What Happened, Miss Simone? ★★★

Nina Simone was an acclaimed iconic singer of the second half of the twentieth century. That is just about what I knew of her. I maybe have heard a couple of her songs here and there. So, I was really interested in this documentary about her life as I was curious to listen to her music and learn about her.
What Happened, Miss Simone? is a Netflix documentary about Nina that delves deep into her childhood, her relationships, her career, and her involvement in the black rights movement in the 60s and 70s. She started playing the piano at church in her blossoming age of 4 years old. She caught the eye of a piano teacher that taught her classical piano pieces, including Debussy, Bach... .Upon her leaving for New York to study music, but unfortunately running out of money. All she wanted was to become the first major black pianist. She started secretly singing in clubs. Little did she know how far that would take her.
As someone who knew close to nothing about Nina Simone, this documentary did a brilliant job in encountering her life in detail. It included real life scenes of her playing live, and pieces of interviews she had done over the decades. However, always the talented geniuses have internal struggles, and Nina was no stranger to that. Little did I know of her downfall in her later years of life. The documentary was so gripping throughout. I was captivated from the get-go and was not bored for a single moment. Her life was interesting as it was troubled. The poor woman suffered for years, and the people around her suffered, till they were able to diagnose her when she moved to Switzerland. At that point she was struggling mentally and financially. But she had good people in her life. Her band, friends and team were able to get back on her feet and she was back singing in the 80s.
This was such a joy to watch. Really recommended to anyone who is a fan or, like me, wants to get to know this iconic diva.

Hottest Eye Shadow Palettes Summer 2017

Urban Decay Heat

The new Urban Decay Heat Eyeshadow Palette is all the craze at the moment, and rightfully so! It is a gorgeous palette consisting of 12 pressed eyeshadows. The pressed shadows means they will last longer. This season it's all about warm toned colours on the eyes and this palettes helps achieve that look so easily. There are so many looks you can do with this palette. You can go subtle and do a no-makeup makeup look, go all the way and do a smokey eye, or do the very trendy orangey summery eyes. It is such a beautiful palette. Moreover, there's a variety of matte and shimmery colours. I absolutely love every single colour, which is unusual because with a palette there's always one or two colours that I don't like. That's why I tend to buy smaller eyeshadow palettes or singles.

Colourpop Lo-key

Another warm toned eyeshadow palette for the summer. Honestly, Colourpop's quality is beyond amazing. The pigmentation is through the roof! Considering there are only four colours, not many looks can be done with this palette, yet it is still very trendy at the moment with the orangey shades.
The powders are pressed as well, so it will last you ages!




Rosie for Autograph - I Feel Like A Million Dollars

On the other side of the spectrum, I Feel Like A Million Dollars is more cool toned and subtle. It is such a gorgeous palette for a daily eye makeup look. I personally love the nude eye look. I am more into a natural looking fresh face. This palette is perfect in achieving that.


Rosie for Autograph - Copper Gold Rush



Another Rosie for Autograph palette. This one is a lot more playful and girly, yet still very elegant. The Rosie palettes are very easy. The pink eyeshadow look is in at the moment as well. It looks absolutely gorgeous. Although the trendy pink that is in is more warm toned and the pink in this palette is cool toned, you can still play around with it. I could not find a warm pink eyeshadow to my liking, but I find that cream pink blushes are the best way to achieve that look.

