#a book called the 7 beauties of science fiction which i HIGHLY recommended as it slaps start to finish

[fagmegumi]

they don’t know im writing thesis notes in the club

[becomezero]

Thank you @sparkkkkzfly for tagging me! I enjoyed reading what you have to say! You seem like a really chill person. I can relate to a lot of what you answered. Maybe I can get to know you more 😃 I also had a fun time doing this, so thank you!

Name: Izamar (or you can call me Izzy ☺)

Gender: Female

Star Sign: Scorpio 🦂

Height: 5'5"

Sexuality: Straight

Favorite Book: I can't pinpoint just one! I have so many 😅Pride and Prejudice is one of my absolute favorites! Sharp Objects and Gone Girl were so amazing!😱 Like I could not stop reading them, Gillian Flynn wrote them so well. I highly recommend them both, but warning: Sharp Objects deals with aspects of abuse and self-harm. I've only read the first book of The Southern Reach (Annihilation) and let me tell you: WOW, I literally felt like I was in daze when I stopped reading (like that one meme picture). It's trippy (it's science fiction/ cosmic horror 😅so yeah). PLUS I love the amazing fanfiction that I am blessed to read every day from the amazing people on this platform! You guys are awesome!

Current time: 8:33 p.m.

Sleep: I get around 7-8 hours of sleep. I usually have a hard time falling asleep, but I head to bed around 10-11 p.m. on the weekdays, unless I really can't fall sleep, at which point I go to sleep at around 1 or 2 am 😐

Dogs or Cats: Dogs. I used to have 2 dogs (a black lab and a husky), but sadly had to give them up 😢 I miss them very much💔

# of blankets I sleep with: During the summer, usually one. During the winter, you'll find me with soft socks on, sweats and a big loose shirt+ 3 blankets lol. I get cold easily 😅

Dream Job: I want to work in a research lab! Maybe some day I can work somewhere like the CDC💕 I'm a science nerd. I just graduated from ASU with a Bachelor's of Science in Biomedical Studies🎓 I was in a research lab where we did work for making an HIV vaccine. So yeah I love being able to work in silence or with headphones. I love hands-on stuff.

Favorite Animal: Hmm...That's a hard one. With so many beautiful animals and so many species it's hard to pick just one. I love cows 🐄 (my grandpa had some down in Mexico and when I visited, so it brings good memories) and I love the blue whale🐋! These gentle oceanic giants are endangered! I wish people would realize that climate change is very real and is hurting the animal kingdom very rapidly.

# of Followers: 82 ❤ (Thank you to everyone who follows me! I hope I don't dissapoint 😅)

Reason for URL: If this is asking about my username "becomezero" it's because I love Helen Money's music. She is a cellist pushing the boundries on alternative/indie music. Her album Become Zero is really great❤ Though my favorite song of hers is not in that album lol.

Something I'm grateful for: Everything I am blessed with! My family, my life, health, for having a roof over my head and for having food on the table everyday. It's about the little things ❤ Thank you to all my followers and all those I follow. You make my day 😃 I love seeing what you post❕

Tagging: @archersqueen @dixonscarol @darylwillfightnatureforcarol @empressmcbride @freefromthecocoon @haircoveredwriter @mr-crossbow @silversundown2 @sigurdjarlson @spanishrose2002 @qwerty-key

[chemistudyblr]

11 Questions

I was tagged by @busy-bizzy-bee (i highly recommend following this wonderful person!!).

RULES:

Post the rules, answer the 11 questions, make up 11 new questions and tag 11 people.

My answers:

1.  What was your favourite book as a kid?

It is a german kids book called “Die geheimnisvolle Minusch” which means “The mysterious Minusch” about a journalist and a cat that was turned into a human and helps him write articles

2. Iced coffee or hot coffee?

Neither, i don’t really like the taste of coffee

3. Do you have a dream house? What would it be like?

Living in an actual boat or a boathouse would be ideal

4. What is the last thing you dreamt about?

I was practicing splits in school lol

5. What is your favourite class right now?

English because it’s really fun, small illustration: we once had a debate about gay frogs and our last assignment was to wear funny socks to the next lesson (we are 18-19 year old students, mind you)

