Book Review - Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The blurb:
'Folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps-and nothing about weres.

Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works-and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it.

But there's a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings-older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves-is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle.'


This latest instalment in the life of Sookie Stackhouse certainly had a lot more events happen in such a small timeframe than some of the other books in the series. This kind of made me feel a bit rushed thoughout the whole book, kind of like the author was trying to cram every idea she had into this book rather than wait until she wrote another one.

It did have some positives though, such as the further developments with Eric (what every reader really wants!) and the whole storyline of the were-animals coming out into the open like the vampires. Unfortunately, I thought this 'coming-out' was going to be a main part of the story but it kind of got lost among the rest of the happenings.

Sookie and Jason's fairy heritage is expended on a lot more in this book, something which I think is starting to steer away from the original genre of these books and something that I'm not too sure how I feel about as yet. I was attracted to this series because of the whole vampire/supernatural theme, as I'm sure were most people, but the fairy aspect isn't really something that appeals to me. But hey, that's just me, others may find it an interesting plot development.

One thing I did find with this book is the fact that people keep dying left, right and centre around Sookie, largely because of her, and she just keeps going on with her business seemingly unaffected by it all. I know she is most likely being portrayed like this to make her the tough herione that everyone can admire for soldiering on, but it seems a bit much now to keep her being so indifferent to all the awful events that keep happening around her.

Overall, it's another fun, quick read that doesn't require a lot of thinking. As most stories in this genre are so serious and dark it's nice to read something a little more lighthearted.


This is the first book I've completed in my Summer Reading Challenge so far. I think I may have been a bit adventurous with how many books I want to get through over the next couple of months but at least I've got my first one out of the way!

The next one I am tackling is The Potato Factory by Bryce Courtenay. I know nothing about this book so hopefully I won't be disappointed.

December BellaBox for Men - I'm Impressed!

When I discovered that BellaBox were bringing out a specific box for men I just couldn't help but order one for my hubby for Christmas. My husband is so bad at personal grooming it's not funny. He's purely a soap and water kind of guy so I thought that something like the male BellaBox might be the kick up the 'you-know-what' he needed to get him more interested in personal grooming.

The male version of BellaBox will apparently be sent out quarterly rather than monthly like the female version and costs $30 per box. I was super impressed with the first box which I actually received about a week ago and opened it ever so gently to sneak a peek prior to wrapping it for my husband. Of course I couldn't let you guys know about the contents until he'd opened it himself though so I had to keep it all hush hush until now.

The December BellaBox for me is a black box and is about double to size as the regular one. This is of course to cater for the fact there will be more samples included due to it being a quarterly rather than monthly box.

And here is the impressive amount of products that were included this month:

The list includes:

1) A'Kin Pureman Visibly Fit 24 Hour Moisturiser (50ml, RRP $24.95)
2) Kosmea Rescue Balm (50ml, RRP $29.95)
3) Milk Scrub & Cleansing Wipes (25 pack, RRP $14.95)
4) One Skin System Active C Scrub and Renewal Cleanse (Scrub 15gms, RRP $69.00 for 60gms, Renewal Cleanse 10ml, RRP $39.00 for 50mls)
5) Kenzo Power Fragrance and After Shave Balm (Fragrance 1.5ml sample, RRP $130.00 for 125ml, After Shave Balm 75ml, I'm unable to find a RRP for this anywhere)
6) Avene Shave Foam (50ml, RRP $22.95 for 200mls)
7) American Crew Citrus Mint Shampoo, Conditioner and Shave Gel (1 x 7.4ml sample sachet of each, RRP $22.95 for 250mls for Shampoo/Conditioner, RRP $24.95 for 150mls for the Shave Gel)
8) Sanctum Men's Shave Gel (5gm sachet, RRP $17.95 for 50mls)
9) Phytomer Globalpur Detoxifying Cleansing Gel (5mls sample, RRP $42.00 for 150mls)
10) Baxter of California Daily Face Wash (5ml sample, unsure of RRP)
11) Erborian Ginseng Infusion Total Eye Treatment (1.5ml sample, unsure of RRP)

So, as you can see it was a bumper first box which was well over the $30 price to subscribe.

My poor husband was a little overwhelmed when he opened it though as he has no idea how to use half of the products. I think he's also a bit scared and doesn't know where to start. So funny! I think I've got a bit of teaching to do over the next couple of months.

I'm definitely going to keep this subscription going and hope that the next box is just as good.

What does everyone think of the male version of BellaBox? Did anyone else subscribe to it too?

Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss - Hot Kiss

As I am in a bit of a lip gloss routine at the moment I thought I would share with you another one of my favourites that is getting quite a bit of use as of late.

This one is the Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss in the shade Hot Kiss. I received this gloss is the first GlossyBox and at first I was a bit surprised by how dark it looked and thought "I'm never going to be able to go out of the house in that colour!" But, I've since played with it a bit and teamed it with different looks and am now a confident 'Hot Kiss' wearing girl.

