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Review | The Poppy War by RF Kuang
The Poppy War is a new fantasy novel written by RF Kuang. This is the first book in, at time of publishing this post, a two-part series about a dark alternate world where magic and gods are real and a girl leaves home to study at a school only open for the best students in the realm. SUMMARY When Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies, it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to…
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Book Review | Vox by Christina Dalcher
Vox by Christina Dalcher is a new dystopia set in a futuristic version of America. One where women are only allowed to speak 100 words every day. With nods to The Handmaid’s Tale and The Stepford Wives. Vox feels very relevant in our modern day society. SUMMARY On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr Jean McClellan is in denial—this can’t happen here. Not in America. Not to her. This is just the beginning. Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person…
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Book Review: Moonseed by Stephen Baxter
Moonseed is a speculative science fiction novel written by Stephen Baxter. Originally published in 1999, Moonseed is part of a series of novels called the NASA Trilogy which also includes Voyage and Titan. These books explore the possibilities of the American Space Program if circumstances were slightly different. MOONSEED SUMMARY It Eats Planets. And It’s Here. It starts when Venus explodes into a brilliant cloud of dust and debris, showering Earth with radiation and bizarre particles that wipe out all the crops and half the life in the oceans, and fry the ozone layer. Days later, a few specks of moon rock kicked up from the last Apollo mission fall…
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My Favourite Art and Design Books of 2018
Today I am going to share some of my favourite art and design books from 2018. In past years these posts have been more broad, focusing on fiction and non-fiction books. However this year I’ve found myself having less time for reading because of university. Coincidentally I have also bought myself more art books this year for that same reason. MY FAVOURITE ART AND DESIGN BOOKS OF 2018 Hand Drawn Maps by Helen Cain This is a book I was given for Christmas last year and I love it. Hand Drawn Maps is a ‘how to’ guide on hand-drawn cartography. It starts out with a brief history of maps and…
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The Ultimate Harry Potter Gift Guide
That time of year is coming up very soon where you have to buy lots of presents for people you may only vaguely know. Today I have a rundown of the best things to buy the Harry Potter fan in your life. New editions of the Potter books are great but the story doesn’t actually change. So here are a few things I’m sure any Potter fan would love. The Ultimate Harry Potter Gift Guide HARRY POTTER BOOKS I know I just said there is more interesting Harry Potter memorabilia to be found than books but let’s start with the obvious. Since Harry Potter first came out in the 90s…