6. Do you have pets?

Currently i own a fat but cute cat called Brummer

7. What is your favourite painting?

Depends on my mood,  but The Great Wave off Kanagawa by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai is one i like a lot

8. What is your LEAST favourite movie or tv show?

The movie adaption to the Eragon books was so bad i’m still mad

9. What kind of music do you listen to? What kind can you not stand?

I mostly listen to classic Rock and most variations of Rock, i think there really isn’t any kind of music that i cannot stand at all

10. Go-to study snack/midnight snack?

Muesli or cereal with milk or yogurt

11. Do you like star-watching or cloud-watching better?

Star-watching > Cloud-watching

My questions:

1. What can you talk about for hours without getting bored?

2. The most beautiful city you’ve been to?

3. Favourite fictional universe? Why?

4. Most embarrassing situation you’ve been in? (totally optional question)

5. Best gift you’ve gotten?

6. Are you a morning or a night person?

7. What was the last book you really got into?

8. What TV series do you keep coming back to and re-watching?

9. Do you play any videogames, if yes, which ones?

10. Are you more of a creative or more of a logical person?

11. What makes a perfect day for you?

the peeps i tag:

@minimalismstudies, @anti-social-sciences, @acelacey, @purplepeachdawn, @death-progeny-dragon-king, @the-owl-in-a-jar, @sapphires-sapphics, @neuro-study-blr, @highwireliar, @brokkenstorry, @smolstoi

[shesdangerace]

4. 7. 15 ??

Hey!

4. what sections of a bookstore do you browse?

I will browse science fiction and fantasy first cause it’s at the front of my bookstore, then sometimes I’ll go to crime though I rarely buy anything, than I browse the YA section. And if I really wanna hang out longer I’ll browse bio’s.

7. is there a series/book that got you into reading?

It’s hard to pin point exactly, but I think it was Cosmo and The Magic Sneeze by Gwyneth Rees. I remember my mum giving me this book to help me pass the time in the evening and when I was feeling shy on a trip. It’s about a kitten called Cosmo who’s magic sneeze is the key ingredient for a witches cauldron, and he dreams of being a good witches cat like his dad, except he notices the witch making a recipe for golden statues that keep looking like kittens and also kinda alive. 

It was the shit. I loved it so much. I was genuinely super invested, lil wee me was on the edge of her lil seat. I think it was probably Cosmo that did it. 

15. Recommend and review a book

damn okay here we go.

I recommend The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. It’s a magical realism standalone by author Leslye Walton, and follows a family of women from the past tragedies of the grandmother, to the past follies and heartache of the mother, to the present young life of Ava Lavender and the event that will change her forever. She falls in love and someone falls into something much darker. Also, Ava has wings.

This book is essentially magical as fuck. It’s atmospheric and tender, and leaves you aching. The women of this family are in a sense cursed, and none of them can really escape it. But they find their own way to keep going. It has ghosts, and semi-absent mothers, and hardworking hard done by wonderful female characters whose pain you feel like it’s your own. 

It took me by complete surprise. Swept me away. Kept me hooked till the last page where I believe you can still see my tear stains. It also introduced me to the realm of magical realism which I am forever grateful.

5/5 stars if you buy into that. Great atmosphere, characters, world building. Highly recommend. But be warned, there’s some dark stuff in there. 

p.s. I just saw in my inbox what I think were numbers from you from a different ask game and I don’t remember what it is because I never got the notification. I’m so sorry! 

[bestdayblogger]

I can’t believe I haven’t shared my favourites with you since Christmas! What? I’m sorry but I’ve been so busy.  Since there are so many goodies that I love I tried to narrow it down to give you the best of the best!

NETFLIX 

I never thought that I would use the word OBSESSED over anything but seriously I’m Obsessed with RIVERDALE. Every since I can remember I’ve enjoyed reading Archie Comics and Riverdale is based off the Archie Comics Characters. Riverdale’s storyline includes issues like murder, bullying, backstabbing, trust and of course love. I also watched and really liked 13 Reasons Why. A very dark and really powerful series. 13 Reasons Why is a very important series in my opinion. A lot of people don’t realize what students are faced with everyday in schools and we need to be more aware and involved with issues such as bullying, mental illness and depression. The series deals with suicide, bullying and rape. The acting is very good and the characters very believable. I’ve also been enjoying Z Nation! A really amazing series about Zombies but super scary ones and not the kind you find in The Walking Dead. More like zombies on fast forward mode. Super fast ones and ten times uglier! 

