The Book Club
5/30/2016

The Book Club




I did it, I finally started a lil' book club. After some friends and I became a bit frustrated about cultish young-adult fiction, one of them suggested I start a book club. Then I took the question to Twitter and quite a few of my followers were keen so I bit the bullet and made one. Side note: I refuse to use the phrase "highly requested" because I don't have tons of followers and I dislike that expression. Anyway, Sophie's Book Club, because original names escape me, is a thing and if you want to know more, keep reading...

Sophie's Book Club is over on Goodreads and is going to be a place where we can all discuss books in a friendly environment and hopefully get some engaging and inspiring discussion going. I plan on also doing blog posts about the books we read as well as YouTube videos. Most of the time we'll be reading writing by women, and in fact I think all the books I have in mind so far are by women. They'll be inspiring and thought-provoking, although I am partial to books that are more for escapism than anything else so they may appear as well.

We'll be reading one book per month, starting from July and you can vote in the poll here or just leave a comment below if you're not on Goodreads and I'll add your picks to the tally. The books up for July are; The Girls, Vinegar Girl and Ctrl Alt; Delete. Whichever book comes second in this poll will be our book for August. 

I think that covers everything for now. This post is laden with bad book puns so that's surely a sign I need to wrap things up. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments and your votes for July's book. I'll be back Wednesday with a beauty post for you all!  More like a paper-themed post on Friday because I brilliantly misread my schedule.
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May Favourites
5/25/2016

May Favourites



Another month, another monthly favourites lineup fresh for your perusal. This month I've been loving a bit of everything; skincare, beauty, music, a book, and even a movie. It's been a good month for all of the things basically. So without further ado, here's what's earned itself a notable favourite mention in May...

Eligible* by Curtis Sittenfeld-This book though. I am obsessed with it. Much like the retellings of Shakespearean plays that are being released at the moment, Jane Austen's books are receiving the special treatment as well. Eligible is a reinterpretation of Pride and Prejudice, set in modern-day Cincinnati. Liz Bennet is a journalist for beauty-bible, Mascara, Jane is a yoga-instructor, Darcy a neurosurgeon and Chip Bingley, a contestant on a Bachelor-esque reality show. I'm sure you're all familiar with Pride & Prejudice but this modern spin on the story is brilliant. It's so, so cleverly done and incredibly witty. Sittenfeld even throws a bit of subtle shade at the abundance of characters in Austen's novels, I love it. 

Aesop Parsley Seed Masque-My skin has been angry this month and has been rewarding me with blemished and red cheeks. I know, I win the complexion lottery.. *ahem*. Thank goodness this mask exists. The parsley seed mask helps to soothe and calm down irritated skin. It gets rid of all the nastiness and is so, so gentle. The beautiful packaging and scent help as well of course but it's so deserving of all the hype it gets. 

Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream*-Lightweight, brightening, magic. I'm not sure what it is about this eye cream but I can be looking like I've walked out of the makeup department on a Tim Burton film and a couple of dabs of this seems to mask those epic dark circles. It's the perfect daytime companion. 

The Grand Budapest Hotel-So I finally got around to watching this at the beginning of the month and I am now obsessed with it. Wes Anderson has to be some kind of magician because his films are always so dreamy visually and aesthetically pleasing on every level. How amazing does that hotel look too guys? I wouldn't be upset if I ended up in a hotel that looked like that. If you've not seen it, go watch the trailer and then watch the movie. You will not be disappointed.


Tarte Aquacealer Concealer in Light-This reminds me a lot of the Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer, it's very similar. In place of foundation for most of the month I've been using this as a base. Mainly because it dries down matte enough for my liking but also because it has an oversized applicator. It makes it easy to apply foundation-style. There's quite a decent colour range with this concealer, and there are options for darker skintones. I'm not sure if I'd repurchase this just because I like the NARS Creamy Concealer a little bit more but it's still pretty decent.

