Reading: My tenth book of the month (I know, right?! Madness) which is If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch. It's beautifully written and character driven - dreamy.

Watching: RuPaul's Drag Race returned for season 8 last month and my boyfriend and I have been LOVING it.

Planning: all kinds of trips which I'm determined to be healthy enough to enjoy.

Making: Not exactly making, but I've been enjoying spending time flexing my doodling muscles in my bullet journal so much (there might be a sneak peek up on here soon...ooooh...).

Stocking up on: swimwear, or I've been attempting to. Why is every bikini and swimsuit out there so unflattering?! If you have any recommendations for swimwear for plus size/fuller busts then please let me know!

Wishing for: the opportunities I'm seeking to work out in my favour (ooh secrets).

Enjoying: the warmer weather. Sitting outside, reading and feeling the sun soak into my pale-hermit skin has been absolute bliss.

Trying: to get better at commenting on others' blogposts! I've been clearing my Bloglovin feed every day and commenting on every blogpost I read, feels good.

Eating: Well I finally finished up my Easter eggs *sadface* so now I'm attempting to eat a bit healthier. Smoked salmon is my jam right now.

Goal Setting: My goal is to be able to move out with my boyfriend in the coming months, it just really needs to happen and I'm determined to do everything I can to make it possible.

Learning: about SEO and DA and upping my blogging game, I want to know ALL THE THINGS because every time I learn something new it feels awesome. If you have any posts about these things then please send me links, I'd love to read them :).

What's been going on with you lately?

Surprise! I bet you weren't expecting a wrap up this early in the month, were you? Nope, didn't think so.

For some reason this month I've been an absolute reading machine; and I've already managed to read quite a few books so I thought instead of doing one giant wrap up at the end of the month I'd split it into two easily-digestible chunks.


Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery | ☆☆☆☆.5
First of all, will you just look at how beautiful this Puffin in Bloom edition is? I absolutely adore these little hardbacks and I want to collect the whole set. Anne of Green Gables is one of those classic children's books which you're just supposed to read and I admit that I was nervous to read this because it's so many people's favourite book. Well, I needn't have worried because I really loved it. It drew me in right from the beginning and it was just such a light and comforting read. L.M. Montgomery's writing is so lovely and it really immerses you in Anne's rural idyll. I can't wait to carry on and read the entire series!

The Big Lie by Julie Mayhew | ☆☆☆☆
What if the Nazis had won WW2 and successfully invaded England? Julie Mayhew answers that with The Big Lie; an alternative YA historical fiction dystopian set in present-day Nazi England. Jessika Keller is a thoroughly-indoctrinated good girl with a bright future ahead of her of national ice-skating followed by being an upstanding, strong wife and mother to continue the 'Greater German Reich'. Her best friend and neighbour, Clementine, isn't so submissive. She is outspoken, radical and downright 'dangerous'. Will Jessika choose her beloved country or her best friend?

This premise had me hooked from the outset and Julie Mayhew's contemporary Nazi England was chilling, shocking and utterly compelling. I just couldn't put it down and it pretty much blew me away. The only thing that let it down slightly was that the final third was a little flat compared to the gripping and explosive first two thirds, but I still loved it. 

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert | ☆☆☆
I picked up Big Magic from the library after hearing quite a buzz around it both on book blogs and social media. I'm up for reading anything to do with living creatively so this seemed like the perfect book for me. When it comes to non-fiction, especially psuedo-self-help books, I'm pretty open minded, I've read enough books of this type to be prepared not to agree with everything the author says and to pick and choose what I take away from it. That's what it was like reading Big Magic. I really enjoyed the fact that Elizabeth Gilbert doesn't put too much emphasis on traditional forms of creativity (i.e. writing, painting etc.); she maintains that living a creative life means a lot of different things to different people and she offers anecdotal examples from people she has known as well as herself. The one thing that I did have an issue with, in that I just didn't quite get it, is that Gilbert proclaims creativity to be actual, literal magic. She approaches creativity in a very spiritual way that although I'm open to, just doesn't really work for me. Overall, I enjoyed reading Gilbert's thoughts on creativity but I just didn't get all that much out of it. But I wouldn't discourage anyone else from reading Big Magic, as I think everyone will interpret it differently.



Calm by Michael Acton Smith | ☆☆☆☆
A few weeks ago I was contacted by Penguin Random House and they asked me if I would like to take part in the re-promotion of Calm by Michael Acton Smith. Of course I said yes and you can read my post about Calm and practicing mindfulness here. It's a beautifully presented book with some really helpful ideas on how to incorporate mindfulness into your everyday life and I really enjoyed poring over all the detail in every page. I think this book would be an extremely helpful introduction to someone who's never practiced mindfulness as it really makes you stop, think and take a breather.

