tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44020391937958807282024-03-06T04:46:18.493+01:00what ila readswhat ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-31914659010482013762020-02-13T11:38:00.000+01:002020-02-18T15:46:55.484+01:00'Reasons To Stay Alive' by Matt Haig | Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Title</i>: Reasons To Stay Alive </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Author</i>: Matt Haig</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Published by</i>: Canongate Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Format</i>: Audiobook</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Pages</i>: 4 hours </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23363874-reasons-to-stay-alive?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=pSkG9KD50B&rank=1" target="_blank">Add on Goodreads</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">Trigger Warnings: depression, anxiety, suicide, mental illness, panic attacks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the western world the suicide rate is highest amongst men under the age of 35. Matt Haig could have added to that statistic when, aged 24, he found himself staring at a cliff-edge about to jump off. This is the story of why he didn’t, how he recovered and learned to live with anxiety and depression. It’s also an upbeat, joyous and very funny exploration of how to live better, love better, read better and feel more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“You’re walking around with your head on fire and no one can see the flames.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Depression and panic only give you melodramatic thoughts to play with.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Sometimes on the rocky path to recovery, what feels like failure is a step forward.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while as I’ve been following Matt Haig, the author, on Instagram and Twitter for a few years. I love everything he writes online and how much he advocates to end the stigma attached to mental health. So when I saw that his book was available on Storytel (the app I use to listen to audiobooks) I knew I had to listen to it and the fact that the audiobook is read by the author made it even more special. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This book gave me a lot of comfort. As someone who suffers with anxiety, even though I rationally know that I’m not the only one, hearing someone else talk about ways of thinking and symptoms, physical and not, that I have experienced many times made me feel less alone and understood. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I loved the writing style of this book and some of the different chapters he put in here and there, like the lists (I always appreciate a good list!). I loved how he explored both depression and anxiety, giving me a chance to know more about mental health and illnesses, even the ones I haven’t personally experienced. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Three things majorly stood out to me: hearing about the author’s relationship with his then girlfriend and now wife and how supportive she’s been through all of his hard times. It made me believe that there are people out there that can love you regardless of your struggles and understand you even if they don’t experience life the same way as you do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Secondly the part where he says something along the lines of ‘had we been through some trauma we didn’t know about’, a trauma that we somehow forgot about and that could be the root cause of our anxiety. This part particularly resonated with me because I’ve too wondered where all of this came from, looking back at my life and finding no apparent reason for it has been hard at time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Finally the section where he talks about books and the idea of finding peace from the chaos of my mind in a linear narrative, the one that lacks in my life, one that builds a world that is the only way to get out of my head. I’ve been a book lover my whole life and I’ve always found comfort in reading, beside the joy of losing myself in a story and getting to know amazing characters, Matt Haig’s interpretation on the role of books in our life when we suffer with anxiety definitely added something to my passion for books. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Have you read this book? If so what did you think? Did you enjoy it as much as I did?</span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-3773540309663713172020-02-10T15:03:00.000+01:002020-02-10T15:03:07.258+01:00Book Haul | February 2020<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Exactly a year ago I wrote my first book haul post and I’ve been good with buying books this past year, I only “splurged” on books twice, in <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/02/book-haul-february-2019.html" target="_blank">February</a> and <a href="https://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/12/book-haul-december-2019.html" target="_blank">December</a> and now, but this one is a small bookish haul so I think I’m doing fine. I don’t have many unread books on my shelves, I’d say less than ten and I know I’m probably getting to them this year. I needed to buy a book for one of my classes and as I was ordering it I added a couple of other ones to my cart. So here’s my three new books: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>‘Someday’ by David Levithan</b>: this book is the final one in the <i><a href="https://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-first-book-i-read-in-english.html" target="_blank">Everyday</a></i> trilogy, which I started years ago. One of my reading goals for this year, even though I haven’t written it down, is to finish any book series I’ve started, so this one will definitely fulfill that goal. David Levithan is one of my favourite authors, possibly the only male author that has made it to my list of favourites, and I’ve loved the three books of his I’ve read so far: <i>Everyday</i>, <i><a href="https://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/04/another-day-by-david-levithan-review.html" target="_blank">Another Day</a></i> (which I read last year) and <i>The Lover’s Dictionary</i> (which I finished in audiobook format earlier this month). I also included this book in my post on <a href="https://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2020/01/10-books-i-want-to-read-in-2020.html" target="_blank">10 books I want to read this year</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>‘Waiting For Tom Hanks’ by Kerry Winfrey</b>: this book has been on my list for quite a long time, basically since it was published and so many people read it and raved about it on bookstagram. After reading the blurb, even though I have to admit that even just the title drew me in, this one ended up right away on my digital TBR on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/70882113-what-ila-writes" target="_blank">GoodReads</a>. When I made this book order I noticed that this one was on sale for a very good price and took that as a sign that it was finally the time to get my hands on a copy. Like the previous one this one was also part of my post on 10 books I want to read this year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>‘The Only Woman In The Room’ by Marie Benedict</b>: I’ve been wanting to read more literary fiction and historical fiction and as I was looking through the books I had marked as <i>to-read</i> on GoodReads I noticed this one. From what I’ve gathered from the blurb, which pitched this story as a very incredible and interesting one, it can indeed be part of my feminists books I want to read category and I want to read more of those this year as well, so this one seemed like a good compromise. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Have you read any of these books? If so did you enjoy them? Which books have you recently bought or read that you think I should add to my list? </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-11177924354339475962020-01-24T15:30:00.000+01:002020-01-31T15:57:08.123+01:00On trigger warnings and including them in reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This year I want to be more inclusive and aware of other people’s needs. As part of my effort to achieve that I’ve realized that I wasn’t including <b>trigger</b> <b>warnings</b> in my reviews, neither here or on my bookstagram or GoodReads. I’ve seen a few people talk about this on Instagram and that’s when I realized the importance of including trigger warnings in reviews especially and in general discourse on books (and tv series, podcasts or movies). </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">While I reflected on it, I came to the conclusion that I had never considered adding trigger warnings to my reviews simply because I thought the things that require them are more common in certain genres, mainly all of those that I never read. Therefore I’ve always thought that there was nothing do disclose in my reviews, because I thought the books I’ve read so far were lighter reads. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As I talked to people on Instagram I realized that there are many things that could be included as possible trigger warnings and that some of them can be found in all sorts of books, not only in those that are part of genres like thrillers, where you would expect them way more than in say contemporary YA or romance novels. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In my quest to educate myself on the topic I came across some comments of people that consider TW spoilers. To those people I want to say that if putting the well being of others before anything else bothers you maybe you should check your priorities. Especially if you consider a spoiler that will rob you of a fun and nice twist in a story, what could trigger someone that has gone through that exact same thing. Again check your priorities! </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As someone who has been reading fan fictions for nearly ten years, I’m quite used to TW. It’s common practice, at least for the authors I read, to include them at the top of their stories. I’ve always read them and then went on with my reading, grateful to have those in case something could be triggering to me and never once thought of them as spoilers, but just kind and respectful bonuses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So I came to the conclusion that I need to be more aware of what could be triggering for other people and that I’ll always do my best to be on top of it and include as much of them as I can in my reviews, even in the form of <i>‘mentions of…’</i>. I chose to put them at the top of my reviews (as you can see here and here) so that if something triggers you, you don’t even have to read the full review to realize that maybe that book isn’t for you. I’ve also asked for some help on my bookstagram and compiled a list of the TW I’ll look out for (this list is going to be a work in progress, I’ll probably add to it as things pop up, so if there’s anything you think is missing that I should include just let me know): </span></div>
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- death and death of a loved one</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- suicide</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> and attempted suicide</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- violence</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- abuse, domestic abuse and sexual abuse</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- cancer or other illnesses</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- abortion</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">miscarriage, pregnancy loss, still birth</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- divorce</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- cheating</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- drugs, drug or alcohol abuse</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- sex or heavy sex scenes</span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-39607416447215336782020-01-21T15:30:00.000+01:002020-01-25T15:38:40.414+01:00'The Woman In The Photograph' by Stephanie Butland | Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwqtXn5ynCtTQRmNwr8mkJAhjA88P4FP7wdye_jG6Vo4GnnKAwr87z7iWA1UcBItVsZrxT1CAZBgXYoF2kuFEY1yJQ0GYlNgdZ9mm498t_Ti76dOnzokq4pt8M_dHCoVoaAYOEEapd68/s1600/The+woman+in+the+photograph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwqtXn5ynCtTQRmNwr8mkJAhjA88P4FP7wdye_jG6Vo4GnnKAwr87z7iWA1UcBItVsZrxT1CAZBgXYoF2kuFEY1yJQ0GYlNgdZ9mm498t_Ti76dOnzokq4pt8M_dHCoVoaAYOEEapd68/s200/The+woman+in+the+photograph.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Title</i>: The Woman In The Photograph </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Author</i>: Stephanie Butland</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Published by</i>: Zaffre </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Format</i>: Paperback</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Pages</i>: 352</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46009362-the-woman-in-the-photograph" target="_blank">Add on Goodreads</a></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;">Trigger Warnings: cancer, death of a loved one, mentions of abortion and domestic abuse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In 1968 Veronica Moon is just trying to start her career as a photographer, she lives in Essex with her dad and takes any of the jobs the paper she works for offer, which mainly consist of anything the male photographer doesn’t want to take. One day she decides to visit the picket line at Dagenham Ford Factory and that’s when unexpectedly her life changes forever. As she takes one of her most famous photographs of the women workers fighting for equal pay, she meets Leonie Barrat, feminist, activist, writer way ahead of her time. She shows Vee how different her life could be and that maybe that different life it’s exactly what she craves and wants. So Vee breaks off her engagement and moves to London with Leonie, where her career as the most famous photographer of her time begins alongside her growth into the Liberation Movement. Fifty years later, in 2018, Erica, Leonie’s niece, contacts Vee because she wants to curate a feminist exhibition to celebrate her career. The one that so abruptly ended by one of the most famous and talked about photographs of the twentieth century: that of her best friend’s death. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Veronica by the virtue of being a woman: heartless, ambitious, unfeeling, selfish. Career over.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Strange how she fears being spotted, and at the same time burns for the recognition that should have been hers.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Once you realise you’re living in a world designated for white men, you see discrimination, assumption, everywhere.