life has been such a mix lately! ups and downs, but nothing really out of the ordinary.

basically, i've....

finished uni (apart from finals) - relief!!!!

got a "job" (tutoring at a local library)

applied to study overseas in the second half of next year (eek)

done quite a bit of cooking - despite the heat we've been having, i couldn't resist making this: (toad in the hole)



and this: (chocolate, almond and mascarpone cookies)



i did a bit of inventing with the cookies, and they came out pretty well. at any rate, they tasted better than they look :)

i recently re-read this:



it's a non-fiction book and the debut work by science writer Rebecca Skloot. it tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a young black woman who died in 1951 (aged 31) from an aggressive form of cervical cancer. cells taken from her tumour were grown in culture and defied all expectations by multiplying as an immortal cell line. this cell line (HeLa) has led to significant medical advancements (including the development of the polio vaccine). such a great book, i've read it about five times already, but each time i pick it up again it's only more brilliant.

today is remebrance day - commemorating the men and women who have fallen in war. as australia has recently lost a few diggers, i think today's remembrance day is even more significant that usual.

as Laurence Binyon wrote in 1914:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

lest we forget.











peace.

cumulonimbus.

So it's been millennia since I posted on this thing. Whatever.

This is Phryne Fisher, fabulous and stylish amateur detective, and main character of the Phryne Fisher Mysteries, written by Australian author Kerry Greenwood. Mum recently introduced me to her and I'm hooked. The books are great! In the process of reading Away With The Fairies.

OH.



MY.



GOSH!!!!!

I FINALLY HAVE THIS ALBUM! AFTER WHAT SEEMS LIKE CENTURIES!
I LOVE MARK KNOPFLER AND THIS ALBUM IS SERIOUSLY AMAZING!!!!
Ahhh! Probably my fave album at the moment. We used to own it but I'm not sure where our old copy went. My parents like Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler and I grew up listening to them. Listening to the album brought back a lot of memories, as I found that I knew most of the songs even though I hadn't heard them for years. If you like roots rock/ blues rock then this is right up your alley.

Update on me: I'm in my ninth week of semester 2 at uni. It's been going pretty well, still not sure what I want to do afterwards. I've finally started getting driving lessons and am doing pretty well (I hope!). I made a list of some books I want to read, there are about forty on there but I'm sure there will be more. My parents bought a red lounge. A couple of weekends ago I watched a cow die. I'm finding out who I am and what I want to be, and I think I'm starting to appreciate who I really am.

Peace.
x

Here are some pictures of Mark Knopfler...just 'cause he's awesome.








Dire Straits! :)

Tea Accompaniments.

ANNE TYLER

b.1941. Lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Pulitzer Prize winner. Very private as she doesn't grant face-to-face interviews, rarely does book tours or makes public appearances.

I won't go through the whole story of my love for this author as it will take too long.

I've read five of her books and will give a small blurb and my own personal rating...because I want to feel like a critic :P



Earthly Possessions (which I found has been made into a film with Susan Sarandon and can't wait to see it)

This book was short, which I liked, because it made the story more powerful. It deals with a 35-year-old woman who is taken hostage by a young man and details their trip to Florida and the unravelling of her life.

I'd probably give it a 7/10.




Morgan's Passing

Now I read this just last week. I hadn't read Tyler for a while and Mum brought this home from the library where she works. It might sound weird but I think I liked it because I didn't like the character. Morgan is essentially this really irritating guy who finds his life so tedious that he adopts multiple personas. He's amazingly eccentric and strange and I think the fact that he annoyed me so much made me really like the book.

Probably 7.5-8/10.



The Accidental Tourist

This was the second or third Tyler book I read. It was great. It's a sad book, but I found I never cried which was nice (I don't usually cry as a result of books). It follows the life of this exceedingly conventional guy, Macon Leary, who writes travel guides as an 'Accidental Tourist', yet he has experienced immense tragedy and life changes which really made me sympathise with him. It's also been made into a film so I think I might see it if I have time.

Most definitely deserving of an 8-8.5/10.




Breathing Lessons

The first Tyler book I read. I absolutely loved it. It is set in a single day, revolving around the lives of couple Maggie and Ira Moran as they travel from their home in Baltimore to a funeral and back - making a commentary on their past, present and the status of their marriage. It isn't a heavy book, which I liked, and I found I was really able to engage with the story line and with the characters.

8-8.5/10




The Amateur Marriage

I borrowed this from the library not only because it was an Anne Tyler book but also because I love red coats and the woman on the front happens to be wearing one.
It was an absolutely brilliant book, probably my favourite Tyler book yet (besides The Accidental Tourist). It chronicles the married life of Michael and Pauline Anton from 1941-2001, a wartime couple who marry with nothing more in common than romantic intention. Their relationship spirals downwards throughout the book, leaving me not only amazed at the masterpiece this novel is but also at the events that unfold.

