My 2019 Book Blogger Award Nominations // AKA, Giving the Community a Big Warm Hug!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that book bloggers are incredibly lovely people that work damn hard.

Book blogging can be a tough gig. Sometimes you feel that you’re flying high and winning at the internet, and other times it feels like you put in so much effort and don’t get much back for it.

For this reason, it’s so important that we support each other! Luckily, at its core, this community is so wonderfully friendly and passionate, to the point where I regularly feel like giving you guys a huge warm squishy bear hug. Yup, and you’re just going to have to take it!

I’m Becky, and I like warm hugs, just like Olaf!

I will be forever grateful for the love and support I’ve received since stumbling into this part of the internet six years ago, and now, I couldn’t even imagine my life without book bloggers in it!

So when I saw that May was going to be hosting the 2019 Book Bloggers Awards, I thought it was an awesome opportunity to try and give back/shout from the rooftops about some of the amazing bloggers I’ve met along the way! You can read May’s post here for more information on how the awards work!

May & June Wrap Up: Cambridge, Blogging Silence & Roadtrips!

Good afternoon bloggers! I hope you’re well! It’s been pretty silent over here the last couple of months, hasn’t it?

That wasn’t really intentional, but the last two months have been a bit of a rollercoaster. It’s been super busy at work and at home, and so even when I have had the downtime to blog, I either haven’t had the want to write or have felt so burnt out that the words don’t flow! I’ve found myself reaching towards Bookstagram more because LESS WORDS. My mental health also took a bit of a dip and I felt like I was taking on a lot of other people’s problems, so I’ve been doing some extra self-care!

But, but, BUTTTTTT, by the time you read this, I will have already hopped over the pond, off on a France roadtrip adventure, and I am PUMPED. I’m going to be going from Calais, all the way down to the south coast, stopping at lots of pretty towns, and I will make sure to share my travels with you when I get back!

Actual footage of our roadtrips when the good tunes come on.

WHAT I GOT UP TO IN MAY AND JUNE:

April Wrap Up: Grishaverse, Silly Socks & the Battle of Winterfell!

Hello everyone!

Another month gone, another wrap-up post. These sure do come around quickly sometimes! (I’d also just like to preface this by saying that despite the title there will be NO Game of Thrones spoilers in this post!)

I’ve been sitting here trying to rack my brain for something interesting enough to share with you guys from April. I did think about trying to convince you that I’d learnt to talk to animals, built a spaceship, or found a fossilized dragon egg in amber that had hatched and I’d become a dragon rider (still ever hopefully after my childhood of watching Jurrasic Park), but somehow, I didn’t think you guys would take me at my word?

(A girl can dream, right?)

April can basically be summed up in Dory’s famous words ‘just keep swimming…’ or the better know phrase, ‘keep on keeping on’.

Of course, there was that brief moment in the UK where we got July-worthy sun over the bank holiday weekend and we all had a freak-out and dug out the BBQ equipment, but it wasn’t long before the status quo returned.

By far the best thing about April for me was seeing all the amazing love you guys have given my Pancake Book Tag. SO many of you have participated in this now and I kind of feel really emotional about it??! I really didn’t think this many people would do it and the whole thing has far exceeded my expectations. You guys are absolutely incredible, THANK YOU! :’D

So, let’s get on with the wrapping up!

March Wrap Up // Harry Potter Vibes & Birthday Treats!

Good afternoon, readers!

I have a question for you: DID YOU MAKE IT OUT OF MARCH IN ONE PIECE? I, my friends, did not. I feel like a walking, talking zombie and I am absolutely cream-crackered! March felt more like 2 months!

THE CHAOTIC THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN MARCH:

This can basically be summed up by crazy work shenanigans: first, one of our main members of staff dropped to 1 day a week unexpectedly (and we were understaffed before), secondly, we took on another member of staff who quit 3 days in. So THEN we had to interview for ANOTHER new member of staff, (it’s a really weird feeling interviewing people, btw). We eventually found one (yay!) but now most days are spent training them, which, lemmie tell ya, is REALLY EXHAUSTING.

Actual footage of me at my desk.

NOW, FOR THE REALLY AWESOME THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN MARCH:

February Wrap Up // Is This the ‘Good Place?’ Because I’d Like to Stay Here!

Greetings, booklings! 

I hope ye are fairing well and that February was a positive month for you! It took until about halfway through February for me to stop thinking it was January, and then it feels like I blinked and now somehow there are no days left?!? Like, whoa!

