Independent Bookshop Week, 2017.
30 June 2017 • BAMB, bookish, Books Are My Bag, IBW2017, independent bookshop week
Oh
yes my bookish friends, it's that time of year again! The magical
folks at Books Are My Bag are celebrating independent bookshops all
over the country.
Last
year I celebrated IBW 2016 with a post answering a series of questions that were circulating around the bookish web and was so excited to see some of my favourite book bloggers also taking part.
I then shared another post about mine and my family's favourite books!
This year, the gang at BAMB are doing Independent Bookshop Week with events, shout-outs and awards. Also their Bookshop Crawl last weekend looked excellent!
I then shared another post about mine and my family's favourite books!
This year, the gang at BAMB are doing Independent Bookshop Week with events, shout-outs and awards. Also their Bookshop Crawl last weekend looked excellent!
I am currently on a little holiday so cannot fully participate in the crawls and events - however, I have been visiting and loving the independent bookshops near me this week!
What I read in June 2017.
28 June 2017 • bookish, reading, reading schedule, UKYA
Well,
June was a cracking month for reading, wasn't it? It was for me,
anyway. My Recovery Reading has been so efficient I've had to up my
Goodreads challenge a few times already – I'm now aiming to have
read 80 books by the end of 2017 and while I know that may not seem
much to a lot of my bookish brethren, it's a lot for this reader!
The Blogger Recognition Award.
27 June 2017 • blogger recognition award, bloggers, blogging, tag, tagged, the blogger recognition award
The
totally excellent Jess recently mentioned me in a tag post that I
didn't know was a thing! Oh dear, that was terribly worded wasn't it?
Apologies. And thank you, Jess!
So,
I hardly ever do tags on here, and that's not a deliberate thing,
it's just because more often than not, they totally pass me by! But
I'm making it a mid-year resolution to do more, as they can be really
fun!
Weekly warm 'n' fuzzies #1.
24 June 2017 • happy, weekly, weekly warm fuzzies
I'm
continuing the recent lovely trend among some of my favourite
bloggers – and listing the things that have made me happy this
week.
Some
especially tasty coffees in the old town. Walking along the seafront,
inhaling the sea, smelling chips and suncream. Reading poetry before
bed. That episode of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air' with a baby Raven
Symone in, sassing Will. The sound of thunder and pouring rain
breaking the tension in the sky after a stifling week of sun. The
expression 'six of one, half a dozen of the other'. Getting my wound
dressing removed, and feeling my shirt brush my tummy. Buying
presents, and giving them. Whisky on the bartender's tab. Vegan chocolate and raspberry cake. Drinking full cups again. Going back
to London, stepping off the train and genuinely thinking 'I missed
you'. Then having some of my favourite people cuddle me that night,
marvel at how long we'd been apart and say they'd missed me.
This
was fun to write - I couldn't stop adding more things to it before posting. I may not make it
a regular thing, in case it isn't as special and fun having to list
things every week. It's hard enough sometimes doing monthly personal
wrap ups!
But
I want to encourage every blogger I know to try this, at least once.
What's made you happy this week? Find the bright spots, and share
them with others. Maybe it'll help them see theirs.
(Thank you to Beth, Suzy, Naomi and many more of my fellow bloggers for already doing this and inspiring me!)
(Thank you to Beth, Suzy, Naomi and many more of my fellow bloggers for already doing this and inspiring me!)
Losing weight...in a bad way!?
16 June 2017 • body image, body love, body positivity, bookish, chubby, personal, post-op, skinny, weight loss
'Well
hello again, missy,' the nurse says, escorting me to my bed for this
particular night. (Ooh, I get the window again, result!) 'You've
lost some weight, haven't you?!'
'Oh,
yeah,' I say, hobbling down the ward alongside her. 'A bit.'
'Jealous.
I could do with losing some!' The nurse giggles and shakes her head.
'Y'know
my hot diet secret? A hemicolectomy, with some added laparotomy!' I deadpan.
*
'You're
looking very well, despite everything! Very skinny!' My friend grins
at me, looking up and down my somewhat skeletal frame.
'Yeah,
I guess so. It's not that healthy, though.' I shrug and feel my
shoulder blades grind.
'Well,
it's a definite silver lining to all this, isn't it?'
*
'Have
you lost weight since these ops?' Our GP nurse asks, an afterthought,
as we leave.
'Over
a stone and a half,' I reply, pulling down my shirt.
