Knowledge, experiences, travel – I am a fan of them all. On my blog I will share experiences with you. Focus will be on books, but I might throw in the occasional cultural event, travel or other inspiration coming my way.
So which kind of books can you expect to find on this blog? Generally, I like to think about big questions such as the meaning of life, the universe, etc., which is probably why science and philosophy are amongst my favourite non-fictional topics. I like to push my own limits and find biographies about strong and remarkable personalities inspiring. On the other hand, I can’t seem to get through self-help books. I used to be good at buying them, though.
In fiction, I read a mix of contemporary, classics, historical fiction and crime fiction. I have a soft spot for Japanese novels and generally want to read more translated literature. Recent favourites include Transcendent Kingdom, Girl, Woman, Other, The Salt Path, The Dutch House, Kitchen, A Gentleman in Moscow and Mrs Dalloway.
I love to write reviews and discuss books, but you will also find memes, tags, discussions, travel, culture and other random stuff, because it just doesn’t suit my temperament to stick to one kind of content. Variety is key for me in all aspects of life. One type of post, I have come to enjoy writing, is the so-called alternative review. Some of my own favourites include: What I learned from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Circe: Interview with a fallen goddess and The Literary Duel: Rebecca vs. My Cousin Rachel.
My base is London, which is the perfect starting point for experiences such as travel, culture, good food and education. And despite of the traffic, noise, pollution and the fact that 2cm snow can bring the city to a complete stop (not a word about Brexit) London is still my favourite city in the world.
If you are curious about my name, stargazer, or my avatar, which admittedly is a bit strange, you can read why I chose it here. The stargazer avatar photo is acquired from B.A.E. Inc. /Alamy stock photo.
Original About section. I loved Eleanor so much too btw. The Stargazer remains very mysterious though… is it a man, is it a woman… I have no idea. What I do know is that I look forward to following your posts from now on!
Thanks! I think Eleanor has a large fan base. Hehe, a bit of mystery doesn’t hurt, does it? In any case, I do reveal bits and pieces about the mysterious stargazer on my blog and in the comments on the blogs I follow.
Oh I’ll have to pay (more) attention then :-).
I hope you don’t mind a candid question. What is your profile photo depicting? And why did you choose it?
Of course you can ask! Actually, I am surprised nobody else has asked this question. The short answer is, the photo is of a stargazer, which matches my profile name. It is a fish, which lives at the bottom of the sea in relatively shallow water and its eyes are placed on the top of the head, so in theory it can gaze at the stars. Also, I somehow thought it suits my personality better than one of these cute avatars, many bloggers are using. At least I know, the people who visit my blog don’t judge by the cover (not that I look like the stargazer fish in real life…). Thanks for stopping by and great question!
Interesting! It reminds me of a creature from Terry Pratchet novel. I like it, haha, it has a very distinct personality.
Where do they live? I’m assuming it’s somewhere tropical.
Haha, yes I like its personality as well, kind of grumpy with a slightly puzzled look. 🙂 Apparently, they live along the Atlantic coast and also in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
Nice parenthetical on (Brexit). As some wise old somebody once said, “Wisdom consists in two things: having a lot to say, and not saying it.”
do you accept book review requests?
Thanks so much for asking, but no, unfortunately not.
Awesome, It reminds me of a creature from Terry Pratchet novel. I like it!
Haha, it really is like something out of a fantasy book. Glad you like it! 😀