Blog Tour and Review: Marian Keyes

Hello  book chums!

I am thrilled to be part of the blog tour for fantastic Marian Keyes' newest release, The Woman Who Stole My LIfe. I've read The Brightest Star in the sky and have since enjoyed her other reads. 

The book is told from the protagonist's point of view: Stella Sweeney; a woman in her forties who finds herself overcoming steep challenges in her life as best as she can (which is not a graceful tour de force).

The title itself suggests an interesting turn of events. In the book, the reader finds out that Stella's husband, Ryan, deems her as "the woman who stole my life". He is dispirited by the fact that Stella was living the life he wished he had.

Keyes splits the book into past and present timelines, which ties and explores key individuals in Stella's life and how they have been able to come into her life purposefully. We've all wondered about the concept of karma and how everything seems to happen for a reason: Keyes helps to shed light on such matters through Stella's accident in a very touching and unforgettable way. 
Funny, witty, and often bittersweet, we find ourselves drawn to Stella's conflicts, torn between her duty as a mother and finding strength in love.

"Sometimes you get what you want and sometimes you get what you need and sometimes you get what you get."

I enjoyed this book immensely, especially  while on the train in the mornings, and before bed. There are many memorable characters and sections of the book where you find yourself wondering how often we take things in our life for granted. A very sweet read and one that would make a great gift for special women in your life this holiday season. I know I will recommend this book to my book club!

Cheers!

#TheWomanWhoStoleMyLife

Twitter: @MarianKeyes

Author Event: David Nicholls

“This is where it all begins. Everything starts here, today.” 

-David Nicholls, One Day

Lovelies,

This past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a special event at the HarperCollins Canada Toronto office once again to meet David Nicholls, author of the beloved One Day. His second novel, Us was released late last month (much to my excitement). I could not wait to meet Nicholls in person!

He was as every bit charming, funny, witty, and nice as I hoped he would be. Laurie Grassi was there to speak to him about the book, touching upon everything from the characters, to his writing habits, and funny travel stories along the way.

"I liked the idea that everything in the book is spot on, real places that exists...so you can re-enact this book and, hopefully, have a happier time!"

A couple of really neat moments throughout the Q & A:

Fruit Flies: Nicholls had a babysitter who was working her PH.D in fruit fly studies and on one occasion, had invited him, his partner, and two children to her lab.  As a result, this event got written into the book, specifically during Douglas' courtship with Courtney when he took her to see the fruit flies.

Travel:  There are instances in the book where Douglas takes the train as his primary means of transport. In order to make certain scenes in the book as genuine as possible, Nicholls ended up taking the train from Paris to Amsterdam and from Munich to Verona where it crossed through the Alps. Gosh. I need to add that to my bucket list!
One things for sure: "You can never predict what you might pick up from your research!"

(David Nicholls and I. Was squee-ing on the inside. Clearly, it showed)

Later on, when I asked him about his writing habits, he remarked that he tends to write early in the morning, where his creative juices are at its highest: he would aim to write at least 2000 words a day. Now that's something I need to work on!

 Great time all around. A very lovely bonus that I got my copy personally signed. Many thanks, HarperCollins Canada!

Us is out in bookshops everywhere: it would make a wonderful gift for your bookish loved ones- it's never too early to think about holiday gift-giving!

Sights and Sounds

Friends,

(Took this shot- one of my favourite pastimes: whenever I purchase flowers, or flowers that were given to me, I would collect its petals and press them in between the pages of my favourite books. That way, its beauty remains preserved for a very long time.)

 Although it's hard to fathom, March has arrived with a bitter chill in its heart. I hope that she will warm up as we inch towards the first day of Spring- at this point, I'd rather get rain than more snow! In between these bittersweet days, I have managed to bake more pies, write more letters, and read more books (thank heavens!)

Events:

I had the opportunity to see Ane Brun and  Linnea Olsson live at the Rivoli! What a show, she did not disappoint- in fact, I think she was even better live. Afterwards, I was able to shake hands with Linnea and tell her how great they both performed- both are so sweet in person.

Sitting at Art Square Cafe & Gallery with a cup of Cafe Americano after a wonderful trip to the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) to visit the Guggenheim exhibition. From Picasso to Matisse, it was overwhelming to see these artworks in real life! I was in awe for hours- Art History Major problems. 

Getting lost in art galleries is something I love to do.

I could sit and sketch or write in such a setting. It actually clears my head and elevates me to another place. More than ever, supporting your art galleries and museums is integral. Too often I overhear teenagers expressing distaste and boredom for such places. It's quite sad.

An Ode to Books...

