June 2015 archive

30
Jun
2015

June in Review

So we find our cold, tired selves at the end of another month. It’s easy to look back and feel like nothing happened (and okay, often for me not much as happened seeing as my idea of a big weekend is leaving the house more than once for food). In some kind of effort to look back and give meaning to June, here is a little recap of what went on (it’s not as exciting as a recap by Beyonce, but mine has more cats so…).

Highlights: Edd being a ridiculously wonderful human being and making a shitty week into something special with beer, burgers, flowers, popcorn, chocolate and jurassic park. Amazing. Also, Jurassic World. Omg. Yes. I was like a kid in a very aggressive dino-themed candy store.

Lowlights: A bit of stress coming at me from a few different angles this month, communication has been lacking and I haven’t been mindful of how this is impacting on me. Next month I aim to try and be more open and honest in my own communication, and make sure that I am putting my energy into the things that bring happiness to my day.

Blogpost: My favourite blogpost for June on myfoxycorner was on why I decided to go vegetarian, and I ‘m pretty excited to keep sharing more vegetarian related content on myfoxycorner. I also found a new beautiful blog called The Little Foxes,and this incredible recipe for pan-fried avocado tacos has been playing on my mind since.

Book: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson, my first science-fiction novel in a while and I am totally absorbed in it. Look forward to the review which will be posted in July some time.

Food: Vegan Sheperd(ess) pie with lentils and vegies and all sorts of delicious stuff. Its easy, nutritious and makes heaps of left-overs so I’m pretty pleased to have it enter my meal repertoire! June has involved a lot of lentils actually…new favourite food group?

Music: Sufjan Stevens. Holy angel of music. This guy is heavenly, like some kind of magical cross between Kings of Convenience, Ben Howard, Fleet Foxes (basically all those folky, gorgeous sounds rolled up into one very humble artist).

June on Instagram

June was the month where I discovered how ridiculously delicious Federal Deli is. Their bottomless coffee (or bumless as we prefer to call it) and the Green Peace Bagel, with fresh fennel and dukkha, is my perfect brunch.
Edd and I have been cutting down on eggs and dairy and this coconut chocolate milk is heaven for any vegan/dairy intolerant, chocolate milk loving individual, just don’t look to closely at the price tag.
Auckland Fair took place this month, and although the crowds were a little bit intense, I managed to pick up a few gifts (for myself :/) including my new favourite fox necklace.
Merlin’s amazing eye roll action echoes a bit of my frustration during this month. He gets it from his mum. Here’s to July being less eye-rolls and more smiles (no matter how forced).
Another brunch date, this time at Shakey Isles where we bravely sat outside during the rain. This place does amazing coffee and serves generous amounts of haloumi (if it says haloumi on the menu please don’t give me two tiny slices or I’ll cry into my soy latte).
Making time for some self-care, this combo from Lush is my absolute favourite for a relaxing, fruity bath. These also are easy to split over at least two baths, getting more for your precious $$.
I went along to a gorgeous launch for Dr Hauschka’s Night Serum, but instead of instagramming the event like any good blogger, I posted yet another picture of winter trees. Sorry.
Jelly tip chocolate. Enough said.
Mr 7 is such a natural selfie taker. Someone get this boy an iphone.

(Follow along)

What’s coming up? Well July is pretty busy with our first #CocktailClub on at Chinoiserie (make sure you get a ticket!), but I’m also looking forward to finishing my first crochet scarf (hopefully) and working on my lack of any jogging skills. Jogging doesn’t even involve skill, and yet I am so terrible at it that I need some kind of beginners course to running on a treadmill without looking like a total fool.

What was your favourite thing about June?

Lizzy x

26
Jun
2015

Friday’s Letters: and they call it coffee love

categories: Friday's Letters

Dear Merlin: I know this cold weather makes you extra cuddly, I’m just going to go ahead and pretend its because you just love me so darn much that we have to hold hands all night (well, hold paw? I dunno, but it’s cute). Thanks for the snuggles. Thanks for coming home each night. Love you.