MAC Whirl lipstick*-Note, this is limited edition packaging from the Brooke Candy collection but Whirl lipstick is part of Mac's permanent range now so you can buy it year round. Whirl is a favourite of Kylie Jenner's with its dirty-rose (Mac's words, not mine) hue. It's matte but it still has more of a satin finish so it doesn't feel as drying on the lips. Whirl is one of those colours you can just grab without thinking about it too much and I love it for that.

Lemonade x Beyonce-It would be rude to not acknowledge the goddess that is Beyonce this month. After all, Lemonade has been virtually all I've listened to up until Ariana Grande's new album dropped last week. Anyway, back to B. Beyonce broke the Internet+pop culture again dropping a full-length music video and album on us. She's even got us all wondering who Becky with the good hair really is. It's Beyonce at her rawest and realest. Standout tracks include; Hold Up, Sorry, Sandcastles...the whole thing really. 

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Blush Stick* in Rose-I'm always wary of swipe-on products like this as they aren't effortless and require a bit more concentration. Thankfully I made the effort with this cream blush stick from Estee Lauder because I love it. I swipe it over one cheek at a time, blend and then it stays put all day. Seriously it does not fade, it does not settle into pores. Impressive. This rose colour has a bit more of a terracotta undertone to it so I feel like it'd flatter deeper skintones as well. 

-What have you liked during May?

*PR Sample
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An Evening with Gloria Steinem
5/23/2016

An Evening with Gloria Steinem




Three months ago I wrote this on my blog about Gloria Steinem: "One day I'd love to hear her speak in person because I imagine it'd be extraordinary and life changing in the best possible way." That was very apt of me in many ways but when I heard Gloria was headed to Auckland for the Writers Festival I had to go. It was the only event at the Writers Festival I made it to but I'm so glad I was able to go and see her. It was extraordinary. 

I didn't get to take the notes I'd intended to take during her session as the lights were dimmed rendering my notebook useless. In all honesty I think I would've been too busy listening anyway to remember to take notes. I also didn't take any photos during the session itself either. I was really lucky to be seated quite close to the stage which also meant I was right in the thick of the festival patrons so I wanted to be mindful of them. I did however do a bit of live-tweeting and have a reasonably good memory of the session.

Gloria was interviewed by the chair of Edinburgh's Book Festival and a lot has been made of the fact that it was a man interviewing her. That didn't bother me so much and I actually thought he did a brilliant job. Her session focused on numerous points in Gloria's life; what she made of her expose of the Playboy Bunny treatment, hosting the first ever women's conference, whether she thinks Hillary Clinton has a shot at presidency (she does), some anecdotes on her father, her friendship with Wilma Mankiller and more. She's such an incredible storyteller, I've never been in the presence of someone quite like her before. I could've listened to her speak all day. She also has a wonderful sense of humour and apologised profusely for America's handing down of The Bachelor franchise and of course the ever-continuing presence of Trump in the international media. 



There was also a Q&A session which was interesting as well and I loved how it acted as a forum for feminists both young and old to voice their opinions and seek advice from Gloria herself. Following that there was a signing and I got to meet Gloria+thank her personally for basically being the best woman on earth. She was so lovely. All in all it was such an inspiring night and I'm still feeling the empowerment and inspiration from it now. If you want to hear Gloria in conversation, this interview with Emma Watson is fantastic also.

-Did you see Gloria Steinem at the Writers Festival? What did you think of her session?
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Beauty Products I Used and Liked | May
5/18/2016

Beauty Products I Used and Liked | May



It feels like an eternity since I last blogged about beauty. In reality, it was only about two weeks ago. Regardless, I miss beauty and genuinely miss talking about it so that's going to be amended. Today I thought I'd walk you through some new beauty bits I've been sent as well as some I've bought myself. There's some absolute gems in here and some limited edition products you may want to check out...


