It’s that time of year again!  When all us weirdos, oldies, and lovers of extreme dagginess gather in front of our tellies and switch to SBS; and for 3 nights we are completely glued to the Eurovision Song Contest.

This year Jessica Mauboy performed in the half time show of the second semi final. This is because SBS and Australia are one of the biggest viewing audiences outside of Europe. Yep, that’s a lot of dags. Doesn’t it make you want to hop on board?

Here’s the link to their previews of the acts that  made it through to the semi finals this year. You can watch the official videos of the song entries and view the profiles of the performers.

Now for my top 4 best examples of why Eurovision is must see TV.

In 2011 Jedward who appeared in 2009’s X Factor wowed us with their song Lipstick in Eurovision’s Second Semi Final. Alas the song wasn’t enough to get them any higher than 8^th.

In 2006 Lordi became the very first heavy metal band to win Eurovision with their song Hellelujah. They rocked it hard core.

My personal favourite entry of all time, Cliff Richard, in 1973, with a song called to Power to All Our Friends

Then, the most iconic entry of all time, Abba, with Waterloo from 1974.

Krista

Cover

Love, Love! This cover. It’s got a great blend of colours, blacks, grays, and red: represents the feel and setting of the story.

Characters

Great combination of characters in this one. It balances well and even though there is a bit of a love triangle, this one was fun to watch.

Favourite

I have to say I loved the main characters Mal, Darlking and Alina. But it was the Darkling that appealed to me most.

Least Favourite

Besides her trainer who seems like she always has her panties in a bunch, I don’t have a least favourite.

Beginning

On her travels as a map maker, Alina and Mal (among others) get into some trouble crossing The Shadow Fold. Alina seems to have saved the troop, not knowing how, and she must face The Darkling and his interrogations.

Storyline

Alina is taken by The Darkling to be trained on how to use her discovered powers. Long time friend Mal is assigned to be the guard. Without him close, Alina is feeling vulnerable and in a strange place. Soon she is able to gain a friend and become closer to the mysterious and attractive Darkling.

Ending

The whole story builds up for the ending, so we have an idea where it’s going to go. But there is always a twist, and this is the first book in a series so we are left to wonder what will happen next.

Thoughts

I really loved the setting of the story. The world building is beautiful, dark, and magical. There are aspects to the story that are not new–love triangle and naive girl learning to become stronger and more confident. But I did not mind any of it. I thought the writing really made for a very smooth, entertaining, and constantly moving story. It was very well put together and a very enjoyable read.

Quote

“The problem with wanting,” he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, “is that it makes us weak.”- Darkling

Bel:

Cover

The book is a stony grey colour, title is raised in black with bright red highlights, which is really effective at drawing the eye. There’s a nod to the antlers of the stag … (Spoilers) and there’s a Russian-esque building at the bottom. The inside flap on my copy has all the praise from various magazines, authors, and bloggers. Everything they say is true.

Internally, the illustration on the introduction of each new chapter is intricate and beautiful.

Characters

The characters Bardugo has created are fleshy, real, and easy to sympathise with.

Favourite

Genya. Girl has skill and a kind heart. I’d love to have her at my back.

Least Favourite

The Darkling. You’ll find out if you haven’t read the book.

Beginning

Alina and Mal are orphaned by the Border wars and are taken in by Duke Keramsov they are both tested to see if they are Grisha (have special abilities).

Storyline

Turns out the tests results were wrong and Alina and Mal’s lives are forever altered by the events surrounding the crossing of the Fold (A place where magic has malformed the land and people in horrible ways).

Ending

Alina’s reality becomes a nightmare and it all feeds into an insatiable urge to move onto the second book, Siege and Storm.

Thoughts

I devoured this book in very little time. Luckily, I was forced to only read it on the way to work where the bus stops at the end of the line because I would most certainly miss my stop if I was to read on my trip home. That is how wrapped up in Alina’s world you will be to.

Quote

“What am I supposed to do with a girl who can’t call her own power?” she growled at me. “Even children can do this.” Baghra, speaking to Alina.

Lisa

Cover

Can we all just take a moment and truly savor this beautiful cover? AND the fact that the second and the third book match perfectly?! It’s simple, but yet so interesting and different! When I first looked at this cover, I didn’t really know what I was looking at besides the castle. But after reading it, I see that the white stick looking things are the horns, and the dark swirls are the Darkling’s power. LOVE IT!

Characters

This book was filled with a lot of AWESOME characters: not only main roles, but also smaller ones. Mal’s two good friends in the army were funny. Ganya was so beautiful and kind. And even Zoya and Baghra were interesting!

