Author Archives: Nikki

Review: Beautiful Disaster

Posted in Books, Entertainment by

Seeing as I’m on trimester break and would rather delve into an imaginary world as opposed to face my reality, it’s time to review another romance novel. I love being a Dymocks member.

Beautiful Disaster, a New York Times best seller by Jamie McGuire.

Beautiful Disaster, a New York Times best seller by Jamie McGuire.

Beautiful Disaster is a romance novel written by Jamie McGuire – which is in no relation to the Beautiful Bastard series previously covered on SolSat. Disaster puts you into the perspective of good girl Abby Abernathy as it explores her life and its relationships, in particularly with loveable bad boy, Travis Maddox.

This novel was so well written it’s #craycray. The language used was easy to comprehend for the casual reader and the imagery was so spot on, it was so easy to imagine what was going on – even if my picture of Travis changed every 5 pages because I couldn’t quite picture what he looked like. The one minor issue that I had with the writing was how it just threw you into the action straight away in the beginning. I’m used to being slowly eased into the fictitious world created in the novel and Beautiful Disaster literally just threw you into it. It was a change, but not necessarily an unwelcome one.

When it came to the characters, my levels of empathy were through the roof. When Abby experienced love, I felt that love. When Abby experienced heartbreak, I literally felt as if my heart was just broken. By a fictitious book character. This all boils back to the writing of the author which was, may I point out once again, amazing. I built such a strong rapport with the troubled Travis; he was just so damn likeable. Abby wasn’t the usual annoying self-conscious book heroine you find in most romance novels so that was definitely a nice change.

The storyline started out somewhat predictable, which gave me as a reader a false sense of security. I kept guessing what was going to happen next and I was wrong time and time again. The storyline kept changing and it had me on my toes. The ups and downs of Abby and Travis’ relationship were so intriguing that I just could not for the life of me put the book down. Not to mention the changing dynamics between the two protagonists.

Solst-o-meter
Storyline: 8.2/10
Style of writing: 8.0/10
Overall: 8.2/10

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with this book and I definitely understand why it earned its title as New York Times bestseller. I was so encapsulated in the story that I genuinely miss it. Tis the troubles of finishing such a fantastic novel. Fortunately for me, I have Walking Disaster to look forward to, which tells the story from Travis’ perspective.

– by The Black Widow

How to Talk Yourself out of a Fine

Posted in Lifestyle by

There is an art to talking your way out of a fine, whether that be for speeding, careless driving or something as little as driving with no plates on. Obviously, this will probably not apply to the heavier fines like going 100 km/h over the speed limit or driving on the wrong side of the road, but you can sure as hell try these tips if you want.

SolSat is here to save your pennies!

SolSat is here to save your pennies!

I’d like to think that I have experience in this department as I have successfully charmed my way out of two fines in my life. In one instance, I got my way out of a whopper by smiling, giggling, genuinely apologising for what I had done and charming the shoes off both of the officers that had stopped me. This may be awkward because I don’t even think I told my parents about these… oops.

Girls think that all they have to do is wear a low cut top and wiggle their chest around but unless they have a valid excuse to back that up, it’s not going to work. That is the key to talking your way out of a fine – you can’t just sweet-talk, you have to have an excuse. For example, if you were caught speeding, blame the other guy behind you who was honking at you to go faster. This is the foundation of getting out of a fine so when you see those lights and hear that siren, think of something – fast.

Another misconception of fine escaping is sucking up to the officer. Please don’t. They see right through that and will be quicker to slap a fine on you faster than you can say “You look very lovely tonight”. If you’re going to chat to the officer, be sorry – I mean absolutely sorry. Apologize for whatever you had done, throw in your excuse in there somewhere, say you’ll never do it again. Show through your actions how sorry you are. May I suggest dramatic hand gestures?

Now this may seem a little degrading or even ridiculous to some, but it wouldn’t hurt if you temporarily decreased your IQ by about 10 points when pulled over. The po-po are more likely to fine someone who is wildly aware of the crime they have committed but they’ll probably be more lenient on someone who is blissfully unaware of what they had done. Example: “I switched lanes without proper indication? Get out, I didn’t even notice”. Worked for me. In saying that, if you sound like you’re being facetious by saying “I didn’t know red meant stop”, then you will be fined. Blissfully unaware, not moronic.

Now for a piece of advice you are told in nearly every aspect of life: smile. Smile when they approach you, smile when they speak to you. Why? Because if you’re sitting there with a sullen look on your face looking like a great target for boxing practice, then they won’t want to deal with you and fine you so fast your head will be spinning. In regards to smiling, also speak positively to the police. Don’t cry “Wo is me!” for being pulled over. Keep up a happy disposition even though your insides are doing flips and you may just get out of losing a few hundred buckeroos. The police like it when you speak to them with respect.

