Ask me if I want to watch TOWIE or MIC and I will shake my head fervently. Ask me if I want to watch a show where 30 women vie for one mans attention on the slim chance that they’ll receive a single rose? I’ll say pass me the gin and turn it up. There is something about the Bachelor that draws me in, almost every time. So I thought I’d start a little series on my blog where I document all my thoughts on the current series of The Bachelor as it plays out.
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“Although it’s good to try new things and to keep an open mind, it’s also extremely important to stay true to who you really are.”
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There’s a load of things that I’ve really liked this year some of which are things I already talked about on my blog. But I thought I would compile everything into one big post for all the things I have loved throughout the year of 2018.
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I’ll be honest, I didn’t do an awful lot (surprise, surprise) of reading, however the reading I did do I absolutely enjoyed. So I thought I would give a quick roundup about all the ones I really loved in 2018.
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This has been sitting in my drafts since the middle of last year, which makes me a terrible blogger I know! However, I have been raving about this book, and this series honestly, to anyone who will listen. So now I’m going to share my thoughts with you so that you will hopefully go and grab a copy immediately, but will also kickstart me back into writing up reviews.
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I really enjoyed doing my last post like this, so I decided I would do another ASOS Wishlist for my New Years wardrobe. At the start of every year, I always say that I’m going to finally invest in a new wardrobe, not that there’s anything wrong with my current clothes situation, but I never feel like I’m happy with it. So after a quick swipe through the ASOS app (as per), here are the picks I’m hoping will pop into my wardrobe to start my New Year off with a bang.
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I’ve learnt a lot about myself last year. Some things I secretly think I already knew and some things I’d forgotten about myself. Without really realising it, I took a step back from trying to grow and change and just took the time to really get to know me.
Read moreI’ve thought a lot about the things I want to achieve next year. 2018 was a good stepping stone for me, got a full time job, did some exploring with some best pals and realised what it really means to be happy and content. But 2019 is the year I want to make things happen, like actually do things and not just say I’m going to do them, shocking I know.
So with my new SPN planner in tow (obviously), I’ve been planning what I want my 2019 to look like.
More adventure
I’ve already booked another Convention in Toronto, and I’m absolutely buzzing to continue exploring Canada after I loved Vancouver so much! But I want to do more, I’m hoping to get a trip into Frankfurt at some point, and I’ve got a whole post up about my Travel Plans for 2019. Bigger picture, I want to just go places, like I’ve always wanted to go to Brighton, so I might book a BnB for a weekend in the summer and just go. I’d love to go back to Bournemouth and really explore, and I would adore going back to Leicester and just reminiscing.
More focus on my blog
I say this every year, and (not so) surprisingly it never happens, although I do think I’ve done better in some respect over the last year. So I thought I’d give myself some manageable goals that will help get me back in the swing of things. I’m going to try and post at least five new posts a month. It isn’t too many that I stress myself out every week about getting something done, but if I do have a really good month and I churn out ten new posts, which would be a miracle, then great. I just think the less pressure there is, the more I’ll enjoy it again. Hand in hand with this, I’m going to make a real conscious effort to get involved with the community. Commenting on other posts, chatting on Instagram, joining in Twitter chats, the lot! I think if I can aim to be active for at least an hour a week, just to start with, I’ll realise how fun it is getting more involved with everyone.
More fun
For me, this just means doing more of the things I love. I used to get embarrassed by the things I liked doing because I thought I was in the minority for them. And I still am with my family and friends, but I don’t care anymore. I’m thinking more conventions, taking myself to see more theatre (hello Waitress and Dear Evan Hansen, I see you), spending an afternoon reading instead of going out. It’s something that seems really little, but will allow me to really accept who I am and the parts of me that I’ve kept quiet about for a while.
More me
2018 I really took time to focus on me. I reached out and tried therapy because I needed help, but I found it didn’t work for me. But just having someone tell you that you weren’t making a mountain out of a molehill, that there was in fact a real struggle happening in your mind, gave me the strength to be more open and honest about it, which has made me feel so much lighter. I want to keep working on myself, finding me. It sounds very cheesy and fluffy which is very unlike me, I know. But I think I’ve slowly been gathering all the tools I need to do this. I’ve found friends who accept me in every way, I’ve realised family will support you whatever happens and that it truly doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, so long as you are happy. So I’m going to go to more conventions, embrace my inner nerd while still battling with the demons of my mind every day, I’m going to be the very best version of myself. My own hero. Just me.