Psycho: Sanitarium by Chet Williamson | ☆☆☆
Earlier this month I was kindly sent an early e-copy of Pyscho: Sanitarium by Chet Williamson before it's release on 12th April by Canelo books via ED pr.  This is the authorised sequel to Robert Bloch's original Psycho and follows Norman Bates during his time in a hospital for the criminally insane. It's a creepy, fast-paced murder-mystery thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. I seem to read ebooks quicker than physical books anyway but I just couldn't put this down and had it finished in a couple of sittings. It was slightly predictable but I enjoyed it nonetheless and it's made me really want to watch the tv series Bates Motel!

You by Caroline Kepnes | ☆☆☆☆
I was clearly still in a thriller mood so I picked up the much raved about You by Caroline Kepnes. I've heard so many people rave about this on booktube so I just had to read it. You is a stalker-thriller told from the point of view of the stalker, but the interesting thing about this book is that it's told in the second person:
"You walk into the bookstore and you keep your hand on the door to make sure it doesn't slam. You smile, embarrassed to be a nice girl, and your nails are bare and your V-neck sweater is beige and it's impossible to know if you're wearing a bra but I don't think that you are."
- which is so creepy it's unreal.
This book freaked me the fuck out. It's so twisted and messed up but it's so incredibly written that at times Kepnes actually had me sympathising with the stalker - not okay! The plot was perfectly paced and it was so intensely gripping, when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about reading it, I literally couldn't get the story and the characters out of my head. This book was so brilliant that I probably would've given it five stars but I think it was just a bit too messed up even for me, the girl who watches murder documentaries back to back. That's how creepy it is. You should really read this if you haven't already.

So those are the books that I read in the first half of the month and I'll be back again with part two of my wrap up soon!

What are you reading right now?

We're half way through April but it's never too late for monthly favourites, right? Today I'm going to be sharing the things that I was loving in March!


01. Galaxy Golden Eggs.
I blame Alice Anne of Annie Writes Beauty for this as she encouraged everyone on Twitter to try these little golden eggs of deliciousness. I don't even want to think about how many packets of these I consumed in March and then my sister went and bought me the giant Galaxy golden eggs Easter egg and my obsession is still lingering!

02. The return of Rupaul's Drag Race.
Last month the iconic Rupaul's Drag Race returned for season eight and I was in my absolute element! My boyfriend and I have loved this show for a long time now and we have a tradition of each picking a queen who we think is going to win each season and the one who goes out first has to buy the other a present. Ah, the little things. Anyway, I'm absolutely loving this season and my pick is Thorgy Thor (only because my boyfriend got to pick first and picked Bob the Drag Queen - the clear winner, but we'll see). We're about half way through now and I'm going to be so sad when it's over for another year.

03. Catching up on How to Get Away With Murder.
My boyfriend got some annual leave last month and we spent an awesome few days snuggled up under the duvet reading and catching up on our favourite shows, including How to Get Away With Murder. Season two was just as good as season one and if you haven't watched this show yet then you're seriously missing out!

04. Reading in the sun.
Spring is started to peek it's head out and we've had a sprinkling of sunny days here and there and a couple of times it's even been warm enough for me to sit outside and read! Reading outside in the sun is one of my favourite things ever and I'm so glad that we're getting to that time of year again.

05. Front Lines by Michael Grant.
I only read four books last month and Front Lines was my stand-out favourite of the bunch. You know when you've read so many pretty-good books for months and then you read one that's fantastic and you remember what great writing really is? That's what it was like reading Front Lines. I was like 'yes, this is what I've been looking for!'. It's a really great alternative historical fiction set in a WW2 where women are called up to fight alongside men in the US army. The characterisation is excellent and I'm so glad that this is the first in a series - I can't wait to read more!

06. Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in '05'.
Just like the last few months, I didn't wear a lot of makeup in March, but when I did I found myself reaching for the Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in '05'. I did a big makeup clearout last month and vowed to wear what I have more instead of just reaching for the same thing over and over, and that led to me rediscovering this lipstick. It's kind of a bright-but-not-too-bright berry-ish pink and it's just super flattering and long-lasting.

07. Easter eggs.
Need I say more? Towards the end of last month and well into this month my diet consisted of a lot of Easter eggs. For some reason I seemed to get quite a lot of eggs from various people and I've been loving every single bite. Why does chocolate taste so much better in egg form?!

What were some of your favourites last month?

