Thursday, March 31, 2022

Reading Wrap Up: March 2022

READING WRAP UP
(books from the tbr)

An Honest Lie
by Tarryn Fisher
Thriller, Mystery | Release date: April 2022 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
past and present collision makes for a thrilling tale

“I’m going to kill her. You’d better come if you want to save her.”

Lorraine—“Rainy”—lives at the top of Tiger Mountain. Remote, moody, cloistered in pine trees and fog, it’s a sanctuary, a new life. She can hide from the disturbing past she wants to forget.

If she’s allowed to.

When Rainy reluctantly agrees to a girls’ weekend in Vegas, she’s prepared for an exhausting parade of shots and slot machines. But after a wild night, her friend Braithe doesn’t come back to the hotel room.

And then Rainy gets the text message, sent from Braithe’s phone: someone has her. But Rainy is who they really want, and Rainy knows why.

What follows is a twisted, shocking journey on the knife-edge of life and death. If she wants to save Braithe—and herself—the only way is to step back into the past.


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The Maid
by Nita Prose
Mystery, Thriller | Published: 2022 | Goodreads | my rating: 5
fun mystery with quirky protagonist

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?


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The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
Mystery, Thriller, Paris | Published: 2022 | Goodreads | my rating: 4
some underbelly and dark goings on

Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge

Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.


Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Man Booker International Prize 2022

Man Booker International Prize 2022
(details)
long list announced: March 10
short list announced: April 7 ***
winner announced: May 26

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WINNER: Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree

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THE LONG LIST: 13 works
After the Sun
by Jonas Eika
translated by Sherilyn Nicolette Hellberg
Short Stories, Denmark | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

Cursed Bunny ***
by Bora Chung
translated by Anton Hurby
Short Stories, Horror, Korea | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

A New Name Septology VI-VII ***
by Jon Fosse
translated by Damion Searls
Literary, Norway | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

More Than I Love My Life
by David Grossman
translated by Jessica Cohen
Historical, Israel, Jewish | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

The Book of Mother
by Violaine Huisman
translated by Leslie Camhi
Contemporary, Mental Health, France | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

Heaven ***
by Mieko Kawakami
translated by Sam Bett, David Boyd
Literary, Coming of Age, Japan | Published: 2021 (first 2009) | Goodreads | my rating: 5

Paradais
by Fernanda Melchor
translated by Sophie Hughes
Novella, Literary, Mexico | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

Love in the Big City
by Sang Young Park
translated by Anton Hur
Contemporary, LGBTQ, Korea | Published: 2021 | Goodreads | my rating: 4

Happy Stories, Mostly
by Norman Erikson Pasaribu
translated by Tiffany Tsao
Short Stories, LGBTQ, Indonesia | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

Elena Knows ***
by Claudia Piñeiro
translated by Frances Riddle
Mystery, Thriller, Feminism, Argentina | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

Phenotypes
by Paulo Scott
translated by Daniel Hahn
Contemporary, Brazil | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

Tomb of Sand ***
by Geetanjali Shree
translated by Daisy Rockwell
Literary, LGBTQ, India | Published: 2021 | Goodreads

The Books of Jacob ***
by Olga Tokarczuk
Historical, Poland | Published: February 2022 | Goodreads


Sunday, March 27, 2022

Lovely Books and Things - 3.27.22

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update


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

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HAPPY THINGS:

1. Completed 2021 taxes - whew! what a chore
2. Emmentaler cheese fondue at the Matterhorn restaurant
3. Beads and Sequins art by Devi Vallabhaneni (details)
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Library: audiobook
Pieces of Her
by Karin Slaughter
Thriller, Mystery | Published: 2018 | Goodreads


Library:
The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories:
A Collection of Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy
in Translation from a Visionary Team of Female and Nonbinary Creators
edited by Yu Chen
Short Stories, SciFi, LGBTQ, China | Published: 2022 | Goodreads


Freebies: from Free Little Library
Envy
by Yury Olesha
illustrated by Natan Altman
translated by Marian Schwartz
Classics, Russian | Published: 2004 (first 1927) | Goodreads


A Mad Zombie Party
by Gena Showalter
YA, Zombies | Published: 2015 | Goodreads


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AND watched: theatre
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Director/Writer: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan
Action, Adventure, Comedy | imdb | my rating: 5
mish mosh of all things fun and serious

An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.

The Batman (2022)
Director/Writer: Matt Reeves
Writer: Peter Craig
Based on creations by: Bill Finger, Bob Kane
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright
Action, Crime, Drama, Hero | imdb | my rating: 5
enjoyable origin story to add to the Batman film collection

When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement.

AND watched: Kanopy
Four Good Days (2020)
Director/Screenplay: Rodrigo García
Screenplay: Eli Saslow
Based on Washington Post article by: Eli Saslow
Inspired by: Amanda Wendler, Libby Alexander
Stars: Mila Kunis, Glenn Close
Drama | imdb | my rating: 5
heartfelt and hopeful

A mother helps her daughter work through four crucial days of recovery from substance abuse.

AND watched: AMC on demand
Flee (2021)
Original title: Flugt
Director/Writer: Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Writer: Amin Nawabi
Based on book:
Stars: Daniel Karimyar, Fardin Mijdzadeh
Documentary, Biography, Animation, Afghanistan, Russia, Denmark | imdb | my rating: 5
amazing

FLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.

AND watched: Apple+
Coda (2021)
Director/Screenplay: Sian Heder
Based on film: La Famille Belier
Stars: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin
Comedy, Drama, Music | imdb | my rating: 5
coming of age, feel good end

As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music by wanting to go to Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.

