Uniflame Creates

Project 365: February 2012

2012-02-29T15:12:00.000+01:00

Another month is past so it is time for my monthly 365 update. Still going strong :) Oh and yes, my 365 app thinks February has 31 days. I wonder how it is going to respond tomorrow ;)

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1) Strawberry Smoothie
2) Zoey is making a face ;)
3) Vegetable bag
4) Snow
5) New nail polish
6) Shopping loot
7) Candy
8) Snacks for review
9) Dinner: Bean burgers
10) Vegetable bag
11) A surprise package!
12) Edwin building up the Abunai stand at Tsunacon 2012
13) Cleaned out my nightstand
14) Dinner: Black Salsify-avocado salad
15) Choco bananas match my nails ;)
16) A beauty package I won
17) My first Lush Shampoo bar
18) Dinner: Bean burgers (different recipe)
19) Cat picture
20) Dinner: Pizza
21) Breakfast: home made bread with cheese and cucumber
22) Lunch: Bento with sweet potato curry, red lentil falafel and tomatoes
23) Dinner: Sweet cabbage stir fry with noodles
24) Dinner: Sweet potato mash with green cabbage
25) Breakfast: Home made bread with cheese, cucumber and tomatoes
26) DIY: Braided headband
27) Dinner: More bean burgers with tahin-yoghurt sauce
28) Baking: Arretjescake
29) Owl painting

I spend a lot of time indoors and I have been sick quite a few days this month. This resulted in easy meals and lots of indoor pictures from my new beauty stuff. I hope that with spring arriving, my pictures might get more interesting. However, I mostly forget to take pictures when I am outdoors ;)

How was your month?

Book Review: Grace Williams Says it Loud by Emma Henderson

2012-02-25T12:22:00.012+01:00

Title: Grace Williams Says it Loud
Author: Emma Henderson
Genre: Literary Fiction
Subject: Mental Disability
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Release date: July, 2010
Length: 325 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"The doctors said no more could be done and advised Grace's parents to put her away. On her first day at the Briar Mental Institute, Grace, aged eleven, meets Daniel. Debonair Daniel, an epileptic who can type with his feet, sees a different Grace: someone to share secrets and canoodle with, someone to fight for. A deeply affecting, spirit-soaring story of love against the odds."

Personal opinion:
First of all I have to say that I didn't finish this book.This was not because I didn't want to continue to read it but only because it is a very detailed and slow story and I couldn't renew the book at the library. This book was part of a temporary collection that travels through libraries across the country so the chance that I can borrow it again are slim. Anyway, as far as I read it, it was a really detailed read. Because it is told from Grace's point of view it is a hard read, but it does make it more interesting. What do we actually know about people that can't express themselves? How much do they pick up? That was a theme within the book. Another is how those people were treated in those institutions back in those days. And then there is the relationship between her and Daniel which is very endearing to read about. This is actually quite a good book and I really think it is a shame that I couldn't finish it.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: Chinoiseries
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Winner Literary Giveaway blog hop

2012-02-23T10:04:00.000+01:00

I am happy to announce the winner of the Litarary giveaway blog hop :) I had 67 comment, of which not all were entries. Still plenty of participants for the book :) I also want to say thanks to Judith from Leeswammes for hosting this event again, and also thank you to all the people who like my blog enough to follow it!

Now on to the winner of the book Room!
I used random.org for the winner and it is lucky number 7!
Congrats to Reading mind!
I already informed the winner.

I hope that you will keep following me, and that you will participate in my next giveaway again :)

Book Review: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

2012-02-22T12:48:00.013+01:00

Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author: Lisa See
Genre: Historical Fiction
Subject: Friendship, Chinese Culture
Publisher: Random House
Release date: February 2006 (first in 1991)
Length: 258 pages
I got this book: borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart."

Personal opinion:
I found this book a very interesting read. I never read anything about China before and learning part of the history and rituals through such a story was fascinating.The story could be considered slow but it didn't feel that way because plenty of things happened and the parts that actually were more slow were full of little details about the Chinese culture. Some things shocked me, like the detailed description of the process of the foot binding. I had to lay down the book several times at that point because it made me nauseas. The story was told from a very personal point of view and that made it feel to me like I was there to witness it all. I would recommend this book if you would like to know more about the Chinese culture and especially the life of the women not even so long ago.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Challenges: What's in a name
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

2012-02-18T00:00:00.003+01:00

It is been a long while since I hosted a giveaway so I am happy that I am participating in the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop hosted by Leeswammes again! I will be giving away a copy from Room by Emma Donoghue that I read and loved in 2011. You can read my review here.

You can enter from Saturday February 18th till Wednesday February 22th 2012. Please visit the other blogs too in this blog hop! There is a lot of stuff to win, with over ... participants!

The rules:
- The giveaway is open international! If the book depository ships there.

- You do not have to become a follower of this blog to enter, but if you like my blog, please feel welcome to do so.
- Please comment with your name and e-mail address
- You can enter from February 18th till the 22th 2012. I will announce a winner on Thursday.
- If you are the winner of the giveaway, you have till the end of Sunday (GMT+1) to answer my email, or I will draw a new winner on Monday.
- Note that I will delete invalid entries.
- I am not responsible if the book gets lost or damaged in the mail
- Have fun! :)

Joining the Magical March Challenge

2012-02-15T12:37:00.030+01:00

Adam from Roof Beam Reader is hosting this challenge and because I have some Fantasy books on my shelves that are still unread, I will join this challenge.

Here is the info from Adams blog:

Throughout the month of March, a Mister Linky will be available for pre-registered challengers to link-up their qualifying reviews. There are different “classes” of magician, outlined below, and completion of the various levels could earn you a prize!

Rules:

- You must register with the Mister Linky below prior to March 5th in order to be eligible to participate.
- You must read only “new” books – meaning, no re-reads are allowed. Books for other challenges can be cross-used for this one, but you must read the book and review it in the month of March (previously completed books for other challenges do not qualify).
- You must link up each book review to a separate Mister Linky, which will be available on March 5th (once registrations close).
- Challengers must post on their blog an “Announcement” post, indicating they are participating in this challenge and which level they hope to attain. One completer from each “Class” will be randomly selected to win the corresponding prize for that level.
- You do not need to meet your level in order to win a prize. If you aim for “Grand Merlin Class” but only achieve “Magician’s Class,” you will still be entered into the Magician’s Prize Pool!
- You do not need to list your books in advance, but I plan on doing so (to keep me motivated and to help me stay organized).
- Any Fantasy, Science Fiction, or Magical Realism books will qualify. This means you can read Young Adult, Dystopian, Steampunk, or Alternative Histories.

Other:

*There will be “Weekly Wand Mini-Challenges” posted on each Saturday of the month. These could be trivia challenges, random tasks, blogger treasure hunts, etc. Winners of each challenge will earn a Wand, and those Wands will be tracked to be entered to win another magical prize!

**Ebooks & Audiobooks are acceptable.

The Levels:

Magician’s Class: 1-2 Books Read & Reviewed 1 Book $10 or Less
Sorcerer’s Class: 3-5 Books Read & Reviewed 1 Book $12 or Less
Wizard’s Class: 6-7 Books Read & Reviewed 1 Book $15 or Less
Grand Merlin Class: 8+ Books Read & Reviewed 1+ Book(s) $20 or Less

I will be aiming for the Sorcerer's Class and this is what I plan to read:
1) A Hat Full of Sky - Terry Pratchett
2) Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett
3) The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
4) Some books of the Spiderwick Chronicles series

It could be that some dystopia comes through it, depending on when my books that are on hold at the library come through. I have two on hold and if they come through, I will read those first.

Book Review: The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

2012-02-11T12:37:00.012+01:00

Title: The School of Essential Ingredients
Author: Erica Bauermeister
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Subject: Cooking, Life
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Release date: January, 2009
Length: 256 pages
I got this book: borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"The School of Essential Ingredients follows the lives of eight students who gather in Lillian’s Restaurant every Monday night for cooking class. It soon becomes clear, however, that each one seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen. Students include Claire, a young mother struggling with the demands of her family; Antonia, an Italian kitchen designer learning to adapt to life in America; and Tom, a widower mourning the loss of his wife to breast cancer. Chef Lillian, a woman whose connection with food is both soulful and exacting, helps them to create dishes whose flavor and techniques expand beyond the restaurant and into the secret corners of her students’ lives. One by one the students are transformed by the aromas, flavors, and textures of Lillian’s food, including a white-on-white cake that prompts wistful reflections on the sweet fragility of love and a peppery heirloom tomato sauce that seems to spark one romance but end another. Brought together by the power of food and companionship, the lives of the characters mingle and intertwine, united by the revealing nature of what can be created in the kitchen."

Personal opinion:
I loved the concept of this book. Each chapter was spend with another character. We got to know a problem they encountered and how the cooking lessons effected their life. Sometimes I thought I was reading a collection of short stories instead of one story, even though all the stories were connected. It started with Lillian's story and I found that very interesting. However the first three characters after her didn't really spike my interest and I almost gave up on the book because it didn't draw me in enough. But it seems that the author saved the most interesting stories for last. I was particularly touched by the stories of Tom and Chloe. In the end I am glad I finished the book, but leaving the best for last can be a dangerous technique if the rest isn't all that interesting. I would say, read it if you ever come across it, but don't go out of your way to get it.

It was okay.

Purchase links: Amazon
Challenges: Foodies Reading Challenge
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

This post is part of Weekend Cooking. Make sure to check out which foodies books other people have read :)

Joining the Dystopia 2012 Challenge

2012-02-08T12:47:00.000+01:00

Last year is discovered this genre and I am really into it. I just love books that are set in societies that are very different from our own. Therefore I want to read more books in this genre in 2012 and the challenge that is hosted by Bookish Ardour fits that perfectly.

It is a very open challenge and a lot is allowed. You can even read graphic novels. Not that I know any in this genre, but it is awesome that the challenge is so easily accessible.
There are multiple levels to choose from and I will be joining in at the lowest level of Asocial, read 5 dystopian books. I do this because the next level is 15, and in combination with my other challenges the chance is big that I won't make 15.

My list of books:
1) Revealing Eden by Victoria Foyd - Read
2) Crossed by Ally Condie - On hold at library
3) Delirium by Lauren Oliver - On hold at library
4)
5)

I have some more books that are on my wishlist that would qualify, but it mostly depends on what I can pick up at the library.I might end up reading more, but we'll see :)

If you are curious about joining this challenge please go to the sign- up post at Bookish Ardour for all the details. Do you like Dystopian books?

~~Are you my mommy? Doctor Who fans will get it ;) (couldn't resist)~~

Book Review: Papinette by Kristien Dieltiens

2012-02-04T12:14:00.063+01:00

Title: Papinette
Author: Kristien Dieltiens
Genre: Historical Fiction
Subject: Servants Household
Publisher: Clavis
Release date: July, 2009
Length: 239 pages
I got this book: Through Bookcrossing

Summary:
Papinette is a fatherless child from one of the kitchen maids in a rich household. She knows what she want and is strong willed and this isn't always appreciated by the adults in her life. She learns about life through food, smells and nature.She makes friends with the son of the household, to much dismay from his mother. This is the story of how Papinette grows from child into adulthood as a servant girl in Antwerpen, Belgium of the 16th century and gives an impression of the life back then.

Personal opinion:
First of all, I am not sure if this book is translated into English or not but I wanted to write a review about it because it fits the foodies reading challenge. The book was a bit slow going for me, but I did enjoy reading it. Papinette is an enjoyable character who made me laugh throughout the book. She started out as a strong girl and even though she has to endure plenty of hardships as she grew older, she stayed strong through all of it. Other than that I liked the impressions of the life back then that I got through this book. A lot of it is spend in the kitchen of the household and the kind of food they prepared. Art is another subject that gets touched. In fact the book is inspired by a series of paintings that portrayed the same two women in every day life scenes. The book is funny, realistic and bitter-sweet.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Bol.com
Challenges: Foodies Reading Challenge
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Project 365: January 2012

2012-02-01T12:04:00.000+01:00

So I am 3 months in and still going strong. I never have been able to be this consistent with the challenge, so I am happy :)

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01) Saying goodbye to the angry owl that hung on the toilet for over a year, because I got a new calendar now.
02) My new addiction: Nail Polish!
03) New Years Leftover bento
04) Dinner: Baked potatoes, broccoli and fish fingers, all from the oven because our stove broke.
05) Testing my new eye shadow
06) Vegetable bag
07) Trying a new color of nail polish
08) Dinner: Pumpkin-Cranberry Risotto (recipe on my other blog: She Likes Bento)
09) For the stash: Cranberry Muffins (recipe on my other blog: She Likes Bento)
10) My first homemade bread from the machine
11) School day, working with clay
12) The kitty also likes the homemade bread ;)
13) Vegetable bag
14) Pretty colors in the sky
15) Dinner: BBQ Tempeh sandwich (recipe on my other blog: She Likes Bento)
16) Lunch: Homemade bread with cheese and egg.
17) Dinner: Broccoli Soup (recipe on my other blog: She Likes Bento)
18) Veggies from the market
19) Kitty!~
20) Me before going outside, it was cold!
21) Dinner: Takeout Sushi
22) More kitty~
23) My Round Robin booklet came home!
24) Bento
25) School day - one more lesson in clay
26) Boring picture of my clean table
27) Visiting a farm
28) Having fun at the gopher dinner ;)
29) Lunch - Homemade bread with cheese, tomato and cucumber
30) Dinner: Oven dish with nachos, avocado, bell pepper, corn and sour cream (recipe to come)
31) Dinner: Gnocchi with mushroom-cream cheese sauce (recipe to come)

How was your month?

Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

2012-01-28T12:23:00.002+01:00

Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Genre: Magical Realism, Fantasy
Subject: Magic, Romance
Publisher: Doubleday
Release date: September, 2011
Length: 387 pages
I got this book: borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead."

Personal opinion:
It is hard to say much about this book without giving crucial points away. But I can say this: this is truly a magical and unique story. I loved the way it was told even though it switched between viewpoints. There are even chapters that you, as reader, visit the circus yourself, which is a nice addition. I love the development of the story and the characters, but somewhere in the middle of the book the book becomes kind of slow. It will pick up again in the last 100 pages or so and from that point it was hard to put the book down. In my opinion this book deserves the current hype that is around it and it is the best book I have read in a while. Besides a story about a circus without a single clown in it, is always a plus.

Loved it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Challenges: What's in a name challenge, wishlist challenge
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: Revealing Eden by Victoria Foyt

2012-01-25T12:26:00.002+01:00

Title: Revealing Eden
Author: Victoria Foyt
Genre: Dystopia, YA
Subject: Alternative societies
Publisher: Sand Dollar Press Inc.
Release date: January, 2012
Length: 307 pages
I got this book: from the writer/publisher for review.