Favorite

My favorite is a tie between Alina, Mal, and the Darking. Alina because she kicks SO MUCH butt in this book. Mal because he finally opens up towards the middle and end of the book. And the Darkling because of his big twist!

Least Favorite

I don’t think I have a least favorite character. I wasn’t annoyed or irritated with anyone … so that’s good!

Beginning

The story actually starts off with a flashback of when Alina and Mal were younger and how they became so close. After this flash back, it jumps forward a few years when the two are in the army and one of the most dangerous missions–crossing the Fold.

Middle

Alina discovers her true self and her power. While she’s homesick for Mal, the Darkling and everything around her seems to be going well. She’s training with Baghra to become stronger with her powers and to be prepared to break down the Fold.

End

There are just so many twists and turns in the end, which I don’t want to give away, so I’m not saying anything about the ending. I want you to feel exactly how shocked, unsure, and confused I felt. And then the love, warmth, and happiness as well, when things worked out!

Overall Thoughts

I really enjoyed Shadow and Bone! I wasn’t too sure how I was going to feel about it, but I soon came to enjoy the story and its characters! I hope you ALL give this one a shot! 

I love the whole process that goes with cooking sauces, chutneys and relishes. From collecting suitable jars and bottles to growing the ingredients myself (you don’t actually have to do that bit…), chopping veggies and adding to the magnificent four gallon enamel pot that once belonged to my Dad. He gave it to me a few years before he died, and using it isn’t just seriously practical – it’s very sentimental. I love the scent of vegetables, vinegar and spices wafting through the house, having something to stir and taste each time I wander into the kitchen, and the fact that it might take a whole day (or even two!) to make a good sauce. It’s worth every minute. If you’ve never attempted making your own sauces or chutneys, don’t freak out! It’s a much easier (and weirdly relaxing) process than you might think.

I’m going to write up a few of my chutney recipes over the coming weeks – all made from home grown ingredients. We’ll start with the simplest of them all, Zucchini and Corn.

We didn’t just have an abundance of zucchini this year, but also corn and capsicum. The corn in particular was to die for. I almost felt bad using it to make relish, but then…nah. I didn’t. Now, these quantities listed are for a double batch. Feel free to halve them. You can also play around a little bit with spices, garlic and chilli. But *don’t* change the quantities of your sugar, salt and most importantly, vinegar. This has to do with the preserving process, and keeping things safe. This recipe will make about 8 quart-size jars.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1500g of zucchini, diced. This works out to be around 8 largish zucchinis.
• 2 red capsicums, diced.
• 1 green capsicum, diced.
• 2 cups of corn kernels (fresh from the cob, if you can). Works out to be around 3 – 4 large cobs of corn.
• 3 onions, sliced.
• 3 cups of white vinegar.
• 2 ½ cups of white sugar (seems a lot, but this is a big batch of relish).
• 1 medium chilli – this is optional. I did one batch with it this year, once batch without. The spicier version is the family favourite.
• 8 teaspoons of turmeric.
• 5 teaspoons of mustard powder.
• 3 teaspoons of mustard seeds (or whole grain mustard).
• 1 tablespoon of curry powder.
• 4 – 5 cloves of garlic, crushed.
• 3 tablespoons of salt.
• Cornflour to thicken at the end of cooking.

HOW IT’S DONE:

After you’ve chopped everything up – throw it all in the pot (except the cornflour). Seriously, that’s it. Just chuck it all in. Bring it to the boil, then turn down the heat to low. Now, I have recipes where they recommend simmering for an hour. I cook it all day – well, for at least five hours anyway. Leave the lid on your pot for the first couple of hours, then remove, which will help to reduce your mixture. Make sure you remember to give it a good stir regularly. Keep tasting it, too, and feel free to add more of your favourite spices (or chilli!)

*Do note that I don’t use any oil in my chutneys. There’s good reason for this. Firstly, you don’t need it. With the vinegar and combined vegetables, trust me when I say there’s plenty of fluid in this mix. It won’t burn if you stir it every now and then. Secondly, oil can be a carrier for botulism when you’re working with preserves. So I’d rather stay safe than sorry.

To thicken your relish at the end, add a couple of teaspoons of cornflour to a small jug. Add water and mix until it forms a smooth, thin paste. Add to your relish mix in a thin stream, stirring constantly. Best to go a little at a time with this, remembering your relish will also thicken as it cools.

