Christmas Giftcard Book Haul

I don't often get vouchers and things for Christmas so I was pretty excited this time as I got quite a few Amazon vouchers and a Waterstones voucher!! I don't tend to buy books on Amazon too much because I do like to support bookshops, but I thought it would be cool to use the vouchers to buy US books that I can't pick up in a shop. I'll be using my Waterstones giftcard throughout the year on new releases :) 

Meg and Linus - Hanna Nowinski

This was actually my final read of 2017! It was sweet and I liked it, but I didn't love it. It was very cool to have a book with 2 gay protags as that doesn't happen all that often, but I wasn't blown away by the writing style. It would be a good book for you if you liked Queens of Geek. 

The Gallery of Unfinished Girls - Lauren Karcz 

I've read this one too, it was my second read of 2018. I loved this one a lot; it has tonnes of elements I love in a story like magical realism, complex sibling relationships, and intense longing. The writing was beautiful and I found myself reading it slowly so as to fully appreciate it. This one has a waiting list of friends looking to borrow!

Of Fire and Stars - Audrey Coulthurst 
I bought this one as a friend of mine loves it and it sounds very up my street (plus the cover is beautiful!) I'm hoping to read it soon.

Made You Up - Francesca Zappia
Eliza and her Monsters by the same author was one of my top ten books of last year, so I was keen to get hold of her other novel. This one also looks at mental illness but it's more central to the plot than in Eliza and Her Monsters which looked more at fandom. I'm looking forward to it though it is a pretty big book!!

Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour
I actually read this one prior to buying it! I borrowed it from a friend and I really enjoyed it. It's a really nice, fairly happy lesbian story which is cool as there aren't many. I've had the urge to read it again for a while now, so instead of borrowing it again I bought my own copy. I love Nina Lacour's books so it's nice to buy another to support her further.

Have you read any of these? Did you get any books for Christmas or buy some with any money or vouchers you got?

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Jan - June 2018: What I'm Excited For

I thought it would be cool to highlight some of the books, TV shows and films I'm excited to see released in the first half of the year. I've limited myself to 5 of each otherwise we'd all be here forever!

Books

The Belles - Dhonielle Clayton (Feb)

A Spoonful of Murder - Robin Stevens (Feb)

Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi (March)

The Brightsiders - Jen Wilde (May)

All Of This Is True - Lygia Day Penaflor (May)

Bonus: I Was Born For  This - Alice Oseman (TBC)

Honestly I could easily list double the amount of books I have here, but I didn't want this post to be *too* long! These all sound incredible and I cannot wait for them. The Belles has been getting loads of positive early reviews and just sounds incredible! I really cannot wait for my beloved Daisy and Hazel to be back in A Spoonful of Murder - I've missed them! Children of Blood and Bone got tonnes of buzz at acquisition and sounds like an amazing fantasy read. I loved Jen's first book Queens of Geek so I'm excited for her upcoming The Brightsiders and then All Of This Is True sounds so meta and weird and cool and just YES. Alice Oseman has confirmed her latest book should be out spring 2018 and it just sounds incredible. I have loved both of her previous books so cannot wait for this one.

TV Shows

Dancing On Ice (Jan)

Riverdale 2b (Jan)

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3 (Jan)

Black Lightning (Jan)

Jessica Jones (March)

My favourite thing about Jan is the return of many TV shows! You may have noticed these are a combination of comic book adaptations and reality TV - two of my fave categories! Dancing On Ice has been gone FOREVER so I am very excited to see it return! Drag Race is one of my fave TV shows EVER and the last season of All Stars was excellent so I have high hopes for this one. Then ofc we have the return of Riverdale which was one of my fave shows of 2017, the return of Jessica Jones which I feel like I have been waiting forever for, and the start of Black Lightning which features a black retired superhero vigilante and sounds so good!