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Eden Newman must mate before her 18th birthday in six months or she'll be left outside to die in a burning world. But who will pick up her mate-option when she's cursed with white skin and a tragically low mate-rate of 15%? In a post-apocalyptic, totalitarian, underground world where class and beauty are defined by resistance to an overheated environment, Eden's coloring brands her as a member of the lowest class, a weak and ugly Pearl. If only she can mate with a dark-skinned Coal from the ruling class, she'll be safe. Just maybe one Coal sees the Real Eden and will be her salvation her co-worker Jamal has begun secretly dating her. But when Eden unwittingly compromises her father's secret biological experiment, she finds herself in the eye of a storm and thrown into the last area of rainforest, a strange and dangerous land. Eden must fight to save her father, who may be humanity's last hope, while standing up to a powerful beast-man she believes is her enemy, despite her overwhelming attraction. Eden must change to survive but only if she can redefine her ideas of beauty and of love, along with a little help from her "adopted aunt" Emily Dickinson."

Personal opinion:
I really liked this book. It was a fast paced story and while I didn't read it in one sitting, I was always eager to continue reading when I had the time. In this case I liked the story better than the character development. That doesn't mean there wasn't any, because there was but Eden only changed her attitude towards everything fairly late in the story and sometimes she did came across as selfish. However there was a lot she had to take in and these things do take time, so in that aspect her character development was mostly realistic. Story wise there happens a lot and while barely surviving one event, the next already follows, sometimes because of Eden's own decisions. I can't wait to read the rest of the series to see how things will continue. This will be a good read for people who like dystopian novels and fast paced action.

I really liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Challenges: Dystopia 2012
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

ABC - Tag

2012-01-23T18:36:00.000+01:00

Because I thought it was fun to share something personal and I like to fill in stuff like this :)

A. Age: 22 (Growing up is overrated)
B. Best Friend: Mark, but I have a few very good friends.
C. Chore you hate: Doing dishes
D. Dreamhouse: With a pool.
E. Essential start of your day: Checking twitter, mail and bloglovin' with tea and the daylight lamp
F. Favorite Color: Blue and Purple
G. Gold or Silver: Silver <3
H. Height: 1.64
I. Instruments I play: None #allmymusiccries
J. Job title ( most recent ): Art-Student..?

K. Kids: Nope, but I have cats ;)
L. Life is incomplete with: Cats ;) And the people I care about.
M. Music that you always listen to: Depends on the mood ~
N. Nickname: Uniflame, CynCyn, Cynni-Chan
O. Overnight Hospital Stays: As a child
P. Phobias or fears: Dentist, Doctors, Needles, a lot.
Q. Quote from a movie: Dunno....
R. Reason to smile: If my BF does something silly ;)

S. Siblings: Nope, but did I mention I have cats ;)
T. Time you wake up: 9.00AM
U. Underwear: Black & Pink
V. Very important date this year: 24-26 August, it is Abunai and my b-day on the 25th ;)
X. X-ray you’ve done: A few years ago, from my stomach.
Y. Yummie food you made: Sushi ~
Z. Zoo animal: Penguins

Book Review: The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

2012-01-21T12:30:00.017+01:00

Title: The Kitchen Daughter
Author: Jael McHenry
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Magical Realism
Subject: Food, Autism, Grief, Family
Publisher: Gallery
Release date: April, 2011
Length: 272 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"After the unexpected death of her parents, painfully shy and sheltered 26-year-old Ginny Selvaggio seeks comfort in cooking from family recipes. But the rich, peppery scent of her Nonna’s soup draws an unexpected visitor into the kitchen: the ghost of Nonna herself, dead for twenty years, who appears with a cryptic warning (“do no let her…”) before vanishing like steam from a cooling dish.

A haunted kitchen isn’t Ginny’s only challenge. Her domineering sister, Amanda, (aka “Demanda”) insists on selling their parents’ house, the only home Ginny has ever known. As she packs up her parents’ belongings, Ginny finds evidence of family secrets she isn’t sure how to unravel. She knows how to turn milk into cheese and cream into butter, but she doesn’t know why her mother hid a letter in the bedroom chimney, or the identity of the woman in her father’s photographs. The more she learns, the more she realizes the keys to these riddles lie with the dead, and there’s only one way to get answers: cook from dead people’s recipes, raise their ghosts, and ask them."

Personal opinion:
This book is about a undiagnosed woman/girl with Aspergers Syndrome. Because it also was about food, I really wanted to read it. To be honest I didn't even know there would be Magical Realism involved because the back of the Dutch cover didn't mention it. I thought this book did portray the struggles of someone with a form of autism in a very realistic way. I could understand her coping mechanisms well, having a form of autism myself. The one thing I found unrealistic was that Ginny hasn't been diagnosed for so long, while the problems she had were kind of severe. I really disliked Amanda who clearly didn't understand how she should approach Ginny. While I can see her point of view somewhat, I know that forcing someone with autism into change clearly has the opposite effect, so I could feel Ginny's stress. Plot wise there happens a lot in a short time, but the main focus is about how Ginny grows as a person and how she learns to function as an adult in her own way. I thought this was a very good book that combines a few of my favorite genres together. In intended to try one of the recipes from the book, but I had to return it to the library before I had the chance to do so.

I really liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Challenges: Foodies Reading Challenge 2, Wishlist Challenge
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

This post is part of Weekend Cooking. Make sure you check out the other participants as well. There are a lot of reviews about great foodie books to be found.

Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

2012-01-18T12:14:00.015+01:00

Title: Where She Went
Author: Gayle Forman
Genre: YA
Subject: Music, Romance, Dealing with grief
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release date: April, 2011
Length: 264 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance."

Personal opinion:
When I read If I stay earlier in 2011, I really wanted to read Where She Went to see how it continued. However our Dutch library didn't have it until late 2011, so I had to wait quite some time. Luckily, I still remembered how the story went, so I could pick it right up. At the beginning I didn't really like that the book was written from Adams point of view. Was this weak boy really the same guy from the first book? No he clearly wasn't because a lot had changed. When the book continued more becomes clear what happened in the past between when Mia woke up and the point they are now. While not written from Mia's point of view, we still get to experience a lot from her side of the story as well as Adams. The further I got in, the more I loved this book. It gives a nice impression of what grief can do to you and how people deal with it differently to survive.

I really liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: My review from If I Stay.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Joining the Foodies Reading Challenge 2

2012-01-14T12:25:00.008+01:00

I think most of you already heard of this challenge, but in case you don't you know it now :)

This is the second year that Margot of Joyfully Retired hosts this challenge. It is for everyone who loves food and to read at the same time :)

Here is how the challenge works: (copied from the blog)

1. Decide how many food books you want to read in 2012. Pick one of the reading levels below. Remember, this is a challenge, so try pushing yourself. Participants from last year, please notice I’ve pushed the numbers up a bit. Levels:

Short-Order Cook: 1 to 3 books
Pastry Chef: 4 to 8 books
Sous-Chef: 9 to 13 books
Chef de Cuisine: 14 to 18
Cordon-Bleu Chef: More than 19

2. Grab the challenge button and write a post on your blog so we can spread the word. No blog? That’s okay. Sign up in the comments section.

3. After you read each book for the challenge, come back here and tell us about it. On January 1st I’ll provide pages so you can post links for your reviews. We’ll use the same categories as last year: Cookbooks, Memoirs/Biographies, Fiction, and Nonfiction. I’ll also include a page where you link up your Challenge Wrap-Up post.

Guidelines:

The challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2012.
You don’t need a pre-selected list of books.
It’s okay to cross over with other challenges.
Any book format is allowed (print, audio, ebook)

Sign Up Here: at the Foodies Read 2 blog.

I will join in at the highest level again which means I will have to read more than 19 books. Because you may also include cookbooks, this is doable for me. The food novels will be reviewed here and the cookbooks on my other blog She Likes Bento. In fact I am reviewing a cookbook there today! So if you are curious, hop over to check it out! I also have read The Kitchen Daughter already and I have borrowed The School of Essential Ingredients from the library. So look forward to reviews of those in the next Weekend Cooking posts :)

My list:
- The Rabbit Food Cookbook - Read
- The Kitchen Daughter - Read
- The School of Essential Ingredients - Read
- Papinette - Read
- Everyday Happy Herbivore - Read

Will you be joining the Foodies Reading Challenge?

This post is part of Weekend Cooking. Make sure you check out what other participants are up to, and maybe you will find the perfect book to start off your Foodies Reading Challenge with :)

Book Review: Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende

2012-01-11T12:39:00.007+01:00

Title: Island Beneath the Sea
Author: Isabel Allende
Genre: Historical Fiction
Subject: Slavery
Publisher: Harper
Release date: May, 2010
Length: 457 pages
I got this book: from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Born a slave on the island of Saint-Domingue, Zarité -- known as Tété -- is the daughter of an African mother she never knew and one of the white sailors who brought her into bondage. Though her childhood is one of brutality and fear, Tété finds solace in the traditional rhythms of African drums and in the voodoo loas she discovers through her fellow slaves.

When twenty-year-old Toulouse Valmorain arrives on the island in 1770, it’s with powdered wigs in his baggage and dreams of financial success in his mind. But running his father’s plantation, Saint-Lazare, is neither glamorous nor easy. It will be eight years before he brings home a bride -- but marriage, too, proves more difficult than he imagined. And Valmorain remains dependent on the services of his teenaged slave.

Spanning four decades, Island Beneath the Sea is the moving story of the intertwined lives of Tété and Valmorain, and of one woman’s determination to find love amid loss, to offer humanity though her own has been battered, and to forge her own identity in the cruellest of circumstances."

Personal opinion:
It took me a good while to finish this book. This is because it is really detailed and spans over a huge amount of time. Also it is written from different perspectives even though every character is bound to Tete in some way, and he story is the red thread throughout the book. She is a very strong female who is stubborn and determined to make the most of the situations in every way she can. She also seems to be extremely lucky in most situations but it is mostly her strength that eventually enables her to make a life of her own. Even though it took me a few weeks to finish while reading other books in between, this doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy this book. In fact I found it a very good read. Almost every side story line was interesting and it gave the story more depth. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read within the historical fiction genre.

I really liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten

2012-01-07T12:15:00.002+01:00

Title: Saving Max
Author: Antoinette van Heugten
Genre: Thriller
Subject: Murder, Family bonds, Autism
Publisher: Mira
Release date: September, 2010
Length: 376 pages
I got this book: Through Bookcrossing

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Max Parkman—autistic and whip-smart, emotionally fragile and aggressive—is perfect in his mother's eyes. Until he's accused of murder.
Attorney Danielle Parkman knows her teenage son Max's behavior has been getting worse—using drugs and lashing out. But she can't accept the diagnosis she receives at a top-notch adolescent psychiatric facility that her son is deeply disturbed. Dangerous.
Until she finds Max, unconscious and bloodied, beside a patient who has been brutally stabbed to death.
Trapped in a world of doubt and fear, barred from contacting Max, Danielle clings to the belief that her son is innocent. But has she, too, lost touch with reality? Is her son really a killer?
With the justice system bearing down on them, Danielle steels herself to discover the truth, no matter what it is. She'll do whatever it takes to find the killer and to save her son from being destroyed by a system that's all too eager to convict him."

Personal opinion:
I have to admit that thrillers aren't really my genre, but it sounded interesting and I often do read fiction and non-fiction about autism. I hoped that I would learn about what went on in Max' head while he did or didn't commit the murder. Nothing of that though. The book was entirely about his mother's life, at least up until the point where I quit reading, and Max does play a huge part in that, but it isn't so much about how Max feels then all the things that his mother struggles with. This book had all the ingredients of one of those cheese romance thrillers. She meets someone while she is in a hotel near Max' location, and THE most cheap sex scene follows. Then of course the mystery guy turns out to be the lawyer that will defend Max later on. In the meantime the mother also tries to save her own career as a lawyer. All in all it was a lot of clichés, and nothing of what I hoped it would be. This is the worst book that I have read in 2011 for sure.

I hated it.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Project 365: December 2011

2012-01-04T15:25:00.001+01:00

My 2nd month of project 365 completed! There are slightly less food pictures towards the end of the year simply because I only made very easy dishes when the busy holidays approached.

Click for bigger

1) Dinner: Sweet Chili Rice with celery and mushrooms.
2) Vegetable bag
3) Sweet Potato Onigiri
4) Belsammael acting silly
5) Dinner: Carrot Lasagna
6) Bento: Chimichurri rice and muffins
7) Cat in the laundry basket
8) Dinner: Creamy leek and spinach pasta
9) Vegetable bag
10) Bento: Falafel, shii take puffs and muffin
11) Dinner: Gnocchi in courgette sauce
12) Dinner: Baked potatoes, bean burgers and coleslaw
13) Bento: Rice and sajoer beans, bean burger, muffin and apple
14) Dinner: Mini broccoli leek quiches
15) Homework assignment
16) Vegetable bag
17) Dinner: Sushi in a restaurant for Fhants b-day
18) Decorated x-mas tree
19) Homework assignment
20) Bento: Gnocchi in courgette sauce, white bean pate, cucumber and muffin
21) Dinner: Mushroom ragout and Turkish bread
22) Started to read the Night Circus (and still not finished, oops)
23) Random cat picture
24) Chocolate for x-mas
25) X-mas kitty
26) Dinner: The leftovers from family x-mas dinner
27) Silly picture of me with an owl hat
28) Loot from shopping day with friends to spend x-mas money
29) View from the balcony
30) Sleeping kitties
31) Dinner: "Gourmetten" with friends

If you are interested in certain recipes, go take a look at the recipe index on my other blog: She Likes Bento. If I liked something enough to make it again, it is probably on there :)

The What's in a Name Challenge

2012-01-03T14:15:00.002+01:00

A new year brings new reading challenges so slowly but surely I will sign up for various challenges :)

The What's in a Name Challenge is hosted by Beth Fish Reads. You need to read six books in several categories which each have a theme. The book titles need to match the categories. Luckily you may overlap with other challenges.

1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title:
2. A book with something you’d see in the sky in the title: Probably the Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title: The Spiderwick Chronicles
4. A book with a type of house in the title: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
5. A book with something you’d carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Snow Flower and the secret fan by Lisa See.
6. A book with a something you’d find on a calendar in the title:

It sounds like a fun challenge and I am curious if I will be able to do it :)

Book Review: Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott

2011-12-14T13:06:00.000+01:00

Title: Good to a Fault
Author: Marina Endicott
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Subject: Family Relationships
Publisher: Freehand Books
Release date: July, 2008
Length: 480 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Clara Purdy is at a crossroads. At forty-three, she is divorced, living in her late parents' house, and near-ing her twentieth year as a claims adjuster at a local insurance firm. Driving to the bank during her lunch hour, she crashes into a sharp left turn, taking the Gage family in the other car with her. When bruises on the mother, Lorraine, prove to be late-stage cancer, Clara decides to do the right thing. She moves Lorraine's three children and their terrible grandmother into her own house—and then has to cope with the consequences of practical goodness: exhaustion, fury, hilarity, and unexpected love.