What are some of your goals for next year? Are you planning to travel more, or spend more time with family figuring things out? Let me know!
If we’re being honest the amount of books I have read this year is a little bit on the light side. I had a couple of good months where I really made my way through some, but it definitely wasn’t consistent! However, I’m hoping that’s going to be different next year. I heard from a friend about this reading challenge and thought what better way to get some books off my TBR pile than to take part!! So I’ve listed the books I’m going to try and read next year below, anything in italics is a book that I need to purchase. Which would go against my ‘not buying any more books until I’ve read some’ mantra, but I managed to pick up at least three that I needed for less than a fiver at the charity shop – so I think I can make a few exceptions!
A Book Becoming a Movie in 2019
The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt October 2019
A Book That Makes You Nostalgic
The BFG – Roald Dahl
A Book Written By a Musician
Hindsight – Justin Timberlake
A Book You Think Should Be Turned Into a Movie
A Court of Frost and Starlight – Sarah J Mass
A Book With at Least 1 Million Ratings on Goodreads
The Book Theif – Mark Zusak
A Book With a Plant in The Title Or On The Cover
The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky
A Reread Of a Favourite Book
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Book About a Hobby
Warcross – Marie Lu (gaming)
A Book You Meant to Read in 2018
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing – Hank Green
A Book With ‘Pop’, ‘Sugar’ or ‘Challenge’ in the Title
Poppy Done to Death – Charlaine Harris
A Book With an Item of Clothing or Accessory on The Cover
Dorothy Must Die – Danielle Paige
A Book Inspired by Mythology, Legend, or Folklore
Magnus Chase – Rick Rioden
A Book Published Posthumously
When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi
A Book You See Someone Reading on TV or In a Movie
The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger (Gilmore Girls)
A Retelling Of a Classic
Cinder – Marissa Meyer
A Book With a Question in The Title
Why Not Me? – Mindy Kaling
A Book Set on a College or University Campus
We Are Okay – Nina LaCour
A Book About Someone With a Superpower
Miss Peregrines Home for Perculiar Kids – Ransom Riggs
A Book Told From Multiple Characters POVs
Throne of Glass – Sarah J Mass
A Book Set in Space
Illuminae – Amie Kaufman
A Book By Two Female Authors
The Wife Between Us – Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
A Book With a Title That Contains ‘Salty’, ‘Sweet’, ‘Bitter’, or ‘Spicy’
Sweet Little Lies – Caz Frear
A Book Set In Scandonovia
The Snowman – Jo Nesbo
A Book That Takes Place In a Single Day
On Chesil Beach – Ian McEwan
A Debut Novel
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
A Book That’s Published in 2019
Pumpkinheads – Rainbow Rowell
A Book Featuring an Extinct or Imaginary Creature
City of Bone – Cassandra Clare
A Book Recommended By a Celebrity You Admire
The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins (Obama)
A Book With ‘Love’ In The Title
Everything I Know About Love – Dolly Alderton
A Book Featuring An Amature Detective
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
A Book About a Family
Everything I never Told You – Celeste Ng
A Book Written By An Author From Asia, Africa, or South America
The Life Chaging Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo
A Book With a Zodiac Sign or Astrological Term In The Title
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng
A Book That Includes a Wedding
Me before You – JoJo Moyes
A Book By an Authour Whose First and Last Name Start with The Same Letter
Carry On – Rainbow Rowell
A Ghost Story
The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
A Book With a Two-word Title
Good Omens – Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman
A Novel Based on a True Story
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald – Therese Anne Fowler
A Book Revolving Around a Puzzle or Game
The De Vinci Code – Dan Brown
Your Favourite Prompt From a Previous POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: 2017 – The First Book in a Series You Haven’t Read Before
The Borne Identity – Robert Lublum
*A ‘Cli-Fi’ (Climate Fiction) Book
Trail of Lightening – Rebecca Roanhorse
*A Choose-Your-Own Adventure Book
Choose Your Own Disaster – Dana Schwartz
*An ‘Own Voices’ Book
Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo
*Read a Book During The Season It Is Set In
My Life Next Door – Huntley Fitzpatrick
*A LitRPG Book
Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
*A Book With No Chapters/Unusual Chapter Headings/Unconventionally Numbered Chapters
The Circle – Dave Eggers
*Two Books That Share the Same Title
The Lying Game – Ruth Ware/Sara Shepherd
*A Book That has Inspired a Common Phrase or Idiom
1984 – George Orwell
*A Book Set in an Abbey, Cloister, Monastery, Vicarage, or Convent
Murder at the Vicarage – Agatha Christie
Let me know in the comment below whether you’re taking part in any reading challenges next year, or any books in general that you’re hoping to read!