Lush Honey Trap Lip Balm-As I study from home I don't really wear makeup but I do like to always throw on a lip balm. This one from Lush was recommended to me by Emma. Its scent is divine, a blend of vanilla and honey. It also helps that it feels extremely nourishing on the lips and I love it for that.

MAC Vamplify in Pamela*, limited edition-Firstly, who else gets Kylie Lip Kit vibes from this packaging? Shaaanxo made a point in her vlogs that it gives off Kat Von D vibes too. Either way, I like it. It's sleek and so aesthetically pleasing. Anyway, MAC have bought out some more of their Vamplify glosses in the Brooke Candy collection. These are like a liquid lipstick and gloss but without the dryness and stickiness of either product. They're incredibly creamy and pigmented. Pamela is essentially Whirl in lipgloss form. I highly recommend this if you're not quite ready to branch out with a liquid lipstick just yet.

Lancome Juicy Shaker in Freedom of Peach*, available May 23rd-Side note: It took me way too long to open the cocktail shaker that housed this lip product. As a friend of mine pointed out, I certainly do not deserve a drink. Anyway, Lisa Eldridge's creative role at Lancome has meant a bunch of exciting new releases and campaigns. These are bi-phase lip oils that combine nourishing oils with pigments, when you shake them. Like a Polaroid picture, or a cocktail. They're super hydrating and give your lips a glossy look without feeling tacky or sticky on the lips. Amen. They have an extremly subtle tint to them, so they're great for lazy makeup days. I have to give props to the applicator too. It feels really spongy and bouncy, like a Beauty Blender for your lips. Its slanted tip gets right into the contours as well. I highly recommend you check these out when they're on counter. I predict it'll be like the Juicy Tubes craze all over again.

Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara-EmilyKirsty and I made an order from Tarte's site when they had 30% off everything and free shipping. It was too good an offer to pass up. I'm quite the Tarte fan at the moment so I decided to grab a couple of their newer products to try. I'd seen mixed reviews for this mascara online but I really like it. Their website claims it increases volume by 2700%. I always find statistics like that a bit...ridiculous. Maybe it is true but anyway, this mascara certainly does make your lashes look next level amazing. Tarte's mascaras do not disappoint so if you want a cruelty-free, mostly vegan alternative to your standard mascara, they have you set.



La Roche Posay Serozinc, not pictured-The lovely Lena brought this back for me from Melbourne as it's finally available at Priceline over there. Side note: Can someone bring La Roche Posay to NZ? Get on it please. Serozinc caused a major stir in the beauty blogging world thanks to the likes of Caroline Hirons and I know Anna used to rave about this too so it has been on my radar for a while. Serozinc is essentially a spray toner that's designed for sensitive skin. It contains zinc sulfate, sodium chloride and water so it's very fuss-free. No fragrances, no concentrated alcohol. It might be a placebo effect like Morgan acknowledges but whatever it is, it seems to calm down angry skin. Seriously, I notice a difference when I forget to use this. I'm not sure what's going to happen when it runs out...my skin+I will cry. 

Simply Essential Brushes*-A couple of weeks back I was kindly sent these brushes by The Beauty Collective along with some bubbles and chocolate. They sent me the Angled Blender BrushFlat Top Kabuki Brush and the Tapered Kabuki Brush. The angled blender brush is best for crease work, although it can be used for highlight on the brow bone as well. The flat top kabuki brush is my favourite of the three, although they're all amazing. It blends in foundation seamlessly. The tapered kabuki brush would work well for cream contouring but I use it to powder under my eyes. They're all incredibly high quality synthetic brushes that aren't going to break the bank. Plus they have rose gold hardware. Sold!

MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Colour Stick in Sand Bar*, not pictured-Somehow I managed to forget to photograph this as well. Whoops. MAC have bought out new eyeshadow crayons recently, they're all matte as far as I know and come in a range of shades. There's more neutral colours and then some more daring colours like blues and brights. These remind me of MAC's paint pots in pen form. They make fantastic bases that are going to adhere whatever's applied over the top of them to the lids. You can also use them nicely as eyeliners too. Sand Bar is a soft camel nude that reminds me of a muted down version of MAC Soba eyeshadow. I like to use this underneath eyeshadows when I don't have time to fuss around with a paint pot or on its own. These are worth checking out if you're near a MAC counter and after a new eye makeup love.

-Have you tried any of these products before? What's been on your beauty radar recently?
*PR Sample
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The Weekend Reads | May
5/16/2016

The Weekend Reads | May




Seeing as it's been a rather bookish and writing filled-few days I thought I'd kick this week off with a blog post about what I'm dubbing weekend reads. Simply put, books that are short enough for me to finish in a day or two and are thus being saved to read on the weekend. There's a mix of short stories, novels, even a loosely structured poetry book as well...

Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O'Porter-After listening to Dawn O'Porter's podcast episode with Emma Gannon, I became quite fixated on reading every single thing she's written. Maybe not quite everything but her novels to begin with. Paper Aeroplanes is the story of two teenaged girls in England during the 1990's. They're both quite different personalities but unite over their somewhat dysfunctional family dynamics. Apparently this is loosely autobiographical, as Dawn took details and character traits from her diaries of the time. I'm looking forward to reading this during the upcoming weekend.

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson-This is the latest pick for Emma Watson's Our Shared Shelf book club and given it was on the slimmer side I thought I had more of a chance of reading it this month. I've actually slipped behind in book club reads lately but this one took my fancy so I had to get a hold of it. It's a memoir that charts the relationship between the author and her gender-fluid partner Harry Dodge. From what I have read so far this seems like it's going to be quite poetic if that makes sense and very visual. I am intrigued.

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout-This book was one of the Undone Book Club picks earlier in the year and after waiting on the extremely lengthy waitlist for it, I finally read it a couple of weekends ago. This tells the story of Lucy who is in hospital after an operation that is taking her a while to recover from. It also charts her reunion of sorts with her Mum who she hasn't seen for many years. It's very nostalgic and takes comfort in the refreshing sort of conversations we tend to have in isolated environments. It's very beautifully done and is the kind of story that would translate well to a play. Highly recommend+it was longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction which says positive things, I feel.

Grief Is The Thing With Feathers by Max Porter-Don't read this book if you're going through a bit of a rough period. It is not lighthearted and touches on the rather intense and many-faceted workings of grief and loss. That being said, as this is structured more like poetry, it is a quick read. I did enjoy this book but I didn't find myself loving it so I gave it 3/5 over on Goodreads. 

-Have you read any of these books before? What did you think of them?

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5 Things I've Learnt About Independent Study
5/12/2016

5 Things I've Learnt About Independent Study



For those out of the loop, I've been studying extramurally since March of this year so I can finish my degree. Why extramural? The main reason is that I wanted an option for me that wasn't going to be as stressful, self-management seems to work a lot better for me. There's also the fact that the commute into the city every day wasn't working for me. Yes I could have moved into the city but rent in Auckland is ridic. Let's be real. So yeah, I've been an independent learner now for almost nine weeks and while I'm in no way seasoned in this approach, I thought I'd share five things I have learnt thus far...

1) Self-discipline is key. There are no rules in this house. You are Mrs George from Mean Girls, maybe without the velour sweatsuit but nonetheless, you are an independent woman (or man). This can have many blessings but also drawbacks. One thing I have learnt rather quickly is that you have to be extremely disciplined. Extremely, extremely disciplined. Otherwise before you know it, half the day will have been spent trying to decipher the crazy Kardashian family tree or trawling the ASOS new-in section. You get the idea, be disciplined and regimented with yourself to ensure your time is spent productively. 