Films

Lady Bird

Black Panther

Tomb Raider

Love, Simon

Ocean's Eight

Lady Bird is a film I've heard so much about from people in the states so I'm really excited that we'll be getting it in the UK this year. I went for more of a mix of films than just featuring every Marvel release between now and the end of June. Black Panther is the Marvel film I'm most looking forward to this year; it looks so good and I'm so excited to see a more diverse cast on screen. I do kinda like the original Tomb Raider films despite them being kinda terrible, and I'm hoping this outing can improve on them. I adore Alicia Vikander and don't think she's turned in a bad performance. Love, Simon is an adaptation of a YA book I love: Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda and I'm SO SO excited to see a film about a GAY TEENAGER in the cinema! Ocean's Eight cannot be bad given that outstanding female cast. I can't wait.

What are you excited for this year?

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2018: Small Goals and Stretch Goals

I've never actually been one to make too many resolutions, but at the moment with being off work my  life feels a little unstructured and out of control. As a result I've come up with a series of small goals that I want to achieve while I'm off work but also to carry through to my return. I've also come up with a series of stretch goals I'd love to achieve. 

Small goals

Out of bed and dressed everyday: I am really bad for not doing this. On a bad pain/fatigue day I often stay in bed all day, despite the fact that when I DO get out of bed I actually feel better. So I want to do this daily even if it's only for a little bit.

Do my physio everyday: I got really good at this then the festive period got in the way. So I want to bring this back in. My physio has 3 parts: stretching exercises, pilates exercises and weights. The weights I added in myself because my shoulders are my worst joint and the muscles around them often get tense and sore. I notice an immediate effect when I do this so I really need to keep it up.

Skincare routine everyday: I have pretty much got my skincare routine now but when I feel ill it's one of the first things to fall by the wayside which is silly given that it takes literally a few minutes and really makes me feel better.

Maintain changing bedding fortnightly: I brought this in in 2017 and stuck to it. I was terrible for getting a bit lazy when it came to bedding changes, but regular ones make me feel much better, especially given how much time I spend in bed. 

Practice French daily: I really want to learn French and I've been practicing with 2 apps: Duolingo and Memrise. I want to do this daily in 2018. 

Stretch goals

Swim a mile: I was doing really well with swimming, I got up to being able to swim 1KM but I haven't been for a long time. Not only do I want to get back to swimming, I want to build my lengths up so I can swim a mile. 

Go to the cinema 30 times: I LOVE the cinema and I have a Cineworld card, but with being so ill this year I haven't been as much. In 2016 I went to the cinema 40 times but in 2017 I only managed 20. So I'm splitting the difference and hoping I can stretch to 30 times in 2018. I'm not setting a monthly goal for this as it depends on what films are out/how I'm feeling.

Give blood: I've been meaning to do this for AGES. I had a tattoo in November so I will have to wait a while but I'm determined to finally do this in 2018. 

Learn 5 new recipes: I find cooking hard. All the chopping and standing and lifting/carrying of heavy things. I can usually only do it with an assistant to help. My repertoire of dishes is embarrassingly small so I'd like to increase this by 5 in 2018. 

Read 70 books: I managed 50 in 2017, which is way behind the 100 I used to get. So I'm hoping in 2018 I can increase this to 70. 

Do you have any goals for 2018? Big or small, let me know!

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Favourite Books of 2017

I love reading and I managed 50 books in 2017. Out of those, I've picked my favourite ten books below. I haven't ordered them as that would be an almost impossible task!

Moxie - Jennifer Matthieu

I loved this one so much I inhaled in it one night. An empowering and affirming feminist story that serves as both an intro for budding feminists and an enjoyable read if you're more familiar. I especially loved that intersectionality was included because for me this is an important element of feminism. The romance in this one also stood out to me.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe - Lauren James

It's difficult to say much about this one for fear of ruining it, so lets just say it's quite a ride! I read it in one night, finishing at 3am, and had to text my boyfriend on his night shift the whole plot so I could talk to him about it. Genuinely one of those books where the less you know about it the better.