Dear Organisation: Welcome back to my world, here’s to a less stressed, more productive life. Going to give bullet journalling a go and see how long it lasts before I lost my notebook/pen/marbles.

Dear Banana Muffins: I forgot how ridiculously easy yet delicious you are. Welcome back into the baking repertoire. You’re welcome flatmates who are blessed with free baking (in return for a stolen/borrowed egg or two).

Dear Family: Even if you stress me out something chronic, my love for each and every one of you is strangely unlimited.

Dear Auckland: I know people joke about how Aucklanders can’t handle the weather. I am here, hands in the air, admitting I am a weather wimp from Auckland who would prefer to wake up to sunshine and warmth. These cold days have been beautiful and still, but rather uncomfortable for someone who is unable to remember items of clothing e.g. jackets/jumpers/scarves.

Dear Italy: I miss you. Oh, how I miss you. Your neighbourhood pizzerias, your little weird cafe/bars with freshly squeezed orange juice, your loud and wonderful people. We’ll be back to wander lost through your streets again one day, until then we will find the best damn pizza in town.

Dear Edd: You’re the short black to my long black (take that how you will). Thank you for being my shoulder where I can cry makeup all over without ruining my own clothes (I kid, I don’t do that on purpose). Sometimes we may stubbornly refuse to be the first person to apologise, but it’s such an indescribable feeling to know that i have you by my side when I find myself struggling. Here’s to many more brunch dates and so much more coffee drunk together in the sunshine (lol in the rain, who am I kidding).

21
Jun
2015

Welcoming Winter with Kick-Ass Nails | OPI

categories: Nail Polish

7 OPI shades to wear in winter (or just all year round)

Is it sad when your favourite thing about a season is the change in nail polish shades? I hope not (asking for a friend). On this freezing cold Sunday, I’ll share my favourite OPI shades for the season. Another post will go up soon to share a few other brands for fairness sake. OPI are one of my favourite nail polish brands, as I find them consistently superior in terms of beautiful colours, varieties of finishes (even if I only ever buy one) and excellent formulas. They are also pretty affordable, after the fairly recent decrease in price. I think they are $18 each at Farmers, with pretty frequent specials.

When I think winter, for some reason my mind goes straight to rich, jewel toned cremes, luckily this is a colour family that OPI excel at. For interests sake I threw in the only glitter I consider fussing about with, you can thank me later. A heads up, nail polish is a bitch to capture in photos, and although these all look stunning they tend to look a little brighter in the photos than real life. Imagine them a smidgen darker and dirtier (in a good way?). All the OPI cremes below have a really similar formula, smooth and easy to apply, opaque in two coats (that’s part of why I love them so much).

L-R: The Living Daylights, Tickle My France-y, Skyfall

The Living Daylights – This glitter was released with the James Bond collection and I have no idea whether its part of the normal line, but its such a perfect winter/autumnal option. It features chunky little hexagons in blue, copper and silver and I haven’t seen anything else like it. Its almost worth the gruelling removal process. I love to layer this over other shades, pretty much any of the cremes in this post look even better with a couple of accent fingers (I don’t care if these are still in trend or not, I love them). If you want this one alone, be prepared to do a fair few coats to get an even coverage.

Tickle My France-y – Everyone needs a good nude/my nails but better shade and this one is my choice for this time of the year. Unlike the photo above, its a darker muted pink with a touch of brown. Its a really flattering shade and the perfect palette cleanser after wearing dark shades for weeks on end.

Skyfall – Another James Bond feature, and possibly my favourite out of them all, this dark blood red is pure winter perfection. Again, a touch of brown just to make it a little different, and its just the ultimate accessory to a put-together outfit (also looks real nice with pyjamas, lets be honest).

L-R: Miami Beet, Skating on the Ice-Land, Jade is the New Black, Dark Side of the Mood

Miami beet – A beautiful rich berry shade, in-between a purple and a red (and not as pink as it looks). This one I love because its dark and subdued in the shade/indoors but in the sunshine the bright tones come to life. Adds a pop of colour to my usually rather dreary clothing/attitude. This one has been a staple for years now.