"A great place to get away with it all" -Riverdale #Riverdale is my recent obsession and I spy with my little eye little gems 💎 on the show! As soon as I spotted @covergirl I said to my self "I need to share this incredible information" plus I fell in love with the makeup on the show. But of course! 😘 It's all about the lips! Now I have three ❤️ loves featured in this post. 1. @netflixcan 2. @thecwriverdale and 3. @covergirl 😘❤️🤘🏻 I'm so excited and I can't wait to bring you a blog post. In the post I'll be discussing all the characters also I'll be integrating the makeup of course! So expect to see a plethora of hotness, sexiness and danger! That's what @thecwriverdale is all about! #covergirl #riverdale #makeup #blogger #beautyblog #bbloggersca #bbloggers #beautyblogger #archiecomics #netflix *samples for review purposes. Thank you @covergirl ! I love you!!!! 😘❤️

A post shared by ⋆ℳaℛⅈa⋆ (@bestdayblogger) on Apr 11, 2017 at 12:02pm PDT

TV

I really like the show BEYOND. I love the acting and the mystery. It’s very deep and believable. I can’t stand science fiction that has horrible acting but BEYOND is amazing! I am drawn into the show by Burkely Duffield’s acting and intensity. I also really love The Walking Dead. I’m upset that The Vampire Diaries  has ended. I cried like a baby! Also the last season of Pretty Little Liars is going to start today. There are 10 episodes left and I’m so excited but sad at the same time. You can catch up to Pretty Little Liars on Netflix if you like.

Our family is enjoying watching Anne on CBC. People are hesitant when I tell them about this but I assure you this is an incredible version of Anne of Green Gables. The original is good but this version in my opinion is AMAZING!  I really love the darkness and the cinematography. I love the way the camera is used in this series because it really highlights how Anne is feeling and what she’s been through. The series really captures how Anne’s past has effected her. Brilliant Series! Truly incredible and the acting is amazing! Totally recommend you watch Anne. 

Photo from http://www.cbc.ca/anne/

I’m very excited that BRAVO has announced that The Handmaid’s Tale written by Margaret Atwood will air in Canada exclusively! I’m so excited to see this Drama. I love Margaret Atwood and this is the first book that got me interested in reading novels so I’m looking forward to it.

Bravo announced today it has exclusively acquired one of 2017’s most anticipated dramas, the television adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s iconic The Handmaid’s Tale, in a deal with MGM Television. The 10-episode first season airs in Canada exclusively on Bravo, beginning with a special two-hour premiere event on Sunday, April 30 from 9 to 11 p.m. ET (10 p.m. – midnight PT). The one-hour drama continues to air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT, beginning May 7. The entire first season launches on CraveTV this spring, following the season finale on Bravo. -BRAVO

Books and Magazines

Last month I completed the Novel Himself by Jess Kidd and I also purchased a lovely magazine called Flow. I really enjoyed the book and I’ve written a review if you like to have a look,  Himself by Jess Kidd REVIEW .  I absolutely love the magazine Flow. It is so creative and artistic. It has so many activities you can do as an artist but also the articles are really wonderful and inspirational. I highly recommend you check it out. If you are into the Arts you will love Flow!

Currently Reading and reviews coming soon!

Bloom writen by Estee Lalonde

The Tea Girl of Humming Bird Lane by Lisa See.

MAKEUP

I’ve been wearing and loving a lot of makeup recently.  I’ve been loving my Lancôme Juicy shakers in the new flavours. They are sweet like candy! The three flavours that I adore are Snow-Tilly, Marshmattack and Cloudy Candy.

I’ve been obsessed with Annabelle Cosmetics eyeshadow chrome in Rose Gold. It’s so creamy soft and shines so beautifully! I absolutely love it! I also love Annabelle Cosmetics Skinny Eyeshadow Palette in Taupe Neutrals Basics. Im a huge fan of taupe colours and I absolutely adore the skinny palette.  I have two blushes that I’m loving lately and one is Avon’s Mark Blush in the colour Mauve Forward and CHANEL’S Blush Harmony COCO CODE. 

