2016: A Year of New Beginnings

Happy New Year everyone!

It's been a little while since my last post, but in my defense 2015 was insane. Even once the insanity boiled down and I managed to get some reading done blogging was the last thing on my mind.

But now it's 2016 and I want to blog again, so blog I shall! I decided to set myself a few little resolutions for my blog and reading life this year, and we'll see how I go by the time December rolls in.

*I don't have to write a review for every book I read. This is a big one for me, and I think it was one of the reasons I faded out of blogging last year. This doesn't mean I'll only be writing glowing reviews for books I love, but I'm not going to force myself to get a review out if a book doesn't inspire me to write about it.

*I will write a brief summary about each book though. At the end of each month I'll write a little wrap up post where I yay/nay the books I managed to read, whether I wrote a review or not.

*I am on a book buying ban for all of 2016. I have so many unread books on my shelves and the library is pretty splendid, so no more book purchases. I can do this!

*Diversify. I am going to read at least one diverse book/comic each month.This means an international author, a female author, a LGBTIQ author, or non-fiction.

February in Review

BOOKS:

What I Read:

Books:
*The Supergirls; Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy and the History of Comic Book Heroines by Mike Madrid (my review)
*The Returned by Jason Mott

Stats:
100% male / 0% female
100% American / 0% International
50%white/ 50%POC
0% ebook / 50% audiobook / 50% physical
50% fiction / 50% non-fiction


It's very easy to get either amazing or terrible stats when you only read two books! On the one hand this is probably one of my highest months (stats wise) for POC reads, but it's also terrible for female or international respresentation. But what are you going to do? Maybe it was because it was a pretty busy month (made busier by the sudden requirement to move) but I really dragged my feet blog-wise this month. I struggled to get any of my reviews from last month written and I made barely any progress with my reading. Hopefully I manage to bump myself out of this funk in March or I'll have to return a whole bunch of books to the library unread (which is the worst, it feels like book abuse).

FILMS:

What I saw:

*Jupiter Ascending - directed by the Wachowski siblings. Starring Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne
*Kingsman - directed by Matthew Vaughn. Starring Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson
*Big Eyes - directed by Tim Burton. Starring Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz

Ugh, not a great month for films. Thank god I watched First Wives Club on DVD.  Jupiter Ascending is, wow, so bad. Like actually offensively dumb. It's such a pity because visually/effects wise it's top notch. If only they put as much attention and care into their titular character as they did the designs of the ships. It crosses into the category of great-bad movie a lot, but the action sequences are so dull and Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis have so little chemistry that I recommend leaving it until it comes out on DVD. Even then you should accompany it with copious amounts of alcohol. Kingsman was mostly fun and Taron Egerton is a delight, but it was a solidly B movie for me. It was fine and I laughed a lot (also swooned at Colin Firth in his amazing suits) but I don't know that it'd hold up to a repeat watch. And Big Eyes ... *sigh* I wanted to like it, I really did, but I just found it incredibly dull. I feel awful because I really love it when Tim Burton branches away from his Johnny Depp aesthetic but I could not get into it.

LIFE:

I had my final seminar on Friday and it went well! That means I'm on the home stretch for finishing my PHD! The finish line is finally in sight. It's been a long 3 years you guys. On another front, I'm moving! Not far, just to a new house but hey, any adventure is good adventure right? Tom and i have been in our little home for 4 years but a couple of things came together and made it pretty clear it was time for us to move on. I am hating packing boxes (uggggh books I love you and i hate you) but I'm excited! And that's really about it (are pressing phd deadlines and moving not enough for you people?!),  oh except that I started an 8 week challenge last week at my gym and i hate my life. Haha. How is everyone else treading so far?

Back by popular demand: more bookish Q&A

I really like filling out these book Q&A's plus they have the added bonus of adding content to my rather sparse blog right now. So thank you to Sarah for bringing this one to my attention!

1. Favorite childhood book:
The Dangerous Lives of Alterboys by Chris Fuhrman. I found it in a bookstore when I was 11 and begged my mum to buy it for me for Christmas after I read the first chapter while standing at the shelves. It's still one of my favourite books.

2. What are you reading right now?
The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey is my main read at the moment.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
None at the moment. But my local library is pretty sparse, so if I want to borrow a book I almost always have to request it.

4. Bad book habit:
Buying books because I need them and then still having them unread on my shelves like 5 years later.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Nothing from my regular library, but I have a few textbooks out from my uni library. Fun stuff.

6. Do you have an e-reader?
I do. Tom bought me one for my birthday last year. Although to be honest, I probably spend more time playing games on it than reading anything.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I always used to be a one book at a time kinda girl, but now I usually have two or three books on the go, not to mention comics and audiobooks.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
I read more consistently. I started my blog at the tail-end of my literature degree so I was having to read about 16 books a semester for my classes and I barely read outside of those set-lists.

9. Least favorite book you read this year:
I didn't finish it but it's definitely Patricia Cornwell's Jack the Ripper true crime novel.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year:
Ohhh I don't know. But I think both of the Christopher Moore books I read (Fool and Lamb) would be up there.