February was a very good month for me, I feel like I managed to squeeze a lot into a very small amount of time, including binge-watching a whole 3 seasons of a TV show, reading a LOT of books compared to my monthly average, and having some great personal experiences!

COOL THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN FEBRUARY

• I visited the Sky Garden in London, which is a building with a 360 view. The viewing space is also full of beautiful and bold plants and landscaped garden areas. I’d definitely recommend this if your heading to London, because it’s completely free – it’s not quite as high as the Shard, but it has a very good view of it!
• I attended the London launch for Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree which was absolutely AMAZING (blog post to come)! It was also chaired by Alwyn Hamilton. SUCH GOOD BOOKISH VIBES. 😀
• I did my first buddy read in 5 years with my interwebs friend and fellow blogger, Tony, and it was so much fun swapping plot theories and character insights! I definitely want to do more of these again in the future because you really think about what you’re reading in so much more detail!
• I had my first ever Wagamama’s, and I liked it! YUM.
• I started looking into the possibility of being a volunteer mental health listener for those who are struggling or are lonely, which I think could potentially be a very rewarding experience if it develops further!

What were your personal highlights this month?

 

December & January Wrap Up // In Which Awesome Things Happen but I am Defeated by Illness.

 

If you’re reading this, it means you’ve officially made it through the most depressing month of the year, GIVE YOURSELF A PAT ON THE BACK (and maybe a cookie…or 5???)

Actual image of me being a cookie monster.

There’s something about January that feels a little like limping over a finish line, am I right? It bleak, it’s rainy, it gets dark so early and it feels like you shouldn’t have to go out into the world and DO THINGS.

I’m summarising both December and January in this post because in December I did my end of year wrap up instead.

November Wrap Up: Burn Out, Glorious Bookishness & Confusing TV

 Hi, guys! So, November was a pretty awful month and I’m glad to see it go!

Work has been horrendous and we have been scrabbling around, totally behind the game spending most of our time putting out fires. I have been feeling utterly burnt out. BUT WHO WANTS TO TALK ABOUT THAT??? I don’t, I’ve already lived it!

Here are some of the highlights from this month – there are actually more positives than I thought!

• I came across some Beatrix Potter 50p coins after buying some food and had a total nerd out. I love Beatrix Potter and used to read all the books when I was younger, so I was surprised to look down at my change and find both Tom Kitten and Jeremy Fisher staring back at me! They’re now in pride of place on my bookshelf! (You can view the collection here.)
• I went to a new Turkish restaurant which essentially specialises in meat platters. It was fantastic and they had the biggest portions I’ve ever seen!
• I treated myself to a book haul and all the covers are so beautiful I COULD CRY.
• I received my first ever book subscription box from illumicrate. I’ve been so tempted to get one of these for a while, but with most being £30 a pop it’s not exactly an impulse buy. But this month I decided to treat myself, damn it! It was so fun having a mystery box full of goodies to open, and it had a book enclosed that I’ve been desperately coveting for the last couple of months! If you’re interested to see what was in it, you can view my instagram story (it’s on my highlights)!

What were your personal highlights this month?

October Wrap Up: Superheroes, Addictive TV Shows & Busy Work Schedules!

 

Hello bloggers!

After much thought, I’ve decided to start doing my own wrap-up posts, and I am VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS!

When I first started blogging I wasn’t a big fan of wrap-ups because I didn’t think they added anything new, but since, I’ve seen so many great bloggers be creative with them that now they’re often my favourite kinds of post! I’ve been thinking a lot about wrap-ups since I recently changed my blogging style and decided I wasn’t going to review everything I read – I’ve been debating how I can showcase books in other formats. Additionally, I’ve been looking to expand the topics I talk about to include my other interests. A wrap up seemed like a great way to spotlight some of these, alongside general updates.

 I asked you guys on Instagram and twitter whether you would be interested in Blogs of a Bookaholic wrap-ups and the answer was a resounding yes. So your wish is my command!

Depending on life and time restraints, I may do wrap-ups every month, or every two months. We’ll see how this goes!

What should I expect from your wrap-ups?

• Short life updates
• Books read (ratings and summarising my thoughts in a couple of sentences).
• Film and TV watched (ratings, and mini reviews)
• Product of the month – I’m keeping this purposely vague, I could be discussing anything from fashion and makeup to phone apps and homeware!
• Blog posts published
• Posts I’ve enjoyed from other bloggers

Hopefully, this will be interesting to you, but let me know if there’s anything else you’d be interested in seeing. I’d love to hear your thoughts and will consider requests!

