The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

After the senseless death of George Floyd, riots as well as the focus on police violence towards black people have turned up again. I've almost felt a bit powerless, especially as I'm white and living in Norway, but I decided to do like Starr from The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and use my voice. The way I'm going to do that? Well, aside from pointing out the obvious that black lives matter and police violence is a bad thing, I'm going to make a list of books written by black authors. It may not be much, but at least it's something. Fiction Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta Faceless by Amma Darko Evening Primrose by Kopano Matlwa Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Non-Fiction 12 Years A Slave by Solomon Northup Left to Tel...

Earlier this year I recieved an ARC of the picture book Thank You, Miyuki by Roxanne Marie Galliez and Seng Soun Ratanavanh through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Miyuki and her grandfather return in an enchanting intergenerational story enhanced by Seng Soun Ratanavanh's gorgeous Japanese-inspired illustrations. Miyuki's curiosity is piqued by her grandfather's morning meditation routine, and she is eager to learn this new skill. Her wise and patient grandfather first takes her on a walk in the garden. "When do we start to meditate?" she asks repeatedly. Grandfather enjoys the warm sun and stops to smell a rose, inviting Miyuki to join him. Their walk in the garden, filled with many tender moments, heightens their gratitude for each other and for the world around them. Miyuki comes to understand that in the small acts of mindfulness throughout her day, she learned how to meditate. My T...

I came across the Why I am Weird Tag over at  Emily the Book Nerd . The tag was originally made by  DellyBird on Twitter and the blog can be found here . “Why I am Weird” Tag rules List ten weird things about yourself, your life, or silly habits that you wouldn’t normally share. Tag up to ten people so you can get to know them better. Link back to the person who tagged you & the creator Comment on the posts of people you tagged! Here's some of my weirdness I can easily eat mashed potatoes and only mashed potatoes for dinner, if it's made from scratch by real potatoes. I rarely watch movies anymore. I can't even remember when I last saw one and what movie it was. I don't want kids. In today's society it makes me weird. Don't get me wrong, if anyone wants kids, feel free to have them. Just don't be rude toward those of us who don't want them. I have a dislike towards shopping for clothes. If there is anything I need, I prefer shopping ...

Way back I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the picture book Ojiichan's Gift by Chieri Uegaki and Genevieve Simms through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards, but I haven't published my review until now as I wanted to focus on Asian literature this month. Description from Goodreads When Mayumi was born, her grandfather created a garden for her. It was unlike any other garden she knew. It had no flowers or vegetables. Instead, Ojiichan made it out of stones: big ones, little ones and ones in-between. Every summer, Mayumi visits her grandfather in Japan, and they tend the garden together. Raking the gravel is her favorite part. Afterward, the two of them sit on a bench and enjoy the results of their efforts in happy silence. But then one summer, everything changes. Ojiichan has grown too old to care for his home and the garden. He has to move. Will Mayumi find a way to keep the memory of the garden alive for both of them? This gentle picture book story will wa...

Recently I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the photography book Chinatown Pretty: Fashion and Wisdom from Chinatown's Most Stylish Seniors by Andrea Lo and Valerie Luu through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads hinatown Pretty features beautiful portraits and heartwarming stories of trend-setting seniors across six Chinatowns. Andria Lo and Valerie Luu have been interviewing and photographing Chinatown's most fashionable elders on their blog and Instagram, Chinatown Pretty, since 2014. Chinatown Pretty is a signature style worn by pòh pohs (grandmas) and gùng gungs (grandpas) everywhere—but it's also a life philosophy, mixing resourcefulness, creativity, and a knack for finding joy even in difficult circumstances. • Photos span Chinatowns in San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Vancouver. • The style is a mix of modern and vintage, high and low, handmade an...

It's Wednesday and time for a new Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge post, courtesy of  Long and Short Reviews . The theme of the week was book(s) set in my city or state. Jernspøkelset by Ivar Aase is a book set in Bryne, Norway, but I'm unsure if it will ever be translated into English. Requiem by Geir Tangen is set in Haugesund, Norway and this one I know has been translated English and a few other languages.

It's Tuesday and time for a new Top Five Tuesday post, courtesy of  Bionic Book Worm . The theme of the week was top five summer reads and I decided to narrow it down a bit with focusing on historical fiction. My picks are; The Woman in the White Kimono by Anna Johns Description from Goodreads; Japan, 1957. Seventeen-year-old Naoko Nakamura’s prearranged marriage secures her family’s status in their traditional Japanese community. However, Naoko has fallen for an American sailor and to marry him would bring great shame upon her entire family. When it’s learned Naoko carries the sailor’s child, she’s cast out in disgrace and forced to make unimaginable choices with consequences that will ripple across generations. America, present day. Tori Kovač, caring for her dying father, finds a letter containing a shocking revelation. Setting out to learn the truth, Tori’s journey leads her to a remote seaside village in Japan where she must confront the demons of the past ...