BooktubeAthon2017 Wrap Up

Uhhh... this didn't really go well. It didn't go well at all. I know I had a very very ambitious reading list, but I still thought I'd get through at least half of the books. Or even 4 of them, considering two are under a 100 pages...
This is a lot harder than it looks, I really don't know how booktubers did all the reading they did AND made videos... hats off, honestly.
Like I said, my list was insanely ambitious so I only read one book (yes - ONE BOOK) and some from two other books.
I managed to finish the whole of The Bamboo Stalk. It took me a little over two days and that's when I knew that I chose too many and too long books for one week.
Anyways, I read The Bamboo Stalk in Arabic based on friends' recommendations. The book is about Jose who is born to a Philippine maid and a Kuwaiti father where she work for his family. The story is mainly about him coping with growing up with this dual nationality. His parents secretly got married because Kuwaiti social standards would not allow his father to marry a maid. After she was noticeably pregnant, his mother was forced to fly back home. His father paid her childcare though, and wrote to her. However, the Gulf war commenced and he left for war. Nothing is heard from him for over a decade. Eventually, Jose flies to Kuwait as a young man. He thought that in that country he'd be able to find his feet rather than the Philippines, where he felt like an outcast and money was scarce. Or so he thought.
That is the main gist of the story. I thought it started out strong and promising. Then towards the middle it was really dragging and was kind of slow, but not in a bad way. It sort of had it's own pace. By the ending, I noticed that I couldn't wait for it to be over. Like it felt like the chapters where the same thing just recycled with different wordings. It's an okay book, a little bit overhyped but still enjoyable. I was interested in it because I kind of relate with the narrator with the dual nationality; I have and still feel like an outsider and people really do think there is no way you will 100% fit in with them.
Moving on, I made progress with A Game of Thrones. I am almost half way! I'm at the point where Catelyn just bumped into Tyrion on her travels back north after warning Eddard Stark.
I also started with Between the World and Me. I'm not far into it to give any proper criticism yet, but it's good so far.

BooktubeAthon 2017 TBR

So I've decided to join in this year's BooktubeAthon! I have never been part of it before but I'm actually really excited for it!
My list is a little too ambitious for one week but I am still hoping to at least start most of these titles.
I should say that I only know very little about these books so I'm more listing which ones I'll be picking up.

1. Between the World and Me 
This book seems to be making it's rounds lately. Ta-Nehisi Coates's Between the World and Me is a series of essays written from the writer to his son. He tackles issues he has faced and his son will face living in the United States where the white ethnicity has the majority. He talks about how the American history is mostly shaped regarding the Black race, most of the times and the cost of it. This is as far as I know about the book but I trust I will enjoy it judging from the people who have discussed and reviewed it thus far. I am starting to think this may be my favourite style of writing - the postcolonial and the colonial.



2. When Breath Becomes Air
Another non-fiction read. I have been interested in When Breath Becomes Air since I've heard of it.
Paul Kalanithi was a successful neurosurgeon for ten years when he is diagnosed with lung cancer. The book, essentially, is a memoir during his battle with this terminal disease. Sadly, Kalanithi died while writing this book but he brings up questions philosophising everything in an average person's daily life.



3. Norwegian Wood
I have also decided to include a Haruki Murakami book. I have not read anything by Murakami and I am so so curious to read anything by him! I am not sure if Norwegian Wood is the way to start, I do have other works by him too, but we shall see.
I read the synopsis and honestly it doesn't really sound like much but I'm willing to give it a go.


4. The Bamboo Stalk
This is going to be where I incorporate some of my Arabic reading. My friends at uni have told me to read this novel as I am trying to get into my Arabic reading. The Bamboo Stalk is about a mixed race man, half-Arabian half-Filipino, and his struggles finding a way to fit in. The idea of the bamboo stalk is that wherever it is planted, it will grow roots, it does not need to have a history of growing in a certain place prior.
I believe the book has been turned into a drama series in the Arabian gulf area but I think reading the book will suffice for me. I also think it has been translated into English.


5. The Grown Up 
I fucking love Gillian Flynn's work. I have read two of her novels and loved them, she is a brilliant author in my eyes. I wanted to squeeze in this really short, under a hundred pages story by her that I know nothing about just cuz.
I'm also going into it completely blind.

                                 

                                
6. Swing Time
I need, I neeeeed to read a Zadie Smith book. She is a staple in today's female authors, she might even be close to a cult classic. However, unfortunately, I have not read any of her work yet. This is also another book I am going into completely blind, so I do not have a synopsis to give you. But I am sure you have at least heard if not read Smith's latest Swing Time.




