April has been a very odd month for my book buying habits, and if you've read any of my other monthly haul posts, then you'll know that I buy the majority of my books on (far, far too many) trips to Waterstones on my lunch breaks at work. Now that I'm working from home and we're all under lockdown, that is quite clearly not the case anymore. I really, really don't like buying books online (it's a weird personality trait that I can't seem to break), so my only other option is to endlessly look at what Kindle books are on offer, and let me tell you, there's been some cracking offers on lately!
Nothing had actually taken my fancy for the first half of the month and I didn't want to get into the habit of buying Kindle books for the sake of having something to post about, but then I noticed a few books on offer for 99p that I'd seen doing the rounds quite a bit on Bookstagram. They are:
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen
Finding Henry Applebee by Celia Reynolds
The Hope Family Calendar by Mike Gayle
Platinum Doll by Anne Girard
Normal People by Sally Rooney
In Five Years seems to be everywhere at the moment - I can't seem to log onto Instagram without seeing this on my timeline, and I'm well and truely ready to jump on the bandwagon. I'm especially excited to read Finding Henry Applebee though; for some reason the blurb is giving me A Man Called Ove vibes, and I'm not mad about that one bit seeing as though that was probably one of my favourite reads of this year so far, so it's got a lot to live up to!
The Other Half of Augusta Hope intrigued me because, much like Five Years From Now, this seems to be doing the rounds on Bookstagram and I've heard that it's poetic yet intelligent at the same time and it just seems like something I will enjoy.
I decided to see what else Mike Gayle had to offer after only recently reading Half a World Away by him, and The Hope Family Calendar seemed like that one I'd enjoy the most. I have a sneaky feeling I'll be buying all of his books on Kindle over the next few months as I struggled to pick just one - they all sound amazing!
I bought Platinum Doll because I'm still slightly obsessed with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I just needed that Old Hollywood fix! Honestly, I don't expect this book to live up to the standard of Evelyn Hugo but I'm alright with that, I just need something to fill the Hollywood shaped hole in my heart.
And finally for the Kindle books, I picked up Normal People by Sally Rooney because who hasn't read this book at this point?!
Moving on from Kindle books, there's only two physical books I bought this month and that's The Switch by Beth O'Leary which I've been highly anticipating since I read The Flat Share and absolutely devoured it. The other is The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley, which I've seen here and there on Instagram and the premise sounded like just the kind of thing I like to read - not to mention the cover is to die for!
What books have you bought this month?
Well, that thing that should not be named it still pretty much at the forefront of everyone's lives and I think just about everyone is well and truely fed up with it now - especially as we have had some lovely weather lately! But I'm still trying my best to focus on this positives despite having a bit (alright, a lot) of a rocky month. I've put together a list of all that was well and jolly throughout the month of April in order to get myself out of the pity party that I seem to be in!
Actually saving some money. I'm notoriously bad at saving money and I've never really hidden the fact that putting some money to one side every month isn't one of my strong points. Lockdown, however, seems to have changed that and this month I've saved almost double the amount I usually do in a single month! One thing this lockdown has taught me, is that I waste too much money on things that aren't important, like spending £5 on my dinner break everyday for meals I don't remember. The only money I've really spent this month is for food shopping and that's pretty much it (plus one other little exciting project which we'll come onto in a minute!).
I have been baking more. I used to love baking, but I fell into the trap of 'I don't have time' when I was working in the office. That's now changed though and I've been baking peanut butter cookies (my favourite) and Nutella shortbread. Now, don't get me wrong, you won't be seeing me sign up to GBBO anytime soon, but I've really enjoyed baking quick and simple recipes to keep me occupied for half an hour or so!
Spending more time outdoors. I've been making use of the one form of exercise we're allowed to have a day and have been exploring the local area. I think when you live close by to something pretty, you tend to take it for granted as it's an everyday occurrence that you don't take much notice of. I live right by a river and a barrage with a water course that you can walk around (it's where my husband proposed to me, too!) I've been walking the dogs up there and we've had a few family walks up there and my daughter loves it; she's only two years old and is fascinated by water and so she's in her element whenever we go there! Although we live right next to it, we've never really explored it and we've discovered some secret hidden ponds that the ducks like to swim in and we've even spotted a couple of seals at the barrage!
Discovering Disney+. It's just bloody great, isn't it? I've absolutely loved discovering all my favourite childhood films such as High School Musical and The Parent Trap. There's just a tonne of amazing films on there that I wouldn't have thought to watch but I've loved sitting down on an evening and rewatching films I haven't seen in years!
