Paris for One and Other Stories.

 

Paris for One and Other Stories is a new volume by JoJo  Moyes and comprises the previously published Paris for One (a short novelella that is just over 150 pages long) along with eight brief short stories.

Paris for One is trademark Moyes, with unworldly Nell traveling to Paris alone, where she finds not only her true self but also (possibly!) the love of her life. It is a light breezy tale that could be a little cheesy if it wasn't for Moyes accomplished writing. Nell is a delightfully innocent character who you can't help but wish well and the scenes set here are very atmospheric and evocative. It's a perfect relaxing, frothy, feel good read.

The other short tales in this volume vary in content but they are all entertaining and most have a clever twist to them.

I've not enjoyed the last couple of books published by JoJo Moyes all that much but this one hit the spot. It would be a good stocking stuffer for anyone who likes light hearted beachy style fiction.

Recommended.

Happy Families.

It's 1962 in Newark, New Jersey and a pregnant young woman staggers into a clinic, gives birth to a healthy baby girl and then disappears abandoning the baby. 

Happy Family tells the story of that baby, Cheri Matzner, who is adopted by Sol Matzner and his wife CiCi. Cheri always feels something of a a misfit with her adopted parents and takes a winding course through adolescence and childhood until she finally finds herself. 

Happy Family however isn't just Cheri's story, it is also the story of Sol and CiCi and of Cheri's friendships and relationships over the years. 

This was an enthralling book and I cannot believe that it is the first novel from Tracy Barone. She is a great story teller and an amazing writer. Cheri is a strong, independent woman surrounded by highly credible characters and the book perfectly captures the dynamics of families and relationships. I found myself rooting for Cheri throughout this riveting read.

Recommended - I loved this book!

Modern Lovers.

Modern Lovers tells the story of three old college friends. 

Years ago Andrew, Elizabeth and Zoe were carefree and on the cusp of fame with their college band Kitty's Moustache. Now all living in the same neighborhood of Brooklyn, Andrew and Elizabeth are a couple with a shy teenage son, Harry, and Zoe lives nearby with her partner Jane and their teenage daughter Ruby.

Modern Lovers is about relationships between friends, parents, children and marriage partners. The adults in the book are all discontented with adult life in some way and their outlooks contrast nicely with those of Harry and Zoe, both of whom are setting out in life with high hopes for their futures. 

I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of Emma Straub and although I did like this more than the previous novel I read by her (The Vacationers) I was still somewhat disappointed by it. Modern Lovers was a light read and while there were some funny moments I found it hard to relate to the characters or the situations they were in. The characters were all a little too self absorbed to be likeable and the lack of communication between the characters was frustrating and something that I found hard to understand. 

Overall this one missed the mark for me...

Dear Mr M.

Mr M is the Dutch author of Payback, a best selling book.

 Based on the true story of Laura and Herman, teenage lovers who were suspected and then cleared of murdering one of their teachers, Jan Landzaat, Payback went on to became a successful film.  

But all that was some years ago, Now Mr M is elderly with a writing career in rapid decline and outdated views that are highly controversial. In a bizarre twist of fate Mr M, along with his young wife and child, move into an apartment building in Amsterdam where the real life Herman of Payback notoriety also lives...

I admire Herman Koch's writing and whilst this novel was much slower paced (and somewhat longer) than the previous works that I have read by him, I enjoyed it immensely.

It is a complex tale that flashes backwards and forwards in time and there is an air of foreboding that adds tension and darkness to the book. There are lots of strange coincidences woven into the story and while the ending was somewhat unexpected I loved spending time with Mr M and his characters.

Recommended.   

Not Working.

Claire Flannery is a young Londoner who quits her office job to try and discover her true vocation and passion. As Claire sets out on her voyage of self discovery (without ever venturing too far from her duvet) she evaluates her family, friends and relationship whilst wondering if she can ever find her niche without having to compromise herself.

Not Working is a fast, light, read and Claire is a delightful character. 

It's a quirky book composed of a series of observations and short vignettes and parts of it are hilariously funny. Comparisons have been (fairly) made between this book and Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones series and, like those books, I could easily see this being the start of a series or becoming a film.

If you want something to read that won't tax your brain but will provide some light hearted entertainment I recommend that you give Not Working a spin.