For those who know me, I am a huge bookworm. I am  also the type that never reads just one book: juggling three or four books is complete normalcy... which is precisely what I am doing at the moment!

I am currently participating in HarperCollins Canada's 50 Book Pledge. I vow to read 50 books this year! Last year I ended off with 29, so I am doing whatever it takes to achieve that goal.

I am also on Goodreads so let's be friends!
On my Pinterest page, I have dedicated a board called "On My Bookshelf" to books which I have collected over the years- and despite the effort, there are still many books which I still need to add!

I love books so much that in June of 2011, I began to form my own book club here in Toronto: the Matchbook Book Club. Since then, we've had author visits ranging from C.S. Richardson, to Cathy Marie Buchanan, hosted craft parties, film nights, and Murder Mystery games.

Why the name? I decided to match books with a monthly theme, with hand-picked titles carefully chosen by yours truly, with months where there are Member's Choice picks! We gather once a month in Toronto, and the places we pick varies from Marche to Balzac's. 

I love my members, they are a fantastic group of people with wonderful stories and inspirations. I couldn't ask for anything more. Their intense passion of books is what draws in very interesting discussions. And we are continuously growing- new faces are always welcome!

What I'm Currently Reading: 

The Enchanted

I am currently reading this book for The National Post's Afterword Reading Society.

Emotions ran a bit high as I turned to the first page, for I have heard high praise for this book. It wasn't surprising that I found myself completely sunken into this book. Denfeld's writing is haunting and mesmerizing.
I listen to Lorde's Glory and Gore on repeat while reading this on the train- what a heightened experience!

The Flamethrowers

A Matchbook Book Club pick. This month was Member's Choice and so we drew this title out of a toque (how very fitting at this time of year), which was selected by one of our members, Lauren.

So far so good! It's smart and well-written. Not a light read, but worth savouring some time by your favourite armchair.

I listen to The Rolling Stones and The Black Keys while I'm reading this book. It gets you in the mood.

Gone Girl

Now how I came to read this novel is interesting: I have had a couple of book club members sit strongly on opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to liking/disliking the book. It was so amusing, that I had to decide for myself how I would think of Gone Girl. I even convinced one of my girlfriends to join me on this bookish escapade! A book club read within a book club read, I might say!

I listen to Agnes Obel when I read this book. I can only imagine how David Fincher will bring this story to life!

Vish Puri

I came upon this series one day when I was on my weekend visit to Nicholas Hoare (a once enchanting bookshop in Toronto, pure heaven in my eyes, now closed it is heartbreaking to say). I would often stroll by the Mystery section, scanning with excitement the latest titles. It was then I saw a cover of one of the Vish Puri books and decided to take a chance on it.  

These reads are what I like to call a "bubbly mystery" - it's no Girl With The Dragon Tattoo! It's light, funny, with twisting plots that will keep you guessing. I'm halfway through this book at the moment, and it is a thrill.
I listen to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel soundtrack- it's perfect for this series.

Films

At some point in my life, there's an inner pull in me to re-watch this film series. I can't even begin to tell you how good and important these films are! It spans over the course of almost three decades, three different places, weaving one love story. Shelve your thoughts about these films being the typical cheesy romantic drama: charming realism is what I would depict them. The dialogue between Delpy and Hawke is superb. Utterly superb. 

Take my word for it and watch this on a Thursday evening. It'll be something to look forward to at the beginning of your work week. It will be worth it, I promise.

Until next time!

An owl post

Event: Pantene Beautiful Hair Bar

A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad, has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears.

-Anne Roiphe

Lovelies,

I was very touched to be invited to the Pantene Beautiful Hair Bar Event, courtesy of ChickAdvisor and Pantene! It would be the first event that I would blog about here at The Owl and the Nightingale, so that made it all the more special.

The event took place at 363 King Street West. When you stepped inside the Pantene Beautiful Hair Bar, two words came to mind that described the place: charming and chic.

I brought Eric along with me as he was curious about the event, and amidst the delicious food and treats (think macaroons and pretty cupcakes), we met wonderful people along the way, including the fantastic team of ChickAdvisor!

Upon taking a hair questionnaire, it was not surprising that the end result was for volume! My Pantene hairstylist Andrew was a very sweet guy who cared for my hair. He also informed me that the Pantene shampoo that was used on my hair was silicone-free- good to know!

Styling away!

Almost done!

Eh voila, the final result! It was definitely a swish-and-flick sort of moment.

Eric took this shot from behind. I love how my layers cascade down like that!

The "After" shot- now I'm ready to paint the town red! 

What a fantastic time I had- and I was able to take home the products that were used to style my hair, plus a few more other goodies. Woot! 

Until next time!

xo

Jo

a Nightingale post