A selection of short stories billed as a collection of erotica. The stories definitely had erotic elements and overtones, but I'm not sure I'd classify them as erotica per se. However, I found the prose lush and the stories odd and interesting. Erotica that isn't up your alley can often be rather tedious but I enjoyed these stories quite a lot.
A short historical romance novella that moves along at a very snappy pace with a plot less straightforward than the title implies. The romance felt a bit rushed, very "love at first sight", and the male protagonist was a little too good to be true.
I love historical fiction, but I haven't read much romance and don't understand the conventions of the genre. Perhaps this book fits into a specific sub-genre thus written perfectly to fit a category? Personally, I'd have liked a bit more character development and more historical bits, but it was a fun enough read. Unsure whether I'll read the rest of the series however.
Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read a digital ARC of Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls by Sari Shryack.
The book is comprised of a short introduction, then ten chapters covering supplies and mindset, still life setup, drawing for painting, value studies, colour, warming and cooling, discoballs, modern still life, style sandwiches, and cleanup and closure, before ending with a conclusion and an index.
The chapters are short and succinct with examples clearly showing the various principles. Some would have benefited from a little more instruction. Almost all of them contain handy tips, such as using a hand mirror as an analogue version of flipping the canvas when using digital painting methods.
I liked this book. It's very pretty and full of colourful images. Techniques covered are not necessarily explained sufficiently for complete novices. For instance, various drawing tools are mentioned, but no actual instruction …
Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read a digital ARC of Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls by Sari Shryack.
The book is comprised of a short introduction, then ten chapters covering supplies and mindset, still life setup, drawing for painting, value studies, colour, warming and cooling, discoballs, modern still life, style sandwiches, and cleanup and closure, before ending with a conclusion and an index.
The chapters are short and succinct with examples clearly showing the various principles. Some would have benefited from a little more instruction. Almost all of them contain handy tips, such as using a hand mirror as an analogue version of flipping the canvas when using digital painting methods.
I liked this book. It's very pretty and full of colourful images. Techniques covered are not necessarily explained sufficiently for complete novices. For instance, various drawing tools are mentioned, but no actual instruction is given so if you don't know how to measure with a rod/pencil/whatever it's not something you'll learn here.
I am not at the point where I'm interested in actually painting with acrylic/gouache/oils, but still found it an interesting read as some chapters offer valuable information regardless of medium, such as the ones on composition, value and colour studies.
In summary, this is a lovely book but not one for total beginners. Nor does it offer much to the advanced painter.
"17 years ago: A girl in South Dakota falls through the earth, then wakes up …
Starts interesting, peters out towards the end
3 stars
Beginning with an intriguing mystery, Sleeping Giants uses interviews, journal entries, transcripts and articles to slowly inform the reader. I quite enjoy this style of epistolary-like storytelling, though I would have liked to see stronger "voices". It was a fine read, but because the plot ultimately didn't particularly interest me and I hadn't come to care for or about any of the characters, I probably won't read the sequels. I'm just not invested enough.
In his highly acclaimed debut, A Pale View of Hills, Kazuo Ishiguro tells the story …
Too subtle for me by far
2 stars
The second Kazuo Ishiguro book I've read, and had it been my first it would also have been my last. I found the story lacking and the dialogue irrelevant and banal. The characters felt flat and affectless. There was just nothing here for me. Apparently a book too subtle for me to enjoy.
The biggest surprise about it was how much I disliked it after really enjoying Never Let Me Go.
