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Showing posts from July, 2019

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge; Favourite Food

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It's Wednesday and time for a new Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge, courtesy of  Long and Short Reviews . Even though this is usually a literature related feature/meme, the topic of the week was favourite food and how I use it (as in recipes). I'm not going to deny that I prefer seafood, especially salmon, over "landbased meats" such as chicken and beef (and I don't eat pork at all). Here's three salmon recipes I sometimes use; Hoisin-Glazed Salmon Baked Honey Sriracha Lime Salmon Creamy Salmon Fettuccine Another thing I do love, is chocolate and here's three chocolate related recipes; Nutella Chocolate Cake Chocolate Swirl Buns Chocolate Yoghurt Loaf Cake

Top Ten Tuesday; Historical Fiction Novels by Authors of Colour

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It's Tuesday, which means it's time for another Top Ten Tuesday post, courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl . As it was freebie week, I decided to write a top ten list of historical fiction novels written by authors of colour. My picks are; Home by Toni Morrison Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah The Wedding Gift by Marlen Suyata Bodden Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead A Daughter's Courage by Renita D'Silva When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine

Omtale; Ritualer av Kristin Hauge

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For noen måneder siden var jeg såpass heldig at jeg fikk tilsendt et leseeksemplar av romanen Ritualer av Kristin Hauge fra forlaget. Nå har jeg lest den og i dag kommer omtalen av boka. Beskrivelse fra forlaget Hva gjør vi når døden puster oss i nakken? Søker ut, søker ly, eller søker sammen? Vi møter tre personer i denne romanen: Ally og foreldrene Viktor og Harriet. Ally er på vei hjem fra utenrikstjeneste i Afghanistan. Victor får en tung beskjed hos fastlegen. Harriet skal ut på reise. Livene deres er fremdeles preget av skilsmissen for mange år siden. De har hemmeligheter for hverandre, og klarer ikke å snakke med hverandre om det viktigste. Nå står de overfor hvert sitt livsvalg. Vil valgene de tar føre dem lenger fra hverandre eller nærmere? Ritualer er en dypt menneskelig roman om kunsten å leve, og kunsten å dø, fra en av våre mest interessante, nye forfattere. Kristin Hauge (født 1958) har vært diplomat for norsk utenrikstjeneste ved ambassadene i Kabul og Khartou

Review; The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

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As I've seen the novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris all over the place, I decided to read it for the Historical Fiction Challenge and today I'll post the review. Description from Goodreads In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive. One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encou

Review; A Vicarage Homecoming by Kate Hewitt

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Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the novel A Vicarage Homecoming by Kate Hewitt through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards, but I haven't published my review until now. Description from Netgalley Can she find happiness and love in the place she once only wanted to leave? As the youngest Holley sister, Miriam has always been a bit of a rebel. After spending several years backpacking through Europe and Australia, she’s now back home… unemployed and pregnant, with no boyfriend or husband in sight. At first, Miriam only wants to hide away from the shocked and prying eyes of her father’s parishioners, but her sisters won’t let her. Determined to help her find her way, they urge Miriam to accept a job working as an assistant to Simon, the new vicar… and to think about what will happen when the baby comes. As Miriam starts putting down roots, she finds an unexpected friendship in her sister Rachel’s ex-fiancé, Dan Taylor. And as she thinks about her

Book Blogger Hop; Do You Always Have a Book With You?

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It is Friday and time for a new Book Blogger Hop post, courtesy of  Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer . The question of the week was " Do you always carry a book with you? ". Book Blogger Hop I mostly carry a book with me at all times, but I might add that if I'm running errands such as grocery shopping, I don't.

