Wrapping Up The Week (19th March – 25th March)

This week has been incredible and I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. Not only did I get to celebrate my birthday yesterday, but my boyfriend and I got accepted to rent our first house together and we have started to buy things already. With less than a month until the moving date we have a lot to sort out (and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t stressed, because I am). At the same time as being exciting it is a little nerve wrecking as it’s my first time living without my mum or my boyfriend’s parents (we stayed with them for a bit). Still, I can’t wait to decorate my own place. You can probably expect some home-ware/moving blog posts closer to the date.

My birthday was relaxing and I definitely needed the three day weekend. Luckily we have another long weekend coming up thanks to Good Friday and Easter Monday (thank you bank holidays). Due to the celebrations I haven’t done a lot of reading, but I did get some new books that I can’t wait to read!

Books I read and reviewed…

While I haven’t gotten around to writing a review for this yet, I really enjoyed Siege and Storm, so much so that I was almost tempted to buy the last book (I didn’t because I have too many to read already). But once I read a few more I might treat myself, especially when it’s so cheap on the Kindle. The characters in this story have really captured me and I am excited to find out how it all ends for them.

I am currently reading…

I am currently 116 pages in and I am loving it! The writing style is one of my favourites to read, it flows nicely, there’s been some action, mythology, and I’ve been introduced to some great characters. This world is so unique and different from anything else I’ve read. I just know that I am going to love this book if it carries on this way. There’s been a lot of love for Children of Blood and Bone (I mean, it hit number 1 on the NYT Bestsellers list straight away) and I’m excited to see if it lives up to the hype.

Posts from the week…

Top Ten Tuesday: Books at the Top of My Spring TBR

WWW Wednesday – Fantastical Worlds

It’s My Birthday!

A fairly quiet week due to being so busy with life and such, but I hit my target of three so I’m happy with it.

My WIP…

I’m still on a hiatus from my editing. I know I need to start, and I had planned to, but with my birthday weekend it fell to the side. This week will be different as it will be a lot slower and more relaxed. Plus, with the extra long weekend I will have lots of time to plonk myself down in front of the laptop.

Other Fun Stuff…

Most of you have probably read about what happened for my birthday and how I had my hair dyed, so that’s the majority of my fun stuff. I got around to watching Logan (I cried) and Shadowhunters is FINALLY back on Netflix. The first episode was really good and I can’t wait to watch some more. Even Riverdale had a better episode this week (although Archie and Veronica still annoy the hell out of me).

To sum it all up, this week has been one of my favourites of the whole year so far. I feel happy and blessed to have so many people around me that support and love me. 2018 is gonna be my year, I can feel it.

I hope you all had a great week as well! Let me know what books you got around to reading in the comments below.

Wrapping Up The Week (26th February – 4th March)

Looks like 2018 is flying by already! This week has been a bit all over the place thanks to the snow that hit the UK. I had to work from home for three days and I ended up getting ill just before the weekend. Luckily I’m doing a lot better now, and something exciting happened…I finished the first draft of my book, which I posted about in a blog post here.

Unfortunately, because I was so focused on finishing my book, and being so ill with a cold that I couldn’t concentrate, I haven’t read a lot this week. I didn’t even finish a book, but it’s okay. I am looking to change that this week and hopefully finish the two I am halfway through (although one will be more difficult to get through than the other).

Books I read and reviewed…

None. Nada. Zilch.

Trying to ignore the feeling of failure right now and tell myself it’s okay not to have finished a book. I’ll do better next week. I hope.

I am currently reading…

Once again I am still reading this book (I hate getting ill), but I am determined to read some more tonight once I settle down for the evening. I am enjoying this book and really want to get a review up before its release date on the 8th. Wish me luck!

Also, I will try my best to finish Zenith. Hopefully.

Posts from the week…

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Would Read Again

WWW Wednesday – IT’S A SNOW DAY!

Wrapping Up February ’18 – Time Flies

I Finished My Book!

This week was a great one for blogging and I got more done than I originally thought I would. Now that I’m getting into the flow of writing/editing on my lunch breaks at work, I can dedicate my evenings to blogging and reading (as well as watching my fave TV shows).

My WIP…

You all know that I have now finished the first draft, but that doesn’t mean I stop there. Oh no, I’ve already started the editing process by reading over the first two chapters of my book. Then I opened up a new document and I am re-writing it. Not completely, but there are descriptions I want to add, take away, dialogue that needs changing, and I need more mystery, I want to hook my readers and with the ideas still in my head, I have to jot them down. Already I have done over 3,000 words (who knew I could edit it that quickly), but this is only the first of many.