11. How often do you read outside of your comfort zone?
I don't really have a comfort zone when it comes to reading. I mean, I tend to favour contemporary fiction over other genres but that's a preference rather than comfort zone. But really, if an interesting book comes along it doesn't matter what genre it is, I'll read it.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
^^

13. Can you read on the bus?
I get hella car sick if there is any kind of bend in the road, car, bus or train. But that rarely stops me from reading. You wouldn't believe how nauseated I feel on the reg, but the books are worth it.

14. Favorite place to read:
On my back stairs. A little sun, a nice breeze. So relaxing.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
It depends on the person and the book. I have certain books and DVDs that are not available to borrow and it doesn't matter who you are. But for the most part I'm happy to share my books with friends and family. But if I don't get it back there will be hell to pay.

16. Do you dog-ear your books?
Not so much. Usually I use post-its.

17. Do you write notes on the margins of your books?
Not all books, but yeah, definitely.

18. Do you break/crack the spines?
Unless you are going to read your book with the book barely open you are going to crack some spines, and it's really weird that people get angry about this. If you crack it to the extent that you break the glue holding the pages though, that's a whole different story.

19. What is your favorite language to read?
English. But I don't really have a lot of options in this category...

20. What makes you love a book?
Well-crafted. Whether that's characters, narrative or writing style. Preferably all three obviously, but if there is a not great book with an amazing character I will potentially still adore it.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If someone comes right out and says "I want to read a book like X" I'll recommend something, but outside of the book blog community I don't recommend too often.

22. Favorite genre:
A bit of everything really.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did):
Classics. Especially Russian classics - there are so many I want to read but the size puts me off.

24. Favorite biography:
I don't know if it technically counts as a biography but I freaking love reading Hunter S. Thompson's gonzo journalism. And his autobiography is brilliant too. But I don't tend to read biographies too often, so that'll have to do.

25. Have you read a self-help book (and was it helpful)?
Not that I can recall.

26. Favorite cook book:
When I moved out of home mum bought me a copy of the Women's Weekly COOK cookbook and it has literally every recipe you could think of. From french toast to Christmas ham. It's amazing.

27. The most inspirational book you’ve read this year:
Ummmmmmmm, pass.

28. Favorite reading snack:
Frozen grapes. Actually, they're just my favourite snack of all time.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience:
This is usually less of a reading issue than a movie issue. But Gone Girl comes to mind, even though I avoided reviews as best as I could.

30. How often do you agree with the critics about a book?
I rarely read actual book critics (as in the newspaper variety) so I don't know. But I usually have similar reactions to books as the fancy folk reading this here Q&A. It's why I so rarely seem to read books I don't love anymore. You guys are too efficient.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I'm fine with it, although I haven't written one in ages.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which would it be?
I think I have to agree with Sarah and say Russian.

33. Most intimidating book I’ve ever read.
Probably a classic of some kind, but I can't think of a specific right now.

34. Most intimidating book I’m to nervous to begin:
Anna Karenina and Les Mis. I've started both and liked them, but they're so freaking huge that I keep putting them down.

35. Favorite Poet:
William Blake is literally the only poet I can stand.

36. How many books do you generally have checked out of the library at a given time?
Maybe 6 or so?

37. How often do you return books to the library unread?
Not too often actually. The last time was just before Tom and I travelled to the US and that's because I simply ran out of time.

38. Favorite fictional character:
Jesus, hard question much? Probably someone from Harry Potter to be honest.

39. Favorite fictional villain:
Hmmm. Umbridge is a great villain. Maybe Amy from Gone Girl. I love a villain who is unapologetically villainous. No bullshit Maleficent garbage. Just embrace the evil.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation:
This is such a problem for me and why I'm so glad I have an e-book and book apps on my phone. My taste shifts so much when I'm on holiday.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading:
Maybe a week or two if I'm in a reading slump. But even then I tend to read comics.

42. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
If the tv is on then that. Otherwise food/getting the hungrys.

43. Name a book you could not finish:
Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

44. Favorite film adaption of a novel:
I quite liked the film Never Let Me Go and I preferred the film The Perks of Being a Wallflower to the book.

45. The most disappointing film adaptation:
There are so many.

46. Most money I’ve ever spent in a bookstore at one time:
There have definitely been times when I've dropped a couple of hundred, but that's with the birthday money my grandparents gave me and it's better than blowing it on booze right?

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
One of my worst habits is skimming ahead and reading the final line of a book. It's actually one of the best things about e-books, it's too hard to do.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through it?
If I don't like it. Except sometimes I read a book like crazy in a single sitting, put it down and can never motivate myself to pick it up again.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
There is a very broad system of organisation I use for my shelves. heavy on the broad.

50. Do you prefer to keep your books when done, or give them away?
Keep. Otherwise why buy them?

51. Are there any books that you’ve been avoiding?
A bunch of classics.

52. Name a book that made you angry:
Patricia Cornwell's Jack the Ripper book. What a waste of paper and ink.

53. A book I didn’t expect to like but did:
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. It wasn't so much that I didn't expect to enjoy it, but I didn't really have a great urge to read it. I ended up loving it though.

54. A book I expected to like but didn’t:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I saw the film first and ran out to get the book as soon as I could and was just incredibly disappointed.

55. Favorite guilt-free guilty-pleasure reading:
I don't prescribe to this guilty-pleasure garbage. If I like it, I like it.

