Book Review: Unfiltered by Lily Collins

Book Review
"Storytelling is one of the most universal tools we can use to relate to one another. Through stories we convey emotions, communicate ideas, and connect with people all over the world." - Lily Collins


Title: Unfiltered
Author: Lily Collins
First Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 256

Summary:
In this groundbreaking debut essay collection, featuring never-before-seen photos, actress Lily Collins―star of Mortal Instruments and Rules Don’t Apply―is opening a poignant, honest conversation about the things young women struggle with: body image, self-confidence, relationships, family, dating and so much more.   
For the first time ever, Lily shares her life and her own deepest secrets, proving that every single one of us experiences pain and heartbreak. We all understand what it’s like to live in the light and in the dark. For Lily, it’s about making it through to the other side, where you love what you see in the mirror and where you embrace yourself just as you are. She's learned that all it takes is one person standing up and saying something for everyone else to realise they’re not alone.

Review:
When I saw that Lily Collins was publishing a book about her life, I was incredibly excited about it. Well, to be honest, I was excited because I thought we’d finally know what Jamie and Lily broke up. I know it’s her decision to share that part of her life or not, but honestly I admired them so much as a couple. All their amazing photos together and stuff… Then it suddenly stopped and we never knew why. Which was incredibly confusing. That’s why I hoped she’d write about that in her book.

Well, she didn’t. That’s totally fine though. Instead, I have learned more about this powerful woman. I never knew much about her aside from the fact that she enjoys art a lot. (Her Instagram is very interesting!) I never knew how driven she was/is about chasing her dreams. She showed me once more that people aren’t just born with the perfect lives. They work for it, even people in the acting business. 

If there’s one thing I can take from reading this book is that no matter what, you should love yourself. Never give up on yourself. That’s exactly what Lily is doing and I love her for it. 

I’d recommend this book to anyone. It’s also a very quick read as well! 

 Rating:  ★★★★☆
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Book Review: The Disgrace of Kitty Grey by Mary Hooper

Book Review
“... most of the vast space about us remained in darkness, with who-knew-what lurking in the depths of its murky corners. The stench of filth was indescribable, and a faint, cloying mist hung in the air.”



Title: The Disgrace of Kitty Grey
Author: Mary Hooper
First Published: 2013
Language: English
Pages: 282

Summary:
Kitty is living a happy, carefree life as a dairymaid in the countryside. The grand family she is employed by looks after her well, and she loves her trade, caring for the gentle cows and working in the cool, calm dairy. And then, of course, there is Will, the river man who she thinks is very fond of her, and indeed she is of him. Surely he will ask her to marry him soon? Then one day disaster strikes: Will disappears. Kitty is first worried and then furious. She fears that Will has only been leading her on all this time, and has now gone to London to make his fortune, forgetting about her completely. So, when Kitty is asked to go to London to pick up a copy of Pride and Prejudice, the latest novel by the very fashionable Jane Austen, Kitty leaps at the chance to track down Will. But Kitty has no idea how vast London is, and how careful she must be. It is barely a moment before eagle-eyed pickpockets have spotted the country-born-and-bred Kitty and relieved her of her money and belongings.

Review:
I didn’t expect much when I started reading this book. It certainly has a rather low rating on Goodreads and I hadn’t heard of it before either. I went in completely unaware of what was awaiting me. However, I must tell that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read even though I don’t get around to read those kinds of books as much as I would like. I’ve been studying about the era this story took place and know quite a lot about it, but I still learned new things. That shows how much research went into writing this book and that’s certainly something I appreciate. The best part of this book was the plot. It was so entertaining that I had trouble putting this book down. One of the themes dealt with within this novel was the famous “rich vs poor” theme. It was depicted in a great way in my opinion and was pivotal when discussing this era.

However, even though the plot was perfect, the book did lack certain things in my opinion. One of the things I missed was the emotional aspect of the story. Many issues took place, and being an easy crying, those things were certainly cry material, but I didn’t even get emotional when reading these parts, let alone tearing up. That’s why I believe that the story is not as moving as it could be. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s a page-turner though.

Another issue I found when reading the book is the language. Now, I believe this is rather a preference of mine, but when I read dialogues, I like it when it’s written in a way that that person is speaking. Kitty was a milkmaid but at times was speaking as if she were a lady of high class. I did sense that the writer was trying to depict the fact that she was a milkmaid, but it wasn’t quite there yet in my opinion.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction and romance.

Rating:  ★★★★☆


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Book Haul: December

Book Haul
The end of the year is near and I'd like to show you my last book haul of 2016. This month, I went to a book fair with a friend (Gina) and bought a whole lot of new books. 

This fair is called "De Boekenfestijn" and they sell new books for a really great price. What's even more amazing for me is that there is a wide variety of English books. Living in Belgium, I can't seem to find many books written in English. I usually buy books on the internet. 

















Book Review: Persuasion by Jane Austen

Book Review
“There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison.”
― Jane Austen

Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
First Published: 1818
Language: English
Pages: 320

Summary:
Eight years ago Anne Elliot bowed to pressure from her family and made the decision not to marry the man she loved, Captain Wentworth. Now circumstances have conspired to bring him back into her social circle and Anne finds her old feelings for him reignited. However, when they meet again Wentworth behaves as if they are strangers and seems more interested in her friend Louisa. In this, her final novel, Jane Austen tells the story of a love that endures the tests of time and society with humour, insight and tenderness.

Review:

I made it my duty to read more of Jane Austen after reading Pride and Prejudice. I always believed that I wouldn't enjoy Jane Austen because of the writing style but how wrong I was. In a way, it's because of her that I enjoy reading classics.

 At first it was a bit hard to get into, so it took me a while to get through the first 70 pages. However, not long after that, I was hooked. What captured my attention the most within this novel is the reflections Anne made. It made me get to know the values of a woman during the beginning of the 19th century and when comparing to our values, there are so many differences yet so many similarities at the same time.

 I've read many reviews complaining about the fact that we couldn't really get much information about the main character Captain Wentworth and how that is a pity. I do wish I knew more about his character but I believe it was intentionally written in a way that we would be left in the dark in order to be surprised at the end, if that makes sense. 

 This is definitely another masterpiece that I can add to my “favorites” pile. I can’t tell you how wonderful this little book was. I enjoyed it thoroughly, especially the last 100 pages glued me to the book. (Walked around reading it on the street, it’s only luck that I wasn’t in an accident.) Pride and Prejudice is definitely still my favorite book, but this one comes pretty close.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading classics.

Rating:  ★★★★★



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