2018/02/28

UPCOMING RELASES:
MARCH

We've got some cool new books coming out in March and here are five that have caught my eye.

Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzi Lee
13th
We're starting off strong with this absolutely gorgeous book! It takes a look at 52 forgotten women who changed the world and I love these types of books, I find them really uplifting and inspiring. The artwork also looks lovely.

The Coincidence Makers by Yoav Blum
6th
This is a genre-bending novel about a group of people who work for a secret organisation in charge of crating and carrying out coincidences. Sounds absolutely bonkers!

The Book of Chocolate Saints by Jeet Thayil
1st
This is a literary fiction novel about a middle-aged artist who travels back to his home in Delhi and apparently it takes a look to contemporary life in India, which sounds really interesting.

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
13th
This is a psychological mystery thriller about a woman who wakes up from a coma and can't move or talk or even open her eyes, but she can hear everyone around her. She doesn't know what's happened but she suspects her husband has something to do with it...

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
6th
I don't often read YA fantasy anymore but this cover just completely drew me in. The world it's set in is inspired by West Africa and when I read a little bit about it, it says it's for fans of Leigh Bardugo (who is one of my favorite authors). It also has magic, so I'm pretty much sold.

I love this time of year, there's always so many great books coming out!
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2018/02/25

BOOK HAUL:
FEBRUARY

The shortest month of the year only have a few days left until it's over, and it's time to take a look at the books I got this month!

February has been a surprisingly cold and slightly gloomy month in Oslo. The snow has been rather overwhelming and it's a wee bit depressing when all I want right now is spring. It looks like I'll have to wait a bit more though.

Something that always brightens any dour period of time is books, and here is the wonderful selection I got this month.










(affilate links)
Fresh India by Meera Sodha

I hope you guys are all doing great, hopefully in a place warmer than my current location.
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2018/02/24

BOOK REVIEW:
THE DRY BY JANE HARPER

Title: The Dry
Author: Jane Harper
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 352
Rating: 3/5

This is the first book in the Aaron Falk series.


Summary:
Set in Australia, a federal agent travels back to his small hometown for the funeral of his best friend from childhood and finds himself staying to try and figure out what really happened to his friend.


Review:
I really enjoyed this book. It's fast-paced, interesting and has a solid mystery.

One of my favorite parts of this book is the setting; it's set in a small town in the middle of a drought, and you can almost feel the heat on your skin. The atmosphere in this book is really something; this murder happened in a small town full of secrets and there's just something creepy about it.

I think the characters are really interesting as well, and I didn't see the reveal coming at all. I do think perhaps most of the characters could've used a little extra something, something that separates these characters from any other characters in any other mystery. It's a well known storyline with well known characters, and although the book does it well and the setting adds something new, it's a story I've seen before.

Like I said though, it was very enjoyable and I do think I'll keep reading this series, because the writing is good and the ambience is great.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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2018/02/23

2018/02/21

BOOK REVIEW:
ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY BY NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON

Title: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Author: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 222
Rating: 4/5


Summary:
In this book, beloved and celebrated astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, explain the basic science of the universe.


Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book and found it to be incredibly interesting.

I feel like this book does exactly what it promises; it explains the basic science and theories of our universe and how everything works and it does so in an easy to digest and easily comprehensible way. The author also sprinkles in a fair bit of humour in this, which is quite delightful.

I was surprised at how much I already knew as I was reading this, and I actually think that was quite helpful; it happens quite a lot that the author refers to something but doesn't explain what it is, and I imagine that could be slightly confusing to some readers.

For me though, this was a marvelous read and it both taught me a lot and refreshed some things I already knew. There's a lot of information packed into the book, but what else can you expect; the universe is massive.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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2018/02/19

BOOKSTAGRAM SPOTLIGHT:
@ELATHEBOOKWORM

Todays bookstagram spotlight is all about the lovely @elathebookworm, whose feed is absolutely gorgeous. Ela is from America and the color scheme of her pictures is just amazing!



Go follow!
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2018/02/17

BOOK REVIEW:
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE EAST BY XIAOLU GUO

Title: Once Upon A Time In The East
Author: Xiaolu Guo
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 336
Rating: 4/5


Summary:
This is the memoir of the artist, filmmaker and author, Xiaolu Guo, who grew up in China and eventually made her way to the West, settling down in London.


Review:
Wow, this was such an interesting read!

The book starts off with Guo's childhood, where the first two years she's living with a peasant couple in the mountains (who are not related to her) and eventually moves to live with her grandparents. She doesn't meet her parents until she's six. Guo brings us along on her recollection of this time and it's so incredibly vivid. She's extremely observant and coupling that with now writing this from an adult perspective, makes for a fascinating read.

The writing is excellent; it's bold and honest, but also lovely in a lot of ways. I especially enjoyed reading about her relationship with her grandmother and her parents, and her thoughts around feminism, toxic masculinity, life in China and identity and home are just so interesting to read about.

There's something so raw and sincere about this book that I think most people would really like this, even if you don't know who Guo is. Before this, I only knew her as the author of that one book I liked, but her life is so fascinating, I don't know how one can not be interested in it. Very well worth the read.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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2018/02/16

2018/02/15

2018/02/13

THINGS I LIKE NO. 9

I quite enjoy doing my nails, especially while curled up on the sofa and watching a good TV-show, so today I thought I would share with you my two favorite shades. They're both by Essie and the first one is Saint Tropez which is a really lovely, sandy beige. The second one is Bahama Mama which is a warm and deep plum color, which brings me joy not only because of the color, but also because of its name.
I also always top my polish off with the top coat No Chips Ahead, which makes the nail polish last much longer, although I don't know how it compares to other top coats as this is the only one I can remember ever using. It works wonderful for me though!
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2018/02/12

BOOK REVIEW:
MEN WE REAPED BY JESMYN WARD

Title: Men We Reaped: A Memoir
Author: Jesmyn Ward
Published: 2013
Language: English
Pages: 270
Rating: 4/5


Summary:
Jesmyn Ward lost five men in her life in the span of only five years and in this book, she tries to answer the question: why? She does this by taking us back to her childhood and where she grew up and taking a look at how racism and poverty caused the death of the people she loved.


Review:
This was such a raw, honest and emotional read.

This book is excellent at capturing the concepts of identity and home, and brings to life the South of the authors childhood. The story of the authors life and the lives of the people she lost is so fascinating and heartwrenching, and it's all very well written.

It also offers up reflections around the disadvantages and hardships of being born black and poor, and how that really affects people. Instead of just telling us about it, Ward shows us, because the book is so intensely personal. It's also a book about grief, overwhelming and crippling grief, and it's captured so well you cannot help but really feel all of it.

I do think the book is structured a bit confusingly and I'm not sure it really works, but otherwise this was just so heartbreaking and so well worth the read. I would definitely 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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