What, exactly, does it mean to be good? What do we owe each other in this life, and what do we deserve? Good to a Fault is an ultimately joyful book that digs deep, with leavening humor, into questions of morality, class, and social responsibility. Marina Endicott looks at life and death through the compassionate, humane lens of a born novelist: being good, being at fault, and finding some balance in between."

Personal opinion:
I have to admit that I didn't finish this book. I stopped reading at page 175. Technically I just left it there and then I didn't pick it up until it had to go back to the library. It is not that I didn't like the book, I did. I liked the concept, even though a bit unbelievable. I loved Dolly, even though she does some things that would be considered wrong. But the pace... it was just too slow to keep me interested enough to keep reading. I especially disliked the parts between Clara and the priest, who has a love interest in her. I can't remember what the priest is called. I kind of want to know how the book ended, but time just ran out. I guess I just wasn't in the mood for something as slow paced as this book was. I do think it is a nice book, but it just wasn't for me at this time and place.

It was okay.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: Leeswammes
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Foodies Reading Challenge Wrap up

2011-12-10T15:41:00.000+01:00

I signed up for this challenge hosted by Margot from Joyfully retired at the end of January 2011. This will be my wrap up post to share what I have read this year in food related books, even though I might read another cookbook or two before the end of the year, but then I will just edit this later ;) I committed to the reading level of a Glutton, which meant that I had to read 12 more more foodie books. I have succeeded to do this and even more ;)

What I have read:
Face food by Christopher D. Salyers
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Runaway by Wendelin van Draanen
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook by Susan Yuen
Life from Scratch by Melissa Ford
Ravenous by Dayna Macy
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Fresh & Fast Vegetarian by Marie Simmons
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Vegan Family Meals by Ann Gentry
The Vegetarian Student Cookbook
Quick-Fix Vegan by Robin Robertson
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn
Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard
Puur Plantaardig (Purely Plant based) by Antoinette Hertsenburg and Jacinta Bokma
Fine Cooking Cookies by Fine Cooking Magazine
Just Tacos by Shelley Wiseman
Jamie's 30-minute Meals by Jamie Oliver

This makes 19 books in total! I enjoyed participating in this challenge very much and I will also be doing this challenge again in 2012. It is a great challenge that does combine well with both my blogs :) So see you in 2012 all!

Book Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

2011-12-07T11:19:00.025+01:00

Title: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction
Subject: Sexual Abuse
Publisher: Puffin
Release date: April, 2001
Length: 208 pages
I got this book: Won it from Judith at Leeswammes

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"When Melinda Sordino's friends discover she called the police to quiet a party, they ostracize her, turning her into an outcast -- even among kids she barely knows. But even worse than the harsh conformity of high-school cliques is a secret that you have to hide."

Personal opinion:
I really liked reading this book. It was on my wishlist for a while so I was glad that I could choose it when I won the Ugly Covers Competition at Judiths blog. I felt for Melinda for what she is going through at school every day. I can remember all too well that I hated high school myself and how hard it was to deal with it, so for that part I could totally feel with her. As that haven't been enough, there is more that happened that makes it even more difficult for Melinda to fit in. The art project she was assigned is such a nice addition to the story and how Melinda was able to heal eventually through art. I know all to well how that can work for you. The summary doesn't do this book justice in this case. It is a quick read, so if you have some time, I can gladly recommend this book to people who love to read the YA genre.

I really liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Project 365: November 2011

2011-12-03T12:17:00.001+01:00

Or I should say: my month in food because most pictures that I took are from food. Anyway, I attempted project 365 before, where you take 1 picture every day. But it was too much hassle, getting my camera out and such, decided what to photograph and when I finally went somewhere, I forgot to bring my camera ;) Now there is an project 365 app on the iPhone and I tired again on my 3Gs because I had it with me all the time. It went better, but the 3G couldn't do any night pictures or indoor pictures so that didn't work either. Well now I have a iPhone 4 which makes better pictures (not that great but it is acceptable to me, I tried again in November and guess what?! I managed to take a picture EVERY day in the past month. Soooo even if it is mostly of food, which is the highlight of my mostly indoor days, here are my project pictures for November 2011.

Click on the image for a larger version

1) Dinner: Rice with mixed beans
2) Dinner: Homemade vegetarian sushi
3) Breakfast in bed with cat-table
4) Vegetable bag
5) Cookies!
6) DnD Sunday (Dungeons and Dragons with friends)
7) Workshop painting at by Kris
8) Lap-Warmer while watching TV
9) Dinner: Pasta with Quick Tomato Sauce
10) Dinner: Roti with potatoes and beans
11) Vegetable bag
12) Gooood morning to you too!
13) Bomb and tentacle in my shoe from Sinterklaas
14) Dinner: Mushroom Stroganoff
15) Dinner: Quick Lo Mein
16) Lunch: "Beschuitjes" with cheese, tomatoes and rocket lettuce
17) Lunch: Pizza Muffins
18) Vegetable bag
19) Lunch: Kohlrabi Soup
20) Cat demands attention
21) Dinner: Stuffed Pumpkin
22) My bento for school
23) Sick day with cheeky kitty
24) Snack: Cucumber with nori and soy sauce
25) Vegetable bag
26) Dinner: Samosas with cucumber-yoghurt dip
27) Celebrating Sinterklaas with friends - these are the snacks
28) Dinner: Pesto Pasta and Fennel Beans
29) Dinner: Baked potatoes and rutabaga in peanut sauce
30) Dinner: Sunchoke Soup and bread

So how was your month? After seeing this, I wonder if I shouldn't have posted this on my other blog: She Likes Bento. But I used to post my project 365 pictures here before. Speaking of my other blog, if you are curious about some of the above dishes, you will be able to find a recipe for most of them there. Here is a link to the list of recipes on She Likes Bento :)

Don't forget to visit Weekend Cooking if you are interested in anything food related. The posts from all the participants are a great source for new inspiration!

Book Review: The Legend of Zelda by Akira Himekawa

2011-11-30T12:20:00.001+01:00

Title: The Legends of Zelda - A Link to the Past
Author: Akira Himekawa
Genre: Manga
Subject: Adventure, fantasy
Publisher: VIZ Media
Release date: February, 2010
Length: 192 pages
I got this book: From my boyfriends manga stash

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"A Link to the Past A terrible tragedy befalls Link's family and friends when the traitorous Agahnim launches a plot to seize the Triforce and unleash a terrible evil on the world. To bring justice to Agahnim, Link needs the Master Sword and sets off on a quest to find it. Link's journey may also help him discover what happened to his parents, and while Agahnim's minions and traps are dangerous, this link to the past may be even more challenging!"

Personal opinion:
I have to read two more manga for the manga 2011 challenge so I decided to nose through my boyfriends stash, because sadly I haven't bought as much manga as I hoped this year. This manga is based on a video game that I really enjoyed playing when I was a kid. Sadly this manga doesn't really live up to my expectations. The storyline was different from the game and while that can be all right, in this case it wasn't to me. They added extra elements to make the story more interesting, yet they rush through the story to fit it all in one manga. Such a pity, I think. The graphics were okay but the action scenes were hard to follow sometimes. Yet, this could be me because I have this problem with every action manga that I read. Anyway, it was an okay read, but not really what I hoped for.

It was okay.

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Other reviews: None yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: Before I Go to Sleep by S J Watson

2011-11-26T13:23:00.001+01:00

Title: Before I Go to Sleep
Author: S J Watson
Genre: Thriller
Subject: Memory Loss (can't say more, or else I would spoil)
Publisher: Harper
Release date: January, 2011
Length: 360 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me ...' Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine's life."

Personal opinion:
Normally I rarely read thrillers, they are just not really my thing. However after reading about this book, I did became intrigued and wanted to give it a try. I am glad I did, because I liked this book very much. Because the thriller bit doesn't come in until the very end, this was perfectly readable for me. Of course there are some clues throughout the book that things aren't quite right but they are explained away. Still there is some level of uneasiness. I really liked how the author portrayed Christine's thoughts in this way. The only thing I wonder about if how she would have had the time to write as much each day as she did. Still while not being totally realistic on that aspect, it is interesting to see Christine grow and improve throughout the book. I liked how we were able to get a peek inside the head of someone with this kind of disability and the thriller parts weren't anything I couldn't handle.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: Leeswammes, Daisy's Book Journal, So many books, so little time
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Wishlist Challenge 2012

2011-11-24T15:57:00.004+01:00

Judith at Leeswammes hosts a wishlist challenge in 2012. I had my doubts if I wanted to sign up for this, because I have no idea if I can get the books I want. I am mostly depending on my library because I can hardly afford to buy any books, but here I am, doing it anyway ;)

So here’s the wishlist challenge:

Read 12 books (one for every month of the year) that you would like to read, but don’t already have on your shelves.

Rules

1. The challenge runs from January 1st, 2012 to December 31st, 2012.

2. You are to read 12 books from your current wishlist. If you don’t have a list anywhere, write down books that you are eager to read, that you don’t own yet, and choose 12 books off that list.

3. If you can’t find a book that’s on your wishlist (your library doesn’t have it, or you don’t want/can’t buy it) then you can use another book. But: you are not allowed to include any NEWLY added books for this challenge. So, whatever your list is now, that’s it.

I.e. you can’t read amazing things about a book on someone else’s blog, decide you want to read it, then read it for the Wishlist Challenge. The opposite is true: you want to read something for the Wishlist Challenge, so you go to your wishlist, find a book that was on that wishlist before January 1st, 2012, and read it for the challenge.

4. You can overlap with other challenges, as long as you read books that were on your wishlist before January 1st, 2012.

5. Sign up here by leaving a comment with a link to your announcement post for this challenge. I will then add it to the linky list below.

6. When you’ve read your 12 books, come back here and leave a comment with a link to your final post about the challenge. Make sure you’ve done this by January 15th, 2013

I have a wishlist on Goodreads with loads of books on them that called out to me at the time (but some not anymore, I need to clean it out.) and I picked out 12 for this challenge.

My List:
1) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - Read
2) The Kitchen Daughter by Jeal McHenry - Read
3) Crossed by Ally Condie - On hold at library
4) Among Others by Jo Walton
5) Eve by Anna Carey
6) When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
7) Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams
8) Orchards by Holly Thompson
9) Bitter Melon by Cara Chow
10) Season to Taste by Molly Birnbaum
11) Chi's Sweet Home vol.3 by Kanata Konami
12) With the Light vol.5 by Keiko Tobe

Reserves:
Because I cannot get everything in the library and I know I can get these, they will be my stand ins, if I can't get certain books. These were already on my wishlist though.
1) Where She Went by Gayle Forman - Read
2) Left Neglected by Lisa Genova - On hold at library
3) Grace Willams Says it Loud - Currently borrowed from library

I have honestly no idea if I will make it because I only read about one or two books a week and then it can be a bit much. But at least I do have an excuse to read some books of my wishlist ;)

Book Review: Elf Girl by Rev Jen

2011-11-23T11:05:00.012+01:00

Title: Elf Girl
Author: Rev Jen
Genre: Non-Fiction
Subject: Geekdom
Publisher: Gallery
Release date: November, 2011
Length: 288 pages
I got this book: from the publisher for review

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Artist, mail-order Reverend, and all-around creative type Rev Jen is known for sporting elf ears and being curator of a Troll Museum inside her sixth-floor walkup apartment on the lower east side of New York City. She counts among her accomplishments being creator and host of “Anti-Slam,” an open-mike series where everyone gets a perfect ten (which The Village Voice calls “performance meets cry for help”), and working as a Christmas Elf at Bloomingdales. Now, this anti- Sex and the City girl and cheerleader for nonconformists, geeks, and oddballs of the world delivers a funnier, quirkier version of I Was Told There’d Be Cake or The Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club . She’s zany, eccentric, and hopeful, and her unchecked candor makes her impossible not to love, as she recounts various tales from her colorful life."

Personal opinion:
I picked this up because I thought I would enjoy reading about a fellow geeky artist. The first few chapters were funny and I even laughed out loud a few times so things started off promising. I liked the quirkiness of the way Rev deals with life in the beginning but as I continued, it just became exhausting. I couldn't believe that someone can act like this ALL the time and after a few more chapters where my dislike for the story kept growing, I gave up and decided that I wouldn't finish this book. It was just too much for me, and I am pretty quirky myself but I just didn't buy it.

Bwah! I didn't like it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: none yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman

2011-11-19T12:21:00.004+01:00

Title: When God was a Rabbit
Author: Sarah Winman
Genre: Literary Fiction
Subject: Family, relationships
Publisher: Headline Review
Release date: March, 2011
Length: 325 pages
I got this book: through bookcrossing

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"This is a book about a brother and a sister. It's a book about secrets and starting over, friendship and family, triumph and tragedy, and everything in between. More than anything, it's a book about love in all its forms.

In a remarkably honest and confident voice, Sarah Winman has written the story of a memorable young heroine, Elly, and her loss of innocence-a magical portrait of growing up and the pull and power of family ties. From Essex and Cornwall to the streets of New York, from 1968 to the events of 9/11, When God Was a Rabbit follows the evolving bond of love and secrets between Elly and her brother Joe, and her increasing concern for an unusual best friend, Jenny Penny, who has secrets of her own. With its wit and humor, engaging characters whose eccentricities are adroitly and sometimes darkly drawn, and its themes of memory and identity, When God Was a Rabbit is a love letter to true friendship and fraternal love."

Personal opinion:
If I was only allowed to describe this book in one word, it would be quirky. The youth of Elly, her family, her best friend are all a bit out of the ordinary. The book addresses things that are normally kept quiet behind closed curtains. This wasn't a quick read for me but it did keep me interested enough to continue to read. I had no idea that eventually this story would lead to the disaster of 9/11 so that came as a bit of a surprise to me. Sometimes the book is a bit all over the place but it was still easy enough to follow and sometimes very funny. I surely enjoyed myself reading it.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: Leeswammes, Turning Pages
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

2011-11-16T13:23:00.049+01:00

Title: The Pledge
Author: Kimberly Derting
Genre: Dystopia
Subject: Alternative society
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release date: November 15th, 2011
Length: 320 pages
I got this book: From the publisher for review

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime."

Personal opinion:
This was my third and last read during the readathon and it was a good choice. The book is easy enough to follow, yet the plot line still is interesting to keep me reading. The story was sometimes predictable but not to a degree that it became annoying. I liked the character development that was happening but it wasn't pure character based because there was also enough action in the book. It was a nice mix of the two and to me that was what made it interesting. All the events come to a nice wrap up at the end but it also leaves a door open to the next part of this series which I will be happy to read as well when the time comes. This is a really nice book for a Sunday afternoon to read in one sitting.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Weekend Cooking: The Kitchen Counter Cooking School

2011-11-13T08:00:00.072+01:00

For this Weekend Cooking I have a double review with Leeswammes. We both read the book around the same time and asked each other questions (see below). Make sure to check out her review as well!

