#Michelle Lovric

[mermaidbracket]

[fuzzysparrow]

So many books, so little time

Yoshiko and the Gift of CharmsAuthor: Julia SuzukiPublished: 4th September 2014Goodreads Rating: 4.06 out of 5Reviewed: August 2016 Yoshiko and the Gift of Charms is the first book in the children’s series The Land of Dragor by Julia Suzuki. Dragor is the land inhabited by dragons, hidden from the rest of the world, away from the evil humans by the smoke produced by The Fire Which Must Never Go…

[just-some-moss-and-bones]

“Family is family,’ sighed the gondolier. ‘Family is everything,’ declared Marta Gasperin, bending to kiss the old man on the cheek, at which he flushed. She added mischievously, ‘Family and books, of course.”

— Michelle Lovric, The Undrowned Child

[godzilla-reads]

🍂September Reading Wrap-Up🍂

Hello, lovelies! This September was a tricky month for reading as I read mostly short and sweet books because I could not focus on anything more than that. I did have fun reading these books, though, all 11 of them- bringing my yearly total to 107 books!

🌸 The Flowers’ Festival by Elsa Beskow

⭐️ Bug Boys Vol. 3: Adventures and Daydreams by Laura Knetzger

🥔 The Story of the Root Children by Sibylle von Olfers

🌳 The Forests: A Celebration of Nature, in Word and Image by Michelle Lovric

💜 Content Warning: Everything by Akwaeke Emezi

🍄 Faeries and Other Fantastical Folk: The Faery Paintings of Maxine Gadd by Maxine Gadd and John Grant

🍁 Flower Fairies of the Autumn by Cicely Mary Barker

⭐️ Dragons by Johan Egerkrans (trans. A.A. Prime)

🍄 The Fairies by William Allingham and Michael Hague

🌻 In Fairyland: Pictures from the Elwood by Richard Doyle, William Allingham, and Andrew Lang

⭐️ The Invasion by K.A. Applegate

How was your September reading experience?

[spookiat]

Deleting my dating apps because I want to meet someone the old fashioned way (have a magical book fall on my head in a weird book shop where they are hiding in the stacks, get pulled into a world between the linings where adults can’t see me, but they can, and we have a low-key rivalry. Together we work together to defeat an evil ghost, a quest in which we get over whatever preconceived-notions we have of each other, save the day, and then I wake up from giving up a curse to the mermaids that have helped us to them pretending they weren’t brushing my hair with an ornate comb.)

[autumnmobile12]

Oof, this just made me think about a character in a book called The Remedy by Michelle Lovric. She's a teenage girl, but she behaves much, much younger. Often speaking with a toddler's inflections, demanding other people cut her meat for her, generally being an absolute menace to the people around her since they don't know how to handle the self-entitled brat she presents herself as. And courtesy of less-than-attentive guardians, she's allowed to run wild with this persona.

Yet we find out the reason why she acts this way is just sad. Her father pretty much treated her as a pet or an accessory, not an individual being, so when she grew out of the 'cute child' phase, he stopped loving/paying attention to her. So when she lost his affection, she was desperate to regain that part of herself in a hopeless and misguided attempt to make her father love her again.

Some kids voluntarily regress back to a child mentality, some commit arson, same bullshit.

If you really think about it he hasn't changed a bit.

[mumblingsage]

“Mouth first!” I say. “What’s she done to you?”

“Ravished me, sir.”

“Nose?”

“Ravished...the perfume...”

“Okay,” I interrupt. “Skin?”

“Ravished, utterly.”

“Ears, you too?”

“That voice...”

“Boring!” I tell them. “Tell me something original about ravishment.” 

Michelle Lovric, The Floating Book

[cherubface13]

Thank you for the tag @satans-helper 🤗

🌿 favourite comfort food: chips, chili con carne and ramen

🌼 favourite drink: oolong milk tea with tapioca pearls, peppermint tea, cold glass of milk, black coffee and lemon water

🌷 favourite relaxing activity: walking in the park with a friend, drawing/painting and reading...does drinking beers with a friend and having one of those long meaningful talks count?