The Pearl Thief - Elizabeth Wein

This is the prequel for Code Name Verity featuring Queenie, one of the protagonists from that story. It centres on a mystery in the holidays at her family's ancestral Scottish home and has really good bi and traveller rep. It's especially poignant and heartbreaking if you read Code Name Verity first, which I recommend.

We Are Okay - Nina Lacour

This is a beautiful, introspective and heartbreaking read. I absolutely loved it and it's one of those books where the emotions just seep into you. I actually borrowed it from a friend and loved it so much I bought my own copy. This one wins my Most Beautiful Book* Award (*not actually a real thing, but if it was, this would win)

History Is All You Left Me - Adam Silvera

Another heartbreaking one, this actually made me cry which is an uncommon experience for me! There is so much raw grief in this story; made all the more impactful by the inclusion of the 'history' chapters from before Theo's death.

All The Crooked Saints - Maggie Stiefvater

This is Maggie's first book since finishing The Raven Cycle series. It has many of the same elements seen in Maggie's other books: magical realism, characters with complex motivations, mythology native to a family/island/community and feelings ascribed to inanimate objects. At the same time though it felt very different. I didn't quite love this one as much as others of Maggie's but it's still easily in my top ten.

When Dimple Met Rishi - Sandhya Menon

This is just the sweetest contemp romance. I really loved the elements of Dimple's culture that were brought in, especially her parents talking to her in Hindi. This is reminiscent of Stephanie Perkins and for me shows that any book can be made to be representative without losing anything at all from the story

The Spellbook of the Lost and Found - Moira Fowley-Doyle

I loved Moira's first book The Accident Season and so this was my most anticipated 2017 read. It did not disappoint. Beautiful, whimsical and unique it's a perfect read for fans of magical realism, with good LGBT rep as well.

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

Is there a top ten books list that DOESN'T feature this book?! Angie Thomas really knocked it out of the park with her debut novel, title inspired by Tupac's THUG LIFE. The subject matter is timely and powerful: an unarmed teen shot to death by a police officer in the US and the aftermath that follows. The topic is masterfully handled by Angie who characterises everyone and the neighbourhoods they live in so beautifully.

Eliza and Her Monsters - Francesca Zappia

You may notice that there are only 9 books in the above photo. This is because I lent this one to a friend for her to read! Eliza is the anonymous creator of a hugely popular webcomic called Monstrous Sea, and this book takes an authentic look at the positive and negative aspects of Fandom and at the complex relationship between fans and creator. If you liked Fangirl you'll love this one. 

What were your favourite books of 2017?

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July in Review

Oh July. You've been an up and down month for sure. I finally got back into the groove of reading, thanks to Jenny Colgan's books, and we had some glorious hot days, plus I've really enjoyed playing Pokemon Go since it released earlier in the month. Most excitingly I went down to London to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child which was just exceptional. But I've also experienced a lot of pain in July. Partly down to the increased walking I've been doing thanks to Pokemon Go, but also not, and it's made this month rather uncomfortable. I've also felt generally down, which hasn't helped much!

Books Read in July

The Second Love of My Life - Victoria Walters
Billy and Me - Giovanna Fletcher
The Little Shop of Happy-Ever After - Jenny Colgan
Little Beach Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan

Favourite Book of July

The Little Shop of Happy-Ever After - Jenny Colgan

July 2016 will forever be the month I discovered Jenny Colgan's adult fiction. I read The Little Shop because it was 99p on Kindle and adored it so swiftly ordered more. They're funny and food-filled and really enjoyable escapism. I'm looking forward to reading more! 

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Books Acquired in July

The Second Love of My Life - Victoria Walters (Kindle)

Billy and Me - Giovanna Fletcher (Kindle)

The Little Shop of Happy-Ever After - Jenny Colgan (Kindle)

Little Beach Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan

Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan

Rosie Hopkin's Sweetshop of Dreams - Jenny Colgan

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris - Jenny Colgan

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Films Seen at the Cinema in July

Now You See Me 2

The Legend of Tarzan
Ghostbusters 
Star Trek Beyond

Well, Ghosbusters was just fantastic wasn't it? One of the best films I've seen so far this year for sure. I also really enjoyed NYSM2 and Star Trek Beyond, though the dialogue in the latter was really terrible!

