Book Review: Optikal Illusion by Rachel Halliburton

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a really interesting book based on a true story in the artistic community of 18th century London. The author does a good job of laying the groundwork for the mystery of the story, concealing motives and placing the reader at unease. At first, I was confused with the jumble of characters and trying to keep track of the plot; there was some playing with the timeline that helped to contribute to this confusion as well, but it was born out by the climax.

Each of the characters are involved in some way in a deception or optical illusion. Optical illusion is also at the heart of what a painting is as well as the idea of the manuscript that would allow the artists to mimic the techniques of Titian. It was very satisfying to see all of these elements to come together in an interesting way.

As an art history major, I enjoyed seeing the descriptions of painting techniques and the use of the familiar figure of Benjamin West. However, it is not necessary to have an art background in order to understand this book.

Single and Still Fabulous: 20 Years of Sex and the City

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the hit comedy program Sex and the City. Known for its frank discussion of relationships from a female perspective, the show also featured fantastical fashion and trendy New York locations. The show won numerous awards and has spawned two feature films and a series of prequel books about Carrie as a teenager. Episodes were themed around questions Carrie proposed in her writing and informed by the events in the women’s lives.
The original novel by Candace Bushnell has a different tone from the series, but many of the scenarios can be found in season one of the series. Sex and the City and similar books from the mid-1990s inspired the genre of chick lit where the heroines sport designer shoes and drink cocktails. These books are usually lighthearted in nature and focus as much on friend and family relationships as on romantic entanglements. In celebration of all things single and fabulous, here are some more titles to inspire you:

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