Title: The Kitchen Counter Cooking School
Author: Kathleen Flinn
Genre: Non-Fiction
Subject: Cooking, Food
Publisher: Viking Adult
Release date: September, 2011
Length: 304 pages
I got this book: From the publisher for review through NetGalley.

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"The author of The Sharper Your Knife tells the inspiring story of how she helped nine others find their inner cook.

After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, writer Kathleen Flinn returned with no idea what to do next, until one day at a supermarket she watched a woman loading her cart with ultraprocessed foods. Flinn's "chefternal" instinct kicked in: she persuaded the stranger to reload with fresh foods, offering her simple recipes for healthy, easy meals.

The Kitchen Counter Cooking School includes practical, healthy tips that boost readers' culinary self-confidence, and strategies to get the most from their grocery dollar, and simple recipes that get readers cooking."

Personal opinion:
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fun to have a peek in the eating habits of the participants and to be able to follow all the changes they made throughout the course. In between the story there are snippets of information about healthy cooking. So not only the participants but also the readers gain the insights on how easy it can be to cook more healthy. In between chapters there are all kinds of easy and useful recipes and I am convinced that there is something to learn for everyone in this book. I do have to admit that I did skip two meat chapters because I couldn't read about how people cut up a chicken. I don't eat meat myself for the very reason that I know where the meat comes from and I don't need another lesson on that ;) I can recommend this book to all foodie book lovers and especially to the people who eat a lot of processed foods. This book is a great eye opener.

I really liked it!

Questions:
Judith: Did the book inspire you to cook more healthily?

Uniflame: I am not sure if I can call it more healthy because I
already cook out of the box on most occasions, but I do want to expand
what I am doing even further, thanks to some new information in the
book.

Judith: Do you think the women in the book are representative for the
women in our own country (the Netherlands) or do we generally cook
healthier than them?

Uniflame: Yes and no. I do see more and more people cooking from boxes
because they don't know how to make their own pasta sauce but here the
counter movement is already on it's way. I do still think that
families eat more whole foods because of our potato, vegetable, meat
culture but that students and singles live more on processed foods
because that is easier. I think we are right in the middle of the
battle between companies are advertising processed foods at the moment
and the counter movement of eating healthier. It is a bit of a mess
currently in the Netherlands.

Judith: Was there something that surprised you in the book, something
that you had no idea about?

Uniflame: The thing that keeps surprising me when I read certain
American foodie books, is that people can live on their own for so
many years without being able to cook. That fact isn't so common in
the Netherlands. While this fact isn't new to me, it amazes me again
and again. Another thing is the fact that people often don't really
know how food is made. To me it seems rather impossible not knowing. I
don't mean anything bad by this at all, it is just such a huge difference
in our food culture.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: Leeswammes, Beth Fish Reads
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

This review is part of Weekend Cooking, a weekly meme on everything food related. Please check out the other posts as well.

Book Review: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

2011-11-09T12:47:00.003+01:00

Title: The language of Flowers
Author: Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Subject: Foster care, flowers, family
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release date: August, 2011
Length: 336 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Dutch cover, because it is beautiful!

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness."

Personal opinion:
Okay, I am just going to throw it out there: I loved this book! It kept me reading and I couldn't lay it down. In alternate chapters we learn about Victoria's present situation and also about her past. While Victoria isn't very likeable as a person, I could identify with her straight away. This is not because we have a similar story, but I could see where she was coming from. To me her choices made sense because of what she has been through. I too have a "broken" personality and I can't live by the rules of society either and I also have to create my own path in life. I guess that is what made the connection. To me this book gave me hope because even if you aren't very likeable and have a personality with a manual, it is still possible to find your place in life. With help from people who care about you and accept you for who you are. I do think that some of the events that happened are a bit too convenient, however this book does show the struggles, the ugly side of relationships and motherly love. It was refreshing to read about how Victoria dealt with the effects of all consuming motherhood and that it isn't all roses and butterflies. This might have been the best book I have read in 2011 and I am looking to buy it for my own collection of books.

Loved it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

2011-11-05T11:07:00.047+01:00

Title: The Chosen One
Author: Carol Lynch Williams
Genre: YA
Subject: Polygamy
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release date: May, 2009
Length: 213 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much---if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle---who already has six wives---Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever."

Personal opinion:
Another book that I read during the readathon. I picked this out because it was not too long and I expected it to be a quick read, which it was. I have read more books about polygamy but those books were non fiction and usually a lot thicker. Because this book was fairly thin I had expected that it would only touch lightly upon the subject but I couldn't have been more wrong. I guess this is the difference between fiction and non-fiction. While the book is still very realistic, the writer has influence on the events that take place and therefore this book has a faster pace which made me feel like I was drawn into the stream of events rather than to read a slower paced recalling of events. I think this is the strength of this book. This writer manages to grasp the core of the problems that rise in such communities and create a natural chain of events without being longwinded about it.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

2011-11-02T12:37:00.069+01:00

Title: Mockingbird
Author: Kathryn Erskine
Genre: Children's Books
Subject: Autism, Asperger's Syndrome
Publisher: Puffin Books
Release date: January, 2010
Length: 235 pages
I got this book: Bought it (*gasp*)

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Caitlin has Asperger's. The world according to her is black and white; anything in between is confusing. Before, when things got confusing, Caitlin went to her older brother, Devon, for help. But Devon has died, and Caitlin's dad is so distraught that he is just not helpful. Caitlin wants everything to go back to the way things were, but she doesn't know how to do that. Then she comes across the word closure- and she realizes this is what she needs. And in her search for it, Caitlin discovers that the world may not be black and white after all."

Personal opinion:
This book was on my wishlist for a while and because I couldn't get it in the library, I decided to buy it because it was very affordable on the Book Depository. I read this during the readathon because I thought it was going to be an easy read, which it was. But don't let it fool you, because the message of this book is great. I really liked the journey that Caitlin made and how she grown throughout the story. Another thing I liked is how the book was written as if Caitlin had written it herself. For example she writes words with a capital letter in the middle of a sentence because the words are special to her and she was thought at school that special words should be with a capital letter. It are little details like that that made me like this book and make it all very recognisable. I think this would be a good read for children but also for adults to create a better understanding for children with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

I liked it!

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Other reviews: None yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: Lamb by Bonnie Nadzam

2011-10-29T13:12:00.039+02:00

Title: Lamb
Author: Bonnie Nadzam
Genre: Novel
Subject: Relationships
Publisher: Other Press
Release date: September, 2011
Length: 275 pages
I got this book: From the publisher for review through NetGalley

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Lamb traces the self-discovery of David Lamb, a narcissistic middle aged man with a tendency toward dishonesty, in the weeks following the disintegration of his marriage and the death of his father. Hoping to regain some faith in his own goodness, he turns his attention to Tommie, an awkward and unpopular eleven-year-old girl. Lamb is convinced that he can help her avoid a destiny of apathy and emptiness, and even comes to believe that his devotion to Tommie is in her best interest. But when Lamb decides to abduct a willing Tommie for a road trip from Chicago to the Rockies, planning to initiate her into the beauty of the mountain wilderness, they are both shaken in ways neither of them expects.
Lamb is a masterful exploration of the dynamics of love and dependency that challenges the boundaries between adolescence and adulthood, confronts preconceived notions about conventional morality, and exposes mankind’s eroded relationship with nature."

Personal opinion:
It has been a few weeks since I read this book and I am still not sure what to think about it or how I want to rate it. To be honest this book really creeped me out, yet I couldn't stop reading. I had to know that Tommie would be okay. The author of this book is constantly pushing the border between what is morally acceptable and how that line is different for everyone. I have read books about abuse in the past but this book is so much scarier because I got a taste of what is going on in this persons head while in the other books I read, it is mostly the child who tells the story. I wouldn't say it is a bad book, because it isn't. It is just so shocking to me, I don't know what to think and I am basically really grossed out by this book still. The thing that I really wanted to know doesn't get answered. And that is the question if Tommie is okay years after this happened. It would have been nice if there was a chapter on how she was doing a few years down the line. Now all we can do is guess. I think this book is only for a very select audience that can handle a heavy subject like this. I surely wished I wouldn't have read it because it still haunts me like a horror story.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

2011-10-26T10:12:00.046+02:00

Title: The Handmaid's Tale
Author: Margaret Atwood
Genre: Dystopia
Subject: Alternative Societies, Suppression
Publisher: Anchor
Release date: March, 1996 (originally 1985)
Length: 311 Pages
I got this book: From the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...
Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force."

Personal opinion:
I have to say that I hardly have any bible knowledge at all and that therefore I might have missed certain connections that people who have that knowledge would have made. That being said, I thought that this book read more as historical fiction than as futuristic. This could be because the book is fairly old but I think it is mostly because there isn't any advanced technology in this book. This is also a strength of the story because it feels much more realistic and therefore much creepier. It gave me the feeling that this could just happen, or maybe it already happened somewhere. I enjoyed the last 100 pages of this book the most because at that point the story really takes a leap forward but it also finally explains how this society came to be. The latter part, I found the most interesting part of the book. In the first 200 pages much less is happening and I found it even a bit boring at times. I even put the book down for a bit to read some other books first. But I am glad that I did pick it up again or else I would have missed the best part of the book.

It was okay.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Readathon Continued + Wrap Up

2011-10-23T09:03:00.003+02:00

So I am back after a good night sleep for more reading and cheering. I will be updating my progress during the day :)

Mid-Event Survey
1. What are you reading right now?
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
2. How many books have you read so far?
Two
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Cheering the people on who still haven't slept :)
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Yup! It turned out that many friends wanted to meet up with me on this day, so I really had to keep my calender free.
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
I just slept for 8 hours, but that was my only interruption. It was wonderful <3
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
The amount of spam in the #readathon hashtag line. Not cool!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
More promotion beforehand :) And please... because it is a global event and you promote it as such, make all prizes international. It is no fun to be excluded.
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I liked what I did this year as a reader, I picked easy books :) I would like to host a mini challenge next time :)
9. Are you getting tired yet?
Nope! Just woke up and well rested.
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Personal comments go a long way :) That way you show people that you are really interested in their progress.

Pet challenge
My cats always curl up with me when I go sit in my comfy chair. It doesn't matter if it is for reading or watching TV, when I go sit there it takes about 2 minutes before one of my 4 cats have found me. 1 cat isn't really a problem, but sometimes they come with 2 or even all 4!

Here are two cats hindering me while reading. My BF took this picture. I am on the left of the cats and they are laying on my outstretched legs.

End of Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
It was hour 12 or 13. I was sick the whole day, but then I started to feel bad, so went to sleep.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Dystopia books can be really good. I really like Matched by Ally Condie.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
See the mid-event meme ;)
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
That the cheer squads were sorted by letters of readers and not by hours.
5. How many books did you read?
Three
6. What were the names of the books you read?
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams and The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
I actually all gave them 4 stars for different reasons. But I think the Chosen One.
8. Which did you enjoy least?
I enjoyed them all.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
Personal comments go a long way. Like I said before ;) I am not the cheery kind of cheerleader but I like to check in on people and react to what they are doing :)
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Sure! I am in! Probably doing both again, and hosting a mini challenge sounds like fun too.

Total reading time: about 12 hours
Total cheering time + challenges: about 2 hours

Readathon Starting Post

2011-10-22T14:09:00.002+02:00

I am participating in Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon. This is my only post for today which I will update as I am participating in more mini-challenges. To read more about the readathon and to see what books I will be reading, you can go to my post here.

Tell a bit about yourself:
1)Where are you reading from today?
From the Netherlands, Europe.
2)Three random facts about me…
Loves cookies, cupcakes and chocolate, I will sleep at some point during the read-a-thon, cats will probably accompany me.
3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
7, but I won't nearly finish those ;)
4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
Nope, just have fun!
5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Pick out books that speak to you, if you struggle with a book, let it go.

Character Photo Mini Challenge
Post a photo that represents a character in your current book.
I am reading Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine and the main character has Aspergers.

Book Sentence Challenge

Flipped Luna altered hollow fields

It was pretty hard to make a decent sentence out of my books. This is mostly because I don't even own that many books and about half of those are in Dutch... And it had to be somewhat creepy too because I really want to win the Night Circus! Making a scary sentence is really hard when you don't read thrillers or horrors!

Readathon Fall 2011 Edition

2011-10-21T18:49:00.000+02:00

In April I participated in Dewey's Readathon for the first time and I had a lot of fun! Tomorrow the fall edition will start and for me that is at 2PM. I won't be reading the full 24 hours, because I have chronic fatigue that would be a bad idea, but I will read as much as I can! Next to that I will also be a cheerleader, encouraging others who also participate.

This is a pile of books that I can choose from. I put some books on hold at my library and they all came through at the same time.

These are:
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (starting book)
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (e-book, not on picture)
Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman
Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende

I won't nearly finish them all and I should be happy if I finish two of them. But this will be what I will be reading within the next few weeks anyway ;)

In the morning I will prepare my readathon snack in the form of muffins ;) So... to all my fellow participants, happy reading! And to the rest... sorry for the readathon related spam ;)

Book Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

2011-10-19T10:49:00.038+02:00

Title: Between Shades of Gray
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Genre: Historical Fiction
Subject: War
Publisher: Philomel Books
Release date: March, 2011
Length: 344 Pages
I got this book: From the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously - and at great risk - documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart."

Personal opinion:
I read this book in one sitting. It grasped me from the first few pages and I couldn't put it down. It was a horrible story to read but at the same time it is powerful and hopeful. Lina is a strong character and I really liked how she was portrayed. She took risks and put everything on the line just to make sure that what happened here wouldn't be forgotten. It was because of people like Lina that these horrible facts came to the surface eventually. The most shocking thing about this novel was that I didn't even know this happened and that while I live in Europe. The only downside of this book to me was the sudden leap in time at the end of the story. It would have been more satisfying if it wouldn't have ended with just that one letter.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Weekend Cooking: Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard

2011-10-15T12:49:00.061+02:00

I am going to include my both blogs in this weeks weekend cooking :) I will share a book review here and a recipe from the book at my other blog She Likes Bento.

Title: Lunch in Paris
Author: Elizabeth Bard
Genre: Non-Fiction
Subject: French Culture, Food, Romance
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Release date: February 2011 (first published 2010)
Length: 352 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Can an American and a Frenchman live happily ever after in Paris? In her charming memoir, Bard, a New Yorker with a penchant for good food and fine culture, tells a tale of romance, punctuated by mouthwatering recipes that evoke the very soul of the City of Light.

