Review: Time Untime by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Time Untime
Book #22 in the Dark-Hunter Series
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Genre/s: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Rating: 3.5 stars


Kateri Avani grew up listening to her grandmothers tales thinking they were just that, tales.  Never realising that beneath those tales contained a rich and powerful yet sad history, a destiny and a calling.




Pros:
What I really like about this series is that she's managed to weave mythology into a fantasy novel series in a way that we can not only relate (and remember) those characters but give them a personality beyond the black and white information you can read in Non-Fiction works.  This book isn't any different.

You can read any of these books out of order and it's easy to follow the story, history and understand the world.  She is able to maintain the integrity and personality of the characters between one book at the next thankfully not giving away too much of their history which is detailed in their own book.

Despite the confusion, I did enjoy learning about Mayan and some Native American mythology even if some of the names were hard to pronounce.

Cons:
Much like Retribution weaving the Greek and Atlantean pantheons into the series made understanding how they inter-relate a bit confusing and at times a bit of a stretch.

While there are several characters that bleed over from one story to another, the only issue with it is Nick's character.  While Nick has a series of his own, I am concerned that some of the information in this book that you gleam about Nick should be in his series.

This series is a romance and while I understood why each Kateri and Ren were drawn to each other, I did have a hard time believing that they went from their dreams/nightmares about one another to being in love, especially given their respective histories.  Their romance if you can call it that seemed to be a little accelerated for my liking, I just hope that part of the story wasn't edited out.  A better fleshed out romance story instead of what seems like a case of weekend insta-love would have better.

Inspired by Amazon and GoodReads

With the recent news of Amazon taking over GoodReads it has prompted me to get back into using this blog.

I am quite fond of Amazon and love GoodReads but my concern is that Amazon will change GoodReads in ways that make me not like it so much.  Maybe I'm being cynical but I hope that won't be the case.  If anything, Amazon needs to take a clue (I wanted to say page out of GR's books but that would have been a somewhat intended pun) and format their book titles similarly so it will make it easier for those of us who reads series to know instantly whether the book is part of a series and what its sequence is.

So the plan is to write more reviews here as well as keep up with what I'm reading:

Currently Reading:
Time Untime by Sherrilyn Kenyon
To Seduce an Angel by Kate Moore

Books recently picked up from the library:
The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann
Charmed and Ready by Candace Havens
Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz

Meatless Meals: Lentil Burgers and an intro

I'm vegetarian which means if you know any vegetarians can mean anything.  I started off being a traditional vegetarian which means no red meat, poultry or seafood but I realised I wasn't getting  a lot of protein as I don't tend to eat things like beans, nuts, seeds, legumes etc in large enough quantities to have a regular stream of protein in my diet.  Now I love tofu but there are only so many ways and so many meals I can have it in back to back before I'm tired of it.  Then I introduced seafood into my diet simply as a way of having more protein-type options, plus, what's an island girl without seafood in her diet.  So technically I'm an ovo (eggs) lacto (dairy) pescetarian (seafood) vegetarian.

I'm all for trying some new vegetarian dishes and some have gone over a LOT better than others and this is one of those that I just had to try.

Giada de Laurentis had a Meatless Monday episode a few weeks ago which showed several meals that one could make however this one caught my eye.  She called this one Lentil Burgers with Lemon-Basil Mayonnaise.  I won't type out the recipe, if you'd like it, please check out the link, I will say that I made a few changes after having read others reviews.

I couldn't find tinned (canned) lentils, so I bought some dried and cooked it instead.  Since the original recipe said it makes eleven 3/4-inch thick slider patties (from 1/3 cup scoops) and it is only me one eating it, I figured I'd just cut down the recipe down by half.

Some people mentioned that it tasted bland so before I added the corn meal I tasted it and added salt, pepper etc and seasoned it to my preference.

Others mentioned that the burger didn't stay together, so after the initial 6 patties (none of my patties made 3/4-inch patties with 1/3 cup scoops) I added more corn meal to the mixture before refrigerating.

I also didn't make the Lemon-Basil Mayonnaise as I don't particularly care for mayonnaise (although I did substitute regular mayo for the vegenaise).

These followed the recipe with respect to the corn meal

These had the extra corn meal added in.

