Library Haul - February 2017

I'm a huge fan of my local library, so much so that I have an entire section on one of my bookshelves dedicated to housing my borrowed titles. After spending a week in hospital with pancreatitus I'm currently at home on bed rest, so I shuffled into the library before a Doctor's appointment to load up on some new titles to keep me entertained!

I've found myself becoming more interested in non-fiction recently, I'm traditionally a fiction gal at heart but the lessons I've found in non-fiction books have opened my eyes quite a bit. I'm trying to focus on improving myself in any way I can, and I feel that books teach me new ways of thinking that assist me with this. A lot of the books I've read recently revolve around saving money, minimising consumer debt and creating a more harmonious and environmentally-friendly home, which are all things I'm looking to achieve at the moment. If you have any great titles along these lines, do let me know and I'll put a hold on them at the library for next time! 

Why Pay Retail? - Todd Alexander
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
Me Before You - Jojo Moyes
Footloose and Financially Free - Julie K Macken
Inside the O'Briens - Lisa Genova
Zero Waste Home - Bea Johnson

I nabbed some pretty popular titles on this library trip, I'm looking forward to finally reading the much lauded Marie Kondo book and I've heard great things about Jojo Moyes from various family members. What are you reading at the moment?
-Emma

Recently Read - August 2016

Despite already flipping onto August on my desk calendar, I'm less than halfway through my 2016 reading challenge and that fact has begun to annoy me. I am focused on a few new areas of life at the moment and have also been enjoying social media more than I once did, all of which sucks time away from moments to sit down with a good book. I really need to get back into reading and take advantage of the library stack teetering in my office! These are a few library books I've read recently.

The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
Let's be real, I read this because everyone was talking about it! Last year I focused on reading current new releases and this year I'd like to do the same, but taking book popularity into consideration. I know that many people avoid doing that, but I like to be able to have a say on the latest hit so it suits me fine - plus I like having other people choose my books in a way! I quite enjoyed this novel despite it being unlike the books I normally pick up - the ending was neat but didn't bother me all that much, and I liked the shaky feeling I had around so many of the central characters.

The Piano Man Project - Kat French
I adored this novel, and felt like the protagonist was really well written. I wasn't expecting too much from this sort of romantic narrative but French built her characters really well in my opinion, and I found the romance a lot more rough and relatable than other novels I've come across.

The Life Intended - Kristin Harmel
Don't you just love that feeling when you read a book you really connect with? I could have put my judgeypants on with so many aspects of this story, but instead I leapt in with an open mind about it all and really enjoyed the strange and painful life that the main character was living. The only part that bothered me (and this may be a spoiler, but I think the blurb says just as much) is any section with her fiancé, who was so much nothing I couldn't even handle it.The ending was one I anticipated earlier in the book but I didn't know if Harmel would go there...well, she did and I surprisingly didn't mind. Would love to hear from anyone else who has read this one - it's made me order some more books by the author at the library.

What have you been reading lately? How is your reading challenge going, if you are doing one?
-Emma x

 

 

  

July Favourites



I didn't think I had much to bring to the table in regards to monthly favourites for July, but the work essentials made me smile and I thought that alone deserved their inclusion into this post. I fell back in love with an old favourite scent, found some accessories that made me feel a million bucks and had a staple makeup routine down pat for the weekdays!

I have decided that it is official - I have an obsession with fragrance mists! I have quite the collection happening (would you be interested in a collection post for them?) The latest in my stash is Britney Spears Curious. This one really pulls at my heartstrings - it was the first perfume Mister bought me many years ago and just one sniff takes me back to those early-dating butterflies (mushy though that may sound!) I actually really like the smell of most Britney scents I've tried - sweet and celebrity aren't a turn off for me when it comes to perfume it seems!

Another love of the month (and beyond) has been my collection of Chanel Joues Contraste Blushes; here I've showcased Jersey and In Love, but most of my shades have been in the rotation for a while now and my love for them only grows with each use.

