Drew Barrymore’s cute meditation cupboard, Tom Rob Smith’s ‘Cold People’, and long live the bookish

The giveaway this week is 'Charlie, Love and Cliches' by Ella Maise.

The King’s birthday long weekend just gone was a mixed bag in our household, but let’s focus on the positive – we had a lovely Saturday night. Dinner was at a fab Vietnamese restaurant with friends, followed by a burlesque show my friend was in as part of the Cabaret Fringe Festival on now. She was in – get this – four dance routines, which her class had learnt in eight weeks. I can barely learn one choreography in eight weeks at my dance classes!

Anyway, the show had many spectacular performances, including massive opening and closing numbers featuring a cast of thousands (okay, not quite, but there were LOADS of performers on stage), tap dancing, chair dancing, various props, and a wonderful range of musical genres. I may have shouted more than my share of ‘woohoos’ from the audience.

Then I met back up with the folks I had dinner with at a friend’s house for a leisurely chat. I missed the board games portion of the night while I was watching burlesque (they played Monikers, which is an ace, laughter-inducing party game if you’ve never given it a go), but had a good time nonetheless. (Speaking of board games, check out the ‘Raves and Faves’ section below – I’ve listed some of my all-time favourites beyond the usual Scrabble and Monopoly family picks.)

Here’s to more catch-ups and show-viewing and games nights in future. : )

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News

1.     Good news – this Sydney Morning Herald article by Evelyn Lewin says reading increases your chances of living longer, and the more you do it, the better the rewards. A 2016 study found book readers had a 20% lower risk of dying over the space of 12 years than non-readers.

2.     Author of Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert has decided to pull her forthcoming novel set in Siberia, saying ‘It is not the time for this book to be published’. It was set to be released in February 2024, but Gilbert has decided to read a room and listen to the criticisms of her Ukrainian fans. The move has given rise to all sorts of arguments about censorship – should authors feel scared to bow to social media pressure from fans and stay silent about certain topics, no matter how these topics are treated in their work? Honestly, I think it’s a good move. Gilbert’s not saying this book will stay unpublished forever, but if so many people will feel hurt by its release, particularly as it would have been just before the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion, maybe it’s better to wait a while.

Reviews

1.     This week I tried Smashbox’s Photo Finish Illuminate Glow Primer with vitamin C and ‘silkscreen complex’, whatever that is. I previously tried Smashbox’s mattifying primer and gave it my tick of approval. The ‘illuminate’ version is a winner too, but instead of being completely matte, it gives off a subtle pinkish shimmer without looking too oily. The primer is lightly tinted, goes on nice and smoothly, and has a lovely fruity smell. It’s also vegan, which adds to its charm. At $67 for 30ml it ain’t cheap, but it may just be worth it.

2.     I am genuinely bad at meditation, especially when self-guided, but I must admit to being a little infatuated with Drew Barrymore’s meditation chamber aka cupboard. If you want a much more in-depth run-down on her life, you can read the full Vulture profile here. It all could still be an act, but Drew seems like one of the realest, most relatable actors around and a model for continuing to grow and heal after a troubled childhood. The lit candles might be screaming ‘FIRE HAZARD!’ when I look at the pictures of her meditation closet, but it otherwise looks like the cosiest, most nurturing space imaginable. I’d quite like to make my own light-filled chamber filled with soothing pastel tones, photos and post-it note affirmations, and animal wallpaper. Perhaps a fluffy cushion or two. What would you put in yours?

3.     Hmm, I’m not sure how to feel about Cold People by Tom Rob Smith. Its premise is nigh on unbeatable – an alien force has reached earth and broadcasts a message to humanity: we have 30 days to reach Antarctica. They don’t spell out what will happen to those who don’t, but it’s heavily implied they won’t survive. Some people choose to live out their last days in tranquility or think it’s all a conspiracy, but for the rest, it’s a mad dash to gather up family members and get themselves onto a plane or a boat. Then there’s the question of how so many of us will survive in Antarctica once we get there.

At first, the story follows a young couple and how they manoeuvre through the mass exodus. Later, we jump to other protagonists and get a big info dump of information on their lives before settling into what they’re doing now. This left me feeling like I could never properly get to know or empathise with any of the characters. These jumps to different characters were also accompanied by some quite large shifts in the direction of the plot. They certainly surprised me and kept me interested on the one hand, but I felt like I’d read parts of at least three novels ripped up and pasted together by the end. It also seemed to morph into a novel about philosophy and ethics rather than simply telling a story. I thought the ending was more concerned with setting up a sequel instead of properly forming a conclusion in its own right.

So yeah – concerns, I had a few – but it was still entertaining overall. Three-and-a-half stars out of five.

Raves and Faves

Level-up your games nights with these board game gems

We have quite the stockpile of games on our shelves, but these are the ones we keep reaching for on a chilly (or summery) night.

1.     Dixit

This game featuring ethereally arty cards takes literally a minute to learn but is endlessly playable, especially with several gorgeous expansion sets available. You can make it as dirty or as G-rated as you like depending on who you’re playing with, and it requires minimal brain power for when you’re low on energy late at night.

2.     Ticket to Ride

It’s not quite as simple as Dixit, but it’s not hard either – your aim in Ticket to Ride is basically to put your train carriages between stations to try to claim the longest route in the game without being blocked by other players. Maybe it brings out the train-fascinated toddler in all of us, I don’t know, but this one is fun to play with whoever’s in the house. The mobile game is worth downloading as well.

3.     Settlers of Catan

If Ticket to Ride appeals to our secret train driver desires, Catan will stir your inner pirate. You basically position yourself strategically on the board and start accruing resources so you can build roads and settlements, either inland or by the sea. This remains one of our favourite games amongst my group of friends, and personally, I’m not into the available expansions – it’s the classic version all the way.

4.     Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game

I was given this game as a gift (I’m known for my love of all things Die Hard – except the fifth movie, which was not so much) and I can honestly say I love it. We mostly play it at Christmas time (of course) and the players are divided into John McClane vs Hans Gruber’s cronies. Play with the movie on in the background for extra thematic impact.

5.     Carcassonne

There’s something so soothing about placing Carcassonne’s tiles down and forming a little ye olde map. The game’s easy to get the hang of and the colourful people you pop on the board are pretty cute. It’s interesting – the people I play games with are intelligent, but the games we keep returning to are usually the ones that are quick to learn and require minimal brain drain without being completely a matter of luck. Maybe everyone’s tired these days?

6.     Joking Hazard

When you’re sick of Cards Against Humanity but have a hankering for something along similar lines, it’s time to turn to Joking Hazard. Rather than offensive meme-referencing words and phrases, this one’s all about snortworthy bad-taste cartoons. The jokes are more limited than Cards Against Humanity, but it’s good for cracking out every now and then.

What I’m Feelin’ Right Now

• Velvet belts

• Barely-there pink nail polishes

• Hearing about other people’s weddings – past and future – and how they made them special

• Denim cargo pants

• Aburi sushi

• Rita Ora’s ‘You Only Love Me’

• Blue hair – should I do it?

• Cream leggings

Giveaway

Last week’s giveaway, Not Meeting Mr Right by Anita Heiss, was won by Tony Avery. Fab stuff! Tony, I’ve emailed you.

This week’s giveaway is Charlie, Love and Cliches by Ella Maise. Fill your name and email address in here to enter.

Playlist of the Week

Bringing the sunshine on a gloomy morning: