The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

Earlier this year, I read the crime novel Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads When a young girl is found dead in the mountains outside Timber Creek, life-long resident Officer Mattie Cobb and her partner, K-9 police dog Robo, are assigned to the case that has rocked the small Colorado town. With the help of Cole Walker, local veterinarian and a single father, Mattie and Robo must track down the truth before it claims another victim. But the more Mattie investigates, the more she realizes how many secrets her hometown holds. And the key may be Cole's daughter, who knows more than she's saying. The murder was just the beginning, and if Mattie isn’t careful, she and Robo could be next. Suspenseful and smart, Killing Trail is an explosive debut that will have readers clamoring for more Mattie and Robo for years to come. My Thoughts on the Book It was so much fun reading this first book about Mattie and Robo.

It's Tuesday again and time for another Top Ten Tuesday post, courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl . As the theme was school freebie this week, I decided writing a list of diaries, memoirs and biographies that should be required reading for everyone. For all I know, some of the books may be required reading for some people at some point, but I also suspect that a few of the books on my list may be either banned or challenged in some schools. Anyway, here's my ten picks. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe 12 Years a Slave: A True Story by Solomon Northup In the Name of Honour: A Memoir by Mukhtar Mai Hitler, My Neighbour: Memories of a Jewish Childhood 1929-1939 by Edgar Feuchtwanger First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai Incidents in the

A while ago, I read Dread Nation by Justina Ireland and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads At once provocative, terrifying, and darkly subversive, Dread Nation is Justina Ireland's stunning vision of an America both foreign and familiar—a country on the brink, at the explosive crossroads where race, humanity, and survival meet. Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—derailing the War Between the States and changing the nation forever. In this new America, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Education Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It's a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern

A while ago I read the fantasy novel Malice by Heather Walter and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who cursed a line of princesses to die, and could only be broken by true love's kiss. You've heard this before, haven't you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after. Utter nonsense. Let me tell you, no one actually cares about what happens to our princesses. I thought I didn't care, either. Until I met her. Princess Aurora. The last heir to the throne. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn't bothered that I am the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse. But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating - and she can't stand to kiss

Recently, I read the crime novel The Body on the Island by Nick Louth and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads He was never truly gone, only biding his time... Late on midsummer’s night there is a splash in the river Thames. A body is found on an island, asphyxiated and laced with strange markings. For DCI Craig Gillard it’s a baffling case. The victim’s identity is elusive, clues are scarce and every witness has something to hide. Meanwhile one of Britain’s deadliest serial killers is finally up for parole after a deal to reveal the location of two missing bodies. The felon has his own plans to get even with witnesses, accusers and the officer who caught him thirty years before. And who was that? A young trainee, by the name of Gillard. My Thoughts on the Book It was fun returning to Gilliard and following him resolving a murder or two. The murders were puzzling and the plot had a few twists and turns, such as a good crime novel should have, and the ending really

Earlier this year, I read the mystery novel A Body by the Lighthouse by Helen Cox and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Private investigator Kitt Hartley and her twin sister Rebecca are preparing for a holiday in Scotland when cruise ship entertainer Errol Jackson appears at the door. Errol breaks the news that Bryce Griffin, a former smuggler and an old friend of Kitt's, has been murdered: his body found washed up by a lighthouse, bearing a gunshot wound. Kitt persuades Rebecca to cancel their trip and, together with Kitt's assistant Grace Edwards and best friend Evie Bowes, books onto the next cruise to Norway to help with the ongoing murder investigation. Aboard the cruise ship Kitt, Grace and Rebecca encounter burlesque dancers, casino dealers, drag queens and a talking parrot named Skittles - seemingly the only witness to Bryce's death. But what dark secrets are lurking below deck? Can Kitt catch the killer before it's too late? My Thoughts

