magicbooksandcozynooks

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

The perfect spot to read a good book :) 

#cozy hygge booklover bookblr

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

sooo tranquil.  Have a great day!

cinemagraph artist on instagram

#cozy #mindfulness #coziness #relaxation #mindfulliving #cosy #hygge

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

I have been waiting for this month for the longest time. Finally, as a reward for myself in finishing all of my monthly themes, I decided to give myself a chance to read whatever I wanted for December. Unexpectedly, I’m feeling a little bit adrift because now that I have the freedom to choose what to read, it feels like I don’t know where to begin.

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

The magic of books :)

#books #magical

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

what a great spot <3

#cozy #warm and cozy #cats

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

Incredible illustrations, wow <3

Kinuko Craft Appreciation Post 

She has long been one of my very favourite artist/illustrators. 

#illustration #magical

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

A cozy spot for Sunday reads <3

• pillow talk •

#cozy #bookworm #shelfie #books and libraries #bookblr

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

Perfect, cozy moment <3  And those Turkish delights look incredible...

Source: Pinterest (PanaCha J.)

#cozy #warm and cozy #fireplace #coffee #coffee love #turkish delight #coziness #hygge #cosy #cosiness #simple pleasures #cinemagraph

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

Another incredibly cozy cinemagraph by @khoroshavina / @butteryplanet

The vibes here are so lovely, I want to just reach in and grab a cookie :)

#cozy #relaxing #calm #tea #afternoon tea #coziness #hygge #cosy #cosiness #cinemagraph #lights #warm and cozy

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

nominated by @anassarhenisch, nominating @siren-tales :D

Post a photo of a book you love without any caption or explanation, just to share the love of books! :) 

#one of my favorites #jdsalinger #catcher in the rye #book challenge #book love #book worm #bookblr #booklr #books and libraries

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

what a wonderful moment <3

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjNqsvyn4yV/

#magic #paris #magical moments #eiffel tower #cozy #goals

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

Stunning, magical illustrations!

rainbow of memories

#illustration art

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

Book Review: Strange the Dreamer

Today was a rainy day so I decided to finish this book in a cozy little coffee shop :) 

Summary: I started off really enjoying this novel because it had very creative ideas and images that I didn´t expect when starting it, but somewhere along they way it felt like the story got tired and began dragging itself along and I realized that I wasn’t enjoying it nearly as much as I had in the beginning.  Nevertheless, it has likeable characters and beautiful prose so it was an overall pleasant read.  

The style: The prose is lovely and smooth and even when the story was lackluster, the poetic and masterful sentences were so well-crafted that they kept nudging me forward, as though the author knew the story itself wasn’t strong enough to carry the reader through. That being said, I thought the style of Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Laini Taylor´s previous series) was much more beautiful and decadent, which is what I fell in love with and was hoping for in this one, so I was a bit disappointed to find that the prose wasn’t quite as rich here as I remembered it.

The story: This book feels like it would have been better suited as a much shorter work. The beauty of the story is in its original imagery and characters and in the deep romance and longing associated with the love which I feel is perfect for a legend/myth format like an epic poem or song or even an illustrated book like Benjamin Lacombe´s Ondine. However, there really isn’t enough plot to fill 500+ pages. Although the characters were likeable and relatable and the language was beautifully poetic, there was hardly any excitement or tension or action to keep me interested until the end. As for the ending itself, there was a very long build towards the final scene but the actual finale wasn’t thrilling enough to support the build and, at least for me, was more or less predictable.

Dialogue: the dialogue was my favorite part of the book and I wish there was much more of it!  It achieved that rare balance of being realistic and not cringey but also very funny and entertaining and heartfelt. If 150 pages of description and thought sequences in this book were transformed into dialogue I think I would have enjoyed it significantly more. 10/10 on dialogue for me :D 

In conclusion: I think the writing style and dialogue is masterful, however the plot and rhythm of this story wasn´t rich and complex enough to support its length.  The conclusion wasn´t satisfying for me and it didn´t leave me wanting to pick up the sequel.  That being said, tons of people have loved this book so I don´t want to discourage anyone from reading it :) 

#book review #currently reading #bookblr #bookstagram #books and libraries #bookworm #cozy #warm and cozy #coziness #cosy #coffee #coffee lover #coffeeshop #cafe #strange the dreamer #lazlo strange #sarai #booklr

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

Incredible peace and cosiness <3

#cosy #warm and cozy #bookworm #warm and cosy #cosyvibes #cosyhome #cozyplaces #cozy #tea #bookblr #books and libraries #book lover #terrace #hygge

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

A wonderful spot to read good books :)

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

Perfect moment, so calm and cozy <3

By @butteryplanet - gorgeous cinemagraphs!

#cozy #coziness #hygge #book lover #book worm #bookblr #coffetime #coffee #warm and cozy #books and libraries #bookstagram #catlover #cosy #cosiness

[magicbooksandcozynooks]

Book Review: Claudine in Paris by Colette

Summary: This book was such a joy to read! It’s an older book from 1901, written by famous French female writer, Colette (Keira Knightly is playing her in a new film about her life) and I picked it up because I was visiting Paris and wanted something Paris-related to get in the mood.  I didn´t have particularly high hopes for it as I´d never heard anything about it or the author (silly me). However, this is a wonderful, decadent pastry of a book :) 

Style: The language and descriptions are so eloquent and fun and colorful and rich, the only way to describe them is delicious. I read each one slowly and sometimes twice so I could savor it. I just finished it and I’m tempted to pick it up and read it again :)

Excerpts: Here are a few lines that seem like good representations of what I mean, but the book is full of language like this!

¨The pretty creature!  Flying hair, a vast feathered hat tipped forward, rapturous, short-sighted eyes, a frequent soft, all-embracing gesture with her little right hand that glittered with rings.  She was approbation incarnate.¨ p.52

¨When the surface exposed to the fire softened, blackened, crackled, and blistered, I lifted it off in thin layers with my little knife...Exquisite taste, a mixture of grilled almonds and grafted vanilla! The melancholy sweetness of savouring the toasted chocolate and, at the same time, staining one´s toenails pink with a little rag soaked in Papa´s red ink!¨ p. 67 

The dialogue is also wonderful. It´s witty, funny and vibrant with a great rhythm that keeps you on your toes and there are sparks of chemistry between all the characters.

Story: Although the language and style were the stars of the show for me, the story is also very entertaining.  It´s about a feisty and stubborn young French girl who moves to Paris from a small town in France.  Although she hates it in the beginning because she misses her home, meeting her beautiful and secretive nephew, Marcel (who is her age), and his charming but oh-so-different father, Renaud, makes things more interesting for her.

Final thoughts: This book is a gem that I am so glad I picked up!  It was a pleasure to read and I´m sad that it´s over so I´ll be buying the sequel soon :)  I highly recommend it!

#book review #colette #currently reading #claudine #books #books and libraries #cosy #cozy #bookstagram #recommended reading #10/10 would recommend #bookworm #book lover