Earlier this year I read the historical novel The Lotus and the Storm by Lan Cao. As Lan Cao is from Vietnam, I can finally cross of that country for my World Literature Project and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads An epic tale of love, loyalty, and war from the acclaimed author of Monkey Bridge Half a century after it began, the Vietnam War still has a hold on our national psyche. Lan Cao’s now-classic debut, Monkey Bridge, won her wide renown for “connecting... the opposite realities of Vietnam and America” (Isabel Allende). In her triumphant new novel, Cao transports readers back to the war, illuminating events central to twentieth-century history through the lives of one Vietnamese American family. Minh is a former South Vietnamese commander of the airborne brigade who left his homeland with his daughter, Mai. During the war, their lives became entwined with those of two Americans: James, a soldier, and Cliff, a military adviser. Forty years later, M...

For en liten stund siden leste jeg romanen Mambo i Chinatown av Jean Kwok og i dag kommer omtalen. Beskrivelse fra forlaget Charlie Wong har aldri kunnet forestille seg et annet liv enn i New Yorks Chinatown. Men jobben som resepsjonist på en danseskole på Manhattan åpner en ny verden for henne, og hun oppdager nye sider ved seg selv. Charlie holder sitt nye liv hemmelig, for familien er skeptisk til at alt som vestlig. Mens Charlie blomstrer, blir søsteren alvorlig syk. Er det sant det en lokal heks har sagt: "Det den ene søsteren vinner, skal den andre tape?" Mine tanker om boka Mambo i Chinatown er en hjertevarm bok om å ha et bein i hver kultur og det å kunne blomstre. Det er sånn at en håper at Charlie lykkes, spesielt siden det er mulig å relatere til henne, uavhengig av om en er ABC (American Born Chinese) eller ikke.

I came across this fun tag created by  Ellyn @ Allonsythornraxx  and I decided to play along. The Stuck at Home Book Tag rules… Thank the person who nominated you Answer all the questions down below Pingback to the creator: Ellyn @ Allonsythornraxx Nominate 5+ bloggers you’d like to know more about, to do this tag The Questions 1) What are you currently reading? I'm currently reading Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord, partially for my World Literature Project as the author is from Barbados. 2) What’s your favourite ‘can’t-leave-the-house’ activity? In my case, it's baking. It's not like one could on impulse go out for several hours when there's a yeast dough rising and needs to be dealth with after a certain amount of time. 3) A book you’ve been meaning to read for forever Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 4) An intimidating book on your TBR The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser - a 1000+ pages poem, anyone? 5) Top 3 priority books ...

Tatt i betraktning at jeg har et "Land i verden"-prosjekt, endte jeg opp med å lese novellesamlinga Anklage av Bandi for å krysse av Nord-Korea og i dag kommer omtalen. Beskrivelse fra forlaget En samling noveller skrevet under pseudonym av en offentlig tjenestemann som lever i Nord-Korea. Forhistorien til Anklage, er nesten like interessant som selve teksten: Bandi, som forfatteren kalles - det er av gode grunner et pseudonym -- lever i Nord-Korea, hvor han har en offentlig stilling med en viss makt, og er en velutdannet mann. Gjennom mange år har han i all hemmelighet skrevet noveller, og nå har han lykkes i å smugle dem ut av landet, med folk som har flyktet til Sør-Korea. Gjennom sju noveller blir vi kjent med ulike deler av dagens, og tidligere tiders, nordkoreansk hverdagsliv. De sju tekstene foregår på svært ulike steder: landsbyer, større provinshovedstader eller Pyongyang, og vi blir kjent med fabrikkarbeidere, partibyråkrater, landbrukere, leger og studente...

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve a press copy of Japanese Cooking Recipes by Fumiko Kawakami through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads This useful cooking guide introduces basic Japanese recipes which you may want to try cooking. Each recipe is accompanied by more than 20 step-by-step photos and useful tips. With this book in hand, even absolute cooking beginners cannot go wrong by easily comparing your cooking process with sample pictures. As a professional cooking instructor, the author offers knowledge in exhaustive detail so that anyone with advanced cooking skills is able to refer to the instructions. This is also likely to attract international readers as it introduces many Japanese traditional dishes such as "nigirizushi," "yakitori," "sukiyaki," and "chawanmushi." My Thoughts on the Book Now, this is a detailed cookbook. In addition to that, it...