I came across the Back to School Tag over at  A Little But A Lot and I decided to play along as it looked like a fun tag to do. ENGLISH – NAME YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR’S (OR BOOK’S) WRITING STYLE I love the writing style of James Holland. MATHS – A BOOK THAT MADE YOU FRUSTRATED A Class of Conjuring by Evie Wilde SCIENCE – A BOOK THAT MADE YOU THINK Whipping Girl - A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity by Julia Serano SOCIAL STUDIES/HISTORY – YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK FROM A DIFFERENT TIME PERIOD Dracula by Bram Stoker ART – YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK WITH PICTURES Flo of the Somme by Hilary Robinson & Martin Impey DRAMA – A BOOK YOU WOULD LOVE TO TURN INTO A MOVIE The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans MUSIC – NAME A CHARACTER YOU THINK (OR KNOW) WOULD HAVE THE SAME MUSICAL TASTE AS YOU Honestly not sure. LUNCH – A FOOD YOU WOULD LOVE TO TRY I wouldn't mind eating the chocolate made by Vianne Rocher in Chocolat by Joanne Harris BUS RIDE HOME – A BOOK

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of Jew-ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch by Jake Cohen through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads When you think of Jewish food, a few classics come to mind: chicken soup with matzo balls, challah, maybe a babka if you’re feeling adventurous. But as food writer and nice Jewish boy Jake Cohen demonstrates in this stunning debut cookbook, Jewish food can be so much more. In Jew-ish, he reinvents the food of his Ashkenazi heritage and draws inspiration from his husband’s Persian-Iraqi traditions to offer recipes that are modern, fresh, and enticing for a whole new generation of readers. Imagine the components of an everything bagel wrapped into a flaky galette and latkes dyed vibrant yellow with saffron for a Persian spin on the potato pancake, plus best-ever hybrid desserts like Macaroon Brownies and Pumpkin Spice Babka! From elevated, yet approacha

For en liten stund tilbake leste jeg diktsamlinga Inn i naturen - 101 norske dikt og i dag kommer omtalen av boka. Beskrivelse fra forlaget «Inn i naturen» er ei samling med 101 vakre, rørande humoristiske og overraskande dikt frå norsk natur. Boka inneheld klassikarar frå Henrik Wergeland, Hans Børli og Halldis Moren Vesaas så vel som nyare dikt av poetar som Mona Høvring, Øyvind Rimbereid og Kjartan Hatløy. Vi følgjer naturen gjennom dei ulike årstidene, frå den grøne våren gjennom den varme sommaren og den raudgule hausten til den frosne vinteren. Julie Holdal Hansen og Eirik Vassenden har valt ut dikta. Vassenden skrive forord til boka. Mine tanker om boka Det er et vidt spekter av dikt i denne samlinga, i tillegg til at de er delt inn i årstider, noe jeg definitivt hadde sans for. Det er selvfølgelig noen dikt jeg likte bedre enn andre, men på generelt basis var det en fullt brukbar diktsamling som kan leses og verdt å sjekke ut.

Earlier this year, I read the cosy mystery Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles by A. L. Herbert and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Welcome to Mahalia's Sweet Tea--the finest soul food restaurant in Prince George's County, Maryland. In between preparing her famous cornbread and mashed potatoes so creamy "they'll make you want to slap your Momma," owner Halia Watkins is about to dip her spoon into a grisly mystery . . . Halia Watkins has her hands full cooking, hosting, and keeping her boisterous young cousin, Wavonne, from getting too sassy with customers. Having fast-talking entrepreneur Marcus Rand turn up in her kitchen is annoying enough when he's alive--but finding his dead body face-down on her ceramic tile after hours is much worse. Marcus had his enemies, and the cast iron frying pan beside his corpse suggests that at last, his shady business deals went too far. Halia is desperate to keep Sweet Tea's name out of the sor

A couple of months ago, I read the non-fiction book Escape Into Cottagecore: Embrace Cosy Countryside Comfort in Your Everyday by Ramona Jones and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Find happiness in the natural world, be fully present where you are and free yourself from the expectations of others. Embrace a more peaceful life with cottagecore – a soft, fairytale world that combines traditional comforts with a modern existence to create a sense of magic and retreat. While we may not be able to uproot ourselves and settle entirely off-grid in the middle of a forest, Escape into Cottagecore will help you rekindle your love of nature and rediscover simple joys, wherever you may live. Full of practical advice and inspiration, and covering topics from home décor and herbology to eating with the seasons and mindfulness, this beautiful book will invite you on a cottagecore odyssey, bringing the nostalgia, relaxation and beauty of countryside living to every part of you