A Small SpaceNK Shop #2.

SpaceNK recently had one of their Explore promotions in the USA - $25.00 off any online purchase of $125.00 or more. While there wasn't anything that I desperately needed right now, the fact that this is represents a 20% discount coupled with the fact that I had plenty of NDulge points to use up from my September Edit GWP purchases it seemed too good a chance to miss.

Normally I tend to use this promotion to restock an expensive skincare item, a serum or eye cream perhaps, but this time I had those areas pretty much covered and so for once I did buy some new items that I have been wanting to try out.

Although I have a lot of skincare items in stock I tend to go use up cleansers and spritzes fairly frequently and recently I spotted that Dr Dennis Gross now has a facial spray, C+ Collagen Perfect Skin Set & Refresh Mist. I love this range of skincare and facial sprays so this was definitely calling my name! With Collagen, Vitamin C, anti-oxidants and Hyaluronic Acid, this spray can be used either under or over make up to protect and hydrate skin, leaving it feeling refreshed and also working as a make up setting spray. My skin tends to be dehydrated, especially in winter so I'm sure that this will be often reached for in the upcoming months.

I'm always on the lookout for new cleansers to try so I also picked up a Dr Dennis Gross Colour Smart Cleanser. This is a creamy cleanser that smooths and brightens with three forms of Vitamin C and exfoliates with papaya enzymes. It also contains clay and in addition to being used as a cleanser it can be left on your skin for a few minutes as a quick purifying mask.

I love the range of Ambient products from Hourglass and I love their primers so it came as no surprise that I really liked a  recent sample of  Hourglass Ambient Primer.
Used under make up I find that this gives my skin a subtle glow as well as providing a great base for make up. I bought the shade 'Luminous Light' which is the palest of the three shades and an almost perfect match for my skin tone but leaves my skin looking healthier and, well, more luminous...

Finally I did restock an old favourite, Kevyn Aucoin Powder Eye Shadow Single in the shade 104 Soft Clay which is my go to everyday natural make up look eye shadow. This is my third or maybe even fourth purchase of this, it is a great formula and a flattering grey toned pink that is very easy to wear.

Of course I picked out some samples! R+Co Dallas Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner because  I always go for the shampoo and conditioner sample duos, Kane NY Serum Savant simply because it is a wonderful serum that isway out of my price range, and, because I love Diptyque, a sample of their Geranium Odorata EDT which smells delightfully floral, of roses and geranium with bergamot and vanilla and a spiky green note which keeps it from being too sweet and girly.

This promotion provided me with a nice little restock and racked me up some more NDulge rewards which I think I will save for the post Christmas Space NK sale which never fails to tempt me to shop!

Cleansers Autumn/Winter 2016.

Four months have gone by since I last wrote about the cleansers I'm currently using. I've been trying to reduce my product stash so I'm happy to see that I have succeeded in using up three full sized cleansers from the previous post and most of the above products are almost finished. Let's take a look at what I am currently using...

MV Organics 9 Oil Cleansing Tonic. Even though I have been using this a couple of times a week I still haven't finished it. Although it is a cleanser, I view it as being more of  a treatment as you leave it on your skin rather than rinsing it off. I like to use it in the mornings, I press a few drops of this onto my face before stepping into the shower, where the steam helps it absorb leaving my face clean, plumped and glowing. It smells lovely, feels very indulgent and helps with just about any skin issue you can think of.  

Bio-Essence Miracle Bio Water Jelly Make Up Remover. This is very efficient at removing make up and was nice and cooling to use in hotter weather but it doesn't feel particularly indulgent or nourishing. It reminds me of a thin shower gel with a fairly strong, very aqua like fragrance.

I don't dislike this but I won't be repurchasing this one once it has gone.

Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser. This is one of my very favourite cleansers. It featured in my last cleanser round up but this is a different bottle... Yes, I like it so much that as soon as I had finished my last bottle I cracked open a new one! It has a zippy uplifting fragrance that makes it a joy to use especially in the morning. This is the one I find myself reaching for when I feel my skin is congested or compromised in any way. I love using this and love the way it leaves my skin feeling.

SKYN ICELAND Pure Cloud Cleanser is another one of my favourite cleansers. It is a creamy cleanser that does a great job of removing make up and cleaning my skin leaving it feeling soft and nourished. This is the second tube of this that I have bought and it won't be the last.