So, here we go!

If We Were Having Coffee… // Book Updates, Adventures and London Excursions

If we were having coffee is a blogging community idea, where bloggers publish posts about what they’d like to say to their readers if they were sitting down together having a casual cup of coffee. I understand that the original idea was created by Ashley and I found it through Jamie’s blog.

In my mind, we’re sitting in a small cafe, halfway down a busy high street. It’s kitted out like an old 50s diner, black and white flooring, pink neon signs, and a popcorn machine sits next to an old jukebox. Twisting the Night Away by Sam Cook is playing enthusiastically in the background as I order a coffee and a pink milkshake.  What are you waiting for? Make yourself comfortable, grab a beverage, and let’s chat!

I’d tell you that I just got over a horrendous cold, and 3 days later I’ve only gone and gotten another one! I’ve had an extremely busy couple of months and I think it’s my bodies way of saying “hey wait a minute, chill!!” (Subsequently knocking me out for the count.) I also feel like WHO IS THIS PERSON?! I’ve never had so much booked in my diary EVER. Suddenly I’m hopping all over the place and there’s not enough time in the day!!!

Quoting the Quill #60

 

Get out from your house,
From your cave, from your car
From the place you feel safe,
From the place that you are,

Get out and..
Go running
Go funning
Go wild.

Get out from your head,
And get growing,

Dear child.

– Unknown (source)

 

~ * ~

If We Were Having Coffee…

If we were having coffee is a blogging community idea, where bloggers publish posts about what they’d like to say to their readers if they were sitting down together having a casual cup of coffee.

In my mind, we’re sitting in a small rustic coffee shop, tucked away down a cobbled street. It has oak tables, vintage cutlery and copper decor with dim lighting, and The Civil Wars are playing in the background.  What are you waiting for? Snug in, grab a beverage, and let’s chat!

~ * ~

I’d say hello lovely bloggers, it’s me, I’m alive! Contrary to popular belief, I haven’t been spirited away to join a secret Wiccan coven, I haven’t disappeared to study dragons in Peru (I wish), nor was I kidnapped by nargles…
I can’t even feign a flu powder disaster to explain my absence (something tells me you wouldn’t believe me).

Mental Health Awareness Week: My Story.

Hello, everyone! You may not be aware, but this week is mental health awareness week run by the Mental Health Foundation. As this is an area I’m really passionate about both personally and as a psychology student, to do my bit I’ve decided to run a blog feature where I and guest bloggers talk about mental health related topics paired with books and/or blogging to help raise awareness. 🙂

So, it seems like a fitting place to start by sharing my mental health journey with you. This is something that previously, I have decided to gloss over on this blog. Until now, I haven’t felt comfortable discussing it. I felt embarrassed by it, ashamed even and didn’t want anyone to know except a very small select few. Mental health has a sneaky way of doing that to you, backing you into a corner, isolating you from others and blocking out any light or positivity. Something about putting it into writing has always made it feel so… final. It’s not something you can take back. It’s a scary thing to put out there, but I’m finally ready and I’m happy with who I am now.

True story: I suffer with anxiety.

Quoting the Quill #57

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.”

– J.K. Rowling

~ * ~

So I failed at something this week, and failure kinda sucks.

An Unexpected Adventure: My Trip to A & E

Well, when I said I planned to seek out new experiences for one of my 2016 resolutions, taking my first ever trip to A & E wasn’t realllllllly what I had in mind!

I was just starting to get my blogging mojo back as well, and now I’ve had a months absence again, HMMPH. Anyway, I just wanted to explain why it went quiet, again.

So my tale starts about two weeks ago, on a bright and sunny Monday. I was shopping and experiencing what I thought were cramps, and I didn’t think much of it.

2015 in Review: A Year of Big Changes and Awesome Fantasy Books!

Happy New Years everybody! Pop those corks, pump up the music and hug it out. You’ve made it through another year!

It sounds corny, but I’m so appreciative of everything in my life as 2015 comes to a close.
I feel like my relationships with friends and family have only grown stronger this year, and I feel lucky to have a number of amazing, passionate and loyal people in my life. 2015 has been a big personal year for me and I’ve learnt so much. I’m more sure, centred and confident about who I am, to the point where I really don’t care what anyone else thinks! And I’ve stopped obsessing over the what ifs that used to stop me from taking chances.