2018/06/30

UPCOMING RELEASES:
JULY

July is upon us and here are five exciting books being released this month!

A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings by Helen Jukes
26th
This is a nonfiction science book about a woman in her early thirties who feels a bit trapped in her life, but then receives a colony of bees as a gift and starts her first full year of beekeeping. It explores the nature of honeybees and hives and how the lessons she learned from beekeeping helped her. Also, can we just appreciate both the title of this book and the cover? Amazing.

Hold by Michael Donkor
12th
This is a coming of age story that moves between England and Ghana and I believe the main character is a housegirl who is summoned from Ghana to London to live with a family whose daughter has grown sullen and difficult. I really love coming of age stories, so I definitely need to get my hands on this.

All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth
12th
This is a mystery novel about a young girl whose mother has mysteriously disappeared years before and who is struggling both the legacy of her mothers disappearance and her new school, where she find herself in the middle of an elite secret society. Then, as the school year progresses, she finds that the dark events of the past and present start to come together... I just think this sounds like the perfect summer mystery and I'm really intrigued!

The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams
10th
In this historical fiction novel, we travel to a resort island in the early 1950's where we meet elite families who harbour dark secrets. Sounds pretty good to me!

Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
31st
This is a historical fiction novel set in the 90's in Colombia and it's about a young sheltered girl who strikes up a friendship with a teenage maid, a friendship that eventually threatens to undo them both. I think that sounds so interesting and I'm always on the lookout for books set in South America, so I need to get this one!
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2018/06/28

BOOK HAUL:
JUNE

June is coming to an end and it's so strange how we're already halfway through the year! This month has been good, the heatwave we had going on here in the beginning of the month has abated and we're back to a more traditionally Norwegian summer, which I much prefer.

The next month is going to be pretty intense with work, but then at the end of it, I've got some vacation time coming up so I have loads of time to just chill and read, which I'm very much looking forward to. I'm hoping to read loads and loads, including some of these new books I've acquired!








(affiliate links)
(sent to me by the publisher) Recipes for Happiness by The Happy Pear

I hope you have all had a lovely June and that you're enjoying the summer!
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2018/06/27

BOOK REVIEW:
THE ACCUSATION BY BANDI

Title: The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea
Author: Bandi, Deborah Smith (translator)
Published: 2014
Language: English (translated from Korean)
Pages: 247
Rating: 3/5


Summary:
This is a collection of stories from North Korea, written in secret in the late 80's and early 90's and eventually smuggled out of the country.


Review:
This was an incredibly interesting collection to read.

The story of how this collection even came to be is already both moving and brave, and you can't help but give it a certain amount of merit just for existing. You also can't help but feel the weight of the stories themselves and how important they are, and how incredible it is that we even get to read them.

As a whole, the collection gives us a look at what it's like to live in a totalitarian state and my favorite part about this collection is how all the stories show you that no matter who you are in this society, poor or powerful, you are never safe.

That being said, I had a little bit of a hard time getting invested in the individual stories and I spent a really long time even getting through this book, which is unusual for me. I don't think the writing is amazing, but like I said, as a whole, the collection paints a very interesting picture, and you cannot deny that this book is unique, and perhaps for that reason alone, 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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2018/06/25

BOOK REVIEW:
LIBERTY BY VIRGINIA WOOLF

Title: Liberty
Author: Virginia Woolf
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 128
Rating: 4/5


Summary:
This is a collection of writings from Virginia Woolf, exploring thoughts on women and liberty.


Review:
I'm already a fan of Woolf and her writing, so it's no surprise that I very much enjoyed this.

I had already read some of the excerpts included in this book, but it was a joy to revisit them. There were also a few I hadn't read before but I really enjoyed, and it's reminded me that I need to continue on reading all of Woolf's works. I love her writing style and her ideas.

I'd definitely recommend this if you're already someone who adores Woolf as much as I do, but I also think it would work as good introduction to both the themes she tends to touch on as well as her writing style.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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2018/06/24

2018/06/22

2018/06/20

BOOK REVIEW:
I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK BY MICHELLE MCNAMARA

Title: I'll Be Gone In The Dark
Author: Michelle McNamara
Published: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 328
Rating: 4/5


Summary:
In this true crime book, Michelle McNamara takes a look at the Golden State Killer, who was a serial rapist and murderer who terrorised California in the 70's and 80's.


Review:
This was brutal, gruesome and absolutely terrifying, but immensely fascinating.

My favorite part about this book is that you can truly feel the authors passion for true crime and this case in particular. She's not only an excellent writer, but her devotion immediately pulls you in.

It's unfortunate that she was not able to finish this book herself as she sadly passed away before she could and you can in certain ways tell that it's unfinished. It's slightly scattered and sometimes it's hard to keep track of the different people and time periods, but still, it's such a good book.

If you're a true crime enthusiast like me, you're going to love this. The case is vicious and graphic but also captivating, and McNamara brings all the threads together like the wonderful and intelligent sleuth she was.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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2018/06/19

THINGS I LIKE NO. 13

I've loved watches from Daniel Wellington for years and the one I'm using the most right now is the Classic Sheffield in silver.

I don't really know what to say about this except that I love it because it's such a classic style and it goes with everything.
The leather has also worn really well by the way, even though I've worn it almost to death!

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2018/06/17

2018/06/16

BOOK REVIEW:
IDAHO BY EMILY RUSKOVICH

Title: Idaho
Author: Emil Ruskovich
Published: 320
Language: English
Pages: 320
Rating: 3/5


Summary:
On a hot summer day in August, a family drives to a mountain to collect wood, but then something unimaginably horrifying happens that haunts the family for years to come.


Review:
This was an interesting piece of fiction to read, but I'm a bit on the fence with how I feel about it.

You can't really argue with the fact that the writing in this is for the most part absolutely stunning, and to me, it's the strongest aspect of this book. I think the author is really good at conjuring up places, atmosphere and emotions, and it's what makes this book special.

On the other hand, the story is slow and scattered. Sometimes that works, but for me, I don't think it did in this one. There were whole chapters I had to force myself through because I didn't really see the point, whereas other parts I sped through. The whole thing is not quite as fluid as it should be and when there isn't really a whole lot of plot going on, it's hard to become immersed in the story.

I also think the end leaves something to be desired, so that was a bit of a letdown. I think if you're looking for a mystery novel (which I've seen it marketed as) this probably isn't going to be what you want. If you like slow, meandering novels where it's all about the characters and you don't mind books that don't give you closure, I think you might like this. It might be worth the read just for the writing.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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2018/06/15

2018/06/13

UNBOXING:
DYSTOPIAN PINS FROM LITRARY EMPORIUM

The very best of little packages arrived in my mailbox last week and I just have to share it with you.

I've previously done another unboxing from Literary Emporium and when I saw they were coming out with a collection of dystopian pins, I absolutely had to get one! The ones I've got here to show you are from two of my favorite books; The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and 1984 by George Orwell. I think there's a bit of a rebel in us all and having these pins are a way of empowering and reminding oneself of that.







I love them so much! Literary Emporium's game is strong. They've also come out with a Women Poets pin collection recently that I'm dying to get my hands on. One day my leather jacket is literally going to be all pins if they keep making these things!

If you're interested (and if you're on this blog, I'm sure you are), you can check out the Literary Emporium website, Twitter and Instagram.

And remember; nolite te bastardes carborundorum, bitches.
PS: I've also got three of their T-shirts that I'm wearing to death at the moment. Would highly recommend!
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