Elizabeth and Gwendal's courtship (yes, that's his real name) unfolds over visits to the local fish market, repasts of traditional andouillettes and savory cakes made with bacon, chervil, and figs. Their liaison is not without complications in cultural expectations and linguistic limitations but culture shock is always softened by a satisfying meal. In Paris, the pleasures of five-hour lunches clash with American standards of success, leading Elizabeth to question both sets of values. Her poignant homesickness is expressed in comforting recipes like My Mother's Noodle Pudding, and Grandma Elsie's Spaghetti Sauce, but over time, Elizabeth warms to her adopted city, as evidenced by her mastery of a summery ratatouille and a whole fish baked in sea salt (note to chef: have a hammer and ice pick at the ready).

While Elizabeth explores Paris's ancient cobblestone streets, inimitable boutiques, and museums, she envisions a place where people take career risks and have time for personal pleasures, where one can get a buttery croissant and a perfect bagel. As she learns, such a place doesn't exist, but her journey of discovery couldn't be more appetizing and enjoyable."

Personal opinion:
This is a non-fiction book but it really reads like chick-lit. It is not a genre I pick up often, because I am not all that much into it. But I love to discover new cultures and cuisines, so I decided to read this book anyway. Each chapter ends with some recipes and I found that a welcome addition to the story. I really liked how Elizabeth described her life in Paris and manages to tie almost everything to food. This made it a very interesting read for me. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in France cuisine or culture and is looking for a quick entertaining read. It won't disappoint.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: A foodie bibliophile in wanderlust
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

I have made a wintery cauliflower soup from this book. You can find the recipe on She Likes Bento.
Don't forget to check out the other participants of weekend cooking! It features great recipes, foodie book reviews and other related topics.

Book Review: Matched by Ally Condie

2011-10-12T18:16:00.053+02:00

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: Dystopia, YA
Subject: Controlled society, love
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release date: November, 2010
Length: 384 pages
I got this book: From the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow."

Personal opinion:
This is my first dystopia novel I have read, so my view on this book might be strongly influenced by that fact. I have seen the concept of a controlled society mainly in movies before. Reading about such a society feels strange. Some things are really hard to grasp and it amazes me that people just go with so many things being controlled in their lives. I found it a fascinating read which I really enjoyed. I heard that this book is very similar to some other books within the same genre, but because this is my first book within this genre, I think the concept is original and refreshing. I liked the fact that this book goes a lot about everyday life but that things are still so different than in the world that we live in, without it going over the top. Of course I know that some elements aren't real, still the story felt realistic to me. This book is perfect to curl up with on a fall afternoon, it is enjoyable but not too complicated.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None Yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Four Elemental Trees

2011-10-09T14:36:00.000+02:00

It has been so long since I post about something creative. This does not mean that I haven't been creative at all. My 2nd year of school has started and after the first lesson, I got some very fun homework to do. I had to create four elemental trees. I love anything nature as my subject and I love working with the elements, so this assignment fitted right into my alley.

I started with the water tree which I made using watercolors and watercolor pencils. This is the most abstract one of my trees and it only shows the trunk. I think it looks like a tree and a river at the same time, which I love.

Next up was the earth tree. This is the tree that took me the longest. I used oil pastels to make this tree and I made the house in it to give it a bit of a fairy tale feel. Also because the earth is strong and save enough to build a house in.

The air tree I made with soft pastels and I made it very light on purpose. It didn't take me so long to make this tree but I do really like it because it is up in the sky and has clouds as branches.

Lastly was the fire tree and I did struggle with this one. I had no idea how I wanted to do this. Eventually I used a combination of gouache paint and soft pastels. I worked with warm and cool contrasts which I saw in one of my study books and it was something I wanted to try. In the end, I like this tree best even though I had trouble connecting with the fire energy.

It was a very fun but time consuming assignment. I am quite happy with the results and I learned a lot during the process.

Book Review: Cat Versus Human by Yasmine Surovec

2011-10-04T11:50:00.040+02:00

Title: Cat Versus Human
Author: Yasmine Surovec
Genre: Graphic Novel
Subject: Cats
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Release date: October 4th, 2011
Length: 152 pages
I got this book: For review through NetGalley

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Yasmine Surovec began sketching her clever and sarcastic Cat Versus Human cartoons as a way to relax and unwind. Soon, her popular blog at catversushuman.blogspot.com began receiving as many as 12,000 hits per day, with a number of posts going viral and appearing on popular Web sites such as The Huffington Post and I Can Has Cheezburger. Now, a selection of 100 Cat Versus Human strips--many never previously published--can be found inside this inaugural collection of Cat Versus Human."

Personal opinion:
When I saw this book on NetGalley, I just had to request it. I love cats and I wouldn't miss the opportunity to review a funny books about cats. I would describe this as a coffee table book, or as we have in Holland, a toilet humor book. It is a fun book to dip into and read a few comics. Some comics are spot on and made me laugh out loud, while others I didn't really get. As for the drawing style... it isn't really my thing. I don't mind simple drawings and I can't really lay my finger on it why I don't really like her drawing style, but I just don't really. Maybe it is because some of it is rather dark humor and thus illustrated in such a way. Still I enjoyed reading the book and it did make my laugh. A book for every cat owner and there is some doggy love in there as well. It would keep me entertained if I found it on someone's coffee table :)

It was okay.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None Yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

2011-09-30T12:22:00.000+02:00

Title: Charlotte's Web
Author: E. B. White
Genre: Children's Book
Subject: Animals, Friendship
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers (re-release)
Release date: 1953
Length: 184 pages
I got this book: From the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"An affectionate, sometimes bashful pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. A prancing, playful bloke, Wilbur is devastated when he learns of the destiny that befalls all those of porcine persuasion. Determined to save her friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads "Some Pig," convincing the farmer and surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be saved. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, E.B. White reminds us to open our eyes to the wonder and miracle often found in the simplest of things."

Personal opinion:
This book came to my attention because of banned books week. Now before this week, I didn't know anything about banned books because in the Netherlands the fuss isn't as great and we hardly censor. I haven't read this book as a child, but according to the bloggosphere, this is one of the must read children's books. Because I really like animals, I decided to pick it up at the library. I read through it in one evening because the story was interesting and entertaining. I would probably had loved this even more, if I read this when I was younger. It would have been my kind of book. But even now there is a lot to gain from this book and there are meanings behind everything. I can really appreciate the small wonders that were part of this book. The book has been written a long time ago, but I didn't really notice that at all. If you have any children in the age of 8-12, please pick this book up for them, because I think that it really is a well written story that most children will enjoy.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None Yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: Still Alice by Lisa Genova

2011-09-26T15:05:00.002+02:00

Title: Still Alice
Author: Lisa Genova
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Subject: Alzheimer's disease
Publisher: Pocket
Release date: July, 2007
Length: 293 pages
I got this book: From the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she's a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease changes her life.

As the inevitable descent into dementia strips away her sense of self, fiercely independent Alice struggles to live in the moment. While she once placed her worth and identity in her celebrated and respected academic life, now she must re-evaluate her relationship with her husband, a respected scientist; her expectations of her children; and her ideas about herself and her place in the world."

Personal opinion:
I heard many good things about this book, so when I found out they had it at the library, I was very happy. Being in the Netherlands, the selection of English books isn't that grand. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this book. It is very realistic and also scary to read. This is one of those stories that is beautiful and painful at the same time. I think the author did a very good job here combining all these aspects of this disease into a wonderful story. I don't give full marks to books often, but this is a five star book. I can highly recommend it, and I will be on the lookout for other books from this author.

Loved it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: So many books, so little time, An Armchair by the Sea
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: Daniel isn't talking by Marti Leimbach

2011-09-14T12:29:00.004+02:00

Title: Daniel isn't talking
Author: Marti Leimbach
Genre: Novel
Subject: Autism
Publisher: Anchor
Release date: May, 2007
Length: 288 pages
I got this book: from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Melanie Marsh is an American living in London with her British husband, Stephen, and their two young children. The Marshes’ orderly home life is shattered when their son Daniel is given a devastating diagnosis. Resourceful and determined not to accept what others, including her husband, say is inevitable, Melanie finds an ally in the idealistic Andy, whose unorthodox ideas may just prove that Daniel is far more “normal” than anyone imagined."

Personal opinion:
I really enjoyed reading the first half of the book. It was good plot wise and the struggle of Melanie battling against all those people who thought what was best for Daniel, was something I could relate to. I didn't like her husband Stephen very much from square one. His emotions are understandable at point, but I didn't like it one bit. The way he left Melanie dealing with all this on her own, never really there to support her, did frustrate me.

Spoiler alert!
In the 2nd half of the book, after Melanie met Andy, the focus slowly starts to shift from a mother who struggles with autism to a romance story between her and Andy. I really didn't like this development. I really dislike the need of many authors to include a romance within a story about another subject. It is often not needed to make the book a success and in this case it did quite the opposite. Daniels problems seemed almost magically better and the focus just shifted too much for me to be realistic. Too bad that such a realistically written story is destroyed by yet another romance tale.

It was okay.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: That Day in September by Artie van Why

2011-09-11T12:38:00.011+02:00

Title: That Day in September
Author: Artie van Why
Genre: Non Fiction
Subject: 9/11
Publisher: Van Hughes Publishing
Release date: June 2006
Length: 108 pages
I got this book: From the writer for review

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"We all have our stories to tell of where we were the morning of September 11, 2001. This is one of them. In "That Day In September" Artie Van Why gives an eyewitness account of that fateful morning. From the moment he heard "a loud boom" in his office across from the World Trade Center, to stepping out onto the street, Artie vividly transports the reader back to the day that changed our lives and our country forever. "That Day In September" takes you beyond the events of that morning. By sharing his thoughts, fears, and hopes, Artie expresses what it was like to be in New York City in the weeks and months following. The reader comes away from "That Day In September" with not only a more intimate understanding of the events of that day, but also with a personal glimpse of how one person's life was dramatically changed forever."

Personal opinion:
This year it is exactly 10 years ago since the terrorist attacks, yet in all those 10 years I had never read a single book about this subject. I actually never came across one. Maybe this is because I live in Europe and while it was also big news over here, it has made less an impact here than in America. Still, I think that also in Europe we cannot ever forget what has happened on that day. That is why I didn't hesitate for a moment when I was contacted by Artie to read and review this book because even I still remember where I was on that day, when it first came on the news. I was at school, and the lessons were cancelled because we all wanted to follow the news.

It are the daily things that Artie describes that gave the book such an impact. He talks about his routine before that day and how drastically things have changed after the attack. The most simple things that you enjoy every day are just gone in an instant. And while I know that there are books that will describe more horrible details than Artie does, it were these small facts that hit me. I mean, on the television we all saw the attack, the deaths, the severely wounded, the devastation, but not the story of all those witnesses who have been traumatised by this event. Stuff like this doesn't make it to the news, yet it is so important. Reading this book really made me see just how much impact this day had in the lives of so many. Maybe even for the first time. I would like to ask you to read one book about 9/11 this year, if not this one, than another, but please do. Like other tragic historic events, for example World War II, we must also never forget 9/11.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None Yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

2011-09-06T12:23:00.025+02:00

Title: Elsewhere
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Genre: YA
Subject: Loss, Grief
Publisher: Square Fish
Release date: May, 2007
Length: 277 pages
I got this book: From the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere’s museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe’s psychiatric practice. Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth. But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driver’s license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. And now that she’s dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn’t want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward? This moving, often funny book about grief, death, and loss will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned."

Personal opinion:
I really liked this book. It touches on a difficult subject in a very original way. It was easy for me to feel for Liz since her emotions are so understandable. Her denial, her frustrations, her grief and finally acceptance. It somehow felt comforting to believe that there is such a place as Elsewhere and to know that the person who crossed over is also going through the same emotions as the ones that are left behind. To me it feels totally believable if there would be a place like this. It is easy to accept as the truth. It felt like this book has a bit of Magical Realism, which I really like in a book. Of course the book also has some predictable things going on, but in spite of that the book felt refreshing. I enjoyed reading this very much :)

I really liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Short Hiatus

2011-08-18T12:32:00.000+02:00

Since Abunai!, the Japanese culture convention I am co-organizing is just around the corner, I am taking a short break from blogging. I notice that even thought I tried I can't really seem to combine both things so closely before the con. So I have decided that is it best for my health to take a 2-3 week break from blogging. It will give me some peace of mind hopefully, when I don't need to feel guilty not to be reading or blogging as much as I hoped. I will still post some recipes on my other blog in the time being, because those posts are usually shorter and take less time, besides I still have to cook so it is more easy to combine that. I will be back in September here with more reviews and creative posts :)

Book Review: Kobato by CLAMP

2011-08-14T10:28:00.000+02:00

Title: Kobato (vol 1)
Author: CLAMP
Genre: Manga, Comedy
Subject: Friendship, Wishes
Publisher: Yen Press
Release date: May, 2010
Length: 160 pages
I got this book: I bought it on a convention

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Meet Kobato Hanato, a sweet and rather simple young girl on a quest to have her single, dearest wish granted. But first, she must learn the ways of the world from loryogi-san, a gruff, blue dog whose bark is just as bad as his bite! Under his “tutelage” (read: constant verbal abuse), Kobato puts her efforts into passing various trials of common sense so that she may obtain the key to getting her wish: a magic bottle that must be filled with the suffering of wounded hearts Kobato herself has healed. But with Kobato’s common sense sorely lacking, she keeps flunking loryogi–san’s trials left and right! It looks like the road that lies ahead of Kobato will be a long one indeed!"

Personal opinion:
I wanted to read the manga because I really enjoyed the anime of this series and I know CLAMP that the plot usually goes a lot deeper in the manga than the anime, so I was looking forward to reading this! CLAMP also is known for their mysterious stories, placing magical elements here and there. The plus side of this are the original plot lines, the down side is that it can be confusing. This is also the case with the first volume of Kobato. Things do get explained somewhat but by reading the first volume, I didn't get much information what this series actually would be about. It seems that we just get to follow a clumsy, naive girl who tries to fit in to this new world to her. But the how and why, isn't explained yet. But since this is a manga series this is to be expected. I do love the character designs once again and also the fact that there are several cross over characters to be spotted again from other CLAMP stories. I did notice straight away that there are differences between the manga and the anime, so this made me curious enough to continue reading.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Book Depository
Other reviews: None yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

The Monster Review-a-thon Wrap Up

2011-08-13T16:28:00.000+02:00

It is time to wrap up this Review-a-thon by the Book Monsters! I jumped in halfway and I am glad I did! I actually managed to write all 4 reviews I wanted to write plus a snack review on my other blog, which makes a grand total of 5 reviews written. I participated in 4 mini challenges. I really wanted to participate in mini challenge 5 - organising upcoming reviews since this is something that I haven't done before. However I couldn't find the time in between my other activities. So I guess this is it! Nothing too spectacular for a wrap up post, but I haven't got that much to tell ;) It was just the thing I needed though because without this challenge, those 4 books wouldn't have reviewed for some time ;)

The Monster Review-a-thon - Update

2011-08-12T11:21:00.000+02:00

So I am still participating in the Monster Review-a-thon at the Book Monsters. I have reviewed a grand total of 2/4 books. This isn't the result I had hoped for but without this challenge, I probably wouldn't have written any reviews. Hopefully I will get the other two reviews done within the next two days. I also wrote one snack review on She Likes Bento. This makes a total of three reviews. Anyway, today I want to spend some time on the mini Challenges. While the time could be better spend, writing actual reviews, some of the challenges seem useful enough to have a look at and participating is a lot of fun!