Skating on the Ice-land – One of my new buys, this beautiful purple shade is from last years Nordic collection. This is described a blackened cherry purple (there’s a hint of red, but mostly its just a dark, rich plum shade). Its dark on the nails but not one of those shades that looks black except for when you stick your fingers directly under a lamp. Its a nice alternative to my usual winter navy shades.

Jade is the New Black – This doesn’t need much introduction, it’s one of the cult favourites for OPI, and for good reason. This is a ridiculously flattering green creme, dark but still colourful, green without being too weird or unusual. Nowhere near as bright as the photo, but its just a beautiful dulled dark shade. I love it.

Dark Side of the Mood – I know we are all supposed to hate anything 50 shade related, but I love a good grey polish, and its one I have been missing from my slightly extensive collection. Plus, the name kind of sold it. This is definitely as dark as a grey can get without just looking straight-up black on the nails. I really like this, its classy and looks amazing on shorter nails (as do most of the darker shades). It has a ridiculously subtle shimmer, but just pretend its not there because you’ll never see it.

Do you own any of these shades? Let me know what you tend to gravitate towards around this time of year!

15
Jun
2015

Our daily, lazy breakfast

categories: Recipe, Vegetarian

I love food and spend most of my hours of the day looking forward to my next opportunity to eat. Some may consider that sad, I think of it as being gastronomically appreciative, every chance I get.

Breakfast is one of those meals I can pass on, me and toast have never been great friends and soggy cereal is basically one of my versions of hell on earth. In an effort to being better eating habits and stop eating my lunch at 11am, we bought a fancy blender and started experimenting.

This banana and mango smoothie is the most boring of them all, but I wanted to start with it as its our usual every-day choice. Delicious but no-fuss, packed with protein powder and banana to keep you full until its an appropriate time to eat lunch, its an easy winner.

We started off making this with plain yoghurt and trim milk, but have now tried to reduce our dairy and so have been substituting with almond milk instead (one day I’ll try making my own, until then laziness wins out and I have been trying different supermarket offerings). Taste-wise there isn’t much difference, apart from a slightly nutty flavour, which we both like. It does result in a slightly thinner smoothie that’s easier to drink (don’t worry, the banana still thickens it up).

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 ripe bananas
1/2 can of tinned mango (or roughly 1 fresh mango)
2 scoops of protein powder (ours is banana flavoured, but vanilla would work too)
1 1/2 cups of Almond Milk (or substitute)
Large handful of ice cubes

Chop up the banana roughly. Chuck everything in the blender and whizz (very technical) till its smooth/at your desired consistency.

The mango and banana are a really nice pair of flavours, sweet enough without needing to add any honey and matched with the nutty almond milk. Cans of mango are super cheap and I love not having to rely on fresh fruit, so there’s always a couple of tins in my pantry (I know fresh fruit is way cooler, but it always just ends up going mouldy because I put off eating it until the last possible moment). We add in protein powder just to bulk up the other protein we get from our diet, and if you have any excellent recommendations for good protein powder options please let me know!

What about you, do you live for breakfast or struggle to remember it like me? What’s your favourite smoothie flavour combination?

12
Jun
2015

Friday’s Letters: Beers, Boxes and Bottomless Coffee

categories: Friday's Letters

Dear Gym: Somehow you have transformed yourself from a place of torture, to a sanctuary of personal reflection. Every time I get to take an hour our of my day to focus on something completely separate to whatever’s going on in reality it’s like a total (painful and often humiliating) treat. Thanks.

Dear Federal Delicatessen: Your bottomless coffee has my heart, nervous palpitations and all. See you Sunday.

Dear Merlin: I know you love cardboard and boxes and ripping shit up. I love that about you (well, kind of). But 3am is not optimal box shredding time so please save this rather noisy activity for times of the day when I am not trying to sleep and can control my violent urges better (you’ve been very lucky so far…I kid, you’re too cute, do whatever you want).

