Review: China Rich Girlfriend

Posted 22 September, 2017 by Lianne in Books / 0 Comments

China Rich Girlfriend (Crazy Rich Asians #2)
By: Kevin Kwan
Format/Source: eBook; my purchase

On the eve of her wedding to Nicholas Young, heir to one of the greatest fortunes in Asia, Rachel should be over-the-moon. She has a flawless Asscher cut diamond from JAR, a wedding dress she loves more than anything found in the salons of Paris, and a fiancée willing to sacrifice his entire inheritance in order to marry her. But Rachel still mourns the fact that her birth father, a man she never knew, won’t be able to walk her down the aisle. Until: a shocking revelation draws Rachel in to a world of Shanghai splendor beyond anything she has ever imagined. Here we meet Carlton, a Ferrari-crashing bad boy known for Prince Harry-like antics; Colette, a celebrity girlfriend chased by fevered paparazzi; and the man Rachel has spent her entire life waiting to meet: her father. Meanwhile, Singapore’s It Girl Astrid Leong is shocked to discover that there is a downside to having a newly-minted Tech Billionaire husband.

A romp through Asia’s most exclusive clubs, auction houses, and estates, China Rich Girlfriend brings us into the elite circles of Mainland China, introducing a captivating cast of characters, and offering an inside glimpse at what it’s like to be gloriously, crazily, China-rich.

At long last, after reading Crazy Rich Asians (review) some two years ago, I’m reading the follow-up. His books are perfect reading for the summer, so I reckon I’ll be reading the third installment next year 😛 Contains some spoilers if you haven’t read either book in the series!

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Review: Here’s Looking at You

Posted 21 September, 2017 by Lianne in Books / 0 Comments

Here’s Looking at You
By: Mhairi McFarlane
Format/Source: eBook; my purchase

Anna Alessi – history expert, possessor of a lot of hair and an occasionally filthy mouth – seeks nice man for intelligent conversation and Mills & Boon moments.

Despite the oddballs that keep turning up on her dates, Anna couldn’t be happier. As a 30-something with a job she loves, life has turned out better than she dared dream. However, things weren’t always this way, and her years spent as the ‘Italian Galleon’ of an East London comprehensive are ones she’d rather forget.

So when James Fraser – the architect of Anna’s final humiliation at school – walks back into her life, her world is turned upside down. But James seems a changed man. Polite. Mature. Funny, even. People can change, right? So why does Anna feel like she’s a fool to trust him?

Alas, here I am at the last Mhairi McFarlane book left on the list that I haven’t read. Actually, that’s not entirely true–she did release a novella a few weeks ago called After Hello following after the events of You Had Me At Hello (review)–but still, this was the only novel left on the list that I had yet to get around to.

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Review: The Lost Daughter

Posted 20 September, 2017 by Lianne in Books / 0 Comments

The Lost Daughter
By: Elena Ferrante
Format/Source: Paperback; my purchase

From the author of The Days of Abandonment, The Lost Daughter is Elena Ferrante’s most compelling and perceptive meditation on womanhood and motherhood yet. Leda, a middle-aged divorce, is alone for the first time in years when her daughters leave home to live with their father. Her initial, unexpected sense of liberty turns to ferocious introspection following a seemingly trivial occurrence. Ferrante’s language is as finely tuned and intense as ever, and she treats her theme with a fierce, candid tenacity.

This is the final book from her list of fiction that I haven’t read. After reading the fraught-ness that was The Days of Abandonment (review) I was looking for something a bit quieter to read. Good thing I left this for last 😛

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Top Ten Tuesdays

Posted 19 September, 2017 by Lianne in Meme / 13 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

This week’s topic: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List

Wow, I can’t believe we’ve already in the autumn season…Not that I’m complaining, I’m not a fan of hot weather 😛 Initially I had quite a different list set for today but given how busy it’s been for me now that I’m also back in school, I’m keeping my list a wee bit on the light side if possible. Anywho, in no particular order:

  1. All Our Wrongs Today by Elan Mastbi — This book was everywhere earlier this year. I’m hoping to read this for November’s Sci-Fi Month 🙂

  2. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley — I tend to read thrillers whenever I’m locked down with schoolwork so this may or may not be a quick read. Sounds interesting though!

  3. Beren & Luthien by J.R.R. Tolkien — I initially was thinking of reading this during the summer but then for whatever reason felt that this would make for a better autumn read. I think it’s because of the way their story turned out…

  4. Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden — The last of his books presently on my TBR pile. I actually read the first chapter or so but then put it down in favour of other books at the time. Nonetheless it sounds like it’ll be an interesting read.

  5. The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey — Jane Eyre influences, you say? Then definitely an autumn read 😀

  6. The Undertaking by Audrey Magee — I’ve been wanting to read this book since it was shortlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize in Fiction a few years ago. I got my hands on it earlier this year but have yet to read it. I think this season makes it perfect to read this book…

  7. Everyone’s Just So So Special by Robert Shearman — His books make perfect Hallowe’en reading 😀

  8. Dune Messiah et. al. by Frank Herbert — This is actually a re-read. I was hoping to re-read Dune Messiah and Children of Dune in preparation to read the final three books in the series. Unfortunately it looks like I’m going to have a very busy semester so I’m lucky if I even re-read Dune Messiah for Sci-Fi Month. We’ll see.

  9. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman — Neil Gaiman’s books always make for great autumn reading. I also want to read his preferred edition of Neverwhere so we’ll see!

  10. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld — This should be a fun read. I hope xD



And that’s my list of books that I hope to get around to reading this autumn 🙂 What books are you hoping to get around to reading? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you! Happy Tuesday 🙂

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I mentioned it in my TTT last week but my first poetry collection, Shall I Be a Poet Instead?, is available now online (Lulu/Amazon/The Book Depository/Barnes&Noble/etc.)! You can read more about my writing project and my journey towards its publication over at this blog post and check out some of my poetry over at Instagram 🙂 Cheers!

Unboxing My First Foxy Fix (No. 2)!

Posted 18 September, 2017 by Lianne in Miscellaneous / 1 Comment

As some of you may know or have seen on my Instagram, I’m pretty big on planners and notebooks and everything writing-related and stationery-related. Last year for my birthday I received a Traveler’s Notebook as my gift, which was especially handy when I travelled earlier this year. I do use a pocket-sized fauxdori of sorts as my outside everyday carry but for some time had been looking to upgrade it from a fabric to a leather. The passport size TN which I use to have was too small for me in that it can only fit a specific-sized notebook and not, let’s say, the pocket Moleskine (despite of my recent complaints about the quality of Moleskine paper…but that’s an argument for another day).

Foxy Fix is one of those brands I’ve been hearing around the planner community and on Instagram so after one night shift back in August, I finally caved and decided to buy one. There’s plenty of choice to decide from, but in the end I went with Boss Babe Kate Single Set notebook, size No. 2. The waiting…well, the waiting took forever, which I thought I was prepared for, but nope, it was pure torture. A month and a bit later, it finally arrived at my doorstep 😀

As always, you can click on the images to enlarge and read my comments:

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