🌻 favourite calming scent: lavender, lemon and peppermint

🌺 favourite relaxing/uplifting song:

Relaxing songs:

Look up and see infinity, look down and see nothing by Mayday Parade

Scarborough fair/canticle by Simon & Garfunkel

Take it easy by The Eagles

Icarus by White Hinterland

Open your eyes by Snow Patrol

A horse with no name by America

Have you ever seen the rain? By Creedance Clearwater Revival

Run by Joji

Uplifting songs:

Nothing's gonna stop us now by Starships

All right now by Free

Heroes by David Bowie

Diane young by Vampire Weekend

Dancing in the moonlight by Toploader

Paradise by George Ezra

Weird! By Yungblud

Giants by Becky G, Keke Palmer and True Damage

🍄 favourite book to get lost in: The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric, The Hazel Wood and The Night Country by Melissa Albert

💐 favourite chill-out tv show: Bojack Horseman and Black Mirror

🌹 the best advice you ever had: uh...when you have a spot, put on lipstick and eye makeup to distract people from your spot! Words of wisdom from my Nana to twelve year old me with terrible acne 😂 I'm sure she has said some other more...wisdomous (lol) things, I should really start writing them down ._.

Tagging @too-fast-for-duff @imacrowcawcaw @smolspideyboi @ohwormhere

[screaming-bigbang]

ELEVEN QUESTIONS TAG

I was tagged by the amazing @marshmallow-tabi, thank you so much! <3

1. Favorite book series/book?

HARRY POTTER!!!! I love Harry Potter so much omg....  But I also really love Mark Tufo’s Zombie Fallout series and he’s such a nice person and he’s got a wicked sense of humor! My favourite stand-alone book though would either be The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan or The Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric. Since I was about 8 or 9 one of my favourites has also been A Girl Called Blue by Marita Conlon-McKenna.

2. Favorite movie?

HARRY POTTER!!!! Beside that though (lmao): Donnie Darko and ever since I was really young I’ve been in love and awed by the movie In America. It’s so sweet and sad!

3. What is your philosophy on life?

So long as you’re not hurting yourself or anyone else, there ain’t a problem. I have a few others but this is my main philosophy. Be kind to others and be kind to yourself. 

4. Who is your bias and why?

Tabi!!! I can’t even describe why I love him so much, I just think he’s so funny and fantastic, brave and inspirational, outgoing and childlike, and I love everything about those qualities. And those dimples, wow. But for real, he’s just such a great human being, like, he really tries his best at everything despite having anxiety and I really admire that. He never lets himself be held back by these things and I think that’s truly amazing. He’s had some big falls and always gotten back up which I find really admirable and he always tries to see the best in everyone. Also, what a weirdo omg, please don’t ever change I love it <3

5. Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend? If so, why? Yes and no. I’m extremely loyal and will do anything for my friends, even if it’s something I don’t want to do but I get hurt when I don’t get the same back from people which can make me a bit pissy. Like, I’ll flake out on plans purposefully because I’m ridiculously passive aggressive for the most part lol. But I suppose if I had a friend like me that wouldn’t happen at all. We’d just have amazing horror movie nights, silly dance parties and lots of wine! It’s be great! Actually, I’d love to have a friend like me! lmao is that really vain?

6. When you’re in a bad mood, do you prefer to be alone or with people? Alooooooooooooooone ta fuck!

7. If you could start over, what would you do differently?

I would not be the fastest sperm in the race. 

8. Favorite thing about your favorite band?

WHICH ONE OMG????? My ultimate, all time, favourite band ever is System of a Down so??? I just love how they’re so fucking wild and it’s such a brotherhood, but at the same time everyone’s got their own thing going on so there’s lots of side projects to enjoy. Growing up they felt like more of a family to me than anyone else so I have a lot of love for them. I also love how politically active they are and I think what they stand for is extremely important and far too overlooked considering its magnitude and the effect it had on WWII. #RecognizeTheArmenianGenocide

9. What is your favorite thing about yourself? Why?

Physically? My eyes. Personally? I’m pretty nice? I think?

10. What do you think is at the edge of the universe?

There are definitely aliens, say otherwise and I will fite lmao. I don’t really know. I hope it’s nice and cool whatever it is!

