2016 - The year in review

Most people do their review of the previous year in January.  I am not most people*.

Author of the year - I tried to pick a book of the year but it was too hard so I'm going with author of the year instead.  Jonas Jonasson for books that are enjoyable, at times slightly ridiculous but always entertaining.

Food of the year - Bacon.  Nuff said.

Shoes of the year - Croc wedges.  Never having been a fan of the original crocs, I was slow to try their wider range.  Then one day I came across these babies and never looked back.  Comfortable enough to wear every day, smart enough to not look too casual.  I must investigate other options before this pair dies of over use.

Which brings me nicely to...

Nail varnish of the year - Got to be Trophy Wife by Essie both for the colour and the way it makes me smirk when I look at it and think about the name.  Strictly for toes only though.  The search for the perfect neutral colour for my fingers continues.  Any suggestions?

Make up of the year - Anything that comes in crayon form.  Who has time to be faffing around with brushes and blending?  Very sad to hear that my favourite eye crayon from Natio is no more.  Will need to hunt down an alternate sharpish.  Maybe I will splash out on a Clinique chubby stick.  Marian Keyes swears by them. 

Colour of the year - Surprisingly not red.  I wore a lot of green in 2016.  Obviously ahead of the curve as apparently it's the colour of the year for 2017.

Necklace of the year -  A three way tie between a silver Killarney Crystal pendant my friends got me for my 40th, a black sphere of volcanic rock I got in Iceland and a red bubble gum necklace from Cobalt Heights. 

 

 

 

Saying of the year - FFS, usually shortened to f***s sake and muttered under my breath.  Unless I happen to be in the presence of small people when it is replaced with the sanitised "for goodness sake" which is more age appropriate but infinitely less satisfying.

Takeaway of the year - Steamed dumplings with soy sauce, followed swiftly by chips smothered in melted cheese and gravy.  My mouth is watering just thinking about them.  Rotorua Night Market is the place to be on a Thursday evening.

So concludes the random review of the year that was 2016.

*Ok so I did start this in January and then forgot about it but I am a committed member of the better late than never school of thought so here it is at the start of March regardless.

January & February Book Review

Even when life gets in the way (in a good way), the books keep coming.  Here are the books I read in Jan & Feb.  Thankfully I had www.goodreads.com to help me remember.

All the light we cannot see - Anthony Doerr
An enjoyable read.  The story flowed well with the different stories running alongside each other without jarring.  Didn't delve too deeply into the ideology which was good as I preferred the focus on the individual characters.   

Rushing Woman's Syndrome - Dr Libby Weaver
I read this book in stages. Some bits I flew through, others were more of a slog. Despite biology being one of my favourite subjects in school, I found the science parts quite dry so I tended to skim them if I was tired.  It was an interesting read but in hindsight, I should have had a notebook by my side to jot down things I wanted to remember.  Probably one that you would need to keep to refer back to as there is so much information, its impossible to remember it all. 

 

Dear Mr. M - Herman Koch
This was very much a case of disappointing second book (not necessarily the author's second book but the second of his books that I have read). I really enjoyed The Dinner, total page turner, so I was expecting great things but unfortunately this did not deliver. It was very slow moving and the suspense he was trying to build up never really materialised. I struggled to finish it and when I did, I felt like I had wasted my time. Don't waste yours reading this.

 

Hitman Anders and the meaning of it all - Jonas Jonasson
I really like his books.  They are an easy read with a nice pace and enough of a story to counter the at times farcical humour. Only problem is that now I've read all his books. Here's hoping a new one is in the pipeline.

 

The Street - Bernadine Bishop

This was ticking along nicely, not what you would describe as a page turner but not bad enough to discard either.  Then it was as if the author realised she had a deadline to meet so she just flung an ending together and that was it.  I turned the last page and went "what?".  One to avoid unless you like random cobbled together bits stuck in at the last minute.

The Lubetkin Legacy - Marina Lewycka
Another author I am a big fan of.  I started with "A short history of tractors in Ukrainian" which I thoroughly enjoyed and have also read a couple of her other books.  Her books and those of Jonas Jonasson are similar in style so I suppose it stands to reason that I would like them both. 

 

The power of one

I read an interesting article today titled "8 bits of plastic you can quit right now".  Someone had liked it on facebook and it caught my eye so I thought I would have a read.  Some of the things I already do, like carrying fabric bags with me and using a reusable travel mug for my tea.  Other stuff, I could definitely improve upon. 