When it comes to my daily face, I've been doing well by using my Laura Mercier Sweetheart Lip Glace which is part of my Project Use It Up (which is going terribly, in case you were wondering!) It's an easy thing to swipe on for work and it keeps my lips in nice condition without being high maintenance. I've also been using my L'Oreal Infallible 24HR Matte Foundation* daily and am loving the finish it gives my skin - I recently finished up my Revlon Colorstay Whipped Crème Makeup and this is what has taken that place in my daily drawer.

I've also come to appreciate my Napoleon Perdis Crease Brush more than ever, it's always been in use but perhaps this is the first time I've singled it out as a favourite? It's the perfect shape for applying and buffing colour into my crease and I love how easy it makes any eye look. A lifestyle favourite for my has to be my iPad, and more importantly the reading apps I have on it (iBooks, Kindle etc) I was recently sent Sex, Lies, and Cruising* by Cathryn Chapman and I really enjoyed it! It made me yearn for a cruise and I can't wait to read the follow up novel which is out in October: Love, Drugs, and New York. I also love that it was written by a fellow Australian!

More lifestyle favourites, a bit of a change from the usual for me! I've been smashing the Eclipse Spearmint Mint's lately, they aren't too spicy for me and the flavour is addictive - a bonus is that they stop me from snacking so much throughout the day! I've been loving little pouches lately to help with handbag organisation and while I lust over a Mimco design, I'm content (for now) with my little cheapie from Cotton On in the blue/leopard colourway. On the accessory front I've become interested in earrings once more - the golden discs have been my go-to for special nights out and the sterling silver shepherd's hook style balls have been my favourite for weekdays!

I hope August is shaping up to be a lovely month for you thus far - I'm laid out with a cold but am taking the self-imposed house arrest as time for redecorating and clearing out some unwanted bits and pieces so it isn't all bad. Do you have any tips on how to let go of possessions around the house? I would love to know!
Emma x

*Products provided for consideration but are honest favourites!

Recent Book Haul

I don't know if it's just the change in weather or a change in my mood, but I'm getting back into reading after becoming a bit slack over the last few months. It's been a while since I've actually bought new books to read (a few grabbed at Savers is about all I've done in the past year) so I was excited to purchase some in the last week, and was gifted a stack of others from my sisters stash. All of them seem quite promising and I'm looking forward to some nice nights curled up on the couch reading with a cup of coffee or glass of wine - that cliché heaven for bookworms, you know?

Everyone's current favourite author features quite heavily in the stack as I've wanted to see what all the fuss is about - Liane Moriarty! I picked up her brand new release 'Big Little Lies' from Big W where it was on sale for less than a tenner, and my sister gifted me 'What Alice Forgot' and 'The Hypnotist's Love Story' from her stack of unwanted reads. Also in the stack from my sister was Caroline Overington's 'Matilda is Missing', and on loan from her is 'The Pilot's Wife' by Anita Shreve which both of my sisters rave about and reread often.

 

What really spurred on this book haul was finding out that my local The Book Grocer store was closing down and had subsequently marked all books down to $5 - I promptly picked up Sophie Kinsella's 'Shopaholic to the Stars' which is the latest in the Shopaholic series (a series I adore!) along with Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop by Abby Clements. I'd not heard of that one before but I love most books that deal with small stores and the lives of those involved with it, plus - ice cream! Last but not least I picked up an eBook after seeing this tweet - Mothers and Daughters by Kylie Ladd. My to-read list has grown so much now and I can't wait to sink my teeth into these. Which should I read first?

 

Have you hauled any new reads lately?

What should I buy next?

-Emma

Book Review 2015 : 1-5

The Messenger – Markus Zusak

I was really excited to read another novel from the acclaimed author of ‘The Book Thief’ and the fact that he is a fellow Australian built it all up for me even more. Sadly I don’t think this is the better of his works, but I suppose comparing anything to the tremendous 'TBT' is asking for trouble. At times I felt like I connected with the ‘pathetic’ nature of the protagonist but other times I felt it missed the mark, but ultimately the take away ‘message’ (pun intended) was effective and made me appreciate the novel that much more.

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
I'm really happy to have read this Penguin classic, and even though the prose annoyed me at times I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. It's definitely still a shocking premise to read about and it's made me want to watch the 1997 Lolita film!

