A book this detail driven demands to be read. To be thrust into the hands of women. To be discussed. To be dissected. To be contemplated. After immersing myself in an advance copy of Three Women* x Lisa Taddeo, I am ready to talk about it. 

My copy of this book is adorned with smudges. The covers are worn and frayed. Post-it notes are nestled in its pages and it barely left my side for a good week or so. A cover this decadent can only hint at the indulgent and lustrous text about to unfold. Blessed be the fruit; the desire of love, and sex and passion. 

Three Women unfolds in a novelistic fashion as Lisa Taddeo interviews Lina, Maggie and Sloane over an eight year period. It never feels unreal but the way in which each narrative unfurls around one another shows just how interwoven lust and desire are in our lives. We have Maggie, a now twenty-something who was infatuated by her high school teacher-until life unravels and she comes to terms with what he did to her, Lina-a woman lost in a loveless marriage and Sloane-a woman whose sexuality serves as a prop for her husband to manipulate.

These are all tales of women and it is through their dialogue that we see snapshots of ourselves. The women in our lives. The women of the #metoo era. Women we may never meet.

We see the power of lust and desire. Like the succulent cornucopia of fruit that Taddeo writes of in her introduction; "plump figs, small but glorious strawberries, glistening cherries, wine grapes."

Taddeo expertly creates a nonfiction, journalistic snapshot of desire and lust as we know them today. This is a book that is decadent and evocative. It unfolds like an evening spent luxuriating over a glass of wine. You will feel like 'the crystals under skin'. Electric. Fired up.

Three Women is a dazzling, unforgettable read and Taddeo has created a masterpiece-akin to a still-life, much like the decadent bowl of fruit on her book's cover. Irresistible. Unputdownable. 

*Review copy

Hey hi, 'tis July! What even is this sorcery. The passage of time (obviously) but seriously, how the flip does it end up being July so quickly!? Marvels aside, today I have five things to wax lyrical on; from poetry to essays, films to listens and even a lil' beauty spot. Have a nosy...

NZIFF is here: Aka the one where I miss being a student, if only so I could study and sneak off to films in between lectures and tutorials. I digress, NZIFF is back for 2019 and it is quite the lineup. I am only gonna be making it to this but I wish I was able to see more. I recommend you check out Maddy's post of films to watch this festival season. 

This essay x Florence Welch: "I tend to look back on that time with a mix of nostalgia and terror. There's a part of me that's in awe of that girl, her total disregard for self-preservation, how she could run at the world headfirst, eyes closed, with no care for the consequences." Florence Welch wrote an essay for British Vogue and first and foremost, can she write more essays please!? This is brilliant. She perfectly encapsulates the feelings and worries of adult life but at the same time the brilliance of I guess finding calm in the chaos. Read it.

The one with Fleabag: Aka Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Yes, I am still talking about Fleabag+PWB. Sorry, not sorry. Anyway, she is back on Elizabeth Day's How To Fail podcast and it is brilliant. I laughed out loud at my desk in the office #noshame. Loved it. Going to listen to it again. 

The Green Room: One of my pals Steph has set up this awesome, holistic skincare experience in the Hawkes Bay and it looks like a treat. Steph has over 14 years experience and is super clued up on all things skincare. Seriously, she is my personal Google sometimes (sorry, Steph). Anyway, she offers two facial experiences; intuitive skin sculpting and intuitive skin clearing. She uses Tribeca Skin Tonics in her studio which I've heard are amazing. So if you're in the Hawkes Bay, go check it out. I'm quietly envious of y'all getting to experience Steph's magic! 

Luminescent x Nina Powles:  I read this a couple of months ago and loved it. It was in the middle of a work day and I needed a moment of quiet+solitude and escapism and these chapbooks delivered. I particularly loved Sunflowers, about Katherine Mansfield and Her+The Flames about Phyllis Porter, a ballet dancer struck by tragedy. The whole collection is beautiful. You can have a read of two of the Katherine Mansfield poems here. 

-I hope y'all are having good July's so far! I will be back soon(ish)-I hope, with a book review.