AND watched: VUDU
Parallel Mothers (2021)
Original title: Madres paralelas Director/Writer: Pedro Almodóvar
Stars: Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit
Drama, Spain | imdb | my rating: 5
oh, mothers
Happy Mother's Day in the UK today!

Two women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn't regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way.


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

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Explore: Paris

Explore The World 2022
through books, films, etc.
March: Paris

READ:

The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
Mystery, Thriller, Paris | Published: 2022 | Goodreads | my rating: 4


FLIP THROUGH:

The Little Pleasures of Paris
by Leslie Jonath
illustrated by Lizzy Stewart
Travel, France, Art | Published: 2016 | Goodreads | my rating: 5

Take an enchanting tour of Paris's most charming places, objects, and pasttimes in this lovingly compiled Francophile handbook. Organized by season, The Little Pleasures of Paris takes the reader through a year's worth of quintessentially Parisian experiences, from secret gardens bursting with roses to exotic plumage at the city's bird market, candied violets at Paris's oldest sweet shop, dazzling colors in the stained glass at Sainte-Chapelle, and more. The friendly text and whimsical illustrations make this delightful volume a poetic letter to the City of Light. Unusual details that might otherwise go unnoticed are celebrated and offer a uniquely intimate perspective in this triomphe of je ne sais quoi and joi de vivre!

VIRTUAL VISIT: Heygo with Florent (here), my virtual postcard pics

Saint-Eustache church

Stravinsky Fountain near Centre Pompidou

VISIT bookstore: someday...

Halle Saint Pierre
(details)

Specializing in writings on art, artists' books and works concerning all forms of contemporary non-standard creation, the Halle Saint Pierre bookstore also functions as a resource and documentation centre. Its specificity comes from the networks it has set up with private and public institutions in France and abroad. The bookstore publishes or co-publishes exhibition catalogs and organizes exhibitions of raw and singular art.

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* part of Explore the World (here)
* image source: bookstore

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Jane in Spring

WATCH:
Sense & Sensibilty musical
presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
March 9 to April 2, 2022 (details)
READ:
The Verifiers
by Jane Pek
Mystery, Thriller | Published: 2022 | Goodreads | my rating: 4

Claudia Lin is used to disregarding her fractious family’s model-minority expectations: she has no interest in finding either a conventional career or a nice Chinese boy. She’s also used to keeping secrets from them, such as that she prefers girls—and that she's just been stealth-recruited by Veracity, a referrals-only online-dating detective agency.

A lifelong mystery reader who wrote her senior thesis on Jane Austen, Claudia believes she's landed her ideal job. But when a client goes missing, Claudia breaks protocol to investigate—and uncovers a maelstrom of personal and corporate deceit. Part literary mystery, part family story, The Verifiers is a clever and incisive examination of how technology shapes our choices, and the nature of romantic love in the digital age.


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* header image source: from Emma (2020) film
* part of Jane-austenesque 2022 (here)

Sunday, March 20, 2022

Lovely Books and Things - 3.20.22

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update


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

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HAPPY THINGS:

1. Inching along on my latest book themed cross stich project (updated post)
2. Snacking on yummy Lahmacun - Armenian pizza
3. Mostly British Film Festival live screenings at the Vogue theatre (details)
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Library:
Postcolonial Love Poem
by Natalie Diaz
Poetry, LGBTQ, Race, Feminism | Published: 2020 | Goodreads

Freebies: from Free Little Library
Spring Collection
by Judith Krantz
Chick Lit, Romance | Published: 1996 | Goodreads

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Virtual Author event: hosted by Alta Magazine
See archive of this (here)
Cherish Farrah
by Bethany C. Morrow
Horror, Thriller | Published: 2022 | Goodreads

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AND watched: Mostly British Film Festival (details)
Falling for Figaro (2020)
Director/Writer: Ben Lewin
Writer: Allen Palmer
Stars: Danielle Macdonald, Shazad Latif, Joanna Lumley
Comedy, Romance, Scotland | imdb | my rating: 5
lovely dose of Opera

A brilliant young fund manager leaves her unfulfilling job and long-term boyfriend to chase her lifelong dream of becoming an opera singer in the Scottish Highlands.

The Last Bus (2021)
Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Writer: Joe Ainsworth
Stars: Timothy Spall
Drama, Scotland, England | imdb | my rating: 5
road trip adventure with funny and touching moments

An old man crosses the country just using local buses.

Rams (2020)
Director: Jeremy Sims
Screenplay: Jules Duncan
Based on film by: Grímur Hákonarson
Stars: Sam Neill, Michael Caton
Comedy, Drama, Australia | imdb | my rating: 5
brotherly love and hate

A decades-long feud between two sheep farming brothers comes to a head when disaster strikes their flocks.

After Love (2020)
Director/Writer: Aleem Khan
Stars: Joanna Scanlan, Nathalie Richard
Drama, England | imdb | my rating: 5
what if, wow, kinda story

Set in the port town of Dover, Mary Hussain suddenly finds herself a widow following the unexpected death of her husband. A day after the burial, she discovers he has a secret just twenty-one miles across the English Channel in Calais.

The Last Film Show (2021)
Director/Writer: Pan Nalin
Stars: Bhavin Rabari, Dipen Raval, Rahul Koli
Drama, India | imdb | my rating: 5
beautiful

When the magic of movies conquers nine-year young Samay's heart; he moves heaven and earth in pursuit of his 35mm dreams unaware of heartbreaking times that awaits him.

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

Thanks for stopping by :-)

 
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