This is a little blurb I found on the Mirenesse website about this gloss in general:

'Innovative 3D Optically Transparent Pigment Technology(OTPT) creates pigments wrapped with a reflective crystalline coating that provide amazing gloss and brilliant colours . A modern colour pallette with smooth and even pigments instantly creates a soft fullness to the lips. Botanical moisturisers and antioxidants leave lips hydrated and beautifully cushioned with a non sticky formula. The new Flexilip applicator delivers the perfect fluid application.10 slip-on shades of barely there nudes, berry delights and passionate brights .
Ideal For You: If you love glosss, hate stickiness and want super hydrated pillowy kissable lips! Key Ingredients 3D OTPT Pigments Mineral Wax Shea butter Vitamin E Paraben & Talc Free.'

This gloss is super shiny and can either be worn quite sheer if you only use a small amount on the applicator (this is the usual way I wear it) or you can make it almost full coverage with applying a bit more. The shade Hot Kiss is a bright purple leaning towards a darker plum shade even though the packaging looks almost an awful dark plummy brown.

This gloss lasts for about 3-4 hours before needing to be touched up. It seems to wear off evenly which I like and you end up with a little bit of a stain all over the lips after which I find nice too. It doesn't bleed into the lip lines or get too sticky either. I find that my lips seem to feel super moisturised after I've been wearing this gloss for a day which is a nice added bonus too.

 I've tried a couple of other Mirenesse lip glosses over the years and have found that I have really loved them all. They always seem to leave my lips feeling so nice and plump and moisturised and I have never experienced any dryness or other lip issues with their glosses. They also have a pleasant flavour which is important I think when you are wearing something so close to your mouth!

Has anyone else ever use one of these lip glosses? Do you have any other shades that you would recommend trying?

Clinique Long Last Glosswear - Sunset

I have had a little bit of an obsession with lip glosses lately. I am loving the feel of glosses on my lips as they are a lot less drying than a lipstick in this weird weather we keep having and I also love the way they are a bit more forgiving than a lipstick if you don't stay in the lines due to being in a rush and/or juggling a uncooperative nine month old while trying to apply them.

My latest favourite that I seem to always reach for is my Clinique Long Last Glosswear. This gloss is so nice to apply and it also contains an SPF 15 which is an added bonus.

(Clinique Long Last Glosswear - Sunset)

Clinique claims that these glosses give 8 hours of shine but I find that I need to reapply after about 4 hours or so. This gloss is also extremely moisturising but can feel quite sticky so if you aren't a fan of sticky glosses then this one may not be for you. I actually like the sticky feeling from this gloss as it reminds me that it's on my lips and kind of feels a bit luxurious to me.

The current shade I have is Sunset which is a pretty golden colour with a bit of shimmer. This gloss has a really sheer coverage and is lovely to wear on it's own for a bit of light golden shimmer or it can also be applied over a lipstick to add a bit of shine.

Overall, this is definitely one of the best lip glosses I have ever worn. Due to it being such a thick formula I've never experienced it bleeding into my lip lines and it's such a nice sheer shimmery shade that seems to go with everything. It's also a great gloss to wear when I'm not really in the mood for much makeup.

Has anyone else used a Clinique Long Last Gloss before? Can anyone recommend any other colours that they think would be good to try?

Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge

As part of the Aussie Readers group on Goodreads I have decided to participate in their Summer Reading Challenge. This is a challenge where you select 10 books to read from different genres and covering different topics to try and broaden your reading experience. This challenge runs from December 2011 to February 2012. The books I have chosen to read according to their particular theme are:

1)      Aussie author – Temple – Matthew Reilly

2)      To Be Read List – Dead and Gone – Charlaine Harris

3)      Summer Food – The Long Quiche Goodbye – Avery Aames

4)      Summer Story – Divine by Mistake – P.C. Cast

5)      Australia Day – The Potato Factory – Bryce Courtney

6)      Gay Character or Author – The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde

7)      Christmas Carols – Skipping Christmas – John Grisham

8)      New Release – Catch Me – Lisa Gardner

9)      Literature Map – Dixie City Jam – James Lee Burke

10)   Romance – The Rocky Road to Romance – Janet Evanovich

I've created a page with my book list which I'll update as I get through each book and give my overall rating.

I love reading and I think that due to being an only child I gained a huge appreciation for books as they were something I could always turn to when I was alone or bored. Nowadays, time to read is not usually something I regularly get with a small bub but I'm hopeful I can get through these books in the next couple of months.I'm sure going to give it my best effort anyway!

This first book I've started is Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris. This is the 9th instalment in the Sookie Stackhouse series (which the TV series 'True Blood' is based on) and has been on my 'to be read' list for ages. Should be a good, easy read.

Wish me luck!

Has anyone read any of the above books and wish to share your thoughts? (Without spoiling the actual story for me :-))