Dear Weekend: How did you manage to get so busy without me realising. Whoever accepted all of these commitments obviously didn’t take into account the 6 hour period I need for crocheting in bed with The Bachelor playing off a precariously balanced laptop. We’ll make it work.

Dear Junk Free June: I gave it a good try. I promise. It was up until I realised that I can’t physically survive without emergency use of chocolate that our short-lived challenge came to a very delicious end.

Dear Self: Stop apologising when you have nothing to be sorry for. Please try to stop stressing over things that are outside of your control. It’s okay to do things for yourself, set boundaries and to put yourself first. More than that, its necessary every once in a while. Let’s not go over every conversation 10 times because in the end it doesn’t make it any easier, let go, move on and who cares if other people do the same.

Dear Edd: Thank you for turning a shitty week on its head. You know the way to my heart; beer, burgers, chocolate and 90s dino movies. I knew we married for a reason. Thanks for being there when my ridiculously insecure and crazy mind runs havoc.

11
Jun
2015

Book Review: Church of Marvels

categories: My Foxy Reading Corner

Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry

This book arrived at my door and from the moment I saw its beautiful cover, I had a feeling I was in for a treat. Lately, books have been taking me forever to read, regardless of how great they are. Church of Marvels was demolished in two days (this was achieved with sleep deprivation and some casual anti-social attitudes towards colleagues at lunchtime, sorry). It doesn’t take a magician to work out whether I enjoyed this… but I reviewed it anyway so read on.

Summary: This marvellous story revolves around 3 narrators: a twin from a spectacular freak show on a search to find her sister, a wife who has ended up in an asylum with little recollection of how she got there, and an orphan man who cleans up the city at night, and discovers a thread which ties them all together. Set in the dark, and yet enchanting, late 19th Century New York, these characters lives become intertwined during one gripping night that unravels during the novel.

My Thoughts: I haven’t been this engaged with a book for a long time, and I forgot that feeling of truly losing yourself into a whole other world and time, a setting full of dark secrets, unique characters and twisted back stories. This novel was expertly woven together in a way that every chapter left me wanting more, each character’s snippet of their story was never quite enough. The twists and surprises were the perfect kind, subtly implied and presented, but it wasn’t until the reveal where all of the random threads suddenly made sense. This was a world like nothing I had read about before, dark and yet spectacular, dirty and yet magical. Coney island was the perfect backdrop for these characters to come together, and Leslie Parry’s writing was the perfect tool to do so, detailed enough to make each description irresistibly real but not too much so to detract from the rapidly moving story.

We can be a weary, cynical lot – we grow old and see only what suits us, and what is marvelous can often pass us by. A kitchen knife. A bulb of glass. A human body. That something so common should be so surprising – why, we forget it. We take it for granted. We assume that our sight is reliable, that our deeds are straightforward, that our words have one meaning. But life is uncommon and strange; it is full of intricacies and odd, confounding turns.

What I liked: I lose any semblance of eloquence when trying to write a review (I’m not sure I ever had any) but I loved so much about this book. The enchanting and at times disturbing setting, the courageous set of carnival characters and their world of opium dens, hidden identities, mysteries and revelations. Attention to detail, even for seemingly minor characters, made this story lush and complex. The pacing of this story and its surprises were also done really well, enough was given away to make me feel like I was gradually working out what was happening; until the secrets were revealed and then I realised I really had no idea of how deeply intwined the story was. I also really loved the physical appearance of this book…which seems very shallow (okay, it is very shallow) but it just made the whole experience something special.

What I didn’t like: This is tricky..the only thing that was a negative for me (and it’s a bit of a stretch) was that for the first bit of the book I was a bit slow at working out who each character was and understanding their story in relation to everything else. I have heard opinions from others who didn’t love this book as much as me, and I think it was because it has the potential to become confusing due to the interwoven stories and the use of some creative language that at times can feel a little inaccessible. Personally I found the confusing intricacies and the imaginative language of this novel part of its charm, but I guess for some, this made it hard work.