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“It’s always OK to ask questions, but it’s never OK to be deliberately ignorant.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Men objecting to the protest on these grounds assume that women with cleverness, or curiosity, wit or bravery, would all willingly exchange those characteristics for a pert nose and a cute smile.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Everything will get fixed a lot faster if kids learn that they are the same, from the beginning.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’m not one to re-read books, I don’t think I’ve ever done it before, but I can tell you without the shadow of a doubt that this book is of the kind I’ll want to re-read in years to come. The kind of book that I know will stay with me for a long time. The perfect book to start this reading year and decade with. This book is perfect and will forever hold the place of my favourite book. For these reasons I know no review, even if well thought and carefully written, will ever do it justice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If there’s one thing this book has taught me is to be always and loudly proud of myself and everything I do. Which somehow still feels revolutionary even in 2020, saying out loud that I am proud of myself and everything I have and will achieve. It’s 2020 but as women we still live in a world that doesn’t praise us and our accomplishments enough. So to counterbalance that I want to give Stephanie Butland all the praise she deserves, because this book, this story, how it’s written: it’s magnificent!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This is a book about women and feminism. From the second wave of feminism in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s to our days, specifically 2018. It shows that things have changed and gotten better on many grounds, but that it’s still not enough. The world of today still isn’t the world those feminists campaigned for and as women we are reminded of that every single day. This book shows that we should never settle for the world as it is because even if we have made progress as a society, it’s still not enough. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It does all of this through the most amazing story of friendship and sisterhood between Vee and Leonie. Through the years since they met in Dagenham, as Vee became the feminist that she always was within her through Leonie’s guidance and at times challenging ways, their friendship blossomed. But it was way more than that, it was sisterhood, a deep love and support for one another. The sort of relationship I wish I’ll find at some point in my life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I loved the time switching between the 1960s, 70s and 80s and 2018, where the story brings its focus on Vee and Erica. A new relationship of a feminist in the making, this time it’s Erica’s turn to learn something from a long life feminist: an older Vee who surprisingly finds that she still has something to five to the world and to women and to Erica in particular, to make her life better, just like Leonie did for her all those years ago. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I could really spend hours praising this novel, but ultimately what I’ll bring with me is inside this quote </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">“what would Leonie do?”</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">, which Vee asks herself frequently. I’ll carry it with me wherever I’ll go and whatever I’ll do to be a better feminist, to stand up for myself more, to love myself more and be constantly and loudly proud of who I am. If there’s one thing you do this year is read this book.</span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-47987638675375812772020-01-17T14:30:00.000+01:002020-01-17T14:39:50.291+01:00One year of blogging <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This January marks my blog anniversary, I opened whatilareads at the beginning of last year with the main goal of sharing my love for books. 2019 was a hard year and a very unpredictable one, when I started this blog and my year I didn’t know where life would take me, everything felt unknown. It was my first year out of university, for the first time in my life I had no clear plan on what I was going to do, which proved to be harder than I ever expected to be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">During the whole year this blog has been a source of light and comfort. Books have always been my safe place and getting a space on the internet to share that made it even better. The people I met, especially through <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatilareads/" target="_blank">bookstagram</a>, welcomed me in their community and supported me when things got tough. I got more book recommendations than ever before and my <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/search/label/on%20my%20TBR" target="_blank">TBR</a> is nearly endless. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I, of course, know that this little blog of mine is far from what it’s considered successful in this world, but I still consider it one of my successes. I wrote over 70 posts last year, some of which I’m extremely proud of, I tracked my reading progress and run into a writing block, I shared my <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/search/label/nanowrimo" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo</a> adventure and <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/search/label/book%20review" target="_blank">reviewed</a> every book I read. So even if the stats aren’t impressive, this still feels like a victory as I never thought I would keep up with it for a whole year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’m going to be honest, when I created this blog I kind of wished for the big numbers and even more for this to turn into some sort of remunerative side hustle. But looking back at it a year late I realize that not everything has to do with it, that probably turning this into anything different would take away the pleasure of writing just because. I feel like sometimes in this society it’s easy to forget that not everything needs to be profitable and that every once in a while we can do something, even if it’s time consuming, just for the pleasure of doing it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Now don’t get me wrong it would still be nice to earn some money, after all I’m still unemployed and I wouldn’t say no to that. But at the same time I don’t want to make the fact that my blog is still small and relatively unsuccessful an issue that will make the rest of this experience miserable. If it’s going to happen at some point I will welcome it wholeheartedly and if it doesn’t I will still be happy with everything that I’ll have written. I can’t wait to see what this year has in story, for me in my personal life and my creative and reading life as well, and I for sure plan to blog all about it along the way. I’m planning on keeping up my schedule of two posts a week: every Tuesday and every Friday. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Lastly, if you’ve ever read my blog, whether you’ve read every single blog post I’ve written in the past year or just one or two here and there: </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">thank you!</b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> It really means a lot to me whenever someone takes some time away from their day to give a chance to anything I’ve written and I’ll be forever grateful if you decide to tag along for the rest of this adventure. </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-54114416312558841222020-01-14T15:10:00.000+01:002020-01-14T15:11:40.703+01:00'Becoming' by Michelle Obama | Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Title</i>: Becoming </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Author</i>: Michelle Obama </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Published by</i>: Random House Audio <br />
