Podcast of the week! Side Hustle School

Happy New Year everyone!

I am changing it up in 2017 and adding reviews of my favourite Podcasts as well as books.

My first review is for a new podcast that just started in 2017.   I found out about this podcast through another podcast "Happier with Gretchen Rubin"

This week's review is for the "Side Hustle School" by Chris Guillebeau, the bestselling author of The $100 Startup and The Art of Non-Comformity.  It can be found on the iTunes store or via www.sidehustleschool.com


This is a daily podcast and each day Chris discusses someone's side hustle aka small business, and how they got started.  It is to support and stimulate ideas so that you can go out and find something to do on the side to generate more income. 

I like the podcast as it is only 5-10 minutes long each day, and not a large time commitment.   I usually start out my day with a couple of podcasts, and this is an easy one to add to the list due to the small time commitment.   Its a good way to learn about new business ideas and what you could do to start something.

At the end of the week he does an overview of the past week, and gives some highlights. 

Give it a try, and maybe it will help you find a new business idea.

Have a great week!

Relaunching in 2017 - look for new updates soon!

I will be re-launching my blog in 2017!   Look for the first post soon.

My plan is to blog weekly, with two posts each month reviewing my favourite podcasts of the month, and two posts reviewing my favourite books of the month - featuring one fiction and one non-fiction.

February Books

February was a short month and although Winter has been dragging along, this month seems to fly by!   Hopefully, Spring is around the  corner with some warmer weather and lots of Sunshine.

I only read 3 books this month and two of them were books that were on my "To Read" list!  

1. The Mapmaker's War - Ronlyn Domingue - Fantasy
2. The Wolves of MidWinter (#2 The Wolf Gift Chronicles) - Anne Rice  - Fantasy/Horror
3. Innocence - Dean Koontz - Thriller/Mystery


My favourite this month was Innocence.  I did not know much about this book and was glad, as it was a good surprise!    Quite different from his other books, and when I first started it I was not sure I was going to like it.  The characters grow on you and you are constantly trying to figure out the mystery behind the whole story.   I don't want to give much away on this one because I think not knowing anything about the story was why I liked it so much.

The Wolves of MidWinter is the 2nd in Anne Rice's newest series "The Wolf Gift Chronicles".  If you like Anne Rice, you will like this new series.    This time it is Werewolves instead of Vampires, and I wonder if these two worlds will collide at some point.

Finally, The Mapmaker's War has been on my list for a while.  This was different than I expected, based in a fictional world.   It was an interesting read, and I almost need to read it again to really appreciate it!   Full of details and a book where you sometimes need to go back in the book to remember all the details of what is going on.

Happy Reading and let's hope Spring is almost here!

January Books

Better late than never, here is my list for January:

1. Allegiant - Veronica Roth - Sci Fi
2. 13 Reasons - Jay Asher - Young Adult Fiction
3. The Harem Midwife - Roberta Rich - Historical Fiction
4. The Husband's Secret - Liane Moriarty - Mystery
5. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card - Sci Fi
6. The Virgin Cure - Ami McKay - Historical Fiction

My favourite of the month was The Harem Midwife.  This is the 2nd in the series, with The Midwife of Venice being the first.  I recommend both of these books.

13 Reasons was a sad and disturbing read.  Adolescent suicide is the theme of this book, and is not a book for everyone. 

Ender's Game is a great sci-fi book, if you have not seen the movie.  I would read the book first.

Allegiant was the 3rd book in the Divergent Series, and had many turns and lots of suspense.  It was okay, but I think the 1st book is still my favourite.

The Husband's Secret was a surprise find.    I did not know anything about it and it turned out to be a good mystery.  If you like Gone Girl, you will like this book.

Finally, The Virgin Cure, by Ami McKay who is a Canadian author.  This book was getting good reviews, so I thought I would give it a chance.  Again, I did not know what to expect and it was another good read.

Looking forward to some warmer weather!   Stay warm and enjoy some good reads!

December Books

It is the end of 2013 and here is the last list for this year.  I am looking forward to a new selection of good books in the New Year.     I mixed it up in 2013 and tried to read different genres beyond my favourite (Fantasy and Sci Fi).

December was a great month for reading, especially over the holidays.  Lots of snow and cold weather allowed for plenty of time to snuggle down to a good read.

1. Storm Front (Virgil Flowers #7) - John Sandman  - Mystery/Thriller
2. The Valley Of Amazement - Amy Tan - Historical Fiction
3. Vicious Circle - Wilbur Smith - Adventure
4. The Orenda - Joseph Boyden - Historical Fiction
5. The Last Letter from your Lover - JoJo Moyes - Romance
6. Sycamore Row (Jake Brigance #2) - John Grisham - Mystery

It is difficult to say which was my favourite this month, they were all good.   Sycamore Row by John Grisham was great, and is the sequel to A Time to Kill.  One of John Grisham's earlier novels that became a movie.  I can see this book being turned into a movie too.

The Orenda is a great historical read of Canada in the early days.  A friend gave me The Last Letter from Your Lover, and I could not put this down.  Set in the 60s, this is a great read for a snowy day.

Happy New Year!  May 2014 bring you health, happiness and good reads!

November Books!

I'm late posting November and will be posting December shortly!   I have read some great books lately and some of them were ones that I have been waiting for!

1. First Sight - Danielle Steel (Romance)
2. The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa (Thriller/Fantasy)
3. People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks (Historical Fiction)
4. White Fire - Preston/Douglas (Pendergast Series) (Thriller)

The Immortal Rules was my favourite book this month.    I had a read one of Julie Kagawa's books years ago, and saw this series and thought I give it try.   It is a Vampire series, but quite different than other ones that I have read.

White Fire was good too, this is book #13, so if you have not started this series, I would recommend you start at the beginning.  It is Mystery/Thriller/Fantasy - if you like this type of genre, then try it out.  Some people really like the series (I am one of them), and I know others who do not like it at all.

People of the Book was a great historical/mystery.  It had been sitting on my book shelf for almost a year, so I knew I had to finish it before the end of 2013! 

First Sight was a typical Danielle Steel book, I like her books, and sometimes I like to change it up and read one. 

Looking forward to sharing my December books!   There are some great reads in there as well!  Stay tuned!!

September & October Books!

It has been a busy fall and so I have combined September and October together.  I only read 2 books in September, so it was a light month.   Both books were excellent!!

1. The Bloodletter's Daughter - Linda Lafferty - Historical Fiction
2. The Dream Thieves (The Raven Series #2) - Maggie Stiefvater - Fiction


In October,  I read the following books:

1. Hatchet - Gary Paulson  - Adventure
2. Shattered - Sophia Sharp - Fantasy
3. The Runaway King (Ascendance Trilogy - Book 2) - Jennifer Nielsen - Fantasy
4.  Mistress - James Patterson - Mystery

The Hatchet is a great adventure story, especially for a young reader.   I would not recommend "Shattered", it was my least favourite of the month.   Another vampire series, I am not planning to read the next book.    The Runaway King is the second book in a series, and I would recommend this series.      Mistress was okay, I read it while on vacation.   It is not my favourite of James Patterson's books.