Late to the Party (AKA Content I Wish I Consumed Earlier)

Don’t you hate the feeling that you’re missing out on something that the rest of the world seems to be loving? Are you afraid of FOMO and are literally willing to put your life on hold to catch up and feel in the know? Well, same here!

Because we live in a world where every day, more books and shows and movies are added to our endless achieve, there’s no way we’ll ever be able to consume it all. AND THAT MAKES ME SO SAD. So in order to combat that feeling, I’ve been known to binge entire shows in a day, dedicate my life to watching a series before the final episode is released, and even becoming so obsessed with a franchise I start to dress like the characters.

Even though I’m endlessly trying to play catch up, there are always shows and books and films that I just don’t get around to for AGES. So today I’m going to be sharing some of the content I wish I’d discovered earlier – and what I thought of it! Enjoy!

Predicting My 20 Favourite Books of 2020

It is time to announce what I think my 20 favourite books of this year will be! Ahh! Looking through all the lists of upcoming releases for the year ahead is always one of my blogging highlights of the year, and I love predicting which ones I think will be my absolute favourites.

It’s always such a tough decision because there are so many fantastic books to be released, but I’ve forced myself to make some hard choices and nominate what I think my top 20 reads of 2020 are going to be. If you’re in need of some more books on your TBR this year, check out which ones I’m most eager to get to!

2020 Resolutions (That I Hope I’ll Be Able to Keep!)

I’ve always been the kind of person to roll my eyes at New Year’s Resolutions. I mean, most people don’t even make it an entire week into the New Year without breaking one of there newly set rules, let alone an entire year. Then I’d be the person to laugh and say “I told you so” while I sat on the couch eating chips and thinking about how I wasn’t going to let ANY of my resolutions end in failure—mainly because I hadn’t even made any.

After all, goals can be such unspecific things. I know people who have promised themselves they’d “be healthier” when the clock strikes midnight, heralding in the New Year, but what does that even mean? That you’ll go vegan and take up yoga? I find that without fully-defined goals, our grand ideas for the year to come often crash and burn not long after takeoff, no matter how well-meaning our intentions are. 

So this year, I decided to join the masses in making some goals for myself! Instead of making my goals broad, I’ve tried to make them as specific as possible in the hopes that this makes them just a little bit more achievable. 2020 is the start of a new decade, and no matter how terrifying that thought is, it’s also so full of possibilities. 2020, here we come!

Which Character From The Office Are You, Based On Your Reading Habits?

If there’s one thing I believe in, it’s that every book nerd can be matched to one character from The Office according to their reading habits. It’s basic science. I mean, I was just sitting down eating some ice cream and watching The Office for the 239th time when I started wondering, What kind of books would Angela read? What would Creed’s reading habits look like? And so I put on my lab coat and goggles, sat down, and did some equations.

Sure enough, the large and dynamic cast of The Office proved to be the perfect people to match reading habits to! In my own little universe, I like to imagine that all these characters are avid readers and take part in a book club every month together. WE NEED A SPIN-OFF SERIES ABOUT THIS IMMEDIATELY. We do get a glimpse of some of the characters reading together in the Finer Things Club, but I thought I’d do an even more in-depth analysis in my post today.

So without further ado, scroll down to find out which character from The Office you are, based on your reading habits! Come and tell me who you got down in the comments!

10 Books I Need to Read Before the End of 2019

HELLO. JUST A CASUAL REMINDER THAT IT’S ALMOST 2020. NO NEED TO START PANICKING YET. *screaming into the voice* Ahaha yep, I might be slightly worried about that fact. Not only are there a ton of things I still need to do before the end of the year, but there are also a MASSIVE STACK OF BOOKS still to read! And do you think I’m anywhere near close to completing my Goodreads goal for the year?! (Let me just go cry in a dark cupboard for an hour or so.)

But because I’m currently freaking out about all these books that I should have already read, I’m going to be making a post about 10 books that I really, REALLY need to read before the end of 2019. This is a life or death situation. I’m not even kidding. And what better way to procrastinate actually sitting down and reading all these books than writing about them on my blog? *softly cries*

SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, let me introduce the 10 books that I’m going to aim—wait no, SUCCEED—in reading this year! Let’s do this.

The Spookiest Books of 2019

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! The most wonderful time of the year is finally upon us—suck it, Christmas! (Just kidding, the festive season is also pretty great.) But it’s finally time to dress up as our most terrifying selves, venture out into the world, scare some kids, and get some candy. Oh, I’m sorry. Apparently the third one isn’t a thing? You’re not meant to scare kids? Well, I’ve been doing this whole Halloween thing wrong my entire life then.

But today I’m going to be talking about the SPOOKIEST BOOKS OF 2019 (so far)! Whether you’re in need of a last-minute Halloween recommendation, or if you just like to read creepy books all year round, I’ve got you covered. TIME TO GET YOUR SPOOK ON!

How (Not) to Prep for NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo is almost upon us again! THAT’S A LITTLE BIT TERRIFYING. If you’re anything like me, you’re still under the assumption it’s August and in denial about all the things you still have to do this year. (It’s fine. Everything’s fine.) BUT! Because our lives aren’t hectic enough as it is, we have NaNoWriMo coming up next month!

For those of you that don’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it takes place every November. People who take part usually aim to write 50k (though you can honestly choose any word count goal you like: no one will tell on you), which basically means November is a month where none of us see the sun, we live on ten coffees a day, and by the end of it, we don’t know what “sleep” is anymore. IT’S FUN.

Whether you’ve got a solid plan about how you’re going to tackle NaNoWriMo this year or if you’re not sure you’re going to be participating in it, I’ve made a helpful list of things you should not do if you want to survive. Trust me. Or, you know, if you wanna fail NaNo, be sure to follow my tips to a T!

To all of you getting ready to smash out a novel next month: GOOD LUCK. You got this!

How to Turn Every Holiday into a Bookish Holiday

One of my biggest passions (apart from reading and writing) is travelling. And one of the reasons why I love it so much is because of how my love of books influences it! Somehow, no matter where I travel to, I have a way of turning any vacation into a bookish one. Whether it be that time I read Allegiant while on the Great Wall of China, or when I went to the bookshop that is rumoured to have served as J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for the moving staircases in Hogwarts, I always have memorable reading experiences from every holiday.

If you’re planning on going away and you want to turn your holiday into a BOOKISH HOLIDAY, I’ve created a helpful post to make your dreams a reality! Not only will you be able to visit a bunch of really cool bookshops while you’re abroad, but you’ll also get some great photos for the ‘gram. And if you don’t post photos online, did you even go away?! I beg to differ.

Seeing as I’m heading off to Korea with my friend and blogging pal Bree next month, I thought it was the perfect time to do some research for my own trip as well! We’re spending eight nights in Seoul, and then we’re heading down to Jeju Island for four nights, and I couldn’t be more excited. It’ll be the first time I’ll be travelling with a fellow blogger and book nerd, so get ready for all the bookish content while I’m abroad.

Happy travelling, book nerds!

What I Learned From Juggling Blogging, Work and Uni

Juggling blogging, and work, and uni, and other life commitments feels like a LOT sometimes. It’s hard trying to do everything. After all, there are only so many hours in the day, and we do have to spend a large chunk of them sleeping (as much as I wish I could be turned into a vampire and never have to sleep again). So if you feel a bit overwhelmed at times, you’re definitely not alone.

I’ve been blogging for almost seven years now, and I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way. People always ask me how I manage to blog while also having three jobs and doing a bunch of other stuff, and I never really knew how to answer that question. There’s been a fair bit of trail and error and seeing what works best for me. And yes, I have burnt myself out a few times by trying to fit waaaaay too much into a week. But finally, FINALLY, I think I’ve worked out the kind of schedule that works best for me.

But instead of telling you how to blog or what your schedule should look like (because everyone’s lives are different), I’m instead going to be talking about a few things I’ve learnt from my time as a blogger. If you’ve ever felt drained or overworked, I hope a few of my insights are helpful for you!

10 Reasons Why You’ll Love FRANKLY IN LOVE

IT’S FINALLY OUT! One of my most anticipated releases of 2019! Ever since I heard that my fave, Nicola Yoon’s, husband was having his debut novel published, I’ve been super excited to get my hands on it. Then when I heard that Frankly in Love was all about fake dating and had Korean-American representation, I was praying to the bookish overlords to receive a sneaky ARC in the mail.

Finally, I had the chance to read it, and quite frankly, it’s one of the best books I’ve read all year. This book is swoon-worthy, heartfelt, and so incredibly real. Frank’s voice is unique and engaging, and I loved every single moment I spent with him. Trust me when I say that this book is completely and utterly worth every ounce of hype it’s been receiving.

But if you’re still not convinced, find out ten reasons why you’re going to fall in love with Frankly in Love!