A little while ago, I read the non-fiction book Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity by Julia Serano. Today, I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Julia Serano shares her experiences and insights—both pre- and post-transition—to reveal the ways in which fear, suspicion, and dismissiveness toward femininity shape our societal attitudes toward trans women, as well as gender and sexuality as a whole. Serano's well-honed arguments and pioneering advocacy stem from her ability to bridge the gap between the often-disparate biological and social perspectives on gender. In this provocative manifesto, she exposes how deep-rooted the cultural belief is that femininity is frivolous, weak, and passive. In addition to debunking popular misconceptions about being transgender, Serano makes the case that today's feminists and transgender activists must work to embrace and empower femininity—in all of its wondrous forms. My Thoughts on t

It's Friday and perhaps time for another Let's Talk Bookish post, courtesy of Book Nook Bits and the theme of the week was unhauling books. Here's the further prompts.  How do you feel about unhauling books? Do you get rid of books often? Or do you hold on to every book you buy? How do you decide which books to get rid of? Are there any books you would never get rid of? I look at unhauling books as a necessary evil, but something that sometimes has to be done, but I avoid doing it if I can. I occasionally do get rid of books, but then it's usually because it's a non-fiction book that's not relevant to me anymore, or if I've accidentally purchased another copy of a book that I already own, or something down that line. I do hold on to as many books as I can and there's of course some books I'll never get rid of, such as my signed books, and my collection of various Dracula editions.

I came across The School Book Tag over at  The Book Dutchesses and decided to play along as it looked like a fun tag. Biology: A book I would like to dissect. The Haunting of Las Lágrimas by W. M. Cleese Chemistry: A book I really bonded to. She's Magic & Midnight Lace by Ann Marie Eleazer Literature: A book that should be a modern classic. The Story So Far by Jane Eklund Algebra: A book that has two characters that equal perfection. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness Music: A book that reminds me of a song. Blood Countess reminds me of the song "I Want My Innocence Back" by Emilie Autumn. P.E. A book I raced to the finish with. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera Physics: A book with a lot of potential. A Class of Conjuring had lots of potential, but was in desperate need of an editor.

Recently, I read the picture book The Magic Doll by Adrienne Yabouza and Élodie Nouhen and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Families of all kinds will appreciate this simple tale of love and longing, motherhood and magic. In a small village in West Africa, a young girl explains the special way she was born. Her mother had difficulty getting pregnant, so she seeks help in the form of a doll which she treats like a human baby, carrying it on her back and covering it with kisses. Months go by and finally the woman's belly begins to grow! This beautiful story explores the Akua-Ba fertility figures of the Akan people of Ghana, while also depicting the deep love a mother has for her children. Élodie Nouhen's subtle, gorgeous illustrations combine collage and prints that are reminiscent of traditional African art, while remaining uniquely contemporary. Each spread communicates the look and feel of West Africa--the blazing yellow of the sun, the deep blue of t

As it's Tuesday again, I think it's probably time for another Top Ten Tuesday, courtesy  That Artsy Reader Girl of and the theme of the week was books I love that were written over ten years ago. Here's my picks. Bannockburn 1314 by Lynette Nusbacher Description from Goodreads Recent scholarship has illuminated one of the most exciting battles of Scottish history, showing it to be as historically significant as it was romantic and bloody. This book carries the reader through the politics and plans of a military campaign of the Middle Ages. Using recent studies on weapons, warfare, and Scottish history, as well as sound archival sources, this book opens the files on a year's preparation for a massive English invasion of Scotland. In addition to the heroic legends, Bannockburn 1314 examines the common soldiers summoned to war and the knights who fought near them. A Pair of Silver Wings by James Holland Description from Goodreads At the school where Edward Enderby taught

Recently, I ended up reading the YA novel One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide. On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention. Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing. Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher. And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app. Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classm