Dermologica Pre Cleanse is a basic cleansing oil that I have been using as a first cleanse to remove make up. I'm not particularly enamoured with this but it does a good job of removing make up and a little of this goes a long way. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it but there are simply so many other great cleansers that I prefer.

 As I'm at least half way through all of these cleansers so I'm pretty confident that when I next take a look at the cleansers I am using they will all be different... Yes I even think I will finally finish the MV Organics one! 

Truly, Madly, Guilty.

 Although they have been best friends since childhood Clementine and Erika have totally different personalities and outlooks on life and their relationship with each other is somewhat strained. 

When Clementine and her family attend a spur of the moment backyard barbecue at Erika's neighbours' house a fun afternoon turns to tragedy. 

Can the adults and children who were there that afternoon ever recover from that day and continue with their normal lives?

I have to admit that although I like the way that Liane Moriaty writes - her books are certainly very readable - I don't love her books. They are easy breezy beach type reads but there is usually something that fails to resonate with me. Such was the case with Truly, Madly Guilty. I liked it, enjoyed it even, but I found it a bit of a slog to get through. The first part of the book flashes back and forth from the day of the barbecue to the present. The reader knows that there was an incident at the barbecue but doesn't know what it was until about half way through the book. The second half of the book deals with the aftermath of that incident.

This book reminded me a lot of the author's previous books (especially The Husband's Secret and Big Little Lies) and it felt a little formulaic. I felt that the pace of this story was very slow compared to these other two books and it failed to enthrall me. The characters  and their lifestyles didn't come across as being very realistic and when the barbecue incident was revealed it wasn't as dramatic as I had been anticipating.

I can't quite put my finger on it but there was something that simply didn't work in this story overall the book felt a little flat. I didn't hate Truly, Madly, Guilty but it was a rather disappointing read for me.

Blue Apron.

Have you heard of Blue Apron? It is a subscription recipe delivery service and when you enroll you are delivered a weekly box containing all the ingredients you need to make three meals. 

Ingredients are packed in a chilled box so that you don't have to worry about them spoiling and there are detailed recipe cards provided for each meal. Various formats of the box are available (for two or four people etc) and whilst you cannot select the meals that you receive you can specify dietary preferences and opt to skip a delivery if three meals at home doesn't fit in with your plans one week.

Recently I tried out a box that contained the ingredients for three meals for two people. 

The cost of this box including taxes and delivery would normally have been $59.95 however I had a coupon for $30.00 off and I ordered my box through Ebates which gave me $7.50 cash back so I ended up paying only $22.45.

Above you can see the ingredients that I received in my box. Now lets take a look at the meals and my verdict on them...

Meal #1: Fresh Pimento Cheeseburger with Collard Green and Carrot Slaw.

This was an easy meal to start off with: form the burger and cook it, toast the buns, chop and mix some ingredients together for the pimento cheese condiment, and chop and fry the slaw ingredients.

I made the burgers for this meal but served them with traditional condiments that I had in stock and used the pimento cheese as part of a toasted sandwich at lunchtime the next day.

 The burger was very tasty with a good meat to bun ratio but I wish it had been larger. Mr C&C and myself are hearty eater and could have eaten two of them!

I decided to use the Collard and Carrot Slaw with another meal later in the week and instead served a Cabbage and Carrot Coleslaw which was from another Blue Apron meal from this box - I wasn't a huge fan of the slaw as I found it a little too acidic.I also served a Greek Salad that I made from my own ingredients.

Verdict:

I really enjoyed the burger, but wished it was bigger. The pimento cheese was just okay.

Meal#2: Crispy Chicken Milanese with Warm Brussels Sprout and Potato Salad.

For this recipe you needed to coat chicken breasts with panko breadcrumbs and fry them, make a vinaigrette and chop and cook vegetables for a warm salad.

This is the kind of meal that we would prepare for ourselves normally so we were looking forward to this one! However once again the portions were somewhat scant, although the chicken breasts weren't a bad size the vegetable part of the meal consisted of two celery stalks, five Brussels Sprouts and a one medium sized potato (for both of us not each!).

I cooked a little extra chicken that I had in already and rather than coating it in crumbs and frying it I  simply marinaded and grilled it.

