BOOK REVIEW: „Before I Go To Sleep“ by S. J. Watson

image via

I bought this intriguing sounding book in New York at Barnes & Noble and finished it within 3-4 hours (unusual for me!). Its plot had me from the beginning onwards and didn’t leave my thoughts. 

After an accident, a 47-year-old married woman wakes up every day with a deleted memory and has only her little notebook to check who she is and where she’s at in her life, at the moment. But how true is the content of the notebook really?! And what was the accident really all about? Time after time, her memory returns…

The writing style of the book has the right pace. It’s not about details here but about getting further in the events. The structure is such that putting the book away is made impossible, very Dan Brown-like!

However, the “50 Shades” syndrome can be found in “Before I Go To Sleep” as well – it’s not even THAT good; neither are the characters nor the credibility but you simply don’t care and that’s okay I guess. So grab an exciting easy reading book that is definitely thrilling, has shocking moments, a superb pace and some interesting plot aspects, but lacks some originality.

 

 

New Year's Eve in New York City

Oh New York. You keep giving me pleasure over the years! For the FIRST time I made it in winter time. My family and me were at a wedding in North Carolina first and afterwards, we headed to New York to enjoy the world's center, as I like to call it, during snowfall and sunshine!

We were there for six days and of course I was all about instagramming every single moment, as I was flooded with mind boggling impressions.

My personal recommendation: VISIT BROOKLYN! It's so underrated! Greenwood Cemetery, Coney Island, Park Slope, Williamsburg,... all these places should not be missed during a stay in NYC as they are so very different than Manhattan and show you how eclectic New York is!

 Recommendation No. 2. DON'T. go on TimeSquare on New Year's Eve. too. many. people!

Trivia: it had -4°C so it was unbelievably cold. I wore as much as I do when going skiing and froze nonetheless. However, I didn't care for the cold at all for a glance of ice-skating people in Central Park or a view over Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge.

by the way: do follow me on instagram! KOALA_REPUBLIC it is. see you there! :) 

gorgeous weather in frozy Central Park & my favorite building of them all

 the fantastic view from Brooklyn Bridge Park & the Ball Drop's probably SINGLE nice moment!

 enjoying fauna on Highline & stunned by the 9/11 memorial that has turned out beautifully

 drinking the sun in Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery & glancing at Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge

 Coney Island Sunset. See for yourself....

 Brooklyn daily life & Brooklyns sleeping-beauty-lookalike Botanical Garden

American food - who doesn't love it, let's all be honest. (I did gain some pounds ;D)

MOVIE REVIEW: "Cloud Atlas"

image via

A movie that dares to be completely different from what you’ve seen. From the makers of Matrix, it does remind you at some point of the futuristic blockbuster. However, the six interwoven stories that build up this special experience of cinema are something new for everyone.

Based on the novel of the same name, the story centers around individualists; people who try to make a change. In how far the stories are connected, that you have to find out throughout the movie which makes it an event almost equally exciting and challenging as “Inception”, one of my favorite movies of all times.

The acting performances are absolutely outstanding. I don’t want to spoil why, as you know only by the time the end credits appear, what has really been behind those weird characters that have been introduced to you. The contents amazed me in every single way. Thrilling, touching, making your heart race. For those who have seen the film: I thought the best story was the Seoul-future-story and the 70ies-complott-story. Those who didn’t work as well were the future-village-story as well as the 19^th-century-sailor-story. 

I don’t want to complain on a high level, as Tom Tykwer made this German production an absolute cinema highlight of the year. Warning: THIS IS NOT for everyone. You like it or you hate it. I adored it.