Saturday, April 7, 2018

Lovely Books and Things - 4.7.18

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~

HAPPY THINGS:

1. Easter Egg salad sandwiches ;-)

2. I just got a spam comment on a post that went up back in 2012. The post was titled Zombie Pets and featured zombie cats. I found it hilarious considering the post was pure silliness.

Original post (here)

Hi choco has left a new comment on your post "Keep Calm: Zombie Pet":

On the off chance that you are extremely apprehensive about your home and furniture, and you don't feel whatever else yet declawing will be sufficient, it may be that a feline isn't the best sidekick for you. Albeit most felines are entirely cautious with their condition, mischances can happen. Furthermore, what you see as your prized new cowhide couch may be viewed as a brilliant new toy to play with, that you more likely than not purchased just to engage your feline! They are not human, all things considered.
cat gift ideas

3. Stationery - craft journal, mini notebooks, stickers and an issue of Flow magazine (paper craft theme)


~*~

Bought:

Mad Country
by Samrat Upadhyay
-Short Stories, Asian American
Amazon | Goodreads

STARTING another self challenge by reading the Aspen Words Literary Prize short list (here). Breaking out of my usual reading pattern with this one as I rarely read short story collections.


For Review:

It Ends With Her
by Brianna Labuskes
-Mystery, Thriller
courtesy of Amazon Kindle First -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

THRILLER has been a genre on my radar these past couple months. So, I gravitated to this one.


Friend's library: Thanks Bethany!

Grotesque
by Natsuo Kirino
-Mystery, Horror, Japan
Amazon | Goodreads

Dark Water
by Koji Suzuki
-Horror, Short Stories, Japan
Amazon | Goodreads

BOTH of these will fit right into my self challenge Japanese binge later this month.


UNBOXING:

From Deep Readers Club (website & instagram):


The Deep Readers Club is a new monthly book box for the #bookworm who wants to be moved by the books they read. Each box follows a theme around a certain feeling and includes a literary novel and 3-5 bookish goods.


YES, a new book box subscription to try!

I was introduced to this book box subscription via @bluestockingbookshelf instagram feed. Both the premise and the March box theme grabbed me.

March box includes:
theme: Anxiety

- The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis (paperback)
- Lavender scented candle by Bow & Arrow Company
- Woolf quote notebook by Obvious State
- 2 Anxiety themed art prints by Typologie Paper
- London Fog and Mellow Mediterranean sample loose tea blends from Harlow Tea Company
- AfterGlow dead sea bath salts by Slow North
- Clay cleansing mask by Anitako Organics

The Wolf Road
by Beth Lewis
-Thriller, Dystopia
Amazon | Goodreads

Elka barely remembers a time before she knew Trapper.

She was just seven years old, wandering lost and hungry in the wilderness, when the solitary hunter took her in. In the years since then, he’s taught her how to survive in this desolate land where civilization has been destroyed and men are at the mercy of the elements and each other.

But the man Elka thought she knew has been harboring a terrible secret. He’s a killer. A monster. And now that Elka knows the truth, she may be his next victim.

Armed with nothing but her knife and the hard lessons Trapper’s drilled into her, Elka flees into the frozen north in search of her real parents. But judging by the trail of blood dogging her footsteps, she hasn’t left Trapper behind—and he won’t be letting his little girl go without a fight. If she’s going to survive, Elka will have to turn and confront not just him, but the truth about the dark road she’s been set on.

The Wolf Road is an intimate cat-and-mouse tale of revenge and redemption, played out against a vast, unforgiving landscape—told by an indomitable young heroine fighting to escape her past and rejoin humanity.



AND watched: in theatre

Isle of Dogs (2018)
Director/Writer/Screenplay: Wes Anderson
Writers: Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Kunichi Nomura
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton
-Animation, Adventure, Comedy | imdb | my rating: 5

Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog.

LOVE Wes Anderson film making style and aesthetics. From the taiko beats to the dog quirks, this was an entertaining bit of animation.

Best F(r)iends: volume one (2017)
Director: Justin MacGregor
Writer: Greg Sestero
Stars: Greg Sestero, Tommy Wiseau
-Comedy, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 5

When a drifter befriends a quirky mortician, an unlikely business partnership is formed. Paranoia soon develops, however, and both men are forced to come to terms with the fragility of friendship and loyalty.

AFTER falling for this duo in The Room and The Disaster Artist, this was a must-see. And now, I must-see volume two in June!

What Will People Say (2017)
Hva vil folk si (original title)
Director/Writer: Iram Haq
Stars: Maria Mozhdah, Adil Hussain
-Drama, Norway, Pakistan | imdb | my rating: 5

Sixteen year-old Nisha lives a double life. At home with her family she is the perfect Pakistani daughter, but when out with her friends, she is a normal Norwegian teenager. When her father catches her in bed with her boyfriend, Nisha's two worlds brutally collide. To set an example, Nisha's parents decide to kidnap her and place her with relatives in Pakistan. Here, in a country she has never been to before, Nisha is forced to adapt to her parents' culture.

SOME painful moments to watch but a peek into this culture and family dynamics vs. self.

AND watched: on Netflix

The Crown (2016)
tv series
Creator: Peter Morgan
Stars: Claire Foy, Matt Smith
-Drama, History | imdb | my rating: 5

Follows the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century.

WOW. What took me so long to watch this. Fascinating to watch the making of a queen and the adjustments of the players that surround her.

~*~

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)
 
Imagination Designs
Images from: Lovelytocu