2018/01/31

UPCOMING RELEASES:
FEBRUARY

It's time to take a look at some upcoming releases for February! There are so many books coming out this month so it was difficult to pick only five, but I managed to do it and they all sound amazing.

The Toy Makers by Robert Dinsdale

8th
I've seen this all over booktube and bookstagram and you can't help but notice this kind of cover, can you? It's a historical fiction, magical realism novel set in 1917 in London and it's about a family who owns a toyshop and about the homeless girl they take in, who while learning the trade, discover something magical.

Owl Sense by Miriam Darlington

8th
This is a nonfiction book about owls. What more can you ask for?

The Word for Woman is Wilderness by Abi Andrews

1st
I love nonfiction adventures books, but they're almost always stories told by men; but this one, finally, is one told by a woman. In this, we get to read about her travels, as well as her musings on loads of feminist topics. Sounds absolutely perfect!

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

6th
Although I haven't quite gotten around to reading her most famous work, The Nightingale, quite yet, this is the highly anticipated new novel by Hannah. The reason I'm so interested in it is because it's set in Alaska in the 70's and it says it's a story of the ultimate test of the human spirit. Sounds very intriguing. 

Girl Unknown by Karen Perry

6th
I haven't quite gotten over my mystery thriller kick, so I can't help but include one of them on this list. This one is set in Ireland and it's about a woman who shows up in the office of a professor, saying he is her father; but no one knows who she is or where she came from and soon, they find discrepancies in her story...

Gosh, I really want to run out and buy all of these now!
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2018/01/28

BOOK HAUL:
JANUARY

The first month of 2018 is at an end! It's been pretty cold and dark here in Oslo, but we're luckily moving on to warmer and lighter times, even if it's a few months away. Either way, I've acquired a lovely set of books this month and it's time to show you!












I hope you've all kept warm and cosy this past month and read loads of great books!
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2018/01/27

BOOK REVIEW:
THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT BY JEN CAMPBELL

Title: The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night
Author: Jen Campbell
Published: 2016
Language: English
Pages: 212
Rating: 4/5


Summary:
This is a short story collection with twelve magical and haunting modern fairytales.


Review:
This was such a wonderful and magical experience to read.

The writing in this is excellent; it's lyrical and almost mystical and what I love the most about these stories is that they don't over explain things to you; you're left to discover and wonder at the layers of the stories. There are a few stories in here that I just had to reread because they were so good and they're stories I see myself revisiting again and again - and then there were some stories that didn't resonate with me as much.

There is a weirdness to this collection which makes me think it might not be for everyone, but if you're into slightly odd and different things, this will be perfect for you.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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2018/01/26

2018/01/24

ROADS CLASSIC:
HEART OF DARKNESS




Loving the soft peach of this edition! The lovely Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.
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2018/01/23

THINGS I LIKE NO. 8

Today, I want to share with you guys something I got for Christmas from my best friend; this Charity Pot Hand and Body Lotion from LUSH. I'm not sure how I've not tried this before, but it is amazing, especially for dry and wintery skin. It also smells really nice, which is not always the case with LUSH products (I use them anyway though, just saying).

It's also called the Charity Pot because the proceeds go to, as they say on the website; helping small, grassroot organisations. That just makes this product even better, if you ask me!

Even though it's only been a month, I'm about halfway through this already (I have a tendency to slather it all over myself), so I'll need to get another soon and I'm hoping they have it in those really big pots, because I'll definitely be using this all year round!
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2018/01/22

BOOK REVIEW:
I SEE YOU BY CLARE MACKINTOSH

Title: I See You
Author: Clare Mackintosh
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 372
Rating: 3/5


Summary:
One day, Zoe Walker, a woman whose life is marked by routine, find her picture in the classifieds section in the newspaper alongside a number and the website findtheone.com. Then other women begin appearing in the same day, a new one every day, and Zoe realises they've all become victims of increasingly violent crimes...


Review:
This book had a lot of things in it I thought were really interesting and some things I didn't really like.

I think the premise of this book is great and I think most of us can't help but feel a slight worry at the idea of someone following you and how easy it would be. It also brings the Internet into the picture and sheds light on some of the dangers of it, which I think we all can connect to, and although I wouldn't say the plot is strictly realistic, it's gripping and fascinating.

The story is told through two main characters; one being Zoe and the other being a female police officer involved in investigating the crimes. Now, I thought a lot of what came from Zoe's perspective was quite interesting, but I found myself increasingly frustrated with the police officer, there was just something off about her and I didn't really care much for her viewpoint.

