New BFF: On The Shelf Reviews

I want to wish Lorna aka LJ a warm welcome to the blog today and I want to thank her very much for cutting this week in the middle with her participation to my Blog Friend Forever series!

Lorna is a very kindhearted person and I always love seeing her comments. She’s an accomplished blogger and I’m sure she will soon earn her stripes as a writer as well, she already nailed NanoWrimo last year after all. You can already give her a follow on Twitter if don’t already – you can find her as @ljwrites85 and do take a look at Lorna’s blog and the reviews she’s written on On The Shelf Reviews if you don’t know her yet. I found an awesome quote on her blog btw that I really want to share with you as well:

It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It’s called living –Terry Pratchett.

The author’s name will make a comeback in the answers too, you’ll see… so let’s go:

Name: Lorna

Age: Not a number I say out loud any more lol!

Birthday: 22^nd July

What did you study or do you study now / what is your current job?

In a previous life I studied design (turned out I wasn’t very good at it!), at the moment I’m working towards becoming a published writer as well as running my blog.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I suppose I still class writing as a hobby, as I’m still unpublished.

Your favourite colour?

I love all shades of blue.

Do you collect anything (besides books)?

I have quite a collection of notebooks. My favourite is the Wonder Woman one that I got last year which I still haven’t used because it’s just too pretty!

What’s the name of the book that you’ve had the longest? Have you read it?

I suppose that has to be Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone. Unfortunately me and my son read my original copy from the nineties so much it fell apart!

Have you ever regretted a book you purchased? A book that sounded so promising but you wished you’d have spent your money on another book after reading it?

This is going to be an unpopular opinion but Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I’ve tried at least three times to read it and I’ve only got as far as page sixty.

Do you listen to audio books?

No but it’s something I keep meaning to do.

Do you have a favourite genre?

Hands down Mystery/Thriller!

What is the book highest on your wishlist right now?

I’m so excited because I’ve just got a book I’ve wanted since I saw it last year on NetGalley, The Chalk Man by C.J Tudor. I read it before this post was published and you can read my review here. I rated it 5 stars btw and HIGHLY recommend.

How is your library organized?

My library is not organised at all! It’s just wherever I can fit a book.

Do you read more ebooks or physical books?

At the moment I’m reading a lot more ebooks, just because that’s what I get sent to review. I still love buying physical books though!

Do you have a favourite book?

There’s a few! The Harry Potter series, Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett and the Sherlock Holmes short story collections.

What’s the cover in your collection that you’re most proud of?

The 20^th Anniversary edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone.

Do you have any idea how many books you own? <100, >100, >200,> 300 …?

Not including ebooks I own around 250 books.

What’s the title of the last book you purchased?

I got a copy of Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear from a charity shop. I love recycling books!

What was your favourite author when you were a child?

Hands down Roald Dahl, he was just so imaginative and his books have stood the test of time. I read my own son The Twits and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and he loved them as much as I did.

From which author do you have most books?

Probably Terry Pratchett or MC Beaton.

The Hamish Macbeth books were adapted into the BBC Scotland television series Hamish Macbeth. Running for three series between 1995 and 1997, the titular police officer was played by Robert Carlyle. The series bore little relation to the content of Beaton’s novels. Macbeth and Lochdubh were retained, in name at least, but little else survived.

The author was not happy with the TV series. “It wasn’t like the books, I wrote about a six-foot laid-back highlander and I got a 5ft 8″ Glaswegian with a chip on his shoulder,” Beaton says. “It was an unfortunate experience.”

The TV adaptations took several liberties with the plots, combining elements from several novels into each episode, changing the details enough to make them work together.

While Beaton was not happy with the changes, the TV series developed a loyal fan base, and many viewers have since come to know the Hamish Macbeth that Beaton originally created. Her earlier novels are being reprinted and re-released to fill the gaps between new volumes.