Mini Challenge 1: Rethinking your review format.

1. Are you happy with your review format currently?
Actually I am quite happy with it. I gave my format a good thought when I was participating in the bloggiesta challenge in January and I think it works really well.

2. Scrutinize it a little more, maybe compare it to other blogs you like, anything you think you might change?
I have seen blogs that add the first sentences of a book. I do like that concept because it does give people a feel of the book. I might add that and lose the quote section, because I hardly use that anyhow.

3. Implement some basic changes and tell us what you think. Or, you can tell us one or two aspects of your reviews that you like.
I am not going to change my template around for now. A thing I do like about my reviews is that I try to give a complete package of information. I include genre, subject, publisher, number of pages, publishing year, a link to a store where the book can be bought. I know that you can find that information elsewhere, but I like it that everything is in one place.

Mini Challenge 2: Cross posting your reviews.

I haven't really done this yet because I don't really see the purpose. I only cross posted when an author asked me to. I do see the purpose for the author because sites like goodreads and amazon are visited more frequently than individual blogs, but for me as a blogger, I would want people to actually visit my blog. If I post all my reviews elsewhere, why would people visit my blog at all? So I ask of you, my fellow book bloggers, why do you crosspost your reviews? What is the purpose?

Mini Challenge 3: Setting up Future review posts.

This is such a useful feature that I started to use already since I became a book blogger. I often use this to schedule reviews from ARCs I received and I need to review close to the publish date. That way I can still post my thoughts when they are fresh in my head :) I also use it to schedule posts for weekly memes when I am out of the house that day :) In fact, the reviews that I did write for this review-a-thon are schedules ahead of time as well.

Mini Challenge 4: Updating review lists.

I am actually quite on top of my game on this one. It was a huge task when I had to set this up. I know that falling behind on this one, is only more work in the end, so I try to update this list directly after I post a new review. Sometimes one slips through because I scheduled the post beforehand and I aren't actually behind my PC when the review goes up. I tend to be forgetful, but usually I notice when writing my next review.

Well this is it for now :) I might get to the other challenges, but if I do I will edit this page, or maybe post a new post tomorrow. For now, let's see if I can get those other reviews done!

Book Review: Luna by Julie Anne Peters

2011-08-11T12:05:00.012+02:00

Title: Luna
Author: Julie Anne Peters
Genre: YA
Subject: Transgender
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release date: February 2006
Length: 248 pages
I got this book: Through a RAK

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"For years, Regan's brother Liam has been nursing a secret. By day, he is Liam, a passably typical boy of his age; at night, he transforms himself into Luna, his true, female self. Regan loves and supports her brother and she keeps his Liam/Luna secret. Things change, though, when Luna decides to emerge from her cocoon. She begins dressing like a girl in public; first at the mall; then at school; then at home. Regan worries that her brother's transgender identity is threatening her own slippery hold on normalcy."

Personal opinion:
I had never read any book on this subject before and it did seem interesting. I think that the author did a good job of portraying Liam/Luna. It was a book that is mainly built on interactions with the characters. The story doesn't cover a long time span, but focusses on the crucial time of Liam's/Luna's life: her coming out. A strong point of this setting was, that it was really clear what an impact this event made. Not only for Luna herself, but also what strain it put on Regan, who has kept this secret since she was little. I thought it was a powerful story and it made me think. The ending was bitter-sweet and it left me a bit sad actually. I would surely recommend this book if you are curious about this subject but I don't think this is for everyone. You need an open mind.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

The Monster Review-a-thon Starting post

2011-08-10T10:33:00.001+02:00

They are currently hosting a Monster review-a-thon at the book monsters and since I am behind, I thought it would be a good idea to join in.

I have to say that I am terribly busy at the moment and that I am having trouble to blog at all! So this review-a-thon came just at the right time. I was 4 books behind and for some this may be peanuts but for me 4 books is a huge stack, making it harder for me to start new books and to blog. I already joined yesterday and wrote one of my 4 reviews, but since I have the policy to only publish one post a day, I couldn't post the start up post.

There are also mini challenges in this review-a-thon, so I might edit this post later on if I have completed some. Since I have my first review scheduled for tomorrow, I won't be making a separate post for each mini challenge I completed. Other than book reviews, I also still have a ton of snack reviews to write on my other blog She Likes Bento, so I might try and write some of those reviews as well :) I do hope that in-between my Abunai! work, I still can get all of them done :)

EU Summerhop Giveaway - Winner

2011-08-09T10:25:00.000+02:00

I am happy to announce the winner of the giveaway :) I had a total of 29 comments, from which one was invalid because there was no e-mail address in the comment. It was a lot of fun to host a giveaway for the EU and to be able to enter in all the giveaways myself for once :) Anyway....

the winner is: Adrianga from Elsewhere land!! I already e-mailed her. For the rest of you, thank you for participating. I hope you will be back for another giveaway in the future.

EU Summerhop Giveaway

2011-08-07T00:05:00.001+02:00

It is time for another giveaway! It is supposed to be Summer over here, but we haven't noticed much from that fact, so to get in Summer spirits, lets do a giveaway ;) This giveaway is as the name states for Europe only, so sorry for my American readers.

Anyway I will be giving away the book Runaway by Wendelin van Draanen. I have reviewed it here, and enjoyed this book very much. I will give away my gently read copy of the book.

The rules:
- The giveaway is open to Europe only! (UK is part of the EU, so there you go ;))
- You do not have to become a follower of this blog to enter, but if you like my blog, please feel welcome to do so.
- Please comment with your favourite summer read and e-mail address
- You can enter from Aug 1st till the 8th 2011. I will announce a winner on Tuesday.
- If you are the winner of the giveaway, you have till the end of Thursday (GMT+1) to answer my email, or I will draw a new winner on Friday.
- Note that I will delete invalid entries.
- I am not responsible if the book gets lost or damaged in the mail
- Have fun! :)

Have you entered? Okay! Lets hop along!
This giveaway is now closed!

Book Review: Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess

2011-08-05T11:13:00.002+02:00

Title: Such a Pretty Girl
Author: Laura Wiess
Genre: YA
Subject: Sexual Abuse
Publisher: MTV Books
Release date: January, 2007
Length: 212 pages
I got this book: From the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"They promised Meredith nine years of safety, but only gave her three.

Her father was supposed to be locked up until Meredith turned eighteen. She thought she had time to grow up, get out, and start a new life. But Meredith is only fifteen, and today her father is coming home from prison.

Today her time has run out."

Personal opinion:
I read this book because I really liked Ordinary Beauty by the same author, which I read earlier this year. I was grabbed by this book and read it in one go. The story was easy to follow and there was enough going on to keep me glued to the pages. I really liked Meredith as a person and I could relate to the way she acted. On the other hand, I didn't think much of her boyfriend Andy. He was such a weak character throughout the story to only come back strong when all the bad stuff was already over and dealt with. He had his own battles to fight, but I just couldn't understand how he could just leave Meredith to face all this by herself. Also just like Ordinary Beauty, the ending was a bit too convenient. I didn't mind it too much, but it seems to be a theme that is going on in both books from this author. Still I enjoyed myself while reading this book. Even though it is quite a heavy subject, it doesn't read as such. I like books that can handle a heavy subject without making it too hard to get through.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

It's Monday! What are you reading? (11)

2011-08-01T11:56:00.000+02:00

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

I read two small books this week and started in a third. I read That Day in September by Arty van Why, review will be posted in September of course. Further I have read thxthxthx by Leah Dieterich (review here)and I started in the Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata. The latter is a bit slow going for me. I am at page 80 now and I hope to get some more reading done in the next week.

Other than that I have also a book coming in from the library today: Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess. I hope to finish that this week as well, since library books do get a bit of priority because of the time limit.
I am also planning to read Cat versus Human by Yasmine Surovec. I got this trough NetGalley a while back, and I really feel like a bit of comedy :)

I also wrote a review of Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. And at the moment I have a giveaway going on for my European readers :) Happy Reading everyone! I hear the summer will be coming back this week, so hopefully I can read a bit on my balcony :)

Book Review: thxthxthx by Leah Dieterich

2011-07-30T12:28:00.000+02:00

Title: thxthxthx
Author: Leah Dieterich
Genre: Giftbook
Subject: Gratitude
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Release date: June, 21st, 2011
Length: 208 pages
I got this book: For review through NetGalley

Summary:
From NetGalley:
"After years of being encouraged (okay, nagged) by her Mother to write thank-you notes, Dieterich began writing one thank-you note a day to whatever thing, no matter how small or odd, she was thankful for. From important gestures, like a Partner's Understanding, to simple, soulful, and quirky things like Songs You're Embarrassed to Like, thxthxthx features 200 of Dieterich's original, handwritten thank-you notes that collectively convey the look and feel of handwritten notes from a close friend.

Surprisingly simple and refreshingly moving, thxthxthx is a thought provoking and emotionally rewarding daily exercise in gratitude for all of life's blessings."

Personal opinion:
I really love books that make you think out of the box and make you look further than you normally would. In my education we also cover the subject of gratitude regularly. That is why I picked this out for review, because I was curious about these little thank you notes. Some of her notes I found absolutely brilliant and funny. Leah thanks things, I would never think of thanking and gives a positive spin to negative things by thanking them for lessons learned. Some notes I didn't really get, or weren't as appealing. Another thing that bothered me a bit was that the notes could be hard to read sometimes. On the other hand, I loved that the notes appeared in this book in it's original form but it does take more effort to read some of them. I wouldn't gift this book to anyone in my direct circle but that is more because it is too American for gifting here. However I love the concept and I am inspired by it.

Also check out the website http://thxthxthx.com/

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet.
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

2011-07-27T12:30:00.062+02:00

Title: Girl in Translation
Author: Jean Kwok
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Subject: Immigration, Coming of Age
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Release date: April, 2010
Length: 293 pages
I got this book: From the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life-like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her family's future resting on her shoulders, or her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambition-Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but herself back and forth between the worlds she straddles."

Personal opinion:
I have read this book in almost one go, I only took a small break to have dinner. The story was interesting and I was just taken into Kimberly's life, not able to let go until the end. Though Kimberly does face many hardships, sometimes I found the events happening in this book a little bit too convenient, especially near the end. Still I really enjoyed reading this book because it does give hope to be able to make your own future, no matter how shitty the situation you are in. I don't agree with the choices that Kimberly made at the end of the story and the ending was rather frustrating. It does make the story more realistic though.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None Yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

It's Monday! What are you reading? (10)

2011-07-25T10:34:00.001+02:00

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

I have read a whole lot this week. I almost finished 3 books! While this may be normal for others, this is a lot for me ;) I finished Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. (Review will follow soon.) I also read a Dutch book called "Gevangen in mijn binnenwereld" (trapped in my inner world) by Sun-Mi Venema. This is a non fiction book about a young girl who has the locked-in-syndrome and this was a very interesting read. Currently I am reading "Twijfels over Belgie" (Doubts about Belgium) by Petra Kruijt. This is a chick-lit about a Dutch woman who goes undercover in a commune in Belgium to write columns for a magazine. I normally don't read much chick-lit, but I read about this book on "de Boekblogger" (the Book blogger), the Dutch blog of Leeswammes, and it seemed a fun light read. So when I came across it in the library, I took it home with me. I almost finished this, but I am not sure I will review it here since there isn't an English translation.

Here is a picture of my library loot :) The bottom book is The Gardens of Kyoto by Kate Walbert, which I bought at the library for 1 euro to donate to Abunaicon's Japanese themed BookCrossing shelf. I am not sure if I will read it myself though.As for what I plan to read next, I have no idea yet ;) I might go loot the library again, or check on NetGalley or read off my shelf. I am currently still in the phase where I just want to read whatever calls to me.

I also wrote some reviews in the past week:
Clean by Amy Reed
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
and on my bento/cooking blog I reviewed the Vegetarian Student Cookbook

What are you reading in the Summer? Are you reading as they come, or do you stick to the schedule even during Summer?

Book Review: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

2011-07-23T13:34:00.003+02:00

Title: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Author: Amy Chua
Genre: Non-Fiction
Subject: Parenting, Family
Publisher: Penguin Press
Release date: January, 2011
Length: 237 pages
I got this book: Through Bookcrossing

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. What Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother reveals is that the Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that. Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions and providing a nurturing environment. The Chinese believe that the best way to protect your children is by preparing them for the future and arming them with skills, strong work habits, and inner confidence. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother chronicles Chua's iron-willed decision to raise her daughters, Sophia and Lulu, her way-the Chinese way-and the remarkable results her choice inspires."

Personal opinion:
I found this a very interesting read. It was intriguing to get a peek in the Chinese way of raising children. And I surely learned a lot by reading this book. However I could only enjoy this as long as I shut my own emotions out while reading, because as a Western person like myself it was hard to comprehend at times. Why would you sacrifice so much? Let your child sacrifice so much to be number one in everything? I guess this is truly the difference between cultures and I think Amy does a really good job describing this. I would never choose to raise my children, if I would have them at some point, the way she did. But I do think that there are good points in the way she uses. Reading this book was time well spend, because it was really different from anything that I have read before and it made me think about things that are so normal for us. There are a lot of different ways for raising children and even though a lot of people may judge Amy for being too harsh, I think reading about her way was a very valuable lesson for me. I would recommend this book for everyone who would like to learn more about the Chinese culture and maybe even for all parents.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: Leeswammes
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Creative Summer Camp: Bubbles and Stains

2011-07-21T11:55:00.000+02:00

I am still doing creative stuff at the digital summer camp :) I haven't done as much as I could have done, but it is all for fun :)

I made background papers using the bubble technique and with that I made this card, which I pasted into my A4 dummy.

I used a combination of materials in this card. Mostly fluorescent colored pencils though :) I also used a marker and colored pens.

The background I did with oil crayon and blue glitter glue. The result is very cheerful I think :) Sometimes I love to use bright colors like this.

For another assignment I made various stains on a paper and we had to see a figure and try to bring that out. I did similar things at school in the past year. But never like this.

These are my red and magenta stains made with ink.

This is the crooked teddy bear I saw in the stains and brought forward. The fun thing with this assignment is that you don't have to make a perfect looking figure. That would be impossible anyway ;)

And this is my finished page. I painted over the stains I didn't need with contrasting colors, drew some circles with a brown pencil and pasted some other stuffed animals on there. The left quote expresses the feeling my own teddy bear used to give me. I still have my teddy bear. Do you? :) The top quote is an anonymous one I found on the web.

