I'm taking a blogging break!

Hi guys! Today I have a quick announcement post for you. In a recent post, I talked about how I'll soon be moving abroad to Malaysia to do my Master degree there. If you want to know more about what I'll be studying and where I'll be living, you can click here to read that post.

Since I'll be busy moving in my dorm and getting started both at uni and in Malaysia over the next few days or weeks, I've decided that it would be best to take a short break from blogging. 

So, how long will this blogging break be?

I'll be arriving in Malaysia on the 26th. On the same day I'm landing in Malaysia I'll have to go to the university to do all the admission stuff. So yeah, I guess that I'll be rather busy over the next few days or so and I don't even know when I'll be able to check my blog or even get connected to the WiFi. 

So right now, I plan to be on a break for roughly 3-4 weeks. I'll most probably be back on the 20th of June with my next post and I will resume blogging normally after that date. 

What about replying to comments?

While I won't be able to reply to your comments right away, I will definitely be reading them as you post them and I will reply to all of them! It'll just take a little longer than usual ^^ 

And what about commenting on other blogs and posts??

As to commenting on my fellow blogger friends' posts, that will also be a little delayed but once I get back from my break, I promise I'll catch up on all your blogs ^^

So that's pretty much all I had to say in this post. As I said at the beginning of the post, it is a pretty short one! However, as soon as I'm back from my break, I'll be posting lots of new posts that I've been very excited to put together and show you. So see you guys soon ^^

Cover art by Of Stacks and Cups via Pagemodo

The Intimidating Book Tag

Hi guys! Today I'm doing The Intimidating Book Tag. The original tag was created by YouTuber Lindsey Rey, and I was inspired to do the tag after watching this video by Yesy from the channel thebookvagrant.

As much as we love reading, sometimes we come across books we just can't get through. Maybe they are too big. Maybe it's just not the right time to read a particular book. More often than not, we just find that we are simply not in the mood for a particular title. 

1. What book have you been unable to finish?

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. Okay, first let me say that I love this cover. Seriously, it's gorgeous. For those of you who don't know, Cruel Beauty is a Beauty and the Beast retelling taking place in a fantasy setting. I love me a good retelling so when I saw this book, I immediately decided I needed it in my life. The problem though, is that I overhyped the book in my mind. So when I actually started to read the book, I was underwhelmed by it. I thought the beginning was a little clichéd and honestly, I wasn't a big fan of our leading lady. So after struggling with it for a few days, I ended up putting it down. Now, I might finish this book at some point, since I'm very curious by nature and I actually want to know how it ends, but right now I just have other books I want to spend my time with.

2. What book have you yet to read because you just haven't had the time?

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I love reading classics and the Scarlet Letter is one I've been meaning to read for a while now. I've had it for almost 2 years on my shelf but haven't simply found the time to actually read it. I'm planning to bring it with me to Malaysia though so I just might read it during the year. Hopefully!

3. What book have you yet to read because it's a sequel?

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice. You may not know this about me but I'm actually a huge fan of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, whose main character, the vampire Lestat, also happens to be both my favorite male character of all time and my first and biggest literary crush. A few years ago, the series seemingly came to an end with the tenth book, Blood Canticle, being the last. And then, to all the fans' surprise and excitement, in 2014, a new book was published in the series. This book, Prince Lestat, supposedly sees the return of Lestat and a bunch of other characters, although I don't know much else since I've been avoiding spoilers about the book. Now, I am super excited to read this book but I've decided I wanted to read the first ten books first so it'll be a little while more before I finally pick it up. I'm on book 9 though so that shouldn't take too long now.

4. What book have you yet to read because it's brand new?

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan, the first book in his new Trials of Apollo series. Okay, I'm actually pretty pumped about this book but I have no idea when I'll be able to get my hands on a copy so for now, I'm just trying to be patient and avoid spoilers online XD. 

5. What book have you yet to read because you read a book by the same author and didn't enjoy it?

The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I read Angels and Demons by him a few years ago, expecting to discover a cool and complex story with lots of mystery and secrets and more importantly, some great writing. When I did read the book though, I was a little disappointed by the writing which I found rather immature to be honest. The story felt rather clichéd, I disliked the female love interest or perhaps the very presence of the female love interest and just managed to finish the book. I've heard that Da Vinci Code is much better but so far I don't feel very inclined to pick up another Dan Brown.

