Friday, November 29, 2019

The Best American Food Writing 2018 edited by Ruth Reichl

The Best American Food Writing 2018
edited by Ruth Reichl

Published: 2018
Publisher: Mariner Books
Genre: Essays, Food
Paperback: 320
Goodreads

includes:

Revenge of the Lunch Lady by Jane Black
New York, Chicago, Detroit, Portland? Making the Case for a New American Pizza city by Karen Brooks
Christina Tossi Has a Cookie by Mary H.K. Choi *
I've worked in Food for Twenty Years, Now You Finally Care About Female Chefs? by Amanda Cohen *
Secrets in the Sauce by Lauren Collins
On the Iberico Trail by John T. Edge
Is Dinner for Two Worth $1,000? By Jonathan Gold *
How Driscoll's Reinvented the Straberry by Dana Goodyear
Temples of the Seasons by Alex Halberstadt
The Struggle of "Eating Well" When You're Poor by Marissa Higgins *
The NBA's Secret Sandwich Addiction by Baxter Holmes *
The White Lies of Craft Culture by Lauren Michele Jackson
Where's the Beef? By Beth Kowitt
In Good Hands by Francis Lam
To Wash or Not to Wash? By Harold McGee
Born in the USA: The Rise and Triumph of Asian-American Cuisine by Ligaya Mishan *
Who Owns Uncle Ben? By Shane Mitchell
Georgetown One Stop by John O'Connor
The Country Sausage That's Going to Town by Chris Offutt
The Teenage Whaler's Tale by Julia O'Malley
The Mad Cheese Scientist Fighting to Save the Dairy Industry by Clint Rainey
The Joy of Reading About Cooking by Tejal Rao
Oysters: A Love Story by Tejal Rao
Mario Batali and the Appetites of Men by Helen Rosner
Pawhuska or Bust: A Journe to the Heart of Pioneer Woman Country by Khushbu Shah
The World's Last Great Undiscovered Cuisine by Anya Von Bremzen
After Oranges by Wyatt Williams

“Food writing is stepping out,” legendary food writer Ruth Reichl declares at the start of this, the inaugural edition of Best American Food Writing. “It’s about time…Food is, in a very real sense, redesigning the world.” Indeed, the twenty-eight pieces in this volume touch on every pillar of society: from the sense memories that connect a family through food, to the scientific tinkering that gives us new snacks to share, to the intersections of culinary culture with some of our most significant political issues. At times a celebration, at times a critique, at times a wondrous reverie, the Best American Food Writing 2018 is brimming with delights both circumspect and sensuous. Dig in!

My two-bits:
I read the stories with "*" to create some hype for the food feasting brought on by Thanksgiving which definitely satisfied the craving.

I plan to read more later for stories on history, experiences and fun food facts.

~*~

* part of monthly theme: SciFi, Supper, Love, Sex and Marriage

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Blog All About It: Thankful


Happy Thanksgiving!


~*~

* image source: vintage thanksgiving

* part of the Blog All About It Challenge (here)

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
by Becky Chambers

Published: 2014
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Genre: SciFi, Space Opera
Paperback: 518
Rating: 5
Goodreads
Website

Wayfarers series:
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
A Closed and Common Orbit
Record of a Spaceborn Few

First sentence(s):
As she woke up in the pod, she remembered three things.

Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.


My two-bits:
Loved this spaceship crew. Loved learning about living in the future with its diverse alien cultures and interactions.

Reminded of tv past scifi shows Farscape and Firefly.

~*~

* monthly theme: SciFi, Supper, Love, Sex and Marriage

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman

The Marriage of Opposites
by Alice Hoffman
narrated by
Gloria Reuben
Tina Benko
Santino Fontana

Published: 2015
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Genre: Historical, Romance, Art, Jewish, France
Hardback: 371
Rating: 4
Goodreads
Website

First sentence(s):
I always left my window open at night, despite the warnings I'd been given.

