Mareli Thalk ink ......

Meet me on Friday @  Friday 56  for a bit of  Book Blogger Hop   to kick-start the weekend with  Book Beginnings . Hey Guys! Missed me much? I sure missed you. No, I did not turn into a mermaid in the gorgeous, clear waters of Mauritius. I'm still mostly human. Just been a bit under the sea weather the past couple of weeks and whenever I feel like surfacing, I really just want to be where the people are. Especially the ones with books.   So let's talk books!

Title: The Other Einstein Author: Marie Benedict Published by:  Sourcebooks Landmark Publication date:  18 October 2016  Genre:  Historical Fiction Pages: 304 ISBN:   9781492637257 Mareli's rating: 3 stars Recommend to:  Lovers of historical fiction and strong female characters Description:  A vivid and mesmerizing novel about the extraordinary woman who married and worked with one of the greatest scientists in history. What secrets may have lurked in the shadows of Albert Einstein’s fame? His first wife, Mileva “Mitza” Marić, was more than the devoted mother of their three children—she was also a brilliant physicist in her own right, and her contributions to the special theory of relativity have been hotly debated for more than a century. In 1896, the extraordinarily gifted Mileva is the only woman studying physics at an elite school in Zürich. There, she falls for charismatic fellow student Albert Einstein, who promises to treat h...

It's Monday! What are you reading?  This weekly feature is hosted by  Bookdate   and it's a great way to get your reading week sorted. All you need to do is:  Tell us what you are currently reading What did you finish reading last week What do you plan on reading next Add your link to the linky provided by your host Visit the other bloggers who also deal with terrible Mondays, but still find the time to prioritize their reading schedules Make sure to read really awesome books in order to increase the above mentioned bloggers' stress levels by adding even more books to their TBR list Pop a Rescue for your own nerves or pour a glass of wine and get reading   Hello darlings, I'm back. How are you?  Yes, I've been back from holidays for over a week, but I struggle a bit to get back in the swing of things. But we can talk about that at a later stage. Holidays were good, but I didn't read even half as much as planned. I have not been feeling a...

"A sophisticated and chilling psychological thriller of dangerous secrets, cold vengeance and unexpected absolution" Title: Pretty Girls Author: Karin Slaughter Publication date: July 2015 Pages: 688 Mareli's rating: 4 Stars Goodreads Description:  Sisters. Strangers. Survivors. More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia's teen-aged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that's cruelly ripped open when Claire's husband is killed. The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the...

A Novel about the Little Dog who almost changed history Title: Sirius Author:  Jonathan Crown Published by:  Scribner Publication date: 04 October 2016  Genre: Literary Fiction Pages:  247 ISBN:   9781501144998   Mareli's rating: 5 stars Recommend to: Animal lovers (especially for dashing fox terriers), lovers of historical novels (WWII) Description:  Berlin, 1938: Sirius, a dashing fox terrier, lives a charmed life with the German Jewish Liliencrons. But, with the rise of Nazism, the Liliencrons decide to leave Berlin for Hollywood. Sirius takes his destiny into his own hands with the kind of melancholic mirth exclusive to his breed. He becomes a celebrated film star and circus performer, friend to Rita Hayworth and Cary Grant. But, when a magic trick goes wrong, Sirius ends up back in war-torn Berlin. Never one to despair, he finds himself in the Führer's headquarters as Adolf Hitler's lap dog... and an informant for the resistance....

It's Monday! What are you reading?  This weekly feature is hosted by  Bookdate   and it's a great way to get your reading week sorted. All you need to do is:  Tell us what you are currently reading What did you finish reading last week What do you plan on reading next Add your link to the linky provided by your host Visit the other bloggers who also deal with terrible Mondays, but still find the time to prioritize their reading schedules Make sure to read really awesome books in order to increase the above mentioned bloggers' stress levels by adding even more books to their TBR list Pop a Rescue for your own nerves or pour a glass of wine and get reading   I'm so glad that I came across this weekly feature. Once again I failed to submit a Sunday Post  as I didn't have any headlines for last week. I've published the astounding number of 1 (one) (I) post last week. I know, it's punishable by severe shame. 

