Aren't these flowers beautiful? Daphne and Chloe the rescue-griffons' foster mums came to visit and brought them as a gift. Lovely English twin sisters, they were soon remembered by first Daphne and then Chloe and that was it - they were all over the ladies who gave them a safe and comfortable home for six months. It was so nice to see, and wonderful that they have happy memories to lay over the less-nice ones from before that.
It is late summer here in New Zealand and the extreme heat has passed, thank goodness. It's lovely to be able to sit outside and read with a cup of coffee, not iced water with ice in it to try and keep cool. I just finished 'Confessions of a Fashionista' by Angela Clarke and it was so enjoyable. I picked it up on a whim from the library, and am now tempted to purchase the Kindle version so I can dip into it again.
If you could imagine a cross between Bridget Jones Diary, The Devil Wears Prada, Fashion Babylon and Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series, you'd get a fair idea. I love those behind-the-scenes type books that show you all is not glamorous and glittery, and it was an engaging and fun read. The main character was likeable and all was well in the end. Reading about all those uber-stylish fashion ladies inspired me to make more of an effort with my wardrobe too. An excellent side benefit!
And looking forward to Autumn dressing is another plus for that too. It's hard to feel motivated to dress up when you're 'glowing' in the hot weather. Thank goodness for dresses!
I know those of you in the UK and Europe would be wishing it was warmer, and I feel for you with all that snow and cold wind. Keep warm and safe!
After finishing 'Confessions of a Fashionista', I have gone back to Sophie Kinsella's latest book 'Surprise Me' on my Kindle - being read while supervising the children :) Le sigh, it's not as addictive as her previous books. I've had to drag myself back to it a few times and even read other books in between. This is NOT supposed to happen with a Sophie Kinsella book.
The last book I read prior was Jane Fallon's excellent and fabulous 'Faking Friends'. Now THAT kept me gripped and I couldn't look at anything else until I'd finished it. This is the high standard I except from fiction - is it too much to ask? I've read all of Jane's books, and plan to re-read 'The Ugly Sister' soon. There are two sisters in this book and one is a supermodel. The other... well she's normal. Again, you get a fun 'what it might be like behind closed doors' of the rich and famous. Hint, the supermodel's life is not as gilded as you'd imagine.
I am always excited about reading fiction, but particularly so at the moment. I find it's important for daily happiness to always have a good book(s) on the go, don't you?
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I bought our little dogs an extra-large size soft crate so they can have their own safe place to disappear into (the door stays open). Fitted with a K-Mart dog bed it's a cozy little nook. Clearly Nina thought so too...
She's actually a terrible older sister. Knowing that the dogs are scared of her and Jessica, she hides around doorways to intimidate them, strolls around their pen to remind them who's boss (when she has four acres available to her) and now she is reclining in the soft crate. Where does the outrage end, I ask you? I wondered why they weren't keen on going in and then I saw... the culprit. She stayed there all afternoon too, the little tart. Mind you, it's not hard for a cat to do that.
Please tell me what you're reading right now. I love recommendations to put on my list. I have a horror of running out of books to read but logically know that will never happen (but is the mind ever logical?)
Wishing you a wonderful and happy weekend, I hope you do something lovely.
xx Fiona
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'Financially Chic: Live a luxurious life on a budget, learn to love managing money, and grow your wealth' is out now on Kindle and also in paperback.
In this book I share all my favourite tips on living 'rich' on a small budget, as well as how to make managing your finances fun and exciting (yes, it is possible!) Whether you have had a disastrous relationship with money in the past or consider yourself to be pretty savvy when it comes to your financial life, I believe you will find many nuggets in 'Financially Chic'.
Money touches every part of our life, so it's a great idea to become best friends, instead of being frenemies (I know that's cheesy, sorry!)
I do hope you will pop on over to Amazon and introduce yourself to this member of my book family if you haven't already!
In this book I share all my favourite tips on living 'rich' on a small budget, as well as how to make managing your finances fun and exciting (yes, it is possible!) Whether you have had a disastrous relationship with money in the past or consider yourself to be pretty savvy when it comes to your financial life, I believe you will find many nuggets in 'Financially Chic'.
Money touches every part of our life, so it's a great idea to become best friends, instead of being frenemies (I know that's cheesy, sorry!)
I do hope you will pop on over to Amazon and introduce yourself to this member of my book family if you haven't already!