Growing up on idyllic St. Thomas in the early 1800s, Rachel dreams of life in faraway Paris. Rachel's mother, a pillar of their small refugee community of Jews who escaped the Inquisition, has never forgiven her daughter for being a difficult girl who refuses to live by the rules. Growing up, Rachel's salvation is their maid Adelle's belief in her strengths, and her deep, life-long friendship with Jestine, Adelle's daughter. But Rachel's life is not her own. She is married off to a widower with three children to save her father's business. When her husband dies suddenly and his handsome, much younger nephew, Fréderick, arrives from France to settle the estate, Rachel seizes her own life story, beginning a defiant, passionate love affair that sparks a scandal that affects all of her family, including her favorite son, who will become one of the greatest artists of France.

My two-bits:
Oh, the frustrations of struggles with family and love in a culture trying to maintain its traditions.

~*~

* listened to audio version

* part of monthly theme: SciFi, Supper, Love, Sex and Marriage

* part of ibc book club (here)

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Watsons by Jane Austen and Rose Servitova

The Watsons
by Jane Austen and Rose Servitova

Published: October 2019
Publisher: Wooster Publishing
Genre: Historical, Romance, Jane Austen theme
Paperback: 256
Rating: 4
Goodreads

First sentence(s):
The first winter assembly in the town of Dorking in Surrey was to be held on Tuesday, October 13th and it was generally expected to be a very good one.

The Watsons by Jane Austen & Rose Servitova is the tale of four sisters as they seek security, love and happiness in a world where the most important decisions affecting their lives, are not always theirs to make. It is a book about relationships, freedom and personal empowerment.

After a fourteen year absence, Emma Watson, presumed heiress, is returned penniless to her family. As she becomes reacquainted with her sisters, she sees how their future prospects hinge on the health of their clergyman father and the humour of their brothers.

At the first ball of the season, Emma draws the attention of the party from Osborne Castle thus unleashing a series of events which see Emma’s choices clashing with those around her and the fall-out which occurs as a result. How does she appease the wrong she has committed in others’ eyes without creating a greater one in her own?


My two-bits:
Dirty dancing (well kinda - two dances with the same dude), witty dialogue, urgent letters and creepy stalking vibe creates some action and tension in this regency themed piece.

Also, looking for love (and independence) versus looking for appropriate matches plays heavy in this story.

Within is an amusing discussion on lady authors.

If this story reflected some of Jane's life, I can see why it would have been hard to write.

~*~

* review copy courtesy of tour (see schedule here)

Monday, November 18, 2019

Happy Release: The Watsons by Jane Austen and Rose Servitova

The Watsons
by Jane Austen and Rose Servitova
-Historical, Romance | Goodreads
Release date: October 20, 2019
#Janeite Blog Tour
#The Watsons

Can she honour her family and stay true to herself?

Emma Watson returns to her family home after fourteen years with her wealthy and indulgent aunt. Now more refined than her siblings, Emma is shocked by her sisters’ flagrant and desperate attempts to ensnare a husband. To the surprise of the neighbourhood, Emma immediately attracts the attention of eligible suitors – notably the socially awkward Lord Osborne, heir to Osborne Castle – who could provide her with a home and high status if she is left with neither after her father’s death. Soon Emma finds herself navigating a world of unfamiliar social mores, making missteps that could affect the rest of her life. How can she make amends for the wrongs she is seen to have committed without betraying her own sense of what is right?

Jane Austen commenced writing The Watsons over two hundred years ago, putting it aside unfinished, never to return and complete it. Now, Rose Servitova, author of acclaimed humour title, The Longbourn Letters: The Correspondence between Mr Collins and Mr Bennet has finished Austen’s manuscript in a manner true to Austen’s style and wit.


