Music Monday ~ Follow the Step by Rachel Row

I heard this track by Bulgarian vocalist Rachel Row while I was in London and I fell in love with it. I hope you enjoy this little pearl of electronic soul as much as I do. 

Have a fab week! ^_^

LYRICS...

Music Monday - Limbo by Kimbra

New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra is better known for her multi-platinum single with Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know. But she's also a star on her own right.

Her sound is my new-found music love. If the crazy videos, her cool style and powerful lyrics don't get to you, then try her powerful voice. You can say whatever you want, but this girl can belt it out. Limbo is my current favourite, but it was a close cut in between that and Settle Down or Come Into My Head. Have a listen to those too if you have a chance. 

I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful week peeps. Happy Monday!

LYRICS...

Holocaust Memorial Day - over at Lancashire Life Magazine {12}

Today marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in 1945. So it's no surprise that in 2001 the date became the 'Holocaust Memorial Day'.

Millions lost their lives in that tragedy. And while the world remembers them, Literature has made them immortal. Their pain and suffering, something we should never forget. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has an fantastic bibliography section with the names of books inspired or written about the genocide. See it here. And while you are there, consider joining the Build a Bridge campaign to stop discrimination and hatred in your local community. 

On my latest article for Lancashire Life Magazine, I talk about the work of Italian-Jewish writer and Auschwitz survivour, Primo Levi. Not his autobiography, If This Is a Man, which is equally powerful, but the book based on his last essay - The Drowned and The Saved, a powerful account of the psychological effects endured by the prisoners during and after their imprisonment. Read the article here.

Primo Levi committed suicide just after finishing this essay. A very powerful account and statement, indeed. One we should all read in order not to allow it to be repeated not only on a large scale, but also on our everyday lives and local communities. 

Happy Australia Day!!

Since today is Australia Day, I couldn't help but give a shout out to one of my favourite authors - Rebecca Lim.

Rebecca was a lawyer who quit the rat race to pursue writing; taking the gamble in between a profitable career and a dream. For that alone she's my idol. Brave woman. And to add to the excitement and the hype, she'll soon be published in Brazil as well.

I'm currently reading the last book on her Mercy series, Fury. Feeling like she'll have me in tears at the end of this one, but hey-ho... I need to know what will happen. *Bites nails* You can read my review of the first book - Mercy - on Goodreads by clicking here, the second book - Exile - here, and the third - Muse - over here. And if you want to get to know Rebecca better, check out my interview with her by clicking here. 

If you're an Ozzie reader or live Down Under, Happy Australia Day!!! For the rest of the world, have a wonderful weekend!

Bookish Homes - A Book Lover's Interior Design Story {2}

Sometimes just having a shelf full of books isn't enough. As a book lover, you might feel the urge to spread your love all over the house. Well... In that case, this is for you! 

It's not that having shelves full of our favourite reads isn't good enough. And if you are after shelving ideas, we have those too. Just click here. It's just that we breathe and eat books and we want them all around us. ^_^

If you want them on your walls, you'll be pleased to know that Penguin has themed up with Osborne & Little to create a wallpaper covered with Penguin's classic covers, including the first book ever published by Penguin - Ariel by Andre Maurois. You can find out more about it here.

If a multicoloured book effect is a step too far for you, then you might like the more neutral options at Mydeco.com. It comes in white, grey and sepia. 

Bookshop of the Month ~ Nomad Books

I'm all for indie bookshops, but Nomad Books takes it up a notch. This is the indie that feels like a big store.

Let me put it this way: I would love to work there. No, I would love to live there. Or to live nearby. If you live in Fulham, London, and haven't popped in... Shame on you! You don't know what you're missing.

This little indie, if I can be as bold as to call it "little", not only is full of style and charisma, but it also offers an array of events and book clubs; a team of staff that are not only very helpful, but also passionate about what they do; a children's corner full of space and comfort; and a fab selection of books - especially travel books. Not to mention all the knick-knack paper lovers like myself just adore accumulating in every available corner of their house... notepads, cards, bookmarks... You name it.

Music Monday - Brand New Me by Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys needs no introduction. If it wasn't her voice, sound or songwriting talents that hooked me, then maybe it was the fact she's talented, stylish, gorgeous, around the same age as me and a mum like me. So it's really a no-brainer.

I have to admit when I first heard this track I didn't like it much. I found it a little bit too wet. So it's slightly ironic that it has has not only grown on me, but also become quite fitting for this time of year. Hence why it made it to Music Mondays! ^_^

Hope you guys had a good Monday and have a fab week!

LYRICS...

January 2013 ~ Events for Book Lovers, Writers and Curious Souls

We all know January is a quiet month, but there is still plenty to do to keep us out of trouble and on track with those New Year resolutions...

Only until Sat 12th Jan ~ Arabian Nights is Dominic Cooke's stage adaptation of the famous folk tales A Thousand and One Nights and you might just spot a couple of Emmerdale and EastEnders (British soap operas) faces in there. The Lowry Manchester, Tickets: £10-£20. Click here for further information and tickets.