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Catch Up On This Month's Blog Posts

It's been less of a blogging month this month, but I posted about The True Cost of Chronic Illness, as well as sharing another of my Etsy Addiction posts. I also shared my One Year On update, and some tips for playing Pokemon Go while chronically ill. 

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In August I'm really looking forward to an event with one of my favourite authors: Maggie Stiefvater! That's actually happening tomorrow. Then later in the week I'm super excited to be going to a midnight showing of The Suicide Squad. Then I have a trip to Newcastle to see Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan in No Man's Land, and of course another Bank Holiday Monday! Books-wise, I'm looking forward to the release of The Potion Diaries: The Royal Tour by Amy Alward. I read the first book last year (it's now one of Zoella's Book Club choices) and loved it, so I have high hopes for the sequel. I'm hoping August will be a good month. 

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June in Review

June has been an odd month. There have been some really positive bits: visits from friends, meals out, a trip to the theatre to see an adaptation of The Night Watch (so good). But it's also been awful. I've been ill, I've done barely any structured exercise, only doing some walking and some physio exercises at home, and finally some swimming this week. Add in the horrible weather we've been having, that horrific referendum result and the subsequent fall out, and not even Wimbledon starting this week has been able to cheer me up. 

Books Read in June

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes
This Savage Song - V.E Schwab

Favourite Book of June

Oh man, I totally failed at reading this month. I read Me Before You after seeing the film as I was interested in the differences. I have to say I thought the book was a lot more problematic and also a lot less entertaining. I don't think Jojo Moyes' writing style is for me. I really enjoyed This Savage Song, though it took me a long time to get into it and it's probably my least favourite of Victoria Schwab's books. By default it's my favourite of the month.

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Books Acquired in June

I bought You Know Me Well and This Savage Song in Waterstones at the beginning of the month. I actually already read YKMW a while back, when the publisher I worked for had it on submission. I enjoyed This Savage Song, but not as much as I expected to/enjoyed the author's other books. I haven't read Summer Days and Summer Nights yet--I'm waiting for a suitably sunny day. I loved the Christmas anthology from last year and got the US covers of both as I dislike the gaudy UK ones. 

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Films Seen at the Cinema in June

Me Before You
Mother's Day
Independence Day: Resurgence 

June has been the month of easy viewing. I went to see Me Before You despite the issues surrounding it, and while I totally agree with what people are saying about it in terms of representation, I actually really enjoyed a lot of this film! Mother's Day was...mixed. Some funny moments, some terribleness. Independence Day 2 was also mixed: a lot of the humorous elements felt forced and fell really flat and I didn't really care about many of the characters. Jeff Goldblum being in it certainly helped, though. 

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Catch Up On This Month's Blog Posts

My first post of the month was a report on my recent holiday to London and Stockholm, followed by a post about how I'm no longer embarrassed about my illness. I then shared the 4th of my Etsy Addiction posts. I wrote a guide to the types of pain I experience, as well as sharing a portion of my travel wishlist. I wrote about everyday struggles; some small, mundane things I find difficult to do, and shared the 3rd of my Rediscovering Manchester posts. This week I also posted about the frustration of not living my best life.

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I'm really hoping July will be a better month. I have some fun stuff coming up: the second week of Wimbledon, a trip to London that brings a visit to the Harry Potter Studio Tour AND I'm going to see The Cursed Child! I'm so, so excited about this. I'm going with my boyfriend and lots of friends and it will hopefully be so much fun. I'm looking forward to the releases of Tarzan, Ghostbusters, Star Trek and The BFG and to the continuation of The Catch on Sky Living which I have been LOVING. 