Book Survey #215

I am nothing if not a team player, so when everyone else does a bookish questionnaire I do a bookish questionnaire.  Plus, y'know, procrastination is good.

1. What is your favorite fictional food or drink? 
As a kid I read a lot of Enid Blyton and I especially loved Adventures of the Wishing Chair and The Faraway Tree. There was always the most swoon-worthy description of honey pies and magic sweets and bubbly drinks. It was the best.

2. How long did it take you to finish your last book?
I read The Maze Runner over about 3 days when I was at my friend's wedding. 

3. How many times do you stare at your books or bookshelves each day?
Not often. My bookshelves are in our spare bedroom so I only go in there if I'm looking for something new to read. Which I guess is actually fairly often.

4. How many Goodreads friends and books do you have?
I'm too lazy to go check, but I think I have around 90 friends? Although I probably only follow about 10 people's reviews. And I have far too many books on my TBR. It's getting embarrassing.

5. Do you ever quote books in public?
It's probably less books and more TV shows and movies when it comes to quotes but I tend to quote A LOT.

6. Do you ever reread books?

Not in forever. When you have 200+ books on your shelf that you haven't read it's hard to pick up a book you've already read once, twice, fourteen times.

7. Do you judge a book by its cover?
Absolutely. I love attractive books, bold graphics, abstract prints, really minimalist designs - ooooh baby. But if I've heard good things about a book I'll pick it up even if it has a headless photo, a floaty girl in a swishy dress or a movie tie-in poster cover. Well. I'll get it from the library at least.

8. Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr?
All three, but twitter is probably my most bookish when it comes to social media.

9. Which genres take you the longest to read?
Classics. Old-timey language and attitude does not a speed read make.

10. Who are your favorite BookTubers (or Book Bloggers)?
I don't think I've ever book-tubed, but my list of book bloggers is long. You all know who you are, but in case you're in need of a confidence boost...

Alley
Meg
Tika
Laura
Emily
Sarah
Nahree
Michael
Hanna
Canada Kayleigh
Ellie
Jenna

You guys are the bee's knees.

11. How often do you pre-order books?

Um, I think Harry Potter were the only books I ever pre-ordered, and technically my mum did that. 

12. Are you a shopaholic?
No? I enjoy buying people presents though - I go crazy overboard when it comes to buying presents for people.

13. How many times have you reread your favorite book?
I don't even know which book would be my favourite. I've probably read the Harry Potter series through a dozen times, which I imagine exceeds any other rereads I've done.

14. Do you own a lot of books?
So, so many. I've been pretty good this year though. I've donated more books than I've bought.

15. Do you take pictures of your books before you read them?
no? I take the occasional photo for instagram, but I'm not weirdly keeping a photographic library of my library.

16. Do you read every day?
Something, yes. I try and read a book but if I'm exhausted after a day of research it'll probably be a comic or magazine.

17. How do you choose a new book?
I have a vague pile of books in my mind that are my must-must-must-must read sooner than soon. But if I buy a book while I'm out, or order one online or here some amazing buzz about a book that's been sitting on my shelf for years...well, that vague pile has been pretty similar looking for awhile now.

18. Do you always have a book with you?
Now that I have the kindle app on my phone, yes. I usually tried to have a physical book, but the size of my purse would sometimes make that tricky if I was going out in the evening. Thank god for digital books I say, I'm never left in an awkward situation now!

19. What are your biggest distractions from reading?
The internet and television. There are so many shows I love to watch and sometimes I spend a night watching just them and getting zero reading done.

20. What is your favorite place to buy books?
I love to try and find a shop that has a coffee shop or cafe attached so I can shop and drink caffeine and eat cake at the same time. But since I'm pretty time-poor, it's more likely that I order books online.

Procrastination complete!

June in review

Another month down guys, where does all the time go?

Let's just jump in, shall we?

BOOKS:

What I Read:

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore (my review)
Psycho by Robert Bloch (my review)
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (review to come)
X-Men: Days of Future Past by Chris Clairmont and John Byrne (my review)
Ms Marvel by G.Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona (my review)
Wonder Woman: Blood by Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang and Tony Akins (my review)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven (review to come)
Captain Marvel: Down by Kelly Sue Deconnick, Christopher Sebela, Dexter Soy and Filipe Andrade (review to come)


Book Stats:

63% male / 37% female
75% American / 25% International
12.5% physical copy / 62.5% ebook / 25% audiobook
100% fiction
63% graphic novels / 37% novels

Big ol' comics month for me. I actually started another half dozen arcs, but since I'm only one or two issues in I didn't bother counting them. If you're after some new comic series to get in on though, definitely check out Warren Ellis' new Trees, The Wicked and the Devine by Kieron Gillen and Ms Marvel, which I've already reviewed and recommended, but seriously, it is tops.

I spent much of the month reading Lamb and listening to Burial Rites and both are brilliant in completely different ways. Listening to Burial Rites was a hell of an experience. Morven Christie is phenomenal, I found myself crying as I drove to work several times because of the way her voice would break as she read. She brought that book to life, so seriously, listen to this book. STAT. Lamb, which I've already reviewed, is hilarious and after I finished I jumped onto Audible to see what books of his were available, so now I am toying with starting Fool straight away, or listening to How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran before we start the readalong of her new book this month. Actually, since typing this I started How to be a Woman and it is fantastic. It's read by Moran, and it is actually the best.

