diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index e56f0061..fe9d63b9 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+**0.8.9**
+- Add the ability to read a theme file to be used for the repl color highlighting (detail of usage on the README)
+
 **0.8.8**
 - remove syntect, use a custom made parser instead -> big runtime/compile time improvement + big decrease in dependencies
 - use `dirs_next` crate instead of deprecated `dirs`
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index aa1f9a55..09ba3017 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "irust"
-version = "0.8.8"
+version = "0.8.9"
 dependencies = [
  "crossterm 0.17.5 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "dirs-next 1.0.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index f0850328..660e5d51 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "irust"
-version = "0.8.8"
+version = "0.8.9"
 authors = ["Nbiba Bedis <bedisnbiba@gmail.com>"]
 edition = "2018"
 readme = "README.md"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 19ca9c42..a27e1c2c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -93,18 +93,35 @@ IRust config file is located in:
     welcome_msg = Welcome to IRust
     welcome_color = DarkBlue
 
+## Theme
+Since release `0.8.9` `IRust` can now parse a theme file located on `$config_dir/irust/theme` and use it for the highlighting colors.
+
+Example of a theme file:
+
+```
+  keyword: #D027C1
+  keyword2: #BC303F
+  function: #6BF600
+  type: #0ED5FF
+  string_literal: #DEFB24
+  character: #DEFB24
+  symbol: #BC303F
+  const: #9530BC
+
+```
+
 ## Releases
    Automatic releases by github actions are uploaded here https://github.com/sigmaSd/irust/releases
-    
+
 ## Building
     cargo b --release
-    
+
 ## FAQ
 
 **1- Why is autocompletion not working**
-    
+
     -> you need racer installed and configured correctly
         cargo +nightly install racer
         rustup component add rust-src
-    
+
 ## [Changelog](./CHANGELOG.md)
diff --git a/src/args.rs b/src/args.rs
index b481278f..c4effd44 100644
--- a/src/args.rs
+++ b/src/args.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use crate::irust::options::Options;
 use std::env;
 
-const VERSION: &str = "0.8.8";
+const VERSION: &str = "0.8.9";
 
 pub fn handle_args() -> std::io::Result<()> {
     let args: Vec<String> = env::args().skip(1).collect();