About the author:
Irish author Rose Servitova is an award-winning humor writer, event manager, and job coach for people with special needs. Her debut novel, The Longbourn Letters – The Correspondence between Mr. Collins & Mr. Bennet, described as a ‘literary triumph’, has received international acclaim since its publication in 2017. Rose enjoys talking at literary events, drinking tea and walking on Irish country roads. She lives in County Limerick with her husband, two young children, and three indifferent cats. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

THE WATSONS BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

November 18 My Jane Austen Book Club (Interview)
November 18 Austenprose—A Jane Austen Blog (Review)
November 19 The Lit Bitch (Excerpt)
November 20 Austenesque Reviews (Review)
November 20 vvb32 Reads (Review)
November 21 All Things Austen (Review)
November 22 My Love for Jane Austen (Spotlight)
November 25 From Pemberley to Milton (Excerpt)
November 25 Diary of an Eccentric (Interview)
November 26 So Little Time… (Excerpt)
November 27 Impressions in Ink (Review)
November 27 Babblings of a Bookworm (Spotlight)
November 28 More Agreeably Engaged (Review)
November 29 My Vices and Weaknesses (Excerpt)
November 29 The Fiction Addiction (Review)

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Lovely Books and Things - 11.17.19

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~

HAPPY THINGS:

1. Date night with the gal pals ;-)

2. Making plans for holiday craft projects in December

3. Diving into the scifi world of the Wayfarers series (image source: fan art of space crew in book one by sebasp)


~*~

Library:

Christmas Shopaholic
by Sophie Kinsella
-Romance, Chick-lit, Christmas | Goodreads

GATHERING up a holiday reading tbr pile.

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors
by Sonali Dev
-Romance, Retelling, Jane Austen-theme | Goodreads

ALSO, gearing up for Jane Austen's birthday next month!


FYI: Review posts theme for this month: SciFi, Supper, Love, Sex and Marriage


AND watched: in theatre

Last Christmas (2019)
Director: Paul Feig
Writers: Emma Thompson, Greg Wise, Bryony Kimmings
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding
-Comedy, Drama, Romance, Holiday | imdb | my rating: 4

Kate is a young woman subscribed to bad decisions. Her last date with disaster? That of having accepted to work as Santa's elf for a department store. However, she meets Tom there. Her life takes a new turn. For Kate, it seems too good to be true.

SCROOGE theme vs. rom-com sweetness.
Loved the George Michael and Wham songs incorporated into the film.

The Report (2019)
Director/Writer: Scott Z. Burns
Stars: Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm
-Drama, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 4

Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.

CAPTURES this bit of CIA history in a riveting way.

~*~

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Kojiki by Keith Yatsuhashi

Kojiki
by Keith Yatsuhashi

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
Blog
Twitter

Published: 2016
Publisher: Angry Robot
Genre: Fantasy, SciFi, Japan
Paperback pages: 448
Rating: 3

Kojiki series:
Kojiki
Kokoro

First sentence(s):
Tokyo, Japan
Keiko Yamada lifted her battered thirty-five millimeter camera and held her breath.

Every civilization has its myths. Only one is true.

When eighteen year old Keiko Yamada’s father dies unexpectedly, he leaves behind a one way ticket to Japan, an unintelligible death poem about powerful Japanese spirits and their gigantic, beast-like Guardians, and the cryptic words: “Go to Japan in my place. Find the Gate. My camera will show you the way.”

Alone and afraid, Keiko travels to Tokyo, determined to fulfil her father’s dying wish. There, beneath glittering neon signs, her father’s death poem comes to life. Ancient spirits spring from the shadows. Chaos envelops the city, and as Keiko flees its burning streets, her guide, the beautiful Yui Akiko, makes a stunning confession – that she, Yui, is one of a handful of spirits left behind to defend the world against the most powerful among them: a once noble spirit now insane. Keiko must decide if she will honour her father’s heritage and take her rightful place among the gods.


My two-bits:
Female heroines, love triangle, progeny.
And, there be dragons.

~*~

* monthly theme: SciFi, Supper, Love, Sex and Marriage

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Lovely Books and Things - 11.10.19

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~

HAPPY THINGS:

1. Yummy Korean Beef Stew made at home by the kid

2. Sonoma State Improv midnight show - starring one of our best buddies

3. Dia De Los Muertos Parade



~*~

Author event:


Green Apple Books on the Park hosted a conversation between authors Shannon Pufahl and Anthony Marra.