~~
I just started "The thing about Jane Spring" by Sharon Krum. I literally have only read the first few pages but it sounds really good. Jane is a tall, thin, blonde attorney who always easily gets first dates but the guys never seem to call her back for a second date. I have a really hard time getting myself mentally ready to read fiction for some reason, it's like the stars, sun and moon all need to be aligned or something lol. I lean toward non-fiction.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the recommendation Carla :)
DeleteI love reading and it's nice to have some 'reviews' from others before I delve in. Your fur babies are so cute and remind me of our Clayton's cat (the cat you have when your not having a cat). He belongs to our neighbours but has decided to take up residence with us. He quite often invades the bunnies space and lets them know that he is boss.
ReplyDeleteLove that you have a Clayton's cat Pieta!!
DeleteI love the glimpse into your lush, green garden and seeing your happy pets. I just finished, "Words Are My Matter," by Ursula LeGuin. Wonderful, witty essays and book reviews of some new-to-me authors. Just bereft that she left this world.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your recommendation Tess Tea :)
DeleteI'm finishing up Book #8 of Emile Zola's Rougon-Macquart series. Well, Book #8 in his recommended reading order, but Book #11 in the order in which he wrote them. Perhaps some of your blog readers have watched the BBC series "The Paradise." This is the book on which that series was based.
ReplyDeleteEach book of the 20-volume series stands on its own, so your blog readers could easily dive right into this one!
Oh I loved those Miss Havisham, I think I liked Nana best and L'Assemoir (have I spelt that right?), though Terese Raquin pretty good too. Haven't read them for years
DeleteHow fun, thank you Miss Havisham, and for your seconding Takes Tea Loves Cake!
DeleteIt's so funny how your cat has taken over the dog bed. Poor puppies! Hopefully one day you will find them snuggling together and enjoying it. Maybe this fall and winter when the weather gets cooler?
ReplyDeleteMy dream is to have all four piled up together in front of the fire in winter :)
DeleteI've just finished "Not Forgetting the Whale" by John Ironmonger, lovely book, cried at the end. Copious hankies needed.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sles!
DeleteYou sold me! I just purchased a copy of Confessions...and am eager for it to show up! Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteI hope you love it too!!
DeleteReading is an absolute passion with me. If, for some reason, I am too busy to read during the course of the day, I feel terribly deprived.
ReplyDeleteRight now, I am reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I am enjoying being caught up in it, although it does have sone rather sad parts. Before that, it was Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving (one of my favorite writers). Also was one I had trouble putting down. Coincidentally, the central characters in both books are young boys who have lost their mother, and how it effects their lives.
I feel the same about reading! It's like breathing or eating to me. Necessary nourishment for the mind and the soul.
DeleteI love the photo of Nina. Our rescue cat (who I have had for 11 years and was a young adult when we met) rules our home, too. We share a dog with my husband's elderly parents, who stays two nights each week. Despite this arrangement going for almost six years, our cat refuses to allow the dog to totally relax. She even hides around doorways, leaping out at him. He outweighs her by 10kg but is of such a sweet disposition that he has never retaliated. Fortunately for her !
ReplyDeleteHave you read any books by Maggie Alderson? She is a UK writer but spent many years in Australia as an editor of several fashion magazines. I have enjoyed all of her novels, many set in the world of high fashion.
Greetings from subtropical Australia where it's still hot and humid. Sigh. I, too, am looking forward to cooler (and less humid) weather so I can wear something other than sleeveless dresses. B O R I N G. Give me jeans, 3/4 sleeve tops, light scarf and ballet flats any day xx
How funny about your cat Lara. Your parents-in-laws dog must dread staying - it would be far from relaxing for him - six years!!
DeleteI love Maggie Alderson too :)
Glad you are enjoying fine weather, Fiona. Here, we've been in the grip of snow and ice, pretty when the snow falls, and then just awful when people can't get about safely.
ReplyDeleteRegarding reading, do put Lucinda Riley's Seven Sisters books on your List, starting with The Seven Sisters. Nothing to do with fashion, but very enjoyable. I would also recommend The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier. Not chic lit, these are in a different league.
We are supposed to be in spring, but looking outside now - fortunately there's been a slight thaw overnight - you'd think we were in late December rather than the 3rd March!
Margaret P
I hope it's warmed up for you by now Margaret. I love your book recommendations and have enjoyed others you've mentioned, so thank you!
DeleteHi there, I've just checked out two books from the library:
ReplyDeleteThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (the recent launch of Space X Falcon Heavy inspired me), and Zen and Japanese Culture by Daisetz Suzuki.
I'm a very eclectic reader! If I don't have a small stack of books on my dresser at all times I panic :) There is one thing I do now when selecting a book, I scan through the writing and if there are too many expletives I put it back. It bothers me when there is an overload of profanity in it, it takes away from the enjoyment. Also, I've been noticing a lot of the books in the New Books section of my library are very depressing. They're novels about illness, death, miserable lives, and so on. I already get too much of that in real life by watching the news here in California. Recently, I've been reading a lot from the Humor section which I never used to do.