Spellbound - Jane Green
Of all the 'chick-lit' available, I always get the best hit from Jane Green and am a long-time fan of her work. This turned the whole 'happily over after' stuff on its head which I liked, though as with many 'chick-lit' novels I was still annoyed by bits of the narrative which were a bit too 'perfect' and set-up for my liking...I thought the characters were well constructed and overall enjoyed reading this.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson
I really enjoyed this novel, it spoke to me from the very start and I found the characters really interesting. Often I get stuck in reading the same types of novels over and over but this was refreshing and I loved the age group of the characters, too (the protagonist is 68) The cover is beautiful and if I recall correctly Mister bought me this at an airport a few years ago - I sure am glad he did, as it was a lovely read.

Straight Talking - Jane Green
Yes, another Jane Green to fulfil my fast-pace chick-lit needs! This was her first novel and it's not my favourite from her - I could see the ending a mile away and some of the characters were a bit too 'meh' for my liking, but overall it was okay and I'm glad to have read another from Green.

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I'm going to be popping up review posts like this with every 5 books I read - I like to reflect on what I've read and since I graduated university I feel like I've become quite slack with it, so hopefully this will push me to think more!

Top recommendation: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave book recommendations in the comments, or tell me what you're reading right now?

 -Emma x

just read

Since I've been on university holidays, I've gotten my teeth stuck back into reading for pleasure again. I set myself a GoodReads challenge at the beginning of November to read 15 books by the end of 2011. I only managed to chew through 9 in the two month period, but I was still really happy with myself when I considered the crazy hours I had at work over that time. This year I've set myself a challenge to read 30 books. 1 down, 29 to go! Here are a selection of the books I read in my first challenge.

-Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

-The Second Wife by Elizabeth Buchan
-Cocktails for Three by Sophie Kinsella as Madeleine Wickham
-The First Stone by Helen Garner
-The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
-Perfume by Patrick Suskind
-Sexing The Cherry by Jeanette Winterson

Top pick from this bunch goes to Patrick Suskind, Perfume was so well written and gripped me by the stomach (nostrils?) and never let me go. Has also got me hooked on scents of all kinds, have been stopping quite often just to sniff and sigh. The First Stone was also marvellous, was a wonderful example of strong non-fiction. A very scandalous subject matter too, which I'll delve into in my GoodReads review. Most disappointing of the bunch would definitely be The Second Wife, which I thought was crap, to be honest. Cliche storyline, characters not appealing or hateable enough for it to be worth it, and dragged on in a whiny fashion. I will note here that I do like chick lit, I find it relaxing, but I wish I hadn't wasted my time reading this particular novel.

Have you read any of these?
Come on over to GoodReads and set yourself a challenge- you can see my profile and track how I'm doing here, and also in my blog sidebar to the left <<
Do leave a comment and let me know what you're reading, or what novels I should download on my new Kindle.
Happy Reading!

Books I Love

I will admit that I spend far more time reading beauty blogs than books nowadays, but if I get hooked by a book I'm lost till it's done. I recently hauled some that will hopefully make it to this list in the future, but for now I will share some books I enjoyed.

The Book Thief- Markus Zuzak

This book moved me beyond belief, and I have urged everyone I've come into contact with to dive into it. The holocaust is such a strong topic, but this is about the beauty of human relationships, and the holocaust is just the setting which I love.

Madame Bovary-Gustave Flaubert

This novel, this author in fact, showed me the beauty that exists in life. I doubt I will ever find anything that I connect with so well as his writing, and he has influenced every facet of my life upon first reading (blog name, for example!) Such a beautiful book, and even if you aren't into 'classics' it has all the features of a trashy chick lit romance (cheating wife, whispering neighbours) but is written well.

Mini Shopaholic-Sophie Kinsella

The most recent addition to Kinsella's stellar Shopaholic series, this centres around Becky Bloomwood's new life as a shopping-obsessed Mumma.

Almost French- Sarah Turnbull

Riveting read about a woman who moved to France and shares with us the struggles that she faces, as well as the beauty of the city. My heart yearns to be back in Paris when I read this (I reread it often)

If anyone has read these, let me know what you thought of them. Or if you have any recommendations for me, throw them in the comment section!

All images taken from The Book Depository, where I purchase most of my reading material.