Being fried up.

One other note about this recipe, since mine didn't make 3/4-inch thick patties it didn't need to be cooked 4 mins a side.

Pros:

• Suitable for anyone who is a strict vegetarian or even vegan and for those who have a gluten intolerance.
• Not terribly difficult to make as long as you can find the ingredients/substitutes.

Cons:

• Original recipe does make a bland burger if you just plan on eating it plain.  I'd suggest taste testing before adding the cornmeal
• If you have an issue with texture and crunchiness, the amount of crunchiness the cornmeal adds my put you off.
• For a single person it's a lot of patties. (I wonder how well they'd freeze)

Overall I will say that it is definitely worth trying, I'm glad I made it and will probably add it to my list of veggie recipes to recommend.

InCoWriMo and other pen related news

This month is the first annual InCoWriMo or International Correspondence Writing Month and it kicked off 4 days ago. If you've heard of NaNoWriMo and notice the similarity just know that it is the inspiration. Check out the website to learn more about this.

But why do I mention it, because I've decided to indulge in the madness!  While I should have enough stamps, at least for the domestic letters, I had to go out and purchase some envelopes today.  My goal is to handwrite a letter to everyone, but I picked up some blank notecards just incase.

So far so good, several other participants on the FPG board have admitted to writing ahead (but will mail them on the correct dates), so I may do that knowing that certain days I'm a lot busier than others.

I finally managed to use my chop (Chinese seal) although I still have a long way to go in terms of not making it look like a royal mess.

Since the last time I updated I've been brainstorming ideas about the growing number of ink samples I have and how to store them.  I think I finally have something that I'm happy with.  Photos to follow on another post.

Recent Acquisitions:
Tomoe River Paper (cream and white) - I haven't used it yet.

Around the web:
Fragrances Influenced by the Scent of Ink  by ejjelley
Tomoe River Paper review by Gourmet Pens
Edison Beaumont Pneumatic giveaway by FPGeeks


Currently Inked:
Pilot Prera with Noodlers Turquoise Eel
Levenger True Writer with Sheaffer Skrip Brown
Retro 51 with Akkerman Treves Turquoise
Pilot Petit1 with stock Orange
Lamy Safari with Pelikan Edelstein Topaz
Pilot 78G with Noodlers Ottoman Azure
Sheaffer F Italic with Akkerman Treves Turquoise  *
Sheaffer F Calligraphy with Akkerman Parkpop Purper  *
Noodles Ahab with Akkerman Parkpop Purper  *

* Only because I'm playing/practising writing with these pensCurrently Reading:
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck

Pen Review - Levenger True Writer Obsidian with F nib

The first time I heard about this pen was when a pen-pal mentioned in one of her letters that she was using that pen to write with.  Since the other pens she'd mentioned were a bit on the pricier side it didn't even occur to me to do any research on this pen and I promptly forgot about it.

When I had to provide a Christmas/Birthday wishlist I went into research mode.  I knew I wanted several pens and some ink for the giftor to choose from but I also didn't want to break the bank.  Knowing that there was a chance the giftor was going to buy everything on my wishlist I decided that I wanted pens that was $100 or less and that a lot of people had good things to say about.  It took me 2 days and between listening to FPGeeks podcasts, browsing around on their forums and reading Fountain Pen Network's forums I had a few pens that made the short list and this was one of them.  The other criteria about the pens on this list were not only pens I was curious about but since they were going to be a gift, I wanted to ensure it wasn't just mere curiosity and that I would just give away or sell the pen later.  One of the things that surprised me the most about this pen was that it wasn't anywhere near as pricey as I was expecting.

Had I not known better, when the box arrived in the mail, I would have sworn there was more in the box than just one pen.  While the pen was well wrapped and padded, I thought they included some complimentary goodies to justify the size of the box (12 or more pens could easily have fit into this box with room to spare), alas that wasn't the case.

The leather looking case the pen arrived  in would be a great way to store this pen if I didn't already have a number of pens and no desk to put it on.  I will be keeping the case but until I get a proper desk the pen won't be hanging out in it.

I'm not really partial to pen caps and clips so I never think them worthy a mention but I will say that this pen is simply elegant and quite understated.