Last year I recieved a press copy of the novel Broken Wings by Jia Pingwa through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards, but I haven't published my review until now. Description from Goodreads Evening, I made my one hundred and seventy-eighth scratch on the cave wall. Despite her humble rural beginnings, Butterfly regards herself as a sophisticated young woman. So, when offered a lucrative job in the city, she jumps at the chance. But instead of being given work, she is trafficked and sold to Bright Black, a desperate man from a poor mountain village. Trapped in Bright's cave home with her new "husband", she plans her escape… not so easily done in this isolated and remote village where she is watched day and night. Will her tenacity and free spirit survive, or will she be broken? My Thoughts on the Book I really wanted to like this novel, especially as it covers the important issue of human trafficking, but I struggled to read it. A lot of things g...

It's Tuesday again and time for a new Top Ten Tuesday post, courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl . The theme of the week was reasons why I love X and I decided writing about why I love being a book blogger. 1) It gives me an outlet for my book passion 2) It gives me an excuse to read (not that I need an excuse of course) 3) The perk of recieving press copies from authors and publishers 4) The nice comments from authors when they've seen I've written a nice review of one of their books 5) Being part of the book blogger/bookish community, even if it has some flaws 6) Having a platform where I can raise awareness about diversity from time to time (and other issues related to books/literature) 7) Connecting with other book lovers 8) Discovering all the amazing books that's out there 9) Dabbling with Bookstagram 10) Getting inspiration, both in terms of books to read, but also book merch to buy, topics to talk about, etc.

For en liten stund siden leste jeg boka Bokhandleren på Grønland - meningers mot mellom to kulturer av Liv Hilde Boe som jeg hadde lånt på biblioteket. I  dag kommer omtalen. Beskrivelse fra forlaget Muhammad Anwar Soofi kom til Norge i 1974. Han hadde en høy utdannelse fra Pakistan, men har jobbet på gulvet hele sitt norske liv. Nå driver han en liten bokhandel på Grønland. Soofi har en litt annen stemme enn mange av første- og andregenerasjons innvandrere som gjør seg gjeldende i norsk offentlighet, men kanskje nettopp derfor er han viktig å lytte til. Han forteller usedvanlig åpent om sitt liv i Pakistan og Norge, om sine erfaringer og sine tanker om det å være tokulturell i Norge. Han har engasjert seg kraftig i norsk-pakistansk foreningsliv, der han iblant har høstet storm for sine synspunkter. Soofi er en av våre mange nye landsmenn, og hans barn og barnebarn er borgere av framtidens norske samfunn. Men hva vil det si å være norsk i dag? Denne boka gir viktige i...

Tidligere i år leste jeg romanen Indias datter av Shilpi Somaya Gowda etter at den har stått i bokhylla aldri så lenge. I dag kommer omtalen av boka. Beskrivelse fra forlaget Jentebarn har ingen verdi på landsbygda i India, så når Kavita føder en datter, dreper ektemannen Jasu den nyfødte. Noen år senere føder Kavita nok en datter, og trygler sin mann om å få tilbringe én natt sammen med barnet. Den natten bringer hun datteren i sikkerhet på et barnehjem. I USA vokser Asha opp hos trygge og kjærlige adoptivforeldre. Likevel trekkes hun mot sitt fødeland, og reiser til India for å finne sin bakgrunn. Historien strekker seg over 20 år, og fortelles av de to mødrene og datteren de deler. Dette er en emosjonell og eksotisk fortelling som tar deg tett på Indias kultur, mennesker, lukter og smak. Mine tanker om boka Indias datter er en tankevekkende og spennende roman. Den får frem motsetningene i India på en fin måte og selve historien er interessant. Den er verdt å lese.

I came across The Book Buyer Tag over at  Melissa's Fandom World  and I decided to play along. Where do you buy your books from? It's usually either physical shops, secondhand bookstores or online. Do you ever pre-order a book and if so do you do this in store or online? Even if I'm a huge bibliophile, I've actually never pre-ordered a book believe it or not. On average, how many books do you buy a month? It ranges from zero to five. I've got a huge backlog in addition to the fact that I recieve physical press copies from publishers from time to time and digital copies from Netgalley. Do you use your local library? Yes, as it's only a ten minute walk from where I live. I really like my local library and it even has a library café called  Huldas Kjøkken  that has some amazing food. Sadly the café is closed at the moment due to the virus, but the actual library has reopened partially, so it's at least possible ...

