Getting Organised for 2016

Can you believe it's New Year's Eve tomorrow? I really can't get my head around the fact that it is nearly 2016! Today I wanted to get back into blogging, after a small break over Christmas, by talking about getting organised for the new year with the help of a brilliant diary and some colouring in:

I always have a lot going on in my life and I love lists and organisation, so for me a diary is a must. Stick To Stigu* is a fantastic planner which is perfect for getting yourself organised and back on track in 2016. The diary itself has plenty of space to note down appointments and work shifts and I find the layout of one week per page useful to give me an overview of what to expect each week. Personally, I love the columns for each day, so I can assign a column for different tasks including work, gym workouts, social events and blog posts.

I love the mindfulness focus of Stick To Stigu, which includes a monthly 'focus' and tasks to help you work on this. For example, January is of course all about 'restoring' and each week has a challenge or question to work towards this theme. You can write your response on the left hand page or use this space to write 'to-do' lists. If you aren't as obsessed with diaries as I am, I think this is a great way to encourage you to actually make the most out of your diary and get inspired, organised and rested.

Another great way to get inspired and relaxed is of course colouring books, and I have finally jumped on the bandwagon. I was lucky enough to receive the Harry Potter Colouring Book for Christmas and just look at it!. Isn't it brilliant? I've already whiled away a few hours colouring in Fawkes and it really does allow you to relax and take your mind off any worries. I am looking forward to making lots of use of this so I can relax in the evenings and focus on something other than the internet.

Interactive planners and books are so popular at the moment and I can see why - they provide a sense of relaxation, organisation and 'time away' from busy life. Do you have any for 2016?

*This post includes affiliate links. For more information, check out my disclaimer.*

Jess

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Giveaway: Sue Perkins' Spectacles

I don’t often post book reviews on my blog but I do read – in fact, I read a lot. Now I have finished my Masters I have more time to read for fun and I’ve read some gems recently. One of my favourites has actually been non-fiction, in the form of Sue Perkins’ autobiography Spectacles

I was lucky enough to see Sue talk about her book at the Cambridge Literary Festival, where she discussed her time at the University, her love for her family, feminist issues and GBBO. As you might expect, the book is definitely funny. One of my favourite scenes was the first chapter, where Sue’s family outline how they want to be portrayed in her book, resulting in a very tall father and hugely attractive brother!

Although I am a huge fan of the Great British Bake Off, I didn’t know a huge amount about Sue outside of the show, so I personally found the book really interesting. Whether you are a huge fan of Sue’s entire career, want to know about one half of the duo who present GBBO, or simply want to read an entertaining autobiography, I would definitely recommend Spectacles. I also think the cover design is stunning, especially in comparison to standard covers for autobiographies, and you need to take a peek inside to see the fantastic endpapers!

This book is perfect for fans of Sue Perkins, comedy, autobiographies and of course, The Great British Bake Off – and you can win this copy by entering my giveaway below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway is open for readers in the UK only and will close on Friday 18th December, just in time for Christmas. It’s a perfect present for yourself or a loved one this Christmas! Good luck!

*This post includes affiliate links*

Jess

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Waterstones Blogger Book Club: The Opposite of Loneliness

I've been enjoying reviewing books on my blog recently, so I couldn't believe it when Waterstones got in touch with me about blogging for their Blogger Book Club. Myself and two other bloggers were sent The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan. It's a collection of essays and stories written by a student at Yale, who tragically died just five days after her graduation. Her essay 'The Opposite of Loneliness' written for Yale Daily News campus newspaper went viral with over 1.4million hits and this book includes this essay, alongside some of her other works.

I don't often read short stories or non-fiction essays so this book was a refreshing change. However, I had actually read the book before as part of my Masters in Publishing. I had recently written a marketing essay on the techniques used by the publishers for The Opposite of Loneliness, in comparison to Go Set A Watchman, and read the book then. It was great to re-read it in a completely different and non-academic context, and enjoy the book as a book. I enjoyed reading the short stories; I felt it was a great way to dip in and out and it provided a 'snapshot' of Keegan's writing and the potential she had.

