Tuesday – Favourite books in a genre
Thursday – Writing tips or my personal progress on writing a novel
Saturday – Lovin’ it, what I have loved in the week past and why
lovin it; getting back on track.
My friends
I feel as though I have to be luckiest person on the planet, and I know it sounds extremely cheesy and ridiculous but I genuinely don’t know what I would do without them. I have had a brilliant week filled with walks, movie nights and holiday planning. It’s been one of those weeks that have filled me with joy, so my cup runneth over.
I can’t express how much I love them all and how grateful I am to have them in my life, without them, who knows what kind of person I would be right now.
Holidays!
This year me and my closest friends from uni will be making the trip down to London for YALC! I am so excited and happy that I will get to experience everything that is going on, meet some of my favourite authors and have jolly good time running through the streets of London.
Our tickets are all booked and travel has all been arranged, and I physically can’t put into words how excited I am and how fun I imagine it will be.
The Throne of Glass series
I have recently marathoned all of these books, including the prequel, and I just can’t stop thinking about them and the characters, I can not wait for the next book to come out so I can delve into the world again. I love the way the whole of the story arc is constructed throughout the books, and the character’s growth. I adore it all. I have dreams about them, I was that immersed into the story.
If you haven’t read this series, what are you waiting for? You need to start reading right now.
a leap of faith. [writing words]
It is always scary to take the first leap, but if you manage it, only then will you find out what you’re made off.
I have started to write again, I scared myself, to the point that for a long time I was unable to look at my work, it gave me anxiety to think of how much I had to change and how much I had to do. Unable to face that I was scared, I used the fact that I had a new job as an excuse, making out that I was just too busy for writing that there was a place in my life for writing just now. When in reality I just wanted to hide from how much I actually have to do, and wanted to bury my head in the sand. What was I to do? What was there for me to do? I took a deep breath and jumped in, and only now have I begun to wade through the notes I’ve made and the feedback I’ve gotten and started to make a plan. It has been something that I have needed to do but not necessarily something I have enjoyed, it almost feels as though I have gone back to the beginning and started again. I started it a long time ago, but I lost my rhythm and I couldn’t see there ever being an end to it. It is a blow to my confidence but as I am fleshing everything out it is becoming clear that this was my best option and I couldn’t have gone forward without it.
I’ll be back.
Having a new job and everything that goes along with it, moving house, getting myself into a routine means that blogging has fallen by the wayside, especially now that I don’t have internet.
I will be back, I promise. I have updated my posting schedule to something that I think I’ll be able to do, and I’ll probably start that on Thursday. One good thing that has come from me not having internet, I have been reading so much more, and falling in love with books again.
I hope you’ll stick by me as I hash out my life and what I need to do to make sure I stay sane, I have missed you all. I’ve missed my blog and all of you wonderful people.
patience pays off. [all me]
I have been finished uni for nearly a year and work opportunities have been thin on the ground, and it has been hard going. Applying for anything and everything without receiving replies has been a hard one to take and move on from, there have been so many times where it seemed as though it would never happen. I was so close to giving up and resigning myself to working somewhere I wasn’t interested in and doing something I hated.
But I took a chance, and applied for a job that I wanted and knew that I could do, but because of everything else I never thought I would get. I am so proud to say that after two interviews and a 500 word creative piece I managed to get the job!
I am officially employed, and its paid which makes it even better.
Not to worry, I will be utilising the schedule feature on this blog, so there will still be regular posts going up!
lovin’ it; it’s all coming back.
Reading is back on the top of my list, the sun has been high in the sky and I have been sunning myself with a book, and life has been good. Don’t worry its not all books I have been loving.
1. The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon
I have just reread The Bone Season and read The Mime Order for the first time, and I am so in love with this series I can’t even put it into words. If you haven’t read this series and you like YA fantasy, pick it up, you really won’t regret it!
2. The sunshine
I know, I know what a generic thing to write, but I really believe that along with the brilliant writing of Samantha Shannon it has brought me out of my slump, and I’m finally enjoying reading again. So thank you sunshine!
3. Charity shop finds
I found this exact collection in a little shop for a grand total of £2.25, and I squealed I was that excited. I have often picked up little bargains here and there, but this really made me happy and has put me in a really good for the entirety of this week.
That’s it folks!
last minute worries.
Never leave anything until the last moment.
I say this while writing this post with 30 minutes until I need this to go live. Nothing you write in a rush will ever be your best, and I’m leaving this post short and sweet. Many of my earlier work were written without planning, quickly and without editing and quite frankly they were rubbish. You need time to reflect on your work and time to edit without unending pressure.
book recommendations: series I love.
I thought that this would be an interesting one to do, because it isn’t restricted by genre, in fact I have fallen in love with series right across the board, and really want to pass them on to you guys.
A disclaimer on this post, I may not have finished a series but unless it gets really horrific in a short amount of time, it belongs here.
And on that note, lets get into it.
1. Harry Potter
This should come as no surprise, I adore these books, and believe it or not, they helped me become the person I am today. For those who have been living under a rock, the series follows an 11 year old boy as he finds out he’s a wizard and through all the danger that seems to come with this. What makes these books so wondrous is the world that they are set in, it is so well done, and as a writer it sets the bar high for me.
2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians
This is another fantasy book, but is a little more sarcastic and witty than Harry Potter. It is a series based on Greek mythology and the children of the Gods living in the modern world, it centres on a young boy who is whisked of to a camp for his own safety and away from the monsters that threaten his life. Quests and prophecies ensue from then on. I love this series because of how well the modern and ancient are mixed, there is never a doubt that these worlds shouldn’t be together.
3. The Heroes of Olympus
If you haven’t guessed by the covers, this series is a follow on from Percy Jackson. It sees the introduction to new characters, and above all an incident has left Camp Half-Blood in chaos and a new prophecy threatens them further. I love the fact that I got to see more of my favourite characters and the way that the series progressed with the danger and the events, it was well done, and kept me hooked right to the very end.
4. The Bone Season
I love this book, I’ve just finished re-reading it in time to read the sequel, and I loved it even more on the second reading. This book tells the story of Paige who is clairvoyant, which in her alternate London is illegal, joining the crime syndicate, she thinks that’s the most danger her life will have to handle. However as she soon discovers there is something deeper going on behind the mask of the government. I adore the characters in this book, and the way they are represented, I love the world and the classification of clairvoyants, it has been well done.
5. Dorothy Must Die
I love the concept of this book, I was a big fan of the film when I was a kid (I haven’t got around to reading the books yet). It follows a young girl living in a modern day trailer park, who when a tornado hits is transported to Oz where, everything has been turned upside down. This reversed idea in this book leads to the reader not knowing who to trust and having to guess at times.
There are so many more that I might have to do a part two, but that’s it for now.
favourite book [historical]
I’m going to cheat with this one, and so this one will be my favourite standalone historical novel, at this present moment. I love this genre, so I may be updating this one in the near future.
I still haven’t managed to finish this review for this book, but it is one of my favourites of 2015. I love the beautiful writing and the way that the book is structured, you follow the life of both Marie and Werner, during WWII. You get two different perspectives and it’s so well written and done that you can’t help but fall in love with the characters and the story.
the book's garden 