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May in Review

May has actually been a really positive month! Cutting down on the exercise and social activities plus Sunday night sleeping tablets has lead to me feeling a lot less tired...I've even managed some days without naps! Unheard of before this month. We've had some sun and loads of great things have happened: I went on holiday to see my friends in London and then onto Stockholm to stay with a friend there (more on that another time), had a fab day of spa treatments on Friday and even treated myself to a total indulgence in the form of a bottle of Byredo perfume, a brand I fell in love with in Stockholm. The only downside is I got a bit behind on blogging, but I'm hopefully back on track now!

Books Read in May

Geek Girl: Head Over Heels - Holly Smale

If I Was Your Girl - Meredith Russo

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins (reread)

Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins (reread)

Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins (reread)
The Square Root of Summer - Harriet Reuter Hapgood

Favourite Book of May

I cheated a bit in May and reread some of my favourite books, Stephanie Perkins' series. I reread them fairly regularly because they just make me so happy! So I actually only read 3 'new' books this month. My favourite was definitely the 5th Geek Girl, which was also my favourite Geek Girl book to date. Having said that, I also really really enjoyed The Square Root of Summer which was a different kind of contemporary novel. 

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Books Acquired in May

The Square Root of Summer - Harriet Reuter Hapgood

Not If I See You First - Eric Lindstrom

Mystery & Mayhem - Various

Under Rose Tainted Skies - Louise Gornall

I bought The Square Root of Summer and Not If I See You First in BOGOHP in Waterstones - I hadn't heard anything about the second book but it sounds really good! My friend Jim gifted me the Mystery & Mayhem anthology which I'm looking forward to reading, and my lovely ex-colleague Nina gifted me a proof of a book she's doing the PR for: Under Rose Tainted Skies, which has had fantastic reviews so far. 

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Films Seen at the Cinema in May

Captain America: Civil War

X-Men: Apocalypse 

We obviously had to go and see Captain America again! I enjoyed X-Men but it was definitely the worst of the three and I had a lot of issues with it, but Quicksilver was excellent as always and there were some fun lines/moments. Bit disappointed in my cinema going in May; we missed some good films. Hopefully will go and see a few more in June!

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Catch Up On This Month's Blog Posts

I blogged about my 30 Before 30 list and shared the third of my Etsy Addiction posts. Ahead of my own holiday, I posted some tips for holidaying with a chronic illness and a guide to current TV. Finally, I shared the second of my Rediscovering Manchester posts.  

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June brings some of my London friends coming to stay with me which will be lots of fun! I'm also really looking forward to this Waterstones Deansgate event with loads of cool YA authors. We have some family friends coming to visit one weekend and we're going to see an adaptation of The Night Watch which I'm really looking forward to. June brings the official release date of This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab, which I am currently reading. as well as the release of You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina Lacour which I've read and is an amazing book; I can't wait to have a finished copy!

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April in Review

I had a good week at the beginning of April, then the rest of it was abysmal. It did have one of my most anticipated films of the year and my most anticipated book of the year right in the last week, which helped cheer things up a bit.

Books Read in April

Radio Silence - Alice Oseman

The Raven King - Maggie Stiefvater 

The Bane Chronicles - Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson 

Favourite Book of April: The Raven King

It feels a bit unfair to have read Radio Silence in the same month as TRK, which was always going to be my favourite of the month. Radio Silence is exceptional; an authentic portrait of fandom, friendship, sexuality and the weight of expectation. I totally recommend it. But TRK was everything I needed it to be; a perfect end to my favourite YA series. I am disappointed with the quantity of books in April, but certainly not with the quality!

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Books Acquired in April

The Raven King - Maggie Stiefvater

Passenger - Alexandra Bracken

The Unexpected Everything - Morgan Matson

If I Was Your Girl - Meredith Russo

Geek Girl: Head Over Heels - Holly Smale

Desolation - Derek Landy

Thanks to my pal Jim for the bottom 4 of this pile (it took a lot to convince him not to bring me any more books) and to my lovely old work pal Lauren for Passenger! Super excited to read all of these.