Starting our garden makeover. Me and the husband have talked for a little while now about completely redoing our garden. We bought the house almost 2 years ago as a new build and we got a deal where the builders put down turf for us (anyone who has bought a new build will know that you usually don't get turf included). However, the turf was really cheap and just looks a bit tatty and we haven't really done anything with the garden except put some table and chairs up and put a few garden plants here and there. We've started the process of completely digging up the turf and we're going to be putting down (good quality) turf over the next couple of weeks. We're also putting a fence up to separate the patio from the grass and are installing decking too so that we have somewhere to put outdoor furniture. It's a massive project and we're doing it all ourselves which is a little bit daunting, and whilst my garden currently looks like a building site, I know the end result will be completely worth it!
I've had a very love/hate relationship over the years with my Kindle. Actually, 'hate' seems a bit harsh. Truth be told, there are times when I just don't bother picking my Kindle up and it sits forgotten about for months on end. I think I'll always prefer a paperback no matter what, but recently I've fallen back in love with my Kindle and I currently think it's the BEST. THING. EVER.
It's most definitely due to being in lockdown that I've rediscovered my Kindle. Not being able to go out and physically look around bookshops (which is fast becoming one of my favourite pastimes) has forced me to look online for books and so my love for my Kindle has blossomed once more. I did a bookshelf tour last year but I completely disregarded the books that were sitting on my Kindle, so I figured now would be a great time show you what's on there.
I've created folders for my books just to tidy things up a bit. There's four folders altogether, but two of them are filled with crap (such as the dictionaries and a couple of trashy books I won't ever read) so we'll disregard those two folders and concentrate on the primary two folders; 'Finished books' and 'To read' - they pretty much do what they say on the tin.
Finished Books
There actually aren't a tonne of books that I've finished reading on my Kindle. I usually buy books that are either a) on offer for 99p and I just can't resist a bargain, or b) I'm slightly unsure about and so buy it at the reduced Kindle price. If there's an author I know and love, I will typically buy a physical copy of their book, but if it's a one off author that I've never read anything from before, I'll look for it on Kindle first. In this folder we have;
Half a World Away by Mike Gayle
Merry & Bright by Debbie Macomber
The Honeymoon by Tina Seskis
Girl Online by Zoe Sugg
Paper Towns by John Green
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Fault in our Stars by John Green
The John Green books I bought as a deal when I first bought my Kindle about 6 years ago (maybe even longer???) and the same goes for Girl Online. I don't think I'll ever read them again but I also don't want to remove them as I clearly was very into those sorta books when I was 16/17 years old and so they shall remain for the good memories. I've also linked any books I've wrote a review up on, so feel free to check those out if they tickle your fancy.
It's most definitely due to being in lockdown that I've rediscovered my Kindle. Not being able to go out and physically look around bookshops (which is fast becoming one of my favourite pastimes) has forced me to look online for books and so my love for my Kindle has blossomed once more. I did a bookshelf tour last year but I completely disregarded the books that were sitting on my Kindle, so I figured now would be a great time show you what's on there.
I've created folders for my books just to tidy things up a bit. There's four folders altogether, but two of them are filled with crap (such as the dictionaries and a couple of trashy books I won't ever read) so we'll disregard those two folders and concentrate on the primary two folders; 'Finished books' and 'To read' - they pretty much do what they say on the tin.
Finished Books
There actually aren't a tonne of books that I've finished reading on my Kindle. I usually buy books that are either a) on offer for 99p and I just can't resist a bargain, or b) I'm slightly unsure about and so buy it at the reduced Kindle price. If there's an author I know and love, I will typically buy a physical copy of their book, but if it's a one off author that I've never read anything from before, I'll look for it on Kindle first. In this folder we have;
Half a World Away by Mike Gayle
Merry & Bright by Debbie Macomber
The Honeymoon by Tina Seskis
Girl Online by Zoe Sugg
Paper Towns by John Green
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Fault in our Stars by John Green
The John Green books I bought as a deal when I first bought my Kindle about 6 years ago (maybe even longer???) and the same goes for Girl Online. I don't think I'll ever read them again but I also don't want to remove them as I clearly was very into those sorta books when I was 16/17 years old and so they shall remain for the good memories. I've also linked any books I've wrote a review up on, so feel free to check those out if they tickle your fancy.
