Review: Perfect tree shapes

Perfect tree shapes by Fran Meneses
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVE FRAN SO MUCH!!!

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's try to keep the fangirling to a minimum here, Chels.

Fran is a Chilean Freelance Illustrator living in England with her husband Ed, and their two amazing cats, Hamburguesa and Cereal. She owns an Etsy shop under the name Frannerd and also makes Youtube videos/vlogs about her life as a freelance illustrator, offering tutorials on different techniques used as well as reviews of art supplies, thoughts on the industry, tips for fellow artists, as well as her own hilarious fangirling over all things to do with stationary, graphic novels, Sailor Moon, and other general awesomeness. I have been following her for a couple years now and I genuinely love her. Maybe it's creepy to say this, but I think we could be friends in real life - my boyfriend has also said he could picture us getting along so maybe I'm not so creepy after all...but I digress....

She is an inspiration, to say the least; her artwork and illustrations are brilliant and the way she truly works her hiney off in such a cut-throat industry is admirable. I'm so happy to see her finally getting the recognition she deserves and this little travel journal that she has designed, illustrated, and produced completely on her own (yes, she printed and bound each and every one of the copies sold herself), is just amazing to me.

The illustrations are incredibly cute and quirky with thoughtful detail - her signature style has an almost child-like whimsy and it comes through in each page as she takes us along with her and her friend Monse during their trip to Paris and London in 2014. Fran recounts with both honesty and humour the trials and triumphs of travelling with your best friend in cities not so familiar to either of you - everything from getting lost, to getting hangry, to getting choked-up over brilliant sunsets in a city as beautiful as Paris. In between the main story, Fran also offers helpful tips on where to go and what to see, such as museums and popular attractions, complete with cutely drawn maps, as well as delicious places to eat in each iconic city.

Overall, it reads very much like an actual journal, offering the same intimate feel as a diary as Fran also reflects here and there on her life living abroad thus far and the difficulty of missing her family and friends back in Chile. She describes the tough decisions that she and Ed have had to make in order to afford to stay in Germany (where they were living at the time of her writing) and wonders whether they had made the right decision in following their dreams to live in Europe. Each illustration that accompanies the text is so thoughtful, so sweet, and I absolutely loved getting an intimate glimpse into their lives through this little graphic travel journal.

I truly encourage you to check out her artwork, videos, and her Etsy shop, and of course this travel journal as well!

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Review: Quotable Wilde

Quotable Wilde by Max Morris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This guy...he gets it. Every time. What else can I say?

Well I WILL say that although I've not always enjoyed actually reading his plays/novels, having only done so for school and not for my own personal pleasure, I've always really enjoyed the movie adaptations and reading his personal essays/letters. I find his general views on life to be pretty hilarious and usually spot on- his super sassy, super intelligent way of spinning phrases around to make it seem like he's paying you a compliment when really he's making fun of you/society just kills me every time. That man would have been a riot to know in real life, and if I could go back in time, or meet someone from the past, he'd be right near the top of my list of people I'd pick! Heck, I like his quotes so dang much I've even used one as the banner on my blog - total fangirl right here.

A few witty examples of the genius that is Mr. Wilde:

"It is always a silly thing to give advice, but to give good advice is absolutely fatal"

"I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train."

"There is much to be said in favour of modern journalism. By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community."

"The people who love only once in their lives are really the shallow people. What they call their love, and their fidelity, I call either the lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination."

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

But then he can also be all soppy and serious:

"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring."

"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

Awwww Oscar!!

Anywho, you get the picture. I liked this 'lil collection of quotes and I've actually gone back a few times throughout the year to re-read some of my faves - a little chuckle here and there to brighten my day. The only thing I'd say about the book itself is that it would have been a nice touch to have added a small blurb about him somewhere, just so an audience who may not know much or anything at all about Wilde would at least have a few facts about his life to go on. Other than that, it's a cute little purple book of fun that I'm happy to own.


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