Posted on October 31, 2016 in Books
The final book in the Temeraire series. I started this series late last year or earlier this year. Luckily enough, the author chose to finish it this year.
This novel was similar to some previous ones. It was slow to start, not a bad middle, and then I zoned out during the battles. The ending was fine.
I would say that the world building in this novel has been fun. I love dragons. Temeraire is a good character and I loved the various settings. Laurence is a character as well. I do think the series has been dragged on slightly. To be honest, there was not a lot of difference between the last two books. The emphasis on the battles bored me. The series even used the amnesia trope at one point. Romance was practically nonexistent in these books which is actually fine. At the times when the books did touch on it for the humans, it felt forced. The dragon romance Temeraire with the Chinese dragon was more interesting but not well explored.
In conclusion, I recommend this series to fantasy and history fans. They are easy and fun to read. I enjoyed going through the series and have not completed a series like this in a long time. I do wonder if Novik will continue another story in this universe.
Read October 25, 2016
Posted on October 17, 2016 in Beauty & Skincare
Over the years, I’ve tried to take care of my skin. I stay out of the sun and I moisturize. I do no wear any makeup except lipstick. A couple months ago, I began a journey to delve into better skin care. This is both for health and as a hobby. I have followed and tried Asian beauty products in the past, but this was the first time when I really researched and took it to the next level.
This is a new series in posts as I explore this beauty and health regime and hobby. Warning: this is a long post with mini reviews of several products.
Posted on October 13, 2016 in Books
This is a long overdue review. The blog being down and me being generally busy with life and other things means that I cobbled this review from notes and other postings.
This was an eagerly anticipated sequel to The Rook. I read Stiletto without rereading The Rook so I forgot a lot, but you can really read it as a standalone.
All in all, I liked it and found it almost as addictive as the first. I liked the new characters and the new arc featuring the merger. This novel has a ton of world building which is fun and as a fatansy/sci-fi series should. There’s a little of side stories and tidbits. My favourite was Marcel’s story which read like a mini WWII novel (and there are many of those on the market). I found The Roock was not British or English enough; the editing and writing for that part of the world and those characters were lacking. This one was better that way. I believed the characters were British and European.
There was not enough Myfanwy. She continues to grow and I missed her POV in this novel. I do like that this series seems focused on interesting and distinct female protagonists and characters. All three central characters come from different backgrounds and experiences.
Finally, this book is squickier than the last book and in general compared to many other books I read. I’m generally fine these kind of details in books (less so in movies and TV), but this will bother more readers.
To avoid spoiling the book, I will say that there is a villain in this series and Myfawny has a true nemesis. Personally, they are one of the creepiest and darkest villains in a series I’ve read in awhile. I kinda wish the author would introduce a new nemesis for Myfanwny. Hopefully when the take down happens, it will be sweet and worthwhile.
Read September 6-8, 2016.
This was my 42nd book of the year. In 2015, I only managed 42 books. While I will read more books for the rest of the year; the autumn is much busier than I anticipated. As I get older, I still read as fast and love books. They are one of my constant pleasures and hobbies; however, life does get in the way. I have more responsibilities in all areas of my life. Most days, I wish I could forget it all and read and read.
Posted on October 12, 2016 in Books
The following are three books I read in the summer which warranted some mini reviews.
Spark Joy by Marie Kondo
Love KonMari’s philosophy about tidiness and stuff. I find it spiritual and from a good place not of judgment or feeding into consumerism.
Living Alone & Loving It by Barbara Feldon
I love to live alone. This book has avice which i already apply to my life which is to create a space for myself. I am lucky to have my family near by, but I love my own space. This book has practical advice for those who want to love their single and solo life more.
A Beginner’s Guide to Paradise by Alex Sheshunoff
A funny memoirs about time in the South and West Pacific Islands. Made me laugh out loud a couple of times and really captured the early aughts.
Posted on October 3, 2016 in The New Yorker
For awhile now, I have wanted a subscription to Thew New Yorker. I’ve read books from the regular contributors, often find these articles I like from the Best American Travel Writing series, and love New York. I like a couple of periodicals and wish I could find the time and money to read them. When I passed my PMP in August, I rewarded myself with a trial subscription of $12 for 12 weeks of the magazine so I will have this subscription until November 7, 2016.
I read about 75% each magazine; it varies because sometimes I will have at long articles which I don’t even want to skim read for whatever reason. I skip all the local New York arts news and what’s happening. I thoroughly read or skim-read most of the long features. I skim read most of the pop culture reviews depending on the subject matter.
Considering this magazine is low on advertisements, it’s a lot of reading. Each magazine is basically a small non-fiction book in length and breadth. One of the things that I like about The New Yorker is how high brow it is both in vocabulary, topics, and its comics allusions. I love when I see something in this magazine then have to really think about the meaning of a cartoon. I also really appreciate high diction in the media.
Posted on October 2, 2016 in Monthly Movies, Movies
JUNE 2016
The Decoy Bride (09 06 2016) – In attempt to watch something after Jessica Jones where David Tennant is not a psycho, I had this in the queue. Tennant and Kelly Macdonald in Scotland can’t go wrong? Well, the script is not great. This is he kind of romantic comedy that could have made more money ten or twenty years ago, but is very much out of favour. There were trite and cliche situations. I really like the actors, but my mind wandered. My favourite moment was when an older deaf couple dance. That made me tear up. At least Tennant did use his soft romance eyes rather than his psycho ones.
JULY 2016
I can’t remember if I watched any movies. It was the summer of sports with Euros and the Olympics.
AUGUST 2016
Sophie’s Choice – I can’t remember when I watched this, but it was one of the most depressing movies I have seen in a long time. It took me two days to finish because I was bored during most of it. I did know the ending, but it took forever to get to that point. All the while, you have to watch some very unhealthy relationships. It was miserable. I like Meryl Streep and she was great in it, but I also get the criticisms of the book and the movie.
The Martian (30 08 2016) – Reviewed here.
Captain America: Civil War (30 08 2016) – When this movie first came out, I thoroughly spoiled myself. Usually this does not bother me, but it did feel like I had already watched the movie when I saw this one. Entertaining enough. Villain was largely forgettable again. Looking forward to Black Panther, Spider Man and Infinity Wars.