2) You are (essentially) on your own. I know some people will debate that and say distance learning/extramural study is interactive but I find for the most part it really isn't. Sure there are Facebook groups and forums but they don't feel...real if that makes sense. I'm a pretty introverted person but still find studying solely online a bit lonely. My advice here is try to find friends in your area who you can chat with and study, it does help. Also if you can, maybe take one or two papers internally. That way you still get to see people and not feel like you're totally alone. 

3) Timetables are your best friend. Y'know with Uni you get a timetable telling you when your lectures are, when your tutorials are and what ridiculous hour you'll have to wake up at. 8am's were the bane of my existence, yet ironically I now start my study days at 8am. The point here is, buy one of those weekly pads like this one. Write up a timetable and allocate hours to each paper. I also write in when I am working, any other commitments I have during the week, deadlines I need to meet etc. It helps. 

4) Go Offline. I love technology, who doesn't? Staring at a computer screen all day however is not great for many reasons. Where I can I like to print notes out so I can handwrite them myself/annotate them. This, I like to think, helps me retain whatever's being taught that week. I also like to do my readings, both assignments and textbook offline as much as possible. I find my focus slips really fast if I'm reading off a screen for long periods of time. I try to get all my online stuff out of the way first and then spend the rest of the day offline. I like to think my eyes are grateful for that.

5) Not Commuting Is AMAZING. If there's one thing I used to find terribly taxing about going into the city virtually every day for University it was the commute. Granted I didn't have my license back when I studied in the CBD, which would have cut a lot of time off, where I live was still far away enough to feel tiring. So to say I do not miss commuting into the city and beyond every day is an understatement. Sure it was a great time for me to work on essays, sunlight permitting and/or catch up on reading/music listening. It always felt like a big chunk of my day was spent on public transport. I do not miss it. At all. 

-Are you studying? What are your tips for making it work for you?

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A Bookshelf Tour
5/09/2016

A Bookshelf Tour




Morning everyone. I hope you all had rather awesome weekends. Today we have a post that was requested which is essentially a nosy at my bookshelf. Just to put things in perspective, I tidied my shelves up for this post. They are never usually this tidy. These are all books I've had for years and have either gone out and bought with my own money, or been gifted from friends/family, or in more recent times, sent. If you have any questions about anything you see in these photos feel free to leave them below. Anyway, here are my shelves...



Bottom shelf (pictured above)-I have an 'order' when it comes to my bookshelf and I feel like it's not going to make sense to most people but oh well. All my larger, coffee table sized books are on this shelf, including my prized possession Tim Walker Pictures. This book has a lot of sentimental value to me as I bought it when I was in London on holiday nearly six years ago now. Tim Walker is also my favourite photographer so it's special to me in that regard too. I also keep a lot of my nonfiction books on this shelf as well as my Frankie+Teen Vogue magazines which are hiding behind that basket. That basket by the way is from Kmart, and I think it was $10, possibly less. In here I keep library books, ARCs (advance review copies) and books I've started and put down temporarily. 

Middle Shelves-Taking these photos has made me realise I like to keep my magazines all down one side. I don't know why that is but obviously there's some logic in my mind as to why they're placed like that. So on these shelves I keep my series; namely the Harry Potter books which are very well loved and also The Selection series. I keep thinner books up here as this shelf isn't really tall enough for me to stand books upright and DVD's. My cookbooks live on this shelf as well as random magazines. 

The next shelf down is where I keep most of the memoirs I've acquired. Note, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's books are right next to one another. It couldn't be any other way. I also keep all my classics here as well, including the stunning Puffin in Bloom editions. Down the far side are the majority of my magazines, mainly my Lula magazines but also Kinfolk, Yen and Fete. 

Top shelf-For some reason I don't have a photo of my top shelf but I can tell you it's mainly where I keep my favourite novels that are standalone books. I know Mamrie Hart's book is up there too but favourites on this shelf have to be Gone Girl, Carol and The Fault In Our Stars. I also keep all my Vogues on this shelf too. I surprisingly don't have very many Vogues, I keep my favourites and the rest usually get cut up for mood boards or passed on.

