Literary Stylings and 52 Pick-Up: Sapphire

Nothing like a long weekend to make even a short week feel eternal. What's a gal to do?

Wear a dress!

• Dress - Max & Co.; last worn here in October 2015 for a Manic Monday
• Boots - BCBG Max Azria; purchased here on the weekend for $206.00

And...done! A simple outfit.

I wanted to wear my new boots right away - fortunately, they were gorgeously comfortable (better than I expected, to be honest!).

I look a little outer space-y.

The stuff:

Long tall boots.

Bigass bling:

A Major Belt - coincidentally, the same brand as the boots.

• Belt - BCBG Max Azria, consignment
• Bracelet - Club Monaco
• Earrings - thrifted

I'm participating in two link-ups with this post. The first is Anne's "52 Pick-Up" this week, which is featuring Sapphire blue. Go say hi (here)!

And, since reading is a passion of mine (and my goal for 2016 is to read more than 2015), I'm always happy to join in with Gracey's "Literary Stylings" (go here!).

I read 5 books in January, but one was a loaner from Stuart at work, so I have returned that.

I adore Jenny Lawson's blog, and really loved her first book, but "Furiously Happy" was not as engaging for me. I'm happy that the conversation is now going on about mental illness (hello, Anxiety, Depression and I are old friends), but I really wanted to LOVE this book, and I merely liked it. Wait for paperback unless you have a Chapters gift card (which I did). And read Jenny's blog (here).

I was blown away by Miranda July's book of short stories, however. I know her from her films (in particular, "You, Me and Everyone We Know" which makes me want to cry in a happy way and write poetry), and didn't even know she's written multiple books. I now need more of her stuff, because I only have 20 books on/beside/toppling over off my nightstand. Loved these bizarre, strange and different short stories. Also, short stories = low commitment. You don't have to read a whole book.

These following two suffered in comparison to the first two. "The Diamond Conspiracy" is the 4th? book in the ongoing steampunk-y adventure series by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris, and the series is getting weaker as it goes on. Every Victorian horror trope is dragged out: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein and his monster, fearless female and timid bookish (but handsome and manly) men. Sigh. End the damned series and write something new and original.

I was really excited about "The Day of the Triffids" by John Wyndham - it's a science fiction classic! Well, so was "Stranger in a Strange Land" and that didn't go well when I re-read it. "Triffids" starts out really interesting, and then it just...falls apart. It's obviously a huge influence on modern stuff like "28 Days Later" and "The Walking Dead" but it's so dated now (in a sexist way - arg, why do women who are interesting and intelligent have to turn into baby-making machines?) that I found it hard to engage with it. I liked it better than its mate up there, though. Still worth reading, only because it's a classic, and to get the real source for our modern dystopic fiction.