What I'm reading + NOTD pt. 107

In this post we have a book that is not translated into English, although its author is very well known in Slovenia and also in other East European cities. I'm talking about Michal Viewegh. Michal Viewegh is one of the most popular contemporary Czech writers and the bestselling one. He writes about romantic relationships of his contemporaries with humour, and variously successful irony and attempts at deeper meaningfulness; he is sometimes compared to Nick Hornby by his fans. 

In the book Případ nevěrné Kláry (in Slovene Primer nezveste Klare) or The Case of Unfaithful Clara in English we have a detective who was hired by a novelist/writer to find out if his much younger girlfriend is cheating on him. And so things start to get complicated. 

On my nails I have O.P.I. in the shade A Grape Fit! It seems that it's not available any more, at least I can't find it on O.P.I official site. This is a strange colour, not my favourite. The application was ok, but I see that it already started chipping, although my nails are in better shape, but it was still in great condition after one day, which is a big achievement for me. 

Have a great day!

What I'm reading + NOTD pt. 106

In Amanda Michalopoulou's Why I Killed My Best Friend (original title Giati skotosa tin kaliterimou fili), a young girl named Maria is lifted from her beloved Africa and relocated to her native Greece. She struggles with the transition, hating everything about Athens: the food, the air, the school, her classmates, the language. Just as she resigns herself to misery, Anna arrives. Though Anna's refined, Parisian upbringing is the exact opposite of Maria's, the two girls instantly bond over their common foreignness, becoming inseparable in their relationship as each other's best friend, but also as each other's fiercest competition-be it in relation to boys, talents, future aspirations, or political beliefs. 

Nail polish is from Bourjois from the line 10 days no chips, which is discontinued. The number of this polish is 19. This line had these strange brushes that were cut sideways, but I could manage the application just fine. Once you get to know how to hold the brush the application is easy. My nails are not so brittle anymore, so this one stayed three days without chipping which is very nice for me.

 

Have a great day!

What I'm reading + NOTD pt. 105

God Is Not Great is the ultimate case against religion. In a series of acute readings of the major religious texts, Christopher Hitchens demonstrates the ways in which religion is man-made, dangerously sexually repressive and distorts the very origins of the cosmos. Above all, Hitchens argues that the concept of an omniscient God has profoundly damaged humanity and proposes that the world might be a great deal better off without 'him'. Whether you're a lifelong believer, a devout atheist, or someone who remains uncertain about the role of religion in our lives, this insightful manifesto will engage you with its provocative ideas. 

Christopher Eric Hitchens (1949 – 2011) was an Anglo-American author, columnist, essayist, orator, religious and literary critic, social critic, and journalist. Hitchens was the author, co-author, editor or co-editor of over 30 books, including five collections of essays on culture, politics and literature. A staple of public discourse, his confrontational style of debate made him both a lauded intellectual and a controversial public figure. He contributed to New Statesman, The Nation, The Weekly Standard, The Atlantic, London Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement, Slate, Free Inquiry and Vanity Fair. 

Having long described himself as a democratic socialist, Marxist and an anti-totalitarian, he broke from the political left after what he called the "tepid reaction" of the Western left to the Satanic Verses controversy, followed by the left's embrace of Bill Clinton and the anti-war movement's opposition to NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s. His support of the Iraq War separated him further. His writings include critiques of public figures Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, Mother Teresa and Diana, Princess of Wales. He also advocated for the separation of church and state. 

As an antitheist, he regarded concepts of a god or supreme being as a totalitarian belief that impedes individual freedom. He argued in favour of free expression and scientific discovery, and that it was superior to religion as an ethical code of conduct for human civilization. The dictum "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence" has become known as Hitchens's razor.

Nail polish is from Essence from a limited edition and the name of polish is Jacob's Protection. From the name of this polish I believe you'd know what this limited edition was about :) The nail polish is a black base with blue shimmer. The application was ok, nothing more to say about this nail polish.

Have a great day!

What I'm reading + NOTD pt. 104

Blauschmuck by Katharina Winkler is not translated into English, so if I translate the title loosely it could be something like "blue accessory". Katharina Winkler is an Austrian writer and her book Blauschmuck was very well received and has also got several awards. In the beginning it says that the book is based on a true story. 