 After cooking the potato I sauteed it to add colour and texture to the salad, I also made the Collard Green and Carrot Slaw and served it warm so that we had two vegetable sides.

Verdict:

I love grilled chicken breasts so this was always going to be a hit. The Collard Slaw was good but the best part of the meal was the Warm Brussels Sprout Salad which I will add to my recipe collection.

Meal#3: Avocado Tempura Tortas with Spicy Turnip and Cabbage-Carrot Slaw.

This meal required that you chop vegetables for slaw and mix them with a simple dressing, cut turnips into 'fries' and cook them, make a tempura batter and use it to fry avocado wedges that you have cut and finally assemble and toast sandwiches.

This whole meal was a fail for us I'm afraid... I don't consider a sandwich such as this to constitute dinner, it is a lunch or brunch dish as far as I'm concerned. There were a lot of steps to take to make the sandwich and the slaw which we had with the burgers really wasn't that great. And finally, I have an avocado allergy so I wouldn't have been able to eat this meal anyway. 

We used the bread from this meal to make toasted sandwiches for our lunches and Mr C&C had the avocado as a snack.

And the turnip? That's  still in the fridge...

Overall.

I am the last person that I expected to try out one of these recipe boxes! TBH if I hadn't managed to get it for such a bargain I wouldn't have as I think that the true price is way too high for the amount of ingredients that you receive. (Having said that I have to admit that the ingredients in the box were all of a very high quality and arrived in perfect condition.)

I enjoyed cooking the recipes and thought that they were a fun way to cook. There was a little more chopping required than I expected so you need to have a few basic skills under your belt as well as a certain amount of kitchen equipment at your disposal. It took me just under an hour to do the prep for all three meals - you can see the prepped food in the photo above - but I do cook professionally.

Personally, I didn't think that inclusion of two sandwich type meals was a good idea - as I presume these kits are geared towards families who rely on take out and/or ready prepared foods and would maybe like to take a break from burgers/sandwiches. There was also a high ratio of fried food items which are always going to be tasty but may not be the best in terms of healthy eating. It would have been much preferable if you could pick all three meals yourself (there is a shortlist as it were of six so you sort of have an idea of what you will get but you can't fine tune your selection). 

 For us the portions were too small but perhaps for families who eat their main meal at work or who have small children who don't eat their share of the meal this isn't an issue.

My final gripe is with the amount of packaging that these boxes contained. I know this is inevitable because of the nature of the box and it's contents but it still felt very wasteful.

On a positive note, if you are a novice cook the boxes could be a good way to broaden your horizons and increase your repertoire and knowledge of ingredients.

Overall it was a fun experience but one that I don't think I will repeat mainly because of the cost and the fact that you can't select every meal.

Are you interested?

 Have a look at www.blueapron.com

Siracusa.

Two married American couples with a shared history meet up in Rome to holiday together in Syracuse, Sicily. Add in a strange child, the fact that both marriages are in trouble and the arrival of a possessive lover and you know that things are going to come to a tumultuous end...

In Siracusa Delia Ephron deftly portrays the unravelling of marriages and friendships. Told from alternating points of view of the main characters this smartly written book was full of evocative writing that made the characters realistic and brought to life the Italian settings with it's detailed descriptions of meals and architecture.

I loved Siracusa, it was a smartly written book that would easily make an excellent screen play.

Recommended  

Empties October 2016.

I have been making a concentrated effort to finish things up before opening something new lately and it seems that my efforts are paying off as in October I managed to use thirteen full sized products and seventeen samples (and they were mostly large/ deluxe samples at that).

Skincare.

Full sized skincare items that I used up included a couple of old favourites - Kiehl's Ultra Facial Toner and Caudalie Grape Water. I loved Sarah Chapman Skinesis Dynamic Defence as a daytime moisturiser, it made my skin look and feel plumped and radiant and that scent! I also loved Sunday Riley Artemis Facial Oil, a fairly thick oil that balances skin, feels very nourishing and also does a great job of calming troubled skin. I'm certain that I will repurchase these four in the not too distant future! 

RMS Beauty Raw Coconut Cream was a great product for both cleansing and moisturising but I did find it a little messy to use.