Now - Sun 27th Jan ~ V for Vendetta the comic book written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd leaves the pages and hits the stage once more at the Manchester Lass O'Gowrie. Tickets: £5-£12. Check here for dates, times and prices. 

The First Cut - photo by Lee Gascoyne

Now - Sun 27th Jan ~ The First Cut Exhibition if you love books, you love paper. If you love paper, you're gonna love this!!! Thirty one international artists under the roof of Manchester Art Gallery. All working with paper and the result is amazing! If you see one exhibition this month, let it be this one. Free admission, Mon-Sun 10am-5pm, Thurs till 9pm. More details here. 

Sat 12 Jan ~ As part of The First Cut Exhibition mentioned above you can also watch paper silhouette animation movies. The Fairy Tale Films by Lotte Reiniger is one of them and it's inspired by Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and the story of The Thousand and One Nights. Free Admission, family event, 11am-3.30pm at the Manchester Art Gallery. More information here.

The John Rylands Library

Tue 15th Jan ~ Explorer Tour of The John Rylands Library one of the most beautiful libraries I have ever seen. It's now part of the University of Manchester and the third largest academic library in the UK. Time: 2.30-3.30pm, booking necessary, see here for more details then click the 'more' icon to the bottom right corner of the event description.

Wed 16th Jan ~ All My Friends are Superheroes  and My Tiny Wife author Andrew Kaufman visits Waterstones Piccadilly, in London, to sign his new book Born Weird. Time: 6.30pm, tickets £5. Click here for more information.

Sat 19th Jan ~ Celebrate 200 years of Edward Lear, the man responsible for making limerick poems popular. Edward Lear was a British artist, author, poet and illustrator in the 1800s. He was also epileptic and manic depressive, but that didn't stop him from being extensively published both as a poet and an artist. A Book of Nonsense and The Owl and the Pussycat are two of his most popular pieces. Waterstones  Manchester Deansgate, time: 1.30-2.30pm. More details here.

Sat 19th Jan ~ And while you are in Manchester, why not kill two birds with one stone? In 2012 A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess celebrated its 50th anniversary. To celebrate this milestone, the International Anthony Burgess Foundation and the Stanley Kubrick Archive have brought together pieces of their extensive and rare collection of all-things Clockwork Orange at The John Rylands Library in Manchester for an exhibition. Not to be missed if you're a fan. A Clockwork Orange: Curator Tour, time: 1-2pm, booking necessary. See here for more details and click on the 'more' icon to the bottom right of the name of the event.

Tue 22nd Jan ~ The Portico Library has started a series of events honouring the lives of Manchester's  influential women. First up is Enriqueta Rylands, the Cuban sugar heiress who founded The John Rylands Library mentioned above in memory of her late husband John Rylands. Manchester's Women Series: Enriqueta Rylands, tickets: £7.50, time: 6.30pm.

Wed 23rd Jan ~ ReCon: Comics & Manga Party is for all ages and for any comic book or manga fan. Waterstones Liverpool One, 6-7.30pm, tickets £2 each and it includes an art competition, so take your drawings with you if you're an aspiring comic artist, and a fancy dress competition. Find more information here. 

Thu 31st Jan - Fri 1st Feb ~ The Secret Life of You and Me is a play and it makes it to the list because it reminds me of a book I read, but can't remember the name of to save my life! Does this description ring a bell with anyone? At The Lowry Manchester, tickets: £10. More details and tickets here.

"A made up true story. Lowri is in trouble. She leads a double life. By day she ponders the passing of time, sifting through the fractured memories of people left with snippets of who they were. By night she makes art in strange places: fleeting, filmic moments with unsuspecting mortals. All to draw meaning from our jumble- sale lives.

But the telescope has turned on this meddling voyeur. You are invited to witness her attempt to piece together a sparkling constellation from stuff, love and darkness; to understand what we are, how we fit together and what we leave behind." 

Have a fabulous start of the year peeps!

Music Monday - Lofticries by Purity Ring

Happy New Year internet pilgrims!!! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a good start of the year.

I'm sorry I've gone M.I.A. (missing in action) on you. Life has become a little too complicated and something had to give. Unfortunately, that tends to be all the things you do to enjoy yourself. It just doesn't seem fair, does it? Moving on swiftly before I start whinging... I'm happy to be back. Herray!! Run for cover everybody. :)

I heard of Canadian electronic music duo Purity Ring through BBC Radio1 and fell in love with them. If you don't love their otherworldly sound and poetic lyrics, you have to at least appreciate how weird their music videos are. Love them! But then again, I'm a weirdo with a club badge. 

A word of warning: don't listen to this song if you're feeling as grey as the Lancashire weather outside my window. It might not do you any good. Purity Ring is good, but their songs are also very moody. 

OUT OF CURIOSITY: This particular video sparked an interesting argument on YouTube about what it's suppose to mean. Some reasoning that it talks about how we turn a blind eye to situations we need to act upon, others just branding it plain weird, and a third group saying "shut up and enjoy the song". What do you reckon?

LYRICS...