I also have a huge love for lip products recently. My favourite lip products have to be DIOR Lacquer Sticks in the colours 344 Rolling and 877 Turn Me Dior. I also absolutely love BURBERRY Liquid Lip Velvet in the colour No. 5 FAWN.

I have a huge love for AVON’s All Butter Lip Treat in the colour Bare All and Marcelle Cosmetics Rouge Xpression Velvet Gel Lipstick in the colour 885 Rosy Nude.

Two lovely nail polishes that I’ve been loving and wearing recently is AVON True Color in SMOKY PLUM and Sinful Colours 1052 ENDLESS BLUE (*inspired by 13 Reasons Why on Netflix)

I really have a thing for @sinfulcolors_official #nailpolish 😁😘👌🏻❤️💕 the two colours are "951 why not" and "Endless Blue 1052" 👌🏻💙💙💙💙 #nails #notd #blue #nailsofinstagram #sinfulcolors #torontoblogger #canadianblogger #bblogger #bbloggers #bbloggersca

A post shared by ⋆ℳaℛⅈa⋆ (@bestdayblogger) on Apr 8, 2017 at 5:45am PDT

SKINCARE

I love my skincare and I reviewed a lot on my blog recently. I’ve chosen my favourites that I use a lot but also that give me amazing results. I highly recommend and really enjoy the benefits that are given to my skin by the following skincare products:

CLARINS Hydra-Essentiel Bi-Serum, Clarins Hydra Essentiel Silky Cream,  Lush Charity Pot Hand and Body Lotion, Marcelle City Tinted Cream with SPF 25, Clarins Multi-Active Yeux, Dior Dream skin one minute mask, Shiseido Ibuki Purifying Cleanser, Garnier Skin naturals BB Cream +Blur in the shade Light, Garnier Skin Active Pore Purifying Clay Cleanser Plus Mask, Garnier Skin Active Micellar Water All-In-1 Cleansing water, Neal’s Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Elixir and ANew Clinical Eye Lift Dual Eye System.

Check out my skincare articles and reviews if you like:

Neal’s Yard Remedies Radiance Wild Rose Organic Collection Made With Love! FEATURE

Clarins Multi-Active Yeux Instant Eye Reviver REVIEW

You are beautiful to me because… SHISEIDO #ShareBeauty #Photoreadyskin

GARNIER SKINCARE FAVOURITES! 2017

AVON ANEW ANTI-AGING SKINCARE FEATURE | BESTDAYBLOGGER.COM

CLARINS Hydra-Essentiel Range REVIEW

New Skincare Products by Marcelle

MARCELLE Spring Collection 2017

CUISINE

I’be been really loving COCONUT CLUSTERS with Super Seeds. They are amazing in my yogourt and cereal. We buy them at Costco and they are so good! They have pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and chia seeds. They are so crunchy and delicious!

HAIR!

I got my hair cut! I know right? I go through times where I like change and I went short. I absolutely love short hair and its so fun to style and play with. I love long hair too but short hair is very fun. I decided to go to Trade Secrets at Scarborough Town Centre and I’m so pleased with the results. Love the customer service and I’m so happy I found a place where I can go again and again. It’s affordable and they do an amazing job.

My hair dresser’s name is Christine. She is fantastic!  I brought Christine a picture of what I wanted my hair to look like and she gave me her advice. I really love how she personalized my cut to suit me. Christine really took the time with me and I appreciate it so much. I’m so grateful and very happy with the service at Trade Secrets.

New hair and I love it!

Thank you Trade Secrets and to my hair dresser Christine for the fantastic Service!

The last favourite for this blog post is AVON’s perfume PRIMA. I love this fragrance so much I’m like a cat and my Prima is my catnip! Seriously love this fragrance and I’ve been wearing this everyday. I also love the bottle so much. Very beautiful and the fragrance and design is inspired by ballet which I love so much!

Top Notes

Plum

Bergamot

Heart Notes

Rose

Base Notes

Clearwood

Oakmoss

Patchouli

Thank you all so much. I hope you enjoyed my recent favourites. I Would love to hear your thoughts so please leave some comments. I love responding to comments. Have a lovely week and don’t forget to have a look at my GIVEAWAY!