How disappointing about your Sophie Kinsella book. I have a book called How to Read a Book (haha love that title) and the author's advice is that if you don't like what you're currently reading don't force yourself to continue. It's okay to not finish it and move on to another book :)
D.
Yes! I used to think I had to slog through a book just because I heard that it was good or it was a classic. No more. That all ended when I heard that Moby Dick was wittily written. It was also a classic, so I tried reading it. Well, after spending pages and pages just describing the bloody boat, I chucked it. For you, expletives are the line in the sand; for me, it is too much description. I'll design the set in my own imagination, thankyouverymuch!
DeleteI also am eclectic, usually having a fiction and a non-fiction going at the same time. What I pick from my shelves or from the library depends on my mood.
Ha, I know what you mean! You made me laugh out loud on that one ... Moby Dick ... agh, I just wasn't patient enough to get through that one and I made several attempts when I was a bit younger just because it is considered classic literature. About a year ago I printed out a list of "must read classics" from a book list online. I thought I'd revisit some of them but there were so many I just couldn't bring myself to finish. I don't know about you but I feel a bit guilty that I can't get into some of them, and I'm a very "classics" person in other areas besides reading (i.e. clothing, the arts, etc.).
DeleteD.
I finished Sophie K and it redeemed itself in the end. It needed to.
DeleteI'm so jealous of your hot, sunny day and would swap the snowy, icy scene outside my window for that in a heartbeat!
ReplyDeleteI've ordered the latest Carole Matthews novel to pick up from my library and can't wait. She's a bestselling British fiction author, her books are always light, cheerful reads yet real page turners with believable characters. Would highly recommend, especially as she has a large back catalogue for a new reader to devour!
I just ordered one of her books from the library. Thank you Sarah and keep warm!
DeleteI've just finished Dragonfly in Amber, the second book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I'm a Scot and somehow didn't think I'd like the TV series or the books, but I absolutely love both! The books are better, of course, there's so much more in them, but I'm making a point of not reading ahead of the TV show - I'm sure I'll be tempted once I've caught up though. Waiting for book 3 to come from the library (could have done with it this week - can't get out for snow ❄❄❄)
ReplyDeleteSnowed in! I can't even fathom what that would be like. Keep safe Lindsay!
DeleteI just started a book I bought a while back but never read: Galileo's Daughter, by Dava Sobel. A true story. The daughter of Galileo was brilliant but, being a woman, never got acclaim.
ReplyDeleteLove to hear what you thought of it!
DeleteFirst book our newly formed book club ( we all moved into a new apartment building over the course of a few months) read was The Art of Racing in the Rain by by Garth Stein. It is narrated by a dog, and deals with racing cars...but it is really a book about life. I loved it ! Now we are reading Defending Jacob my William Landy. I like it, but am not that far into it. Picked up one that is calling my name at a recent library visit - Eternal Life by Dara Horn. Enjoy your warm weather and reading!
ReplyDeleteI've loved hearing about your new lifestyle and community, Ann, it sounds delightful.
DeleteI read The Art of Racing in the Rain a number of years ago and LOVED IT. I can still remember that book whereas a lot I read and forget about. It is a wonderful, wonderful book which I would recommend too.
That little kitty Cat is staking her claim !! LOL
ReplyDeleteShe totally is, the little trollop!
DeleteHi Fiona! I just returned from 7 days in Puerto Vallarta and found to my horror when I opened my suitcase that I had only brought the one book I was currently reading on the plane. I thought I'd brought three! My husband laughed at my utter panic but it was very real. Sitting at the beach and at the pool for 7 days and only one book already half read!! No! No! Fortunately when I inquired there was an informal book exchange at some of the pools in the resort and I managed to change up my book twice. I actually read a book I loved by a Canadian author Richard B Wright, "Clara Callan" which I never would have chosen if it hadn't been the best choice between lurid science fiction and Harlequin romance options. Love all the recommendations here! xo
ReplyDeleteWhat a horror situation, Karen!!! So glad you found a book exchange at the resort, phew :) I went away once without ANY books (mistakenly). I was distraught!
DeleteWorst possible, OH NO! I would rather be without a proper wardrobe than a proper read! :)
DeleteThank you for the book recommendation. Maybe I'll start it tonight. I'm reading The Dance of Connection by Harriet Lerner for book club. All about communicating in relationships. I could go for something lighter right now! I always have a couple books going. I'm thinking about that Outlander series, but it's a little daunting. I'm a slow reader!
ReplyDeleteI never seem to get around to heavy, Deborah :) Light is my preferred weight of reading!
ReplyDelete