It's Friday and time for a new Book Blogger Hop post, courtesy of  Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer . The question of the week was " As a book blogger yourself, what was the last book your read as a result of a fellow blogger's post? " Book Blogger Hop I think one of the last books were Bound for Murder by Victoria Gilbert, but I'm not quite sure.

Earlier this year I read The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Anuradha Roy weaves an evocative and deeply moving tale of a young woman making a new life for herself amid the foothills of the Himalaya. Desperate to leave a private tragedy behind, Maya abandons herself to the rhythms of the little village, where people coexist peacefully with nature. But all is not as it seems, and she soon learns that no refuge is remote enough to keep out the modern world. When power-hungry politicians threaten her beloved mountain community, Maya finds herself caught between the life she left behind and the new home she is determined to protect. My Thoughts on the Book The Folded Earth is a poetic and elegiac story of loss, love and new beginnings. I loved the descriptions in this book, which almost made me feel like I was there. Maya is also a really relatable character at times.

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to recieve an ARC of Mahatma Gandhi by by Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Albert Arrayas through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Netgalley New in the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the life of Mohandas Gandhi, the father of India, in this true story of his life. As a young teenager in India, Gandhi led a rebellious life and went against his parents' values. But as a young man, he started to form beliefs of his own that harked back to the Hindu principles of his childhood. Gandhi began to dream of unity for all peoples and religions. Inspired by this idea, he led peaceful protests to free India from British rule and unite the country—ending violence and unfair treatment. His bravery and free-thinking made him one of the most iconic people of peace in the world, known as 'Mahatma' meaning 'great soul'. With innovative illustrations and extra facts at the back,...

Last year I recieved a press copy of the novel The Story of a Goat by Perumal Murugan through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads As he did in the award-winning One Part Woman, in his newest novel, The Story of a Goat, Perumal Murugan explores a side of India that is rarely considered in the West: the rural lives of the country's farming community. He paints a bucolic yet sometimes menacing portrait, showing movingly how danger and deception can threaten the lives of the weakest through the story of a helpless young animal lost in a world it naively misunderstands.s the novel opens, a farmer in Tamil Nadu is watching the sun set over his village one quiet evening when a mysterious stranger, a giant man who seems more than human, appears on the horizon. He offers the farmer a black goat kid who is the runt of the litter, surely too frail to survive. The farmer and his wife take care of the young she-goat, whom th...

Last year I read the short story collection Lust, Caution and Other Stories by Eileen Chang. I haven't published my review until now as I wanted to focus on Asian author this month. Description from Goodreads In 1940s Shanghai, beautiful young Jiazhi spends her days playing mahjong and drinking tea with high-society ladies. But China es occupied by invading Japanese forces, and in wartime things are not always what they seem. Jiazhi's life is a front. A patriotic student radical, her mission is to seduce a poweful employee of the occupying government and lead him to the assassin's bullet.Yet as she waits for him to arrive at their liasion, Jiazhi begins to wonder if she is cut out to be a femme fatake and coldly take Mr Yi to his death. Or is she beginning to fall in love with him? A passionate tale of espionage, deception and love, accompanied here by four further short stories by Eileen Chang. My Thoughts on the Book The short stories are well written, with...

Det er søndag og på tide med en ny Smakebit på Søndag, som  Betraktninger  og  Flukten fra virkeligheten  har ansvaret for. Nylig leste jeg boka The Little Bookshop of Love Stories av Jaimie Admans. Hallie er en kløne og ender opp med å miste nok en jobb på grunn av det. Uflaksen hennes snur da hun vinner og overtar Once Upon a Page Bookshop. Selve smakebiten omhandler Hallie og Dimitri, sistnevnte er en av de andre sentrale karakterene i boka. "He gathers up his sketchbook, gives the floppy daffodils one final spruce, which does nothing to help their sorry-looking state, hoists his bag higher up his shoulder, and walks off towards the back of the shop, singing Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" loudly as he goes, swaying around and swishing an imaginary floaty dress, which is exactly what I do every time I hear that song."

I came across the Stay at Home Book Tag created by  Princess of Paperback  and I decided to play along. The tag is kind of fitting, considering the virus. Laying in Bed - book you could/have read in a day Botched Butterscotch by Amanda Flower Snacking - guilty pleasure book The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans Netflix - series you want to start A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas Deep Clean - been on your TBR for ages The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas Animal Crossing - book you recently bought because of hype Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Productivity - book you learnt or had an impact on you This Is About You by Mary England Facetime - A book you were gifted  Braised Pork by An Yu Self Care - what is one thing you have done recently to look after yourself Well, aside from reading (obviously), I've been baking quite a bit. BONUS - name a book coming out soon Priva...

