heart to ground

Title: Indiscreet Author: Balogh, Mary Series: Horsemen trilogy, Book 1 of 3 Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible Where do I even begin? I have been on a quest to find a romance novel that I could really get behind, but every time I try a title, I have usually been disappointed. This has not stopped me, however, so I continued trying. I don’t…

I find myself at a loss of what to say about The Investigation. At first it was like an Alice-in-Wonderland-esque tumble down a rabbit hole into infinite loops of absurd nonsense, but then in the second half, it takes a grimmer turn and tone and by the end of the book, you’re really left questioning what was the point of it all. Or was that the point? A lot of online comments mentioned how The…

Done: A Darker Shade Of Magic

WOW I’M FINALLY DONE WITH THIS BOOK. I began this book with very high expectations and it didn’t fail me for the first half. But for some reason, my attention and interest started wavering around the middle and I was stuck on it for a really long time – I felt no urge or excitement to pick it up and continue, but I didn’t want to abandon it either. I’m trying to cultivate a habit of not…

5 books that defined my childhood

Do you remember having those books you picked up as a child that have, in some way, defined your personality, your choices, your tastes and style? Books that have had a more far-reaching impact on you than you even realised? Books of which you remember the exact details of your first time reading them? I’ve listed 5 of mine here! (more…)

Done: The Borgias and their Enemies

I borrowed this from my friend because I was interested in finding out more about the Borgias. The television show aside, any one who has studied or taken an interest in history or early modern Europe would not have been able to avoid the mention of the house of Borgia, more specifically Lucrezia Borgia, who has gone down in the annals of time as a femme fatale. Otherwise, you may have heard of…

Progress: A Darker Shade Of Magic

I am not yet done with this book, but I thought I’d update with what my thoughts about it are so far! I picked up this book at the library because it had a pretty good Goodreads rating and the synopsis captured me. After reading about two chapters in, I knew I had to buy it. I could’ve just read the copy I borrowed from the library, but I didn’t want to rush myself with a book like this. I wanted…

Done: The Daughter of Time

This is the first book review I’ve done in a long time! The last post I had was almost half a year ago, on Oct 18. Anyway, apologies for the hiatus. Life has been a rollercoaster, and furthermore I’ve been extremely preoccupied with my semester, which is now in its crunch time. I couldn’t have picked a worse time to do a book review, but after a series of disappointing library books, I’ve finally…

Watched: Pride & Prejudice (1940)

I’ve just watched this because I’m interested in doing a research project comparing the various film adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, since that is one of my favourite novels of all time. I thought it would be easy but wow, was it a torture sitting through this adaptation. If you liked this adaptation, you may not want to read my review of it. (more…)

Off Topic: I Try Epilating

OK, I know I usually post book reviews on here, but I just had to share my experience with epilating. Ah, the woes of women and the weight of society’s expectations on us to be hairless everywhere, contrary to our natural bodily inclinations. I have used a handy razor for years as the most convenient and pain-free solution to keeping the underarm hirsutism in check, but recently, I’ve been left…

Done: The Woman In White

I first picked up Wilkie Collins’s The Woman In White many, many years ago under the misinformed assumption that it was a Victorian horror story. (I may also have mixed it up with Susan Hill’s The Woman In Black…) How wrong I was. After the titular woman in white appeared and after it was certainly established that she was a very real human being, I put the book away with such disappointment that…

Usually, I write a very simple and short review under my umbrella Agatha Christie post (here), but I felt the need to post a proper length review for this one. Endless Night is a relatively unknown piece of work from Agatha Christie, or at least it was to me. I’d never heard of it before, and I only found the title when I was desperate and searching through lists to find more interesting…

Done: Books That Changed The World

I’m not sure what made me pick up this book, so different as it is from my usual reading. However, it wasn’t a bad choice at all. Books That Changed The World is basically a comprehensive list of books that have asserted a great influence on thought and literature, and Andrew Taylor also provides concise and relevant background information regarding the time period and culture that the book was…

Done: The Case Is Closed

It was all right. I skipped over some pages with what I found to be unnecessary details. Not sure if I’m just an impatient mystery reader or if I’m just not used to Wentworth’s style of writing. I’ve been reading tons of Agatha Christie before, so while there are elements of similarity, the narrative style and plot structure are significantly different. The mystery in itself was somewhat…

Done: The Uncommon Reader

I was struck immediately by the blurb of this quirky novella by Alan Bennett. The basic premise of this story revolves around Queen Elizabeth II (presumably, since she is never directly mentioned by name in the novel but her context and juxtaposed royal figures proclaim her to be as such) who discovers a mobile library one day while walking her famous brood of Corgis is plunged into the world of…