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Nardina M

Nardina M

has 25 followers and is following 20 people

I have been an avid reader for many years, I love books, libraries, bookstores and most of all I love reading. It's probably been one of the main constants in my life since my childhood. I live in tropical North Queensland with my husband and our two dogs. My other favourite pastimes are music and movies and I am also passionate about my... more »
  • Townsville, Qu, Australia
  • member since August 27, 2009

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Public Notes

  • Ms Jane

    Ms Jane says

    Yeah I just thought there was a better story about the sister than the one that didn't die, it was really confusing going back and forth too, and it didn't really wash with me that she would put up with those living conditions despite her grief. I thought it an odd tale in general but agree it kept me reading though just to make sure that the whole telling her story to the was in her head.

    posted 1 month ago. ( send a note )
  • Linda I

    Linda I says

    Happy Christmas and New Years! Yeah, I love the movie too. Didn't realize it was based off the book until I actually read the credits one day. So, I simply had to rush out and get the book. It's great! The movie ends halfway through the books version of the story. Bastian actually goes to Fantasia (fantastica in the book) and has his own adventures before returning to "reality". It's a quick read and really imaginative. You can tell Ende, the author, is a huge Tolkien fan. Hope all is well with you, your work, studies and hubby!

    posted 1 month ago. ( send a note )
  • Linda I

    Linda I says

    Hi, Nardina! Yeah, just finished it today. Wow! What an excellent book! I want to know what happens next, dammit! I want to see Hilly get what she deserves! :) And, yes, I almost cried when the congregation gave her the book with all the signatures. Very touching. Hope all is well! Sorry I'm not on here more often. I barely have time to shave my legs anymore with school and work. I'll be very happy when the semester ends.

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Lauren B

    Lauren B says

    Hi Nardina.
    Yes, his name is Tobie and he's a Jack Russell.
    He is the cutest but also the naughtiest little dog on 4 legs. In this picture, I'm sure he is planning on doing something naughty.

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Wendy H

    Wendy H says

    Hey, Nardina! I'm reading a series that you, as a dog lover, would probably enjoy. It's the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. One of the main characters is a dog named Oberon. He's an Irish Wolfhound and he is AWESOME! He actually has dialogue, albeit through a mental link with his druid master. The author has a great sense of humor and refers to a lot of cool stuff (Star Wars quotes, Lord of the Rings, etc.).

    posted 4 months ago. ( send a note )
  • dustydigger

    dustydigger says

    Hi Nardina,i am a very strict rater of my books.My average rating is only 3.19,when the shelfari average is 3.99.To get 4 stars it has to be a book I would be willing to buy,or at least want to reread.So ''I like it'' can cover a lot of ground,from i''well,I didnt DISLIKE it'',through an OK read,to something that was quite impressive,or interesting,or worthy,but I wouldnt want to reread it or have it as my own.I think when I joined shelfari I took the rating system just as it is,I like most books I read,so they get 3 stars.I wasnt thinking at all at the time that others would be assessing in their own way,it was just for my interest and benefit.I was amazed when looking at people's shelves to see as many as 60% of their books being 5 stars,and many of the rest 4 stars.I have to admit that in my old age I am reading just for sheer pleasure mostly,and so much of general,cotemporary fiction is downbeat or depressing,and just not FUN lol.Sorry to sound like a philistine,but there it is.I might give a Dick Francis racing thriller 4 stars because I get great pleasure from it,and probably have read it half a dozen times.The Great Gatsby didnt hold my attention,and I wouldnt like to read it again,so,classic or not it got a three-barely.Zafon was probably a 3.7,or 3.8,almost a 4,but not a personal favourite.I've had quite a few people be shocked,or even berate me for my rating,and have hesitated about upgrading my rates,Indeed I hovered around rating Zafon as a 4,but in the end stayed true to my own system.If you see 3's that shock you,just think of them as 3.9s and round up in your mind to 4 lol.
    Clan of the Cave Bear was quite interesting,and fascinating in its descriptions of neanderthal life.Ayla was an appealing heroine,the book could be very poignant ,exciting or tense -but it was too longwinded.It ended up like a manual for alternative medicine,there was just too much repition of looking for plants etc.And too much explanation of people's thoughts and decision making.The first half dozen times was OK,but it just went on and on about spirits swallowing totems etc.Did enjoy the lyrical descriptions of the landscape very much,but a bit of judicious editing,pruning away at least 50 pages,would have been an improvement.It was her first book,so we can make allowances.People dont seem so keen on the rest of the series.Have you read any of them?

    posted 5 months ago. ( send a note )
  • artsylady

    artsylady says

    Your dog is so absolutely adorable, and I don't think I have ever seen one whose whole body is one color and the head the other. That is so cool!

    posted 5 months ago. ( send a note )
  • dustydigger

    dustydigger says

    Hi nardina,sorry to take so long answering,I have been so busy babysitting I have had time to breathe! lol'You asked about pets.Well my heart turned over looking at the avi of someone called KRistine which shows a dachshund.Years ago,in Africa we had a similar dog.He was so sweet and gentle,and he loved to wander around with several other dogs inour little group of houses,trotting along as fast as his little legs could carry him.Then somehow the huge dobermann,presumably a guard dog for the big house nearby got loose and literally ripped out the throat of my sweet little dog'The throat swelled up and I suppose he suffocated,or died of blood loss,hard to tell.Then our other dog,who looked like a collie,had to be left behind with friends when we left the country.In UK I went back to having cats,but we live right beside a major road,cars and buses constantly.Though we have a big back garden,and a tiny wooded area adjoining the garden,the grass is always greener on the other side,and in 10 years we lost no less than 3 cats to road traffic.We just felt we couldnt stand anymore heartache,and didnt want to keep cats permanently locked up,so we gave up on pets.After 50 years of pets,that was hard,but enough is enough. :(