Worth a read: Yes. So much yes. Give Church of Marvels some of your attention and you will be rewarded with an evocative story that entertains just like a spectacular carnival.

Rating: 4.5 stars

*This book was provided to me to read, but as always this space is for my opinions, as un-organised and confusing as they can be. All thoughts and words are my own.

09
Jun
2015

Why I went vegetarian (and then decided to start a blog series about it)

categories: General/Life, Health, Vegetarian

Ready for a new series on the blog? One that will hopefully last a little longer than 2 posts and a few tweets? Well before my boss realizes I am supposed to be working (kidding, I would never blog at work), lets get into it.

Being vegetarian is now a pretty big part of my life, and my personal identity (which I’m sure annoys a lot of my meat-loving friends, I would apologise but I’m not that sorry). Eating is another big part of my life, and getting healthy is something I am trying to make more of a focus. With those three things in mind, I want to start sharing more on being a vegetarian in a meat-eating world, and how I am attempting to develop healthy vegetarian habits.

To start,I figured it was only fair to briefly explain my vegetarian journey thus far. Not as a tool to guilt others or try and unsuccessfully seem morally superior to those who are partial to some bacon, but more just as a bit of context and background.

Why I Went Vegetarian

There are heaps of different reasons why people decide to cut out meat, for me it was a combination of two factors. Firstly, I was never a huge meat eater. Chicken and mince (and bacon) were semi-regular in my diet but that was about it. Secondly, and more importantly, Edd and I both started to realise that we felt like there was a lack in congruence between our ridiculous love of animals, and our eating habits. We condemned hunters, we lamented the deaths of certain species of animals and questioned why others would eat things like horse or dog, without realising/avoiding the point that this seemed hypocritical. We decided that for us, there was no arbitrary line in the sand where certain animals deserved to bred and killed for consumption, whilst others did not. And so it only made sense to cut out all meat (obviously dairy and eggs are a whole other part of this industry that I am uncomfortable with, but one step at a time for now :)).

This was our New Years resolution for 2014, and it was a decision I expected to be far harder than it was, although I’m not saying it was extremely easy. Within a short few months, I suddenly couldn’t even force myself to eat chicken (which was the one meat I thought would be missed). We also felt a newfound satisfaction with not being a part of an industry that we had previously ignored or naively set aside as to big of an issue for us to make a difference. Our diet suffered at first, without adequate knowledge about how to eat healthy on a vegetarian diet (okay, so part lack of knowledge but a bigger part of just pure laziness). This year is when we have finally found our stride and figured out how to make it work.

Do I have any spinach in my teeth?

There are so many other reasons to become vegetarian, and I know that it’s different for each individual, but these were our core motivations. Would it have been different if we were eating steak 4 times a week and dining on every variety of meat available? Maybe, but I would hope that we would still have arrived at this decision, even if it took a little longer.

And so here we are, a year and a half later, finally figuring out how to be healthy vegetarians and not just replace McDonalds with BK Salad Burgers (they are delicious though…). I now have a fair few delicious vegetarian recipes up my sleeve, and I can’t wait to share and learn more with those who are also vegetarian or who just want some easy, healthy meal ideas.

Starving in Italy.

I envisage the series including a variety of posts, like the best burger joints in Auckland for vege lovers, nutritious and easy dinner ideas, and general healthy eating habits (like the variety of delicious smoothies we have been experimenting with to increase protein and reduce snacking). If there are any other ideas for what you would like to see as part of this, please let me know! All inspiration is welcome.

Starving at #brunchclub

If you’re vegetarian, I would love to know! Let me know what your journey has been like, and why you went vegetarian in the first place If you’re not vegetarian, but want to share any delicious vegetarian meals you make, or ask for any clarification as to why we went vegetarian, please feel free to comment. I don’t bite, promise.

For those of you who have no interest in this whatsoever, I promise that for now my blog will remain its usual mismash of topics, and this will only be one of them. Having said that, I not-so secretly hope to convert the entire world, one bacon-lover at a time.