To Read
Again, there aren't a tonne of books on here because I've only just started getting into reading on my Kindle again. Some of these books have been sitting in this folder for years untouched now, which is ridiculous, but I am trying to make more of an effort to get through them!
We have:
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
The Little Old Lady who Broke all the Rules by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg
Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider
Finding Henry Applebee by Celia Reynolds
The Hope Family Calendar by Mike Gayle
The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen
The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley
The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
We are all Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
Platinum Doll by Anne Girard
Like I mentioned, there aren't a tonne of books there, mainly because I do prefer picking up a physical copy, but the ones that are on that list are all books I'm genuinely excited to read.
Are there any books on there that you have read? I'm open to suggestions of books to buy on Kindle too, so any books you think I should buy, do let me know!
Again, there aren't a tonne of books on here because I've only just started getting into reading on my Kindle again. Some of these books have been sitting in this folder for years untouched now, which is ridiculous, but I am trying to make more of an effort to get through them!
We have:
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
The Little Old Lady who Broke all the Rules by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg
Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider
Finding Henry Applebee by Celia Reynolds
The Hope Family Calendar by Mike Gayle
The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen
The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley
The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
We are all Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
Platinum Doll by Anne Girard
Like I mentioned, there aren't a tonne of books there, mainly because I do prefer picking up a physical copy, but the ones that are on that list are all books I'm genuinely excited to read.
Are there any books on there that you have read? I'm open to suggestions of books to buy on Kindle too, so any books you think I should buy, do let me know!
Title: Half a World Away
Author: Mike Gayle
Pages: 320
Publication date: 13th June 2019
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
About the book:
Kerry Hayes is single mum, living on a tough south London estate. She provides for her son by cleaning houses she could never hope to afford. Taken into care as a child, Kerry cannot ever forget her past.
Noah Martineau is a successful barrister with a beautiful wife, daughter and home in fashionable Primrose Hill. Adopted as a child, Noah always looks forward, never back.
When Kerry reaches out to the sibling she lost on the day they were torn apart as children, she sets in motion a chain of events that will have life-changing consequences for them both.
Review:
I've had this book sitting on my Kindle for a while now, but as always, I pretty much always pick out a physical book to read rather than seeing what is stored on my (sometimes forgotten about) Kindle. Since we can't go out shopping due to the lockdown and the fact that I hate buying books online, the only real way to feed my book buying habits is to see what Amazon have to offer on Kindle. I've bought most of my books this month on Kindle but it's also given me the much needed reminder to actually read on it, especially the books that have been sitting on there for a while.
This is the first book of Gayle's that I've read and I wasn't too sure what to expect going into it. I've seen this book floating about Bookstagram over the past year or so, but I hadn't read too many reviews or properly looked into it, which I think most of the time goes in the book's favour as there aren't any high expectations.
With that being said, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the dual first-person POV narrative between Kerry & Noah and I think Gayle absolutely nailed getting their personalities across. Kerry's chapters are much more 'common' and are written how someone would speak as if talking to a friend. Noah's chapters are much more structured and precise, which reflects perfectly his privileged upbringing opposed to Kerry's much tougher childhood and adolescent years.
The thing that stood out to me most of all from reading this book, was Kerry's ability to never give up hope. Kerry as a character was one that truely stood for making the best out of any situation and to just get on with things no matter what life throws at you. Kerry was such a loveable character - probably one of the best characters I've read about in a while - and I think any reader can take something from her and apply it to their own way of thinking and behaving. Her role as a mother, a sister and a friend is something that was truely touching and endearing and it's such an important aspect of the book and a lesson I won't be forgetting in a hurry.
Whilst I did really enjoy this book, I will warn you that it's also an emotionally intense story and you should have tissues at the ready. It deals with so many important topics; family, friendships, race, terminal illnesses, social class differences & childcare system pitfalls. But it handles them all in such a sensitive manner despite being tough subjects to cover and it does so without putting the reader on a downer, which is incredibly hard to do, but Gayle manages to pull it off perfectly.
This book is a brilliant character-driven read that is beautifully written and uplifting in parts, but will most likely pull at the heartstrings of even the most cold-hearted of readers.
Verdict: ★★★★
Title: This is Going to Hurt
Author: Adam Kay
Pages: 277
Publication date: 7th September 2017
Publisher: Picador
About the book
Welcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you.
Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know – and more than a few things you didn't – about life on and off the hospital ward.
