1. Eurovision. Polish butter churners, light-up circular pianos, manster-wheels, surprise trampolines and, of course, bearded ladies. You thrill me every year Eurovision. Don’t stop.
2. And as we* were watching the results of Eurovision’s second semi-final, my eight-year-old son did a double fist-pump when they announced Austria’s Conchita Wurst had secured a spot in the final. I knew then that I was doing this parenting thing right.
3. The Bookish Manicurist. WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS BEFORE NOW?! It changes everything. Will never look at a book cover in the same way again.
4. Pantone in all its formats is completely last year but I did really love this.
5. I keep reading about boutique Australian gins – for example, this one from Mt. Uncle Distillery, in North Queensland, packed with native Australian botanicals. I can hardly keep up with all these new gins but I’m going to try my best. *cuts a lime and puts ice in a glass*
6. And lastly, to some bookish thoughts. In a new personal best for my book group, at our last meeting we did not discuss the book. At all.
7. Do you ever feel peevish about a NetGalley rejection? I requested Adelle Waldman’s latest book, New Year’s, which is the sequel to The Love Affairs of Nathanial P. – a book that I really enjoyed. And reviewed favorably. And recommended to lots of people. Why didn’t they pick me to read New Year’s? It’s a 96 page e-book – seriously, couldn’t they spare it?
8. It’s May and I’m still waiting for the book of the year – the one that I rave about, the one that I push on everyone I know. Have you read such a book this year?
Christine at Bookishly Boisterous started this meme – get amongst it.
* Eurovision is a family affair in our house.
I’ve always been meaning to check out Eurovision; it seems like this magical time of the year where all of my European friends would just talk about it on Twitter and it sounds like crazy fun xD
Ooh, the bottle for that gin is pretty 🙂
About #8…not sure if I’ve been recommending it enough as of yet but there’s been a few so far (okay, I finally read Kent’s Burial Rites and have been raving quite a bit about it in recent weeks). Hope you read the book for this year soon! (can’t wait to hear what it will be ;)) 🙂
Australians seem to have an unnatural obsession with Eurovision – it’s not like we can enter! Still, there are lots of Eurovision parties, we have a media blackout so that it can be scheduled at a reasonable time (to suit our parties) and it makes the news.
My best book so far this year would have to be The Goldfinch – have you read that one yet? Glad you enjoyed Burial Rites – I’m going to see Hannah Kent speak in a few weeks (can’t wait!).
Yesssssssssss to Eurovision! I mentioned it in my post too 🙂 http://lipsyy.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/bookish-and-not-so-bookish-thoughts-4/comment-page-1/#comment-2378
Eurovision – the universal language of ace-but-tacky
That is very awesome that your son was going for Conchita. Yes you are doing the parenting thing right. As for the book of the year, the one you want to push on people? I just finished We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and it would be the one – so far – for me. But there are still months left, and others to come. It’s a *little* book but beautifully done. Not quite of the calibre or scope (for me) of Goldfinch, or AM Homes’s Forgiven. if you are planning to read Harry Quebert (or have already) would love to hear what you think and compare notes about that one. Note: I am not including it in my great books of the year…
I got We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves after reading your praise! Not sure about Harry Q – it sounds interesting but it’s a big book… And honestly, big books don’t seem to combine well with my studies at the moment – not getting through as much as I ordinarily do and start to feel depressed by books that seem to take me forever to read! I might tackle it next holiday.
Harry Q: I don’t heartily recommend. Not sure if I recommend at all but another quick read is A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing. A bit hard to get used to the voice but not as hard as you might think, and well worth it.
Oh Eurovision was such fun this year. My Mum’s cousin was in Ireland’s Eurovision entry band in 1982. it is one of my biggest claims to fame…:)
That’s a HUGE claim to fame. If it was me, I’d be telling everyone, all of the time 😉