Meet me on Friday @  Friday 56  for a bit of  Book Blogger Hop   to kick-start the weekend with  Book Beginnings . Friday 56  is hosted by  Freda's Voice . For this date, you will need the following:  Grab a book  (Yes, any book. But it might get you to your other Friday activities a bit quicker if you just grab the book you are currently reading) Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader Find a sentence or two  (your other Friday activities might determine this) Post it! Remember to post your link on  Freda's Voice  and to visit the other guys in the linky. And  don't forget to list the title of the book and the author as well. Hi guys! I'm back! Well sort off. I might not get to finish everything next week before we leave for Mauritius on Friday. Yea!! Do the Happy Beach Dance. But I sure will try (to do my Friday Meets, not the Happy Beach Dance. That comes naturally as you can see).

This post link up with the  The Sunday Post , a weekly meme hosted by  Caffeinated Book Reviewer   and  It's Monday! What are you reading?  hosted by  The Book Date .  This is a post to recap the past week on your blog, tell  everyone  about books and things you can showcase and share the next week's forecast: What are you reading, what have you just finished and what do you plan to read. And some other news that will make the headlines as well. Remember to link your post and to visit others who have linked up. Greetings from the Headless Headline Woman! I'm not popular enough (yet) to stake the claim that you've noticed I've gone missing this week. Hardly spend any time on the blogosphere. Hardly spend any time anywhere worth mentioning. Least of all my mind. But I do have a whole list of excuses lined up. Actually, there's only one. But everything else spirals down from that one.

Titel: Koors Skrywer: Deon Meyer Uitgewer: Human & Rousseau Publikasie datum: 05 Augustus 2016 Bladsye: 579 (sagteband) My gradering:   5 Sterre Beveel aan vir lesers van:  Deon Meyer (punt). Misdaad. Daar's 'n slang in die gras en iemand het dit daar gesit. Post apokalipties (dis REGTIG die einde van die wereld) Kort opsomming:  Die Koors het byna almal gevat. Maar nie dertien jaar oue Nico Storm en sy pa, Willem, nie. Deur ’n Suid-Afrikaanse landskap feitlik sonder mense, met al hoe minder blikkieskos in die verlate winkels, Koeberg-bestraling in die Wes-Kaap en al hoe meer moorddadige hondebendes – én mensebendes – swerf Nico en sy pa, op soek na ’n plek om die samelewing weer te vestig. Wanneer hulle dit eindelik sover het by die ou Vanderkloof – nou Amanzi – met ’n groepie swerflinge wat saam van voor af wil begin, steek al die ou sondes van die mensdom kop uit. Gou is Amanzi op geloofs- en politieke lyne verdeel, en verdediging teen die swaar gewapende mo...

Cover Characteristics is a weekly meme hosted by  Sugar and Snark . Every week they give us these gorgeous themes and then you have to pick 5   covers featuring that theme. If you want to participate:  Pick your covers  Post it to your blog Share your post's URL in the linky provided by Sugar and Snark Go and check out the other guys who also posted!  (This might influence your current TBR list a great deal.) I haven't done a Cover Characteristics in what feels like ages. Is it just me, or does time fly by at a rapid speed lately? We hardly get time to dress ourselves, but when the emperor comes strolling down the street dressed as nature intended, one needs to take a break and put some clothes on that man! Today's Cover Characteristic's theme is: Clothes only .

This post link up with the The Sunday Post , a weekly meme hosted by  Caffeinated Book Reviewer   and It's Monday! What are you reading? hosted by  The Book Date .  This is a post to recap the past week on your blog, tell  everyone  about books and things you can showcase and share the next week's forecast: What are you reading, what have you just finished and what do you plan to read. And some other news that will make the headlines as well. Remember to link your post and to visit others who have linked up. Have you noticed that my post title has changed? I normally just post under The Sunday Post , but I've noticed something very strange last week. Yes, stranger than fiction. Real events. Like all the likes and hits I had on my Sunday Post last Sunday. Wait, let me start at the beginning - a very good place to start. When you read you begin with ....? YES! - THE HEADLINE . And that was all I did for last week's post. I literally only took the headl...

The devilish parts:  Title: Autumn in Oxford Author: Alex Rosenberg Published by: Lake Union Publishing Publication date:  30 August 2016  Genre: Women's fiction/Crime&Mystery/historical speculation Pages: 426 ISBN:   9781503939073   Mareli's rating:  3 stars Recommend to:  Crime&Mystery lovers with hints of historical speculation. Lovers of conspiracy theories might also enjoy this one. Description:  After being blacklisted for having communist sympathies as a student twenty years before, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Tom Wrought escapes America’s Cold War climate to teach at Oxford. There, he falls in love with Liz Spencer, a beautiful married woman. When Liz’s husband is pushed in front of a train in the London Underground, Tom is immediately arrested for the murder. Scotland Yard is convinced it has its man, as he had means, motive, and opportunity. Certain of his innocence, Liz hires a young solicitor, Alice Silve...

