Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding unnecessary human contact, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen, the three rescue one another from the lives of isolation that they had been living. Ultimately, it is Raymond’s big heart that will help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one. If she does, she'll learn that she, too, is capable of finding friendship—and even love—after all.

Smart, warm, uplifting, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .

the only way to survive is to open your heart. Goodreads

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This was a spontaneous read, a friend wrote a review about this and I picked it up. I kept reading because Eleonor's social awkwardness was relatable to me. She would look at other people in a room to see what behaviour was appropriate. The long weekends where she wouldn't talk to another human being and her voice would sound weird when she spoke again. 

I recently attended a workshop where I learned that the experiences between the ages of 0 and 8 have a heavy impact on your personality, the way you speak to yourself and how you see things. 

The constant criticisms Eleanor experienced with her mom was still affecting the way she thought as an adult. Eleanor grew up with an abusive parent and those early years of abuse, emotional neglect and criticisms formed her inner monologue and self-defences. I loved reading about her interactions with others and how through her friendships/relationships with others she realised certain things. She wasn't fine at all. I was worried about her during a lot of the book. It all ends well though. This was a weird and wholesome book. It was particularly beautiful to see a character come to terms with their health and acknowledge that everything is not okay. Not only the acceptance of this and that they need help but that they actually start healing, working on improving themselves and getting healthy. 

favourite quote from the book: 

 “I do exist, don’t I? It often feels as if I’m not here, that I’m a figment of my own imagination. There are days when I feel so lightly connected to the earth that the threads that tether me to the planet are gossamer thin, spun sugar. A strong gust of wind could dislodge me completely, and I’d lift off and blow away, like one of those seeds in a dandelion clock.”

 _10/10

Paranormal Romance wasted potential?

I finished The Savior by J.R Ward in April. I'm a BDB fan so I try to stay up to date on the Caldwell scene. This is one of the series I picked up when I was younger, had more time and was really into paranormal romance novels. I really enjoyed series like Immortals after dark, Dark-hunters, and Lords of the Underworld. Paranormal Romances almost always focus mainly on the sex and romance plots which makes sense I suppose. However, some of them have such rich lore and worldbuilding I feel like it's a waste and I end up so disappointed. The plot and world it functions in always ends up submitting to the romance plot.

I did not enjoy The Savior. It was lacklustre and very fluffy. I still enjoyed visiting the world of BDB and the characters. However, it felt very cheesy, lots of new characters and subplots coming in and not for the sake of the story but for the sake of adding more characters and romance plots. The characters and stories just seem recycled.

Immortals After Dark especially has some cool worldbuilding and a bigger story around the romance plot. It was heading to something apocalyptic. However, somewhere down the line, it jumped from paranormal romance to sci-fi with the introduction of new characters...from another planet.

Strong and mysterious characters like Nix  (IAD) and Lassiter (BDB) and Jaden (Dark-hunters) who are intriguing end up getting the short end of the stick because they too will have to submit to the romance angle.

It's such a waste because I feel invested in the story and the characters (esp. Lassiter and Jaden). I want them to get their HEA, not something rushed. I want them to drive the story and world they exist in. Maybe I'm just angry because my favourite characters are being neglected and watered down or maybe I've read too many PR novels and am tired of the same formula. Let me know what you think?

Manime Club Talks Yuri On Ice

Manime Club (MC) is a weekly activity at The Community Hub.  It's a Manga and Anime club for teens who enjoy watching and talking anime. The only thing missing is the Mangas (we are working on that).

We recently finished watching the first season of One Punch Man and with the second season still ongoing we decided to watch something in between before starting with One Punch Man S2. We figured we'd try a non-action anime. Team Manime considered shows like Watamote and Kiss Him Not Me. We ended up choosing Yuri On Ice because it's a popular anime but also because it would be fun to see what the reactions would be and what the discussions would be like. 

We ended up watching three episodes. We could see the kohais (junior participants) visibly reacting to the anime with surprise, amusement, physically cringing. 

After the screening, the lights went back on and we formed a circle (to summon the dark lord, just kidding we don't do that on Tuesdays) and opened a discussion about the anime.

Even before the official discussion started we heard a lot of reactions like "what was that", "that's jeffed up", and "oh my gods". 

When everybody settled a bit senpai M asked everybody what they thought of the anime:

"It's not a bad thing but it's too overly sexual. I'd say it was a pretty good anime, above average."

 "A couple of scenes I did not expect, but the way the story goes is really beautiful: that's what ice skating is about telling a story by skating. Like ballet on blades"

" I'm not really used to that in anime"

Senpai R: "anime is almost always overly sexual, you're always going to have a scene where something is too gratuitous" Why is it you guys think this is overly sexual compared to other anime?

Because we usually only see it between male and female characters

I don't think it's over sexual, it depends on the genre like harem and gender-bender stuff"

Senpai M:  how do u feel about the gay subtext?

I think it's fine because there's a community of people who will see themselves

There's nothing wrong with that, it's just new.

(some reactions were inaudible mumblings and more cringing that could not be transcribed)

As always we did the last round to see how much each person would rate the episodes they had just watched. The lowest was 5 while the majority rated this anime positively from 10/10 to 7/10 to 9/10.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous and cautious of what the reactions were going to be. The discussion was fairly openminded and everybody was able to say what they thought freely. 