On Swift Horses
by Shannon Pufahl
-Literary, Historical, LGBTQ, Horses | Goodreads


Freebies: from free bin at Green Apple Books

A Simple Favor
by Darcey Bell
-Mystery, Thriller | Goodreads

BEEN meaning to read the book after watching the film version awhile ago.

Watching You
by Lisa Jewell
-Mystery, Thriller | Goodreads

FOR my Lisa Jewell reading binge.


For Review:

The Watsons
by Jane Austen and Rose Servitova
courtesy of author for book tour -Thanks! | Goodreads


~*~

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Dear Girls by Ali Wong

Dear Girls
Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life
by and narrated by Ali Wong
narrated by Justin Hakuta

Published: 2019
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Memoir, Humor
Hardback: 224
Rating: 5
Goodreads | Website

First sentence(s):
Dear, Girls. I have a secret that I never wanted anyone to know.

Zombie sighting:
I was acting like a survivor in post apocalyptic zombie world who stumbles on a supermarket.
-part 3, chapter 6


Ali Wong's heartfelt and hilarious letters to her daughters (the two she put to work while they were still in utero), covering everything they need to know in life, like the unpleasant details of dating, how to be a working mom in a male-dominated profession, and how she trapped their dad.

In her hit Netflix comedy special Baby Cobra, an eight-month pregnant Ali Wong resonated so heavily that she became a popular Halloween costume. Wong told the world her remarkably unfiltered thoughts on marriage, sex, Asian culture, working women, and why you never see new mom comics on stage but you sure see plenty of new dads.

The sharp insights and humor are even more personal in this completely original collection. She shares the wisdom she's learned from a life in comedy and reveals stories from her life off stage, including the brutal singles life in New York (i.e. the inevitable confrontation with erectile dysfunction), reconnecting with her roots (and drinking snake blood) in Vietnam, tales of being a wild child growing up in San Francisco, and parenting war stories. Though addressed to her daughters, Ali Wong's letters are absurdly funny, surprisingly moving, and enlightening (and disgusting) for all.


My two-bits:

So fun and funny.

With this love letter to her children, Ali is just as entertaining in print as she is onstage. Ali gives her account of motherhood and life perspectives.

I listened to the audio version for the full effect of her storytelling."

~*~

* Listened to audiobook version.

Friday, November 8, 2019

The Bride of Northanger by Diana Birchall

The Bride of Northanger
by Diana Birchall

Published: 2019
Publisher: White Soup Press
Genre: Historical, Romance, Jane Austen
Paperback: 230
Rating: 4
Goodreads

First sentence(s):
If Catherine Morland was not born to be a heroine, she ended by becoming something very like one.

A happier heroine than Catherine Morland does not exist in England, for she is about to marry her beloved, the handsome, witty Henry Tilney. The night before the wedding, Henry reluctantly tells Catherine and her horrified parents a secret he has dreaded to share - that there is a terrible curse on his family and their home, Northanger Abbey. Henry is a clergyman, educated and rational, and after her year’s engagement Catherine is no longer the silly young girl who delighted in reading “horrid novels”; she has improved in both reading and rationality. This sensible young couple cannot believe curses are real...until a murder at the Abbey triggers events as horrid and Gothic as Jane Austen ever parodied - events that shake the young Tilneys’ certainties, but never their love for each other.

My two-bits:

Curses schmurses. I liked the play with the paranormal and Jane Austen-ish storytelling.

In general, I found this to be a gentle gothic themed story with Austen favorites Catherine and Henry in the starring roles.

There are a couple dark moments that includes a surprising encounter in the woods. And, another surprise at the end of the book made for a "Oh, hmmm" moment.

