Stardust by Neil Gaiman - ★★☆☆☆
This little story first crossed my path as a film, which I watched completely unaware that it was based on this novel. The film has absolutely everything that enchanted me: adventure, pirates, stars, witches, magic, inheritance and succession issues (lol) and a touch of comedy (thank you, Robert De Niro). So when I picked up the book for the first time I was excited to see what extras I would find inside and enoy what they had left out of the film. The truth is, I never got past 30 pages until this year and what I found was a little disappointing. Gaiman is an amazing writer, he creates worlds with beauty, interest and just a dash of wit. The thing is that I had the film comparison in the back of my mind throughout reading and to me, the film was just a bit more full.
My Little French Kitchen by Rachel Khoo - ★★★☆☆
Generally, I don't count cookbooks towards my reading goals but I absolutely devoured this one (no pun intended). My mother loved Rachel Khoo from the minute she found out about her 'little Paris kitchen' AKA: the restaurant Rachel opened in her apartment where the maximum capacity for diners she served was a whopping two people at a time. In this book she travelled the regions of France to enjoy and spin their signature dishes. The entire concept of travelling and eating local cuisine is a great basis for cookbooks. Nobody cooks like the locals, right? Recipes of particular enjoyment to my tummy: Red Wine Roast Chicken, Pan Fried Niçois Ravioli and Ham Hock & vegetable soup.
Spark Joy by Marie Kondo - ★★★☆☆
I already know what you're thinking. 'Do you really need a book to teach you how to tidy?' Nah. I generally enjoy cleaning, but this book goes beyond cleaning and logistics of how many times you should dust a month and helps you feel genuinely happy in your space. The bottom line of this book is to keep things that spark joy, which quite frankly was a revelation to someone who tidies by utility. From there, you should display and store items where you can frequently see the things that make you happy. There's a lot more to the KonMari methods-- folding guidelines and some interesting anthropomorphising but those were the two most valuable messages I received.
Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman - ★★★★☆
And back to Neil Gaiman! Short stories are my favourite for the beginning of the year (I find I can't concentrate on a full length novel with all the newness) and this one-- with just a bit of sci-fi and horror hit the spot. Honestly, I first spotted this book in a bookshop in Belfast and I knew I wanted to read it simply from the cover. There stories are diverse and while some don't feature actual monsters, they did make my brain think and step outside it's comfort zone.
