Thursday 26 October 2017

Star Wars 8 Extended Trailer

Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski

Dare Mighty Things
Can you imagine being given the chance to go on a (secret) mission to space? Cassandra Gupta couldn't believe it when she was chosen to be part of a selected group. She was young, intelligent, fit and with a will strong enough to propel her into space without a spaceship.

This is the way Heather Kaczynski's first novel begins and YA Sci-fi fans will find it thoroughly entertaining. I was unable to put it down, I wanted to know who the selected ones were and I just couldn't wait to find out what the mission was about.

There is a twist at the end you may (not) see coming and it made me eager to read the second part of this duology. I 'll have to wait until next year, though!

Highly recommended to fans of the genre.




Sunday 22 October 2017

The Most Relaxing Music Ever

According to a member of The European Society of Cardiology, listening to music reduces your cortisol levels and your blood pressure.

Marconi Union, a trio from Manchester has created with the help of sound therapist a soothing tune called Weightless which has proven to have incredibly good relaxing properties.

You will need to listen to it for at least five minutes and you will start feeling its calming effects.

 It worked for me!

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater: review

All the Crooked Saints
When Maggie Stiefvater writes a book, I read it. It has been this way since I found the Shiver trilogy and she became one of my favourite authors.

In this book, there is magic in every word. Just like if there was a spell put on the readers, you will feel compelled to read it, to know about the Soria family and their miracles, to learn about the darkness that haunts all of us and how to get rid of it.

All the main characters are very well developed. The one that I liked the most was Marisita Lopez with her wedding dress covered in butterflies and her heart first full of guilt and then full of love.

If I lived close to a desert, I would have travelled there to read it in the right atmosphere!


Friday 20 October 2017

Reed Flute Cave in Guilin, China.

This impressive cave is just 5 kilometres far from Guilin and it's a must for all the tourists visiting the area. People used to make flutes with the reeds that grew outside the cave and that's why it's called that way. Unfortunately for me, it was the cave of the "noisy Chinese tourist guide with a loudspeaker" and although it was an amazing sight I just could not enjoy it as much as I wanted.

Remember to bring good shoes because it is slippery and bear in mind that there may be large groups of tourists as well.


























Sunday 15 October 2017

Stranger Things Season 2 : Final Trailer

The Sun and The Moon Pagodas in Guilin, China.

In the centre of Guilin, you can't miss The Sun and The Moon Pagodas. We only saw them during the day and not at night because we were extremely exhausted after touring all day long.


Saturday 14 October 2017

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White

The Night the Lights Went Out
My first thought when I started reading this novel was: this is one of those books that would make an incredible film. It oozes southern charm. The reader can feel the heat of the humid summer, taste homemade cookies and even learn some proper manners.

The author depicts very strong female characters.Sugar and Merilee are two women who have had to struggle in life but despite their age difference find themselves sharing difficulties and inspiring each other. They end up being "two peas in a pod ".

The plot is engaging and although it is slow paced, you can feel that something is about to happen and you really want to warn the characters since they are incredibly likeable and it is easy to relate to them.

I read the book before going to sleep while listening to the sound of crickets and distant thunderstorms on my phone and I slept like a baby. The novel just "dilled my pickle".




Sunday 8 October 2017

They Did It With Love by Kate Morgenroth

They Did It with Love
A delightful suburbian mystery that will appeal to fans of Agatha Christie. Kate Morgenroth describes the apparently uneventful lives of a rich neighbourhood in Connecticut and reveals that nothing is what it seems and "Nobody knows anybody- not that well".

At the beginning of the book, the author introduces the couples who live in the area but the number of characters turned out to be a bit complicated for me, so I wrote a list with some of the features mentioned in the first chapters to know who each person was. There are no spoilers on this list.

Sofie: saw both of her parents' dead corpses. Married to Dean.
Dean: really handsome and he knows it.Married to Sofie.
Priscilla: founder of a mystery book club. Married to Gordon.
Gordon: quite boring according to his wife Priscilla.
Susan: tries to please everyone, especially her husband Harry.
Harry: he's always home late, he's the CEO of a big company.Married to Susan.
Ashley: what many people would call a trophy wife. Married to Steward.
Steward: divorced and married again to pretty Ashley.
Julia: hates the country, the neighbourhood, the neighbours..... Married to Alex.
Alex: no information is given about him in the first chapters.Married to Julia.

There are other characters who don't play an important role:
Candy and Margaret (members of the book club). Pam who was Steward's first wife and Ruth who is a lawyer.

The plot is really entertaining with some twists that will surprise most readers.