Other Fun Stuff…

The boyfriend and I finally got around to catching up with Lucifer, which was incredible as always, but apart from that I didn’t do a lot of fun stuff. The snow really halted everything and I think I ended up getting cabin fever in the end. Luckily it has all melted now and work can resume as normal tomorrow, which I am very happy about because I don’t like working from home. Too many distractions.

I feel like I’m on cloud nine at the moment and I am hoping I can ride that momentum into the next week. I hope that you all had a great week as well and hopefully you read more than I did!

Wrapping Up The Week (5th February – 11th February)

This week started off great. I celebrated my boyfriend’s birthday, work was going really well, I finished a book and then I got the flu. That wasn’t so great and since Thursday I’ve been feeling pretty bad and I’m only starting to get better now. Because of that I had to delay uploading my review, I couldn’t write anything on my WIP because I couldn’t concentrate, but, as I was feeling a little better yesterday, I got into my reading a lot more. Every cloud has a sliver lining and all that.

I’m hoping that nothing is going to go wrong this week and that everything can get back on track. I’m also going to start walking to work in the mornings, which will take about 45 minutes, instead of getting the bus and walking for 20. Time to get healthy!

In terms of reading it was a really good week. I managed to finish reading two books, one I finished today so I won’t have a review up yet, so keep your eyes peeled.

Books I read and reviewed…

Even though I finished reading The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert mid-week, I only managed to upload my review yesterday, which gave me some time to think it over.  While there were parts of this book that I loved, there were other parts that I didn’t like. One being the fact that it took a while to get to the fairy tale parts. And for a book that is supposed to be about dark and creepy tales, it was a little disappointing. You can see my full review here, in which I gave it 3 stars.

I just finished Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh this evening and I swear, I haven’t read a book this quickly in a while. It was such a great read and I enjoyed every second. There were so many twists and turns, with some shocking events taking place with characters from the beginning, all the way to the end of the book. Honestly, this book was heartbreaking and amazing and I cannot wait to write a full review which should be up within the next two days.

I am currently reading…

While I haven’t actually started reading it yet, I have set my bookmark against page 1 of Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings, which debuted on the New York Times list at number 7. There has been a lot of talk about this book and as I follow the authors on social media I have been seeing it everywhere. Safe to say I am looking forward to reading Zenith and giving my views on a book that some people love and some people hate.

Posts from the week…

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been On My TBR List Forever

WWW Wednesday – Creepy Fairy Tales

I really hate the fact that I got ill because it meant I wasn’t able to blog as much, especially when I got tagged by another blogger in a post and I was looking forward to joining in.

My WIP…

…is coming along very slowly, especially last week where I only wrote a total of 3,500 words. A lot less than I normally do but I couldn’t help that. I have had ideas buzzing around my head and the characters’ voices have been in my head the last few days (I’m not crazy) and I can’t wait to get back to writing. My energy is picking up now and I’m hoping I can get the next few chapters done this week.

Other Fun Stuff…

I FINALLY finished season 3 of How To Get Away With Murder and oh wow, am I glad I did. I had forgotten how much I loved this show and now I can head into season 4 with so many questions that need answering. Being ill had its perks as I binge watched the episodes that I hadn’t seen and it felt good.

As well as this I also got around to watching The Justice League and I really enjoyed it. I’m a big superhero fan and the film was so enjoyable, much better than Batman Vs Superman. On a side note, Aquaman is now my favourite superhero.

I’m glad that this week is out of the way and now it is on to better things (praying I don’t get ill). I hope you all had a better week than I did and read some great books.

Wrapping Up The Week (11th Dec – 17th Dec)

It’s nearly one week until Christmas! How excited is everyone about that fact? I have finished all my Christmas shopping and everything is being delivered in the coming week (the postmen are going to hate me). I don’t know about you, but I always feel more relaxed once I have everything organised and all that’s left to do is to wrap the presents and stock up on the drink.

The past week has been much better than my previous ones. My boyfriend is on the mend and we will be able to travel to Ireland after Christmas, something we didn’t think would happen. He’s healing extremely quickly and it’s safe to say that we are over the moon. As well as this, I also started my new job and I couldn’t be happier. It’s makes all the difference when you love what you do and as I get to write for a living in a marketing role, it’s a dream. My new team is great and so friendly, they even got me a few gifts in their secret Santa (something I didn’t think would happen at all). You can see them in the image below (and yes, I did open the wine the other night).

