The Great Chuckles Moving Day

Finally it is that day that I've been dreading. Yesterday we emptied the bookcase of dvds and packed them into boxes and moved the bookcase itself to the centre of the floor. Then we emptied the big display cabinet of all the ornaments-who knew we had so many???-moved it to it's new position where the bookcase had been, dusted it and the ornaments and then put everything back. It took the best part of three hours. I can't believe it took that long!!!

Today we want to get the whole room done and out of the way so here is the agenda. We move the computer desk which thankfully has wheels into the hall out the way which gives us access to the small bookcase with my dad's PS games. That, my lamp and dinosaur models will go into the space left by moving the unit yesterday. Into the space where that was goes my dad's cd and dvd units which of course need to be emptied and moved aside first. It'll look like HMV in here! The big dvd bookcase we moved yesterday then goes where my dad's bookcases were. After that, the computer desk moves to it's new home, the sofa is pulled forward to be nearer the fire and my dad's big chair moved. Then all the cds and dvds are sorted alphabetically and moved into their shelves after I dust everything. Groan!

The place should look much tidier when we're done but I'm dreading today! My dad's back shoulder and arthritis plus my wonky back and knees makes it a full painkiller dose kind of day! I'm trying to think of how nice the end result will be and not the hard work!!! Today I won't be on the computer at all as I'll be too busy so I'll be visiting blogs and catching up with all the comments tomorrow.

If I can get up out of my bed! Are you planning any DIY or further spring cleaning?

Top Ten Tuesday Apocalypse

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, TTT is about character names but I want to talk about good books instead. I'm on the apocalype trail again, featuring great books with natural disasters and terrorists to face.

1) JR Tate-Tornado Warning
In the wake of a sudden deadly tornado season, a man is seperated from his wife and needs to survive to get his injured child help, with nobody around to do so. I read a tense and action filled sample which made me buy the book.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30305044-tornado-warning 

2) Kenneth Cary-Curtain Fall
A troubling dream convinces John that the Yellowstone supervolcano is about to erupt and he only has a few panic filled days to get ready for the coming disaster. I really enjoyed this book and it made a change to see that a prepper can panic too!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20741434-curtain-fall 

3) Darrell Maloney-Final Dawn
A young couple win the lottery jackpot and then discover that in under two years, an asteroid will hit earth. Now they use their new wealth to get ready to survive underground by converting a mine into a home. Really loved this first book in the series and need to catch up.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20454053-final-dawn 

4) William R Forstchen-Day Of Wrath
A teacher struggles to survive when his school is attacked by terrorists and his wife tries to get to the school to find him and their daughter as carnage hits the interstate. This was a disturbing book because this is something that could easily happen.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22962338-day-of-wrath 

5) Robert Boren-Bug Out
A group of retired people in RVs find themselves plotting to foil a terrorist attack and battle armed militias while trying to decide which military people they can trust. I loved this whole series and having older heroes was great fun. Still to read several spin off series!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23651819-bug-out-part-1

6) John Marsden-Tomorrow When The War Began
A group of teenagers return from a camping trip to find their town has been invaded and overrun with foreign soldiers, and their families are hostages. Now they must fight back. I really enjoyed the first two books and need to finish the series.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71865.Tomorrow_When_the_War_Began 

7) Mike Kraus-Final Dawn
In the aftermath of a nuclear strike, four people try to find a way to survive which proves harder when they are confronted with an alien lifeform. I've read the first couple of parts of this serial novel which is now available as an omnibus.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15737684-final-dawn 

8) Noah Mann-Bugging Out
A crop blight begins to devastate the land and sends Eric to his bug out cabin to hide. However he is soon running into trouble from local armed thieves and is forced to fight back. A decent prepper apocalypse novel with an interesting type of disaster.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22380508-bugging-out 

9) Darrell Maloney-Countdown to Armageddon
When Scott becomes convinced that the Mayans were predicting a coming disaster, he and his family buy a property to convert into a prepper property. Now time is running out to be ready and the disaster leaves them all trying to get home. Loved it! 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20566964-countdown-to-armageddon 

10) Susan Beth Pfeffer-Life As We Knew It
A meteor knocks the moon closer to the Earth and causes deadly climate changes. Now her family need to cope with a whole new life of self sufficiency. This was a decent YA dystopia.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213753.Life_As_We_Knew_It 

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. 

This Week! 

1) Audiobooks

Nikki discusses why she just can't get into them

https://breathesbooks.com/2018/05/14/discussion-audiobooks/

2) Essential Oils 
A users guide.
https://justplainmarie.ca/everything-i-wanted-to-know-about-essential-oils-and-now-you-know-it-too/ 

3) Book Review-Dead Girl Running by Christina Dodd
Samantha looks at a mystery thriller.
http://samsbookblog.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/dead-girl-running-by-christina-dodd.html 

4) Book Review-Dread Nation by Justina Ireland 
Barb goes into the Civil War in zombie times. Sort of...
http://bookertsfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/i-would-have-liked-more-zombies.html 

5) Book Review-Kingshold by DP Woolliscroft
Olivia goes fantasy...
http://booksinblankets.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/kingshold-by-dp-woolliscroft.html 

6) Book Review-Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong
Carole reviews YA set after a school shooting years before.
https://carolesrandomlife.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/review-aftermath-by-kelley-armstrong.html 

7) Blog Tour Review-Game Players by Anita Waller
Sassy looks at what happens when kids meddle where they shouldn't!
https://alternative-read.com/2018/05/21/b-l-o-g-t-o-u-r-review-game-players-by-author-anita-waller-on-altread-anitamayw-bloodhoundbook-netgalley/  

Chuckles Chat #66 Scenarios We Love And Hate About Apocalypses

Welcome to Chuckles Chat where great blogging minds unite to discuss the topics of the day mainly in the book and blogging world. I'll be sharing my thoughts on a topic and then inviting you all to share your thoughts. It's ok to disagree but PLEASE be respectful of each other's views! All of the comments on my blog are moderated and offensive posts ie racist, bigoted will not be published! 

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.   

Over the coming weeks I'm looking at our book buying life. By this what I mean is, what are the scenarios in a book blurb that make us really want to pick up that book and start reading? What do we love about the genre and what puts us off?

Ah apocalypses! They are one of my very favourite topics to read about! There are an absolute ton of them out there especially written by Indie authors and I never get tired of reading about them. I'm not sure what it is about me that loves reading about disasters of all kinds happening to ordinary people but I have lots of them on my bookshelves and ereader and I'm always grabbing more as I find new authors to try. I started by buying a book about nuclear war as a kid and then reading and enjoying dystopian books about future worlds (saving that for another post along with SF) when I joined Goodreads but I realised that the ones I liked best were where it was set in current times and we follow the various people as an apocalypse hit. I prefer seeing how they cope with the ongoing crisis rather than joining them years after the event and getting an info dump about what happened. 

That is when I found Prepper Apocalypse! I found a book about a terrorist attack destroying the electrical grid and bringing about a collapse of society. A prepper was stuck hundreds of miles away from home with only an emergency bag and his wits to get home safe, coming into contact with thieves and psychos while his wife had to defend their home from raiders. I loved it and was terrified by it at the same time. It made me want to find more books like that and the Indie and self published authors delivered for me! Suddenly I was reading about solar flares, EMP attacks, economic collapses, crop failures, fuel crisis, nuclear war, plagues, zombie apocalypses, viruses, terrorism, along with natural disasters like tornado, volcano, storms, floods, famines, earthquakes etc. I never knew there could be so many topics under apocalypse! I was devouring these books like mad. I don't even want to count how many series I have to read but it'll be 100 anyway. If you follow my Can't Wait Wednesday posts you'll see how often I grab another one!

In these apocalypse books there are a variety of MCs-military units, retired special forces, couples, families, doomsday preppers, and people who are not prepared all having to adapt to the new reality and rely on themselves. Some have lots of supplies, some have none. Some have weapons, some don't. Some group together and others go it alone. Some bug in (stay in their homes) and some bug out to a safer location. There are so many possibilities and if they are well written I enjoy most options. I like books where the MC is travelling home to get to their family especially if we are following several members of the family at home and on the road. I enjoy apocalypses where we see it happen from the very start as there is so much tension and drama unfolding and I want to be swept up in it. I like when a family or group gather their supplies and bug out for a dangerous journey to a cabin or safe compound or something with lots of danger on the way. I like friends and families banding together to protect what they have against raiders. I enjoy watching people planning for a coming disaster especially the ones where they know something could happen at any moment.

I like military missions or civilian supply runs with zombies trying to eat them. I love watching people survive when an EMP destroys the power grid or society collapses due to the economy or a virus or terrorist attack. I like the drama of people being stuck in underground compounds during nuclear attacks and asteroids falling. I like watching the gradual decline of decent society as the disaster unfolds. I enjoy when the tv is covering the events while the people watch and try to decide what to do. I love seeing the storms hit and the zombies converging on a town. I like mutated humans becoming monsters in a zombie like manner. As I said, there are so many different things in this genre to enjoy.

I don't like joining the people a long time after the disaster when the country is a barren wasteland run by Mad Max characters. I'm not as keen on alien invasion plots but that might be because I haven't found a really good one yet. I'm not keen on books from the zombie point of view, zombie cults, zombies that talk and plan and use machine guns or ones you can't kill. I'm not often keen on the mad scientist and government conspiracies if it gets too heavy and technical. I don't like when an MC has to spend half the book trying to convince everyone he knows that he is right about a coming disaster as that can be dull (like a lot of tv volcano dramas) or where the plague details get too technical. And I'm not a fan of people being consumed by romance and love triangles during the end of the world, especially zombie books. I mean don't they have more important things to worry about???

What do you like in apocalypse books and what can you do without? What attracts you to grab one? Have you read prepper fiction? 

Chuckles Cover Love #76 Stephanie Burgis

If there is one thing that makes a great book even better, it is when it has a cover that we love! The cover design is what catches the eye as we browse through a bookstore shelf or check out the Amazon or Goodreads recommendations. The right cover makes me look closer at a book, to read the blurb and maybe make a purchase. A poor cover might mean I never look at the blurb at all.

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...Stephanie Burgis

For me this is an example of how to get it right with the cover in one book and wrong in the second! NB I've now added the third cover and see where they are going with this now.