<i>Format</i>: Audiobook </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Hours</i>: 19 hours </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40786511-becoming" target="_blank">Add on Goodreads</a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This book is a memoir through which Michelle Obama, the first african american First Lady of the United States of America, shows us her life from her childhood in the south side of Chicago to her life as a college student and then a lawyer, from the struggles of trying to balance a successful career and motherhood to having to give up that same career to support her husband in his political one to finding a way to use her job as First Lady to make positive changes in the lives of many. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“The fundamental problem with caring a lot about what others think: it can put you on the established path and keep you there for a long time, maybe it stops you from swerving, from ever even considering a swerve, because what you risk losing in terms of other people’s high regard can feel too costly.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Do we settle for the world as it is or do we work for the world as it should be?”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As I start writing this review the thing I want to do the most is give this book justice, the importance of it, the many themes covered, the many lessons learned and just generally its greatness. I don’t want to portray it as anything less than the amazing book that it is, than the brilliant and incredible story that it tells. I’ve been wanting to read this book since it came out in late 2018, but I rarely read non fiction and so I put it off. When I made my first audiobook subscription last year I knew that the first book I was going to listen to was this one. Getting to hear this story from Michelle Obama’s voice has made it even more special than just reading her words. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s somehow comforting to see the more human side of her and her life, knowing that after all the extraordinary things that happened to her she is still like one of us: she has doubted her worth, she dealt with imposter syndrome (and thus showed us that you can be a successful woman regardless), she has also learned that <i>the noise of those who doubt you won’t go away, but successful people have learned to lean on those that believe in them</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The underlying theme of race and racism in America makes its way through the entire book even when it’s not placed at the centre of the discussion, starting from her childhood and being asked by a cousin “why do you speak like a white girl?” to going to a school where most of the pupils where white and as she said <i>‘it takes energy to be the only black person in class’</i>, from going to a college that some school advisor had said wasn’t for people like her to becoming the first black First Lady and as she said <i>‘nobody who has the words black and first attached to them would ever find their role easy’</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I went into this book with a deep curiosity about her life as First Lady, because even if by then she was of course a public figure and we knew much more about her, life inside the White House still felt like a bit of a mystery. But as soon as I started listening to the first chapter I realised that the most interesting part came before her life in politics, getting to know how she grew up and what struggles she faced, how hard it was even for her to change the trajectory of her life when she was already an established lawyer, how difficult the transition from a “normal” life to life in politics was for her and her family. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I particularly loved the insight she gave on her work life and the struggles that came with being a working mother (and then a working mother campaigning for her husband’s election) showing how even someone I always perceived as successful and put together found it hard sometimes. The part where she talks about realising she wanted to (partially) change her career, because she wanted to do more for her community than what she could do with the job she had, made me feel better about stepping outside of my own comfort zone and my own life plan because sometimes life just happens and you need do change and adapt. Even when you are a planner, it made me so happy to know she’s like me in that sense, and you’ve always done what you were supposed to do. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The two quotes I picked for my review resonated with me deeply. The first one for personal reasons and the second one because I think it truly represents what they aimed at during the 8 years of Barack Obama’s presidency and even afterwards. The idea of working to make the world how it should be, a better, more inclusive, more compassionate world shows how incredibly different they are from the current occupants of those same roles. In parts it made me sad about the world as it is today and all the things that are going wrong in politics, but maybe this sadness shows that we can settle for the world as it is right now, but we had to work to make it how it should be. And as she says, way better than I ever could, </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><i>“When they go low, we go high”</i></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-39883597095811204532020-01-10T14:43:00.000+01:002020-01-10T14:43:16.716+01:0010 Books I want to read in 2020<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">My first <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-2020-reading-goals.html" target="_blank">reading goal</a> this year is to read 20 books, as always my digital TBR on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/70882113-what-ila-writes" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> seems nearly endless and I somehow keep adding amazing book after amazing book to it. There are a lot of books I’d love to read this year, but to stay in line with my goal of reading 20 (of course I’ll be more than happy if I end up reading even more) I’m making a list of 10 books I’d love to read this year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I made a similar list and combined <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/01/10-books-i-want-to-read-in-2019.