Showing posts with label Bloom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bloom. Show all posts
11/16/2016
Four Vlogger Books Worth The Hype
Where I can, I love to support Team Internet and while there's some mixed opinions about Team Internet and their accessibility to book deals, I for one think it's a good thing. Yes some of the books may be of questionable merit, however if they're getting people reading and excited about books it's a win for everyone. Today though I want to bring things back to four of the best books by vloggers, in my opinion. These would all make fantastic gifts, especially if the person you're buying for is already a fan of said author. There's something for the lifestyle lover, beauty aficionado, foodie and humorist and honestly, I rate all these books quite highly. More on that below...
Bloom: Navigating Life and Style* by Estee Lalonde-Estee has long been one of my favourite YouTubers and bloggers. Her enthusiasm is just infectious and I love the aesthetic that she curates for herself, her home and in general really. I have a girl crush on Estee Lalonde, okay? Now that's out of the way, Bloom is a meticulously designed, carefully curated treasure trove of content themed around the categories of; life, people, work, beauty, fashion, home, travel and food. Bloom shines a light on Estee's story and passions. As well as being beautifully presented, it offers a very relatable insight. I found myself laughing and crying at times reading this. It's definitely one for the Estee fangirls among us but even newbies should have a peruse of this.
Face by Sam and Nic Chapman-Like Estee, I have long been a fan and lover of Sam and Nic, aka Pixiwoo's work. I'm sure many of us own one, if not several of their amazing Real Techniques brushes as well. Their new book which has been a number of years in the making does not disappoint. It's an absolute encyclopedia of beauty knowledge and is presented in a way that doesn't feel condescending. It's just like reading a transcript of one of Sam and Nic's many tutorials but better. There's also an app to accompany the book which gives readers the chance to watch videos and see what is being written on put into use. It's beautifully presented as you would expect and beauty-lovers alike would love this. I'm enjoying slowly making my way through it so I can savour its contents for as long as possible.
Eat Smart* by Niomi Smart-As I said last month, this was perhaps a bit of an unusual book request for me and while I still haven't had time to really play around with any of the recipes yet, I have a ton bookmarked. The smoothies all sound absolutely delicious and given the number of times I frequented Boost in Melbourne, I'd love to recreate some at home. As well as recipes, Niomi also shares insight into her own lifestyle journey and what led her towards a more plant-based lifestyle. Again, it's beautifully presented and while there is the odd obscure ingredient, most of the recipes can be made with items in your pantry and seasonal fruits. I'm all for books that make the most of ingredients people actually don't have to go on a wild goose chase for. I'm really looking forward to making some of the non-alcoholic cocktails and iceblocks in the coming weeks, along with virtually 20 or so other things I have bookmarked.
You Deserve A Drink by Mamrie Hart-Not pictured but equally as worth mentioning is Mamrie's book with the tagline 'boozy misadventures and tales of debauchery'. Each essay is accompanied by the recipe for an alcoholic beverage, would you expect any less from the lady whose YouTube channel is called You Deserve A Drink? It's hilarious, laugh out loud funny and brilliantly written. If you know someone who loves a good humour laden essay, this is the book for them.
-What books by vloggers and bloggers do you enjoy?
*Review copy
10/23/2016
The Spring Book Haul, Part One
It's been a while since I did a book haul, although really I use my secondary Instagram for that. I've just not filmed one for a while and honestly I just don't want to force myself to film for the sake of it, lest it become...forced. Anyway, in the interim I will be compiling book hauls here instead. This is the first part, there's a lot of books to get through. Here we have some novels, a book of essays and an unexpectedly inspiring read...
Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith-This book is my most recent purchase. I nabbed it last weekend in Wellington from Unity Books. I really enjoy reading writer's essays, they just really appeal to me. I love great writing in general but more so longer form essays about people's lives and experiences. Anyway, Zadie Smith's book spoke to me. There's essays on books, film, an excellent one on the Oscars and a bunch of others. This book will be coming with me on my travels next month. It's the perfect size for taking on the plane and slipping under my arm with a morning cup of coffee. Pre-romanticising my holiday, obviously..
Autumn* by Ali Smith-Here we have November's book club read. It's actually a novel, although I think I am the only one who seemed to think it was a collection of short stories. Like any of Smith's novels, this one sounds really intriguing. "Ali Smith's new novel is a meditation on a world growing ever more bordered and exclusive, on what richness and worth are, on what harvest means. This first in a seasonal quartet casts an eye over our own time. Who are we? What are we made of? " Keep an eye out for my review next month. Oh, and if you want to know what December's book is, we will be reading this book.