Perhaps because my age and situation as a student is so similar to Marina Keegan and her writings, I felt particularly emotional reading some of the short stories. The constant refrain that "we're so young" was hard-hitting and I did find myself crying at the introduction, written by Anne Fadiman - I had previously read her book Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader and had no idea she was also a professor at Yale who had been so close to Keegan. However, there is a difficulty with the  book as a whole; it's impossible to separate the death of Keegan with her writings but as Fadiman writes "Marina wouldn't want to be remembered because she's dead. She would want to be remembered because she's good." Whether the book quite carries manages to separate the biography from the writings, I'm not sure.

I would recommend giving The Opposite of Loneliness a read; personally I enjoyed it and I feel like it is an interesting read which is worth getting slightly out of your comfort zone with. Just prepare to feel a little emotional! I'll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from the book:

"What we have to remember is that we can still do anything. We can change our minds. We can start over... We're so young. We can't, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it's all we have."

You can read the other reviews written by Kirsty from The Overflowing Library and Amber from The Mile Long Bookshelf on their blogs. You can buy The Opposite of Loneliness from Waterstones here. Have you read The Opposite of Loneliness? What did you think?

Jess

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Monthly Book Favourites: April

It's time to review my favourite reads of the month! March was a failure on the reading front, but in April I managed to tick some books off my bookshelf:

I read two Game of Thrones books this month. First, I read Inside HBO's Game of Thrones: Series 3 and 4 which I have already reviewed and am also giving away in this post. There's not long left to go until it closes, so get entering! I've also been reading another 'extra material' Game of Thrones; The World of Ice of Fire. Written by the authors of the fansite Westeros, alongside George RR Martin, it gives a historical insight into the world of Westeros. If you are a Game of Thrones fan, these are both must buys - they give some extra information to keep you going until the next book finally comes out and include some beautiful accompanying illustrations.

I also finally got round to reading The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (phew, that's a mouthful!) Set in Sweden, but covering almost every country imaginable, it uses the incredible life of Allan to draw together 100 years of history in an unimaginable way. The humour is what really struck me about this book - particularly impressive when you consider that it is a novel in translation. I would definitely recommend this read - I sped through it in just one day and couldn't put it down!

Finally, I completed two fun reads this month. One was A Bear Called Paddington, which I was given at Christmas when my parents were shocked to discover that I couldn't remember reading him as a child. It was obviously a short read, but I was chuckling away at the adventures of the famous bear who loves marmalade. As someone who rereads Harry Potter on a frequent basis, I love revisiting childhood favourites and this was a very enjoyable read.

Last of all, I dipped into Twitterature, published by Penguin. As both a literary and social media nut, this is obviously a great book for me. Literary classics are summed up in some hilarious tweets - the username @HighwayToHell for Dr Faustus and @Ratatouille for 1984 were particular favourites. It's a fun read to dip in and out of if you like that sort of book.

I'm quite pleased with the reading I managed to get done this month, particularly as I have just handed in my final assessments for my Masters' degree this week. What did you read this month?

P.S. There isn't long to enter my giveaway to win an Inside HBO's Game of Thrones book.

Jess

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Giveaway: Win An Inside HBO's Game of Thrones Book!

As part of my week in London, I was lucky enough to win a competition as part of London Book and Screen Week. The prize was a private screening of the ‘best’ episodes of Game Of Thrones so far. I am huge fan of Game of Thrones, having read all the books so far and watched the TV series. The event was held in Soho House, an incredible members’ only club in, you guessed it, Soho and myself, my friend and a couple of other competition winners were treated to three episodes from the previous series.  It was great fun to watch Blackwater Bay, The Rains of Castermere and finally The Mountain and The Viper on a huge cinema screen rather than on my laptop!

We were also treated to a new book published by Orion concerning Series 3 and 4 of the TV series; Inside HBO's Game of Thrones: Season 3 and 4 by C.A.Taylor. I love all the other books about Game of Thrones which are popping up and I already own The World of Ice and Fire alongside the series. This book gives you more information than ever before about the TV series, detailing interviews with cast and crew, insider stories and behind the scenes costume and set designs. 