Does anybody remember this one? If you don't (or even worse, don't even know it) , have a quick quick listen. Because it's the weekend and it's time for quick quick baby, come and play.  I'm off to the movies with my favorite aunt, so this post is also just quick quick. Meet me on Friday @  Friday 56  for a bit of  Book Blogger Hop   to kick-start the weekend with  Book Beginnings .

Food food - glorious food! Yes, we all love it almost as much as we love books. (Don't eat the books)  And a book featuring food is like dessert without the calories.  Today's theme for Book Travelling Thursdays is: Books that focus on food, eating and cooking . Let's join the lovely ladies at the  Goodreads   group and share some recipes! Should you wish to participate, just follow these easy  1,2,3 block(g) myself  steps: 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly link-up/meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish   where they provide a prompt and other lovers of list-making   (me! me! me!)  join in with their own top ten list. Feel free to have less than 10 or more if you need to at times and put a spin on the topic if you need to. Just please link back to  The Broke and the Bookish   if you are participating. Link up with your  BLOG POST   (not your blog)  in the linky provided and remember to pay it forward!  Today's theme for Top Ten Tuesday is  A TV themed topic. I had a gazillion ideas for this one: My Top Ten Favorite TV shows (for real) What to read if you like this or that TV show The book was a better show The show was better than the book Bad type casting Good type casting WTF is going on in....? Why don't they make stories like .... anymore? All those topics just made me feel confused and LOST .  Light Bulb! Lets just t...

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by  Caffeinated Book Reviewer . This is a post to recap the past week on your blog, tell  everyone  about books and things you can showcase and share news for the upcoming week. Remember to link your post and to visit others who have linked up. They say a picture can say a thousand words. And sometimes a headline is all the story you need. Especially when you are tired and need to go to bed, but really just want to do something for your favorite weekly feature....        No big stories from me this week. Just a few great headlines. The 101th Dalmatian found alive! Another one down the drain - the tragic loss of a cellphone Insider scoop: How they managed the Great Escape Take the Books! Hostage Drama Continues Wishing you all a great week ahead!  Mareli Thalk to me! What was the headline of your week?

Welcome back to Mareli Thalk ink. We are broadcasting life from Mrs Thalwitzer's living room where the  Take the Books Hostage -drama has now entered its second month. Over to you Bruce:  I think we are on a completely different story here Bruce. Let's see if our anchor man, Evan, can share more light on the hostage situation: It does appear as if we are not being taken seriously here. And that while all the poor books are still being held captive by an Evil Queen in the making. (Whahaahaaahaaa....)

Seeing that August's Library Card was taken under siege ( Take the books hostage ), I guess I don't have to phone a negotiator this month. (The fact that the hostage situation has still not been resolved is completely irrelevant to this post. Please follow September Library Card (still need to be drafted though) ) . No negotiations were brought to the table, except the one or two Netgalley reviews that were due in August (one is still unresolved as well). Maybe this is a bit of a hostile environment at the moment. Let's rather talk about the books that did manage the Great Escape.

  RIP Gene Wilder 1933 - 2016 . We will re-MEME-ber you. (Every time I eat a chocolate) Another week, another month, another cellphone - down the drain. Yes, I really did drop my phone in the toilet. No, it does not work. It was made in China. My husband did  forewarn me about that. Did I listen? Do I ever ? So, whose fault is it that one now has to suffer the eternal agony of old-phone? Certainly not mine. Can't read cellphone. Can read book. Thank heavens for small mercies.

First of all - Thank you to all the congratulatory messages on my 100th post! Guess what? Here's one more. I really am starting to feel like a Disney Princess here. If I don't prevent you from falling asleep during a long and tedious-to-read blog post, I present you with another post filled with lovely little Ink Spots. (What do you mean,  SHE's  not a Disney Princess??) I wanted to do something special for the 100th post celebration and seeing that Somebody  already stole 100 puppies and gave them away, I had to think of something else. And then it hit me: The sum of the parts are greater than the hole  whole. Let's do a bit of maths and see how you can get to 100!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by  Caffeinated Book Reviewer . This is a post to recap the past week on your blog, tell  everyone  about books and things you can showcase and share news for the upcoming week. Remember to link your post and to visit others who have linked up. Today's Sunday Post is the 100th post on my blog. Yea! Of course I had big plans for this post. I mean it is 100  and we all know how very important that number is. (Actually, I have absolutely no idea what the significance of 100 is. Will find out though) When I started planning today's Sunday Post, I realized it had that one magical ingredient that one need to write a classic fairy tale like Sleeping Beauty : The reception will bore you to sleep. Too much thalk thalk thalk, tooo much blah blah blah.  