Bloom* by Estee Lalonde-I'm not going to say much about this book because it's featuring quite heavily in a post next month. What I will say though is I really liked it and it did not disappoint. Estee's done an amazing job.
Swing Time* by Zadie Smith, available November 15th-The second of my Zadie Smith haulings is her latest novel which is out next month and I imagine will be on many a Christmas wishlist. This book is the story of two women who want to be dancers, only one has the talent to take it to the next level. It's a "close but complicated childhood friendship that ends abruptly in their early twenties, never to be revisited but never quite forgotten." I'm sure we can all relate to the breakdown or ending of a relationship for whatever reason. It sucks, on a side note. So I'm sure this book's going to draw a lot of people in and in turn inspire a lot of discussion.
Two By Two* by Nicholas Sparks-It has been a while since I've read a Nicholas Sparks book. If you are familiar with the books or screen adaptations of his work, you'll know they have the tendency to rip your heart out and smash your emotions to shreds. Okay, maybe they aren't as dramatic as that, but the few I have read seem to have that effect. Going off the plot summary for this one it sounds like it perhaps may not be as heavy-hitting as something like The Notebook or The Last Song but that assumption may end up being totally wrong. We shall see..
-What have you read lately?
*Review copy
3/23/2016
Book Releases in 2016: My Wishlist
2016 is shaping up to be a pretty promising year on the reading side of things. There's some exciting new novels and non-fiction reads that have me excited like Leslie Knope when she's presented with friendship waffles. This is only a small selection, but no doubt you will see the rest of them in posts throughout the year. So without further ado, here's some books that are coming out in 2016 that I am quite eager to get into reading...
Girl Up by Laura Bates-This is a follow-up to Bates' popular book Everyday Sexism which I'm sure many of you have read or are familiar with. I'm hoping to start it soon. Girl Up takes things a step further and looks at the expectations bestowed upon women by the media, body image, social media and all the other 'fables' we're led to believe. It sounds really interesting and is no doubt going to get us thinking and then realising how warped our perceptions on a number of topics are. I might make a video on this once I've had a read so let me know if you're interested in seeing that.
On The Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher-Carrie's non-fiction debut All I Know Now was a book I thoroughly enjoyed, even if I was a bit outside the target audience. Her novel though sounds like it's geared at a slightly older audience, more in line with Carrie's+my age group. Go read the synopsis in the link I've attached or go listen to Carrie speaking about the ideas behind the book in her videos. It's such a unique concept. She's a very gifted wordsmith so I may just have to preorder this one..
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child-How nice of JK Rowling to give me an early birthday present. She's so generous like that. In seriousness, this book's release excites me for a number of reasons. #1-It is a new Harry Potter book. HARRY POTTER. The series, characters and world which were such an important detail in the fabric of my childhood. #2-You can preorder the book and I believe line up to get it, much like the releases during aforementioned childhood years. I haven't preordered this yet but oh man I kinda want to. For nostalgic purposes+maximisation of excitement levels.
Ctrl, Alt; Delete: How I Grew Up Online by Emma Gannon-I have to give thanks to Zoella for mentioning Emma Gannon over on her blog because she's fast becoming one of my favourite writers/bloggers/internet women. The book's title is pretty self explanatory. Emma's birth coincided with the conception of the Internet so she has literally grown up online. This book is filled with her musings on topics such as the dreaded MySpace avatar, having to share the desktop computer (the struggles), catfishing, blogging, trolls and everything in between. I'm sure this is going to be hilarious, entertaining and perhaps rather relatable for us late eighties+nineties kids. Come payday this is going straight into my preorder basket. Don't even try to tell me that isn't a thing...
Bloom by Estee Lalonde-We can all probably agree that the market for 'YouTuber' books is well and truly oversaturated. That's a discussion for another day and I don't want it to overshadow Estee's book. I feel like Estee's book, entitled Bloom which sounds like it's part inspiration guide/part memoir is going to deliver. Why? Estee is the queen of keeping it real. She seems like such a down to earth, unphased woman and I don't think she'd let her book become generic. I love Estee, she's been one of my favourite YouTubers for a long time and I'm looking forward to seeing what she brings to the book table.
Pretty Iconic by Sali Hughes-Pretty Honest is my all-time favourite beauty book, you guys should know that by now. So when Sali subtly announced book #2 was in the works, my feelings were akin to that of closing magnetic beauty products. Satisfying as heck. Pretty Iconic looks at exploring Sali's all-time favourite beauty products, from staples like Ruby Woo x MAC, to the newcomers which have the potential to stick around. Sali's writing is also amazing and I'm really looking forward to this. *Adds to preorder cart*.
-What books are you looking forward to reading this year?
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