Bedside-Or as I call it my bookshelf away from the bookshelf. I try to keep this not too crowded but it never seems to work out. What can I say...I like to be surrounded by all the reading material. Here is where I keep books I'm currently reading as well as larger books like The Kinfolk Home and Rookie Yearbook 4. The latter I still haven't read but the Kinfolk Home is one I like to dip in and out of. I also keep magazines I'm currently reading here as well as photos and my trusty pineapple. 

-I hope you enjoyed this post! I realise my bookshelves are nowhere near as organised and structured as other book bloggers but it's a system I have that seems to work and I like it. Like I said above, feel free to leave any questions down below and I will answer them for you. 
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Kylie Cosmetics: Tips, Tricks & The Products
5/04/2016

Kylie Cosmetics: Tips, Tricks & The Products




An alternative name for this post could've easily been the lip products that break the Internet. I'm sure you're all familiar with Kylie Jenner and her now notoriously sought-after range of lip products, from the lip kits to the liquid metals.  Ever since she launched them near the end of 2015 there's been a lot of love and enthusiasm for her products, for many reasons. It took me a while to succumb to the hype-the original three colours really didn't appeal to me. It was when she started adding more wearable neutrals to the range that I began to get interested. The hype is justified but I will let the rest of my post do the talking.

6 things you need to know:

*I have not been charged at customs for buying a lip kit. This may be because I only have ordered one at a time but as far as I know, friends who have ordered more than one have not had to pay fees. I can't speak for everywhere else overseas but just be mindful. It seems like the UK vloggers all seem to have to pay customs on them.

*If you don't want to pay for Kylie's app to keep up with the restock dates and product launches; Instagram is your best friend. The official Kylie Cosmetics handle post plenty of updates as well of course as Kylie. Her snapchat is handy for restock information too. Just stalk Kylie in a sane way. 

*Another handy place for restock information including the times for different destinations around the world is this blog. This is where I checked for the times and I just converted it to New Zealand time as Australia was the closest. I think, depending on daylight savings, we are usually 2 hours ahead of Australia so just go by that if you are unsure or google the time in different cities.

*Be patient x400. #1 The website tends to go nuts when the restock happens, hit refresh like crazy. Although now I think you can just wait in a virtual queue and not have to refresh like a maniac until you get to the payment window. Have the colours you want ready in your mind so you can get them as fast as possible, without panicking. If they sell out, there's always next time. #2 Your confirmation email may not arrive fast. Mine took a couple of days (I think) but it will come. #3 Shipping times seem to vary. My kit below took just under a week (including the weekend) to arrive so I was very impressed.

*Buy from the official source! Scalpers exist and will usually try to resell them at a much higher, more extreme value. That's not always the case but I've seen people trying to sell single kits for $100 in various currencies. Crazy given they sell for $29 US, excluding shipping. This ties in with the patience thing but seriously, unless people are only selling them for a slight markup, it's not worth the extravagant pricing.

*Kylie's products are all cruelty free and almost all vegan. This is awesome! Apparently they are made in the same factory as Colourpop. I've heard the formula of her liquid lipsticks vs theirs is not the same but if you don't want to wait, you could always order some of theirs. If you type any of the colours+dupes/alternatives into Google there's a lot of handy swatch charts around too. 

Now on to the kits...


First up we have Koko K, the most notoriously difficult shade to get. This is the lip kit that seems to sell out the fastest every single time they restock and I can see why. I actually bought this off Trade Me which I wouldn't normally advocate, however it was only a little bit dearer than buying direct from Kylie Cosmetics so I took the plunge. Of the two I own, this one is my favourite. It's a light, pinky-nude. Think your lips, but better. Sharpen the pitchforks all you naysayers who loathe that term. One thing to note is that these seem to apply darker to your lips than they appear in the tube. Maybe it's because I'm considerably paler than Kylie but that is something to be mindful of. Anyway, I love this colour. It's so stunning. If I remember to before this post goes up I'll post a selfie so y'all can see it in action.