Reached 1K on YOUTUBE! #GIVEAWAY! CANADA ONLY

*BLOG POSTS & VIDEOS COMING SOON:

FAVOURITES VIDEO

BIRTHDAY POST

RIVERDALE INSPIRED MAKEUP WITH COVERGIRL!!!

(Let me know if you would like to see a video for RIVERDALE inspired makeup.)

CHANEL + VIDEO

BITE BEAUTY LAB

AVON

CLARINS

Recent Favourites APRIL 2017 I can't believe I haven't shared my favourites with you since Christmas! What? I'm sorry but I've been so busy.  

[cover2covermom]

Goodbye August & hello September!

I read 9 books in August… none of which were on my August TBR.   I don’t think I’ve ever failed this badly on a TBR before.  I blame the fact that I was finishing up books that rolled over from July and books coming into the library off my library hold list… Oh well!

Let’s see what I DID read & blog in August…

» How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

*2.5 Stars*

How to Stop Time was just an okay read for me.  While I think the concept for this story was interesting & thought provoking, there was something missing in the story for me.

You can read my mini review here ⇒ Mini Book Reviews: August 2019 – Part 2

» The Book Worm of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

*4.5 Stars*

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a historical fiction set in the 1930s in the hills of Kentucky.  How could I NOT love a book about a pack horse librarian that braves the unforgiving land to deliver books to impoverished families?  Be still my heart!   If you enjoy historical fiction where the author really focuses on setting the scene and taking you back in time, I’d recommend this book.

You can read my mini review here ⇒ Mini Book Reviews: August 2019 – Part 2

» A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice #1) by George R.R. Martin

Not sure why I put this book off so long.  It’s SOOOOOOO freaking good!

» Elmer and the Dragon (My Father’s Dragon #2) by Ruth Stiles Gannett

My 5-year-old loved the first book in this series, so we decided to continue on.  While the second book was not as good as the first, it was still a cute read.

» The Library Book by Susan Orlean

This book was absolutely fascinating!  If you are a lover of libraries, I highly recommend it!

» After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

While not my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid novel, After I Do is a solid contemporary novel.  This book was extremely relatable & an honest portrayal of relationships.  This would make for an excellent book club discussion on long-term relationships and marriage.

» Gratitude Daily: 21 Days to More Joy and Less Stress by Nataly Kogan

This was a quick little audiobook all about practicing gratitude.  I found the tips and techniques in practicing gratitude to be practical and achievable.  Listening to this book definitely gave me a fresh perspective on gratitude and the benefits of practicing gratitude.

» Book Girl: A Journey Through the Treasures and Transforming Power of a Reading Life by Sarah Clarkson

*3.5 Stars*

I loved learning about Sarah’s journey & her connection to books.  I think Sarah has excellent reading tastes, and will probably borrow the physical copy from the library to copy down all the reading recommendation lists.  I gave it 3.5 stars because it was too heavily focused on religion & faith for my tastes.

» Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Gods of Jade and Shadow was one of my most anticipated books of 2019, but it came up a bit short for me.  The story felt like a fairy tale filled with Mexican folklore, which I loved, but the book felt very surface level.

Goodreads Challenge Update: 85/100 books read

I am currently 19 books ahead of schedule on my 2019 Goodreads reading challenge.  I think it is probably safe to say I will hit 100 books sometime in October.

#YARC2019 Update: 14 books read

Year of Asian Reading Challenge TBR + Progress Tracker #YARC2019

I did not finish any books for #YARC2019 in August, but I did start The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2), which will count for September.

2019 Goals Update:

» 80% NetGalley feedback ratio = 15 backlist ARCs ⇒ 7/15 ARCs read

» 30 physical TBR books ⇒ 18/30 books read

I read A Game of Thrones off my physical TBR this month!

» No buying new books ⇒ #EpicFail

See below.  I just couldn’t help myself.  Damn you Book Outlet!

» Read long books I’ve been putting off ⇒ 1/3 books read

July 2019 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up

August 2019 TBR: ARC August #Reviewathon

Kids’ Corner: Ocean: Secrets of the Deep by Sabrina Weiss & Giulia De Amicis

Book Review: The Twelve by Cindy Lin

My #IronTomeAThon 2019 Wrap-Up

Mini Book Reviews: August 2019 – Part 1

Mini Book Reviews: August 2019 – Part 2

» An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous debut novel.

Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes—a weakness that could cost him his life.

Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.

» A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

» The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves #1) by Roshni

No one believes in them. But soon no one will forget them.

It’s 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.

Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history–but only if they can stay alive.

» Hum If You Don’t Know the Words by Bianca Marais

Perfect for readers of The Secret Life of Bees and The Help, a perceptive and searing look at Apartheid-era South Africa, told through one unique family brought together by tragedy.

Life under Apartheid has created a secure future for Robin Conrad, a nine-year-old white girl living with her parents in 1970s Johannesburg. In the same nation but worlds apart, Beauty Mbali, a Xhosa woman in a rural village in the Bantu homeland of the Transkei, struggles to raise her children alone after her husband’s death. Both lives have been built upon the division of race, and their meeting should never have occurred . . . until the Soweto Uprising, in which a protest by black students ignites racial conflict, alters the fault lines on which their society is built, and shatters their worlds when Robin’s parents are left dead and Beauty’s daughter goes missing. 

After Robin is sent to live with her loving but irresponsible aunt, Beauty is hired to care for Robin while continuing the search for her daughter. In Beauty, Robin finds the security and family that she craves, and the two forge an inextricable bond through their deep personal losses. But Robin knows that if Beauty finds her daughter, Robin could lose her new caretaker forever, so she makes a desperate decision with devastating consequences. Her quest to make amends and find redemption is a journey of self-discovery in which she learns the harsh truths of the society that once promised her protection. 

Told through Beauty and Robin’s alternating perspectives, the interwoven narratives create a rich and complex tapestry of the emotions and tensions at the heart of Apartheid-era South Africa. Hum if You Don’t Know the Words is a beautifully rendered look at loss, racism, and the creation of family.

» Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield

On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.

Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.

Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison, stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.

Once Upon a River is a glorious tapestry of a book that combines folklore and science, magic and myth. Suspenseful, romantic, and richly atmospheric, the beginning of this novel will sweep you away on a powerful current of storytelling, transporting you through worlds both real and imagined, to the triumphant conclusion whose depths will continue to give up their treasures long after the last page is turned.

» The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Five years.

That’s how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation.

It’s also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash.

Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished―the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box―she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days…without him realizing it.

Along the way, they’ll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. And then there’s Gladys…

Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all…but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after.”

» Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

A magic passed down through generations . . . 

Georgina Fernweh waits with growing impatience for the tingle of magic in her fingers—magic that has been passed down through every woman in her family. Her twin sister, Mary, already shows an ability to defy gravity. But with their eighteenth birthday looming at the end of this summer, Georgina fears her gift will never come.

An island where strange things happen . . . 

No one on the island of By-the-Sea would ever call the Fernwehs what they really are, but if you need the odd bit of help—say, a sleeping aid concocted by moonlight—they are the ones to ask.

No one questions the weather, as moody and erratic as a summer storm.

No one questions the (allegedly) three-hundred-year-old bird who comes to roost on the island every year.

A summer that will become legend . . . 

When tragedy strikes, what made the Fernweh women special suddenly casts them in suspicion. Over the course of her last summer on the island—a summer of storms, of love, of salt—Georgina will learn the truth about magic, in all its many forms.

» Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

*Won in a Goodreads giveaway*

Queenie Jenkins is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper, where she’s constantly forced to compare herself to her white middle class peers. After a messy break up from her long-term white boyfriend, Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places…including several hazardous men who do a good job of occupying brain space and a bad job of affirming self-worth.

As Queenie careens from one questionable decision to another, she finds herself wondering, “What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be?”—all of the questions today’s woman must face in a world trying to answer them for her.

With “fresh and honest” (Jojo Moyes) prose, Queenie is a remarkably relatable exploration of what it means to be a modern woman searching for meaning in today’s world.

Which books did you read this month?

Have you read any of the books I read or hauled this month?  If so, what did you think?

Did you buy any books?  If so, which ones?

Comment below & let me know 🙂

August 2019 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up + Book Haul Goodbye August & hello September! I read 9 books in August... none of which were on my 

[booksontheshelf]

                                         Scallywag Reading 2017

I‘m surprised that a book was opened at all this year. So much of my time is reading online, so it seems a triumph of sorts that I am still managing to read books at all. It is not possible to do justice for all books mentioned here individually.  They all add up to the string of pearls that sustains me in some sort of equilibrium and continues to provide threads to places that only a particular book can reveal, at the particular time you are reading.  