The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi.

1 in 4 people will experience a mental health issue in the UK each year, and even if you're not one of those people, stress is something that everyone encounters every single day.

You've probably seen the word 'mindfulness' popping up a lot lately; in articles, on social media, in conversations with friends and colleagues. It's supposed to be a way of calming and quieting the mind and focusing on the here and now rather than stressing about what's to come. But how often do you actually practice mindfulness?

In today's hectic, constantly switched-on world we want to be able to do everything, be everywhere and Instagram and Snapchat our way through it all, and practising mindfulness becomes just another thing that's added to our never-ending to-do list.



Yesterday I received this lovely little 'Keep Calm' care package from Penguin Random House to celebrate #calmday in honour of Calm by Michael Acton Smith. Calm is all about bringing mindfulness to the masses and showing how everyone can achieve calmn in everyday life, no matter how hectic it gets.


Calm is a mixture of Wreck This Journal, a coffee table book and pure brilliance. It's designed to help you learn about and practice mindfulness in a fun and creative way. Calm is definitely one of the most beautiful books I've ever owned, it's filled to the brim with creative design, gorgeous typography and stunning photographs.

What I love about Calm is that it's designed to be read in a non-linear format. You can pick it up and flick to any of the pages to learn a little about meditation, do a mindful activity or get some creative inspiration. It's perfect to sit down with for just five minutes to bring a little calm to your day.

As someone who is managing a variety of mental illnesses as well as ME, mindfulness is something that is helping me every single day. I practise it to manage pain and fatigue and to quiet my anxious mind. Like any skill or sport, mindfulness is something that needs to be practised and honed in order to make a positive impact on your life. Calm is a wonderfully easy and enjoyable way to fit this in to daily life and I really think it's going to help me on my mindfulness journey.

What do you do to keep calm? Comment below or tweet using #calmday to share your calm experiences.

*I received this book for free from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*

# of books read: 4
Total # of pages read: 1287.
Genres: 1 adult contemporary, 2 YA contemporary, 1 YA historical fiction.
Gender of author: 3 female, 1 male.
Nationality of author: 3 USA, 1 UK.

I'm back! I've been a little bit absent around here for the last month but I'm not going to make excuses or apologise because you know, life happens! And the important thing is that I'm here now and I've got lots of posts planned so you should probably stick around :)

March was an only-okay month for reading, I had a pretty bad month healthwise so I didn't get as much read as I wanted to. But that's okay because I really enjoyed the books I did read!

The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell | ☆☆☆
As the blurb says, The Madwoman Upstairs is about Samantha, who is 'the last remaining descendent of the illustrious Brontë family, of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre fame. After losing her father, a brilliant author in his own right, it is up to Samantha to piece together the mysterious family inheritance lurking somewhere in her past.' I reviewed this for The Madwoman Upstairs blog tour early last month and you can read my full review of it here. 

Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell | ☆☆☆☆
This is a novella that was released for World Book Day last month and as it's Rainbow Rowell, I obviously had to get my hands on it! Kindred Spirits is about eighteen year old Star Wars-obsessed Elena, who decides to queue outside her local cinema to see the new movie, for four days. Only she didn't expect to be just one of three people in the line, to have to pee into a collectable cup or to meet a kindred spirit. This story lived up to all that I've come to expect of Rowell's writing, it was funny and cute and completely absorbing. You don't have to like Star Wars to read this, you don't even have to know anything about Star Wars, you should just go for it. After all, its' only 62 pages!

Front Lines by Michael Grant | ☆☆☆☆☆
This was by far my stand-out favourite book of the month. Front Lines is the first in a new series of YA historical fiction set in an alternative WW2 where women are fighting along with men. It follows several women from different backgrounds who enlist in the US army and their journey through training and deployment to the front lines. Grant's writing and characterisation is truly excellent, even with the multiple perspectives I felt like I knew each character so well and was equally involved in each of their stories. I love historical fiction, particularly set in WW2, so the concept was completely fascinating to me and I just couldn't put it down. I'm so so glad that this is going to be a series because I can't wait to find out what happens next to the characters!

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson | ☆☆☆☆☆
The last book I finished in March was The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson. This is the Girl Gang book club book for this month! The Art of Being Normal is a YA contemporary from the individual perspectives of teenagers David and Leo, who form an unlikely friendship but both are holding secrets. I absolutely loved this book and you can definitely expect a review to be up very soon! I'll be hosting the first #GGbookclub twitter chat on Thursday 14th April at 8pm, where we'll be discussing The Art of Being Normal, so make sure to join in!

What was your favourite read of last month?