Book Tour & Giveaway; Lizzie Borden by Elizabeth Engstrom

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Lizzie Borden by Elizabeth Engstrom Genre: Historical Mystery, Thriller Did she do it? A hundred years ago, it was the Trial of the Century. A young woman stood accused of brutally murdering her father and stepmother in a crime so heinous that it became a benchmark in human tragedy. A hundred years later, the Lizzie Borden case still resounds in the imagination. There are those who staunchly defend Lizzie’s innocence while others vehemently declare that she did it, and that the murder was justified. In Elizabeth Engstrom’s brilliant novel, the dark psychology of the Borden household is laid bare. Lizzie, her sister Emma and their parents Andrew and Abby Borden, are sharply illuminated—as are the paranoia and concealed hatred that secretly ruled the family. Domestic violence and dysfunctional families are not inventions of modern times. “ Every door in the Borden house is metaphorically locked, and each room holds the terrible secrets of its occupa

Book Blitz; High School Queens by Zachary Ryan

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Top Five Wednesday; Poetry Collections From Around the World

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The Top Five Wednesday has a bit of a hiatus on the Goodreads group. I still wanted to write a top five list, so I decided to write a list with 5 poetry collections from around the world. Here's the list; Prison Poems by Mahvash Sabet (Iran) The Poet's Oud by Wael Al-Sayegh (UAE) Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Dispair by Pablo Neruda (Chile) Small Hours of the Night by Roque Dalton (El Salvador) The Last of the Sweet Bananas by Jack Mapanje (Malawi)

Review; Knit One, Die Two by Peggy Ehrhart

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Earlier this year I was lucky enough to recieve an ARC of the cozy mystery Knit One, Die Two by Peggy Ehrhart through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards, but I haven't published my review until now. Description from Goodreads When Arborville, New Jersey's snooty theater scene is upstaged by a shocking murder, Pamela Paterson and her Knit and Nibble knitting club must act quickly to stop a killer from making an encore performance . . . Knit and Nibble's numbers are growing! In addition to a litter of adorable kittens, the knitting club just welcomed their newest member, Caralee Lorimer, who's learning to knit for her upcoming role in A Tale of Two Cities. According to the amateur actress, the behind-the-scenes drama at the theater is getting downright catty, and Caralee wants a reckoning for Arborville's pretentious suburbanites. Her claws are out, and just like her character in the play, Caralee is ready to name names. But before she can finish her snitc

Review; Summer Dreams at Villa Limoncello by Daisy James

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Recently, I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the novel Summer Dreams at Villa Limoncello by Daisy James through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Netgalley Escape to Villa Limoncello… where dreams come true in the most unexpected ways. Izzie Jenkins never expected to find herself living in a gorgeous oasis in Tuscany but when life gives you Villa Limoncello you say thank you and bake treats to celebrate! Izzie and debonair chef Luca Castelotti are officially setting up shop together but when their inaugural ‘Pasta and Painting’ venture is sabotaged and one of their guests poisoned they’re forced to turn detective. Because if they can’t find the culprit, they’ll be out of business before they’ve even begun... A gorgeous holiday read perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan and Jenny Oliver. My Thoughts on the Book Summer Dreams at Villa Limoncello was a sweet, light and engaging feelgood read set in Italy. I love

Review, Crêpe Expectations by Sarah Fox

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Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cosy mystery Crêpe Expectations by Sarah Fox through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards, but I haven't published my review until now. Description from Netgalley When a murder case from the past heats up again, it’s up to Marley McKinney to sort through a tall stack of suspects in the latest Pancake House Mystery . . . Although it’s a soggy start to spring in Wildwood Cove, the weather clears up just in time for the town to host an amateur chef competition. Marley McKinney, owner of the Flip Side pancake house, already signed up to volunteer, and chef Ivan Kaminski is one of the judges. But when Marley visits her landscaper boyfriend Brett at the site of the Victorian mansion that’s being restored as the Wildwood Inn, she discovers something else pushing up daisies: human remains. The skeleton on the riverbank washed out by the early-spring floodwaters belonged to eighteen-year-old Demetra Kozani, who va