I especially love the mug, which I will be using everyday for my morning coffee. Not only did I have a great week at work, I finally finished reading a book (cheers in the background) and I will explain about it in the section below.

Books I read and reviewed…

This, by far, is my favourite read of the year. I was accepted on NetGalley to read Everless by Sara Holland (something I prayed would happen) and as soon as I picked this book up, I didn’t want to put it down. I was hooked from the beginning and it has become one of my favourite YA Fantasy books. It was easy to give this 5 stars and you can read all my thoughts here. 

I am currently reading…

I put Angelfall on hold while I read Everless, but I am planning on finishing this hopefully (fingers crossed) before we’re halfway through the week. I am over halfway now and I’m really liking it. Angelfall is such an easy read, it’s lighthearted and fun, just what I need at the moment.

Posts from the week…

Unfortunately the only post I wrote this week was the review of Everless, but I will try to do a couple more this week. With the new job, I think I needed time to adjust because I was way more tired in the evenings than I realised I would be. I didn’t even have to energy to write (I’m very sad about this fact).

Other Fun Stuff…

A few weeks ago Peaky Blinders returned to the BBC for its fourth season and I have been loving it. Season 3, for me, wasn’t as good, but this one just blew everything out of the water. The season finale will be shown on Wednesday, so I am looking forward to that. If anyone hasn’t watched this series then you have to check it out. It’s so addictive!

I haven’t really been doing much else. I’ve been spending some more time on Twitter and connecting with the community there, so if you haven’t given me a follow it would be great if you could (I follow back, too). My novel is coming along, just a little bit slower now that I’ve got my new job. As I will have more time over Christmas I am hoping to knuckle down and churn out at least 1,500 words a day (just 500 more than my normal target).

I hope that you have all had a great week and that you are enjoying the lead up to Christmas!

Wrapping Up The Week (6th Nov – 12th Nov)

Boy has it been a busy week for me. Not in terms of reading, but it terms of having meetings with recruitment agencies and arranging for interviews in the upcoming week (I have 3 at this moment in time). There has been so much going on, coupled with my dad coming to visit for the weekend, that I haven’t had much times to blog or read. Fingers crossed that can change this week and I will get a little bit more organised.

I do have a couple of fun blog posts scheduled in and a book review to post as well so definitely keep an eye out for those next week. I cannot believe how quickly this month is going by already, soon it will be December and Christmas will be upon us. There are so many Christmas adverts on my TV and it is getting me excited. Have you seen the John Lewis one? If so, what did you think? Personally I loved it and I’m not going to lie, I did have tears in my eyes by the end.

Onto what went on during the week on the blog…

Books I read and reviewed…

So, while I finish A Darker Shade Of Magic, I haven’t gotten around to posting the review yet. I will be trying to get it posted for tomorrow (although I have 2 interviews to attend so it may be in the evening).

I loved the book and am so excited to go out and buy the others in the trilogy. It was magical, with fun and dark elements that made the book so interesting to read. And the characters are incredible as well! I feel like it could definitely be a 5 star review for me.

I am currently reading…

The next book I am going to read will be Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard, the second instalment to Red Queen. I’ve heard some good things about this sequel and I’m intrigued to find out what else will happen in the story.

Posts from the week…

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Who Would Make Badass Leaders

What Are You Reading Wednesday #1

First Lines Fridays #3

Like I said, a very quiet week but I am hoping to change that and get some great posts written up! Some good news though is I got my first Netgalley approval through which I am looking forward to reading and will mention in my November Haul at the end of the month.

Other Fun Stuff…

My boyfriend and I finally got around to watching Stranger Things Season 2 and only have 2 episodes left. We are loving it, not as much as the first season but there are still a couple episode left where it can get better. I still feel like there’s more to know and discover, so we shall see.

Whenever my dad comes over from Ireland to visit we always make a trip to the cinema if there are some good films out and luckily for us, Thor Ragnarok was still being shown. I love Marvel films, always have, and I think that this is one of my favourite to date. It was amazing! With great action sequences, special effects and it was hilarious from start to finish. The whole cinema was laughing at some of the lines. Definitely worth the watch!