Review
I have had this book sitting on my shelf for a while now and I knew it was loved by many, so after reading (and loving) The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, I told myself I was going to make more of an effort to read more non-fiction books, and with the current crisis that is at the forefront of everyone's lives right now, I figured why not read something by someone who has worked for the frontline NHS?
This is one of those books that had me hooked from only a few pages in. It's incredibly funny from the get-go and Kay's personality really shines through from the very beginning. It's rare that I'm gripped this early on from a book but this is one that I found I just couldn't put down and I devoured it in just a few sittings (which is very rare for me!)
I think it's incredibly unusual to find a book that can make you laugh out loud (quite literally) and break your heart in equal measure and all at the same time - especially from a non-fiction book - but Kay shares his experiences of training as an obstetrician-gynecologist and the highs and lows that come with it; from the cringe-worthy-try-not-to-laugh stories, to recounting the devastating loss of patients, to the break down of his personal relationships due to the long, demanding hours, right through to the stories that are just so unbelievably funny you wonder how human beings cope as a race.
Something I hadn't realised before reading this book, was just how exhausting the process of becoming a doctor really is & how the NHS is (unintentionally) setup to grind the doctors down to the point of exhaustion but how much a simple thank you from a patient means. Kay has found a very effective way to show us some shocking truths while making us laugh so hard we have to hold back tears. It really does mix honesty with comedy and honestly, it's the best kind of learning.
The format of the book is written in short dairy entries and I've never read a book like this before, but actually, it worked very, very well and because the paragraphs are so short, it's a book that you can easily pick up when you have a spare 10 minutes without worrying about needing to finish a whole chapter. I also found the footnotes explaining medical procedures and medical terminology very interesting and not as intrusive as footnotes normally tend to be.
Kay keeps good humour throughout the book; he exposes a lot that is wrong with the NHS that us Brits kinda could have guessed at already, but never loses sight of how truly important it is. He finishes his hilarious and touching tales with a direct plea to the government and to us all to take the NHS and its doctors seriously; to respect it and them and to not take the work that they do for granted. It's such a powerful and important read wrapped up in a highly-entertaining package.
Verdict: ★★★★★
Title: Thirst Trap
Author: Zachary Ryan
Pages: 210
Publication date: 4th November 2019
Publisher: Kingston Publishing Company
Trigger warnings: mental & physical abuse, substance abuse, suicide & death.
About the book
Tragedy comes in all forms, and you never know how you’ll deal with it. Four friends have all dealt with their fair share of struggles.
Dillion, an aspiring writer with writers block because of his brothers sudden death, Jesse the emotional stunted drink thanks to his boyfriend’s suicide, Ivan the abused victim just looking for a place to call home, and Leo the stubborn romantic trying to get his friends to open up, while keeping his issues close to his chest.
With these four friends, they avoid all their elephants in the room like a death card agreement between Dillion and Jesse, Ivan completely hoping his abusive lover with change or even Leo focusing on his friend's problems instead of his own.
Can these four friends learn to embrace and accept their own tragedy or will they be stuck in the past? Thirst Trap is a humorous coming of age novel dealing with sexuality, tragedy, substance abuse, and the most beautiful insane friendships.
Review
This is the first book I've ever read by Zachary Ryan and I absolutely loved the premise; four young gay men who are struggling with their own personal issues but are there for one another no matter what.
My issue with this book, is that there are four huge - and trust me, I mean huge - storylines crammed into a very short book. The book is a little over 200 pages long, so each character gets roughly 50 pages to tell their story, and it just wasn't enough - at least not for me.
I actually really liked the characters (despite the questionable dialogue at times - really, I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk like that in real life) and I wanted to read more about their lives and their struggles, but in all honesty, I really struggled to get to grips with how little space these characters had to tell their stories and how abruptly everything seemed to come to and end. This book would have been fine had the story only focused on one of the characters, but it's trying to cover everything from suicide to marriage problems to emotional and physical abuse to alcohol abuse and it's just a lot for 200 pages to cover.
Because his book was a so short, I don't feel I got to grips with any of the characters as there simply wasn't enough time to do so. Had this book been a 400 page book then I think it would have given the author more time to allow us to get to know these characters a hell of a lot more than what we did, because like I previously mentioned, I did actually like the characters and their friendship group dynamic worked very well, but the bigger issues at hand seemed to be glanced over, which is a shame because the issues mentioned in this book are actually really important topics and typically ones I like to read about.
Had this book been longer with more time to explore each character and their own personal issues - along with some work on the dialogue - then this would have been a 4 star review, but sadly, for me, the book was just far too short with an abrupt ending.
