all things swedish

one of the places i was strongly considering before i decided on the Netherlands was Sweden. Why? seems like there is a swedish theme going on with my interests right now.

Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy- the girl with the dragon tattoo starts off a bit slow but once the story picks up, it just (mostly) keeps on going through the whole series. According to my kobo i'm 78% complete the 3rd book. Apparently his wife is considering finishing the fourth novel that was nearly complete when Stieg died. I've also watched 2/3 of the foreign, subtitled films. 

source

Robyn. i love this girl. getting right up front to the stage in the summer was pretty much the coolest experience. This picture is obvi from before we got bumped up.

ikea. I think this one goes with the need for an explanation or pictures. Remember my new duvet? the insert is from Ikea, lol. Driven to while listening to Robyn.

H&M... new jeans and legwarmers... perfect for to & from the studio in chilly weather! 

So, Sweden has been added to the list of places to visit.

♥ Callah

at home

Have you ever seen a BOOK trailer before?!



I love his travel stuff, although i'm not sure how i feel about these "history" type books.

♥ Callah

A new read

As some of you know, I have a fascination with Japan. This largely began with the book Memoirs of a Geisha, and has gone on from there. I think the movie is fabulous as well, for the fact of the visuals it brings to life that you just can't fully grasp by reading the book (if you haven't done your research on Japan).
I just discovered that Mineko Iwasaki, the source for the author, wrote her own "true" version of the story. She actually sued Arthur Golden for mentioning her name in the credits as she had requested confidentiality.

Geisha, a Life has gotten mixed reviews but I'm still looking forward to reading it. I'll let you know what I think!
♥ Callah

Twenties Girl

Seeing as I strongly dislike the shopaholic series (I mean, seriously, just STOP SHOPPING), I wasn't sure if I would like Sophie Kinsella's new book, Twenties Girl. However, seeing as it was a totally different kind of story (not to mention my sister brought it home on the day it was released) I figured I'd give it a go.
Twenties Girl is actually a ghost story. Lara's life sucks (not to go into too much detail like the book cover!) and after her great-aunt Sadie dies, she starts seeing her ghost- as she was in the twenties. This was actually an excellent read, I couldn't put it down because it kept you guessing the whole time. (Also probably something to do with procrastinating some history reading!) While it does have a love story plot line, it's really not the main focus. It's also cool hearing all the descriptions about the twenties.
Verdict: Definite recommendation.
♥ Callah

The Cellist of Sarajevo

So, after reading LA Candy I needed something a bit more serious to balance it out!
The plot: taking place during the Bosnian genocide, the novel is set in Sarajevo. It follows four characters: A cellist, who plays at the point of impact where a mortar killed 22 people waiting for bread, for 22 days, a sniper, who is assigned to protect the cellist, and two other civilian characters experiencing the trials of living in a city under seige.

Verdict: recommended. In combination with my current essay (on the Rwandan genocide) this book makes me realize why countries such as our own get involved in peacekeeping missions. The characters really grab you, and draw you into the experience. It isn't too long either, so while it's not light material, it once again is a quick read, which is always a good thing. Good writing.

♥ Callah

LA Candy

I've read a crapload of books lately so I've decided to start reviewing some of them on here.

First up... LA Candy by Lauren Conrad! Yes it's true. I will point out my sister bought it, not me! lol.

The basic plot is that two young girls move to LA, but they AREN'T looking to make it big. They randomly get approached about being in a reality show, based on their lives. It focuses on the perks and disadvantages of being a relaity TV star, and of course their relationships, both with "cute guys" and each other. There are some devious co-stars making things difficult for the two main characters.

So, it's the first in a 3-part series of "teen fiction". (which has never stopped me... Harry Potter or Twilight anyone?) The bad thing about this is that the book just cuts off at the end- no closure, it'll just pick up exactly - like the sentence after- where it left off in the next book. Kind of like a two-part episode... with a much longer wait time!

But onto the story itself. Lauren isn't actually a bad writer, although her descriptions of every single character's outfit in every scene probably aren't necessary to the plot. It's actually quite interested to find out the reality of "reality", since this plot is suspiciously close to Lauren's actual life story. It's also kind of fun to guess which real-life personality the characters might be modeled after.

The verdict: Only pick this up if you plan on reading all three books in the series. It's a perfect summer read, very quick & easy to get through. If you've ever wondered about what The Hills stars lives are really like, this is a great insiders view.

♥ Callah