat soothing for the brain. Tomorrow I have an early start to check that the neighbours haven't dumped their crap in our bins overnight. Oh lovely, more excitement.

 

I haven't bought any books this week but I have been reading a book from my new reading list so that is some kind of progress! (I'm also still reading The Half Blood Prince) I hope to keep working from the list and get stuff ready for the charity shop, while clearing some space in my bedroom. I read a lot of apocalypse books but none cover the day to day anxiety that we are experiencing in this pandemic. I wasn't ready for that at all. The books also don't cover how we still need to do all the bloody housework! I'm going to be doing a post about what the pandemic taught me about prepping and where I can improve. I also need to get off my arse and get these book reviews done! Ugh!!!

Chuckles Blogging World

 I really do need to get these book reviews written. I never enjoy writing them at the best of times but it's taking a real effort to even THINK about writing them at the moment!

Book Reviews

none this week

 

Regular Posts 

 

Around The Blogs With Chuckles

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2020/05/around-blogs-with-chuckles_2.html 

 

Top Ten Tuesday

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2020/05/top-ten-tuesday-reasons-why-i-love.html 

 

Discussion Posts

 

Harry Potter Diagon Alley #4

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2020/05/harry-potter-diagon-alley-4.html 

 

Horror Authors I Really Must Try #5

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2020/05/horror-authors-i-really-must-try-5.html 

 

Just Get On With It Reading List

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2020/05/just-get-on-with-it-reading-list.html 

 

An Update From Chuckles

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2020/05/an-update-from-chuckles.html 

 

Virus Days #10

http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2020/05/virus-days-10.html 

 

Reading Challenges 

none this week

 

Films & TV & Music 

I'm still watching a Harry Potter film every morning while I catch up on my blogging, so that is very soothing!  I'm watching Great British Menu season 12 at night as well as getting in some reading. I've finally given up my old MP3 player as lost but trying to track down copies of all the stuff on it to put on a new one is doing my head in!!!

 

Book Tags/Blog Awards

none this week

 

The Week Ahead  

I'm not promising any progress on getting my book reviews done! I 'hope' to at least think about doing it. Sadly my plans are getting housework done, deleting unwanted files from the computer and clearing bits of my room. Exciting!

 

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Virus Days #10

Firstly, thank you everyone who has expressed their kind thoughts and prayers to my family-it is very much appreciated. As of today, Thursday, the latest news from the hospital this morning is better news. The Occupational Therapy people phoned to talk to my dad about getting my uncle's house ready for him coming home, maybe as early as the end of next week. That took us a bit by surprise as you can imagine, just two days after a positive Covid 19 test. Now we're wondering if a new test has maybe been negative? Oh we're really confused and my dad will be asking about it when he talks to the ward nurse later tonight! But my uncle is feeling chirpy today and his breathing is good, so that is a relief. I think my dad is reeling a bit from the latest developments!

Anyway they want us to set up a phone landline in his house again, which they'll attach an alarm to so he can call for medical help if he needs it. We are REALLY happy about that development as it was impossible to get him on that bloody mobile phone. They intend to fit in a few aids in the house to help him shower etc which is also good. My uncle is less keen on having strangers in the home as part of a care package but we hope he'll come round to it. My dad and I will chip in of course, deal with all his food buying needs, send over meals he can re-heat, phone him daily and visit the house sometimes but we're self isolating and my dad isn't fit to do much cleaning or personal care stuff. My uncle will need that extra offered help so we'll work on him. He also has good neighbours who can also keep an eye on him for us when we aren't there. We feel a lot better about all this extra help for my uncle. Our NHS and Social Care is an amazing resource and we are so grateful to have this, and the wonderful people who work in it.

It's bit a bit of a weird day. We got our latest supermarket delivery this morning which was a bit chaotic but I'm looking forward to a few days of microwave meals to give me a rest from cooking. I've had a bit of insomnia and I seem to be imagining spiders everywhere I look which is a bit disturbing and ruins any chance of sleep! I'm a bit weird, I know...! 

I hope all of you continue to avoid the virus and that any loved one who has it recovers really soon. Stay safe everyone.

Top Ten Tuesday-Reasons Why I Love Harry Potter

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account. 

This week, I thought I'd further explore my Harry Potter obsession with a look at ten reasons why I love Harry Potter!

1) Hogwarts
The idea that there is a secret school for magic in Scotland appeals to me and so does the idea of kids getting that letter to invite them. The castle with the secret passages and moving staircases fascinates me, the ghosts, the enchanted ceiling, the feasts, the sorting into Houses-the detail is just so great and it made me long to have gone there as a kid. Who doesn't want to be in one of those comfy common rooms and sleeping in a tower above the grounds? On a summer day I'd want to sit by the lake and stroll off to see Hagrid!