24in48 Readathon; July 2019

Yay, this is the first of the two days in the  24in48  readathon, where the aim is to read for 24 hours during 48 hours (hence the name of the readathon). It's not like I have a massive TBR list for this readathon as I'm not sure how much I'll manage to read, but I'm planning to read The Haunting of Hill House Shirley Jackson and Myrtles Plantation by Frances Kermeen as I need to read a few spooky books for October (I'm planning to review only spooky books for that month due to Halloween). Se dette innlegget på Instagram Yes, I am the person with two spooky books in my #24in48tbr for the #24in48 readathon next weekend. Mainly because I need to read some more creepy books for book reviews in October on my blog. . . . #24in48readathon #horror #quote #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #bookdragon #igreads #booksarelife Et innlegg delt av Kristin Frøyland Jørgensen (@gothicvamperstein) Juli 13, 2019 kl.

Book Blogger Hop; Name of Autobiography

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It's Friday, which means it's time for another Book Blogger Hop post, courtesy of  Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer . The question of the week was " If you were to write your own autobiography, what would be the title? ". Book Blogger Hop I suspect the name of my autobiography would be somewhere in the lines of "Book Blogger Madness".

Review; A Summer to Remember by Sue Moorcroft

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Earlier this year I was lucky enough to recieve an ARC of the novel A Summer to Remember by Sue Moorcroft through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards, but I haven't published my review until now. Description from Goodreads WANTED! A caretaker for Roundhouse Row holiday cottages. WHERE? Nelson’s Bar is the perfect little village. Nestled away on the Norfolk coast we can offer you no signal, no Wi-Fi and – most importantly – no problems! WHO? The ideal candidate will be looking for an escape from their cheating scumbag ex-fiancé, a diversion from their entitled cousin, and a break from their traitorous friends. WHAT YOU’LL GET! Accommodation in a chocolate-box cottage, plus a summer filled with blue skies and beachside walks. Oh, and a reunion with the man of your dreams. PLEASE NOTE: We take no responsibility for any of the above scumbags, passengers and/or traitors walking back into your life… GET IN TOUCH NOW TO MAKE THIS A SUMMER TO REMEMBER! My Thoughts on

Book Blitz; Castle of Concrete by Katia Raina

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Review; Charcoal Boys by Roger Mello

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Several months ago I was fortunate enough to receieve an ARC of the picture book Charcoal Boys by Roger Mello through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads From Hans Christian Andersen Award and Batchelder Honor Medal-winning author Roger Mello, a poetic and sensitive portrait of child labor in Brazil's charcoal mines. Beautifully illustrated by Roger Mello with sophisticated, highly textural paper cut outs, Charcoal Boys follows a young boy working in Brazil's charcoal mines. The boy's strength and resilience shine through the darkness in this moving condemnation of child labor. My Thoughts on the Book Charcoal Boys is a sad tale with some beautiful illustrations. I think this book could work great as a starting point in regards of the topic of child labour.

Review; The Backyard Fire Cookbook: Cooking with Live Fire, Coals, and More by Linda Ly

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Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of The Backyard Fire Cookbook: Cooking with Live Fire, Coals, and More by Linda Ly through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards, but I haven't published my review until now. Description from Goodreads Ditch the boring gas grill and light your fire with this comprehensive guide from the author of The New Camp Cookbook. The Backyard Fire Cookbook offers techniques and recipes to master cooking with live fire and coals, including smoking, planking, cast iron, foil packs, and more. You might have distinct memories of your parents lighting the coals in your backyard, or of some of your favorite meals being cooked by campfire. Whatever your experience, it's undeniable that when cooking starts with a live fire, the results are worth remembering. In The Backyard Fire Cookbook, author Linda Ly will teach you how to master the flames, as well as a variety of other techniques—all possible in your own backyard. For the

Review; Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds: 12 Miniature Structures You Can Build to Enhance Your Yard or Neighborhood by Philip Schmidt

