November Reading Wrap-Up

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Total Books Read: 2
November TBR Books Read: 1
2017 TBR Challenge Books Read: 1
Total Pages Read: 530
Total Hours Listened: 14 hours 21 minutes

Faithless by Karin Slaughter – 3/5 – I picked this up at a book exchange last month and was excited to read another Karin Slaughter title because she is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. This was an okay book, nothing special in my opinion, and not the first thing I would recommend if you are going to read something by Karin Slaughter. My co-worker also accidentally spoiled a major plot point in the story arc of this series, so that put a bit of a dampener on things while I was reading.

Mr Mercedes by Stephen King – 4/5 – I am turning into a massive fan of Stephen King. This is the… sixth (?) book of his that I have read, and it is one of my favourites so far. But come on, Stephen King taking on the crime genre? How could I not love this book. I love how detailed Stephen King’s books are, and this did not disappoint. His characters are always so richly developed, and Mr Mercedes was a satisfyingly creepy villain and a perfect match to Bill Hodges our protagonist. This is part one in a trilogy and I can guarantee that I’ll be reading the next two books in this series at some point next year.

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Sephora Haul

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It’s my birthday on Monday, I have some money burning a hole in my PayPal account, and I’m close to running out of a few of my makeup holy grails. What better time to do an impromptu Sephora haul? There are a couple of things I feel like I can’t really live without when it comes to my makeup (dramatic, I know), so once I know these are close to running out I can usually justify a bit of a Sephora splurge.

Here is what I picked up –

Givenchy Photo Perfexion Foundation in Perfect Ivory
Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Dark Brunette
Lancome Hypnose Custom Volume Mascara in Black
Tarte Limited-Edition Artful Accessories Brush Set
BeautyBlender Swirl

They won’t arrive in time for my birthday, but hopefully they’ll arrive before my foundation runs out…

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October Empties (P50P Pt 9)

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Sample: Clarins Double Serum & Multi-Active Day – I am a big fan of Clarins oils and serums, so I’m wasn’t surprised to find that I really liked the Double Serum. It was scented but didn’t irritate the skin, was absorbed quickly and left my face looking nice and plump the next day. The Multi-Active Day cream was not my favourite, it was heavily scented (enough for me to still smell it for a long time after applying it to my face) and too heavy for me to wear as a day cream. I would consider picking up the full sized serum, but not the day cream.

32: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Wipes – This product is a new discovery for me this year and now a firm favourite in my skincare cupboard. Unfortunately, due to the fact that I am trying to finish this damn Project Pan I have not been able to repurchase. But you can bet that when I’m next in a position to be buying face wipes this is what I’ll be picking up.

33: Glasshouse Candle in Tahaa (vanilla caramel) – To be honest, I’m not a big fan of this scent because it’s too close to being sickly sweet. It is however one of Sebastian’s favourites and I purchased this mini candle as part of his Christmas gift last year. I wouldn’t repurchase this for myself, but he loves it so it might still make a reappearance in the future.

34: Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel – Um, what?! A Paula’s Choice product that I didn’t repurchase immediately? It is only because I am participating in this pan that I didn’t repurchase this. I loved this moisturiser, and it has replaced Hydralight as my favourite in the range. This has more of a gel-like texture, and my combination skin absolutely loved it. I think this would work well in the warmer months because it feels nice and light on the skin.

35: Skin Republic Collagen Infusion Face Mask Sheet – I picked up a couple of these sheet masks while placing a Chemist Warehouse order not really expecting much but I actually really love them. They work well on my sensitive skin, and do seem to have visible results. I am leaning more and more towards sheet masks lately, they really play into my laziness. They’re so easy to use and I don’t have to spend any time washing any additional product off my face afterwards. These masks in particular are only $6.99 and are definitely worth checking out.

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November TBR

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In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware – Nora hasn’t seen Clare for ten years. Not since the day Nora walked out of her old life and never looked back. Until, out of the blue, an invitation to Clare’s hen party arrives. A weekend in a remote cottage – the perfect opportunity for Nora to reconnect with her best friend, to put the past behind her. But something goes wrong. Very wrong. And as secrets and lies unravel, out in the dark, dark wood the past will finally catch up with Nora.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson – Taylor Edwards’ family aren’t close but when they receive some life-changing news they decide to get to know each other again, spending one last summer together at their old lake house. But Taylor is faced with the past she ran away from. Her former summer best friend is still living across the lake and still as mad with Taylor as she was five years ago, and her first boyfriend has moved in next door… but he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve. Can one summer be enough time to get a second chance – with family, friends, and love?

Fresh Complaint by Jeffrey Eugenides – `What was it about complaining that felt so good? You and your fellow sufferer emerging from a thorough session as if from a spa bath, refreshed and tingling?’ The first-ever collection of short stories from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides presents characters in the midst of personal and national emergencies. We meet Kendall, a failed poet who, envious of other people’s wealth during the real estate bubble, becomes an embezzler; and Mitchell, a lovelorn liberal arts graduate on a search for enlightenment; and Prakrti, a high school student whose wish to escape the strictures of her family leads to a drastic decision that upends the life of a middle-aged academic.

Faithless by Karin Slaughter – A walk in the woods takes a sinister turn for police chief Jeffrey Tolliver and medical examiner Sara Linton when they stumble across the body of a young girl. Incarcerated in the ground, all the initial evidence indicates that she has, quite literally, been scared to death. But as Sara embarks on the autopsy, something even more horrifying comes to light. Something which shocks even Sara. Detective Lena Adams, talented but increasingly troubled, is called in from vacation to help with the investigation – and the trail soon leads to the neighbouring county, an isolated community, and a terrible secret…

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October Reading Wrap-Up

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Total Books Read: 4
October TBR Books Read: 3
Spookathon TBR Books Read: 2
2017 TBR Challenge Books Read: 1
Total Pages Read: 1,149
Total Hours Listened: 1 Hour 54 Minutes

The Silent Invasion by James Bradley – 3/5 – This was my library book for the month, and to be honest it put me into a bit of a reading slump. I think I need to accept the fact that I just don’t really like science fiction novels. This was the first book in a trilogy, but I don’t think I will continue with the series.

Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell – 4/5 – This book ranks in the top five of my favourite classics, and even though it was published in 1949 the story still holds up to this day. In fact it feels a little bit too real reading it in 2017.

Love Murder by Saul Black – 4/5 – I was fairly confident going into this book that I would enjoy it, because I loved The Killing Lessons which was the first book in the series. I’m happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed. This was the second book I read for Spookathon, and a real page turner that I managed to power through in two days. Just an FYI – you don’t need to read book one to understand or enjoy book two.

End Of The Innocence by Alessandra Torre – 3/5 – This had been sitting on my kindle for a while, and I knew that I was going to be trying to finish more books off this month than usual (thanks to the Spookathon), so I put this on my TBR knowing it would be a quick and easy read. I really love Alessandra Torre’s books, they are a liiiiittle bit trashy but I love them all the same.

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