2) Diagon Alley/Hogsmeade
When I first read about the shops in Diagon Alley and in book three Hogsmeade, I wanted to go shopping so bad! I wanted to go into the ice cream parlour and try everything on offer, buy my Owl, check out the broomsticks, get my robes and books, go to Honeydukes for my sweet tooth supplies, visit the joke shops, go into the Three Broomsticks on a cold winter day and be chosen by my wand...I could spend hours looking in shops that were that interesting!

3) Owl Post
How cool would this be! Getting the newspaper delivered twice a day and at weekends is an old luxury that we can't get where I live as none of the local shops deliver. Quick letters from friends, reliable mail order delivery that doesn't get lost, that cool sounding post office in Hogsmeade, exciting letters from the school and hoping NOT to receive a Howler!!! The excuse to have a beautiful owl as a pet is great!

4) Quidditch
I loved the invention of a wizard sport on broomsticks especially the idea of the bludgers! I like how simple yet entertaining the game would be and cheering on the house team during the season would be so much fun! I'd also have to carefully read about and then choose what team I was going to support from the professional teams! Can you also imagine getting the chance to mix with everyone at the Quidditch World Cup? I enjoy watching sport so I would be addicted to this for sure.

5) Magical Creatures
I love the addition of all the magical creatures in the books from the pretty unicorns and hippogriffs to the dangerous dragons and Hagrid's appalling pets, the Thestrals and centaurs, the House Elves and Goblins who do such vital work for witches and wizards, the animagus sides to the witches and wizards, Cornish pixies and giants, vampires and werewolves and the cuteness that is the nifflers! I wouldn't want to meet the giant snakes and spiders though!

6) Humour and Danger
I love the humour in the books-the various tricks of the Weasley twins with their ton tongue toffee a personal favourite, The Dursley's with frequent shouts of 'ruddy and effing owls!' and their run ins with wizards,

7) The Food
I so much want to be at those amazing feasts where I could just pig out! Imagine having every food you love just there ready to tuck into! I'd want tomato soup with ham sandwiches, cheese pizza, key lime pie, chocolate gateau, Victoria sponge, mild Indian and Chinese curries, a good old fry up...A quick trip to the kitchens for a late night snack from the House Elves, dipping into your supply of Honeydukes chocolate, cauldron cakes and other tasty treats, sampling Mrs Weasley's excellent cooking and enjoying a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. I get so hungry when I read these books!

8) Magic
I loved how creative her magic world is from the name of the spells to the subjects on offer at Hogwarts and magical careers and Ministry departments. How much fun are cheering charms, levitation and transfiguration? How tempting to curse and jinx those who upset you? How cool would it be to be a great potion maker, to be an animagus, to be able to conjure a patronus? In everyday life to have housework done by magic, to travel quickly, to not have to carry heavy shopping bags, to have Dobby cook for you, to be able to tidy a room with a flick of your wand? Oh I long to be able to do all that!

9) Transport
I'm not a fan of travelling to get on holiday so look at the options! Use that enchanted purse of Hermione for all your packing then zoom off by portkey, apparate to your destination, travel by the Knight Bus, go short journeys by broomstick...all so much easier that waiting in the rain for a bus that is late, relying on a train not to break down, or a traffic jam on the motorway. I could arrive on holiday in seconds and make the most of weekend and day trips to places too far away to travel to from where I live! Add in the fun of going to school on the Hogwarts Express, the convenience of Floo powder and you are sorted!

10) The Books
Don't let me loose in Flourish & Blotts! Like Hermione, I'd be buying Hogwarts A History, to find out everything about the castle, and if I was Harry I'd want to read everything about the rise and fall of Voldemort. I'd want to learn as much about my new life as I could and the temptation to buy lots of extra books would prove too much to resist! I'd want to read about dragons and spells and magical developments and so much more.

'Just Get On With It!' Reading List

This is kind of how I feel about my reading at the moment. Even my re-read of my beloved Harry Potter feels like an uphill trek with a heavy backpack in the blazing sun! It's a struggle with concentration and motivation and I only seem to be getting a few chapters read at a time instead of my normal hours at a time night reading sessions! I also have the added issue of needing a mass clearout of my bedroom to get it looking like something other than a disaster zone-to do that I MUST clear out a pile of books.

