Capturing a moment: inspired by Hygge

This blog post isn't going to be especially intelligent, poetic or with purpose - and I make no apology for that.

I want to capture a moment; a moment of true peacefulness, happiness and simplicity in the midst of the day to day crazy.

Things I know to be true

I have a day off work. Autumn and Winter are my favourite seasons. It's quiet, but I'm not alone. I am now writing, though five minutes ago I realised I was feeling restful.

I had plans for today but the snow has meant I've needed to cancel them. I live in the countryside, and driving is not a sensible option today.

I'm sat in my bedroom, wearing comfortable clothing, hair screwed up in a bobble, and I'm snuggled under a dark green, fluffy Primark blanket that I recieved as a thoughtful Christmas present several years ago. It's become a trusty comforter, a place of safety, warmth and cosiness.

Out of the window directly opposite me, thick, white flakes of snow are falling; sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Snow makes me feel peaceful. Maybe its because there is less expectation. I think I've become more introverted over the last 18 months. But that's not a bad thing. I accept this.

I'm reading The Little Book Of Hygge by Meik Wiking which has been loaned to me by a friend. My friend said I would love this. She was right. I think I'd like to move to Denmark. The Danes have got this right.

Note to self: adopt a more Hygge way of life.

Blog tour: Nice day for a white wedding by A. L. Michaels

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll notice I've been a bit quiet recently... but you'll also know I love a good bit of chick lit. When I saw this come up as a blog tour I thought it looked like a great read.

Now, I'll be very honest and confess that I haven't actually finished this book because life got in the way, so I'm not going to post a review. But, I have been reading the other reviews on this blog tour and it sounds like one I need to nail down!

Have a read of the blurb below and see if you think it sounds as great as I do - don't forget to check out the other reviews too and enter the giveaway... (details further down).

Blurb

Sometimes, Happy Ever After is where the real trouble begins…


Chelsea Donnolly wasn’t supposed to amount to anything. But if there’s one thing the bad girl from the estate liked better than trouble, it was a challenge. So, to the amusement of her best friends Evie, Mollie and Ruby – and the disbelief of her teachers – this bad girl turned good.


These days, Chelsea is the kind of girl people are proud to know – and, after a surprise trip to Venice, she has a ring on her finger to prove it. But to get there, she’s had to learn to keep her deepest secrets from everyone – even her fiancé. And when wedding preparations threaten to blow her cover, Chelsea can’t help but wonder: in her battle to the top, might she have left the best parts of herself behind?


Goodreads
Amazon UK 

Giveaway!


This giveaway is for an Italian themed goodie bag that the author is preparing herself which has lots of goodies in it – like processo, biscotti and other italian themed yummies!

About the author:

I love to research the author's of the books I read and see how their interests influence their work (post about this to come!). A.L. Michael is the author of 'Wine Dark, Sea Blue', 'The Last Word', 'My So Called (Love) Life', 'Driving Home for Christmas', and 'If You Don't Know Me By Now', based upon her experiences as a London barista. Her new three book series, The House on Camden Square, starts with 'Goodbye Ruby Tuesday' and focuses on three friends as they try to open an arts centre in Camden, in memory of their rock star friend. She is a Creative Therapeutic Facilitator, currently researching the power of creative writing to be helpful in recovering from eating disorders, and likes running writing workshops that link together the body and the mind. When she's not writing, she likes yoga, trying to bake healthy treats and was a hipster before hipsters were hipster. Well, she likes Chai lattes and owns a Mac.


Website
Twitter  
Facebook  
Pinterest 

July book haul

A few months ago I set myself the challenge of not buying any new books until I'd cleared the middle shelf of my bookcase, also known fondly as my very unstructured to be read list. And, well... I broke the ban. I know. A week before my holiday I bought Dawn French's According to Yes, and after that, holiday mode took over and I just haven't been able to stop myself.

I wanted to share with you my haul for this month as there's quite a variety; some physical books, some e-books, and I even caved in and bought some that have been on my wish list for quite a while. There are also a few really random ones that I would never have purposefully gone out to buy so I'm really intrigued to read some of those.