Sample wise repeat products I loved were Sunday Riley Good Genes (of course!), Laneige Water Sleeping Mask and Ren Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial, which I swear makes my skin look brighter and perkier in only a minute. Chantecaille Fruit and Flower Acids Mask is another quick mask that makes everything a little brighter, it smells great and there's a little tingle going on with this one so you actually feel it working.

Tatcha Polished Rice Enzyme Powder is something that I have had for a while but not used because I thought that it would be messy. In fact it wasn't messy  at all and was a very very gentle facial polish/exfoliator that I liked a lot. I most likely won't ever buy this as I always have exfoliator samples in stock.

Sisleÿa Essential Skin Care Lotion is an essence that you use after toning to prep skin for serums. Like all Sisley products this smelt lovely and it did leave my skin temporarily feeling a little softer. It's not 'Essential' by any means but like all Sisley products it is very nice to use if you time have the money to invest in it.

Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturiser and Caudalie Vinoperfect Serum were both okay products for me, nothing that I disliked about them but equally I didn't find them outstanding in any way. Chantecaille Bio Lifting Neck Cream and Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster Eye Serum were both fine to use but somewhat unnecessary products. I honestly don't think that you need a separate neck cream or that you need to use an eye serum...

Make Up and Fragrance.

I finished two cheek products this month. Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush is my favourite drugstore cream blush. It has quite a strong pigment yet it blends well. This shade #15Rose Petal is a good everyday pink for me that lends a subtle flush to my cheeks. Nars Illuminator in Super Orgasm looks very bright and shimmery in the tube but has a very sheer consistency that is easy to blend and highlighted rather than adding sparkle when worn - I liked this a lot.

I finished a mini Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss in the shade 'Pretty'. This is another one that looks shimmery in the tube but doesn't wear shimmery once on. It is aptly named - a very pretty pink that is easy to wear and that is natural rather than girly. 

I disliked Buxom Lash Mascara. I found it's formula to be clumpy and the brush was unwieldly to use. Oddly I found it was difficult to remove at night even though it flaked throughout the day.

I used up just one perfume sample but it was a good one! Derek Lam 10 Crosby Something Wild was a creamy vanilla with woody incense notes, very much my kind of perfume.

Haircare.

Bumble & Bumble Seaweed Shampoo is a basic everyday shampoo. It lathers and rinses well but I don't find that it leaves my hair especially soft or shiny. At the other end of the haircare price range Garnier Fructis Full and Plush Conditioner does a fabulous job of adding body and volume to my hair. I enjoy it's berry like scent - it is one of my favourite drugstore haircare products. 

 Alterna Caviar Replenishing Moisture Milk is a leave in conditioner that you put onto wet hair. I have used the cream from this range before and I liked that a lot but I didn't find the milk to be moisturing enough for my hair. It's serum like consistency also annoyingly meant that it didn't work as a spray on product (it came out in spurts rather than as a mist) although I think that it has been repackaged since I bought this version. OUAI Finishing Cream smells great and when smoothed over dry hair does a great job of defrizzing ends and taming flyaways. I liked this but wish that you could use it on wet hair also...

Bodycare.

Penhaligon's Juniper Sling Bath &Shower Gel was a treat to use. It lathers well and has a sharp bright scent that smells a little like gin - I mean that in a good way! It's expensive though, so unless I am given this again I won't be using it in the future. 

I have been slathering on the body lotion this month and finished two full sized ones. I used up another Space NK Life Float Away Body Lotion (part of a bumper TJ Maxx haul) along with a Vaseline Healing Serum, which I had feared was going to be greasy but pleasingly wasn't. Instead it had a very light easily absorbed texture and was lightly scented with cocoa butter. I also used a mini Kai Body Lotion, I have to say that I like the white flower fragrance of this lotion more than I do the Kai perfume as it is subtler. I find the perfume can be a little too sickly because it lacks the dirty undertones that round out my favourite white flower scents.

I didn't particularly like either Honest Shampoo+Body Wash or Honest Face+Body Lotion. They were both okay but I'm simply not a fan of multi use products in general.

Finally this month I finished a big tube of Royal Apothic Simply Amazing Hand Cream. I love the formula of these creams which are nourishing without feeling at all greasy. The Green Tea scent of this one was clean and fresh feeling. 

Phew!

 That was a lot of products but I am so pleased that I managed to produce so many empties. I'm not expecting to have so many in November but you never know...