The next time you are caught with reckless driving or doing something else unlawful on the roads, remember these easy tips and you may drive away scot free. Don’t forget to breathe and smile and greet the officer. And always remember: HAVE AN EXCUSE READY! SolSat won’t be there to help you.

– by The Black Widow

Review: Fifty Shades Darker

Posted in Books, Entertainment by

After making yet another visit to Dymocks today, I stopped and calculcated how much money I’ve spent at that one book store in the past fortnight. I couldn’t get an exact amount, but over $100 sounds pretty accurate. I love that I’m getting back to reading because I love having my brain stimulated… it also gives me something to review!

RELATED LINKS: Fifty Shades of Grey Review

The second installment of the Fifty Shades series.

The second installment of the Fifty Shades series.

I’m back again, this time reviewing the second lot of shenanigans that Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey face in Fifty Shades Darker. If you haven’t read the first book of the trilogy and really, really want to read it, I suggest you don’t read this as it may spoil some parts for you.

In Darker, we are in Anastasia’s perspective again, starting off as an emotional wreck after the heartbreaking events between her and Christian at the end of Grey. This novel takes place straight after the first and follows the events of Ana’s and Christian’s lives as they ultimately find their way back to each other.

The quality of writing, or lack of quality, was more apparent in this one. There are some parts within the novel that are so irrelevant to the story that it feels like it’s just there to fill space; I get that Ana has a life outside of Christian and I’m eager to read more about her life outside of Christian, but I get absolutely nothing from reading five paragraphs about her day at work. These paragraphs are written so shortly and bluntly, it’s obvious that the author was just dying to get back to the action when Ana and Christian were together or were e-mailing each other.

Anastasia, as a protagonist, is annoying as heck. Her inner goddess and subconscious unfortunately reared their ugly heads in this novel and it bugged me no further. It served no real purpose other than filling space on a page. I find Anastasia to be extremely one-dimensional with no depth or character. Christian, on the other hand, I adore; as a self-admitted hybristophiliac (not really, I’ve just always had a soft spot for those that are troubled), I find him to be the most interesting character of the book, which, in all seriousness, is not hard to achieve. I enjoyed that we got to know more about Christian’s past and why he is the way that he is. I really felt for the fictitious gazillionaire.

It had the same style of sophisticated and annoying writing as the first which was neither good nor bad. There was a part in the book where it was describing a view and I found it hard to picture what the author was trying to describe because instead of using simple words like “blues”, “yellows” and “oranges”, it had something like “vermillion” and “cerulean”. To me, those are the names of cities in the first series of Pokemon, not colours used to effectively describe to a casual reader.

As I was reading and I progressed through the novel, there were parts where it felt as if the author was writing and thought “Oh, let’s throw in something here”. In other words, some of the major dramas in the book didn’t seem like they were pre-planned and were just thrown in there as she was writing it for extra oomph.

The storyline was easier for me to connect to this time around because it was less centered on BDSM and more on love, which I love. The feelings that Ana and Christian have for each other in this novel were strong and I could feel that – but it didn’t have to be every fourth thing they said to each other. Actions, not words.

Solst-o-meter
Storyline: 7.2/10
Style of writing: 4.8/10
Overall: 5.6/10

Overall, I was a bit disappointed as I was in the first one. It’s the style of writing and the lack of character of Anastasia that is letting me down – the character of Christian and the storyline are the saving points for me. These saving points were made evident as I could not put it down as I was stuck in bed for the weekend.

I’m giving myself a break before reading the final book of the trilogy. I have a couple of other books waiting for my attention before I delve into the final events of Ana’s and Christian’s relationship. Until then.

– by The Black Widow

Tipping for Dummies: Round 24

Posted in Sports by

This one’s going to be short seeing as I’m sick and dying in bed right now. This stupid illness is even keeping me away from the Panthers-Broncos game tonight, one that I was looking forward to attending for months. Sadface. Welcome to Tipping for Dummies, Round 24!

 

Everybody's favourite "Tipping for Dummies!"

Everybody’s favourite “Tipping for Dummies!”

 

SolSat’s Prediction Count from Round 23: 6 out of 8 (75%)

Again. Again.

Friday 23rd August, 2013
Penrith Panthers vs. Brisbane Broncos
I’m still fuming that I can’t attend this game. Anyway, the Broncos have not been defeated since those vital changes were made while the Panthers momentum has gone downhill. No major changes on either side besides Tim Grant starting for Jeremy Latimore in the front row. Can the Panthers break the Broncos positive streak?