7. Sapiens: A Brief History of Human kind
 Probably my most anticipated read, a non-fiction read that is, that I've had since it was published. Dr Yuval Harari explores the human species as far as the Neanderthals and even before. Dr Harari shows how out of the six human species that have inhibited the Earth, only ours remains. But how come? What is so special about us? What is it about out biology? Socioeconomics? I have always been interested in history, including the vast and very very far history of our ancestors. I am always curious about different cultures and why have we expanded to adapt to different climates and produce different language and utilised the nature wherever we landed on the planet...etc. I have so many questions. I am positive this book will provide me with a new knowledge about how we were. There's no way things are absolute but I am very very excited to learn from this book.

8. A Game of Thrones
Ahh, Game of Thrones. I very spontaneously picked this up. I thought "I don't want the show to end, so I'm going to ignore the last season and start reading the books!"
I am terrified of being spoiled, I am trying to steer away from spoilers as best I can. I'm not in a rush to finish the book, I could take till the end of the year to finish it, I'm happy with that. Like I said, I'm trying to stretch it out as much as I can. But I will try to read a few chapters here and there throughout the week and see where I'm at!


I am really looking forward to starting this week's BooktubeAthon. I can't wait to be part of the community with the tweeting and whatnot! I am also looking into dipping my toes into books I have been meaning to get to for ages now. Plus I'm embarassed to say I'm behind on my GoodReads reading challenge, like badly.
You can follow how I'm going to do at twitter @yasminebakrix

Lalibela's Wise Man

I received this book by the author in exchange for a review, however, this will not affect what I think about it. 

Matshona Dhliwayo's Lalibela's Wise Man is a short novella about a man named Christian who recently lost his father. He was shocked to find he inherited nothing of his father's very successful business considering his father constantly let him know he was his favoured from his two other half brothers. However, he finds that he was left a small note directing him to a wise man somewhere in a Ethiopian monastery on top of a mountain. Christian ends up going with whatever money he has left, since his brothers' have disowned him. He stays there for a week, living the humble life of monks, learning valuable life lessons and discovering truths about his family and where he comes from.

The book comes off as a self-help book, offering very valuable life lessons and advice. Because of this, any reader of any faith and belief may find something of use in this very short narrative. A lesson learnt every chapter. It teaches having the right attitude and treating people the right way.

The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad is the story of Cora and her escape to freedom from the cruel bondage of slavery in America. It is written in the third person POV, following Cora, Caesar, the slavecatcher Ridgeway and a number of other characters.

Cora lives on a cotton plantation somewhere in the middle of Georgia. She was born there and both her mother and grandmother have lived there. So it is all she has known. Even though she is outcasted from society--especially after the death of her grandmother and after her mother escapes--, she is still marginalised in the black community, where she was kicked out of the cabin she lived in with her grandmother and other women on the plantation. She was sent to live with women who were sort of abolished, since the black people on the plantation can't really fire anyone technically. A new addition to the black slaves is Caesar, who comes off as a tough man with no time to waste. He has tasted the comfort of the illusion of freedom and wants more. He talks Cora into escaping from the plantation to New York.
Various narratives are embossed in every chapter, depicting the horror black people have lived through during those times.
It is shocking, heartbreaking and gut wrenching. Easily a page turner, keeping the reader on edge throughout. The prose is just excellent and lives up to its strong concept.

However, I don't think there is any character development for anyone, especially Cora. The secondary characters were not developed at all, and sometimes I thought "okay, this one is mentioned just to fill a gap". The underground railroad itself is very interesting and you can tell how much research Whitehead has done, but it isn't represented enough in the book.

A fantastically horrific book to read and a must for everyone!