We are going to continue to watch Yuri On Ice this June and I look forward the all the fun discussions.  

Review: She's Gone Country by Jane Porter

Shey Darcy, a 39-year-old former top model for Vogue and Sports Illustrated led a charmed life in New York City with a handsome photographer husband until the day he announced he'd fallen in love with someone else. Left to pick up the pieces of her once happy world, Shey decides to move back home to Texas with her three teenage sons. Life on the family ranch, however, brings with it a whole new host of dramas starting with differences of opinion with her staunch Southern Baptist mother, her rugged but overprotective brothers, and daily battles with her three sons who are also struggling to find themselves. Add to the mix Shey's ex-crush, Dane Kelly, a national bull riding champ and she's got her hands full. It doesn't take long before Shey realizes that in order to reinvent herself, she must let go of an uncertain future and a broken past, to find happiness—and maybe love—in the present. GOODREADS

Review: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

insta @bibliopunker

Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.Goodreads

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I liked the writing. The southern tone of the narration really set the scene of Southern Carolina in 1964. I also enjoyed the facts about bees at the beginning of each chapter.

This is a strong story about the intersectionality of women. Themes of sisterhood, motherhood, spirituality, race and segregation are also present. It's a beautifully written story that gives you insight into the 1960s and the relationships between the characters. Each one has their own tale and hurdle to get over.  

Favourite quote from the book

" People can start out one way, and by the time life gets through with them they end up completely different. I don't doubt he started off loving your mother. In fact, I think he worshipped her"

_8/10

Goodreads 2019

I love Goodreads, it's easy to use, pretty interface and I use it as a resource to look up reviews, information, books and quotes all the time. It is my go-to website for books and author information. The Goodreads challenge is a feature on the site where at the start of each year you can set a reading goal. 

Let's look at my Goodreads Challenge history:

I have failed every challenge I set for myself since 2012. Except in 2018, I did not set a goal that year and I did not read many books that year either (11+ books).

I'm putting this out there because while I do love reading, I don't want to give the impression that I can devour books as quickly as I use to when I was younger.

It has become fairly difficult for me to immerse myself into books in the past years. Not because I don't enjoy books but because life gets in the way.

I don't even know what I was thinking in 2016 when I put 160 books. I do feel disappointed when I fail my challenges and that did play a role in not participating in 2018. 

The Goodreads challenge has an edit button. You can edit your challenge during the year: you can add more books you want to read or you could add less.

I've heard many complaints about this feature: many feel you should not be able to edit the challenge while others don't mind at all. What do you think?

I personally also agree, but I don't mind that there is a button to edit your goal. I think it implies personal responsibility and leaves it all up to you. 

leave your thoughts in the comments below 

Spooky Review: True Singapore Ghost Stories Vol.7 & Vol 8 by Russell Lee

Insta @bibliopunker

The Almost Complete Collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories (also True Singapore Ghost Stories or TSGS) is one of the bestselling book series in Singapore. With over 1.5 million copies sold,[citation needed] the series has become a household name since its inception in 1989. Russell Lee, a Singaporean author, compiles reports, stories and interviews about the supernatural. Light and entertaining, each book, which comprises about 30 stories, appeals to both children and mature readers.

Most of the stories take place in Asia but some take place in other parts of the world. Lee also includes articles about the paranormal, featuring detailed investigations into the occult, witchcraft, vampires and other similar topics. Lee stresses[citation needed] that the articles are for reading pleasure, not research. WIKI

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October was really busy and I was planning to post my reviews for TSGS especially also because it was the spooky month. 

I also thought I had written a review already but apparently, I did not. I found these books by accident. I found volumes 7 and 8 at a local library and it sucked me in with all the creepy stories and also because their Asian stories, it made it even scarier. 

Here's a complete summary of my reading adventures with TSGS (from my IG)

Insta @ Bibliopunker

True Singaporean Ghost Stories by Russell Lee vol.7

I bookmarked this with a flyer and it was still on the shelf at the library, where I left it last. It's not very scary. So far "Thriller part two" seemed a bit on the supernatural side everything else is just spooky ghost hauntings. It's definitely a fun book to read ......during the day.





Fun fact the author Russell Lee wears a mask to signing events and nobody knows what he looks like.

Insta @ Bibliopunker

Finally finished True Singapore Ghost Stories Vol 7! I hope I don't get nightmares lah😅

Excerpt from one of the last stories: 

"It all happened last year when my cousin and I tried to unravel the secrets of the supernatural. We thought we could get the dead to help us in our studies as we were doing really badly in our exams" - Dim-witted Deal pg. 139.

The Author Russell Lee likes to comment on every story. This story was definitely a bit scary: maybe exam pressures are way higher in Singapore than in Su: alamak, I would never go to supernatural lengths, man.

Insta @Bibliopunker

True Singapore Ghost Stories vol 8 by Russel Lee! 

I love these books and very sad that the library does not have the other volumes. I would definitely recommend picking this up for a read or if you want to question every sound and bump in the night and just increase your anxiety just a bit.



The cover design actually has a skull imprint on it that I didn't even notice.




_9/10