Verdict: ★★
Check out the rest of the tour schedule:
April 7th - emilythebooknerd.com - welcome post
April 10th - bforbookreview.wordpress.com - interview
April 11th - themagicofworlds.wordpress.com/ - book promotion
April 12th - bexcapades.com/ - review
Have you ever read a book that is so vivid that it makes you want to see it on a screen? After all, part of the adventure of reading a book is to visualise the characters and the setting! As someone who loves getting lost in a story, but also studied Television & Film Production at university, it's clear that I have a love for both books and films and I often subconsciously combine the two!
I've put together a little list of books that I would love to see as a film - all for different reasons!
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Caraval is probably one of the most whimsical, magical stories I've read in a long time. It focuses on Caraval - an annual, invitation-only secluded game on a secluded island, giving players the chance to win the ultimate prize - one wish, and Scarlett, who has dreamed of attending the island for as long as she can remember, and then finally her dreams come true, but it's not as she imagined it would be.
This is the kind of book you just want to devour because you simply cannot get enough. Each new chapter brings a new character, a new obstacle for Scarlett to overcome, or a new setting that is just as dark and magical as the last and I think that it would make for a truely magical film - think Hunger Games meets Harry Potter!
House of Salt & Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
This is a fairytale retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses and oh my, it was a truely amazing, vivid - and sometimes even creepy - book that had me hooked all the way through. It follows the story of Annaleigh, who is one of 12 sisters - 4 of which have died under mysterious circumstances. Annaleigh isn't convinced that the deaths were accidents, and she's determined to figure out who - or what - her sisters are dancing with and stopping anymore of them becoming the next victim.
This book had so much going on - glittering balls, dancing until dawn, silk gowns, magical doorways, evil curses and so, so much more. I can imagine this being a really dark, gothic, suspenseful film that has you hooked from the word go. When I imagine this as a film, I think of it with Shutter Island vibes; dark, mysterious and eerie with plot twists that will make you let out an audible gasp!
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Scythe is one of those books that is just such a fun, entertaining book with so much going on. It's essentially a story of Earth set in the future, in which humanity have conquered mortality, but in order to keep the population under control, Scythes are ordered to 'glean' people. But there are good Scythes and bad Scythes and it's just so, so good.
The world building is incredible and there are plot twists that you never see coming. Each Scythe has their own coloured robe and I think seeing it all come together as a gritty, action-packed film would be amazing!
Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
This is one of the very few books that have literally made me cry. It tells the story of Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. One day in July 1942, Lale comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.
I absolutely love books that are centred around WWII and I don't think any human being of our generation could ever comprehend what people in Auschwitz went through. This was a truely beautiful read, and one that I don't ever think will not need to be told. It was a beautiful story and one that I think would capture the hearts of many people on a big screen - it's one thing to read about what these people went through, but to visually see the horrific conditions and the torture these people had to endure on a daily basis would be something else.
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
I figured I would end this post on a more lighthearted choice! This book follows Leon and Tiffy and their less-than-normal living arrangements; Tiffy needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.
This is such a funny, lighthearted book that I would 100% watch over and over as a film. The characters are interesting and their personalities really shine through - if this book were ever to be made into a film, it would only work if the actresses and actors were right for the role, but if they nailed that, then this would be one of those easy, funny films that you would have on in the background whilst having a few friends over.
I've put together a little list of books that I would love to see as a film - all for different reasons!
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Caraval is probably one of the most whimsical, magical stories I've read in a long time. It focuses on Caraval - an annual, invitation-only secluded game on a secluded island, giving players the chance to win the ultimate prize - one wish, and Scarlett, who has dreamed of attending the island for as long as she can remember, and then finally her dreams come true, but it's not as she imagined it would be.
This is the kind of book you just want to devour because you simply cannot get enough. Each new chapter brings a new character, a new obstacle for Scarlett to overcome, or a new setting that is just as dark and magical as the last and I think that it would make for a truely magical film - think Hunger Games meets Harry Potter!
House of Salt & Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
This is a fairytale retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses and oh my, it was a truely amazing, vivid - and sometimes even creepy - book that had me hooked all the way through. It follows the story of Annaleigh, who is one of 12 sisters - 4 of which have died under mysterious circumstances. Annaleigh isn't convinced that the deaths were accidents, and she's determined to figure out who - or what - her sisters are dancing with and stopping anymore of them becoming the next victim.