Edit: Below are a couple of vegetarian/vegan recipes I have posted since this little intro.

03
Jun
2015

Foxy Favourites|May

categories: Favorites

I haven’t done a favourites ramble in a verrry long time, but they are always posts I love to read, and I always have a few things that stand out amongst the plethora of random makeup/skin care products that I clutter my life with. So with an extremely creative title, here are 5 products I loved using over the last month.

Trilogy Ultra Hydrating Body Cream*

I was sent this product to try out and have been using it religiously to combat the dry skin that can accompany a change in season. The scent is pretty strong which doesn’t bother me but might be a factor worth considering for others (it’s a natural/herbal scent). The thing I love most about this moisturizer is its texture, something between a body butter and a lotion, thick and yet fast absorbing, hydrating but not greasy at all. This feels luxurious and has definitely made a difference in keeping moisture in my notoriously difficult skin. It contains a selection of hydrating oils such as rosehip, evening primrose and jojoba which seems to work well at delivering on the promise of intense moisture. It also contains mica particles for a very subtle shimmer, however I don’t notice this particularly.

Buy this online for NZ$29.90

Dolce & Gabbana Intense Eau de Parfum

Buying perfume for others is always risky, and when I was given this at Christmas it wasn’t a scent I was drawn to straight away. Over the last month or two, with the colder weather and changing seasons I have worn this more and more and its now one of my favourites. Keeping in mind how terrible I am at describing scents, this perfume is a little bit sweet/fruity but has a woody depth (from the sandalwood notes) to its fragrance that warms it up and makes it the perfect cozy yet sexy scent for Autumn/Winter. I expected this to be a lot more intense than it is, but I find that the scent isn’t overpowering and yet lasts most of the day. I don’t really see me wearing much else (fragrance wise) over the next season as this just works on a day to day basis.

I’m unsure about the price of this, I just know that I hope I never run out. Ever.

Karen Murrell lipstick in Violet Mousse*

You’d think that a deep plum or rich red would be an appropriate lipstick for the weather, but I have been far too lazy and instead opted for something easy to wear that suits everything and lasts on the lips. I raved about this lipstick over here so I won’t go on, but the warm neutral pink shade is the perfect everyday lip colour and I find myself reaching for it every couple of days. It wears down really naturally, making maintenance during the day super simple.

Buy this online for NZ$30 or at selected pharmacies

Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup by benefit

Mouthfull of a name, and somehow doesn’t include the word foundation (which is what this is). Impressive. I have used this foundation, and this foundation only, pretty much all year and have loved every minute of it. It has a good medium amount of coverage without ever looking cakey (well almost ever, sometimes my skin can make the job quite hard). The shade matches my pale, ghostly face well and this goes on feeling very light and leaves my skin feeling really healthy at the end of the day.This is such an easy to wear foundation, i’ll definitely be repurchasing when I run out (despite it’s slightly hefty price tag).

Buy this online for NZ$68 at Smith and Caugheys

OPI Skyfall

One of my favourite things about autumn/winter is the nail polish shades that start appealing, rich reds, jewel toned cremes etc (I have a whole post on these soon, don’t fret). Skyfall is one of my favourite OPIs that I love to bring out in the colder weather. Its a dark red creme, with a touch of brown, and I love it especially on shorter nails (and preferably with big coats, black tights and boots). Its also one of those polishes that is super easy to apply, with two quick coats, and lasts about a week for me (with a bottom and top coat). This has definitely been my most loved nail polish this month.

Buy these pretty much anywhere, but OPI are buy one get one half price at Farmers (usually NZ$19.95) currently.

What products have you been using more lately? Does your makeup bag tend to change up with the weather/seasons?

**These two products were provided to me to try out however I did not receive compensation for my time or opinions, all thoughts are my own.