11. When you don’t feel like yourself, how do you make yourself feel better? I sing until my voice cracks lmao or I’ll write, read or game. I’m tagging @craftywhispersinternet @seoulofakwonjiyong @aflaxtonjaegerbomb @daisy-donghae

[godzilla-reads]

🌲 The Forests: A Celebration of Nature, in Word and Image by Michelle Lovric

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Our fascination with the forest is reflected in a long tradition of art, poetry, and literature. Here is a part of that tradition, a unique collection of words and images that evoke the richness, the tranquility, and the primeval wonders of the Earth’s deep forests.

My mom isn’t feeling well enough to read right now, so I picked up this book from our shelf and read it aloud to her. It is filled with beautiful pictures, art, and quotes from poetry and an array of authors. I would’ve rated it higher, though, if the format had been easier to read on some of the pages.

“Green, I love you green. Green wind. Green branches.” —Federico García Lorca

[drikkes]

Suicide by greed: the monsters looming over Venice - Michelle Lovric

[spookiat]

Fuck all romance except for what that angry blond Venetian kid had with the tiny neopolitana who can read hearts and words and was secretly also Venetian the whole time

[undeadkittens17]

1. Mr Pink Whistle - Enid Blyton

2. Warriors - The Darkest Hour - Erin Hunter

3. Carbonel, King of the Cats - Barbera Sleigh

4. Gone - Michael Grant

5. Retribution Falls - Chris Wooding

6. Lorali - Laura Docktrill

7. The Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum

8. Knife - RJ Anderson

9. The Undrowned Child - Michelle Lovric

10. Peter and The Temple of Rundoon - Barry & Pearson

@satanorgreymoniaccepteither @jinxofalltrades

BOOK MEME

Rules: In a text post, list ten books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard — they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you. Tag [ten] friends, including me, so I’ll see your list. Make sure you let your friends know you’ve tagged them. 

Tagged by: starlightstiel

1. The Song of the Lioness - Tamora Pierce

2. Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy - Tad Williams

3. The Neverending Story - Michael Ende

4. The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch

5. Farseer Chronicles - Robin Hobb

6. Märchenmond - Wolfgang und Heike Hohlbein

7. The Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer-Bradley

8. Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

9. Discworld series - Terry Pratchett

10. Ayla und das Tal der Pferde - Jean M. Auel

Tagging: kaylizle, ltleflrt, defloweringdestiel, septemdecimus, amalia-zeichnerin, nopieontuesday, ioweyouamoffat, anidragon, xero–sky, merthumblr, anyone else who wants to :)

[cherubface13]

Tagged by @too-fast-for-duff thanks hun! These are so fun!! 💖

🌿 favourite comfort food: chili con carne!!

🌼 favourite alcohol: wine and beer but not together

🌷 favourite relaxing activity: painting or reading

🌻 favourite calming scent: lemon 💛

🌺 favourite relaxing (or uplifting) song: I find any song by SYML very relaxing although they make me cry sometimes...and Whitesnake's Here I Go Again is pretty uplifting to me

🍄 favourite book to get lost in: I have two!! The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric and The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert 💗

💐 favourite chill-out TV show: not exactly chill but probably Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, The Get Down, Chewing Gum and Bojack Horseman!

I tag @starfleet-warrior @smolspideyboi @consulting-angel-in-bag-end 🤗

[thegoblincourtier]

Welcome to my new feature, LiteraItaly!

I say it’s a feature, but really this is just a way for me to track my progress with some books on my TBR that I’m not exactly in a rush to cross off, but that I’d certainly like to cross off at some point.

If you didn’t know, in 2015 I went to Italy for the first time when my friend Elena and I visited Rome and fell head over heels in love with the country. The following year I was lucky enough to go to Florence and Bologna, and Florence is now without a doubt my favourite European city.

I love Italy’s history, its people, its food (oh my god the food) and all that stunning architecture, and yet I realised I haven’t actually read a lot of books set in Italy and/or written by Italian authors. That’s something I’d like to change.

Below are some books either set in Italy or written by an Italian author, as well as two fantasy books whose settings are inspired by Italy. All of these are books I own (aside from one fantasy book which isn’t out yet, but I have every intention of getting my hands on once it’s released) and they’re all books I’m very excited to read.