~*~

* review copy courtesy of tour

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino

Trick Mirror:
Reflections on Self-Delusion
by Jia Tolentino

Published: 2019
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Essays, Memoir, Feminism
Hardback: 303
Rating: 5
Goodreads
Website

Includes:

The I in the Internet
Reality TV Me
Always Be Optimizing
Pure Heroines
Ecstasy
The Story of a Generation in Seven Scams
We Come from Old Virginia
The Cult of the Difficult Women
I Thee Dread

First sentence(s):
I wrote this book between the spring of 2017 and the fall of 1018--a period during which American identity, culture, technology, politics, and discourse seemed to coalesce ito an unbearable supernova of perpetually escalating conflict, a stretch of time when daily experience seemed both like a stopped elevator and an endless state-fair ride, when many of us regularly found ourselves thinking that everything had gotten as bad as we could possibly imagine, after which, of course, things always got worse."

Trick Mirror is an enlightening, unforgettable trip through the river of self-delusion that surges just beneath the surface of our lives. This is a book about the incentives that shape us, and about how hard it is to see ourselves clearly in a culture that revolves around the self. In each essay, Jia writes about the cultural prisms that have shaped her: the rise of the nightmare social internet; the American scammer as millennial hero; the literary heroine’s journey from brave to blank to bitter; the mandate that everything, including our bodies, should always be getting more efficient and beautiful until we die.

My two-bits:

Thoughtful collection of the sign of the times in regards to women.

Topics range from internet, reality tv, women heroines in books, etc.

~*~

* Filipino mentioned

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow

Catch and Kill
Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators
by Ronan Farrow

Published: 2019
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: True Crime, Feminism
Hardback: 464
Rating: 5
Goodreads

First sentence(s):
The two men sat in a corner at Nargis Cafe, an Uzbek and Russian restaurant in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.

In 2017, a routine network television investigation led Ronan Farrow to a story only whispered about: one of Hollywood's most powerful producers was a predator, protected by fear, wealth, and a conspiracy of silence. As Farrow drew closer to the truth, shadowy operatives, from high-priced lawyers to elite war-hardened spies, mounted a secret campaign of intimidation, threatening his career, following his every move, and weaponizing an account of abuse in his own family.

All the while, Farrow and his producer faced a degree of resistance that could not be explained--until now. And a trail of clues revealed corruption and cover-ups from Hollywood, to Washington, and beyond.

This is the untold story of the exotic tactics of surveillance and intimidation deployed by wealthy and connected men to threaten journalists, evade accountability, and silence victims of abuse--and it's the story of the women who risked everything to expose the truth and spark a global movement.

Both a spy thriller and a meticulous work of investigative journalism, Catch and Kill breaks devastating new stories about the rampant abuse of power--and sheds far-reaching light on investigations that shook the culture.


My two-bits:

Totally engrossing thriller aspect to this investigative reporting story.

~*~

* part of October monthly theme: True Crime, Hunger, Horror, Harassment

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention by Donna Freitas

Consent:
A Memoir of Unwanted Attention
by Donna Freitas
narrated by Kathleen McInerney

Published: 2019
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Memoir, Feminism
Hardback: 336
Rating: 5
Goodreads | Website

First sentence(s):
The package sat unopened on the coffee table.

In this "compelling and disturbing" true story (Rebecca Traister), a young woman's toxic mentor develops a dark, stalking obsession that disrupts her career -- and her peace of mind. Donna Freitas has lived two lives. In one life, she is a well-published author and respected scholar who has traveled around the country speaking about Title IX, consent, religion, and sex on college campuses. In the other, she is a victim, a woman who suffered and suffers still because she was stalked by her graduate professor for more than two years.

As a doctoral candidate, Freitas loved asking big questions, challenging established theories and sinking her teeth into sacred texts. She felt at home in the library, and safe in the book-lined offices of scholars whom she admired. But during her first year, one particular scholar became obsessed with Freitas' academic enthusiasm. He filled her student mailbox with letters and articles. He lurked on the sidewalk outside her apartment. He called daily and left nagging voicemails. He befriended her mother, and made himself comfortable in her family's home. He wouldn't go away. While his attraction was not overtly sexual, it was undeniably inappropriate, and most importantly--unwanted.

In Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention, Donna Freitas delivers a forensic examination of the years she spent stalked by her professor, and uses her nightmarish experience to examine the ways in which we stigmatize, debate, and attempt to understand consent today.


