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review; a pocketful of stars
Title: A Pocketful Of Stars Author: Aisha Bushby Genre: MG, contemporary Type: Paperback Publisher: Egmont When I next open my eyes, I’m back… in front of the house again. It’s night time. The stars wave hello, like they’ve been expecting me. The door of the house, Mum’s house, is wide open, like it expects me too. This time, I go inside… Safiya and her mum have never seen eye to eye. Her mum doesn’t understand Safiya’s love of gaming and Safiya doesn’t think they have anything in common. As Safiya struggles to fit in at school she wonders if her mum wishes she was more like her confident best friend…
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;singaporean novels i had never heard about
I feel like such a bad Singaporean for not reading books written by Singaporean authors! Honestly, growing up, there weren’t many that interested me*. The ones that everyone used to read were local ghost stories, and I have never been a huge horror fan. But a few days ago, I was walking around Popular Bookstore in Singapore, and I came across a couple of YA novels written by Singaporean authors that I had never heard about, so I went looking for more books to add to my TBR**. *I was a book snob, and I admit it. **I have read none of these books, but they look interesting. Run by…
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apr – jun 2019; it’s a wrap
I almost forgot that June is coming to an end, that the second quarter of the year was coming to an end. Oops? Compared to the first quarter of the year, this one seems a little less intense. A lot less seems to have happened, in the last three months. I mentioned in my last wrap-up that we were going to India for our Sikh New Year, and we did! I’ve only been to India in April once, and that was only for a couple of days when my sister had her engagement party there, so this was very different. The heat was intense, and we were a little worried…
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review; winter
Winter by Marissa Meyer Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana. Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend – the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for…
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review; reign of mist
Title: Reign Of Mist Author: Helen Scheuerer Genre: YA, fantasy Type: E-Book Publisher: Talem Press Series: The Oremere Chronicles The realm’s darkest secret is out. The cruelty of the capital and the power-hungry King Arden have scattered Bleak and her companions across the continents. On the run in a foreign land, Bleak finds herself tied to some unexpected strangers. When the answers she yearns for are finally within reach, she must face the hard truths of her past, and take her fate into her own hands before it’s too late. Meanwhile, secrets and magic unravel as a dark power corrupts the realm. Bleak’s friends are forced to decide where their…
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instant to-read; the fantasy edition
I feel like some of this will have overlapped with things I have written in either the ‘instant to-read; the paranormal edition‘ or the ‘handle with care; the paranormal edition‘ blog posts, but I did say I feel like genres overlap a lot, right? Fantasy is probably my favourite genre of all time. Close behind is science-fiction, but even then I prefer less science and more fiction. The story must always be very strong for me to enjoy any book. Some of my automatic reads are things pointed out by some of my favourite bloggers so I usually do get a gist of these things from them before adding them…
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TWISTED TALES; anastasia
Taking a little bit from the animated movie and a little bit from the Broadway musical*, and shaking things up would be fun, no? *I really wish I could watch the musical. Twisted Tales is a series of photosets depicting POC fancasts of fairytales that are traditionally cast as not-POC. Featuring: Heather Hemmens as Anastasia Diego Luna as Dimitri Angela Bassett as the Dowager Empress Ken Watanabe as Rasputin Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost remember. And a song someone sings, once upon a December. Someone holds me safe and warm, horses prance through a silver storm. Figures dancing gracefully across my memory.
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review; heart of mist
Title: Heart Of Mist Author: Helen Scheuerer Genre: YA, fantasy Type: E-book Publisher: Talem Press Series: The Oremere Chronicles In a realm where toxic mist sweeps the lands and magic is forbidden, all Bleak wants is a cure for her power. Still grieving the death of her guardian and dangerously self-medicating with alcohol, Bleak is snatched from her home by the Commander of the King’s Army, and summoned to the capital. But the king isn’t the only one interested in Bleak’s powers. The leader of an infamous society of warriors, the Valia Kindred, lays claim to her as well, and Bleak finds herself in the middle of a much bigger…
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RACEBENT ROMCOMS; leap year
This was a cute movie! But a little diversity never hurt anybody. Racebent Romcoms has me taking existing Hollywood romantic comedies (and romances), and recasting them for the modern day with a more diverse cast. Featuring Letitia Wright as Anna Brady and David Castañeda as Declan O’Callaghan. When my 60 seconds came around I realized I had everything I ever wanted, but nothing I really needed. And I think what I need is here. And I came all this way to see if you maybe think so too.
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recipe; tom yum noodles
It has been a very long time since I made this, but these noodles are easy to make and so yummy to eat! They were a lifesaver when my husband and I were studying in Auckland. I haven’t made it since we left New Zealand, though… I should definitely make them again soon, but maybe two batches. One with less chili (for my daughter and mother-in-law) and one with more! Ingredients 1 packet tom yum paste 800ml water 3 bunches noodles 4 mushrooms, sliced 1 chili, chopped 2/3 packet spinach 1 packet puff tofu, halved lemon juice, to taste Method Boil the tom yum paste in water. Add the…