Where has this year gone? It’s crazy to think we’re nearly down another year! I know for a fact there are things that I wanted to happen, that haven’t. But I also know things that I didn’t think would happen, did. So I thought it would be interesting to look back on the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year and see where I am in achieving them before I set next year’s.
One thing I’ve learnt this year, is to be a lot more gentle with myself and flexible with the things I want from life. Sometimes the bold goals are not what are best for you, sometimes your goal can be no bigger than simply making it through the year, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
Write More
I wanted to write more this year, and I don’t think I’ve been unsuccessful, at least not entirely. I will admit that I haven’t in effect written MORE than I did last year, but I have been writing. I’ve written draft blog posts, planned chapters in my novel, but I haven’t put a lot of it into practice. Blog stuff hasn’t been posted, and I haven’t finished a single chapter in my book. But I have started. And that’s more than last year. I also think I’ve had a bit more of a need to write, especially towards the end of the year. I’m hoping this continues into next year and that I can slowly chip away at bigger projects like my novel and my poetry collection.
Be More Present
I do think this is something I have managed to really achieve. I wanted to focus on spending less time this year on worrying and in turn being more in the moment. While I have still done my usual worrying and hiding away when I’m having a tough moment, I have had a fair few stress free moments which led to me having the absolute best time. For instance, travelling to Vancouver on my own, sharing a hotel with someone I’d never met before and walking around a new city was stuff that should have stressed me out and cause me no end of problems. But the reality is that I had the absolute best time. There were of course a few moments of ‘oh my god, what is happening, what am I doing?’ But on the whole, the feeling of being independent yet surrounded by friends, taking in a beautiful city and spending my time doing things that made me happy, meant that I was pretty much anxiety and stress free for a whole week. I’m hoping that making more plans like this next year, and taking control of the things I want to do, will mean this continues.
Get a Foot In
I think this is one of the only things I wanted to achieve that I haven’t in some capacity, but that’s 100% my fault and I know it. I haven’t really put myself out there. I’ve not been applying for anything, talking to people, writing enough to talk about. It’s still something that I really want to achieve, because being somewhere in the publishing industry is where I believe I belong.
Improve my Photography
I am still not proclaiming to have the best photography skills in any sense of the word. But I do think there’s an improvement and in actual fact I’ve been enjoying it a lot more. Not only am I taking more time and patience with my blog photos but I’ve really enjoyed taking pictures at the convention I went to in Vancouver as well as just snapping photos of places like Stanley Park. I think a lot of it came from getting a new camera at the beginning of the year and then I got a new lens just before Vancouver which is primarily what I used the whole time I was there. I’m hoping that it continues through to next year because it really has been something I’ve enjoyed this year.
Read More
I wanted to read 50 books this year. Which was, realistically, never going to happen. However, I have read a fair few, which makes me very happy! I’ve already made plans to partake in the Popsugar Reading challenge next year, I’ve planned the books I’ll be reading and I’m actually excited to try and do them all! My realistic goal is to try and read more than I did this year, which I think is a little more doable.
What about you, are there any goals you set for this year you haven’t achieved? Or did you tick off all the goals on your list? Or let me know in the comments if you feel you’ve just been semi-successful like me!