Filiz grows up in a Kurdish village in Turkey. She is twelve when she falls in love with Yunus, who is a few years his senior, and dreams of a life together in the West: "'How do we want to live, Yunus?' / 'In jeans, we'll wear denim pants in Germany.' "At 15, she marries Yunus - secretly and against the will of her father. But with the wedding also the dreams of freedom and autonomy burst: instead of jeans Filiz now wears burka; Together with the three children born in this marriage, she is exposed to the physical and mental brutality of her husband and mother-in-law. The family's emigration to the West does not change that either - for the time being. 

The hate I have for Yunus, a truly despicable man, and if you think this is a true story... 

The nail polish is from Essence, from a limited edition called Snow White. The big nail polish was red with the name snow White and there were also seven smaller nail polishes, meant to be dwarfs. Mine is called Grumpy, and it's a beautiful vibrant blue colour. The application is not the easiest but is manageable. 

Have a great day!

What I'm reading + NOTD pt. 103

The Days of Abandonment (original title I giorni dell' abbandono) by Elena Ferrante is a gripping story of a woman's descent into devastating emptiness after being abandoned by her husband with two young children to care for. When she finds herself literally trapped within the four walls of their high-rise apartment, she is forced to confront her ghosts, the potential loss of her own identity, and the possibility that life may never return to normal. 

For you who maybe still don't know this, Elena Ferrante is a pseudonymous Italian novelist. Despite being recognized as a novelist on an international scale, Ferrante has kept her identity secret since the publication of her first novel in 1992. 

The nail polish is from Essence from the line Show Your Feet, with the name In the jungle. Essence had one nail polish in this line with exactly the same name, except it wasn't the same colour. They did this a lot in the past. I think the first polish that I showed you with this name is way prettier than this, but I got this polish with a reason. And the reason being it was the exact colour of Zorro’s hair and I wanted to have nail polishes that would represent all of the Strawhats by the colour. I'm talking about One Piece. My excuse is, that I was way younger at that time (but One Piece is still the best). 

Have a great day!

What I'm reading + NOTD pt. 102

Money can buy you freedom. But what about happiness? 

When Jocelyne looks at herself in the mirror, she sees a middle-aged, married woman who runs a dressmaking shop in a small provincial French town and lives a very ordinary existence. But what happened to all those dreams she had when she was 17? 

Then she wins millions on the lottery and has the chance to change her life for ever. So why does she find herself reluctant to accept the money? To help her decide what to do, she begins to compile a list of her heart's desires, never suspecting for one moment that the decision might be taken out of her hands. 

The List of my Desires (original title La liste de mes envies) is written by Gregorie Delacourt, who I thought, don't know why, is a woman, but Gregorie is a man. What is your opinion about men who write about women like they really know how is like to be a woman? 

The nail polish is from Essence, from the old line Colour&Go with the name Free hugs and the colour is a true barbie pink and it looks nice on my hands now that I have a little bit of tan. The application was nonproblematic. 

Have a great day!

What I'm reading + NOTD pt. 101

Fruit of Knowledge (original title Kunskapensfrukt) by Liv Stromquist is a funny, powerful and eye-opening graphic nonfiction book about the female body and our love-hate relationship with it throughout history.

From Adam and Eve to pussy hats, people have punished, praised, pathologized and politicised vulvas, vaginas, clitorises, and menstruation. In Fruit of Knowledge, celebrated Swedish cartoonist Liv Stroemquist traces how different cultures and traditions have shaped women's health and beyond. 

Her biting, informed commentary and ponytailed avatar guides the reader from the darkest chapters of history (a clitoridectomy performed on a five-year-old American child as late as 1948) to the lightest (vulvas used as architectural details as a symbol of protection).

On the surface this is indeed a entertaining and amusing read (because of the writing style), but the stories presented are indeed horrifying, especially if you are a woman. I definitely recommend this book.

The nail polish is from Depend. There was a limited edition holographic line a couple of years ago. The number of nail polish is not visible any more, but with some research I think that my nail polish is number 2033 Ocean Blue. The holographic effect is so strong. it's one league better that the Catrice one, that I showed you last time. The bottle is so small though, it has just 5 ml of nail polish. The application was easy, and two coats were needed.

Have a great day!