I think this is a pretty interesting thriller and worth the read, but it isn't the best I've read. I'd recommend it if you're really into your mystery thrillers.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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2018/01/20

BOOK REVIEW:
GHOSTS BY DAYLIGHT BY JANINE DI GIOVANNI

Title: Ghosts by Daylight: A Memoir of War, Love and Redemption
Author: Janine Di Giovanni
Published: 2011
Language: English
Pages: 275
Rating: 2/5


Summary:
This is the memoir of one of Americas foremost war correspondents who spent more than twenty years in conflict areas, and it's the story of her life, love and the aftermath of having seen so much.


Review:
As you can probably see by my rating of this book, this wasn't really for me, but I feel it's important to point out that I think the fact that I don't like this is my own damn fault.

I should have spent a bit more time researching what this book was actually about; I thought it was going to be mostly about the authors years working as a war correspondent and what she experienced, but it's more about the aftermath and about the love story of her and her husband and them getting married and trying to settle down with their child. It deals mostly with the author trying to acclimate to not working in conflict zones, getting used to living in Paris and coming to terms with motherhood.

All of this is well and fine, but the problem for me is that I don't really enjoy books where the main focus is a love story and a relationship, and it just wasn't what I had expected from this, so I ended up being quite disappointed. The story just didn't manage to capture me and I didn't feel much of a connection. It is though, like I said, mostly my own fault for reading a book that clearly wasn't for me.

I would imagine that you like love stories and romance books, this is an excellent book to read.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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2018/01/19

2018/01/18

2018/01/17

BOOK REVIEW:
BRAIN ON FIRE BY SUSANNAH CAHALAN

Title: Brain On Fire: My Month of Madness
Author: Susannah Cahalan
Published: 2012
Language: English
Pages: 288
Rating: 4/5



Summary:
This is the autobiography of twenty-four year old Cahalan and her descent into madness due to an uncommon disease of the brain and her road to recovery.


Review:
If you're one of those people who are interested in taking a peek into someone's brain, this is the book for you.

There's something terrifying about mental illness and I think because of that, most of us are kind of fascinated by it, as am I. In this, you get a close-up look of what it can look like and you see this young and vibrant woman fall into a form of insanity and then crawling her way out of it again. You also get to know everyone around her and what it feels like to be the loved ones of a mental illness patient, which was heartbreaking but very interesting.

The writing style is quite journalistic, but there are plenty of philosophical thougts in here as well, questions I think anyone could find themselves asking in this position which helps us as readers connect to the pain and uncertainty of this story. There's also quite a lot of factual information in this about the disease and the treatment, which I thought was very interesting, if somewhat dry in points.

Overall, I thought this was really fascinating and well worth the read. Mental illness is an important issue and the more we learn and the more we talk about it, the more understanding there will be; hence, I think this is a very important book.

You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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2018/01/16

BOOKSTAGRAM SPOTLIGHT:
@POETRISTOMA

It's time for the first bookstagram spotlight of 2018 and today I want to share with you the lovely and minimalistic feed of @poetristoma.

Et innlegg delt av @poetristoma

Et innlegg delt av @poetristoma

Et innlegg delt av @poetristoma

Go follow!
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2018/01/15

BOOK REVIEW:
SUGAR MONEY BY JANE HARRIS

Title: Sugar Money
Author: Jane Harris
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 400
Rating: 5/5


Summary:
Set in the Caribbean in 1765, this is the story of two brothers who are charged by their French master to travel back to the island they were born on to smuggle back a group of slaves currently claimed by the English.


Review:
What an excellent novel to start off the new year with! I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in this world and letting it carry me away.

I think one of the reasons I liked this book so much is that I already love reading books that include slave narratives (both real and fictional) and I love reading books set in this time period, especially when they're set somewhere else than England or the US. So, before I even started this, it had checked a lot of boxes and while I was reading it, it didn't disappoint. It was gripping, absorbing and heartbreaking.

I was fascinated by the main character and his relationship with his brother; both the tension and love was captured brilliantly. You also never forget that the main character is really young and you can't help but feel for him, and there's something quite emotional about watching the story unfold through his eyes. The book is also really engrossing and manages to keep the tension up; it's a very hard book to put down.

I think this is an incredibly well written historical fiction novel that deals wonderfully with family and humanity, but also a very important part of our history. I would highly, highly recommend it.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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