SolSat’s Prediction: Brisbane Broncos

No. No they can’t. The Broncos are chomping at the bits to get into the finals and that hunger is shown in their recent form with notable mention going out to Hoffman who is in his element at fullback – where he should’ve been in the beginning. I will be sure to cheer my boys on from the comfort of my bed.

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs. Canterbury Bulldogs
This will be an interesting one, seeing as both teams have the same home ground so the crowd support should be pretty even. Ben Lowe starts as lock for the suspended Jeff Lima on the Bunnies side and Tony Williams has been named to start in the second row on the Doggies side.

SolSat’s Prediction: South Sydney Rabbitohs

With the reinvigoration of getting Inglis and Sutton back, the Bunnies are back in top shape and will make good work of the Doggies. I don’t think the Doggies are too sure of themselves with the frequent changes to their side in recent weeks. Either way, this will be a bloody good one.

Saturday 24th August, 2013
St. George Illawarra Dragons vs. West Tigers
These two teams have had their finals dreams dashed a while ago but a win’s a win and both teams would definitely be gunning for the victory here. I’m still not over Matt Cooper retiring from footy… I just don’t wanna talk about it.

SolSat’s Prediction: St. George Illawarra Dragons

I think this is the first time I’ve predicted a Dragons win. Either way, in terms of better form, I’m going with the Dragons on this one. While both teams haven’t been great this season, the choice of the lesser evil of the two, the Dragons should win this one in a close bout. Especially considering Benji’s half-arsed performances as of late.

Gold Coast Titans vs. New Zealand Warriors

Meanwhile, in Queensland, the Gold Coast Titans take on the Warriors. On the Titans side, Albert Kelly returns from injury and slots back into his no.7 jersey, putting Sezer to five-eigth and Harrison back on lock. On the Warriors side, Ropati returns to the wing, Elijah Taylor moves to the second row and Todd Lowrie starts at lock. Both teams are hoping that these changes will prove vital to a victory.

SolSat’s Prediction: Gold Coast Titans

The Warriors who had incredible momentum in the middle of the season seemed to have died down recently, with less than stellar performances. The Titans on the other hand have been in excellent form recently and I see them taking the win here in a close match.

North Queensland Cowboys vs. Newcastle Knights
Another Queensland team that have their sights set on the finals and seem to be doing a pretty good job at getting there are the Cowboys who take on the Knights. The Cowboys are coming off a 12 point lead victory over the Titans while the Knights are coming off a loss against the Storm.

SolSat’s Prediction: North Queensland Cowboys

The Cowboys have been on a steamroller recently while the Knights have had a pretty tame season. As I said before, the Cowboys are as hungry as their rivals for a finals spot and that alone will lead them to victory over the Knights.

Sunday 25th August, 2013
Canberra Raiders vs. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Raiders have made a lot of changes to their side; Paul Vaughan and Shaun Berrigan will start pushing Joel Edwards and Glen Buttriss back to the bench. In saying that, Manly has made none. Both teams were on the losing end of the scales last week. Which team will change that momentum with a victory?

SolSat’s Prediction: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

One of the top contenders for the premiership would have to be the Eagles and that alone is the reason why I am predicting a Manly win. With exceptional players like Foran and Cherry-Evans on their side, I see them decisively taking the victory against the Raiders.

Melbourne Storm vs. Parramatta Eels
The team favoured to win the premiership takes on the team favoured to win the wooden spoon. The Storm haven’t made any changes to their side while the Eels haven’t named Hayne on their side.

SolSat’s Prediction: Melbourne Storm

Too easy to call. I see the Storm pulling out an easy victory here despite their tendency to be mismatched against the lower teams. Nothing more to say to that.

Monday 26th August, 2013
Cronulla Sharks vs. Sydney City Roosters
Both teams are coming off victories last week as the Sharks defeated the Dragons and the Roosters absolutely smashed the Tigers with a 42 point lead victory. On the Sharks side, Wade Graham returns in the second row and Andrew Fifita starts. On the Chookies side, Mitchell Aubusson moves to the centre and Aidan Guerra starts on the second row. Both Sharkies and Chookies are hoping to continue their uphill stride to the finals with a victory here.

SolSat’s Prediction: Sydney City Roosters

It may be too early to say but I see the Chookies making the grand final. Their form has been untouchable all season while the Sharkies have been up and down and that is why I see a Rooster’s victory to close up Round 24.

As always, here’s to a good round of footy and especially to a Broncos win tonight against the Panthers. I’m still burning that I won’t be able to go!

– by The Black Widow