Beaton has often been left out of plans for her own creations. “They wanted to do a making of Hamish Macbeth without even mentioning me at all,” Beaton joked. “However, it does lead to ideas to killing people.”

In 2016, another Beaton creation, Agatha Raisin, became a TV series.

The Hamish Macbeth series so far:

Death of a Gossip (1985)
Death of a Cad (1987)
Death of an Outsider (1988)
Death of a Perfect Wife (1989)
Death of a Hussy (1990)
Death of a Snob (1992 )
Death of a Prankster (1992)
Death of a Glutton (1993), also published under the title Death of a Greedy Woman
Death of a Travelling Man (1993)
Death of a Charming Man (1994)
Death of a Nag (1995)
Death of a Macho Man (1996)
Death of a Dentist (1997)
Death of a Scriptwriter (1998)
Death of an Addict (1999)
A Highland Christmas (1999)
Death of a Dustman (2001)
Death of a Celebrity (2002)
Death of a Village (2003)
Death of a Poison Pen (2004)
Death of a Bore (2005)
Death of a Dreamer (2006)
Death of a Maid (2007)
Death of a Gentle Lady (2008)
Death of a Witch (2009)
Death of a Valentine (2010)
Death of a Chimney Sweep (2011), also published under the title Death of a Sweep
Death of a Kingfisher (2012)
Death of Yesterday (2013)
Death of a Policeman (2014)
Death of a Liar (2015)
Knock, Knock, You’re Dead (2016)
Death of a Nurse (2016)
Death of a Ghost (2017)
Death of an Honest Man (2018)

There are many ruined castles in Scotland. One such lies outside the village of Drim. Hamish begins to hear reports that this castle is haunted and lights have been seen there at night, but he assumes it’s some children or maybe the local lads going there to smoke pot, or, worse, inject themselves with drugs. Hamish says to his policeman, Charlie ‘Clumsy’ Carson, that they will both spend a night there.

The keening wind explains the ghostly noises, but when Charlie falls through the floor, Hamish finds the body of a dead man propped up in a corner of the cellar. After Charlie is airlifted to the hospital, Chief Detective Inspector Blair arrives to investigate the body, but there is none to be found. Dismissed as a drunk making up stories, Hamish has to find and identify the body and its killer before the “ghost” can strike again.

Are there books you’ve read 2 or 3 times?

Yes! Bridget Jones’s Diary, Wyrd Sisters and the Harry Potter series.

How many books are there on your Goodreads challenge this year and how many have you read already?

Yes, I set it at 75 but I think I’ve put it too low, I’m already up to forty.

Can you spell your name with the first letters of titles in your book case?

 

 

L – Let Me Go by Chelsea Cain
O – One Day by David Nicholls
R – Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
N – Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
A –A Game Of Thrones by George RR Martin.

 

 

 

 

In case you missed it, these are the BFF’s (Blog Friends Forever) I posted about before :

Martina – The Mystery Corner
Liis – Cover to Cover
Anne – Inked Brownies
Danielle – Books, Vertigo and Tea
Drew – TheTattooedBookGeek
Jillian – Rant and Rave About Books
Meg – Magic of Books
Betty – Bookish Regards
Anais – Zeezee with Books
Nicki – Secret Library
Donna – Chocolatenwaffles’ Blog
Chitra – Books & Strips
Annie – The Misstery
Dee – Novel Deelights
Stephanie – Teacher of YA
Tina – Reading Between the Pages
Savanah – Off-Color Lit
Delphine – Delphine’s Babble on Some Good Reads
Lisa – Rambling Lisa’s Book Reviews
Alex – Coffeeloving Bookoholic
The Readers Bay
Kathy – Books and Munches
Diana – A Haven for Book Lovers
Norrie – Reading Under The Blankie
Lynne – Fictionophile

I don’t want my BFF club to be complete just yet! There’s still room for plenty more so give me a shout if you want to be added! It’d be very appreciated!