6. What book have you yet to read because you're just not in the mood for it?

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. It's about a guy who gets reborn over and over again and who actually remembers all of his previous lives. It definitely sounds intriguing and when I first got this book, I was quite excited to read it too but I've since then not really been in the mood to actually pick it up. I know I will probably really enjoy it since it's been getting awesome reviews and the plot, too, sounds awesome. I just don't feel like reading it at the moment. Maybe soon though.

7. What book have you yet to read because it's humongous?

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I was very excited to read this book at the time and honestly, I'm still quite excited to read it. It's just that at the time I first tried to read it, things were pretty hectic and it was basically really poor timing to pick up a book of this size. I do plan to read it at some point, although that would probably have to wait for after my return from Malaysia.

8. What book have you yet to read because because it was a cover buy that turned out to have poor reviews?

Okay, I don't actually have anything for this question simply because I tend to look up reviews before I buy books. That being said, I do occasionally let a pretty cover coerce me into making unplanned purchases, the later probably being The Time Traveler's Wife. 

9. What is the most intimidating book in your TBR pile?

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I've had this book for almost 3 years now and each time I look at it and tell myself now's the time to read it, I eventually chicken out and move on to another book. I did try to read it once but I put it down after 30 pages or so. It's not that I didn't like what I did manage to read. For some reason, the book just intimidates me XD. 

So that's it for this tag guys. I hope you enjoyed it and if you want to also do it on your blog, feel free to do so. Happy Reading! 


Cover art by Of Stacks and Cups via Pagemodo

I'm Moving to Malaysia!

Hi guys! Today I have an exciting announcement post for you. As some of you may already know, very soon, this month in fact, I'll be starting my Masters. And unlike with my Bachelor degree, which I did here in Mauritius itself, this time I'm going to university abroad. And in today's post, I thought I would share with you some info so that you guys know what's going on for me at the moment.  

So what will I be studying?

So I'll be doing a Masters of Arts in Communication. I did my Bachelor degree in Marketing Management and since I wanted to do something a bit new while staying in the same general field, I went for Communication. Plus, I thought that this course might also help me with my blog. 

Why go abroad to study?

I knew I wanted to go abroad for my Masters even when I was yet to finish my first degree. See, with Mauritius being a rather small country, there's no point in having dorms on the university campus since it's easier for students to simply go back home after classes. So here, going to uni is not much different from going to high school in that aspect. Classes are over, you get on a bus and go home. 

For my Masters though, I wanted things to be different. I wanted to know the experience of living by myself and away from home. I wanted to go on an adventure of my own instead of just reading about adventure in books. I suppose I also wanted to become a little more independent. To learn to fend for myself in the world. To get that, the only way was to go abroad. 

Now why Malaysia, you might be wondering? Well, for us Mauritians, Malaysia offers the perfect balance between excellence of education and decent budget. While there's certainly an appeal in going West or to Europe, budget-wise Malaysia was the best alternative for me. 

Where exactly will I be living and studying?

I'll be living and studying at Taylor's University, in Selangor, Subang Jaya. I've been to Malaysia before so I'm a little familiar with the country already. And from what I've seen from photos,a bunch of which a friend who also studied in Malaysia sent me, Taylor's University looks pretty nice. The best part? It's a lakeside university. Yep, it actually comes with a lake! 

So how will this all affect the blog?

Firstly, I expect that I will probably publish fewer posts per month, with me being busy with my Masters and everything. That being said, moving abroad and living by myself in a completely new setting might also help inspire new blog posts so I might also write a bit about my experiences in Malaysia. 

I know I'll definitely be sharing info and pictures with you guys whenever I can. I'm thinking I might even continue my Travel Log series, only featuring Malaysian locations instead of Mauritian ones. So far I can mostly speculate but soon I'll probably have a little more info for you guys ^^

When am I leaving?

I'm leaving Mauritius on the 25th of May. The 25th guys! That's like less than 2 weeks from now! I'm having a weird mix of anxiety and excitement, although I'm definitely more excited than anxious. Leaving my family is going to be weird. I know I'll miss them a lot. Especially my little sister who's basically my best friend. And let's not forget my bookshelf and all of the books that I'm also leaving behind! 

That being said, I'm also really looking forward to what is certainly going to be a big adventure. I've never lived by myself before, much less in another country. Sure, sometimes when I think about it, it all feels a little scary. The Masters course itself is going to be pretty challenging, not to mention that I'm such a hopeless introvert too! 

But like Gandalf said, 'The world is not in your maps and books. It's out there!' And I'm ready (I think!) to finally go on that adventure of my own ^^