I hope I will be able to do some more assignments but since Abunaicon is drawing nearer, I don't always have time to play around ;)

Book Review: Clean by Amy Reed

2011-07-19T12:27:00.017+02:00

Title: Clean
Author: Amy Reed
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Subject: Rehab, Friendship
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release date: July 19, 2011
Length: 288 pages
I got this book: Through Simon & Schuster for review

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Olivia, Kelly, Christopher, Jason, and Eva have one thing in common: They're addicts. Addicts who have hit rock bottom and been stuck together in rehab to face their problems, face sobriety, and face themselves. None of them wants to be there. None of them wants to confront the truths about their pasts. And they certainly don’t want to share their darkest secrets and most desperate fears with a room of strangers. But they'll all have to deal with themselves and one another if they want to learn how to live. Because when you get that high, there's nowhere to go but down, down, down."

Personal opinion:
One thing that I noticed immediately was the style of the book. Not only is this book told through the voices of 5 different teens, but there are also chapters that the teens interact through group sessions, fill in questionnaires or write a person essay. This means that I got to see a lot of different sides of their stories. The author succeeded to give each one of them a different personality and this made the book easy to follow even with so many different narrators. I was easily drawn in and I did feel for everything the characters were going through and it was nice to read how the bond between the five teens grew during the book. The big downside to me was the ending. The author choose to end the story the moment everyone leaves the clinic and to me it felt like only half a story. I would have loved to read how they would get on with their lives after they left the clinic, even if it was only one chapter each. Frankly I dislike books with an open ending, because that is what it feels like to me. Still I would recommend this book because it doesn't shy away from the raw emotions and doesn't sugar coat the road to recovery. I never have walked that road myself and reading this book, really made me glad about that!

I liked it!

Purchase links: The book Depository
Other reviews: Sarah Reads Too Much
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

It's Monday! What are you reading? (9)

2011-07-18T15:23:00.001+02:00

And here are some new arrivals that I arrived in the past weeks.
The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata which I won in a giveaway from Novroz! (I need to add the English edition to goodreads)
That Day in September by Artie van Why, a story of 9/11 which I got from the author for review. I have never read any story about 9/11 before so it is about time.

I will probably read one of these next :) But with me you can never know :)

Also I am currently collecting Japanese and Asian Literature (or books that or set in Japan/Asia) to share with the visitors of Abunaicon, the Japanese culture convention I co-organise. I want to give our visitors a chance to read some Japanese Literature and therefore I am trying to set up a shelf of Japanese related books on our convention. The convention is the last weekend of August. If you are willing to donate a Japan related book to the convention, please contact me at cynni_universe(at)hotmail(dot)com. We are a non profit organisation and we try to offer fun Japanese related events on our convention so that people get a taste of the Japanese culture. Thanks!

Book Review: The Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata

2011-07-17T12:36:00.064+02:00

Title: The Old Capital
Author: Yasunari Kawabata
Genre: Japanese Literature
Subject: Family, Daily Life
Publisher: Counterpoint
Release date: 2006, original 1962, first translation 1987
Length: 182 pages
I got this book: Through Bookcrossing

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"The Old Capital tells the story of Chieko, the adopted daughter of a Kyoto kimono designer, Takichiro, and his wife, Shige.
Set in the traditional city of Kyoto, Japan, this deeply poetic story revolves around Chieko who becomes bewildered and troubled as she discovers the true facets of her past. With the harmony and time-honored customs of a Japanese backdrop, the story becomes poignant as Chieko's longing and confusion develops."

Personal opinion:
It took me a long time to read this book but I never even thought at one point to abandon the book. To me it felt like a good meal, one that you need to enjoy slowly to get the most out of it. It took me a while because I do not always have the patience for such a story and I didn't want to rush it because I knew that the strength of this book only comes out if you give it your full attention. I think that this is one of the characteristics of Japanese Literature, all though I have to admit that I only have read a few.

I really enjoyed the parts about the many Festivals of Kyoto and the references to the seasons. For the larger part of the book I had the idea that I was just reading about a young girl's every day life and not much was happening. And compared to that the latter part of the book felt rushed. Things starting to happen, but it changes the pace of the book so suddenly that it felt unnatural. Also I had the feeling that the story ended to abruptly and it didn't feel like an ending at all because there was too much left untold. I was disappointed by this because after I took a real effort to read through this with care and there is still so much stuff I want to know. Very unsatisfying. Therefore I have to reward it with 3 stars instead of 4.

It was okay.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Mini Book Review: I am Tama, Lucky Cat by Wendy Henrichs

2011-07-15T12:19:00.002+02:00

Title: I am Tama, Lucky Cat
Author: Wendy Henrichs & Yoshiko Jaeggi (Illustrator)

Genre: Children's Books
Subject: Legends, Japan, Cats
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Release date: August 1, 2011
Length: 32 pages
I got this book: From the publisher for review through NetGalley

Summary: This is a tale of the legend of the Maneki Neko (Lucky Cat) from Japan.

Personal opinion: As a lover of Japanese culture, I was drawn to this story and was very happy that I was able to review this. I like the Maneki Neko statues but I never had heard or read a story behind it. Of course I knew what the Maneki Neko stands for, but reading a tale behind it makes it more real. The story is cute and richly illustrated. I adored the illustrations. They are colorful and tell the tale without even reading the words. I would have loved to own a book like this when I was younger. I think this is a great book for young children, even for those who can't read yet.

I liked it!

Purchase Link: Amazon

Hello Japan Challenge - July

2011-07-12T21:22:00.000+02:00

I often wait with my participation until the end of the month and therefore I didn't have the time to participate last month. So this time I wanted to complete the task earlier, so I wouldn't miss out on this fun challenge :) This month the theme is non-fiction and you can read all about it on In Spring it is the Dawn.

For this challenge I read Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb, because it happened that I found a copy in my mailbox through bookcrossing. This is a novel, but it is an auto biographical one. It is based on her work experiences in Japan and while exaggerated at points, it does gave a good impression of the Japanese office culture and how the Western Culture clashes with the Japanese Culture. I actually did learn a lot for the little book. I read the book in Dutch and my copy only had 130 pages. This is also one reason why I am not using my normal book review template, but there is also another reason: a few days after I read the book, I also watched the movie.

I have to say that I never saw a movie in my life before that stuck so close to the book as this one. Whole dialogues were the same. I have to say that it was a bit boring to watch the movie because not much time did pass between me reading the book and watching the movie. Still the, to me, sometimes ridiculous things happening were even more funny on screen. I loved the actress, Sylvie Testud, who played Amelie. She really did an amazing job at playing the naive, quirky girl that Amelie was. Still it is not the best movie ever made. It is a bit of a B-movie but to me these kind of movies are an okay watch once in a while. The book read really fast and was enjoyable, so I honestly don't know which I liked better.

Movie trailer: (it has a wrong author in the title though.)

Have fun watching/reading :)

Creative Summer Camp: Playing with Bubbles

2011-07-05T21:27:00.000+02:00

To prevent falling is a creative gap during the summer, I have signed up for Marit's Creative Summer Camp. It is an online group where the participants can work on easy and fun assignments during the summer without being obligated. I haven't done as much as I hoped to, but I have had much fun with a simple technique for creating backgrounds. And all you need is ink and soap, basically :)

These are a few of the backgrounds I made which I used to make several things. I also used this technique to make the background for my July calendar pages. I totally did something different this time around regarding the calendar, and it takes me a bit of getting used to since I drew free form instead of cutting shapes for my calendar like I usually do. And while I see room for improvement, I am glad I dared to experiment. This is the result:

For more calendar pages, please visit The Kathryn Wheel :) I will also share a bookmark that I made and a page that I filled for the Round Robin Project. I used a Jip and Janneke card which I found very fitting for the background.

I really loved playing with bubbles and it will be a technique that I will be using more often. I like it especially for the bookmarks. Luckily I made a few backgrounds in one go, so I have more to experiment with :) I hope I tickled your curiosity with this and if you want to participate in the Summer Camp, it is open till the 15th of August, so come and play ;)

It's Monday! What are you reading? (8)

2011-07-04T21:07:00.001+02:00

I got a lot of bookcrossing books that I am currently trying to read.

I actually finished Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb today. I started in The Old Capital by Yasunart Kawabata a few days ago. It is a slow paced book that I really need to take my time for. I won't do the book justice if I just rush through. So I am only reading it when I have found the rest in my head to enjoy this.

Next up will be The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. I am curious of that one since it has been in the news a lot lately. Simplify Life is a Dutch book by Sjoukje van der Kolk that I am reading in between of things. On how to lead a less busy life. Funnily enough, I don't recognise the typical image of the Western society of busy. busy. busy. As for me, I am already living on a slower pace. So I don't really connect with the book yet.

In other news: I finally wrote a review of Room by Emma Donoghue, which I read a couple of weeks back.

I now see that I have a bit of an Asian theme going on because of the bookcrossing bookrings. Are you into Asian literature? If so, which Asian book did you really like?

Book Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

2011-07-03T13:21:00.001+02:00

Title: Room
Author: Emma Donoghue
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Subject: Family, Kidnapping
Publisher: Little, brown and company
Release date: August 2010
Length: 321 pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another."

Personal opinion:
The thing that I noticed immediately about this book is that Jack names all the objects in the room that is his home. Simple things like Bed and Table. This took some getting used to for me because all these things were capitalised, which to me made the sentences flow awkward. But it really did something to set the atmosphere immediately because to Jack from most objects there exists only one, unlike to us. The shock only gets bigger when Jack and Ma finally manage to escape. Ma tried anything to raise Jack into a normal boy. She made a weekly schedule, played games, thought him to read and she even finds a way to make him exercise. So she thought he would be a pretty normal kid, but outside Room, it only gets more clear what growing up in Room did to Jack's development. To me that was the most shocking part, instead of the kidnapping. I think this is because the story starts when Jack is four and we don't get to read about the whole process of the actual kidnapping. I have never read anything like this before and I found it very original written and a must read for many.

Loved it!

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Other reviews: Stacking Books and The Oncoming Hope
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop - Winner!

2011-06-30T14:47:00.001+02:00

I really had so much fun hosting another giveaway! But it is over again and it is time to announce the winner! I had 103 comments, which I pasted in a word document and numbered them. There were 99 entries for the giveaway in the end :) I think this is awesome! Thank you all so much for commenting. I went from 89 to 115 followers, even though following wasn't required to enter. So I am glad that people took an interest! I was planning to host another giveaway at 100 followers, but this will have to wait for a bit ;) Anyway....

The winner is number 20 - We Fancy Books. I already mailed the winner :) I hope you all had fun and hopefully till the next giveaway :)

The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

2011-06-25T00:10:00.047+02:00

I am happy that I am participating in the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop again! I will be giving away my copy of Moonface by Angela Balcita, which I actually won myself during the readathon from Leeswammes, who is hosting this hop. I find it fitting that I pass along this book for this reason :) If you want to know what I thought about Moonface, you can read my review.

You can enter from Saturday June 25th till Wednesday June 29th 2011. Please visit the other blogs too in this blog hop! There is a lot of stuff to win, with over 70 participants!

The rules:
- The giveaway is open international!

- You do not have to become a follower of this blog to enter, but if you like my blog, please feel welcome to do so.
- Please comment with your name, e-mail address
- You can enter from June 25th till the 29th 2011. I will announce a winner on Thursday.
- If you are the winner of the giveaway, you have till the end of Sunday (GMT+1) to answer my email, or I will draw a new winner on Monday.
- Note that I will delete invalid entries.
- I am not responsible if the book gets lost or damaged in the mail
- Have fun! :)

Have you entered? Now hop along!

The giveaway is now closed!

First year of school - completed!

2011-06-21T14:27:00.001+02:00

I know there has been a lack of creative posts on the blog this month. I only posted about my calendar at the beginning of June. However I was extremely busy with creative things because I was finishing the school year by completing one last huge assignment (or actually 2). I will share part one with you today, since I can finally say that I completed my first year!

The assignment was to look over everything you made in the past school year and discover your personal theme. The thing that kept coming back. With me this was "Close to myself" since I find it very easy to make contact with my inner child. For the assignment I choose to try something new and make a collage on a canvas. This is the final result:

I first painted a background and then I sorted out some pictures that all stand for an aspect of myself. But when I looked at it, I found it way too crowded because I used so many different colors in my background. So I worked over it with pastel crayons and while you can still see the original colors shine through, it is much more a whole now and less crowded. It was funny though because to me it represent my ADHD and the stream of thoughts I have in my head all the time. So I am very proud that I was able to make it a whole and much calmer. I will share some close ups from the painting below:

I also collected lyrics that are fitting to me and wrote them on leaves and pasted them on the painting. Then I added a final protective layer of hobby glue, which I had been told that could be used for that. But it gave me such a scare because at first I thought I had ruined all my work! Since the glue dried up ugly at first. But it was much better after I left the painting over night. But damn, I thought that weeks of work went down the drain that instant. At school they say, that you can't create pieces unless you jump into the depths. I definitely got a taste of that.

The pastel did smudge over the images but I don't really mind because I wanted them to blend anyway. But I noticed that I can use some more practice with the technique. Plenty of time for that next year though, because then we will be making more big, in depth pieces in stead of all the smaller pieces we did this year. It will ask a lot of my concentration though. I am curious how this will go. But for now I have a 3 month vacation! There actually was a part two of this assignment which I will share with you next time :)

It's Monday! What are you reading? (7)

2011-06-20T09:51:00.000+02:00

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

I have read two books this week. Room by Emma Donoghue (review will follow this week) and Clean by Amy Reeds. The latter entered my house the past week through Simon and Schuster. That review will follow next month when the book is released but goes about five teens in rehab. It was a quick and enjoyable read, I can tell you that much :)

I did post two reviews last week:
Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess
The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
Please check them out :)

It is a quickie this week since other than Clean, I didn't have new arrivals and I am not sure what I will be reading next. I also have some creative plans in stock, but I will tell you more about that later this week :) There will also be a give away soon, so make sure to check back for more details :)

Book Review: The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill

2011-06-17T16:30:00.000+02:00

Title: The Book of Negroes
Author: Lawrence Hill
Genre: Historical Fiction
Subject: Slavery
Publisher: Ailantus (Dutch edition)
Release date: 2007, Dutch edition 2011
Length: 433 pages (Dutch edition)
I got this book: I won it in a giveaway from the publisher Ailantus

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Abducted as an 11-year-old child from her village in West Africa and forced to walk for months to the sea in a coffle - a string of slaves - Aminata Diallo is sent to live as a slave in South Carolina. But years later, she forges her way to freedom, serving the British in the Revolutionary War and registering her name in the historic "Book of Negroes." This book, an actual document, provides a short but immensely revealing record of freed Loyalist slaves who requested permission to leave the US for resettlement in Nova Scotia, only to find that the haven they sought was steeped in an oppression all of its own. Aminata's eventual return to Sierra Leone - passing ships carrying thousands of slaves bound for America - is an engrossing account of an obscure but important chapter in history that saw 1,200 former slaves embark on a harrowing back-to-Africa odyssey."

Personal opinion:
This book is such a strong tale about the history of slavery. It is fiction but it rests strongly on historical facts, only moderated to make it a whole. Aminata is such a strong personality and the horrors she has to survive are heartbreaking. As with many historical books, I know most of the origins through the history lessons I had at school. But I find it much more shocking to actually read this book than learning the dry facts. It makes much more impact this way, at least that is what the book did to me. I feel that this would be a good book to read for history in high school since Aminata gives a strong voice to the slaves from those days without making it a boring ordeal to read through. I am sure that she will stay with me for a while and it surely made an impression on me. I originally gave this book 4 stars when I finished it, but since it makes such a lasting impression, I just have to adjust my first opinion and give it full marks.

Loved it!

Purchase links: Ailantus, The Book Depository
Other reviews: Leeswammes
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Book Review: Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess

2011-06-14T12:12:00.061+02:00

Title: Ordinary Beauty
Author: Laura Wiess
Genre: YA Fiction
Subject: Neglect
Publisher: MTV books
Release date: June 14, 2011
Length: 320 pages
I got this book: For review through Simon & Schuster

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"How can you make someone love you when they won’t?
And what if that person happens to be your mother?
Sayre Bellavia grew up knowing she was a mistake: unplanned and unwanted. At five months shy of eighteen, she’s become an expert in loneliness, heartache, and neglect. Her whole life she’s been cursed, used, and left behind. Swallowed a thousand tears and ignored a thousand deliberate cruelties. Sayre’s stuck by her mother through hell, tried to help her, be near her, be important to her even as her mother slipped away into a violent haze of addiction, destroying the only chance Sayre ever had for a real family.

Now her mother is lying in a hospital bed, near death, ravaged by her own destructive behavior. And as Sayre fights her way to her mother’s bedside, she is terrified but determined to get the answer to a question no one should ever have to ask: Did my mother ever really love me? And what will Sayre do if the answer is yes?"

Personal opinion:
It took me a while to get in this book. About the first 80 pages were slow going for me. The story didn't yet get together and I didn't really feel close to Sayre in the beginning even though it is clear from the start that she has a rough life. It is not until the story came more together, that I was drawn in, but when I did, it was almost impossible to let go. In the beginning I was a bit annoyed by the constant jumps from past to present, but that feeling disappeared when everything started to make sense. The first time I actually start to feel involved was when a pet parakeet died from neglect. I am a person that can't handle any form of animal abuse or neglect and while this was only a small detail in the story, it made me more mad than anything about the story so far. While technically the things that happened before were far worse then the parakeet dying.
This story made a great impression on me as to how far a person with an addiction would go to get what she needs. The ending was maybe a bit too perfect and somewhat unrealistic, but after everything that Sayre has been through, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Simon & Schuster
Other reviews: None yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

It's Monday! What are you reading? (6)

2011-06-13T13:52:00.000+02:00

The following books entered my home last week:
Room by Emma Donoghue which I got from the library.
Two books by Susan Smit about witchcraft that I got from Duurzaam Sparen because she wanted to give them a second home.
Luna by Julie Anne Peters which I got in a RAK from Joli from Actin' Up with Books. Thank you so much Joli!

I am planning to read Room first and then probably Luna. I am reading from my own stash lately, since I already have such busy weeks for a while now, I really want to read what speaks to me at that moment. So the Galley's remain untouched for the time being since I am really in the mood for actually holding a book and curl up in my chair. I do feel somewhat guilty about it since some books are coming out pretty soon. But I really feel that I need to do what is good for me and not put on more pressure on myself until the busy weeks are over. Only 2 more till my blocked week! (a week I reserved for just relaxing and celebrating my staycation, since I don't actually go on vacation.)

Does reading still feels like relaxing to you or does it feel like a chore sometimes? How do you make sure it doesn't become a chore instead of relaxing?

Off the Shelves: Spiritual Book "Sale"

2011-06-12T17:31:00.000+02:00

Since I want to de-clutter my home to make room for the stuff that I actually use, I have made a start today by cleaning out my spiritual book shelves. I am still spiritual and by no means I want to toss out all my spiritual books, but it is like cookbooks: Some books you use more than others. Since I am all for the concept of giving books a second or even more lives, I am offering those books on my blog for "sale" meaning that you can have the book for just the shipping costs and maybe packaging if I have ran out of envelopes. For now I only have Dutch books in this stash, but I will continue to de-clutter my shelves slowly, so who knows what might be there in the future.If people aren't interested, the books will get a second life in other ways. Because I don't want perfectly good books to end up in the trash.

These are the books I have to offer. Some of them had already a life before they came into my home. All books should fit through the mailbox.
Denk je Slank - Bart Dirks
Sterren, Mensen, kruiden - Mellie Uyldert (is very old)
Heksen en Witte Magie - Lucy Summers
Handboek der Hedendaagse Magie - Lucy Summers
Handboek der Magie - Nicola de Pulford
Meer Magie - Marian Green
Het Paranormale Spelletjesboek - Cassandra Eason
De Positieve Kracht van Magie en Rituelen - Nicole Sommersous
Genezen met Kristallen - Simon Lilly
Kruiden - Sue Hawkey
De Helende Kracht van Kruiden - Jade Britton & Tamara Kircher

That was it for now. If you are interested please mail to cynni _ universe (at) hotmail (dot) com for details.

Book review: The Art of Forgetting by Camille Noe Pagan

2011-06-09T12:43:00.065+02:00

Title: The Art of Forgetting
Author: Camille Noe Pagan
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Subject: Friendship, Daily Life
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Release date: June 9th, 2011
Length: 304 Pages
I got this book: From the publisher for review through NetGalley.

Summary from Goodreads:
"Marissa Rogers never wanted to be an alpha; beta suited her just fine. Taking charge without taking credit had always paid off: vaulting her to senior editor at a glossy magazine; keeping the peace with her critical, weight-obsessed mother; and enjoying the benefits of being best friends with gorgeous, charismatic, absolutely alpha Julia Ferrar.

And then Julia gets hit by a cab. She survives with minor obvious injuries, but brain damage steals her memory and alters her personality, possibly forever. Suddenly, Marissa is thrown into the role of alpha friend. As Julia struggles to regain her memory- dredging up issues Marissa would rather forget, including the fact that Julia asked her to abandon the love of her life ten years ago- Marissa's own equilibrium is shaken.

With the help of a dozen girls, she reluctantly agrees to coach in an after-school running program. There, Marissa uncovers her inner confidence and finds the courage to reexamine her past and take control of her future."

Personal opinion:
I have to say that I loathed Julia for the biggest part of the book. She was just a spoiled brat to me who used Marissa as a doormat much of the time to get her way. Even after her brain injury I still didn't find her very likeable. I could identify with Marissa really well because she was a lot like me, sans the diet talk. I too have had confidence issues for a long time and I experienced a similar growth that Marissa goes through during the book. That part, I liked very much, however the reading was slow because I just couldn't stand Julia and that made this a really frustrating read at times. Still, both Julia and Marissa are complicated characters and the author succeeded at portraying how different they are. I did like the conclusion of the book and I got more understanding for Julia as a person in the end.

A quote:
"Swans are very intelligent, and their memories are is long as an elephant's." Her eyes twinkle. "That is why they tend to be so damn mean."
"No kidding."
"Indeed. Swans will actually try to drown each other if they're angry enough. People admire their beauty and their devotion, but they're certainly not the animal whose social patterns we'd be wise to emulate. Unlike humans, they're unable to learn the art of forgetting."

It was okay.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None Yet
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

It's Monday! What are you reading? (5)

2011-06-06T13:51:00.000+02:00

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

I finished 3 books in the past week. I wasn't feeling so well at one point in the past week so I just read for almost a day. I finished Vlinders (Butterflies) by Simone van der Vlugt, but I won't review it here because I don't think it is translated into English. I read the manga xxxHolic vol.2 and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (review here).

I didn't continue to read Skyward by Mary Alice Monroe and I am not sure if I will. To be honest I am not sure if I will be able to read at all this week. This is because I am 1.5 weeks away from finishing my school year and I still have a lot to do regarding that. So that will get priority. That is why I won't plan anything for this week. I will read if I have the time, but if not... I will be back reading after Wednesday June 15th, which is my last day of school :)

Do you always plan your reading schedule ahead or are you just letting go on busy weeks? Or do you make time to read no matter how busy your weeks are?

Book Review: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

2011-06-03T11:26:00.002+02:00

Title: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Author: Aimee Bender
Genre: Magical Realism
Subject: Food, Family, Coming of Age
Publisher: Doubleday
Release date: June 2010
Length: 286 Pages
I got this book: Borrowed it from the library

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents’ attention, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother—her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother—tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose.

The curse her gift has bestowed is the secret knowledge all families keep hidden—her mother’s life outside the home, her father’s detachment, her brother’s clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up she learns to harness her gift and becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern."

Personal opinion:
I notice that I am having trouble to actually write my thoughts about this book. The story is really bitter-sweet and a heavier read than I expected. The first part is about how Rose discovers her gift and in the later parts we learn more about her family and how she learns to deal with the huge downside of her gift. The story sometimes makes jumps though time back and forth and this makes the story a little hard to follow sometimes. I really liked Rose but especially in her younger years, I had the feeling she sometimes was too wise or too young but she didn't feel like a 9 year old. The event in the last part of the book came as a total surprise and really freaked me out. The writer did a good job here because it made me feel exactly like Rose did when she found out about the event. I would recommend this to everyone who likes the Magical Realism genre and doesn't like predictable books. I can assure you, you will never see this coming.

I liked it!

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: Book Garden Reviews
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)

Art Calendar Challenge 2011 - June

2011-06-02T15:34:00.000+02:00

It is that time of the month again where I show off my Calendar Pages. I am still keeping up :)
Here are the finished May pages:

I just can't believe how busy I was in May. I had so much to do! My final school day for the year if only 2 weeks away and I have to finish everything up. Next to that I am so busy with various appointments, that it even surprised me I had still time to make the pages for June:

The pages can use some more decorations but I will add them during the month. I choose circles for this page to represent the sun since in June it will become Summer and the sun will be most powerful. I want to add more red, yellow and orange flowers to the pages :)

For the ones participating in the Calendar Challenge: do you work with a theme for the pages, or do you just go with the flow? Don't forget to check out the pages of others that are participating. Linky list at the Kathryn Wheel.

It's Monday! What are you reading? (4)

2011-05-30T13:43:00.002+02:00

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

I had a tough reading week and I didn't have much time to read at all in fact. I did manage to finish the Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen and I read xxxHolic vol.1 by CLAMP for the Hello Japan Challenge. I started in Skyward by Mary Alice Monroe but it is though going and I haven't managed to finish it yet. The book has 448 pages and that is a lot for me, and I can feel that it is too long for me in this case. But since it is an ARC, I feel more obligated to finish it. Also because I am already 270 pages in the book. I did however start with another book as well: the Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender, which I borrowed from the library.

I also got another book in that is about drawing plants and flowers in mandalas. I had this on my wishlist for quite some time and I was able to get it with a gift certificate.

On the bento blog I posted an easy lunch idea: Ciabatta with avocado, mozzarella and tomatoes.

This week I plan to finish both Skyward and the Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. I hope that I will manage that since I have another busy week ahead of me. I have only 2 more weeks till school is out and I have to work on my end presentation and some other homework still. I hope your reading weeks will be less busy!

What are you reading this week?

Book Review: XXX Holic vol.1 by CLAMP

2011-05-29T17:47:00.001+02:00

Title: XXX Holic Vol.1
Author: CLAMP
Genre: Manga, Mystery
Subject: Spirits, Paranormal
Publisher: Del Rey
Release date: April, 2004
Length: 176 pages
I got this book: Bought it a few years back

Summary:
From Goodreads:
"Watanuki Kimihiro is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. Seemingly by chance, he encounters a mysterious witch named Yuuko, who claims she can help. In desperation, he accepts, but realizes that he’s just been tricked into working for Yuuko in order to pay off the cost of her services. Soon he’s employed in her little shop—a job which turns out to be nothing like his previous work experience!"

Personal opinion:
I re-read this manga because of the Hello Japan challenge since the theme was mystery and I wanted to share this series with others. I took a break from my current read, to refresh my memory for the review. I have to say that when reading manga, CLAMP manga are one of my favorites. However it did took me a bit to warm up to XXX Holic. In the beginning, I only started to watch the anime because it crosses over with Tsubasa Chronicles, another one of CLAMP's works. But I have to say that after a while, this series grew on me. I think that I needed to get used to the style in the beginning. Because the anime left things unfinished, I picked up the manga later. The strong point about XXX Holic for me are the characters. Watanuki is really outspoken and has a short temper, which makes his interactions with the other characters often funny. The other characters do make fun of him and he gets angry a lot and the interaction makes me grin. Every character has something mysterious about them. It isn't really noticeable in the first volume yet, but everyone is surrounded by it and as the story progresses their fates are tied more and more. Next to the close interaction, I also think that the characters are quite unique. In the first volume, we only meet a few of them though and it is more an introduction volume. I have to say that I am not really into mystery a lot, but I came to appreciate this series. I haven't read the whole series yet, so I have no idea where it all ends but I can tell you that it gets more interesting after a few volumes so I would advice not to judge this series by the first volume alone, since there isn't happening that much yet. This series needs time to build up and that is not possible to do within one volume with this story. Also: if you are going to pick this up, I do advise you to pick up Tsubasa Chronicles along side it. They can be read separate, but they are more fun together. A nice little extra is that Del Rey took their time to include explanations after the story about typical Japanese customs or references to other CLAMP works. I personally liked this a lot.

I liked it!

Purchase links: The Book Depository
Other reviews: Puss Reboots
If you have reviewed this book and want your link here, please leave a comment with the link, and I will add it :)
Also part of the manga challenge 2011.

In the Spotlight: By Kris

2011-05-27T19:38:00.003+02:00

As you know I share my own creative experiments here but today I wanted to share the creative projects of someone else. Kris is a woman who has really inspired me by her work. She paints and makes collages among others. She is also the founder of the Round Robin Project I am currently participating in :) I actually found her site through an ad on postcrossing. She sells a nice collection of her collage postcards online and I bought some sets from her to send across the world.

I started to read her blog too and that is how I eventually ended up in a Round Robin group. I thought she deserved some love and a big thank you for inspiring me :) I love making collages myself now, which I do on a regular base now in the notebooks from the other Round Robin participants.
Please check out the webshop By Kris. She also sells a fine collection of Ecojot products, letter sets, vintage postcards and more! I am a regular customer and she ships very fast :) For the Dutchies it might be interesting to know that Kris also gives workshops! Creative painting or pizza making for example.
Also check out her blog for inspiration and of course the Round Robin blog :)