Some of the books here were chanced on in bookshops. You never regret time spent in bookshops. There didn’t seem enough time this year though to enjoy this gentle past time. Which is probably a good thing for me, as I truly have enough books at home to read already. My daughter tries to stop me adding to my collection all the time. Can you imagine taking off one day, just to visit all the bookshops in the world? 

One day this winter, heading down Bourke St after a meeting, I stepped into The Paperback Bookshop. There I chanced on a book of poetry  by anthony lawrence called headwaters.

It has the lines

‘Her dreams have night vision, and in her sight Our bodies leave a ghostprint where we’ve laid. My darling turns to poetry at night Between abstract expression and first light.’

I’ve just finished You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me - A MEMOIR by Sherman Alexie. Hard not to proclaim this book loudly enough. Strangely the book’s poetic, diaristic chapters look superficially like the incredible work of American fiction I read this year called Lincoln in the Bardo. Perhaps the Trump-dark atmosphere of 2017 made George Saunder’s romp with the ghost of Lincoln’s past presidential time and place so strangely alluring. (The book was purchased with intelligent guidance from Readings’ Acland St staff.)

The year began with the death of one of my favourite artists/writerJohn Berger. I remember we thought 2016 was bad for the death of larger than life artists. John Berger was such a great humanist. But I love that I can still read him and hear his fabulous voice in my head. I did order his last work of essays Confabulations and made a concerted effort to gather all the books I had by him in one place. They are now housed in my studio. Vale John Berger. I return to you all the time. Thinking of artists, I loved reading the The Surreal Life of Leonora Carrington by Joanna Moorhead.

You might gather by the next titles we have Alzheimer’s in the family - my Dad has had the disease (as far as we know) the last 10 years. Books that have helped me try to understand what is happening for him and helping me deal with it this year have been: Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s- A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease by Joanne Koenig Coste.   The Forgetting Alzheimer’s: Portrait of an Epidemic by David Shenk.   Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. And In Pursuit of Memory- The Fight Against Alzheimers by Joseph Jebelli I am rereading Missing Out by Adam Phillips with newly minted insights from thinking about memory and who we are without it.

I thoroughly enjoyed Geoff Dwyer’s book on Tarkovsky’s film Stalker called Zona. I need to see Stalker again but as Geoff Dwyer says- it has to be cinematic not at home! The ignition of crazy nuclear war thinking by America’s President Trump, who thinks he’s eviscerating ‘Rocket Man’ with a tweet, sets a dé ja vu tone  reading about the haunted nuclear-strange Beckettian terrain of the film Stalker.

I love a good graphic novel and I have thoroughly enjoyed two by Riad Sattouf - THE ARAB OF THE FUTURE A Childhood in the Middle East 1) 178-1984 and 2) 1984-1985. I also enjoyed the short graphic novel by Jason Lutes called Jar of fools. One for the young at heart to the very young is by my friend Trace Balla- who wrote the book RiverTime. This year I read her book Rockhopping, taking me all the way to the source of the Glenelg River in Gariwerd (the Grampians).

Feeding into my marine thinking for projects, I am still working my way through The Sounding of the Whale Science and Cetaceans in the 20th Century by D.Graham Burnett. I am also in the midst of The Reef A Passionate history by Iain McCalman. Hoping that Pelican1 will be on her way North to the Reef next year too. As we have worked on the Cape a lot in the last 15 years, I have also been reading the story of the explorer Edmund Kennedy in a book I found second-hand (Daylesford) called Kennedy of Cape York- Edmund Beale. Trying to get some insight into the newly colonial world and the exploration of the Eastern Cape (before the impact of the gold rush). The book tells the story from a very colonial perspective. Larissa Beherendt’s book FINDING ELIZA Power and Colonial Storytelling was a good follow on read. 

I then found myself rereading gularabulu - Stories from the West Kimberley by Paddy Roe edited by Stephen Muecke.

'This is all public, You know (it) is for everybody: Children, women, everybody. See, this is the thing they used to tell us: Story, and we know.

