When a couple of months ago I asked the blog's readers for recommendations of books written by Australian authors, "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" by Richard Flanagan was one of the books I was told about (thank you, Robin!). The novel was awarded the 2014 Man Booker Prize, being described by the jury … Continue reading The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (book review) – building the Death Railway
Tag: book-review
If you read "War and Peace" or at least you've seen a printed copy, you must be thinking "how can she write a single post as a review of one of the longest and greatest books ever AND also cover the TV series?" ... And you're right! A single blog post would not make justice … Continue reading Russian aristocracy and the Napoleonic invasion: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (book & TV series review)
"Colours are the smiles of nature" said the English writer Leigh Hunt, and I couldn't agree more. It fascinates me how something as simple as catching a glimpse of a certain colour can induce a happy mood, bring up a dear memory, or remind you of a good friend. I am a visual person, that's … Continue reading The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair (book review) – a chronicle of colours’ history
East of Eden is the second book written by the Nobel and Pulitzer winner John Steinbeck that I read, after previously reading the short story The Pearl. Considered by Steinbeck his magnum opus*, East of Eden is a book about family and brotherhood, about good and evil, about jealousy and pride, and about the way history repeats … Continue reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck (book review) – about good, evil, and free will
Most books I read fall into two major categories. The first category is the "must reads" - the ones that I feel were totally worth my time, books I recommend enthusiastically and I know others will find them as brilliant as I did. The other category is the "others" - books I would not recommend … Continue reading Four fiction books I read and I would not recommend
The " Book of mirrors" was a hyped book when it was published, receiving a lot of media attention worldwide. However, most of my curiosity arose from the fact that the author is Romanian, and it intrigued me that the book was originally written in English. "Let's see what's all this fuss is about!" I … Continue reading The Book of Mirrors by E.O. Chirovici (book review) – to trust or not to trust
What comes to mind when you think about Italy? La vita è bella, pizza, Vespa, Romeo & Juliet? After reading My Brilliant Friend, you can add something else to the list: Naples and the Neapolitan novels. Neapolitan Novels - the quartet "My Brilliant Friend" is the first book of the four Neapolitan novels (where Neapolitan … Continue reading My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (book review) – a coming-of-age story in Naples, Italy
Most times I venture myself into reading fairly long books, with many characters and complex plots. At one point I was asking myself: why don't I read smaller books? Is it because I don't hear much about them? Or maybe I just avoid buying them, thinking they're not interesting enough? With these questions in mind, … Continue reading The Pearl by John Steinbeck (book review) – exploring human nature and greed
Have you ever started reading a book with no expectations at all? That's how I started reading "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr, a book I received as Christmas present. Little did I know that this book would irreversibly win my heart with its touching stories and beautiful language, all wrapped up … Continue reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (book review) – a dual perspective on war and being human
As I enjoy fiction stories and complex plots, I haven't been much interested in biographies. But when my favourite youtuber, Estée Lalonde, published a book about her life, I knew her book was going to be the first biography that sparked interest in my reading soul. Image from esteelalonde.com In a nutshell In Bloom - … Continue reading About reaching your true potential: Bloom – Navigating Life and Style by Estée Lalonde (book review)
Readers' High Tea 