I've been blogging for over two years now and recently I've been taking a look back at posts from my first year of blogging. Most people are embarassed about their early blog posts but although some things are a teensy bit cringe, I'm actually really proud of my first year of blogging. I feel like it was a simpler time, before I worried about reviewing all the proofs I'm sent and before all the pressure I feel now to have a 'glossy' looking blog (I definitely don't have one of those). I started blogging because I really wanted to just chat about my love for books and just share my rambling thoughts with the world and I feel like I've slipped away from that a bit in the last year. So I thought what better way to get back to my roots than by taking a look at my first ever book haul. This isn't about an embarrassed reaction to an early post, it's more taking a look back at the books I hauled to see what became of them. So let's go, all the way back to April 2015, to an Easter weekend book haul...

This year I've only read 21 books, but I've probably listened to hundreds of hours of podcasts, and that's totally fine. Podcasts are such a great way to stay informed and entertained during the most tedious of times, like commuting and cleaning. I've listened to a huge amount of podcasts so I want to start doing these posts every now and then and hopefully you'll find your new favourite. I've discovered most of these this year and I've listened to nearly every single episode of all of them, and you should too. So let's get into it, here's five podcasts that I love.

When I heard that this book was coming out at the Walker Books Christmas party, I audibly gasped. For some reason I had no clue that Patrick Ness was even writing this and it came as the most pleasant surprise. Patrick Ness is one of my auto-buy authors, I've read almost everything he's written and will continue to do so. So when a proof of Release fell through my letterbox, you can bet I was more then excited.

Reading: I'm about to start re-reading The Girls by Emma Cline for The Girl Gang book club this month. Come and join us, everyone is welcome!

Watching: Game of Thrones has just started back and whilst I'm really enjoying it, I'm also slightly struggling to remember everything that's happened in the seasons before and I keep annoying my boyfriend with all my questions - does anyone else do this?

Planning: blog content for the next couple of months. It's been a bit quiet around here lately whilst I've been so busy with my job and etsy shop, and I really want to get back into blogging.

Making: bookmarks! I've been wanting to sell bookmarks for ages and now they're finally up in my etsy shop! I particularly love the Hogwarts house pride ones. I'll be coming up with lots more designs but if you have any requests, please let me know! 

Stocking up on: plants! I decided that our flat needed a little more life so we popped down to the local garden centre at the weekend and came away with a gorgeous dieffenbachia (or it's ugly name: dumb cane) and a cute succulent to accompany our aloe vera plant. I'm now a bit addicted and want all of the plants!

Wishing for: more hours in the day. I feel like I've been so busy these past few months but I'm still not getting enough done. I want more hours in the day so I can work, make things, blog and actually have time to relax at the end of it all.

Enjoying: the long days and light evenings. Although autumn is my favourite, I'm actually really enjoying the bright, long days and nights of summer - it makes me feel so much more awake.

Trying: to do more yoga. I've been an on and off gym-goer for a few years and I've dabbled in both pilates and yoga, but I've been trying to make yoga a regular thing lately as I find it really relaxing and it just feels great, it's just about making the time for it.

Eating: slow-cooker curry, particularly this recipe by The Kitchn. It's the perfect thing to stick on, head to work and it's ready and tasting delicious by the time I come home. I like to throw some veggies in there to make it a little healthier.

Goal Setting: This isn't quite a 'goal' but we're hoping to move to a cheaper flat by the end of the year. We moved into this one because we needed somewhere last minute but it's not the best we could get for our money and although it's going to be exhausting and stressful, it'll be worth it in the long run.

Learning: how to become a better teacher. I'm not a teacher in the traditional sense (although I might possibly be considering it, eeeek) but I'm a tutor of maths, English and creative writing and I'm always looking to improve my teaching methods and lesson planning. It's surprised me how much I enjoy tutoring!

That's it! What's been going on with you lately?

We're just over half way through the year and you know what that means? Essentially superfluous but fun mid-year book tag time! Okay so it's actually called the 'mid-year book freakout tag' but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be freaking out about.

My reading has been much slower this year, I could make excuses about busyness and reading slumps but you know what? It is what it is. I may have read 19 books compared to the 41 I'd read by this time last year but my life is also very different from this time last year, and I'm not going to beat myself up about it.

So let's get into this tag!