MOVIES/TV:

Not a big month for movies actually. I saw Maleficent with Tom and thought it would have been a lot better if it wasn't based on Sleeping Beauty. If it had just been about a random fairy brutally assaulted by man who then takes revenge on man's daughter and then learns a valuable lesson it could have been poignant and complex, but instead I spent the whole time saying "you can't do that" "that's not how that's supposed to happen" "YOU CHANGED ALL THE IMPORTANT PARTS". And I know, I know, the Disney movie is only loosely based on the actual fairytale but since Maleficent isn't actually in the original fairytale that argument holds little water in my opinion. There is a reason that Wicked works, it's because it gives the story behind the story, it doesn't actually alter the story to make the bad guy a good guy who got screwed over. But Angelina Jolie is flippin' great, and beautiful and obviously having so much fun. I would like to look like her and fly around with giant eagle wings please and thank you.

There is an Australian film out called The Rover. It stars Guy Pierce and Robert Pattinson and is written and directed by David Michod, who also wrote/directed Animal Kingdom, and it is beautiful. Australian drama is such an under-appreciated gem, both here in Australia and overseas. It's always very sparse in terms of dialogue and intent (i.e. there's a lot left to the audience to decide/rationalise) and I think that makes people uncomfortable. Guy Pierce is phenomenal in this, and he's dressed just like my uncles (seriously, cargo shorts, worn-out button down and joggers/boat shoes is basically the uniform of middle class South Australia) which probably won't make you like the movie more/less but now you can visualise what my uncles look like. Also, Robert Pattinson was flippin' great. I've always enjoyed his interviews (his disdain for Twilight is brilliant) but he really impressed me here. I never expected to feel that way about a RPatz performance. 

I binge watched and reviewed Orange is the New Black, so if you have also watched that head over so we can discuss it and share our favourite gifs and moments. It'll be beautiful. 

VIDEOGAMES/MUSIC

I played a bunch of videogames this month. Or, I played two. I played the latest "chapter" of The Wolf Among Us, which is the Telltale Noir detective game based on the Fables graphic novel. It's really excellent, and if you've ever been interested in playing a videogame but weren't sure you would be able to handle the controls or like the full on war or world games then you should look into Telltale. Their games are very storybook-esque (partly since a lot are based on actual graphic novels) and more about the story than just mashing buttons. It's a lot of fun unfolding the story chapter by chapter, and the game is canonical, so you can use it as a jumping off point into the series! I've also caught up on The Walking Dead game by Telltale. I played the bridging episode and started the second season and ugh, it's as heartbreaking as the first. I really don't care for TWD (comic or TV) but the game is superb. Every action you make has consequences and you really feel the weight of you choices. People die around you, a lot of them because of what decision you decide to make. You finish the chapter feeling heavy with it all, which I guess a lot of people wouldn't like, but there's also something really cathartic about it.

I've been listening to Asgeir on repeat over the last two months. He's super-dreamy and his music just seems really wintery so it just feels really appropriate when I sit at my computer with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. I also went on a Dolly Parton spree thanks to Laura mentioning the Dolly concert she bought tickets to for her and her mum. Which lead me to the Jolene cover by The White Stripes (which has always been my most favourite of covers) which lead me back into The White Stripes back catalogue, which I haven't listened to for aaaages. So it's been a very 'down the rabbit hole' kinda month for me music-wise.

___________________________

And I think that'll do for this monthly wrap-up. How was everyone's June? 

An important post to let you know I still exist and stuff

You may have noticed it's been a little quiet around here. I've been so super busy and for whatever reason I decided to juggle like 18 books at once, so I am getting NO WHERE with my reviews. But I miss everyone and writing blog posts so I decided to do a bit of a what I'm doing right now post to make up for a lack of actual review posts going on around here. I'll be properly back soon I swear.

What I'm reading

This is a book blog after all, so books first! I'm currently reading Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi and loooving it. I raced through the first 150+ pages and have slowed down a little now, not because I've lost interest but I just don't have the time. Also, I've been trying to stop doing the whole love-this-book-so-much-keep-reading-oops-finished thing which ends up making me feel miserable that I've read it so quickly and suddenly have no more wonderful book to read. It's a really interesting book, fantastically written and with a brilliant concept so I'm quite excited to break it down in review for everyone.

 I'm also making my way through John Ajvide Lindqvist's Let The Old Dreams Die. I find I need to take short story collections slowly to stop from burning out on them, but this is a really different collection of horror shorts. If you've read anything by Ajvide Lindqvist you can probably guess the overall feel, it's almost a melancholy ache, using monsters and the supernatural as physical stand-ins for emotions. I can totally get the Stephen King comparisons people seems to love to give him, although I don't think he's even close to being as accomplished as S.K is at short stories just yet.

