The Fast Paced Thriller: Dan Brown's Inferno

When Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed in Florence with a head wound and no recollection of the past three days the last thing he expects is to be hunted by an armed killer who wants something that Robert has possession of. Robert discovers Dante's Inferno holds the answers to the high-stake riddle he finds himself drawn into.

Fans of the Robert Langdon books are really going to enjoy this book, as Dan Brown once again delivers another fast-paced thriller, this time using city of Florence as the backdrop and Dante's Inferno poem and artworks dedicated to it as the clues that Langdon must use to solve a riddle that could cost human kind dearly.

As much as I did enjoy reading this , at times it feels very similar to Brown's previous books Angels and Demons and Da Vinci Code as the formula of the books feels like it is repeated for the third time. This time Da Vinci has been replaced with Dante as the American professor uses clues from the artwork and poetry of Renaissance Italy instead to guide him on his quest. After three books Professor Langdon doesn't offer much as a character, he comes off as more of a blank page than a mystery.

That being said if what you are after is pure escapism and you fancy a bit more of what Dan Brown has to offer than this fast paced thriller would be a great easy holiday read. The backdrop of Florence is easy to get lost into with Langdon and Brown weaves the artwork and story surrounding Dante's work Inferno in a very enjoyable way.

Candles to rival Diptyque?

If you have ever shopped at a Westfield mall in Australia or New Zealand (or anywhere else that has Peter Alexander pajama stores) I’m going to take a bet that you’ve been enticed into their store by the smell of sweet delicious vanilla. Well, its all thanks to the beautiful smelling Glasshouse candles.

Now I have always been an admirer of Diptyque but with an eye watering price-tag I’ve never quite been able to take the plunge. Glasshouse are not only a more affordable option but they are also put out the most ah-may-zing scents, come in beautiful display worthy jars and are also massive to boot. While I think I have outgrown the vanilla scent that Peter Alexander stores are famous for the range of fragrances is pretty vast. I picked up two Glasshouse candles a couple of months ago when we moved into our house and have been burning Esperance, a mimosa and apple scent, on chilly winter evenings. I also picked up Saigon, a lemongrass fragrance which I think I’ll keep for summer as it’s a beautifully light fragrance.

The candles come in two sizes - the bigger sized jars are truly massive with 80 hours of burn time in them, while the smaller candles are perfect for trying out various fragrances. I bought my mum three of the small summer varieties for Christmas last year (Montego Bay, Galapagos and Bora Bora) and they give a really fresh and clean scent without being overpowering.

I really love the simple packaging of the jars which will be perfect for reusing, when I finally get to the bottom and they don’t have any nasty labels stuck to the outside which is something that often puts me off buying other expensive candles. Peter Alexander and Adore Beauty stock these online but you can also order from the Glasshouse website. Another bonus is they are all aussie made! I really don’t think I need any more candles since two is going to take me months and months to use up but they also have a range called ‘La Maison’ that come in really beautifully designed black geometric jars so I think I might just have to try those out as well.

The New Release Bookshelf

Hi Everyone! So I thought i would kick things off around here with a round up of some of the recently released books that have caught my eye over the past couple of months. From an inspiring and badass business autobiography to a couple of historical fiction reads and a quirky tale involving the King of Sweden ~ these titles have given me a hard time deciding which one to pick up first.

Dark Aemilia: A Novel of Shakespeare's Dark Lady by Sally O'Reilly. This novel is a part history part fantasy and sounds perfect for those of us who like history with a heavy dose of imagination thrown in. Aemilia Bassano was known in Queen Elizabeth's court for her quick wit and love of poetry. As a young woman she begins an ill-fated love affair with the playwright William Shakespeare. A decade later Aemilia is suffering in an unhappy marriage and her son has become sick while the plague sweeps through London. Aemilia resolves to save her son by any means necessary whether it means turning to her estranged lover or dark magic for help.

#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso. "I have three pieces of advice I want you to remember. Don't ever grow up. Don't become a bore. Don't let The Man get to you. Ok? Cool. Then let's do this." The founder and creative director of multi-million dollar e-retailer Nasty Gal, Sophie Amoruso gives some straight shooting advice to women about making it to the top without compromising on who you really are. 

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Doerr's book has been hailed as both 'ambitious' (it took him over ten years to write) and 'dazzling.' The story of a how a blind French girl and a German boy's paths cross in occupied France as they try to survive the devastation of World War 2. An impecibly researched book which took ten years to write, this is sure to be a master piece. 

A Mad and Wonderful Thing by Mark Mulholland. Johnny Donnelly is an intense young man with a passion for books, for his country and for a beautiful girl but he has a very dark secret. He is an IRA sniper. As his two world inevitably collide Johnny takes the reader on a journey through his life and through Ireland. A heart wrenching and passionate novel about life, love and redemption.

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue. San Francisco in 1876 is a booming town suffering under a record breaking heat wave and a smallpox epidemic. A young woman named Jenny Bonnet is shot dead through the window of a railroad saloon. Her friend Blanche Beunon, a French burlesque dancer, risks everything to bring the murderer to justice. As Blanche starts to piece together the story she discovers the secret life of Jenny herself - a notorious charachter who inhabits a world of free loving bohemians, arrogant millionairs and a tale of love and bloodshed.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. Nella Ootman begins her life as a new wife to an illustrious merchant trader in Amsterdam in 1686. Johannes Brandt is kind but distant as a husband and often absent with his presence. When Johannes presents his wife with a cabinet-sized replica of their home, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist to furnish it. As Johannes gift helps Nella to understand and discover the Brandt households secrets she begins to fear the dangers that being different can cause in such a pious socitey. The miniaturist sees the fate that awaits them, but is he the key to their salvation or the maker of their destruction?

The Darkest Hour by Barbara Erskine. In the summer of 1940 the battle for Britain has begun. Evie Lucas has a promising career ahead of her as an artist but spends her days sketching portraits of a handsome pilot. Seventy years on an art historian named Lucy is trying to piece together the mystery surrounding a painting in her home. But as she delves deeper she finds herself in danger from people who don't want the truth to be told.

The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonassen. A quirky and unique tale about the unlikely adventure of Nombeko Mayeki. Born in a shack in Soweto in 1961 Nombeko defies the odds of her poverty stricken town and grows up to become the chief adviser on one of the world's most secret projects.When Nombeko discovers the truth about South Africa's nuclear missile programme - that a seventh missile was created in secret and not disarmed with the other six - she must go on the run from the South African justice system and the secret service. Nombeko's actions have far reaching consequences for involving a cast of eccentric characters including the King of Sweden.