• All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer

• Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

• According to Yes by Dawn French

• Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

• The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

• Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan

• The Complete Collection of Virginia Woolf

• Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

• Second Chance by Jane Green

• The School Run by Sophie King

• It's Raining Men by Milly Johnson

• Creature Comforts by Trisha Ashley

• Little Girl Gone by Alexandra Burt

• The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

• His Other Life by Beth Thomas

So there we have it! Let me know if you've read any of these, and also let me know if there's any you specifically want me to review.

Thanks for reading! x

Book Review: The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

For me, Sophie Kinsella's novels are always a bit hit and miss. I've always loved her books as a quick pick me up, a cheesy chick flick, an easy read; you always get what you're expecting. And, most of the time, that's great. I've lost count of how many of these witty, charming books I've read, most times, it's a winner for me.

I'm on holiday at the moment, and I really want to try and get through some of the books that have lined my shelves for years such as The Color Purple. However, to wind down at the start of my holiday I thought I would power through a few of the chick lit type (apologies if you hate that phrase but really, that's what it is) and I knew a Kinsella read would be just what I need.

Unsurprisingly, I haven't been disappointed. As you can see, the cover of this book is a cheerful creamy yellow with a girly illustration of a fashonista, clothes obsesses female - there's no debating about who this book is intended to be marketed towards!

For the first few chapters - actually, the first two thirds of the book - I was unsure as to whether or not I had read this before. Yes, it's an easy read and a little predictable, but for a quick holiday breezy read I didn't mind this too much. I found the protagonist, Rebecca Bloomwood, very frustrating as she fails to appreciate what she has. That is, a good job as a financial journalist and a shared flat with discounted rent in 'trendy Fulham'. Her downfall is that she circulates with an affluent friendship group and aspires to have a very materialistic lifestyle. The novel is centred around Rebecca's spiralling debt problem fuelled by a shopping habit and a love of nice clothes, which I'm sure you'll agree is ironic for a financial journalist! I'm all for driven women with aspirations, but for me, this just felt like it was for all the wrong reasons.

The ending of the novel was surprisingly unpredictable. I'd like to say that Rebecca discovers alternative motivations for working and seeking to better herself, but actually, she just discovers a drive to work hard, with a longer term aim of becoming more affluent and affording the lifestyle she desires rather than being in debt. For me, what makes this book so great is, as always, Kinsella's delightfully witty tone that emanates through her writing.

If you're looking for a perfect holiday chick lit, this is the one for you. Have you read any Sophie Kinsella books?

Thanks for reading! x

Top 10: My childhood favourite reads

Everyone, whether a reader or not, has a favourite book from their childhood. I've always been a reader, and even vaguely remember the first book I read; it had a purple cover and a little sheep, but I can't remember the title unfortunately.

There's something comforting about childhood stories and that reason differs for each person. For me, it's a combination of feeling comforted when reading before drifting off to sleep, and I distinctly remember the feeling of liberation which comes hand in hand with reading a book that sets a youthful imagination on fire.

I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you from different points of my childhood. They're in no particular order... it would be cruel to pick favourites!

1. The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

So creative and imaginative - I reread this many, many times

2. Harry Potter (all of them!) by J. K. Rowling

I'm still waiting for my Hogwarts letter

3. The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

Loved the mischief these kids got themselves into. I wonder why I identified with the fun, mischievous ones... 

4. The Lottie Project by Jacqueline Wilson

I guess my love of history and research projects began at a young age... and now I have a degree in it. Who'd have thought it?

5. The Twits by Roald Dahl

Again with the mischief! I actually hate this book now, I'm so squeamish and the worms in the beard thing really freaks me out

6. The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse by Beatrix Potter

I loved (and still love) all of Beatrix Potter's stories, but those cheeky little mice in that dollhouse made for such a sweet tale

7. Mr Men and Little Miss series by Roger Hargreaves

Which one are you? I'm definitely Little Miss Chatterbox

8. Spot's Magical Christmas by Eric Hill

Just call me the Christmas fairy - I love anything to do with Christmas

9. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

A must read for anyone fascinated by crafting with the English language...but be prepared for a little bit of madness

10. Beside The Sea (Hannah's Hotel) by Mark Burgess

A lesser known tale maybe, but the colourful characters were just so much fun. Oh, and it has my name in it. What child doesn't feel like a celebrity when this happens?