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Films Seen at the Cinema in April

Eddie the Eagle

The Huntsman: Winter's War

Eye in the Sky 

Captain America: Civil War

A solid month for films, actually. I really enjoyed Eddie the Eagle despite not having high expectations; it was totally predictable but super enjoyable with the best kind of feel-good ending. Winter's War is hardly the best film ever made but it was easy to watch and played for laughs, with some beautiful dresses. Eye in the Sky was tense and rather hard to watch but brilliantly acted and bittersweet seeing Alan Rickman in his last cinematic appearance. We went to a midnight showing of Civil War, which I'd looked forward to all month and was then almost too tired to go to. I really enjoyed it; I don't think it is the best film in the MCU as I've seen said, I had problems with it being too convoluted, but I did really enjoy it. 

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Catch Up On This Month's Blog Posts:

As I said, it's been a hard month this month. I talked about that in my most recent blog post, Suffering a Setback. I shared my Love Letter to Technology and the second of my Etsy Addiction posts. I've been preoccupied with pain this month and I wrote a defence of prescription painkillers and about the difficulty in finding a balance. I also shared the first of my Rediscovering Manchester posts.

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I have so many great things happening in May that I'm really looking forward to, it'll be a busy month but hopefully also a great one. I'm looking forward to the release of the latest X-Men film, and I can't wait to pick up a copy of The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood. 

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March in Review

March has been a mixed month. I've really been enjoying going to work, but it has left me tired and that has affected my social life and my exercise regime significantly. I had a really great weekend holed up at my boyfriend's house eating junk food and binge-watching season two of Daredevil which was much needed. 

Books Read in March:

The IT Girl - Katy Birchall

Lady Midnight - Cassandra Clare

Kindred Spirits - Rainbow Rowell

Jolly Foul Play - Robin Stevens

Tell The Wind and Fire - Sarah Rees Brennan

Favourite Book of March: Tell the Wind and Fire 

I'm really pleased with my reading in March, I wanted to read 5 books and I did it, helped by books from four of my favourite authors! I'm hoping I can surpass this and read 6 in April.

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Books Acquired in March:

Lady Midnight - Cassandra Clare

Kindred Spirits - Rainbow Rowell

Jolly Foul Play - Robin Stevens

Rebel, Bully, Geek, Pariah - Erin Lange

A small book month, but I did get 3 books by 3 of my favourite authors and have already read them, which is good. I've never read an Erin Lange but this has been compared to The Breakfast Club so of course I had to buy it. 

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Films Seen at the Cinema in March:

Hail, Caesar!

Deadpool (again)

Batman vs Superman

A much smaller film month, reflecting the fact that I've been so tired in March. I really enjoyed Hail, Caesar! which was a pleasant surprise as the Coen Brothers and I don't usually get along. I thought B vs S was better than the reviews have painted it, but still not great. Best thing about it was Wonderwoman and I think it would have been a better strategy to lead with this film, create the tension between Batman and Superman in it, then follow with their film. I was happy to see Deadpool again as I loved it first time around. 

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Catch Up on This Month's Blog Posts 

In March I posted a Thank You to my Mum ahead of Mother's Day, followed up by my 6 Degrees post for Fangirl, which is a meme run by my friend Jim. I blogged about the frustration of mental fatigue, as well as sharing the first of my Etsy Addiction posts. I blogged about my probably unscientific and unorthodox ways of managing insomnia, shared my thoughts on the Marvel vs DC TV universes for the release of Daredevil, and blogged about being back in employment for a month. 

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It's nice that the evenings have been getting lighter now the clocks have gone forward, I'm hoping the weather will improve a bit in April! My most anticipated book of the year, The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater finally releases this month after several delays and I can't wait to read it. I'm also really looking forward to Captain America: Civil War right at the end of the month; I've booked midnight showing tickets! I have a good friend coming to visit for the day, followed by a weekend away at the home of some family friends. I'm hoping April will be a good month and that I'll get more used to being in work. 

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