Da det er 75 år siden frigjøringen etter andre verdenskrig, er det nokså passende å skrive en liten liste over anbefalte bøker som omhandler nettopp andre verdenskrig. Det er enkelte ting som ikke bør gå i glemmeboka og dette er noe av det. Embed from Getty Images Her er lista. Dutch Girl - Audrey Hepburn and World War II av Robert Matzen Otto Ruge - hærføreren av Tom Kristiansen Fars krig av Bjørn Westlie Fangene som forsvant - NSB og slavearbeiderne på Nordlandsbanen av Bjørn Westlie Hitler - min nabo av Edgar Feuchtwanger Anne Franks dagbok av Anne Frank Kvinneleiren - historien om Ravensbrück-fangene av Kristian Ottosen Kvinnekamp - historia om norske motstandskvinner av Kristin Hatledal Okkupert - de fem lengste årene i norsk historie av Bjørn Are Godøy Dødsleirene på norsk jord av Jarle Elvemo Den største forbrytelsen av Marte Michelet Arkadij - en sovjetsoldat i Bjerkreim og andre skjebner fra 2. verdenskrig av Bjørn Brat...

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the picture book Patience, Miyuki by Roxane Marie Galliez and Seng Soun Ratanavanh through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Anyone with a small child knows that patience is not a virtue easily won. In this magically illustrated story the young girl Miyuki, who we first met in the critically acclaimed Time for Bed, Miyuki, anxiously awaits the opening of one sleepy flower. When, on the first day of spring, the flower still hasn't bloomed, Miyuki begins a frantic search for water to wake it up. Her grandfather gently encourages her to sit and watch with him, as she learns the important lesson that good things come to those who wait. My Thoughts on the Book I loved this story as it had a positive and slightly philosophical message about being patient. I also really enjoyed the beautiful illustrations.

I've had the novel The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama on my shelf for some time and I figured out it was time to read it and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Alexander McCall Smith meets Jane Austen in this delightfully charming Indian novel about finding love. What does an Indian man with a wealth of common sense do when his retirement becomes too monotonous for him to stand? Open a marriage bureau of course! With a steady stream of clients to keep him busy, Mr. Ali sees his new business flourish as the indomitable Mrs. Ali and his careful assistant, Aruna, look on with vigilant eyes. There's the man who wants a tall son-in-law because his daughter is short; the divorced woman who ends up back with her ex-husband; a salesman who can't seem to sell himself; and a wealthy, young doctor for whom no match is ever perfect. But although his clients go away happy, little does Mr. Ali know that his esteemed Aruna hides a tragedy i...

It's Wednesday and probably time for a new Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge post, courtesy of  Long and Short Reviews . The theme of the week was favourite holiday of the year and why. For me it's Halloween, as I can easily showcase my more gothic sides in addition that I have an excuse to indulge in paranormal and horror novels.

It's Tuesday and time for a new Top Five Tuesday, courtesy of  Bionic Book Worm . The theme of the week was top five cute romances. I must admit that I haven't read that many romance books, but at least I've managed to come up with a top five list. My list includes; The Cosy Tea Shop In The Castle by Caroline Roberts Description from Goodreads When Ellie Hall lands her dream job running the little teashop in the beautiful but crumbling Claverham Castle, it’s the perfect escape from her humdrum job in the city. Life is definitely on the rise as Ellie replaces spreadsheets for scones, and continues her Nanna’s brilliant baking legacy. When Lord Henry, the stick-in-the-mud owner, threatens to burst her baking bubble with his old-fashioned ways, Ellie wonders if she might have bitten off more than she can chew. But cupcake by cupcake she wins the locals over, including teashop stalwart, Doris, and Ellie’s showstopping bakes look set to go down in castle hist...

Secret at Skull House   Secrets and Scrabble Book 2  by Josh Lanyon  Genre: M/M Cozy Mystery  Ellery Page is back--and poking his elegant nose into trouble again!  Unlike everyone else in Pirate's Cove, Ellery Page, aspiring screenwriter, reigning Scrabble champion, and occasionally clueless owner of the village's only mystery bookstore, is anything but thrilled when famed horror author Brandon Abbott announces he's purchased legendary Skull House and plans to live there permanently. Ellery and Brandon have history. Their relationship ended badly and the last thing Ellery wants is a chance to patch things up--especially when his relationship with Police Chief Jack Carson is just getting interesting. But then, maybe Brandon isn't all that interested in getting back together either, because he seems a lot more interested in asking questions about the bloodstained past of his new home than discussing a possible future with Ellery. What ...