So that is my week in a nutshell, not too much going on with my reading, but I know that I’ll have a lot to read throughout December. How has your week been? I would love to know in the comments!

Wrapping Up The Week (30th Oct – 5th Nov)

It’s been a relatively quiet week, we didn’t even have any trick or treater’s to the house on Halloween (so we kept the sweets for ourselves). Another reason that I didn’t do a lot is that my dad is coming over from Ireland on Friday to see us for the weekend, which I am definitely looking forward to. I haven’t seen him since he came over in summer so it will be good.

Christmas decorations are up in the shops, I’ve bought my Christmas scented candles (Gingerbread and Magical Christmas Tree which both smell incredible) and I am looking forward to getting the tree out! It’s hard to believe that in less than two months 2017 will be over. While I haven’t completed all the resolutions I set myself way back in January, I am feeling pretty good and already looking forward to next year.

Books I read and reviewed..

I only managed to read one book last week (my own writing is taking up more of my time at the moment) and that book was Throne of Glass and you can check out my review here. I cannot wait to buy the rest of the series and get stuck into it!

I am currently reading…

After starting this book last night, I can honestly say that A Darker Shade Of Magic has me hooked and I am so intrigued by Kell and the multiple worlds. I have a feeling I will be finishing this one soon so expect a review before the week is over.

Posts from the week…

Wrapping Up October

Top Ten Tuesday: Things To Do On Halloween

October Book Haul & November TBR

The Genres I Tend To Stay Away From

First Lines Fridays #2

Somehow I managed to post near enough every day, which is the first time I have done so since I started this blog at the beginning of October. And I managed to reach over 50 followers in the first month which is great. I am loving writing for my blog and talking to other bloggers, and I feel that writing everyday is helping to push me with my own novel.

Other Fun Stuff…

I watch a lot of YouTube and I’m a fan of Sasha Alsberg (fun fact, we both share the same birthday, I’m just a year older) and she uploaded a video where she visited Scotland to see where Outlander was filmed. So this week I also started watching Outlander and I have to stay that I am enjoying it and can’t wait to watch more of it.

That’s all for this week! Let me know what you have all been up to as well.

The Genres I Tend To Stay Away From

I would love to say that I’m open-minded when it comes to the books I choose to read, but the reality is that I tend to stick with the same genres. Recently I’ve been trying to rectify that by trying out genres I haven’t gone for, such as Thrillers and Fantasy, and not just sticking to Young Adult. YA is a genre that I have been loving since I was 13 years old, for many reasons. Some being that there is a lot of variety with sub-genres, an array of ages that the characters can be (so I’m not just stuck reading about 15/16 year old teenagers, making me feel older by the year).

But, looking at the genres that I love, got me thinking about the genres that I tend to stay away from. I’m sure we all have one that we dislike. Maybe a book in particular made you want to stay away from the genre or you think it would be too boring. So I thought I would talk about the ones that, personally, I will probably never read (or at least anytime soon).

I’m going to start with one that I think a lot of people might agree with. The first genre is Non-fiction. I can count on one of my hands the books I have read that are non-fiction and they were mostly for my English Literature and Language lessons during A Level. My reasons are quite simple. I don’t get as much joy from reading about real people and real places, as I do from the make believe. I read to escape, to become another person in another time, in a world that is unfamiliar to me. Non-fiction doesn’t allow me to use my imagination, to create what I think the author is trying to tell. Maybe my views will change as I get older, but for the time being I will be sticking to Fiction.

Another genre I don’t read that often is Contemporary. I don’t know what it is about these books, but they never seem to grab my attention. Maybe I am yet to read a great Contemporary novel that could change my mind. I love to have a magical or fantastical element to the stories that I read because it doesn’t happen everyday. There aren’t vampires, werewolves, witches, faeries or dragons running around us. I guess the normal and mundane stories just seem boring to me and their plots aren’t as intricate.

I feel that the last genre I want to mention briefly is Sci-fi. While I love Sci-fi movies and TV shows I have never once read a novel from this genre and if I’m honest, I’m not sure why. You would think that I would enjoy them, being that often Sci-fi and Fantasy are closely linked. They often include the same elements, great world-building and interesting characters. My reason for not reading them could be the fact that I’ve never come across any that seem like my cup of tea or the synopsis just didn’t capture my attention.

There may be a part 2 of this blog post in the future, as there are a couple more genres that I know I stay well away from, but I didn’t want to ramble on for too long.