8-8.5/10. I loved this book!

But then again, I guess I loved all of them. She sets all her novels in Baltimore, which may seem a bit monotonous but it actually isn't, because all the characters are so different from one another (despite the fact that they all want something more out of life). They are all so refreshing.

Each time I finish one of her books I feel so irritated that it's over that I have to start again...meaning I've pretty much read each book twice, if not more than twice.
I am a very sad person, I know.

I am currently reading her book, A Patchwork Planet which is proving to be just as remarkable. When I finish it I might feel tempted to post another review.

Of course not all her books will achieve the same success but i just find her to be brilliant. So different from a lot of novelists around these days.

If you have time to read, if you like books dealing with ordinary characters (they're also reasonably short so they're easy to get through in a day...except for The Amateur Marriage ...which is probably the thickness of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) or if you just want something new to sink your teeth in to, then I seriously recommend this novelist.

Peace and love.

OHMYGOODNESSMASSIVEINSPIRATION!!!!

so if you didn't know, i'm fully observant and make stories up in my head about random people i see. not sure if it's such a good thing but anyway....
so i was at central station last night at like 6pm catching a train home after an epic day at uni and i had just missed my train so i was sitting there reading next to this guy in a green argyle jumper and anyway this girl fully comes up to him and goes:

'this is ridiculous'

bit of random conversation, then the dude goes:

'i had a dream about you last night'

and i was fully like WHAM idea for a story wow.
if i get the time to write it i will.

also i applied for that winter course yesterday which took me ages to do but i knew deep down that if i didn't do it then i would quite possibly regret it forever.

the person i have been thinking about each day for the last six months came back to australia today which is good...but it also makes things more certain...because i want to see him but i don't know if he wants to see me.

anyway my dad keeps saying 'it's time' to me and i don't know what it's time for. probably because i said i'd give him some lemon meringue pie (yes i made another one. hopefully it turned out well)

well...catch you later!

Tea Accompaniments.

"The Basics: A really useful cookbook"
Anthony Telford

'Tired of cookbooks with a mess of complicated instructions, exotic ingredients, and completely unachievable photographs of food that only a chef could prepare?' (the blurb forgot to mention Photoshop)

Thanks for asking, Mr. Telford. Because frankly, I am.

So I got this book for my eighteenth birthday last year and absolutely love it. It includes simple recipes like baked ham to more complex ones such as *cough cough* lemon meringue pie, all with simple instructions and affordable ingredients. Complete with tips and hints to make every meal a success. No pictures but I think that makes it a better book as I don't feel dejected when my food doesn't come out of the oven miraculously airbrushed and identical to the book's version.
If you like cooking, are seeking independence or just need something to read, this is definitely a worthwhile choice.

Plus the author gives his kids unusual names like Chile and Sapphire.

Tea Accompaniments.

Great Expectations

Charles Dickens

I'm doing literature at uni, and we have to read this book.

So I casually opened it, just to get an idea of what it was about, and literally COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.

It is seriously one of the best books I have ever read.

We also have to study Austen. Somehow I don't think Sense and Sensibility will be greeted with as much enthusiasm.

I think I'm just over Austen, I don't think the years of studying her in high school really did my impression of her any good.

But anyway, back to Dickens. I found this book seriously brilliant. Dickens' writing style combined with a great plot really makes it a sensational read.

If you haven't read Great Expectations, you should.

Next stop: David Copperfield.

Tea Accompaniments, With An Ounce Of Hyperventilation.

OH WOW.

I found out last night that probably my favourite author ever, Mitch Albom, is going to be at an 'Author Evening' at a bookshop about 10 minutes away from where I live! If you've never read any of his books you should, he is amazing. I AM SO EXCITED. I have read a few of his books and loved them. :)

Tea Accompaniments.

Telling Tales

edited by Nadine Gordmeyer

After a long time trying to find something adequate to quench my literary thirst, Telling Tales answered my search. I loved this book so much I borrowed it out from the library twice (which, I assure you, I only do if I REALLY like the book). I didn't endeavour to read it simply because it features works from writers such as Susan Sontag, Woody Allen and Margaret Atwood, or because the proceeds go towards educational programs discussing HIV/AIDs.

No, it was a combination of the two, the fact that all these authors, from vastly different walks of life, could unite to raise awareness of the widespread and devastating problem that is HIV/AIDs. These are works of the highest calibre, and I know that I will once again have to renew this book from the library in order to read it a third time.

I give it 4.5 stars.