I'm also listening to The Goldfinch which was maybe a huuuuge mistake. It's 32 hours long and I wanted to listen to it to and from work, which only takes up about 2 hours a week. So I'm currently about 13 hours in, and have started to listen to it whenever I can find the time so that I'm not still listening to it in September. I am really liking it though. It's not at all the story I expected, but it's a really warm story and it works amazingly well as a audiobook (as slow as I may be progressing). It has almost a bed-time story feel, even if it isn't actually a fairytale or children's book and David Pittu is an amazing reader, he is so accomplished at all the different voices that if I didn't know better I would think he had an actual woman standing in and voicing Theo's mum.

What I'm Watching
Ugh, so much. Aside from keeping up on the new seasons of my favourite shows (Game of Thrones, Orphan Black etc etc) I've put some real time into catching up with Psych, the Sherlock Holmes show before Sherlock Holmes was cool again. It's actually just finished for good, but there are 7 seasons of delicious, silly and downright strange episodes. Basically (in case you haven't heard of it) Sean is the son of an ex-cop who was trained from a young age to pick up clues (deduce, one might say) so when a messy situation arises, he claims to be a psychic and starts to work for the Santa Barbara as a psychic consultant. What's really great about the show is the relationship between Sean and his Watson, Gus (played by Dule Hill from The West Wing). They're like Turk and J.D 2.0, so even if the cases get a little repetitive, they kept me entertained the whole time.

I also discovered the new series Broad City. Holy shit you guys, this show is AMAZING. It's like Girls on speed. It's produced by Amy Poehler (so you know it's good) and the two leads (who also created and write the show) are fucking brilliant. It's much more light-hearted than Girls but I actually kind feel like its's a better representation of life in your mid-20s. Maybe because it doesn't take itself so seriously? I dunno, but it's amazing and must be watched IMMEDIATELY.

Damn Dean, you just never get it.

I also watched the documentary Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father and OMG I have never cried so much in my life. You should go into this knowing as little about the case as possible* but a basic run down is that Andrew Bagby was murdered, and the woman believed to be responsible soon comes out claiming to be pregnant with his child. So the filmmaker travelled across the country collecting stories and memories from Andrew's friends and family to give to this child, so that they can grow up knowing their father - even if technically they can't. It's this crazy mix of heartbreaking and life-affirming. Andrew was clearly loved by everyone who met and spent time with him, which makes his untimely death all the more unsettling. Anyway, it's on Netflix so if you're in the mood for tears then check it out.

What I'm Doing
Outside of uni? Not much. I went wedding dress shopping with a friend last week and it was so much more stressful than I expected. A lot of the stores would give you these little tags and tell you to put them on the dresses you like, but after a couple of minutes every dress looks exactly the same - puffy, white, sparkly. My poor friend struggled to explain what she wanted to the assistants (lace top, not too formal/wedding-y, light basically) and she ended up trying on so many duds before finally finding the perfect store with the perfect selection. I am less excited about the whole wedding process now that I've seen it first hand. God it must be exhausting (you still hanging in there Alley?!)

Oh, I wear glasses now!

While I was in Japan I got word that my sister had her eyes tested and needed glasses which meant that my two sisters and one brother have all been prescribed glasses in the past year, so when I got back I went and got my eyes tested. It's so annoying, I was always told my vision was perfect yadayadayada and then all of a sudden, BLAM, glasses. I don't need to wear them all the time, but it doesn't hurt to (apparently) - so I'm slowly getting used to having frames on my face 24/7. I'm still not entirely out of that "whoops still wearing sunglasses, oh wait no they're glasses" phase, and I'm still not used to seeing my reflection wearing glasses. Also, is glasses shopping the worst or what? It is firmly up there with jeans and swimsuits as far as I'm concerned.

Hmmmmm. I'm redecorating my house? When I moved out of home I moved into a furnished house (worst move, SO not worth it) and then when I moved out of there my dad offered me all of his furniture which was in storage down in Sydney. So for the last 5 years I've mostly been using his furniture but replacing it ever-so-slowly each year. Now I just need to buy a couple of final big items (new couch and armchair) and I'm pretty much set up in a house that represents me and Tom, instead of the parental hand-me-downs. Which is nice, plus it means the house will be better for entertaining and having people over for movie nights, which our previous couch-situation did not accommodate. If anyone has any tips for online homeware stores, please share!

Okay so I'm going to stop prattling so that I can go and finish my final Japan post and hopefully finish up a book today and maybe get a review written (WHAT! I know right?) How has everyone been lately? I missssss chatting to everyone on twitter and commenting on blogs and stuff, WHAT IS HAPPENING IN YOUR LIVES RIGHT NOW, I MUST KNOW!

*I feel a little icky writing that, since this is real life not a movie. But the way the doco is shot, events unfold as the movie is being filmed, means that it actually is better to watch it this way. You learn things with the people, you feel the shock when they feel the shock etc. 

Home again!

Hello wonderful people, guess who has made it back home in one piece once again? That's right, me!

My (almost) 3 weeks in Japan have come to a close and I'm back in the sweaty town of Brisbane, faced with writing a huge thesis, getting through the 200+ unread posts on Bloglovin' and a mountain of physical mail.

Speaking of which, guess what was sitting quietly waiting for me when I got home? My Valentine's Ninja book-swap! I had been waiting a torturous wait before leaving to Japan and of course it arrived the day after I left. OF COURSE. But at least I knew it A/ hadn't been lost in the mail and B/ I'd have a package to open when I got home to Australia. The Stupendous Chrissi (of Chrissi Reads) sent me a package chock full of goodies and I feel absolutely spoiled.