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> at the beginning of last year and as I look at it a whole year later I’m quite happy with how many books from that list I ended up reading in 2019. I am a real mood reader and for that reason I didn’t read some of the books on that list (but they are still on my TBR, so who knows), I have a feeling that might happen this year too, but my goals are flexible and this list should probably be flexible as well. Here are 10 books I want to read in 2020: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“Get a Life, Chloe Brown”</b> by <b>Talia Hibbert</b>: I’ve been wanting to read this book since a good friend on bookstagram, Autumn @theliteraryheroine, read it and loved it, she is a great advocate for chronic ill people, since being chronically ill herself, and she praised this book for the great representation of life with chronic pain. As I want to read more diversely and open myself up to more life experiences than my own, this book seems perfect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“A Spark Of Light”</b> by <b>Jodi Picoult</b>: this book was part of my list of books I wanted to read in 2019 and even though I now own a copy I didn’t get to it last year. So this year, as I try to catch up with all the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/70882113-what-ila-reads?shelf=own-but-haven-t-read-yet" target="_blank">books I own but haven’t read yet</a>, I plan to read it and hopefully this time I’ll actually do it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“The Book Ninja”</b> by <b>Ali Berg</b> and <b>Michelle Kalus</b>: this book was also part of last year’s list of books I wanted to read and I also own a copy of it already, so it makes total sense to put it on this year’s list too. Both books are set in summer and as such I didn’t end up reading them last year because I got in a <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/11/loving-blogging-again-and-getting-out.html" target="_blank">reading slump</a> right at the end of summer and I struggle with reading books set in seasons different than the one I find myself in. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RuJSlbvrfKt0UHJcpmuyz2WNZT2PSyoNr2vGwdr4VkohxAEZTrNhgaZcesu2HSlr9kYXOnzCSoWUJXfIvNW6vQLhQ5kWWbPSh6Zue4aOIVg4OGuKvxqontCTQT7SObShgtzm30_PQak/s1600/Someday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RuJSlbvrfKt0UHJcpmuyz2WNZT2PSyoNr2vGwdr4VkohxAEZTrNhgaZcesu2HSlr9kYXOnzCSoWUJXfIvNW6vQLhQ5kWWbPSh6Zue4aOIVg4OGuKvxqontCTQT7SObShgtzm30_PQak/s200/Someday.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“Someday” </b>by <b>David Levithan</b>: I know that a lot of people pledge to finish reading book series they started and never finished as part of their yearly reading goals, I wanted to do the same but I also realised that the only series I haven’t completed is this one. I’ve read <i>Everyday</i> and <i><a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/04/another-day-by-david-levithan-review.html" target="_blank">Another Day</a></i> but I am missing the third book of the series, this year I’m determined to change that. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSj5wZ4JTVTlvei8Px3ZSajrUe3SfDkEeGjtugjd4B3OajCmzEstHoYLYdTSB0ZB3KDOmlRpceX16hWXxUkBQ1i_SRKE16SNYnmDegqAtMh8K8L8g96DCTMSRBIPITFpadm0Vw-eYH4ek/s1600/The+last+boy+and+the+last+girl+in+the+world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSj5wZ4JTVTlvei8Px3ZSajrUe3SfDkEeGjtugjd4B3OajCmzEstHoYLYdTSB0ZB3KDOmlRpceX16hWXxUkBQ1i_SRKE16SNYnmDegqAtMh8K8L8g96DCTMSRBIPITFpadm0Vw-eYH4ek/s200/The+last+boy+and+the+last+girl+in+the+world.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“The Last Boy and Girl In the World”</b> by <b>Siobhan Vivian</b>: I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while now as I aim to catch up with everything this author has written since I loved her book <i>Stay Sweet</i> so much (which I read in summer 2018). This book and her latest, published this year, titled <i>Wildcats</i> are the two at the top of my list. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsm3Oo5fcmuIQb1Ma1mLGFIlD5_iH5Lv_t7NwgvMcE9xtH0AWcYObTM_2D0iM6VZ4TrEAVFno7X2TzC4HJq1wExfFgOzl0iyXKhMq9o155o-gZqmbjryl6FpM5UosuPWaHpgZ_D6N-pok/s1600/Reasons+to+stay+alive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsm3Oo5fcmuIQb1Ma1mLGFIlD5_iH5Lv_t7NwgvMcE9xtH0AWcYObTM_2D0iM6VZ4TrEAVFno7X2TzC4HJq1wExfFgOzl0iyXKhMq9o155o-gZqmbjryl6FpM5UosuPWaHpgZ_D6N-pok/s200/Reasons+to+stay+alive.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“Reasons to Stay Alive”</b> by <b>Matt Haig</b>: I follow him on Instagram and Twitter and I agree with a lot of the things he says, particularly about mental health. I plan on listening to the audiobook of this one too and since it’s a shorter one (4 hours) I’d love to listen to his other book <i>Notes on a Nervous Platen</i> too. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ylsr-SxxriAJGJKnwwo4wmvQw0BJ0LyjPnZvB-yAL3vVUec9W4w0cCt8SUTtLHzK1ZEHoXvntThOnweQnEe3YzWC9cW1SxQJW0C-vpkll6gbAX2ZNU1Z-DtfJkfM9puN2V6Ooq1KHYg/s1600/The+other+half+of+my+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="182" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ylsr-SxxriAJGJKnwwo4wmvQw0BJ0LyjPnZvB-yAL3vVUec9W4w0cCt8SUTtLHzK1ZEHoXvntThOnweQnEe3YzWC9cW1SxQJW0C-vpkll6gbAX2ZNU1Z-DtfJkfM9puN2V6Ooq1KHYg/s200/The+other+half+of+my+heart.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“The Other Half Of My Heart”</b> by <b>Stephanie Butland</b>: if you’ve read any of my posts last year you’ll know that Stephanie Butland is my favourite author and as I’m reading her latest novel (spoiler alert I’m loving it) to start off the year right, I also want to catch up with the last book of hers I haven’t read yet but own a copy of. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SUshUvehhWcbKg1c-GYzU04PPEQW_JmlPvWwf9nQEWF5hYjyPU3Pb9v4N4TJIN20kkEN7wIFbfcw4bK4-aHLh6UYzJuLn8WR-OTBlLgvfBHisx2fkT99oLr352uNB3I9i8DVmvejkq4/s1600/The+dutch+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SUshUvehhWcbKg1c-GYzU04PPEQW_JmlPvWwf9nQEWF5hYjyPU3Pb9v4N4TJIN20kkEN7wIFbfcw4bK4-aHLh6UYzJuLn8WR-OTBlLgvfBHisx2fkT99oLr352uNB3I9i8DVmvejkq4/s200/The+dutch+house.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“The Dutch House”</b> by <b>Ann Patchett</b>: I’ve seen this one being loved a lot on bookstagram and therefore added it to my TBR, then I noticed that the audiobook is read by Tom Hanks, who I love very much, and that’s when I knew I had to include it in this year’s list. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pyHDHMUkXk7gEF1xNQ2DVVo4y5iWUmjYx_KwdYJ9l2mj8kGhBLbab0E7hCV23dosvKpHRh2uZUmn2s7COv4FZ-Wv8eRs1mJMbITRzp20x-ztzxjFIgxmNbruw6vjUyPh5G776cBbEs8/s1600/Waiting+for+Tom+Hanks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pyHDHMUkXk7gEF1xNQ2DVVo4y5iWUmjYx_KwdYJ9l2mj8kGhBLbab0E7hCV23dosvKpHRh2uZUmn2s7COv4FZ-Wv8eRs1mJMbITRzp20x-ztzxjFIgxmNbruw6vjUyPh5G776cBbEs8/s200/Waiting+for+Tom+Hanks.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“Waiting For Tom Hanks”</b> by <b>Kerry Winfrey</b>: can you sense a theme here? Because I certainly can. Will this year be my Tom Hanks year in terms of books? Maybe. Quite possibly. This is the second book of this list where I mention Tom Hanks and how much I love him, this one though isn’t read by him in the audiobook version and it’s not written by him (but I want to read his book <i>Common Type</i> too), from what I know his name is only in the title. But this book has been on my TBR since it came out and it sounds like an amazing book, so I definitely want to read it this year.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QC9U_kLqK5C3VqTFoZDJud4UK0whICy5lQjbGLPOp_Odyt721t5d1aADHDYjWoYF9Fb46iQ9flBMa1f6hJNL1KM0FR5fxFYOUmeA3YF5rJ3ppMNkCBNRxUnEcLzj53dWQvpctYgcC60/s1600/Mary+poppins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QC9U_kLqK5C3VqTFoZDJud4UK0whICy5lQjbGLPOp_Odyt721t5d1aADHDYjWoYF9Fb46iQ9flBMa1f6hJNL1KM0FR5fxFYOUmeA3YF5rJ3ppMNkCBNRxUnEcLzj53dWQvpctYgcC60/s200/Mary+poppins.