If any of you have suggestions of books that are Non-Fiction, Contemporary or Sci-Fi, and you think are out-of-this-world incredible, leave a comment below! It would be interesting to check them out.

TV Shows I am Loving Right Now

October is my favourite month. Not just because I love the Autumn weather, but also because all my favourite TV shows start up again (and who doesn’t love a good binge?) So I thought I would share with you all the ones I have been loving the most recently.

The Originals

While I am still sad that The Vampire Diaries will never grace my TV screen again, I am glad that we still have one more season of The Originals to see (I’ll be sad when that one ends too, but at least I can prepare for it). I have recently been catching up on season 4 on Netflix before season 5 starts sometimes in 2018, but I will be finished before then.

I have loved this family and all the drama they bring with them since their introduction on The Vampire Diaries. Even when we were supposed to hate then, we still secretly liked them and their charm. It is hard to decide who is my favourite. My mum thinks Klaus is amazing, with his witty words and troubled past making us feel for him. I, however, prefer Elijah, with his dashing suits and charming demeanour. Then there is Rebekah, the sassiest of them all (and whose outfits I am jealous of).

There is something for everyone to love in this show. You are guaranteed gruelling deaths, romance, a lot of fighting and you may even shed some tears along the way. But most of all, once you start watching, you will be hooked.

Lucifer

I cannot even begin to describe how much I enjoy watching this show. Lucifer is definitely my guilty pleasure and never fails to keep me laughing along with the witty jokes and comments. The show revolves around the devil himself as he lives a lavish lifestyle in LA, away from the doom and gloom of hell. There he meets a detective, Chloe, and helps her to solve crimes and punish those that do wrong.

At first I didn’t know what to expect, but now we are on the third season and it only gets better. This show will reinvent how you think the devil looks and acts, and it also boasts a whole host of other characters that are just as amazing. The person who created this show has done an amazing job at taking an idea and making it so original. Don’t believe me, check it out for yourself!

Riverdale

Thank you Netflix for having this show so that I am able to watch it here in the UK. I was a little late starting this when it aired. Half of the show had already been uploaded at the time, which just made it easier for me to binge watch and I did just that. I was hooked straight away. I love a good mystery and Riverdale offered just that, along with a ton of teenage drama that I can’t get enough of.

It is based off of the Archie comics, which just so happens to also include Sabrina The Teenage Witch (who didn’t watch that when they were growing up?) I may have never read the comics, but I am a big fan of this show and all that it offers. Riverdale is dark, twisted and makes you question a lot of peoples’ motives. There is a lot more than meets the eye here and I can’t wait to find out where season 2 takes us.

What TV shows are you loving right now? I would love to know if there’s any I’m missing out on.

Falling In Love With Autumn

Autumn has always been my favourite season and each year it seems I find more reasons to fall in love with it. Something about the crisp, fresh mornings and the shorter days makes all the other seasons pale in comparison. As the leaves change to vibrant oranges and reds, falling to the floor only to be crushed beneath feet, I find myself wishing it could always stay like this.

There are so many things to love about this time of year. Not only are all our favourite TV shows back on our screens (I personally cannot wait for Riverdale and The Originals), but there is no better time to wrap up in a blanket and sink into the world of a book.

A few years ago you would find me constantly reading, with about two hundred books on my shelves, but unfortunately life gets in the way. Until recently, the last time I had picked up a book was nearly a year and a half ago! The decision to begin reading more again was mostly due to the fact that I want to become an author, but that is a story for another blog post.

With Autumn, comes the great Pumpkin Spice Latte, and as common as it sounds, it is honestly my favourite drink. That, and a delicious hot chocolate with little marshmallows floating on top. Autumn and Winter are perfect for settling in for the night with a movie and a bag of popcorn. As we are in October it is time to bring out the oldies such as Hocus Pocus, Halloween Town and, if you prefer something a little scarier, Friday the 13th (which just so happens to be a week on Friday).

Sometimes, when you manage to find a day where it isn’t raining, there is nothing better than going for a long stroll in the park. Wrapping up in a cosy jumper and my favourite checked scarf, my sister and I would go around collecting conkers to place by the windows. If you didn’t know already, they are great at stopping spiders from coming inside and with the amount we’ve already had invading, we definitely need it.

Of course, there are many more things I love about this time of year but these are just a few. Let me know in the comments what some of yours are!