There were a few books left over thanks to the competition winners who didn’t attend the event (madness, I know!) Therefore, I cheekily mentioned my blog and asked if I could run a giveaway. Luckily, the wonderful PR Sam said yes so you can win your very own copy of the title:

This is a UK only giveaway I am afraid, but all you need to do is follow me on Bloglovin. If you want to improve your chances, you can follow me on my other social networks for extra entries. The competition will close on the 12th May  – may the Gods be with you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Jess

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Monthly Book Favourites: February

As if I don't cover enough topics on my blog, today I am starting a new series: my Monthly Book Favourites. I'm always in awe of blogs which have one niche and stick to it but I love being able to cover everything that interests me and one of those things is definitely books. You may know that I'm currently studying for a Masters in Publishing, so it's fair to say that books are a huge part of my life! In order to encourage myself to read more alongside my course, I will be talking about some of my favourite books every month:

This month I wanted to talk about three books. I've spent a few weekends on trains which has meant that I've been able to get plenty of reading in! Firstly, The Girl With All The Gifts by MR Carey (Little, Brown) is a thriller or sci-fi novel which I picked up on buy one get one free in Waterstones. It reminded me a little of Gone Girl purely in the sense that the cover and blurb gives nothing away - and really to appreciate it, that's the way it needs to stay. As a result, this isn't exactly a review as I won't reveal the plot! I would recommend it if you enjoy thrillers, post-apocalyptic novels or horror.

I originally watched the film Warm Bodies, before borrowing the book by Isaac Marion (Vintage Originals) from a friend. This zombie book is a quick read but enjoyable nonetheless. I felt that the book developed the characters more than the film, and the sub-plot involving the zombie children added another dimension to the story - although it was a little heavy handed regarding it's 'moral point!'

Finally, I have been wanting to read Sane New World by Ruby Wax (Hodder) for a long time. It is broadly about mindfulness, but in reality you get over 100 pages in before mindfulness is even explained. Really, it's a combination of an autobiography, neuroplasty and mindfulness exercises. I found it thoroughly refreshing, laugh out loud in places and enjoyable to read. However, it also was extremely informative, explaining the science behind the brain and mental illness in particular. I would recommend it for anyone who is struggling with mental illness and considering mindfulness, but it is also an interesting and enjoyable read for anyone broadly interested in the brain or a fan of Ruby Wax.

What books have you read this month that you would recommend?

Jess

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Long Haulin'

If you haven't heard me go on (and on) about it yet, on Saturday I am flying to New York! There are no words to describe how excited I am and since I am a huge planner, I have been writing lists for about a month! Today I wanted to share my beauty essentials for the long haul flight:

Small sizes are key for long haul flights, so I raided my sample draw for a small but powerful moisturiser. This Bioderma Ultra-Nourishing Balm from Escentual* is deeply nourishing for my skin, but the sensitive formula means I won't break out either. I know that hydration will be key to keep my skin happy over the flight, so I am planning on going make-up free and topping up my skincare throughout the flight. I will also be packing a tiny pot of coconut oil for any pesky dry spots and my under-eyes. I love this tiny pot, which was part of a Primark Travel Set and cost just £1 for three bottles, one pot, a funnel and labels - such a bargain! I also picked up this L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream as part of a free duo from L'Occitane's Facebook page - they always offer great samples to try so it's worth 'liking' their page as I love their products, especially when they are free!

My in-flight read will be The Luminaries, which I have had on my 'to-read' pile since it won the Man Booker Prize last year. Finally, I will have plenty of time to tick it off my list! At some point, I will inevitably snooze, so my hand-made eye mask will be a must have. It's made from a vintage silk scarf and is so comfortable - let me know if you want a DIY tutorial!

Just before landing, some makeup will be needed before I brave New York. I'm planning on keeping it simple with some concealer and a little powder. The Maybelline Eye Eraser Concealer in Light (£7.99) has been raved about by so many bloggers recently, so I obviously couldn't resist! I'll make sure I review it in full soon, but in short, it really does brighten and conceal the eye area and any blemishes. Another blogger-enabled purchase is the Bourjois Healthy Balance Compact Powder in Vanilla (£8.99). I already use the Bourjois Healthy Balance Foundation in the same shade, so this powder has seamlessly fitted into my make-up bag, providing light coverage and the matte finish I love. Finally, a touch of Benefit's Roller Lash from last month's Elle magazine will add a pop of glamour to my exhausted face and open up those tired eyes until I reach my hotel room.

What are your long haul flight essentials?

Jess

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