My two-bits:

This memoir of unwanted attention was tough to listen to. The gradual and persistent creepy stalker actions and how things played out kept this story full of uncomfortable tension and anxiety. But necessary to see. The guy was relentless. He was a living nightmare for the author.

Got me thinking of the enablers and how they were complicit.

~*~

* listened to the audio version

* part of October monthly theme: True Crime, Hunger, Horror, Harassment

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Lovely Books and Things - 11.4.19

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~

HAPPY THINGS:

1. Start of NaNoWriMo. I plan on working on short stories.

2. Fried Chicken Sandwich from The Bird in SOMA (here)
*Our chicken is always free-range
*We use a berbere spice blend to give the chicken that little something special
*Our fried chicken is served on a fresh bun that’s baked each morning by a local baker
*The sandwich is loaded with our own crunchy apple slaw (made fresh in house daily)


3. Sauron's eye atop the Salesforce building on Halloween


~*~

Author event:


The West Portal Book Shop hosted a conversation with authors Meg Waite Clayton and E.R. Ramzipoor.

The Last Train to London
by Meg Waite Clayton
-Historical, WWII, London | Goodreads

The Ventriloquists
by E.R. Ramzipoor
-Historical, WWII, Brussels | Goodreads



Book Passage of Corte Madera hosted Lara Prescott with her debut novel The Secrets We Kept which was inspired by Lara in Dr. Zhivago.

The Secrets We Kept
by Lara Prescott
-Historical, Romance, Russia | Goodreads


Library:

Doctor Zhivago
by Boris Pasternak
-Classic, Historical, Russian | Goodreads

PLAN to read this before Lara's book to familiarize myself with this classic.

Reading challenge:

SciFi Month 2019
(details & signup)

My reading list:

The Future is Female!
Women's Science Fiction Stories from the Pulp Era to the New Wave
by Lisa Yaszek (Editor), Leslie F. Stone, Judith Merril, Leigh Brackett, Kit Reed, Joanna Russ, Ursula K. Le Guin, James Tiptree Jr.
-SciFi, Short Stories | Goodreads

Kojiki
(Kojiki #1)
by Keith Yatsuhashi
-SciFi, Japan | Goodreads | my review

Record of a Spaceborn Few
(Wayfarers #3)
by Becky Chambers
-SciFi, Space Opera | Goodreads | my review: tba

FOR the SciFi Challenge read-along.


AND watched: in theatre

Earthquake Bird (2019)
Director/Adaptation: Wash Westmoreland
Based on novel by: Susanna Jones
Stars: Alicia Vikander, Riley Keough, Jack Huston
-Crime, Drama, Mystery, Japan | imdb | my rating: 5

An enigmatic translator with a dark past is brought in for questioning after an ex-pat friend, who came between her and her photographer boyfriend, ends up missing and presumed dead.

SENSE of longing and belonging struck me.

AND watched: in theatre, part of the SFFILM Documentary Film Festival (here)

The Kingmaker (2019)
Director: Lauren Greenfield
-Documentary, Philippines | imdb | my rating: 5

Documentary centering on the controversial political career of Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines whose behind-the-scenes influence of her husband Ferdinand's presidency rocketed her to the global political stage.

AMAZING how this documentary was so much more than expected and kinda scary too. Definitely one to watch in regards to the current politics of the Philippines.

~*~

* updated 11/17/19

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Friday, November 1, 2019

Marshmallow by Clare Turlay Newberry

Marshmallow
story and pictures by Clare Turlay Newberry

Published: 2010
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: Children, Animals, Rabbit
Paperback: 32
Rating: 5
Goodreads

First sentence(s):
Oliver was a gray cat with tabby markings who lived in an apartment.

Marshmallow is an endearingly and beautifully illustrated book about an adorable baby bunny who comes to live in the house of a pampered cat, and the friendship that develops between them.

My two-bits:

Sweet friendship tale with adorable illustrations to match.

~*~

* starting a new meme: posting on the first of the month with something rabbit themed (rabbit rabbit)
 
Imagination Designs
Images from: Lovelytocu