Next we have Posie K, the kit I bought direct from Kylie's site. I also really love this colour. Lily Pebbles described it perfectly when she said it's similar to Syrup from MAC, just a touch darker and matte obviously. Here's a photo of me wearing it. As you can see it applies quite dark but it's still wearable enough to not feel intimidating. Posie K seems to be the kind of shade that would suit a wide variety of skintones as it does pull darker than some of Kylie's other nudes, with the exception of True Brown K. It's another beautiful colour though and I am glad I went for this originally. 

As for the wear of these, they are honestly the most comfortable liquid lipsticks to wear. Not that I've tried absolutely everything and anything but of the ones I have tried, these are easily the most comfortable feeling on the lips. They dry down really fast and don't seem to flake off or wear away in a gross/obvious way. To remove them I just use this which I use with all my eye and lip makeup. As it is bi-phase it breaks down everything so easily. Price-wise, one of these kits with international shipping (14.95 US) will set you back less than a MAC lipstick and liner would which I think is pretty reasonable. Btw, when I reference MAC and pricing I'm meaning in New Zealand, where you can buy a lipstick+liner for just under $80 here. I'm seriously impressed by these. Kylie is on to a good thing here!

What do you think of Kylie's lip kits? If you have any more questions leave them below! I have tried to cover everything here but I'm sure I will have missed something out.
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May Reading List
5/02/2016

May Reading List



Why hello May, you splendid thing. I like May, leaves on the ground in colours so vibrant, scarf weather, coat weather, hot drinks in the morning as the sunlight streams in the windows. Let's face it, this time of year is quality reading time as well. This month's looking favourably on modern interpretations of classic literature. There's also a novel in there which is giving me Thelma and Louise vibes and another bind-up of essays because that's just how I roll. Here's what I will be reading in May. Side note: I use the term reading very loosely here as I have so many deadlines right now and my enthusiasm for reading may be temporarily damaged...

Paulina and Fran by Rachel B Glaser-Rereading the blurb for this book is making me so pleased I picked it up and took it home with me. This really sounds brilliant. Paulina and Fran are two twenty-somethings who meet at their New England art school. They bond in their art classes, judging their fellow students and share their ambitions. It sounds like they also face the trials and tribulations of the "real world" together. I'm really, really looking forward to reading this novel this month, even though I'm feeling like parts are going to be a little too real for me. 

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld*-This book is a modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice which isn't exactly a new concept, see a certain zombie themed adaption. Eligible has been getting such rave reviews and I've seen lots of positive advance praise for the book. It's set in Cincinatti, with Jane and Liz returning from New York to help get the family affairs in order. Darcy, yes, that Darcy is a neurosurgeon which I find entertaining. I'm easily amused okay guys? Given I haven't read P&P I am looking forward to giving this modern day adaptation a go. 

You Don't Have To Like Me by Alida Nugent-I read Alida's first book, Don't Worry, It Gets Worse earlier in the year and loved it so I was expecting to enjoy this one too. It explores the idea of finding feminism in among her life-essays and musings. So far it's just as hilarious as her previous book. I love Alida's writing. There's not much more to say here.

Reader, I Married Him, various authors*-If you're read Jane Eyre you'll recognise this book's title. This one's a collection of short stories from authors inspired by Charlotte Bronte's rather amazing novel. I have very nostalgic associations with this book as it was one of the texts I read and loved in Literature at high school. I remember we had to do an essay on Jane Eyre and the idea of it being a Cinderella-esque story and it made my 17 year old self so enthusiastic. I was an extremely weird student....Anyway, this book excites me and I am intrigued to see how other writers explore and interpret the novel as well. 

-What are you reading during May?

*Review copy
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