I don't really know if there was a point to this post, but its always a nostalgic talking point for me and I guess I'm just interested to hear what your favourite childhood reads were? Let me know!

Thanks for reading x

3 inspirational female authors

I've realised recently that I have a bit of a fascination with strong, female writers. All throughout university, I did everything I could to avoid having to study 'feminism' or 'women in literature' - not because I didn't enjoy it, or identify with it, but because it was always the same old story and I wanted to try something different. However, left to my own devices I have discovered why this area is so fascinating. In light of this discovery, I wanted to share with you 3 female authors who inspire me.

J. K. Rowling

This woman has grit. True grit. She has spoken very publicly about the desperately hard times she endured before Harry Potter was born from her imagination. That she overcame these hard times shows an incredible strength of character; that she is very vocal and supportive of other people's problems is another. Even in Harry Potter, arguably just a fantasy children's series, she manages to successfully represent real world problems such as depression and orphaned children, which is what makes it so subtly relevant to so many people.. Since becoming a global celebrity and driven business woman, Rowling hasn't lost site of what's important to her, and for this I admire her most. She remains grounded and committed to her values. 

Daphne Du Maurier

If you read my blog regularly, you'll know that from what I've read so far, Du Maurier's novels are some of my absolute favourites. I think there's only so much skill you can learn when trying to be a great writer; the rest is reliant on talent. And this lady had a lot of that! If I could meet her, I'd want to know her top 10 (or maybe 20) tips on how to write a great novel; where to start, how to piece it together and how to keep it fresh are all things I really struggle with. Her ability to craft with the English language in a way that is eloquent yet simple, perpetual and poignant is a talent I can only aspire to match.

Beatrix Potter

I'd like to understand nature and the appreciate the world like Beatrix Potter did. Though I'm not an animal lover, I do love the countryside - especially the Lake District where Beatrix lived for many years. I admire her imagination as it's something I feel I have grown out of, and I absolutely love the idea of giving voices to animals, imagining what their conversations could be beyond the realms of human ears. She embraced her passion and imagination, and possessed great strength and courage which allowed her to publish books in her own name at a time when this wasn't respectable for women to do so. Growing up with the likes of Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny and Tom Thumb has given this lady a special place in my heart, but as I've matured, I've learnt to respect her for more reasons than her children's stories.

As I've been writing this, it's become clear to me that these three women are all an inspiration to me because they all have character traits I'd like to develop. They embody what I aspire to become as a person, a career woman and a writer. 

I'd love to know your thoughts on this as its something a little different to my usual posts and reviews. Are there any strong female authors you're inspired by?

Thanks for reading x

Book Review: Witch & Wizard by James Patterson

I recently read a YA book to see what all the fuss was about, seeing as there are so many of you YA reviewers out there. I wanted to see why YA fiction is appealing to so many people who are over the age of 18, and who would not generally be classified as the typical market for this kind of book. I've also heard great things about James Patterson's books and thought he would be a great author to begin with for my foray into YA fiction.

I picked up Witch and Wizard - the first book in the series - as I'd had it sitting on my shelf for years. Personally, I don't think it was for me. I enjoy books which are 'well written', though I understand that for many people this in itself is subjective. In this case, I thought the language was over simplistic and didn't attempt to do anything interesting with sentence structure that might have made the read more compelling. As the novel was plot driven, I expected more to happen; I wanted more action, more adventure, and less 'writing in' to each plot milestone.

On the other hand, it was an easy read, and I appreciate that I'm not used to reading YA fiction. I may have enjoyed reading this when I was much younger, but I don't think that this is a genre I will be exploring much further I'm afraid. Despite the novel's faults, the concept of children saving the world from meanie adults, and a new political system, was rather fun. The innocence of children often exposes the harsh realities of the adult world, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it turned out that this novel was intended to be slightly allegorical - alas, I feel that it is just fantasy.

Sorry folks, you can't say I didn't try! Maybe I was reading the wrong book. Let me know in the comments if you have any YA recommendations for me.

Thanks for reading x