Book Review: Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

A sexy dark and glittering jewel of a novel featuring Sapphic vampires and crumbling old Victorian estates with a cast of believable and enjoyable characters. You will want to get drawn into this one, but you may not be able to stop!

All About Māori Kite Making

There are 17 types of Māori kites. Traditionally made from strong timber framing like manuka wood they were woven with flax and the paper and bark of the mulberry plant until the plant went virtually extinct. Birdman kites have a powerful symbolism for all Māori iwi including for my own, Ngaī Tamanuhiri and Ngā Puhi.Continue reading “All About Māori Kite Making”

10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet 187

The mind replays what the heart wants to heal Iconoclast and Rebel Peaches opens up her mind on Amoeba’s channel One of the most singular and outre artists in the world Peaches visits the Amoeba shop and picks out her fav albums and films. This was interesting because she has some pretty wild choices includingContinue reading “10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet 187”

Quirky insights into lost worlds: Ex Libris book plates

Passionate devotees of books from throughout history share a common thread with all of us modern-day bibiophiles, they longed to celebrate their books and mark their ownership with an Ex Libris book plate. Ever since Pharaonic Egypt, marking one’s ownership of a book has been a thing. Ex Libris bookplates are more than the stamped or printed marks denoting ownership. They represent the taste, values of their owner, how they saw themselves and the aesthetic styles of the eras when they were made.

10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet 186

Excellent channel Lina’s Thobe explains the importance of Palestinian Tatreez Palestinian tatreez isn’t “just embroidery.” For centuries, it’s been a visual language — carrying the names of villages, the colors of seasons, and the stories of displacement and survival. In this video, I share how one humble stitch became a way to map a homeland,Continue reading “10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet 186”

Book Review: The Colony by Annika Norlin

A huge bestseller in Sweden, The Colony is a deeply an intimate and heartbreaking character study of what happens when strangers with a lot of emotional baggage find themselves together in an isolated self-sufficient community in rural Sweden. A strange book unlike any I’ve ever read before and I loved it.

Travel: The Beautiful Terrace Windows of Triana, Sevilla

Back in 2010 during a particularly sweltering summer, I visited Andalucia and soaked in the beautiful architecture in Sevilla. The best way to see all of the charming neighbourhoods and historic monuments was going the tourist routes with an open-top bus. This also afforded me excellent views onto all of the terrace houses with theirContinue reading “Travel: The Beautiful Terrace Windows of Triana, Sevilla”

10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet 185

This week #birds or Aruba, the creativty of immigrants, #portishead #MarilynManson fusion, #love letters of slime moulds, a stop motion #animation of Thumbelina and #dogs on the #NewYork Subway – its edition 185 of Interesting Things!

Beautiful maps & beautiful Welsh tales: The Mabinogion

The Mabinogion is a magical and mythical Celtic classic from the thirteenth century or earlier. It’s thoroughly Welsh and is considered a masterpiece of medieval literature. The Mabinogion has given rise to all of the stories by Tolkien, Le Guin, Martin and countless more. The stories are the very genesis of the Arthurian tales ofContinue reading “Beautiful maps & beautiful Welsh tales: The Mabinogion”

10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet 184

Water voles and me Nature filmmaker Natalie Clements films sweet and gentle water voles going about their day in this short and captivating documentary that captures the importance of rewilding Britain and witnessing animal lives. Across Cultures, One Key to Happiness Stands Out Decades of global surveys point to a single, consistent foundation of well-being:Continue reading “10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet 184”