2017 Goals and Resolutions

Hello! Sorry for the very spar posts ... I honestly have no excuse. However, I had no WiFi for about 2-3 weeks since we moved to a new flat. Actually, I still don't have any, we're borrowing from the neighbours but it's so slow! I know, I know, excuses, excuses.
I still want to lay out my goals and ambitions for this year. I don't get why some people hate doing this, it really helps get things in perspective. I do agree, however, with the "don't wait for the new year" to achieve what you want; you should always be working towards your goals! Which is why my resolutions are more continuous of the previous year, there are only very few new tweaks here and there.
I am going to divide my resolutions between two categories; my normal life ones and my reading goals for the year.
So, here is what I am hoping to achieve with my reading this year:
1. Read Shakespeare: I bought this really hefty collection of all of Monsieur Shakespeare's works, including both his plays and sonnets. It's a Wordsworth edition. I want to read every month 1-2 plays in hopes to finish the collection this year. There are so many so I am not going to push myself to read all but I hope I get a good amount done!
2. Read the Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie: Continuing with this from the end of last year. I just started reading Agatha Christie and my god have I missed out! I very recently got into crime, both true and fiction -- in movies, books, tv shows and even podcasts -- so Christie is fairly new to me. I've got two down so far and many more to go!
3. Read Arabic books: I don't read any Arabic. At all. Last year I only read one Arabic novel, one. To be fair, I never had a liking to reading in Arabic. Growing up, I guess the ones I did were poorly chosen and they kind of made me not like reading in Arabic. However, I got a good number of recommended books from some friends who eat up Arabic novels. I am trying to read one a month. I did already fail reading one in January but February is not over yet!
4. Classics! I feel like the majority of readers have this as their reading resolution, more classics! There are just so many and there is a vast number of the major classics that I know nothing about. And as an English literature graduate, I am ashamed. I don't want to pressure myself with the classics though because then they will feel like a chore and I would just put them off. I will be giving them as much time as hey need and not rush them.
5. Series: There are a few series I would like to venture into this year: His Dark Materials, The Lord of the Rings, (reread) Harry Potter, A Song of Ice and Fire to name a few. Of course, Miss Marple series as well. As I read throughout the year there will be more series or continuing series from previous years that I haven't got round to finishing yet. I've never read The Lord of the Rings because I just wasn't into that sort when I was younger, we've had the book for ages there's no front cover any more; it's ripped off!

As for my personal resolutions, they are more basic ones that I try to do every single day but I'm trying to make them more habits. I'm also tracking them down on paper; I've started bullet journaling.
1. Eat better: This goes hand in hand with the previous goal. I am not a fast food eater nor do I overeat. I just don't eat that well. My diet is not really balanced and I want to wane myself off of carbs for a while and have lots of fibre. I'm doing really well since I'm not really addicted to food. In fact, I could go hours without eating. My initial problem is inactivity and not the food. I know that when on a diet, 70% is the way you eat and 30% is  exercise. I am working really hard! I just hope it keeps up.
2. Workout every night before bed: Now this is excluding the regular exercise that I'm doing 5 times a week. I want to do a 15-30 min workout before I call it a night every night.
3. Go out for walks more: I have been walking quite a lot but not enough. I typically do 1 hour of walking 2-3 times a week. Rates need to go higher!
4. Take care of my skin: This year I want to really invest in proper skincare and see what works and doesn't with my skin. I think it is very important and I want to be able to keep it hydrated and looking youthful for as long as possible.
5. Get a job: This is silly to write down as a resolution but I am really struggling with finding a job and kick starting a career. I'm just really hoping this year I'd be able to find something. I have found nothing since I graduated.
6. Try to be positive: I usually tend to be quite anxious about things and I can be really down on myself sometimes. I want to be able to be optimistic. You see life how you feel. I want to be a lot more positive to see the beauty in life.
So, these are what I'm going to get done in 2017. I'm hoping next year I can look back at this post and be like "yep, ticked this one and that one, actually I've done them all!"
Hope anyone who's reading this is doing extremely well with your resolutions and happy new year! x