a little place to call my own (art and fashion blog)

Does this novel has a cool cover or what? It came really handy when I accidentely dropped the book in the sink while I was blow drying my hair.  Well, fortunately this 3D cover protected the book from being damaged by the water (a good thing since I borrowed this book from the library and would hate to give it back in bad state). Anyhow, a lesson learned there!  Take it from me, it is not possible to blow dry your hair and read at the same time. It simply isn't possible. We don't have 3 hands, so no we can't hold a brush, a hair dryer and a book at the same time. Unless we can do magic. This is what this book is all about. It is a fantasy novel, a sequel to The Amulet of Samarkard (published in 2003) that I actually mentioned about a year ago on this blog. It is my second novel by this British author but not the last one because I do plan to read all the sequels, and perhaps others works by Stroud as well. Jonathan Stroud seems to me my kind of writer. There are a lot of...

When I woke up this morning, the first thing I did was walk to the kitchen. Naturally, I was there to make coffee (can’t start a day without it) but while I was at it, I decided to also make a nice cup of warm chocolate. I figured that one can’t have too many warm drinks when the weather is misbehaving. Plus, I wanted something to drink right away, and because preparing coffee my style takes a while (wouldn’t be caught dead drinking instant coffee;)) I opted for warm chocolate first and it was nice but I have to remember to make my own instant coffee again, I’m sure that stuff they sell in shops are full of all kinds of unhealthy stuff. Speaking of health, I have had a cold for a week now, my throat is still sore and my vocal cords are in pitiful state.  I'm not a big fan of my voice right now, but most people seem to like it. Well, at least I’m unique this way. I can always tell people that I was out partying the previous night. Anyhow, while I was preparing my coffee/hot choco...

Today I shall talk (or should I say write) about two things. Poetry and prose. Not poetry and prose in general, but the poetry and the prose of Sylvia Plath. It might come as a surprise (or even shock) to you, but I didn't care much for The Bell Jar , the only novel that Plath published. I will explain why in this post, as briefly as I can, (you can read my 4000 words long review here ). I do consider Sylvia Plath to be a great writer, I just have some issues with that one book. I can't help wondering whether her untimely death had something do to with the novel's success. I've been thinking about that issue for quite some time. Like many times before, I find myself wondering just where does art stop and an artist begings and vice versa. Can we seperate Sylvia Plath from her life? Should we forget about her tragic suicide? Should the power of her poetry be more important than the story of her life? Or should we study both? Perhaps we don't have to choose. Indeed,...

October is a breast cancer awareness month. Early prevention is very important. Get informed. Read    how you check yourself for early signs of breast cancer ( here  - or just google it). There are also countless tutorials on youtube explaining how to do a home self-test. If you prefer, ask your doctor do explain the self- check procedure to you. If you notice anything that worries you, contact the doctor immediately. Listopad je mjesec podizanja svijesti o raku dojke. Rana prevencija je jako važna. Informirajte se, pročitajte ( ovdje  ili nađite sami sličan članak na webu) kako same sebe pregledati za rane znakove raka dojke. Postoje i brojni tutorijali na youtube koji objašnjavaju kako kući sam sebe pregledati. Ako vam je draže, pitajte doktora da vam objasni proceduru samopregleda. Osjetite li išta zabrinjavajuće, odmah kontaktirate doktora. ugljen na papiru, charcoal on paper 2015

What kind of novel is it? I would describe it as a profound philosophical and autobiographical novel, written in a post-modernist style. Its author is a well-known Croatian University professor who has written numerous academic works, papers and books on the subject of literature. This unique book is skilfully (or skillfully if you prefer American English spelling) , beautifully and eloquently written. There are several leitmotifs that are  masterfully explored, becoming an essential part of the narrative, for example the subject of memory. It just dawned of me that this very novel might have been what inspired my recent meditations upon memories ( here ). You see, I took my time with reading this one.  It was an emotional read, as well as an intellectual one.  You don’t come across a book that balances both well often. Today I finished reading this one and my final conclusion is: this novel is perfect in every way. Kakav je ovo roman? Ja bih ga opisala kao složeni f...

Hothouse is a novel by British author Brian W. Aldiss. Originally published in 1962, it won many awards, most notable one being the Hugo award for best short fiction (that same year).  Originally it was published as five separate short stories but the award was granted to all of them. Some have complained that the novel is a bit episodic and that is certainly true. Probably this is due to the fact that it was originally published (and written) as a serious of story. However,  I feel that these stories work quite well together. Despite some minor flaws ( I will get into them in this review), I still consider this novel to be well worth reading. It is a highly successful SF novel that still has many fans. It is one of those books that haven't age, a true classic of the genre. If SF part doesn't put you off, you might enjoy this one.  So, let's talk about it, shall we? “Science Fiction had made itself a part of the general debate of our ti...