One thing which when I thought about was pretty silly, it that the toilet paper I buy is wrapped in plastic.  Why wrap toilet paper in plastic when tissues come in a cardboard box?  So I contacted the manufacturers of the toilet roll I buy as they have a commitment to sustainably sourced materials to see if they had any plans to move away from soft plastic wrapping.  Another reason for the email is that my local council recently changed the supplier of their recycling services and they no longer take soft plastics so no plastic wrapping, cling film or plastic bags.  It's only when you are no longer recycling those things that you realise how much of them you go through.  While the answer I got was the usual "thanks for your feedback etc", they did direct me to companies where I can recycle soft plastics.  Bit sad that the corporate sector is the one spearheading a campaign like this rather than the local authority but suppose its better than no one doing it.

The other one that spurred me into action was the bamboo toothbrush.  I had investigated them a while back but never got further than looking at the website so rather than put it on the to do list for another day, I went online and ordered one to try it out.  Will let you know once it arrives if I'm a convert. 

     

Pathetic Fallacy

Back in the days of studying Pride & Prejudice and Emma in English class, the term pathetic fallacy was one that was bandied about on a semi-regular basis.  These days not so much, but this morning it popped into my head, presumably because it was lashing rain outside and I was feeling pretty much like a big grey thundercloud inside. 

Saying goodbye is the crappiest way to start your day. 

December Book Review

The fault in our stars - John Green
I put this on my to read list so long ago that I had no idea what it was about by the time I picked it up in the library.  It was in the teen/young adult section which made me a) wary and b) question why I would have put it on my to read list.  Anyway it wasn't all teenage angst and "like" being every second word.  Not that I am one to talk.  I have been known to use an excessive number of likes on occasion, but I digress.  When I finished the book and looked back on the sad demise of one of the characters, it struck me that I hadn't been particularly affected by it, which made me wonder if I have become particularly heartless in my old age.  I think it was more that it seemed inevitable and having been braced for someone to die, it wasn't as huge a shock when someone did.  It was an easy enough read, didn't grab me enough for me to recommend it but I didn't dislike it either.

The casual vacancy - J.K Rowling
I have not read the Harry Potter books, partly because I am a grown up and partly because I have no interest in wizards/magic themed books.  I picked this up on a whim in my local bookshop figuring there must be some talent involved in writing such popular books.  I found it quite descriptive which I am not a huge fan of and the pace could have been a bit quicker for my liking.  That said, there were enough juicy little breadcrumbs dropped to keep me interested and wanting to finish it.  If I were to consider reading another of her books it would need to be a lot shorter with a livelier pace. 

Making it up as I go along - Marian Keyes
I love Marian Keyes.  She could write the phone book and I would still read it, she can do no wrong in my eyes.  I hear her voice when I read her books and though I have never met her, I feel like I know her.  Particularly so with this book as it is a series of articles and posts rather than a story.  Looking forward to her next book whenever it comes along. 

 

Start the week off right

Today is Monday, the start of a new week.  Yet somehow according to pretty much every calendar I have picked up lately, today is not the first day of the week, Sunday is.  Except it's not, not in the real world anyway.  For the past few years I have had those photo calendars you make yourself where you can pick the start date but this year I don't have time.  I just want to walk into a shop, pick up a calendar that has nice and/or funny pictures and enough space to write in the things that I need to remember but will probably also need to put in my phone if there is any chance of me actually remembering them.  Oh and I need it to start on a Monday or all week long I will be a day out of whack.  Is that too much to ask? 

Dear calendar makers of the world,

Please stop making life difficult and just start your calendars on the day of the week that everyone else starts their week.  

Thanks,

D
x

 

November Book Review

November has been a slow book month or rather a slow reading month.  Either way, slim pickings this month. 

The girl on the train - Paula Hawkins
I started this after finishing a truly awful book (see October Book Review) so I was desperately in need of a good read.  This did not disappoint.  Lots of good twists and turns that were not obvious from a mile down the road. I'm really hoping that this is not a one hit wonder as would definitely like to read more from her. 

The Son - Jo Nesbo
Good old Jo Nesbo, he always delivers.

Bridget Jones's Baby - Helen Fielding
When I read the first Bridget Jones book back when it first came out, I didn't take to it or to her as a character. I found her a bit whingy and self obsessed. I read it again a few years later and maybe it was the fact I was older (or maybe I was self obsessed by that stage too) but it resonated with me more second time round. This was a bit of fluff really, I preferred Mad about the Boy but this was a nice easy on the brain read which was exactly what I needed at the time.

Too lazy to add the links, go to Good Reads for more info.