Am I the only one who feels like that? Not complaining at all - just sharing. Meet me on Friday @  Friday 56  for a bit of  Book Blogger Hop   to kick-start the weekend with  Book Beginnings . Friday 56  is hosted by  Freda's Voice . For this date, you will need the following:  Grab a book  (Yes, any book. But it might get you to your other Friday activities a bit quicker if you just grab the book you are currently reading) Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader Find a sentence or two  (your other Friday activities might determine this) Post it! Remember to post your link on  Freda's Voice  and to visit the other guys in the linky. And  don't forget to list the title of the book and the author as well. (With one click on the covers, you will be transported to the magical world of  Goodreads) After requesting a book from Netgalley and it got DENIED (*gasp*) , I visited my Netgall...

I have about an hour to kill, so let's take a coffee break with Book Traveling Thursdays . Danielle and Catia are the two lovely moderators over at the   Goodreads   group. Should you wish to participate, just follow these easy  1,2,3 block(g) myself  steps:  Pick a book. At the beginning of every month, a list of themes will be posted. All you have to do is choose a book that fits that theme. In your blog post, include an explanation of why your chosen book fits the theme. Look at covers from multiple editions and multiple countries for the book you chose. Be sure to tag your posts with booktravelingthursdays so we can all see each other's posts. (Link back on the Goodreads Group) In your post, include the the following:  The original cover The cover from your country (if there are multiple covers from your country, include them all) Your favorite cover Your least favorite cover This week's theme is: Because reading takes us to a ...

Welcome to  Thursday Quotables   hosted by  Bookshelf Fantasies .  This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage during your past reading week. Whether it's something funny, startling, gut-wrenching or just  really  written beautifully - this is where you must share! It is so simple: Write a Thursday Quotable post on your blog.  (We're all busy here, so pick something from what you are currently reading) Link back to  Bookshelf Fantasies  and link-up with the  linky  provided. Make sure to visit the other quotable bloggers and snitch their books. Go read. You need at least one new book for next week's feature. Seeing that it is my third Thrusday Quotables , today I'll give you not one, not two, not three ......

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly link-up/meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish   where they provide a prompt and other lovers of list-making   (me! me! me!)  join in with their own top ten list. Feel free to have less than 10 or more if you need to at times and put a spin on the topic if you need to. Just please link back to  The Broke and the Bookish   if you are participating. Link up with your  BLOG POST   (not your blog)  in the linky provided and remember to pay it forward!  Today's theme for Top Ten Tuesday is Ten Books that have been on your shelf (or TBR - let's not kid ourselves here) from before you started blogging.

The devilish parts: Title:  Anna and the King of Siam Author:  Margaret Landon Published by (ebook):  Open Road Integrated Media Publication date (ebook):  23 August 2016 (first published in 1944) Genre:  Literary/Historical Fiction Pages:  395 ISBN:   9781504038553  Description:  In the early 1860's, Anna Leonowens, a widow with two young children, was invited to Siam (modern day Thailand) by King Mongkut who wanted her to teach his children and wives the English language and introduce them to British customs. Inspired by two memoirs written by Mrs Leonowens, Margaret Landon took the first person narratives and enhanced them with details about the Siamese people and their culture from other sources. The book has been translated into dozens of languages and has inspired at least six adaptations into various dramatic mediums. Now, for the first time, it is also available on electronic format. Mareli's rating:  4 stars ...

I couldn't do my Sunday Post  yesterday as we were without electricity from Saturday night. Eish. (South African. A n exclamation expressive of surprise, agreement, disapproval, etc. Word Origin. from Zulu.) We live in a part of town where you can be guaranteed of NO  electricity when there is just the slightest hint of thunder. Well, it did appear as if the Dear Lord moved His entire house on Saturday night. Quite a bit more than just the hint of thunder came down on us. And as promised, the lights went out. Until last night. Luckily, (what an unfortunate state to be in) - we are used to power outages in South Africa.  Luckily (what a fortunate state to be in!) there is still  It's Monday! What are you reading?  This weekly feature is hosted by  Bookdate   and it's a great way to get your reading week sorted. All you need to do is: