mybookbath

[mybookbath]

Today is summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. ☀️ Twenty five years ago this day was chosen to mark the annual recognition of National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. It is the official day to acknowledge, honour and celebrate the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in this country. I recognize that I am a white settler living as a guest on this precious land. I feel it’s my duty to educate myself on Indigenous culture. My preferred way of doing this is by reading all I can written by Indigenous authors. This is my Indigenous collection. All but one (Killers of the Flower Moon) are written by indigenous authors. I am currently reading The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. Earlier this month, this book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. 🏆📕👏👏👏 Have you read any of the books pictures here? If you have an Indigenous book recommendation, I would love if you mentioned it in the comments. It’s important to learn from and celebrate the wisdom of this incredible culture that is sadly too often under appreciated. #NIPD2021 #indigenousbooks #indigenoushistorymonth #summersolstice (at Vancouver - Unceeded Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Territory) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQZBY4Ungnz/?utm_medium=tumblr

#nipd2021 #indigenousbooks #indigenoushistorymonth #summersolstice

[mybookbath]

Do you enjoy gardening? If not, you surely must enjoy a stroll through a garden filled with beautiful and fragrant flowers. 🌸 I’ve always been into gardening but this year I have begun to take it a little more seriously. Early in the year I started growing both flowers and vegetables from seed—my first time doing so. Have you every done this? It’s quite a rewarding feeling when everything starts to take root. 🪴 The Garden in Every Sense and Season is a wonderful new book written by Tovah Martin and published by @timberpress . This book has reminded me to slow down and really enjoy the riches that a garden has to offer instead of focusing on the time it takes to weed, water and maintain. 🌼 This book is separated into the four seasons and each season is categorized into the five senses. It is full of inspiration, appreciation, and it has helped me to fall in love with my garden even more than ever. 🌺 "I have learned that unless you consciously experience your garden, you might be blind to its beauty. And if you don't listen, it will remain mute." 🌻 Thank you to @timberpress for sending me this copy of The Garden in Every Sense and Season. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gardening even the slightest bit. #thegardenineverysenseandseason #gardenlife #gardenwriting #gardeninspirations (at My Garden) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQXo8_UnJHt/?utm_medium=tumblr

#thegardenineverysenseandseason #gardenlife #gardenwriting #gardeninspirations

[mybookbath]

“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.” 💐 Virginia Woolf’s opening line in Mrs. Dalloway never gets old. 🌸 Happy #DallowayDay to all my fellow Woolf people out there! This book happens to be my favourite Woolf novel. Which one is yours? . . . . . #virginiawoolf #mrsdalloway #bookcollection https://www.instagram.com/p/CQMXoTlH-qg/?utm_medium=tumblr

#dallowayday #virginiawoolf #mrsdalloway #bookcollection

[mybookbath]

“If you don't watch it people will force you one way or the other, into doing what they think you should do, or into just being mule-stubborn and doing the opposite out of spite.” —Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 🔸 Whoa, what a novel! Can’t believe I hadn’t read it before (or even watched the film). I finished the book a couple of weeks ago yet it is still whirling around in my head. Overall I thought is was a stand out classic. It definitely kept me entertained right up until the end. Oh, and that ending! 🔸 One thing, however, quite early on I noticed that the few women in this story are not depicted well. They are actually referred to as “ball-cutters”. What?! This had me scratching my head. So, I quickly searched online and found this; “By polarizing the battle between repression and freedom as a battle between feminization and masculinity, machinery versus nature, and civilized versus wild, Kesey offers a simplified mythology much like the comic book heroes he reveres. The war isn't between the sexes, but an archetypal battle between the more positive masculine qualities and the more negative feminine qualities. This motif suits his purpose because it allows Kesey to express a worldview of good against evil in which one of the cardinal virtues of McMurphy's world is masculinity. It is the masculine virtue that engenders nature, spontaneity, sexual freedom, and rebellion against the feminine qualities of societal repression under the guise of civilization.” 🔸 Have you read this book? If so, please weigh in on your thoughts. #oneflewoverthecuckoosnest https://www.instagram.com/p/CNNYClGHUmF/?igshid=p59aqou2x9ki

#oneflewoverthecuckoosnest

[mybookbath]

Have you been reading a lot or a little in the first two months of 2021? 📚 These are some of the stand out books I have read this year. Well, when it comes to Wolf Hall that statement is only partly true. I can absolutely appreciate the vast research and knowledge it must have taken to write a book of this caliber, and being fascinated by the life and time of the monarch, I thought a story of this nature would be right up my castle’s tower. However, if I am going to be totally honest, I just could not get into this book. I started off reading it and then switched to the audio book. It was a long and strenuous read/listen for me. That being said, I was impressed by Hilary Mantel’s work and I see why she won the Man Booker Prize for this novel. Confusing? Ya, I feel the same way. 📚 I also listened to and loved: ▫️The Jane Austen Society - a jolly read-a-long with my buddies @the.snow.child and @ink.on.us. ▫️Shuggie Bain - an extremely well written, tragic and heartbreaking novel. I can’t get this story out of my head. 📚 Have you read any of the books mentioned or pictured here? https://www.instagram.com/p/CLkQqO4nUYb/?igshid=mshawdmzjft

[mybookbath]

On this day in 1882, Virginia Woolf was born. These photos were taken nearly three years ago when I toured Monk’s House, her home in East Essex, with @wordchild and @ink.on.us. I will never forget this day for as long as I live. I swear I could feel her spirit as I meandered through the house and grounds were she spent the last twenty two years of her life. 🤍 In 1919 Virginia and her husband, Leonard, purchased this lovely 18th century cottage as their country home. They loved it so much that it eventually became their permanent home. 🤍 Have you ever visited here or any other famous writer’s stomping grounds? 🤍 Scroll left to see different rooms at Monk’s House where Virginia spent her days. Photo 1 - me freaking out while standing in Virginia Woolf’s bedroom! Photo 2 - the bookshelf in her bedroom holding 39 of her personal Arden editions of Shakespeare. They were all hand-covered by Virginia herself. Photo 3 - the view of her bedroom from the garden. Photo 4 - Virginia’s dining room. The headrests on the chairs were painted by her sister Vanessa Bell. Photo 5 - the sitting area in her living room. Notice the walls here are painted in her favourite bright green colour. Photo 6 - the path to Virginia’s writing lodge at the back of the property. Photo 7 - her writing desk located in her own personal writing lodge. Photo 8 - me standing in the doorway of her writing lodge taking it all in. (at Monk's House) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKejE0MHsOn/?igshid=14740vbn2wz3c

[mybookbath]

Which book was your number one standout book of 2020? For me it was, without a doubt, GREENWOOD by @michaelchristie. If you have not read this book I hope you will consider adding it to your TBR. Not only was it my favourite book of the year it was my favourite book in a long while. Greenwood is an epic intergenerational saga that spans from 1908 to 2038. This book revolves around trees and family roots. I loved the way this book was structured, imitating the growth rings of a tree. Topics covered include: father-daughter relationships, bloodlines, drug addiction, activism, big corporations, inheritances, and love of all kinds. . . Here are a few other books that were at the top of my list this year. FICTION: •Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami •Tar Baby by Toni Morrison •The Dutch House by Ann Patchett NON-FICTION: •Untamed by Glennon Doyle •The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester •Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker POETRY: •Upstream by Mary Oliver •Felicity by Mary Oliver •Home Body by @rupikaur https://www.instagram.com/p/CJbiLK_H6PO/?igshid=14go2n6nbar8j

[mybookbath]

Happy winter solstice! ❄️❄️❄️ Which book are you kicking winter off with? I’m starting this one today. Have you read it? https://www.instagram.com/p/CJEZyeSHvsO/?igshid=lbjcfd3tzy1o

[mybookbath]

Is historical fiction your jam? 💄 Did you know that in December 1926 Agatha Christie went missing for eleven days. At this point Christie was already a famous author. A massive manhunt was assembled and two of Britain’s most famous crime writers, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy L. Sayers, were asked to help. When Christie was finally found she claimed to be suffering from amnesia. Interestingly enough, she was found at a hotel in Harrogate, and was checked in under the name of her husband’s mistress. 💄 Next week, on December 29, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by @authormariebenedict will be released. Benedict is know for her enthralling historical fiction, which is why I can’t wait to start this thrilling whodunit about the Queen of whodunits! 💄 Thank you to @raincoastbooks for sending me this copy. https://www.instagram.com/p/CJCB6bbHyEn/?igshid=1291h78oqtqgu

[mybookbath]

Have you read any great books recently? These are the books I read and loved in the past couple of months. There was just one book here that I didn’t love, see below. I also listened to and loved The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Have you read any of these books? Top fiction: 1st place: 1Q84 2nd place: Eileen 3rd place: Transcendent Kingdom/The Vanishing Half Top nonfiction: -Untamed Top poetry: 1st place: Devotions 2nd place: home body Least favourite: -Anxious People https://www.instagram.com/p/CIdsdr_nzku/?igshid=1ikbo6peh57wg

[mybookbath]

Which book are you kicking off December with? 🔹 I’m so excited to start reading Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. I order this gorgeous edition from a bookshop in the UK and it came signed by the author! 🔹 This novel was inspired by William Shakespeare’s real-life son named Hamnet and the mystery surrounding his death. A few years after his son’s death, Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. 🔹 It will be interesting to see how O’Farrell takes this bit of literary history and uses it to recreate a new fictional tale. It did win the @womensprize this year so I am expecting a great read. 🔹 Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? . . . . . . #hamnet #maggieofarrell #shakespeare https://www.instagram.com/p/CIRKAHsHdNi/?igshid=ru3hpc05wy75

#hamnet #maggieofarrell #shakespeare

[mybookbath]

✨GIVEAWAY✨ Don’t you just love this golden edition of A Room of One’s Own?💛 As most of you know, I am a huge Virginia Woolf fan. That being said, I am delighted to team up with the lovely team at @renardpress to bring you this brilliant giveaway. 💛 There will be one winner chosen to receive a copy of this very exquisite and newly released edition. If you are interested, here are the rules: ✨Follow me & @renardpress. ✨Like this photo and tag a friend or two, and in a separate comment mention which country you live in. ✨For an extra entry point, repost this image on your IG Story, mention the giveaway and be sure to tag @mybookbath. ✨This giveaway is being offered to anyone living in Europe. ✨This giveaway ends on Saturday, December 5th at 11:59pm GMT. ✨This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram. ✨Good luck! https://www.instagram.com/p/CIJDzOenTLD/?igshid=1xaoft99n5ci6

[mybookbath]

Are you a home body? ▪️ I am! So imagine my excitement when I received this new release called HOME BODY by @rupikaur_. ▪️ This poetry book is divided into four sections: Mind, Heart, Rest, Awake. Kaur discusses her childhood, relationships, and family. She also reminds readers to be open-minded, and accepting. ▪️ It is raw, honest and at times, heartbreaking. But it is also uplifting and positive. Kaur has also included many of her personal illustrations throughout the book. ▪️ Thank you @simonandschusterca for sending me this brilliant book of poems along with a sweatshirt to match! I think I will be living in this sweatshirt for the rest of this season and winter too! 🖤 i dive into the well of my body and end up in another world everything i need already exists in me there’s no need to look anywhere else – home . . . home body by Rupi Kaur is out today! https://www.instagram.com/p/CHtCQMCn7sK/?igshid=m78z10luk6on

[mybookbath]

Do you have a favourite poem by Mary Oliver? I Worried is mine. Here is a snippet from it... “Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing. And gave it up. And took my old body and went out into the morning, and sang.” Devotions is a collection of the Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Mary Oliver’s all time best poems. This incredible book is a keepsake and I treasure it dearly. This paperback edition was released this week c/o @penguinpress. https://www.instagram.com/p/CHf4pRWHKrv/?igshid=106de0vbjd22n

[mybookbath]

What are you reading on this Halloween Eve? 💀 If you are searching for a frightening book, here are a few I would highly recommend. https://www.instagram.com/p/CG-kXjnH9_y/?igshid=s9luk2vrr5ez

[mybookbath]

Most true it is that ‘beauty is in the eye of the gazer.’ —Jane Eyre 🧡 To me, these are some of my most beautiful editions. Which are some of yours? https://www.instagram.com/p/CG5GayLneJl/?igshid=4clj6kqn1nzj

[mybookbath]

Since I can’t travel out of the country at the moment, I would like to live vicariously through you. Please tell me where YOU are from, and what is a must see site if I ever visit. 🌎 I’m from Vancouver, Canada and if you visit please make sure you plan a hike through the forests on any of our local mountains. I have wandered in there on numerous occasions and every single time I am awestruck by the natural beauty of our world’s majestic giants! 🌲🌲🌲 🌏 Your turn! https://www.instagram.com/p/CG2qsslHrU5/?igshid=1rarfr8zenggf