Jarring Up:

Ah, the controversial bit. Depending on which country you live in, and what your food safety laws are, there are different recommendations for the preservation of food. What do I do? Well, I wash all jars – make sure they are the type where the lid will ‘pop’ up and down – on a sterilisation cycle in my dishwasher. Yes, even the brand new ones.Then, I add a couple of jars (and their lids) to a large pot of boiling water for ten minutes. Use a pair of tongs to remove. I make sure I’m wearing thick rubber gloves, too. Fill jars with VERY HOT relish mix, leaving about 1cm at the top. Wipe away any mess around the lip, and fit the lid. Some preserving jars will have a flat lid and a metal ‘skirt’ to fit around them. If your jar has sealed properly, and depending on the heat in the room, within about half an hour, the lid will ‘pop’ down with suction from the cooling relish. I store my sauces and relishes for over a year in the pantry if they’re unopened, in the fridge once they have been opened.

Other methods include water baths and pressure baths. I recommend checking them out for yourself and seeing what you feel most comfortable with, depending on the quality of your water and sanitising conditions. A good website for all things preserving can be found here:

Pick Your Own

Zucchini and corn relish is super-delish on ham, corned beef or salami. I’ve been using it as a dip, spooning a couple of tablespoons over cream cheese and serving with crackers and a crumbly tasty cheese. But my favourite use for it has turned out to be as a pizza sauce! Yep, a few spoonfuls on a pizza base, salami and a sprinkling of cheese – AMAZING.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Peacemaker Makes a Novel Game:

West Australian creative entrepreneurs combine forces

Bestselling Australian science fiction author Marianne de Pierres announced today that Stirfire Studios has optioned her PEACEMAKER series for adaptation as an interactive game.  The novels are published by Angry Robot books.

De Pierres’ books include the award-winning Sentients of Orion, Parrish Plessis, and Night Creatures series. ‘I’m thrilled to be working with Stirfire Studios on this project. They combine creative flair with technical excellence and a passion for what they do. Their most recent game, Freedom Fall, has been a spectacular success.’

Stirfire Studios, created in 2010, has elevated the status of indie-game development in Western Australia. The Studio won the first ever Western Australian Screen Award and was shortlisted in the Australian Game Development Awards with their title Freedom Fall. Stirfire creates visually beautiful games with lush gameplay and exciting new twists on familiar elements.

Stirfire Studios director, Garth Pendergrast, says that the company has a strong vision for the Peacemaker game. ‘We want to create an interactive novel focusing on story and character, imagined with our trademark rich artwork but with no trade-off in the game play. While we are inspired by recent games in the genre, we are designing a new engine to help the player tell their own story.’

Publicity enquiries: reception@curtisbrown.com.au and Stirfire Studios

The sorcerers in Sorry-in-the-Vale are banding together, determined to take the town back to its bloody past. Kami Glass is equally determined to stop them. It’s not going to be an easy task, considering that she doesn’t even know which of the town’s residents are the sorcerers intent on reclaiming it.

By pooling her resources and people, and researching the very past that she wants to avoid, she hopes that she’ll be able to give the town’s non-magical residents a fighting chance.

What she hadn’t anticipated was Lillian Lynburn turning her aid down and deciding that the battle for the town is best confined to the sorcerers themselves.

Untold, the second book in the Lynburn Legacy trilogy, picks up where the first left off. Jared and Kami no longer have their psychic link, and Kami’s powers have gone too. Jared isn’t talking to Kami and, with the link she had once relied upon gone, she’s struggling to adapt to her new independence. This is done remarkably well. Kami doesn’t fall to pieces, nor does she hold together entirely. She remains true to her original character, finding ways to adapt to her new situation while trying to save the day.

We’re shown a lot more of the minor characters in this novel. This is mostly positive and Rusty and Angela are two of my favourites. They’re funny and have the similarities that siblings often do while also being quite different in other ways. Holly, however, falls flat. The more her character is revealed, the less sense she seems to make.

Jared and Kami’s relationship unfolds wonderfully here. It’s true that there were many misunderstandings that could have been cleared up if either were prepared to talk– or listen. That kind of thing gets tedious, but as far as how they hold up without the other and how they now relate to each other without their link, it works. It works so well that I can’t quite decide whether the whole thing is terrible or wonderful.

Unfortunately, the plot of Untold suffers the fate of all too many second books in trilogies. After all is said and done, the ending could have served just as well as the ending for the first book. The stakes don’t seem any higher than they did at the end of Unspoken, and the positions of power have not altered much. Fortunately, the personal journeys in Untold still make it a wonderful read.

I didn’t love Untold in the same delirious way that I loved Unspoken. Some aspects, like the further insight into Angela and Rusty, were far better, but it didn’t pull together for me quite as well. It certainly didn’t mess with my emotions as much. It was always going to be difficult for the second to live up to the first, given the nature of Unspoken. Either way, having read Untold, I’m still dying for the final book. The way it’s geared up, I think it will do great things.

Untold – Sarah Rees Brennan

Simon and Schuster (September 24, 2013)

ISBN: 9780857078094