The photo is a little glare-y since I took it at night, but inside my package was John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things, a book I have been wanting to read for years but have never gotten around to (although I actually borrowed it from the library before my US trip, but ran out of time before starting it) and Daniel Wallace's Big Fish, which I've been wanting to read since Alley's great review of it. Non-book-wise I have more tea than I know what to do with!! Chrissi got my a HUGE bag of Tetley tea, a box of Twinings English Breakfast tea and a sampler of Green & Black's organic chocolate. and, and, and the card has cats on it! I don't think Chrissi could have put together a more perfect gift for me. So HUGE thanks to Chrissi, and sorry it's taken me so long to get around to sharing (I swear I must have thought about it every day I was away!)

So Japan was pretty great. Aside from all the awesome stuff I got to do and see and people I got to meet for my thesis, I also found time to get a little sight-seeing done in my spare moments. I got to explore parts of Tokyo I missed the first time around, and visited Hokkaido for the very first time. It was nice to pop back into winter and wear my coats and get to see snow again. I know most of you Americans are probably shaking your fist at your screen reading that. But truly, I do love winter A LOT. I'll share a longer post of pictures and stories next week, but for now I figured I'd share just a couple of snapshots from my trip (i.e. pictures I can grab off my phone that require no effort). I've also got a bunch of reviews to put up, I managed to read a tonne of books, some of which aren't books you've all read - so yay for new reviews!

Panorama of the Great Fountain at Ueno Koen, Tokyo

Tokyo Sky Tree and Asahi Building, Asakusa, Tokyo

A shockingly unclear photo of two adorable cats at the cat cafe, Nakano, Tokyo

Me posing with a cupid statue near Tokyo Station, Tokyo

I'll be back with reviews and photo diaries and maybe a rage-y post about social causes on Tumblr soon! And in the meantime, fill me in on what's been happening while I was away.

Holiday Photo Diary: Montreal

Montreal!

Montreal might have been one of my favourite visits over the holiday, although that might be coloured by the fact I got to see my little sister for the first time since my holiday to China the year earlier. It also might have been the Quebec X Toronto feel, snow and boardgame cafes we kept stumbling upon.

We were really lucky during our entire holiday, every hotel and hostel I picked and booked turned out to be really close to both the transport system we were using (bus, train etc) and central to all the best sights. I'd like to say this was because I was so well organised, but in most cases I just looked for the place with a decent rating online and the right (read: cheap) price. This was especially the case in Montreal. The hostel we stayed at was only ok (warm, clean and safe - so I can't really complain) but it's location in the Latin Quarter was perfect. We were a stone's throw from a million cheap and tasty restaurants and only a short walk from the main shopping streets, harbour and old town. We spent the first day and a half catching trains before we realised we could walk to the places we wanted to visit just about as quickly.

Our first day was really a first evening, so we walked towards the shopping streets looking for a cinema. I don't think I've mentioned just how much Tom and I went to the movies on our holiday. In Australia we get all of the US and UK films a few months behind their international releases, if they come out at all. So we were determined to catch all of the small indie films or bigger films that wouldn't be in Australia for months. Needless to say we ended up at the cinema a whole lot. By the way, you guys do movie food RIGHT. I feel like we're ripped off at the movies here in Australia in more than one way now. I'm going to start petitioning for Tim Hortons and soft pretzels and nachos immediately. So that first night in Montreal ended up spent in a Mexican restaurant and catching a late showing of American Hustle. Which I thought was a lot of fun, especially Jennifer Lawrence's role. I'm a little surprised at the heat it's been receiving but I'm guessing that's the usual Best Picture Oscar nomination backlash.

My sister wasn't arriving until the following afternoon so Tom and I decided to take the train up to Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mont Royal. It's a minor basilica and shrine and I *think* I read that it was the largest church in Canada. In the early 20th century Brother Andre began the construction of the small church and it soon required further construction and expansion to meet the growing stream of visitors. Brother Andre (now Saint Andre) reportedly performed many miracles at the church, and as you walk through one part you actually see a huge (and I mean several hundred huge) collection of crutches that were left behind by the pilgrims after they were healed. I'm not a religious person but I always seem to gravitate to churches and shrines on my holidays. This place really is a must-visit, it has a votive chapel and Saint Andre's tomb but it also has a reliquary displaying Saint Andre's heart and a walkway that actually opens to the rocky mountainside and drips with melted snow. The only part not worth visiting is the little museum located within. The actual church is far more interesting and has plenty of signage if you're interested in learning about the history of the building and the

The next day we ended up travelling down to the Old Montreal/Old Port to see Notre Dame Basilica (but refused to pay the $5 entry, so we only saw the outside) and the older buildings in the city. We just wandered aimlessly looking at the beautiful buildings until we were accosted by a Christmas elf. Apparently all around Montreal there were Christmas events and markets happening and it was the elf's job to let people know about it. She pointed in the direction of a huge Christmas market and said there would be free hot chocolate and cider so obviously we stepped to and went searching. Except we came up empty. We walked for a good hour but never found the supposed markets that were meant to be impossible to miss. Either her English wasn't as good as it sounded and she mixed up left and right or she was actually Loki in disguise and was causing mischief. It didn't really matter we were walking around an area we'd planned to check out anyway - I just wish we'd gotten some free hot chocolate.