'Ah,
well that'll be nice to put back on, won't it?' She giggles – and I
join her. Because she has a good point; I could have a few lazy and
indulgent weeks ahead of me, should I wish...endless 'cheat days'...
*
I
have a turbulent relationship with my weight. Have done since I was
about 10 years old, and one day I came home from school panicking
because my legs and bum suddenly felt 'wobbly'. That was when I
became aware. Looking back now, I know I wasn't a chubby child
or teen. My goodness, I think I was a size 8/10 until I turned 17 and
got some extra boob and hip dolloped on my awkward outline.
Yet, I was insecure from a young age. Because I never looked quite
'perfect'. Or rather, I never knew that there was no such thing.
'Songs About Us' - a cover reveal AND chapter 1!
12 June 2017 • bookish, Chris Russell, cover reveal, exclusive, sneak peek, Songs About A Girl, Songs About Us
I
am both gleefully fangirlishly squealingly overjoyed and most
sensibly humbly honoured to have been given the chance to unveil not
only the cover for the hot new
#boybandlit release 'Songs About Us', sequel to Chris Russell's
totally gorgeous 2016 novel 'Songs About a Girl', but also
to be treating you lucky readers
to a snippet of the first chapter! Oh yes, you guys are getting a deluxe VIP backstage pass to the hottest show in town right now...
Book trailer for 'Songs About a Girl'!
For
those of you who don't know, 'Songs About a Girl' came into the world
of UKYA last year (under the watchful eye of the total babes at
Hachette) and soon we were all hearing the hot goss about quiet teen
girl Charlie Bloom, the amateur photographer suddenly called in to
shoot the Fire&Lights lads backstage on their tour...and getting
more than she bargained for between snaps.
Also,
the book had a soundtrack! If you wanna know all about that, be sure
to read this guest post by the fabulous author and get listening to
the jams.
'Songs About Us' is due out on the 13th of July 2017. But surely we cannot be expected to wait until then to see what it'll look like?! Oh, no.
Enough
teasing now, I think. Let's have a look at the cover, shall we...??
In 3, 2, 1...
I
know. Gorgeous, right? I won't lie guys, I didn't think anything
could match up to the first cover...and I've been very happily proven
wrong! And yes, I do dream
of being 'with the band'. Maybe someday...
But
the juicy reveals aren't over yet! This just in – a Chapter 1
preview! Enjoy, devoted fans...
32.
9 June 2017 • 32, about me, facts, Grace
Hi, my name's Grace. I guess you could call me Gracie, sometimes.
Free wifi is the way to my heart, I seem to have malfunctioning intestines, I actually enjoy watching the 10pm news these days, my type is Ed Westwick in 'White Gold', some of my favourite foods can be found in Holland & Barrett fridges, my side hustles vary wildly, I would fight any other fangirl to befriend Titus Andromedon, I go through Instagram slumps, I dream of having permanently pastel-coloured hair, I sometimes really miss playing Ultimate Frisbee, I plan on living through middle age in Brighton before retiring in Winchester, my first novel is in progress, it
upsets me too much when a TV show goes on for too many seasons.
For the past 3 years, my life has been on pause. It needs to resume soon.
These posts are getting harder - I think you readers know me too well now...
What I'll be reading in June 2017.
7 June 2017 • 2017, bookish, June, reading, reading schedule
Happy
June, my friends! This month, much like the last couple funnily
enough, I seem to be utterly spoiled with spare time (aka, a lengthy
recovery period, whoop whoop) and so this of course means a lot more
reading will be happening than usual. Yes, it will. And possibly
writing too...?! Let us hope!
I
have already been in and out of hospital twice this month (?!)
and when I haven't been reclining in a sterile bed with nurses
wrapping me alternately in velcro and rubber every few hours, I've
been curled up on the sofa bingeing on books. (And Ru Paul. Omg.)
I've
given myself a theme for the month already, and now I'm making it
official. June 2017 is...
31 Days Grace: May 2017.
4 June 2017 • May, month, monthly, wrap up
May happened. And guys...I actually did some things!!!
After April, a month that began with hellish pain and ended in utter debilitation, it's been nice to actually feel a bit more human recently. I'm not quite 100% still, but I'm getting there. This month has been spent healing and...being. Not pressuring myself.
EDIT: It all went to shit. Read on and find out more...if you dare.
EDIT: It all went to shit. Read on and find out more...if you dare.
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