    posted 6 months ago. ( send a note )
  • dustydigger

    dustydigger says

    Hi Nardina,thank you for ''friending'' me (sorry I hate this following business,much preferred the term friend!) By the way,what is the name of the dog on your avi? Looks so unusual and amusing with that dark head! lol

    posted 6 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Linda I

    Linda I says

    I'm just over half-way through Angels Game and am enjoying it immensely. One of my friends from Spain also said she was disappointed with the story but I'm not letting any feedback influence my opinion. :) Though I can't help wondering if any of these characters will find out they're siblings or other such relations. :) I did like Prime Numbers but not the ending. Though, in retrospect, I'm not sure how I would have ended it so maybe it was for the best. You'll see. Hedgehog was/is amazing!!! I'll be re-reading that one for many years to come. Let me know when you're ready to discuss. I'm game to read The Road any time you are, as well.

    posted 6 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Wendy H

    Wendy H says

    I'm halfway through and I am really enjoying the author's writing style. I don't know if he did this in the books you read, but he brings in a lot of players with very short chapters, yet somehow manages to describe everything so thoroughly you can easily picture it all. I'm also really enjoying the camaraderie between the main character and the two detectives on his team - they are all misfits in the department but they fit well together.

    posted 6 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Linda I

    Linda I says

    Hello there! Yeah, I've had a number of books on my TBR shelf and am finally adding them onto shelfari. I'd love to read and discuss whichever you'd like. In fact, I plan on reading Hedgehog next. BTW: I finished The Solitude of Prime Numbers. Let me know when you get around to it so we can discuss. Also, I'll let you know about Room when I get to it.

    posted 6 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Kristina

    Kristina says

    My apologies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I meant to type Nardina, but I'm speaking to my friend Nadine coincidentally and like I said, my memory is shot at my age already lol

    posted 1 year ago. ( send a note )
  • Kristina

    Kristina says

    Hi Nadine! I'm so sorry it took me so long to reply, it's been crazy on my end and my memory apparently is going at a young age lol. How's Sasha doing?! That's good for you that she's so social and you can take her around other people and dogs. Now that the nicer weather is coming (that is, if all this rains stops any time soon lol) I'm hoping to take him out more and socialize him more. As far as Sasha being intimidated by overly aggressive/large dogs, I don't blame her! She's got her natural instinct of self-preservation there and that's good. And her picture says that she is one of the prettiest beagles I've seen, regardless if she's smaller or bigger than an average eagle :-).

    I'm from northern New Jersey, USA, and we've had a nasty winter. Quite a bit of snow, which is gorgeous at first, but gets old very quickly when you have to shovel 5 ft of it in the course of a week - and the temperature is quite a bit under 10 degrees Celsius while you're doing this, might I add lol. Our winters aren't particularly horrible, but this one seemed endless. And now we're getting hit with a a massive amount of rain, so needless to say, I can't wait for spring to really get here. So, what's it like in your part of Australia? Like I said, I can't wait to go there so I'm completely fascinated with it & excited by the fact that I now "know" someone from there lol. :-)

    posted 1 year ago. ( send a note )
  • Wendy H

    Wendy H says

    Hey, Nardina! I have a friend at work who just got Netflix, and she is HOOKED on an Australian show called McLeod's Daughters - ever heard of it?

    posted 1 year ago. ( send a note )
  • Kristina

    Kristina says

    Haha no you're not biased just like I'm not biased when I say Dobby's the cutest dachshund ever created lol. My baby's not fond of water either, but I blame it on my ex spraying water in his face during his first bath. The poor thing has hated baths ever since and he's not overly fond of the kiddie pool we have in the backyard for the dogs during the summer. He's def. a pack dog as well, but only likes his pack and no one outside it. I'm trying to take him more places to hange that though.

    He is named after who I feel is a great hero in the Harry Potter series (kudos for knowing that, I can't tell you how many people don't get it lol). It's too bad we don't live near each other because I would absolutely set up a play date for our "kids" lol. I see you live in Austraiia and I must say I'm envious! I've heard how beautiful it is there and I've been dreaming of going there for ages!

    posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )
  • Kristina

    Kristina says

    Thank you again! His name is Dobby (full name is Dobby-licious, and yes, he does respond to Licious when certain people call him that) and he's supposed to have been a standard Dachshund, but he turned out to be a tweenie, and he thinks he's a Rottweiler. He just turned 2 years old last month, which I can't believe! Like you, I don't have any children, so he is my baby and the thought that he's already two is scary.

    Sasha is absolutely adorable! That's nice that you can take her to the beach (Dobby is very antisocial so I can't take him many places - we're working on it though). If the pic is anything to go by, it seems Sasha loves it & I can agree with her there lol. Do you take her to a lot of places with you? I just can't get over how cute her face is!

    posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )
  • Kristina

    Kristina says

    Thank you so much! It's pic from when he was 3 months old, but I just love it so much and I've been to lazy to upload his more recent pics. I must extend the compliment right back at you, your beagle is so cute! How old and what is his/her name? (if you don't mind me asking)

    posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )
  • Dog Lover - frequently offline due to an injury

    Dog Lover - frequently offline due to an injury says

    Sigh - wish we could edit these notes...

    I meant to write "When you are READY..." not "When you are READ..."

    Long day.

    DL

    posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )
  • Dog Lover - frequently offline due to an injury

    Dog Lover - frequently offline due to an injury says

    Glad the group and its shelf is giving you service!

    When you are read to post the questions for Cinnamon, please remember to do so as a reply to the announcement about it.

    Lookin' forward to it!

    DL

    posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )