September Wrap Up

Happy Labour Day long weekend Aussies! Hope you're enjoying the long weekend as much I am. I'm just over the moon because I love hot weather and it's like 33 degrees (Celsius) today - that's 90 degrees for you Fahrenheit people.

First things first - I GOT THE NEW iPhone 6s. In rose gold. And it's even more gorgeous than you think. No *slaps hand* you cannot touch. But here's a photo for you to drool over. The below photos are taken with the awesome 12MP camera. For me it wasn't too massive a transition because I had the 5s before this. I really love the 3D Touch.

I ended up getting a lot more books than I anticipated for September!

• Saga volume 5 by Fiona Staples and Brian K Vaughan
• Kiss of the Rose Princess volumes 5 and 6 by Aya Shouoto (my favourite manga artist probably)
• The Martian by Andy Weir (about time I read this)
• Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman (COVER LUST)
• Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson (another Wild West gold rush book it seems, Rae Carson <3)
• The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (2 copies because I bought one and the other came with my YA Chronicles subscription box)
• The Beast's Garden by Kate Forsyth (Beauty and the Beast retellings <3)
• Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray (THANK YOU ALLEN AND UNWIN FOR NOT CHANGING THE COVER)
• Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo (skdfhksdfhsd IT'S LEIGH BARDUGO and those black stained pages like wow)
• Hans Christian Andersen Classic Fairy Tales (B&N edition so gorgeous)
• Peter Pan by JM Barrie (yes the inside is beautiful)
• Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas (YAAAAAAAAS)

I also think I got some unsolicited review copies but I can't really remember so... go me O_O

In terms of what I read...

• Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - Overall a good mystery but wasn't a fan that in the reveal, there were things talked about that weren't mentioned AT ALL in the story. The reader had no possibility of solving the mystery and finding motive on their own. That kills me because I knew the culprit, but I couldn't find all the pieces of the puzzle to connect them all motive-wise - turns out they were never there.
• After Daybreak (Darkness Before Dawn #3) by JA London- A satisfying end to this vampire trilogy. Nothing really fascinating though.
• Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters #2) by Krista and Becca Ritchie - Another AMAZING new adult from KB Ritchie. I adore the Calloway Sisters novels. Raisy ugh. Perfection.
• Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman - Loved this Wild West gold rush novel. I haven't ever read a YA set in this era and Bowman really added character to this with the language. Kate's quest for revenge was stellar (Y). Her motto is probably "Shoot first . Think later."
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik - This phenomenal. Words cannot. Magic, fantasy, lovely story, awesome MC, enigmatic Dragon. Jaz loves. Go read that is all.
• The Diviners (The Diviners #1) by Libba Bray - Finally finished this one after attempting it again this year for Lair of Dreams. The Roaring Twenties were captured perfectly. Speakeasies, Prohibition, parties, mixed with macabre occult murders = glamorous and thrilling.

Vicolo Cafe on Kent St

This is a little Italian cafe on Kent St in the CBD. I was really impressed by this cafe! I shared a steak sandwich and antipasto board with my workmate. The steak sandwich was delicious! The steak was nice and tender which is the obvious decider for me. Highly recommend. I wouldn't have finished the whole thing on my own, so glad I shared. The antipasto was not too bad. The grilled capsicum was really nice and some of the meats were ok. Can't say I'd highly recommend it though.

I reckon Since I Left You (a bar also on Kent, very close to Vicolo) does antipasto better. If you want amazing prosciutto, then definitely try Since I Left You - they also apparently have a changing wine list. I had a really good red wine here when colleagues introduced me to this bar. SILY also has a really nice vibe if you sit outside which is what we did.

Yayoi - The Galeries Victoria

This is one of the newer restaurants opened in the Galeries and they're on the pricier side of Japanese. In contrast to the ramen-focused Ichiban-boshi upstairs, Yayoi is all about rice set menus. The place has a really clean and fresh/modern look with its booths and ordering through iPads. Also points for their smooth and responsive order system (if you've been to Wagaya, you'll know of the pains of stabbing the unresponsive ordering system). I got the chicken karage set with green tea which was $19.50. It tasted reallllly good. The karage was battered differently to the usual crumbly karage I usually get at Jap restaurants. It came with a lot of little sides and a miso soup (which was a bit too salty for my taste). The best part was the green tea - as an insane tea drinker (if you know me well, you know that I don't drink water - my whole life I've just been drinking Chinese/Japanese teas) I'm really particular about how fragrant tea is. This green tea was beautifully fragrant which I've been hard pressed to find at places these days, even Japanese joints. Overall, pricey, but worth it!

Hellohappy - Strathfield

Last night, I went to Strathfield with Jess to have dinner and our long time coming dessert date! I'm not a fan of cakes (I know, but y'all know I'm an ice cream/macarons person) so while Jess got a cake, I got a green tea frappuccino. Yes green tea again. No I never get sick of it. Yes it was pretty good though I liken it to Starbucks.

Currently reading: The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1) by Rick Riordan

Tunes: Avicii's new songs City Lights and Trouble