in bloom

all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr

Paris from the air, Spring 2014

"It's embarrassingly plain how inadequate language is."

Have you read, "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr? I just finished it last night and went on YouTube to see what BookTubers had to say and everyone loved it. This reviewer was not as kind. I think I fall somewhere in-between.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good book. It's set during the second World War and I love the amount of detail that goes into for the book, which he discusses in this video. I love the way he brings his characters to life and I became emotionally vested in many of them. I think the book was fairly well-paced (except for the flash-forwards and flash-backs but I understand why he did that). But I agree with the reviewer from The Guardian who said the book was far too long; at times I think Doerr is so caught up in the romance of the story, he over-indulges himself. Kind of like how I feel when I eat an extra biscuit (*sweat).

I also got the impression from the way the book was organised, that he was prepping this book for the possibility of making it into a film someday and I wouldn't be surprised if it did, but I guess this is where the book fails for me slightly. But overall I would still say that I enjoyed the book tremendously and would recommend it to the right reader.

So now I leave you with this beautiful quote: "This, she realizes, is the basis of his fear, all fear. That a light you are powerless to stop will turn on you and usher a bullet to its mark."

aaand... i'm back

London at 5am in the morning

Music has been such a big part of my life for a long time. But because of this, I've recently become obsessed with listening to podcasts. Aside from This American Life, other series that I'm enjoying are Dear Sugar, Reply All and Criminal. But my favourite podcast this month is Dark Karma by Benjamin Walker's Theory of Everything. This particular episode has everything, murder, betrayal, heartbreak and the universe.

And if you've listening to it, you'll know why it's the perfect segue to the Unbreakable Kimmy Schimdt. Produced by Tiny Fey, it hasn't found the pace and confidence of 30 Rock but I love Ellie Kemper, she's a sweetheart!

From Tina Fey, I turn my attention to Amy Poehler. I'm listening to her book, Yes Please on Audible. It's great. I enjoy listening to biographies, especially if they're read by comedians. I have started and abandoned on this and this though, I don't know when I'll get around to finishing them. Maybe they just don't work as audiobooks for me.

Ever since finishing Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, I've been jonsing for something like that. Luckily I stumbled onto this historical gem set during the Second World War. I'm only two-thirds in so no spoilers, please! P.S., I want this and this too.

reading list 2014

List of books I bought this year:
1. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
2. Endless Night by Agatha Christie
3. This House is Haunted by John Boyne
4. Mortality by Christopher Hitchens
5. Wurthering Heights by Emily Bronte
6. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
7. Jan Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
8. Life of Pi by Yann Martell
9. The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings
10. The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebowitz
11. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
12. The Dinner by Herman Koch
13. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
14. The Best American Essays 2013
15. The Best American Mystery Stories 2013
16. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2013
17. In Cold Blood by Truman Copote
18. Farenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury
19. On the Shortness of Life by Seneca 

List of books I've finished reading this year:
1. Endless Night by Agatha Christie
2. Mortality by Christoper Hitchens
3. The Dinner by Herman Koch

Looks like I'm a bit behind on my reading.

september: what i ate

Sticky Toffee Pudding at The Barking Dog

Once in a while, when I feel like having a treat, I pop into The Barking Dog. C and I had a wonderful meal a few weeks ago and topped it off with their delicious Sticky Toffee Pudding. The portion was small, but it was just nice after a two-course meal. I do wish that their serving of the honey-flavoured ice cream was more generous though.

Roasted aubergine risotto from Canteen at The MAC

Canteen at The MAC is one of my favourite places to have lunch. Mainly because they don't open for dinner, unless there is a show on. They also do a lovely brunch. And they change their menu every season, so there's always something to look forward to. I had their roasted aubergine risotto over the weekend and it was delectable. The amount of cheese was just right. Pleased as punch.

Home made sumo nabe

 I've really been in the mood for miso-based soup this month and have made the sumo nabe (chanko nabe) many times. You can get the recipe here; almost all of the ingredients are available in asian supermarkets.

Alton Brown's garden vegetable soup

If you're in the mood for a different kind of soup, try Alton Brown's garden vegetable soup. Easy to make in a pinch and very tasty. I usually skip frying up some of the hard vegetables first but I do add in a bit of EVOO for a stronger flavour.

september

A beautiful row of trees sits behind a barbed wire fence

Am I the only one who sees Mondrian at work here?

Ducklings at play in Boucher Road

Waiting for autumn

September felt so long and even now it's still not quite over. Anyway, things that have been keeping me busy this month:

Reading The New York Times online. I caved in and paid for a monthly subscription and I love it!

NYT is an appropriate segue to this beautiful interview of Alber Elbaz.

And onto my next obsession, this wonderful documentary on Bill Cunningham. It's rare to have an opportunity to see into someone's life, and what makes them tick. I loved watching him so much that I wish the film was twice as long.

Also something else that I've been following is Vogue.com's YouTube channel's whimsical series, 73 Questions. Respondents have about 6 minutes to answer 73 questions, no hesitations, minimal editing only.

Reruns of Sex and the City. Now that I'm in my 30s watching a show about women in their 30s, I wonder why I didn't notice how annoying and idiosyncratic they were.

Here's a monthly health tip, watch Doc Mike Evan's YouTube channel.

And here's a giggle as we go into October, Bad Lip Reading's take on Game of Thrones.

Tara!

culture night belfast 2014

I made it to the Culture Night 2014, woot! I popped into The Northern Whig for dinner last Friday before hitting the Cathedral Quarter. The festival was even bigger this year, with more events and performances. I didn't manage to stay the whole way through though, so here are just some of the programmes and acts that I managed to catch.

The Dog Ruff String Band

Caught The Dog Ruff String Band just outside The Northern Whig who were jamming bluegrass music. They were really good and entertaining.

Yarn bombing at Buoys Park

I was looking forward to more yarn bombing at CNB14 and what they did at Buoys Park was really cute. I was hoping to catch the roller derby girls but no luck.

Flowers in Cathedral Gardens

Inside Established Coffee

Love these quotes seen inside Oh Yeah

DSNT

I was actually looking forward to DSNT's installation this time round. But it was a smaller one this year and there wasn't much place for us to stand around or explore. Also, waiting for the lift to take us from one floor to another was also a bit of a pain.

Seen on the ceiling of Belfast Print Workshop

My favourite stop of the night was a tour of Belfast Print Workshop. A guide, Chloe, showed us the etching process and another guide, Neil, talked us through the printing process. Really nice bunch of people and a great place to create art.

Overall, it was a great way to spend Friday night. Looking forward to CNB15!