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Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the book Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds: 12 Miniature Structures You Can Build to Enhance Your Yard or Neighborhood by Philip Schmidt through Netgalley. I've now read the book and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Expand the sharing movement to your community with Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds —your complete source for building tiny sharing structures, including plans for 12 different structures, step-by-step photography and instructions, inspirational examples, and maintenance. Around the world, a community movement is underway featuring quaint landscape structures mounted on posts in front yards and other green spaces. Some are built for personal use, as miniature sheds for gardeners or as decorative accent pieces. More commonly, though, they are evidence of the growing trend toward neighborhood organization and community outreach. This movement has been popularized by Wisconsin-

Book Blitz; Don't Blame the Reckless by Maddyson Wilson

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Book Tag Saturday; Pride Flag Book Tag

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I came across the Pride Flag Book Tag over at  The Book Dutchesses  (originally created by  Common Spence ) and I decided to play along. Free stock photo from Pexels 1. Red (Life) – A book with a spirited protagonist totally proud of who they are. Someone who gives you LIFE! Amal from Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah is a bit kick-ass when she decides to wear the hijab full time instead of part time and defends herself and her decision. 2. Orange (Healing) – A book that made you, as the reader, find a deeper meaning or catharsis in your own life. One book worth mentioning would be This Is About You: Amazing, Weird, Beautiful You by Mary England. 3. Yellow (Sunshine) – A book that fills you with so much joy it could brighten even your darkest day. A book that certainly gives me joy is Chocolat by Joanne Harris. 4. Green (Nature) – A book that is set out of this world — a reality different to our own. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.

Book Blogger Hop; What Do You Like/Dislike About Self-Published Books?

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It's Friday and time for yet another Book Blogger Hop post, courtesy of  Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer . The question of the week was " What do you like/dislike about self-published books? ". Book Blogger Hop One of the things I enjoy about self-published books are the variety of stories and in general hidden gems. What I do dislike, is that sometimes books can seem more like (rough) first drafts, having some plot holes, poor grammar/spelling and so on and in general perhaps needing an editor to look through the book. Althrough I like self-published books, please do the proper work beforehand so you don't look stupid afterwards.

Review; Beau and Bett by Kathryn Berla

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A while ago I recieved an ARC of the YA novel Beau and Bett by Kathryn Berla through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads After Beau LeFrancois's mother wrecks Bett Diaz’s luxury SUV, his family faces an impossibly large bill—with no car insurance to help pay it. To pay off the debt, Beau spends his weekends working at the Diaz Ranch. Beau’s prepared to work, but he’s definitely not prepared for the infamous temper of Bett Diaz, also known as "The Beast" at school. As Beau learns the secrets behind Bett’s tough exterior, he finds himself falling for her . . . until he catches Bett in a lie. A contemporary twist on a classic fairy tale, Beau and Bett is a timely story of family, friendship, and the power of speaking out and standing up for yourself. My Thoughts on the Book This was a fun read and I loved the gender reversal on the Beauty and the Beast. I loved Beau as a character and his family,

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge; 8 Favourite Authors of Poetry

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It's Wednesday again, which means it's time for a new Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge courtesy of Long and Short Reviews . The theme of the week was favourite authors of X genre, so I chose poetry. My picks are; Najwa Zebian Edgar Allan Poe  Sylvia Plath Pablo Neruda Lang Leav Rupi Kaur Michael Faudet William Shakespeare

Top Ten Tuesday; Books with LGBTQIA Characters

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It's Tuesday again, which means it's time for a new Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of  Artsy Reader Girl . As the theme was a character freebie, I decided to write a top ten list of books with LGBTQIA characters. My picks are; Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta The Almond by Nedjma If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters Wooing the Farmer by Jenny Frame Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg My Crunchy Life by Mia Kerick Where Song Replaces Silence by Layla Dorine Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh