Title: Now Entering Addamsville Author: Francesca Zappia Publisher: Greenwillow Books (October 2019) Zora Novak has been framed.  When someone burns down the home of the school janitor and he dies in the blaze, everyone in Addamsville, Indiana, points a finger at Zora. Never mind that Zora has been on the straight and narrow since her father was thrown in jail. With everyone looking for evidence against her, her only choice is to uncover the identity of the real killer. There’s one big problem—Zora has no leads. No one does. Addamsville has a history of tragedy, and thirty years ago a sim ..read more

Title: Serpent and Dove (Book 1) Author: Shelby Mahurin Publisher: HarperTeen (September 2019) Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.  Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.  The war between witches and Church ..read more

Last week, the boyfriend and I took a trip to Amsterdam to have a look at the city we are planning to reside in. Mike is no stranger to Amsterdam, however, this was my first time in the Netherlands and I was eager to see what the city had to offer. It is a different experience visiting a city knowing it is going to become your new home. We were especially interested to see supermarkets and how the selection and costs compare to South Africa. You take in more details of daily living rather than just focusing on tourist hotspots, though of course visited those too. Because Amsterdam is a re ..read more

Hey all! So I am relocating to the Netherlands in two months. I have sold my car and also will be spending the next two months at home, sorting out life stuff. I have decided, partly for my own sanity and partly to get rid of my teetering TBR pile, to try and read 50 books in 2 months (60 days). This might seem impossible for some, but I was taught to read from a young age and, when I am on form, am capable of reading a 350-page book in 2 hours. I am fairly confident I can make this number before getting on a plane. I plan to record my progress and review all books read here. I am not go ..read more

In this post, I am going to be chatting about one of my favourite Commanders, Lord Windgrace. He was one of the Commander 2018 decks, but unfortunately, the deck out the box needs a lot of work in order to be consistently competitive. Windgrace is a deck that cares about lands. From the number of lands you have to effects that happen when a land hits the battlefield. Fortunately, this is also one of the most straightforward C18 decks to upgrade and there are a few cards that, once included, can turn this into a potent deck. Before we go into these additions, remember that Windgrace is resp ..read more

3 years ago, Netflix released the first season of a weird show called Stranger Things. It is a blend of horror and sci-fi set in the 80's created by the Duffer Brothers. It is the sort of show that would have gained a cult following if it had been released before the days of streaming media. But, for reasons I will attempt to unpack now, Stranger Things is immensely popular with a wide audience. The release of Season 3 broke records for Netflix, hitting 40.7 million households within the first few days. That is simply insane, considering the quirkiness of the show. Set in the town of Hawk ..read more

Title: Wait for Me Author: Caroline Leech Publisher: HarperTeen (January 2017) “I am German, yes, but I am not a Nazi. There is a difference, and one day I hope you understand that.”  It’s 1945, and Lorna Anderson’s life on her father’s farm in Scotland consists of endless chores and rationing, knitting Red Cross scarves, and praying for an Allied victory. So when Paul Vogel, a German prisoner of war, is assigned as the new farmhand, Lorna is appalled. How can she possibly work alongside the enemy when her own brothers are risking their lives for their country?  But as Lorna reluctantly ..read more

Title: Radio Silence Author: Alice Oseman Publisher: Harper Collins (February 2016) What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?  Frances is a study machine with one goal. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. Then Frances meets Aled, and for the first time she's unafraid to be herself.  So when the fragile trust between them is broken, Frances is caught between who she was and who she longs to be. Now Frances knows that she has to confront her past. To confess why Carys disappeared…  Frances is going to need e ..read more

I have been fortunate to have been on the outskirts of the South African book industry since 2012 or so when the first incarnation of this blog was created. As a result, I have learnt a lot about publishing for someone who has never finished a novel of my own. I am not an expert, but I am a reader and I have some pretty strong feelings on the self-publishing industry which many, especially those authors who are self-published, might take umbrage to. I am OK with this because there are things that need to be said. Some hard truths that I am going to outline here and explain why I am not exactl ..read more

Add caption If you have Netflix or the internet, you would probably have heard someone talking about the new show, The Umbrella Academy by now. What you might not have heard is that the show is the brainchild of ex-My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way. Not only did he write the comics, but he was also instrumental (see what I did there?) in putting together the tv show and its soundtrack. Gerard Way as we know him best. And what an awesome soundtrack it is. Possibly the best part of the few episodes I have watched. This prompted me to find a Spotify playlist and give the list of tracks a l ..read more