Despite how I hold the pen, the threads are barely noticeable and I've written quite a bit with my forefinger on the threads.

With this pen having a solid colour barrel, I love the fact that it is a cartridge/convertor so I can see exactly how much ink is left.  I have heard that people prefer different filling systems and that's mainly due to ink capacity and while I completely understand about wanting to hold more ink there is nothing I hate more than writing only to discover that my pen has run dry right in the middle of a word.  This happens more than I'd care to admit.

Everyone's recommendations about this pen is warranted.  This pen writes really smoothly (yes, I did flush the pen with water and have it dried before first use, just as the literature it came with suggests) from the get go.  This may seem like a little thing, but the first fountain pen I bought didn't write smoothly initially and I was so disappointed with that pen for many reasons that I regretted buying that pen.  I still have that pen and my initial assessment may have been a tad hasty but a review of that pen will follow in the near future.  Even with writing fairly quickly this pen keeps up well and with a little bit of pressure you can flex a little and get some line variation.  If you're curious, it also lays down a even patch of ink and thankfully not a dry writer.

This is my second F nib and so far so good.  I am quiet enjoying this pen and happy that I added this to my wishlist.

Price:
Levenger - $59 and up, plus S&H

Pen Review - TWSBI Diamond 540 Sapphire with F nib

The running joke in the fountain pen world is that if you have more than 1 pen you're a collector, so I officially started collecting fountain pens in early 2012 although I have been using fountain pens for most of my life (I don't count calligraphy pens as part of my collection as I am not adept, anymore, with using them, nor do I count 'school pens').

After I returned from the fountain pen show in Atlanta I started reading and getting more involved in actively researching fountain pens, at least vintage ones and especially filling systems.  After being exposed to a number of filling systems while at the pen show and after having listened to FPGeeks and hearing people's preferences for filling systems I figured it was time a Runaway Bride moment, only with pens and filling systems.  In the back of one of my notebooks is a list of the filling systems I was curious about and written next to them were the list of pens I had that currently filled those requirements.

Then the news about TWSBI Vac 700 came out and since I had heard such wonderful things about TWSBI I figured that I could "kill two pens with one order".  I was all set to buy the Vac 700 until I heard a podcast on FPGeeks and it was mentioned by one of the hosts that if they had to choose, they'd pick the 540 over the 700.  With that in mind, I planned to wait until I had some disposable money so I could purchase one only to hear that they were being discontinued so on the Christmas/Birthday wishlist they went.  Originally I wanted the clear (since I don't have any clear pens) but those were all gone so I went back my to favourite colour, blue.

The pen arrived without fanfare in a nondescript padded envelope and the only clue to the contents was the address label saying TWSBI.  This isn't to say that the pen wasn't securely shipped, it was, but I appreciated the economic use of packaging.

From everything I had heard about the pen case, their praises were not without merit.  The case showcases the pen beautifully not only from when one first opens the box but worthy of just leaving on one's desk if one so chooses.  Thankfully their praises extended to mentioning the tool at the bottom of the case as I not only found that but spare o-rings and detailed instructions on how to dis-assemble and re-assemble the pen (which came in handy quite by accident).  The case is certainly worth keeping, it is elegant and simple and enhances the look of the pen instead of take attention away from it.

My tendency is to hold the pen close to the nib and thankfully it is smooth and not awkward to hold, even though my forefinger tends to rest where the threading is.  Due to holding my pen this way, I tend not to post my pens as it tends to make them feel top heavy.  This is certainly the case with this pen, of course having the piston knob there could prove interesting if you're having issues removing the cap once the pen is posted and having ink leakage. :D

I love demonstrator pens: I enjoy knowing how things work and watching the different mechanisms, not to mention being able to see how much ink remains in my pen.  The coolest thing about this particular demonstrator is being able to watch the ink in the feed section.

Upon initial inking (although I did flush the pen out with water and let it dry first) the pen writes smoothly and beautifully.  No matter how fast I write with this pen, it keeps up beautifully.  If you press down gently you do get a little bit of flex in it so there is some line variation that way.  While I haven't used any of my pens to draw with or colour yet, this one lays down a consistently even patch of ink so it should do quite well.