After our not-visit to the markets we walked down to Chinatown for lunch and had about eleventy billion dumplings at Qingchua before heading back out to navigate the super snowy streets back to the Latin Quarter. Montreal was a great place for meals and bars. To celebrate meeting up with my sister again we went to a Diablo's, a southern-style bar and restaurant which served the most earth-shatteringly good fried chicken I've ever eaten. Also, these portions put every other restaurant to shame. I could have lived off my meal for at least three days, it was mental. Qingchua (mentioned above) had about 60 different dumplings to choose from at a very, very reasonable price. Mache was also near our hostel in the Latin Quarter and a diner-style restaurant that made sandwiches, burgers and poutine. The poutine was the reason for the visit, but the pulled pork sandwich I had was so much better (sorry Canadians I just don't like eating cheese curds with my chips and gravy). Near the base of Mont Royal there's an Australian pie shop called TA which was amazing, just like home. It was the tastiest, flakiest pie crust and the most tender meat. And they also sold them frozen so you could take them home and reheat them when you wanted, what a good idea. And they sold minties, which I know means nothing to you guys, but minties!! Also awesome? The huge amount of boardgame cafes basically outside our door. Chez Geek was basically just a boardgame and comic store which had a room next door that you could sit and play games in for the cost of a drink (which wasn't even mandatory). Randolph's was more of a proper boardgame cafe. There were walls of shelves filled with boardgames and them two levels of tables that you could sit and eat, drink and play games at. It was about $5 to play for as long as you want and they had a bunch of cocktails, wines, beers, non-alcoholic drinks and light meals that you could order. And their cocktails came in beakers! I can't even explain how much I loved this place - friends, boardgames and a cold glass of cider is the absolute best way to spend an afternoon/evening.

Our last day in Montreal was a dedicated snow day. We wanted to go ice-skating but when we got to Mont Royal park we realised how big the place is. We were on the other side of the park from the ice-skating rink and just no. The snow was over a foot deep and that walk would have been LONG. So instead we climbed into the woods and made snow angels and threw snow around at each other and took a bunch of pictures. It was a lot of fun but it was cut short when my boot fell apart. The sole came unstitched at the back and there was no way I was hanging out in the snow with my socked foot sitting in snow!

Travel Photo Diary: Quebec City

The first city on the Canada leg of our trip was the beautiful Quebec City. I was in a less-than-great mood when we arrived because Greyhound had postponed our bus ride meaning we missed our connecting bus and didn't get to Quebec until after midnight, but once I looked out the taxi window on the way to the little auberge we were staying in I was utterly captivated. It's a gorgeous place to visit, it's like stepping back in time or somehow transporting across to Europe in a blink of an eye.

Quebec was easily the coldest place we visited. Our first day was a real shock to the system, after a couple of hours walking along the Governor's Promenade and gazing at the Chateau Frontenac we had to race into a restaurant to warm up before heading home to throw on a dozen more layers! It was so cold that after a few hours I couldn't take any more photos my camera's battery would refuse to turn on. So yeah, cooold.

But the cold had the added advantage of lots of snow, and the prettiest snow I've ever seen. It must have snowed earlier in the day that we arrived because it was all so clean and white and deep. If we'd been better organised I would have arranged for us to go dog-sledding or out to a neighbouring town like Portneuf, but I kind of liked spending our time sleeping in and lazily walking around before spending hours in cafes and bars.

Vieux Quebec (Old Quebec) is really charming and was only a short walk from where we were staying. It does get quite touristy (LOTS of souvenir shops) but it's also where a lot of the museums and quaint chocolate shops are, so it's almost impossible to pass up. The restaurants did seem a bit pricey so we mostly ate outside of the fortifications and just came down to enjoy the view over the icy Saint-Lawrence River and the cobblestoned streets. Those streets were crazy icy and steep though. I was sure either Tom or I would fall at some point,* so I was clutching onto any handrails I could find. There's an amazing place in the Old Town shopping streets called La Fudgerie which, you guessed it, makes fudge. The little store is full of all these different varieties - some sold in huge blocks, some dangling from the ceiling like fudge salami - and Tom and I went a little nuts trying samples and buying a bunch of fudge and chocolate to bring home as gifts. Another great place to visit is the Morrin Centre. It was originally built as military barracks before being turned into a jail, then a college and now a beautiful library. You can still visit the cells from when it was a prison - but not during the winter. Unfortunately I had to content myself with a beautiful old building and piles and piles of books /sarcasm.

Timing wise, if you're thinking of a winter trip to Quebec you're probably better off visiting in February. December is definitely their off season so the streets were empty and there weren't very many activities outside of the museums available. But if you come in February you get the beautiful snow plus their winter festival, the ice hotel and a lot more winter related fun. But if you'd rather make the most of the cheap accommodation (Auberge Du Quartier gets my recommendation) and are happy to just visit cafes and museums (which, let's be honest, is a brilliant way to spend a holiday) then December is actually kind of perfect. Plus you get those Christmas happy feelings with all of the lights and snow and outdoor santas on display.