01
Jun
2015

My Foxy Book Challenge #6-10

categories: My Foxy Reading Corner

Welcome to June! That means we are one month closer to Christmas, which makes me pretty excited at the same time as being terrified about the passing of time, just like everybody else. So in my rather feeble attempt to read 30 books by the end of this year, I have been making my way through a variety of fiction and non-fiction, albeit rather slowly. Luckily we have just had queen’s birthday in New Zealand so I was able to finish off a book, as well as devote some time to getting better at crochet (it’s an exciting life I lead, obviously).

Here is the next instalment of mini-reviews for what I have read over the last few months (you can read about the first five over here).

1. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

This thriller was one I had wanted to read for ages, and once I picked it up it was highly unlikely that it would be put down. Written from the point of view of the three main female characters (all of which are rather flawed and unlikeable) who live separate lives which are becoming increasingly tangled. The stories were set at slightly different time points and so this had the potential to get confusing, but thanks to simple yet gripping writing the suspense never lost me. Fast paced, mysterious and unsettling, this was an awesome book for the people watcher in me who likes to come up with ridiculously farfetched back stories for random people. This is often compared to Gone Girl, and it is similar in some respects, the character development was just as fascinating as more and more is revealed about our narrators. I enjoyed this immensely, even though it wasn’t a very pleasant read at times, and gave a glimpse into lives that others may wish to not be a part of. 5 starts (I love a good thriller)

2. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Another rather excellent book to start off this post, Eleanor & Park is a young adult romance (a la John Green style) with two characters who couldn’t seem more different, and yet fall for each other. What has the potential to be just another romance novel becomes something stand out for me. The 80s setting, the engaging characters and their imperfections, the amazing dialogue from each of them (another split narration, letting you see into both sides of this relationship). This was a beautiful book, one of those where I would reread certain passages, just to soak up the depth in their words. There was so much emotion, and anyone who remembers their first love (that one that made you whole and then broke you in two) will relate to the intensity that Rainbow Rowell has captured so incredibly well. Another easy 5 stars, I couldn’t give it anything less.

“You saved me life, she tried to tell him. Not forever, not for good. Probably just temporarily. But you saved my life, and now I’m yours. The me that’s me right now is yours. Always.” Eleanor & Park

3. The Biology of Belief by Bruce H Lipton

Just to break up all the fiction, I did venture into reading a book by this New Biology scientist about how it is not our DNA that controls our life but rather the expression of our genes, which he argues is primarily governed by our environment (meaning that our environment has a bigger effect on our body than our DNA). I don’t know how easy this would be to enjoy without some background in science, but in general I found this engaging thanks to Lipton’s enthusiasm for what he has studied. A lot of it was interesting, and the implications thought-provoking, but some of it was also just a little hard to make the logical leap for. 3.5 stars

4. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George*

I did a whole review on this book a while ago, but I’ll briefly recap. This story about a book apothecary on the seine, healing a long broken heart, and travelling throughout France captured my heart in the same way France itself did. I am a little biased (I will read anything that will make me feel like I am back in Paris or Provence) but this was easy to read and very easy to enjoy. The characters were likeable, the landscape was indescribable (but George did a good job trying), and the story was engaging. 4 stars.

5. One Summer in Venice by Nicky Pellegrino*

Another book that did a great job of taking me back to this time last year, when it was me getting lost in tiny side streets of Venice, instead of Addolorata, a mother and wife from London who escapes to Venice to find herself and decipher what makes her happy. This book has a sort of Eat, Pray, Love vibe, but I don’t think I engaged with the narrator as much as I should have. The setting was incredible, and the details that went into this along with all of the food descriptions/food porn (which I loved) was amazing. The only set back for me was a plot that at times lost its vitality and overcomplicated itself; and a character who I just didn’t quite connect with. It makes for an ideal holiday read, or just something to escape into for a bit. 3.5 stars

Anything that takes me back to my brief but unforgettable time in Venice is worth a read.

Connect with me on Goodreads and don’t forget to like myfoxycorner’s Facebook page!

What have you been reading lately? Let me know if there’s something I should add to my ever-burdened bookshelf.

*These two books were sent to me to read however I was not paid or sponsored for my opinions, and all thoughts are my own.