I planned a monthly update for today, but it’s been so long since the last, I thought it would be a little random. Instead, I want to dive into something far more personal. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, and checking in with myself.
Have you ever felt yourself on the brink of making a change, finding out who you are, and not knowing which way you’re going?
Publisher: Avon Books UK
Date: 2020
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Plot: Ursula, Gareth and Alice have never met before.
Ursula thinks she killed the love of her life.
Gareth’s been receiving strange postcards.
And Alice is being stalked.
None of them are used to relying on others – but when the three strangers’ lives unexpectedly collide, there’s only one thing for it: they have to stick together. Otherwise, one of them will die.
Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.
The million-copy bestseller returns with a gripping new novel that will keep you guessing until the end.
*Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no extra cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase
Read More »
Author: Kristian Novak
Title: Dark Mother Earth
Publisher: AmazonCrossing
Date: 2020
Plot: As a novelist, Matija makes things up for a living. Not yet thirty, he’s written two well-received books. It’s his third that is as big a failure as his private life. Unable to confine his fabrications to fiction, he’s been abandoned by his girlfriend over his lies. But all Matija has is invention. Especially when it comes to his childhood and the death of his father. Whatever happened to Matija as a young boy, he can’t remember. He feels frightened, angry, and responsible…
Now, after years of burying and reinventing his past, Matija must confront it. Longing for connection, he might even win back the love of his life. But discovering the profound fears he has suppressed has its risks. Finally seeing the real world he emerged from could upend it all over again.
Author: Stuart Turton
Title: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmarks
Date: 2018
Plot: Tonight, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed… again.
It is meant to be a celebration but it ends in tragedy. As fireworks explode overhead, Evelyn Hardcastle, the young and beautiful daughter of the house, is killed.
But Evelyn will not die just once. Until Aiden – one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party – can solve her murder, the day will repeat itself, over and over again. Every time ending with the fateful pistol shot.
The only way to break this cycle is to identify the killer. But each time the day begins again, Aiden wakes in the body of a different guest. And someone is determined to prevent him ever escaping Blackheath…
I commented last month how much things can change in the space of a few weeks, and the same thing occurred in June. Despite starting it on a high, it’s ended in such a way that I’m glad to leave the month behind and start fresh in July.
I’ve got my goals and I’ve got a plan of action: this is going to be my month for focusing on what I want to achieve this year. We’re over halfway through 2019 (how?) and I realised just the other day that I’m still in the same place I was at the start of the year.
It’s time to start prioritising the things I care about. After neglecting the novel for the entirety of June, it’s top of the pile for things to tackle in July. I completely ignored the blog last week in a way I’ve never done before, so back to content, promotion and engagement. No more waiting for things to happen: July me is going to take control!
Anyone who read last month’s wrap-up will know this year hasn’t quite got off to the start I wanted. I was so optimistic that February was going to be my month and it…well, it failed.
This is definitely a case of reality being a b*tch and a few health scares in the family that led to a lot of stress and worry – still are, in fact.
I did manage a little bit of a social life though! Admittedly it was all crammed into one weekend, so the result ended up being a haze of exhaustion, but it was still enjoyable. I failed on the book club front: I wasn’t 100% and didn’t want to wait around for two hours and then have a late night. Who knows where this is going to lead!
I’m making a conscientious effort this year to take better care of myself. Starting by paying my skin some attention.
I’m an ‘all-or-nothing’ kind of girl. I’ll spend twenty minutes using everything I own. Or I’ll do nothing. As soon as my mood goes, skin-care is always right behind it. But having stopped a downward spiral a few times lately, I’ve also realised that feeling fresh, clean and hydrated is an effective way of snapping myself out of it. Not all the time, but it’s worth a try, right?
It’s time-consuming. True.
But I need to stop that preventing me from doing it, even getting up a few minutes earlier to fit it in. My commute and working environment means my skin takes a painful hit each day – and it doesn’t take much for a break-out.
Having had a clear through of products, I’m making the point of writing up my routine. It then won’t look as daunting and, with any luck, I can persuade myself that it’s worth-while doing every morning, no excuses.
Read More »
Programme: A Discovery of Witches
Company: Sky One
Date: 2018
Synopsis: Brilliant historian Diana Bishop is a witch living in denial of her own heritage. But when she unwittingly calls up an age-old bewitched manuscript from the depths of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, she finds herself throw into the heart of a dangerous mystery – and the path of the enigmatic vampire Matthew Clairmont.
Working full-time has its ups and downs. As hard as I try, I’m not very good at self-care during the week.
By the time it gets to a Friday night, my skin feels dry, it looks drained and look as exhausted as I feel.
Lately, I’ve been using the weekends as a pick-me-up. My target is to start the week physically feeling better than I ended it.
Synopsis: It all begins with a fugitive billionaire and the promise of a cash reward. Turtles All the Way Down is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
In his long-awaited return, John Green shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity.
A Rambling Reviewer 