Also, a good thing to do would learn some French. It hadn't really occurred to me how much French there's be in Quebec. That sounds super ignorant of me (and it was), but I had just assumed everyone would be bilingual so my 'bonjour' 'bonsoir' 'oui' 'salut' would be enough. Turns out French is the mother tongue of 97% of people in Quebec and only a small percentage actually speak both English and French. So while there was usually at least one person who could speak English wherever we went it really wouldn't hurt to know at least some basic phrases before you head off to explore the city.

*I did eventually but that was from pure clumsiness on a flat and non-icy street corner!

Holiday Photo Diary: New York City

New York City is AMAZING!

Of all the places we visited it's probably the one I'm most familiar with thanks to litany of TV shows, films and books set there, and yet (unsurprisingly) it was nothing like I expected. We arrived late-ish in the evening but considering this is the city that never sleeps we couldn't just bunker down in our room and rest could we? We were staying in the Bowery so we walked up Prince St and had pizza is the most stereotypical pizzaria imaginable. There were signed pictures of Italian-American actors on the walls, really amazing pizza and the most Newest, most Yorkiest owner I had ever seen. Across the street was a bakery so we bought some cupcakes and headed up to the roof of our hostel to get a look at the city. It was a pretty great welcome to the city.

We went to Central Park on our very first day. We actually ended up going back like three times all up. It's so damn big that any time we were in the area we'd stop in and see if there was anything new for us to discover (there always was). Even so, I think there's probably a good third of the park we didn't even get near. These pictures are a mix from all the trips so there's some from our first day pre-snow and then some post-snow. The park looks completely different under a blanket of snow, it's absolutely lovely either way, but I'm glad we got to see it both way. 

What else did we get to see? THESE GUYS!

We don't have squirrels here in Australia so I was pretty excited when I saw the first of these little guys up a tree. I think I probably gave us away as tourists right then and there though!

One of my favourite things in the park were the little plaques on the benches. We'd stop and read them as we walked along and the tributes to friends, family members and special dates were really touching. I'd love to have a memento like that to visit whenever I wanted. My favourite though were two benches next to one another. I nearly died when I moved on from the first one and saw the second.

We spent a little over a week in New York so we managed to chip off a fair chunk of the city's must-see spots. But even more important than the museums and bridges was the food. Oh man. This holiday was A+ for food in general but New York was very satisfying from start to finish. A few places I absolutely must recommend, The Bowery Diner (the greatest milkshake of my life and really amazing herb chicken too), Jacob's Pickles (a southern style restaurant I went to with Alley, Tom and Tom), the Shake Shack (one of Alley's recommendations pre-trip and I'm glad we went. Really tasty burgers) and the Mac Bar on Prince St for a gazillion varieties of Mac & Cheese. But seriously, I think you could spin around and walk into the first door and be guaranteed good food in New York. And such variety.  Also awesome? Starbucks. I never go to Starbucks in Australia because, and no offence Americans, our cafes make proper coffee. But since I couldn't trust what most shops were selling in America we started to frequent Starbucks and I only ordered off the holiday menu. I had my very first Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread Lattes in New York. The gingerbread was by far my favourite, but I'm finally starting to gain an understanding of America's love of pumpkin as a sweet flavour. Also awesome? Pumpkin spice cupcakes *drools over keyboard*

What else did we do? We went to a lot of museums and galleries. like A LOT a lot. We visited the Natural History Museum for hours and hours of educational fun. The Jewish Museum for the Art Spiegelman exhibit, the New York Historical Society which was an accidental visit but had a brilliant art exhibit about the Armory show from 1913. We went to the legendary branch of the New York Public Library and gaped at the prettiness of it. We went to MOMA which luckily coincided with a Magritte exhibit they were hosting. I love Magritte so that was a very happy couple of hours. And my absolute favourite was the Cloisters. I had no real idea what to expect from the Cloisters but I had my heart set on going and I'm so glad I persisted. It was like stepping back in time. When we got out of the subway we had to walk through the park and it was silent. There were no sounds of traffic, no bustling crowds and buskers, just Tom and I walking down a snowy path with trees shading our way. And the building...it's stunning. New York is full of gorgeous old and modern architecture, but the Cloisters were just magical. It's absolutely my top recommendation.

I mentioned the Broadway shows we saw in my earlier posts but I can't stress enough how much I loved the experience. I enjoy going to the theatre whatever the city, but there's something about the small yet grand New York theatres that's so much better than seeing the same show at QPAC. We also went to a UCB show, which was free (best price!) and HILARIOUS. Lutz from 30 Rock was one of the improv actors on that night, which made waiting in the snow for an hour even more worth it. Also great and free? An acrobatic troop that were busking in the Washington Square Park. The people in costume in Times Square were not my favourite (no I do not want a photo with a 40 year old man in Iron Man pyjamas) but this troop was excellent. 

We didn't walk across the Brooklyn Bridge or climb the Statue of Liberty or take in the view from the top of the Empire State Building, but I don't regret missing anything we missed. Rather than run from sight to sight we took our time and basked in the big crazy weirdness that is New York City. We'll be back for sure, and anything we missed we can visit next time or not at all. Travelling is more fun when you don't have absolutely every detail locked down, especially in a city as big and explorable as New York City.