Paddy Roe

Back to the science books, I learnt a lot from Where The River Flows, Scientific Reflections on Earth’s Waterways by Sean W.Fleming. Had me looking at graphs of sine waves (there was a reason to learn about them in maths after all!), thinking about ‘Digital Rainbows’ and diving deeper into scientific connections between rivers, land and ocean and understanding that the physics of rivers and the quantum leap in understanding being made about their dynamics is one of the many tools that will be needed to help care for this crowded planet. The Ocean Of Life-The Fate of Man and the Sea by Callum Roberts was another regular dip in as I gather ideas to try to incorporate plans for sea projects and understand our oceans more deeply (haha). A new writer  for me this year was Yi-Fu Tuan with his book ROMANTIC GEOGRAPHY in search of the sublime landscape- A geographer’s meditation on place and human emotions. I found two new wonderful reference books, the first second hand from South Melbourne Market -The Seabirds of AUSTRALIA by Terence R. Lindsey. And SEAHORSES- A Life-Sized Guide to Every Species by Sara Lourie.

Looking at the politics and economics of our times I managed to read The Secret World of Oil by Ken Silverstein- an enlightening exposé of the behind the scenes snake-oil salesmen. The old rule of following the money results in a thorough investigation of oil’s all too human underbelly. I am still reading Kate Raworth’s book Doughnut Economics. 7 Ways to Think like a 21st Century Economist. A complete creative overhaul of economics, pulling it out of our old ways of understanding the world to make ideas for a better future world possible. Highly recommend.

It’s been another tough year for journalists and the book of writings by Anna Politikovskaya Is Journalism Worth Dying For? reported from Russian frontline and includes the piece that she was working on at the time of her murder. ‘What am I guilty of? I have merely reported what I witnessed, nothing but the truth.’ It was a journalist who wrote a difficult and intense book about the 2011 tsunami in Japan that I’ve just finished. GHOSTS of the TSUNAMI by Richard Lloyd Parry. I have not stopped thinking about that wave and our visit to Japan’s Irate prefecture 3 years post the event left an indelible memory and deep affection for all the people we met still picking up and recovering after the trauma and destruction from that most unsea-like wave.

Back to Oz I loved reading Sophie Cunningham’s book Warning: The Story of Cyclone Tracy. I was very fortunate to take part in one of Sophie’s walks, following the footsteps of William Buckley from Sorrento to Dromana. Though footsore, it was a terrific way to connect with the Bay, while thinking of this man’s path and how different, perhaps, Australia could have been if his attitude to the First People of this Country was shared across the country. I reread much of the fictionalised account again by Craig Robertson (Buckley’s Hope -The Real Story of Australia’s Robinson Crusoe) to get me in the frame of mind for the 20k meditative walk. It was on a recommendation that Sophie shared on Facebook that I now have Phillip Pullman’s latest book The Book of Dust by my bed.

The year has been a terrible one for our ongoing torture of refugees who are STILL languishing in our offshore prisons. I heard that New Zealand had offered to take ALL the men on Manus and that offer has been refused by Dutton and MT. I went to the launch of a book that was trying to navigate the extremely polarised political territory around asylum seekers and I highly recommend it. Bridging Troubled Waters Australia and Asylum Seekers by Tony Ward. During the year I went to a wonderful event organised by Behind the Wire (http://behindthewire.org.au) and came away with their incredible book of first-person narratives called They Cannot Take The Sky- Stories from detention. I reckon our pollies should be sat in a room and this is read aloud to them.

A book that has been a good one to read this year was Hope in the Dark Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit which I read with the new foreword and afterword.

From the gifts of Christmas I have a pile that includes John Clarke- A pleasure to be here. A very sad loss to the Australian landscape, he will be missed for a very long time. The Man who Climbs by James Aldred and looking forward to A.S. Patrić’s new book Atlantic Black. Also on the pile is Robert Mafarlane’s The Old Ways- A Journey on Foot.

And looking back out to sea with a beautiful book I have just started. The Seabird’s Cry - The Lives and Loves of Puffins, Gannets and Other Ocean Voyagers by Adam Nicolson.

Might have to do a separate post on the poetry that is always by my bedside but all I can say is as I get older, reading poetry becomes more and more pleasurable.

If you have got this far in my rambling through my ambling reading, I want to wish you a very Happy New Year, illuminated by many, many fine reading adventures….