Book blurb: Combining personal observations and anecdotes with stories and facts about famous figures in Parisian history, this visual tale of discovery, through the eyes of an artist, is sure to delight, inspire, and charm.
This is a travel memoir setup in the form of a yearly calendar. I too keep travel journals, and always love to see how others log their journeys. This is a delightful read with lots of local history, insider secret spots, photographs, and drawings, and I wish I had read it before my visit the City of Lights. Highly recommended for Francophiles, armchair travelers, and anyone looking for journal inspiration. Rating: 4 stars.
154. The Sun and Her Flowers
2.5 stars.
Here I go again trying to articulate my thoughts about a poetry collection.
I really liked her collection Milk and Honey, so was looking forward to this one, but it's not as good. That's a subjective statement I know, but it's how I feel, and I'm not sure I can put into words why I feel that way, but I'll try.
I really like the themes Kaur deals with. There is a raw honesty to her work that I find appealing. Some of her writing reminds of catchy breakup songs. This is however a very uneven collection. Some of the poems are one liners, and much of this feels like getting a peak into the author's poetry journal. There are longer pieces, and I liked many of them, but again, not sure I'd classify them as poems. More like snippets of thought, wisdom, inspiration. Her sketchy art continues to be interspersed throughout, and I did really like the ode to her Mother. There were several pieces I read again, and copied out into my own journal, but the scope of themes covered seems too much for this one collection. For example, the pieces about being an immigrant seem to cater to this moment in time, and I'm not sure that much new was added to the conversation already ongoingI. Still, I liked it enough to round up. Rating: 3 stars.
155. Drawn from Life: Tips and Tricks for Contemporary Life Drawing
Book blurb: Drawn from Life offers bite-size lessons that will help anyone master the classic practice of life drawing.
See that blurb? I disagree with it. This little book will not help anyone master anything. This book is a curated collection of art pieces what showcase various styles of drawing techniques. The text that accompanies each piece of art is cursory at best, but this little book is like holding a mini gallery in your hands. Flip through, admire the variety of artistic styles on display, then get out your own sketchbook and draw. Rating: 3 stars.
156. Bertolt
I'm slowly making my way through The 7 Loveliest Children’s Books of 2017 as selected by brainpickings. You can see the list here.
This is the second picture book on the list that I've read and it's simply lovely. It's not often that I see stories about kids who like to be alone and enjoy their own company, so this was a delight. This is the story about a little boy and a tree he named Bertolt. The art is sketchy and cute, and I was was amused and touched by the antics of the kid in this story. I loved how the themes of being different, the desire for solitude, and the connection with nature are explored in this little story. This would be a wonderful read aloud story for all the littles in your life. Rating: 4 stars.
157. Oliver Twist
December 2017 was my 3rd annual Dickens in December event. I decided to read Oliver Twist and completed it at 11:15 pm on the 31st, so just in the nick of time.
I listened to the audiobook, which is wonderfully narrated by Simon Vance, and I'd give him 5 stars for his work on this one.
I don't recall if I've ever read this book in it's entirety before, but there is way more to this story than the bits and pieces I remember about this yarn. I don't think I need to recap anything as this is a classic for a reason. Dickens is an excellent social critic and his descriptions of the the time and place were so good I could picture myself in every scene described. The tale has many fun twists and turns, and I enjoyed how all the characters connected in one way or another. I constantly wanted to hit Fagin and Sikes on the head with a dirty saucepan, and as for Mr. Bumble, well, he got exactly what he deserved. I really liked the story, the characters, and the themes explored, but I felt that it dragged in a few places, and the characters were not as fleshed out as per his usual fare. For that I docked a star.
If you haven't read it, I'd highly recommend the audiobook. As for me, I'm looking forward to watching the musical next. Rating: 4 stars.
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This ends the list of books I read in 2017. Stay tuned for my best of 2017 reads. I 'd love to know your fave reads of the year, so please let me know.
Happy reading!
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