The plan is to look at every bookshelf and weed out the things I read and liked but won't be reading again. I need to get them into bags ready to deliver to a charity shop as soon as they open for donations again. I also need to get reading the paperback and hardback books on my bookshelves for the same purpose. I decided to get a list of books I own in various genres that either have mixed reviews, I'm not quite as keen to read it as I was when I bought it or I think I'll read it once and be satisfied with that. If I can tackle them first, I could make a tiny dent in the pile and get my reading back on track! I hope...

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Were they slow, boring, over descriptive or with poor characters?

THE LIST

1) Brandy Purdy-The Ripper's Wife/ The Secrets of Lizzie Borden
I like the subjects but often struggle with non Tudor historical novels. I have liked her Tudor fiction so I'm not sure how I'll go with this.

2) Stephen King-The Long Walk
Fell out of love with King years ago but this being an earlier book, it could go either way. I can't even remember if I've read it before!

3) Gillian Bagwell-The Darling Strumpet
The affair between Nell Gwynn and King Charles II fascinates me but again, it's a time period I don't like reading historical fiction about.

4) DD Barant-Bloodhound Files series
I need to finish it. Book one was great but the next two have had good bits are poor bits. Now I hear the series finished on a cliffhanger and stopped. Yuk!

5) Conn Iggulden-War of the Roses series
I like some WOTR fiction but have never tried any by a male author so I'm not really sure what to expect.

6) Billy Billingham-The Hard Way
A memoir of a Special Forces man who is a presenter of SAS Who Dares Wins. I generally read biographies once then pass them on to other readers.

7) William Jevning-Notes From The Field
This is a non fiction book about looking for evidence of Sasquatches. Unless it's brilliant I'm likely to read it once and let it go to a new home.

8) Joseph Nassise-By The Blood Of Heroes
I've never been a fan of Nazi zombie films so I'm a bit wary about a book with that plot. These alternate history books can be hit or miss.

9) Phil Scraton-Hillsborough The Truth
Books about the disaster are emotional and hard to read so again I expect to read it once and then let the book go elsewhere.

10) Joanna Hickson-The Tudor Crown
This author is new to me and it is about Henry VII fighting for the throne. I'm not sure how I'll go with this as I prefer books about Henry VIII, but I'll give it a try.

11) The Tony Benn Diaries
I describe myself politically as right of centre, so very left wing politics are not my thing. I expect to read the Benn diaries once and part with them but they should be interesting.

12) John Steakley-Vampire$
I loved the film version-John Carpenter's Vampires-and I'm curious about the book. It's been on my shelves forever so I want to deal with it soon.

13) Kate Emerson-Secrets of the Tudor Court series
I love Tudor novels but the first in this series was a bit dull and the others get very mixed reviews so I kind of want to get them out of the way.

14) Theresa Saldana-Beyond Survival
I liked the film version of this book about the actress nearly being killed by a stalker. Again with memoirs I expect to just read it once.

15) Ollie Ollerton-Break Point
Another SAS Who Dares Wins presenter. The same goes here-I expect the book to be interesting but I rarely keep biographies and memoirs.

16) Walter Farley-Black Stallion series
I loved the series as a kid so I want to read and review them, and only to keep the very best ones for my collection.

17) Lincoln Child-Utopia
I was going through a buy horror and thrillers set in theme park books at the time but the reviews of the book are mixed and I'm not as keen now!

18) John Preston-A Very English Scandal
A political scandal in the UK, turned into a book and TV mini series. I think I'll read this once but it does sound fascinating.

19) Paul F Wilson-The Keep
I read a book he co-authored and liked it. The Nazis in this book are fighting vampires and I'm a bit worried the book might be a bit slow for me.

20) Joseph Talluto-White Flag Of The Dead series
I loved book one of this zombie apocalypse novel but reviews of later books in the series are pretty poor so I'm worried about it!

21) Anthony King-The Blunders of Our Government
This looks at mistakes made by Labour and Tory governments so it should be pretty balanced but whether I'll read it more than once is open to question.

22) Tyrell Johnson-The Wolves of Winter
YA is not really top of my list and I was given this book as a gift. I can't say I'm keen to read it at the moment so it might be worth getting over with!

23) Malcolm Gaskill-Witchfinders
I picked this non fiction up in a sale. While I'm interested in witch trials and things, the content of the book could be heavy and I expect to read it once!

24) MR Carey-The Boy On The Bridge
I liked The Girl With All The Gifts but this one has a vague blurb and has failed to excite me so I really don't know what to expect from it.

25) Isabel Hardman-Why We Get The Wrong Politicians
I bought this on a whim to get free postage on an Amazon order and I'm not sure I'll like it especially if the views are too left wing.