Thursday 27 October 2011

Mantis Instant Shine & Microfibre Cloths Review and Giveaway - COMPETITION CLOSED!!


I was recently sent some Mantis Instant Shine and Mantis Microfibre Towels from JML for review. These claim to be a new innovation for washing cars where you no longer need a bucket of water and a sponge...yes, you heard me right, no water!!

The instructions are very simple, just spray the Mantis Instant Shine on your car, clean with the Mantis Applicator Towel then change to the Mantis Buffer towel to achieve a high shine.  Sounds simple enough, now for the test!


This is a close up of the back of my car before using the Mantis products...pretty dull and dirty. The spray was extremely easy to use, although I wouldn't recommend using it if it's windy outside as not much hits the car. I followed the instructions and found it seemed pretty effortless and provided results I could see...


Although it's a little difficult to tell from these pics, there was a definate difference in both the cleanliness and the shine on my car...very impressive!


This was the dirt removed from just one small section on the back hatch...I didn't realise it was quite so dirty until I saw this lol


Due to it being a sunny day when I decided to clean the car, and the fact that it's silver, my pics don't really do  the product justice! In the above pic, the left hand side of the boot is cleaned and polished while the right remains dirty.

The Mantis Spray contains high lubricity polymers which latch onto the dirt and lift it away from the surface, while the gloss boosters give a superb shine and a resistant coating which will keep your bodywork look fab and sparkling. 
The Mantis Instant Shine is available for a price of £9.99 and the Mantis Microbibre Towels cost £4.99 and I'd say you'd manage a few car washes out of one bottle as it's quite sparing.


Now that you've read my review, JML have very kindly offered 2 prizes, each consisting of 1 bottle of Mantis Instant Shine and 1 pack of Mantis Microfibre Towels for my lovely readers.
Entry for this great comp couldn't be easier....
1. Like the Mantis facebook page here (this step is mandatory)
2. Come back and leave a comment telling me you've completed step 1 (if you already 'like' the Mantis FB page, all is not lost, just leave a comment telling me you already 'like' and you wish to enter)
3. Don't forget to leave some way for me to contact you, twitter names are ideal if you have one or failing that, please make sure to check back to see if you've been lucky!
4. Please feel free to share this competition using the 'share' buttons below....this step is not mandatory but would be greatly appreciated.


RULES
1. Competition is open to the UK only
2. Steps 1 and 2 above MUST be completed or your entry won't count!
3. Competition closes on 18th November 2011 at 12 midnight (GMT) and a winner chosen soon after.

Crippen by John Boyne


From the day Hawley Crippen was born, his mother instilled in him the importance of following God and doing Gods' work. The strictness of his daily life, meant that one day, he was sure to rebel.

Much to his mother's annoyance, Hawley grew up wanting nothing more than to become a doctor....something his mother was strongly against as she believed that if God made people ill, it was for a reason and therefore was not to be treated by medicine.

Hawley eventually broke free from his mothers' clutches and set out to live his life. Searching for a job in his chosen profession proved difficult as he never managed to study medicine or gain any qualifications. His only knowledge came from library books and the weekly copies of Scientific American which he'd kept hidden under his mattress from his mothers prying eyes.

The fascination begins when a Mr John Robinson and his 17 year old son, Edmund board The Montrose along with many other passengers including the somewhat overpowering Mrs Antonia Drake and her daughter Victoria (who was used to getting exactly what she wanted), Martha Hayes who is off to start a new life in Canada, Matthieu Zela, the wealthy businessman who now had the task of looking after his 14 year old nephew, Tom DuMarque after his parents had died.....a troublesome task to say the least! Many events occur onboard the Montrose....all of which will leave you guessing whats going to happen next, and chances are, you'll be wrong! All is not quite as it seems with some of the passengers, who seem to be hiding their own, dark secrets.

A gruesome murder, inquisitive friends and  a few suspicious characters  make this one of the most interesting books i've read in a while. Each time I thought I had it sussed, another surprise was thrown in, keeping me guessing until almost the very end. Admittedly, there were a couple of times when I almost put this book down as I found it a little difficult to get into, but i'm so glad I persevered!!

Extremely well written and in such a way that you'll find yourself wanting to continue, wanting to get to the end and wanting to know the truth!! I'd certainly be happy to recommend this book, it's quite in depth but allows you to get to know the characters and feel their emotions which I loved.

This is my 3rd review as part of the Transworld Book Group.

Saturday 1 October 2011

Teacher, Teacher! by Jack Sheffield


This is the second book I received from Transworld as part of the Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge.

Teacher, Teacher! is an intriguing insight into the life of a small village school during one acedemic year. Ragley School is situated in North Yorkshire and when the post of headmaster comes up, Jack Sheffield has no hesitation in applying, and is respectfully offered the job.
This book is written in the first person and although not my normal kind of reading material, I have to say I did rather enjoy it. Due to it being based around such a small school, you quickly become familiar with the characters and are able to empathize with them. As in all schools, kids vary both in looks and behaviour as proven in this book. There are those who are fluent readers and writers and those who can barely read a word and whose language is colourful to say the least, but that all adds to the simple humour causing me to laugh out loud on many occasions.....drew a few strange looks from the neighbours when I was reading it in the garden!

It's not until you read a book like this that you realise just how much work is involved in being Head of a school. Jack Sheffield manages extrememly well considering what he's up against. A broken down boiler during winter, irate parents, school plays, a singing caretaker, a school log and an unexpected position in the Ragley Cricket Club all combine to make this a great light-hearted read.

All in all I found this really enjoyable, although I did struggle with the dialogue a little as it was written in Yorkshire eg "Well, ah'll go t'foot of our stairs! An' what y'doing dragging young Mr Sheffield down 'ere t'look at y'blessed carrots" (as quoted from book).....took a bit of getting my head round I can tell ya!
I found myself having to say them out loud but soon got the hang of it.

Full of laughs and short tales, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light read as it doesn't make your head tick too much but is very enjoyable.