ARC & PPF

I love to get a new book, get excited about it, guess what may happen and get involved with the characters. This was a great book for this. ARC with Darcy is a challenge for readers & artists of any skill. If you have lots of books you have been meaning to read this challenge is a chance to do that.  You read a book in a month, review it then do some art for that review. I read a lot any way, so I may not be reading books off my shelf as I have read them. I am constantly buying new or second hand books. I really like this idea of reviewing it with art as well.

 

This is for a book called Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. (Click the link for further information or to buy from Amazon)

The Review This is about a married couple, the wife goes missing and the husband is suspected of a hand in her disappearance. and it all goes on from there. The author uses diary entries from the wife to show how the wife views things and the present time is how we see things from the husbands point of view. 

I didn't like either character, both were less than perfect as in real life we all are. So I couldn't root for the hubby to be vindicated and I couldn't care less if the wife was found or not as she seemed a devious cow from the get go. But having said that, I think this is how the book is meant to make you feel. (although this could just be me). Wifey each anniversary sets up a mystery treasure hunt, each clue is given at the answer to the previous clue. (hope that makes sense?) hubby does this with out telling the police and as he finds each clue ....... Can't really tell you any more with out spoiling the book. But even though I didn't like the characters I wanted to know what was going to happen to both of them. I really liked the book actually and I thought it was very cleverly written. The heading at the beginning lets you know where you are and in what time reference so it's easy to follow. Over all I gave this 10/10 after reading it, I really enjoyed disliking the pair of them. They were made for each other and in my opinion it has a good ending.

The Art I found some resist paper I had forgot I had and decided this would be the base for my journal pages, as it had a writing feel to it. This would go along with the written diary and clues given. I made some envelopes out of card and wrote the clues on there and added lots of ink all over. I wrote my own review and popped that in the pockets I have made for this Journal, for book reviews. I have quite a few finished now and I am behind with a couple of others I have read as well.

Next months book could be 'If' - by George Kempis' a freebie e-book from Kindle I read on my phone. Here's the link so you can read this if you like as well. Or I may just review Granny Squares by Susan Pinner I haven't reviews a craft book yet and I read a fair few lol.

Finally I would also like to add this entry to PPF and join in with all the wonderful artist there as well. Have a lovely weekend Dxx

ARC & PPF

Time to share another book review already. I have read a few books this month but I thought I would share my review on the new Dan Brown novel Inferno. I had high hopes for this as I have really enjoyed Dan's Prof. Robert Langdon series.

The Review - And I have to say I was a little disappointed to say the least. I didn't like the story much and the way we started with Robert having no memory and working backwards to find out why he was in his currant situation. This is on the first page or two, so I am not giving anything away. But I read it and still give it a good 7/10 still imaginative. It was much easier to put down between sessions than previous books from Dan Brown.

I started a new Journal for all my future book reviews, even if they don't all make it to the wonderful challenge with Darcy that is ARC. I have really got into doing this and I enjoy it lots. 

Okay The Arty Bit - The background for the page is tweed Prof. Robert Langdon is well known for his tweed jacket. This is also echoed in the chevrons as well as the purpose of direction, as he doesn't have a clue which way to turn. The silhouettes are to represent him running this way  & that in the book, as with ALL off these books time is an issue! I also printed off a photo of Florence this is the setting for much of the book. I used a lot of  Fresco paint & stencils as well as splatter with a tooth brush. I have also created pockets for each review,  as you can see in the last photo. I can write my review and pop it in the pocket between the pages.

I would also like to include this in the challenge PPF And I hope to catch up with you all throughout the week Dxx

ARC - Book Review

This months Book review I am sharing with ARC  Is; Jo Nesbo's The Redbreast. These books with Harry hole are growing on me. I read The Snowman last month and then this one (they are out of order) but I don't know if I will read them all. I like the detective, Harry Hole. In this book I can get a better idea of him from the beginning. This is a fascinating story. I love the history this book shares of the war although brutal (isn't all war) this is where we get to know about the person Harry is looking for although you don't know which one it is. There is some references to Nazis and prejudice in there, but there has to be as there was in the war years.

I liked the backwards and forwards though history. A lot of books are like this now, I have read a few and am currently reading another one like this. It seems authors like this at the moment, although some times it's confusing I feel that is more the authors fault, as others are better written and are much easier to follow through time and others just become confusing. Cloud Atlas, for example, is very confusing but the film made it all very easy because of the visual aspects and the book failed to explain these connections. But when written well like The Hundred year old man who....... I find them exciting. And this is no different, it keeps you reading along at a good pace. I enjoyed the book and the ending was okay. I have to say though I much prefer Camilla Lackberg to Jo Nesbo, is that a woman thing? I don't know. But her novels I care more about the characters as there is much more effort put into the everyday life as well as the case that the detective is involved with.

Any way if you read through this far well done, give your self a gold star lol On to the art part of  ARC.

I was really stuck art wise when I came to it, but I then got to thinking of the snow and the German uniforms and that's where I started with grey & white acrylic paint smeared all over the gessoed pages thickly with a pallet knife. There is a lot of snow and it's quite a large part of the story in the past. There are a couple of love story's going on in the book love for country, love for comrades and love for a special woman. I focused on one part of the story that is focused in the past. 

Here a solder wants to impress a woman and books a table in the best restaurant in the city. The air-raid siren goes off and people desert the restaurant to go for shelter but the couple stay and as the bombs fall so close that, the lights go out and the candles on the table are the only lighting in this huge posh restaurant. The plaster falls down, they do not move, the chandeliers begin to sing as they shake and the crystal with it. When all around them is in chaos they drink the best wine & dance together. 

Not everything in this story is black and white there are many shades of grey this is also part of this journal piece. As I read this part of the story I could totally picture the sound the crystal would make and this was so poignant. I searched German crystal chandeliers and got this picture from google printed it in black & white and cut it out and glued this to the page. I then got some ink and a pen to write some of my review  on the pages. I hope you like the explanation to this (what may look simple) piece. I am also sharing this with PPF Dxx

P.S.  I forgot to add what next months review will be; this is because I am not sure I have just finished the new book by Dan Brown Inferno But I have also started a book by Lucinda Riley The Light Behind The Window. So it will be one of these two :) Dxx

ARC April & PPF

Hello, It's Friday horah! I love these challenges. ARC & PPF wonderful challenges and hosted by very talented ladies. It also gives me the chance to have a good nosey through lots of blogs and see what people are creating, which is a bonus!

So my book review is on a book called 'The Preacher' by Camila Lackberg. This scene is how I imagined the opening few pages of the book. There is a little boy who goes playing 'knights' down at the beach in the caves near his home very early in the morning (unbeknown to his parents) and he finds a sleeping woman, or so he thinks, sadly she is never going to wake up. Later as the police arrive and remover her body, two skellington's are found as well which are later to be discovered are two young girls that have been missing over 20yrs. And were dreadfully tortured before they were killed. Is the same murderer back? And what are the family secrets between two related family's one of which was a chef suspect 20 yrs ago but hanged him self, so why have these murders started again and how many more will go missing?

I love a good murder lol I also love that this carries on from a a book called the 'The Ice Princess' that I read last month. Same detective. But I love that in the books life is still going on, it's not all about the murder. Other little real life dramas are going on as well. Erica his girlfriend is pregnant, her sister has left her abusive husband from the last book etc but they are also really good stand alone books, you don't have to read the whole series to know what on earth is going on unlike some. If you like thrillers then yes I would recommend these, but thankful there isn't a lot of detail in the actual violence part so not as horrific as some thrillers and not loads of bad language. But it's no Miss Marple either. I give this book 8/10.  I am also really getting in to Jo Nesbo's Harry hole books, maybe I will review one of these next month lol.

OK on to the journaling. I used some Basic Gray scrapbook paper as a beginning  (Finally trying to make a dent in my paper-stash from my scrap-booking/card-making days lol). I added to it with neo2s I tore some papermania paper up for the main images as I didn't want tidy edges, love the texture this created. Then coloured them in with neo's and a water brush. I then wrote a small review in the sand to remind me of this book. I will hopefully catch up with you throughout the week, in the mean time Have a great week end. Love Dawn xx

ARC March

There is a link in the side bar for this monthly challenge, I have been meaning to join in since Feb. when I found it but time got the better for me, I was going to put April in the title but it seems we run a month behind. Any way I usually read at least two books a month and so far I have read three this month but I am going to talk about this amazing book today 'The Vintage Teacup Club' by Vanessa Greene.

Now this is not my usual sort of book at all. But, it had some really good reviews from people, so I went for it, and I am so glad that I did. This is about three beautiful (as people) women and they meet at a car boot and all of them fall in love with a vintage tea set. They decided to share it and their relationship begins there.

The three women are called Jenny, young works in an office & soon to be married, Maggie, single has her own flower shop and Alison, who crafts from home and has a family. What is not to like about these women? They are all of differing ages & experience in life and this is where the book is so good each helps one another in the different problems that they begin to experience. They all want the teacup set for different reasons, Jenny wants them for her wedding theme, Maggie because a client want's an AIWL wedding and Alison wants to make candles out of them.

So Now you know why AIWL theme in my journal. Vanessa writes so beautifully, I could imagine everything and I love it when this happens with a book (well it always happens). Beautiful imagery came to mind and I loved being part of their world and I felt like a friend to them all by the end. This is a 10/10 book for me. I have a board on pinterest with lots of book reviews if your interested. I really enjoyed playing in my journal for this challenge, thanks Darcy it's a great idea and I hope to play again next month. Love Dawn xx