The Birth of Venus, Sacred Hearts and In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant: Given how much I love my historical fiction and how much I love Italy, Sarah Dunant is an author I should have read by now. My copy of The Birth of Venus is very special to me because I bought it from the Uffizi Gallery’s gift shop after seeing the actual Birth of Venus painting while I was in Florence. I’ve since picked up a copy of In the Company of the Courtesan from a charity shop and Sacred Hearts on my kindle, but I still haven’t read any of them. Oops!

The Black Prince of Florence: The Life of Alessandro de’ Medici by Catherine Fletcher: After visiting the palace the Medici family built for themselves in Florence, I couldn’t help wanting to know more and more about one of Italy’s most scandalous families. The Borgias are one thing, but the Medici basically had Italy in their pocket.

The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and its Citrus Fruit by Helen Attlee: I don’t know why, but I love lemon groves. I don’t think I’ve ever even been to one, but all those trees with all that yellow I just love and I really like the idea of learning the history of Italy through its citrus fruit.

The Merchant of Prato: Daily Life in a Medieval Italian City by Iris Origo: I hadn’t heard of this book until I came across it in a bookshop in Glastonbury and I couldn’t bring myself to leave without it.

The Tale of Tales by Giambattista Basile: I’ve actually started this one – and seen the incredibly bizarre film inspired by it – but haven’t finished it yet, and I’d like to. There’s some severe racism in here and I get the impression the author hated women given how horribly he writes about them, but these are essentially some of the first Italian fairy tales and, as a lover of fairy tales, I’m interested in that aspect of it.

Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino: Yet more Italian tales! This book’s quite a beast – my edition is around 800 pages – so I think I may have to make my way through it very slowly, reading a tale or two a day.

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli: The Prince is essentially a political treatise, but I’ve heard there’s still a lot we can learn from it even now and I’m intrigued! I picked up my edition of this book in Bologna, so it has sentimental value, too.

The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta: Italian inspired fantasy and an LGBT+ romance. This book could not be more on brand for me if it tried unless it had a unicorn in it. I can’t wait for this one to be released!

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch: I’ve actually started this one just this week and its Venetian-inspired setting is clear already. I’m hoping to love this one!

Lavinia by Ursula Le Guin: I still haven’t read any Ursula Le Guin (the shame) and it’s only recently I discovered she’d written a kind of retelling of an Ancient Roman myth, so I bought a copy immediately and I’m looking forward to reading it.

A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii by Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, E. Knight, Sophie Perinot, Kate Quinn and Vicky Alvear Shecter: I’ve been low-key obsessed with Pompeii since I was a little girl and I learned about the eruption of Vesuvius. This novel is essentially six stories following various different people caught up in Pompeii on that fateful day and one of these days I’m going to get to it.

The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie: I’ve been interesed in Salman Rushdie’s work ever since I read and loved Haroun and the Sea of Stories, and yet I still haven’t read anything else by him. This is another novel I snapped up while I was in Florence and I’m very intrigued by it.

The Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric: My friend Elena read and loved this one, but she’s also warned me that the main character is essentially an Italian Ramsay Bolton. This novel sounds incredibly dark but fantastic, and I can’t wait to get to it – it might be a good novel to read close to Halloween, actually…

Florence in Ecstasy by Jessie Chaffee: As soon as I saw that cover I knew I needed a copy of this novel, but I’m ashamed to say I still haven’t read it.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco: In the realms of historical fiction, this book is a classic, and as someone who enjoys historical crime I feel as though this is a book I definitely should have read by now. I haven’t been reading as much historical fiction this year, but I’d still like to get to this one.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: Sadly the covers of these books are hideous, but I’ve heard wonderful things about Elena Ferrante and I want to see what I think of this series myself – especially as I believe there’s a TV adaptation in the works!

Are there any countries you’d like to read more about? Let me know down below!

  LiterItaly | My TBR Welcome to my new feature, LiteraItaly! I say it's a feature, but really this is just a way for me to track my progress with some books on my TBR that I'm not exactly in a rush to cross off, but that I'd certainly like to cross off at some point.