This is my first F nib pen and I must say that if all F nibs are like this I will happily switch from M to F nibs.  I will note also that this F isn't as fine as I was expecting, which is probably a good thing.

Serious kudos to TWSBI.  I may have to buy another one before the all disappear along with some nibs of different sizes and I can't wait for the 580 as I may buy one of those sooner rather than later.

Week in review - January 13th, 2013

This past week was an awesome week for package delivery, a quite unusual occurrence at my house.  Apart from items already mentioned I also received A Pilot Petit1 in orange, a (used) Parker 21 and a Pilot 78G in the mail.  The Parker 21 and Pilot 78G have both been cleaned out but I think the Parker needs to be sent in to be re-sacked as it it is heavily stained with a dark ink.  I can certainly see why this filling system isn't as popular anymore as attempting to clean out the ink until the water runs clear is a time consuming endeavour.

As promised, here is a photo of my new pen storage courtesy of BamaPen, it is the Perdomo Reserve Petit Corona Multi Pen storage:

When I ordered this last year I mistakenly hadn't planned for new acquisitions.  This pen arrived before any of my Christmas/Birthday presents were ordered so now I'm in a quandry as I've added 7 new pens to my collection and they all need homes.

I did pick up some cigar boxes with the hopes of using those to store ink samples and bottled ink but I'm not sure what to do about the other pens I have.  Another order may be in the works, just need to save up some money.

I have been playing with my new babies which is why I have an unusually high number of them inked.  After a long time being suspended I finally got my Goulet Ink Drop membership restarted and it makes me eagerly anticipate the start of a new month:

January's Theme is Aurora Borealis:
De Atramentis Moss Green
Noodlers Rome Burning
Diamine Eau de Nil
Diamine Majestic Purple
Noodlers Borealis Black

On Staples' Sustainable Earth Sugarcane-Based Notebook

On Rhodia dotpad paper

I wrote on both papers and photographed them to show the difference between Moss Green and Rome Burning.  Usually I write my ink samples on the Staples' paper since that it what I use most of the time to write on.  It fulfill's my need as it is not only eco-friendly but can be attained locally at the last minute.

Since it may be difficult to tell, the Moss Green on the Staples paper came across very light, almost pastel and not moss-like.  However on the Rhodia paper it presented as a deeper/richer shade and certainly more moss-looking.

Owing to the paper, I noticed that Rome Burning looked quite a bit different between the different papers.  On the Staples paper it not only feathered but has almost a metallic look to it (it is supposed to look brown) however on the Rhodia paper it looks like it should.

The rest of the colours didn't present a noticeable difference between the paper types.

Pen reviews to follow.

Currently Inked:
Pilot Prera with De Atramentis Moss Green
Monteverde Artista with Noodlers Rome Burning
Levenger True Writer with Diamine Eau de  Nil
TWSBI 540 with Diamine Majestic Purple
Retro 51 with Noodlers Borealis Black
Pilot Petit1 with stock Orange
Lamy Safari with Pelikan Edelstein Topaz
Pilot 78G with Noodlers Ottoman Azure

Currently Reading:
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
Haunting Embrace by Erin Quinn

Pens (ahem, more pens) and ink... oh and a cigar case

In my haste on Saturday I neglected to mention that I'd received a (converted) cigar case in the mail to house my new babies. 

Yesterday was busy so I didn't get a chance to photograph anything but I did receive more mail today which is the last of my xmas/birthday presents.  Today's loot included a bottle of Noodlers Ottoman Azure, Pelican Edelstein Topaz, Retro 51 fountain pen and Rohrer and Klinger Glass Dip pen.

Reviews, photos and details forthcoming.  Thankfully I picked up a few (4) cigar boxes (they need to be aired out) and I'll see what I can use these for as I have more pens than places to store them.  I may need to buy another cigar case.

Presents and January Drop

Upon my arrival home this afternoon I was pleasantly surprised to not only receive the January Ink Drop colours courtesy of Goulet Pens but my TWSBI Diamond 540 Sapphire with a F nib  and my Levenger True Writer Obsidian, also with a F nib.

Right now my pens have been cleaned and are currently drying and they will be played with tomorrow so hopefully I should have time write up my initial thoughts of these pens that I've heard nothing but wonderful things about.