This book had so much going on - glittering balls, dancing until dawn, silk gowns, magical doorways, evil curses and so, so much more. I can imagine this being a really dark, gothic, suspenseful film that has you hooked from the word go. When I imagine this as a film, I think of it with Shutter Island vibes; dark, mysterious and eerie with plot twists that will make you let out an audible gasp!
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Scythe is one of those books that is just such a fun, entertaining book with so much going on. It's essentially a story of Earth set in the future, in which humanity have conquered mortality, but in order to keep the population under control, Scythes are ordered to 'glean' people. But there are good Scythes and bad Scythes and it's just so, so good.
The world building is incredible and there are plot twists that you never see coming. Each Scythe has their own coloured robe and I think seeing it all come together as a gritty, action-packed film would be amazing!
Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
This is one of the very few books that have literally made me cry. It tells the story of Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. One day in July 1942, Lale comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.
I absolutely love books that are centred around WWII and I don't think any human being of our generation could ever comprehend what people in Auschwitz went through. This was a truely beautiful read, and one that I don't ever think will not need to be told. It was a beautiful story and one that I think would capture the hearts of many people on a big screen - it's one thing to read about what these people went through, but to visually see the horrific conditions and the torture these people had to endure on a daily basis would be something else.
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
I figured I would end this post on a more lighthearted choice! This book follows Leon and Tiffy and their less-than-normal living arrangements; Tiffy needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.
This is such a funny, lighthearted book that I would 100% watch over and over as a film. The characters are interesting and their personalities really shine through - if this book were ever to be made into a film, it would only work if the actresses and actors were right for the role, but if they nailed that, then this would be one of those easy, funny films that you would have on in the background whilst having a few friends over.
Can you believe this little blog of mine has turned one?!
If you've read a couple of my previous posts, you'll know that this blog isn't my first. It's not even my second or third, but in fact, my FOURTH blog, which is crazy! I've blogged on and off for the past six years (phew!) but after a while I fell out of love with each blog because it just wasn't very 'me'. I kept blogging about what I thought other people would be interested in which wasn't necessarily what I was interested in, and so soon enough, I gave up and quit.
Rewind backwards to a year ago, I decided to start blogging again. There was some drama in the blogsphere and I remember seeing everyone talk about changing their blog themes on Twitter and I remember thinking that I really did bloody miss blogging, so I decided to start up a brand new blog and I named it Our Little Plant House, with the intention of blogging predominantly about houseplants with the odd lifestyle post thrown in for good measure, but it was not long after that, that I discovered this whole new community for book lovers and I instantly knew that's what I wanted my blog to be about. An actual, real-life lightbulb moment, if you will.
For the longest time I had no idea there were a whole bunch of people blogging about books. Books are one of the things I'm the most passionate about and I can't really remember a time when I didn't love sitting down and getting lost in a story, but I kept this quiet for the longest time because books and reading weren't 'cool' growing up and you were seen as a bit of a geek (the uncool kind of geek that kids make fun of) so I never really talked about books, which looking back, is actually really sad.
I'm so happy that I've found a place where I can share my thoughts on the books I've read and just generally talk about something that genuinely interests me. I've never thought about giving up on this blog once in the past year and I've been pretty consistent with posting. When I started blogging again, I told myself that I would post when I felt like it and that there was no pressure to get a certain amount of posts up per week, but actually, because I've loved blogging about books so much, I've not lost interest in what I'm blogging about and therefore look forward to publishing a new post! I do like to mix my posts up every now and again with some lifestyle-y type posts and at the end of every month I write up my gratitude lists, which have actually really helped me keep a positive mindset and focus on the good things going on around me!
There has been some fairly big changes over the past year for this blog, the rebrand being one of them, but I've also gone through about 3 or 4 blog themes, but I think I'm pretty happy with the one I've got now. I've taught myself very basic html so that I can change things up and make my blog theme a bit more 'me'. I've also invested in a fairly expensive camera and I'm putting more time into editing my blog photos and I've tried to keep to a 'cosy beige and white' theme, if you will. I've also created my blog's own Instagram account which is really exciting! Initially, I was using my personal Instagram account on my blog links, but I don't post very much on there, and when I do, it's mainly about my dogs or my daughter, so I figured I'd delve right into Bookstagram with my own dedicated page! The book community on Instagram is so, so lovely, and I can't even begin to tell you how many books I've bought from seeing other people rave about them on there!
That's pretty much it for this post. I'm so proud of myself for how far I've come with my blog this year and I can't wait to see what the next year brings!
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