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“Mary Poppins”</b> by <b>P. L. Travers</b>: if you’ve read my blog post about my reading goals for this year you know that I want to read all the Mary Poppins Books. From what I’ve seen online, there should be 8 of them, which is a lot considering all the other books I want to read this year. So I know I probably won’t read them all, but I still want to read at least the first one and then I’ll see how many more I can manage to fit in. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I’m obviously open to changing this list at any time, to add new books to it and maybe push some of these a bit further down my list, but I’ll get to them one day. Have you read any of these books? Which books do you want to read this year? </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-63534335854352475102020-01-07T15:23:00.000+01:002020-01-07T15:23:16.114+01:00'25 Days 'til Christmas' by Poppy Alexander | Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Title</i>: 25 Days ’til Christmas </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Author</i>: Poppy Alexander</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Published by</i>: William Morrow Paperbacks</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Format</i>: Paperback</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Pages</i>: 352 </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44023392-25-days-til-christmas" target="_blank">Add on Goodreads</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">Trigger Warnings: mentions of death and of suicide</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This book follows Kate’s 25 days before Christmas. She used to love Christmas, but now life for her and her son Jack is way harder than it used to be and as a result it feels nearly impossible to feel festive around the holidays. When her husband Tom left for the army and never came back, she was left alone with little Jack to take of. Now for years later they live in a very small flat and she has a job she hates, that doesn’t pay her enough for everything she does. She has truly lost the Christmas spirit, but this year she is determined to make it the best day ever for Jack. With the help of kind friends and 25 things to do before Christmas, she’s really hoping for a miracle. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“People say death is a shock, even when it’s expected, and they are right. He had been astonished. And that was the easy part, the disbelief. The hard graft was the bit that followed, the grief that came in waves, each first anniversary painfully borne.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“When the oxygen masks come down from the ceiling you’ve got to put your own one on first, haven’t you? That’s what they tell you. Before you can do anything to save your loved ones.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Grief is the price we pay for love.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“For the first time he began to see that ‘would have loved’ was enough, that it might one dat be okay to allow your mind to remember someone who was gone and that the sadness could perhaps be bittersweet, rather than annihilating, a heartfelt nod in honor of the moments much missed. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I bought this book because I wanted to read something set around Christmas and I had seen it all over <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatilareads/" target="_blank">Bookstagram</a>, it definitely didn’t disappoint. Even though I went into it expecting to find a holiday read, this book was so much more than a book about Christmas and the holidays. Each character gave me something special, especially Kate, Jack and Daniel, but also the many amazing secondary characters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">An unusual love story, deeply intertwined with grief and learning to live despite the hardships we have to face. A book that, especially around Christmas, teaches you not to take anything you have for granted and to celebrate life and all that makes it amazing. A story about every kind of love: a mother’s love, undeniably the strongest one you’ll ever find, a friend’s love, the one Kate found in Krishna and Pat and all the kind people she met along the way, and only finally the kind of love that is gentle and patient, the one that helps you put the pieces of your heart back together because they know what pain and loss feel like. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This story for me was ultimately about hope, that light that still finds a way in even in the darkest of times. Again a very important reminder around the holiday period and in my case after a year that hasn’t been the best, this story was the perfect story to end the year of, with important lessons to bring with me into the new year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If you pick this book up thinking that you’re going to read another festive novel, then maybe you should take a better look at the plot and at the main themes: grief, loneliness, financial struggles, family, love. Pretty much in that order. This book is more than a light holiday read, it’s one of those books that make you feel all of the feelings and make you reflect on life and everything that makes it hard but also worth it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The author’s writing style was on point, I particularly loved the fact that the story was mainly told from Kate’s point of view with Daniel’s one sprinkled here and there. I’m not a huge fan of multi-pov fiction, but it was done in a way that made the story flow even better than if it was told from just one point of view. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I finished this book at the end of December, but I’m only now catching up with the review. Have you read this book? If so what did you think? Did you love it as much as I did? </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-82386988664296183122020-01-03T14:45:00.000+01:002020-01-03T14:45:31.131+01:00My 2020 reading goals<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Happy New Year! </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s a new year and a new decade, full of possibilities and chances and I can’t wait to see what this year has in store for me. I also can’t wait to read many more books and share them all with you, I’m feeling motivated (new beginnings do that to me) and there are a lot of things I want to do this year. But that has to do with general lifestyle goals for the year, today, in my first post of the year I want to share with you my reading goals for 2020. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The only goal I had set for myself last year was to read a certain number of books, 30 to begin with, which I then <a href="https://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/07/goodreads-2019-reading-challenge-update.html" target="_blank">lowered to 12</a> halfway through the year when I realized I would never reach it by December. This year, though, I want to set more goals, beside the usual number of books I want to read as part of the yearly <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/70882113-what-ila-writes" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> Reading Challenge. I haven’t picked many because I don’t want to overwhelm myself and crumble under the pressure. I want these goals to motivate me to read more and more diversely. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">First let’s get the numbers out of the way: this year I want to <b>read 20 books</b>. It’s eight books more than I managed to read in 2019, which seems like a good starting point to read more without it seeming too much to achieve. I picked this number because I thought it would sound nice: reading 20 books in 2020. It also seemed achievable now that I’m also listening to audiobooks and counting those in as well, it doesn’t feel as daunting to read that many books in 12 months. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In line with that, my second goal this year is to <b>listen to at least one audiobook a month</b>. Since making my Storytel account late last year I’ve managed to listen to only one <a href="https://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/11/getting-into-audiobooks-my-experience.html" target="_blank">audiobook</a>, <i>Becoming</i> by <i>Michelle Obama</i>, but that’s a very long audiobook (20 hours!). So I think that some month, depending on the length of the audiobook, I’ll probably be able to listen to more than just one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">My third goal also ties in with the previous one and it’s to <b>read more non fiction</b>. As you probably know by now I’m not very adventurous when it comes to genres other than contemporary YA and contemporary romance and I have always quite neglected non fiction, even though it does appeal to me. The reason I’ve never really picked up non fiction books before is that I’ve had to read so many in school and university that the last thing I wanted to do was read more of them during my free time. But there’s a long list of non fiction books that I want to read and listening to their audiobooks seems like the best way to do it, especially when they’re read by the authors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">My final goal for 2020 is to <b>read every</b> (or most of) <b>Mary Poppins’ books</b>. This one comes from my want of reading every book of a single author this year, in this case <i>P. L. Travers</i>, and reading more classics (I’m counting these as classics). One of my favourite movies of all times is <i>Saving Mr. Banks</i>, I love that story with my whole heart and Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson are two of my favourite actors. I recently re-watched it and I realized I had never read the books, even though I had seen both movies multiple times, so I thought I could make this my goal for 2020. </span><br />
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I’m going to track my progress over on my Bookstagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatilareads/" target="_blank">@whatilareads</a>) so make sure you’re following me there, but I also plan on making some blog posts as I (hopefully) achieve them. What are some of your reading goals for this year? I’d love to hear about them and who knows maybe I’ll find some to add to my list. </div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-36193773889798149872019-12-29T15:15:00.000+01:002020-01-02T15:19:03.196+01:00Year favourites: podcasts, tv series and music<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">One of my blogging goals for next year is to incorporate a few more lifestyle blog posts along with my usual book content. I did write a couple of not book related blog posts this year and I really liked it and I think that if this blog has to reflect me and my personality a little bit more, I need to include other stuff here and there too. If books are my most favourite thing ever, there are three other things I’m deeply passionate about: podcasts, tv series and music. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">To round up this year favourites I’m going to start with </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">podcasts</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">, I’ve talked about <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/04/5-podcasts-i-love-and-always-listen-to.html" target="_blank">a few of my favorites</a> before but there are for sure a few additions and a couple of changes to make to that list. I’ve been listening to podcasts for at least five years now, I even wrote my university dissertation on podcasting, this year has been the year of diversifying what I listen to and try out new genres. And here are some of my favourites: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman</b> is the one I listened to more regularly, nearly every episode. I had listened to it before this year of course but I became a proper fan this year and now it’s probably the only interview based podcasts I frequently listen to. <b>Serial</b> season 1 is definitely at the top of my list and before you tell me that I’m late to the party, in my defense I have to say that I wrote a chapter on it in my dissertation and until this summer thought I had spoiled it for myself, but I actually ended up enjoying it a lot. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Once I realized I was into true crime podcasts, I raced through <b>Dirty John</b> in just a couple of days. I then got into <b>The Report</b>, still based on investigative journalism but this time heavily focused on american politics. I have to say that I still have a few episodes left to listen because I got into audiobooks and paused my obsession with podcasts for a little bit, but I definitely recommend this one if you’re into political podcasts. I’ve also listen to a bit of <b>Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert</b> as far as self help/writing themed podcasts go and on the theme of writing and writers I also listened to <b>First Draft</b> <b>with Sarah Enni</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Moving on to </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">tv series</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> I have a feeling that this list is going to be the longest as you know I’m obsessed with tv series, especially any comedy I can find <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/02/my-favourite-series-on-netflix.html" target="_blank">on Netflix</a>. Some of these have favourites for years now, but I’m going to include them if new seasons came out this year. So here’s my try at summarizing them all: without a doubt at the top of my list both as first place are <b>Grace & Frankie</b> and <b>Brooklyn 99</b>. Hands down the best series ever made, nothing makes me laugh as much as they do and I can’t wait to watch more, if you haven’t seen them already you are totally missing out. A new and recent favourite is <b>Suits</b>, this time I know I’m late to the party but I only got into it this year and I’m now at season 5 and loving it so much. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the field of medical dramas, a category I’m definitely obsessed with cause I watch them all, two new entries for me were <b>The Resident</b> and <b>Chicago Med</b> and <b>New Amsterdam </b>which I equally enjoy a lot. If there’s one thing you should know about me is that I really do watch every medical drama of the past 10/20 years, and my favourite will always be Grey’s Anatomy, but these three are also so so good I couldn’t miss out. A surprise new favourite was <b>Manifest</b>, which I was afraid would be a bit too creepy for me and I don’t well with creepy stuff, but I started watching it and then I couldn’t stop, they left if off on such a cliff hanger I need a new season. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Finally </span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">music</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">, the soundtrack of this year has been made up of all my favourite artists and a couple of new discoveries. Of course at the very top of the list you can find my one and only love <b>Niall Horan</b>, his two new singles <i>Nice To Meet Ya</i> and <i>Put A Little Love On Me</i> have already blown me away and I cannot wait to hear the rest of his album next year. Right behind him there’s obviously <b>Lewis Capaldi</b>, I am obsessed with how talented and funny he is. I saw him live this October and it was one of the best concerts I’ve been to. His latest song <i>Before You Go</i> is probably my new favourite from him, but his entire album is perfect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Another favourite is without a doubt <b>Julia Michaels</b>, I also saw her live this October and the second part of her new album which came out this year and some of the other songs that she put out in the last few months quickly became new favourites. <b>Maisie Peters</b> is another one of my years long favourites and her latest album is amazing, even though it’s hard to pick between that and her previous songs, cause I love them all. I’ve listened to a lot of other music this year, but these four are definitely the ones I’ve listened to the most. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Wow this post was…long. I hope you still enjoyed it and make sure to let me know what your favourite podcasts, tv series and artists have been this year. </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-26152747990438384562019-12-27T14:32:00.000+01:002020-01-02T15:18:45.877+01:00Year Favourites: the best books I read in 2019<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">When I look back at 2019 a lot of things come to mind, it hasn’t been the easiest year of my life, but one big positive thing has been opening this blog and my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatilareads/" target="_blank">bookstagram</a>. I can’t believe it’s nearly been a whole year since all of this started and even though I’m not one of the big book bloggers (I never expected to be), this has been such a nice and positive experience that I can’t wait to see what next year has in store. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But I don’t want to turn this blog post into a reflection of this year (one of those is coming at the end of the month, with a look back at 2019 and the past decade), I want to write a blog post to celebrate all the amazing books I’ve read this year and to tell you about my favourites. I don’t want to turn this into a reflection of how much or how little I’ve read this year cause I want to make a separate blog post on that as well, but let’s just say I thought I would read more even though I’m still satisfied with everything that I’ve ended up reading. So here’s my favourites: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-sunday-lunch-club-by-juliet-ashton.html" target="_blank">“The Sunday Lunch Club”</a></b> by <b>Juliet Ashton</b>: I opened my reading year with this book and I raced through it, which I think it’s a sign of how much I enjoyed it. This book showed me how much I actually love books with a lot of characters and storylines, which I always thought would be too much to keep up with. Next year I want to read more books by Juliet Ashton because she is an exceptional writer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-upside-of-unrequited-by-becky.html" target="_blank">“The Upside Of Unrequited”</a></b> by <b>Becky Albertalli</b>: I had wanted to read one of her books for a while and this one was definitely the perfect one to start with. I felt such a deep connection to Molly’s character that this book and this author quickly entered my list of favourites. This story stayed with me way after I had turned the final page and it was the kind of book I never wanted to end, you know those kind of books that you already miss as soon as you finish reading. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/03/landilne-by-rainbow-rowell-review.html" target="_blank">“Landline”</a></b> by <b>Rainbow Rowell</b>: I already knew I loved this author, having read and loved <i>Fangirl</i> and <i>Attachments</i> before, and this book was just as good if not better than those two. This story was so unique and it made me think and reflect so much on life and the choices we make that I couldn’t help but fall in love. I’ve read nearly everything Rainbow Rowell has written, now I just need to catch up with <i>Eleanor & Park</i> and <i>Carry On</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/04/another-day-by-david-levithan-review.html" target="_blank">“Another Day”</a></b> by <b>David Levithan</b>: reading this book gave me a fresh perspective on a story I already knew and it was my first time reading anything like it. This story is already incredibly unique and unusual and getting to read it from two different perspectives in two different books was such a nice experience. Next year I need to read the final book in this series and find out how this story ends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/06/second-chance-summer-by-morgan-matson.html" target="_blank">“Second Chance Summer”</a></b> by <b>Morgan Matson</b>: if there’s one thing you should by now know about me is that I love Morgan Matson with my whole heart and that her books are my absolute favourites. So it will come as no surprise that this book made it to this list, if I had to put them in order this would without a doubt be at the top. Now that I’m all caught up with everything she’s written, I can’t wait for a new book to come out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/09/its-not-summer-without-you-by-jenny-han.html" target="_blank">“It’s Not Summer Without You”</a></b> by <b>Jenny Han</b>: I debated whether I should’ve included this book or not for a while, because I really liked it but the one that followed this one in the series put me in the worst <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/11/loving-blogging-again-and-getting-out.html" target="_blank">reading slump</a> and I think that as a result my view of the whole series has kind of changed. But when I read it this summer I loved it and actually gave it five stars out of five in my grading system, so I couldn’t leave this out. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRT05AfInJLZwj5wGy7Msmfk7eXFinVk470q4TG7zttOB6qgw4iGIYmTYZhq6Hvwgn3lhTRCSpjPKRQaaYx5BAsFBSGjkUYOL1hpWdQE3zitGOinG83aXoHgGWYfIYwuRMS_qCA2gaj4/s1600/How+to+fall+in+love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="262" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRT05AfInJLZwj5wGy7Msmfk7eXFinVk470q4TG7zttOB6qgw4iGIYmTYZhq6Hvwgn3lhTRCSpjPKRQaaYx5BAsFBSGjkUYOL1hpWdQE3zitGOinG83aXoHgGWYfIYwuRMS_qCA2gaj4/s200/How+to+fall+in+love.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/12/how-to-fall-in-love-by-cecelia-ahern.html" target="_blank">“How To Fall In Love”</a></b> by <b>Cecelia Ahern</b>: the book that got me out of my reading slump had to end up on this list. This book was perfect for the gloomy and cold weather we’ve been having here for a few months now and this story was so cute and unique that I raced through it, I actually had to pace myself while I waited for more wintery books to get here. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzZog71Rvybl1dCV3Tn981wp45GFwWmgtH8S-vB_GXUOwd-EEKzeXF9wFXfOpEyt0iu-6FcQp-uoTnSKJfvGt_PTSXhhoakMX9am8RYLzOkfcnQe-yu6OYlEUWIE6gCE3hd3M0IpshQM/s1600/Becoming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzZog71Rvybl1dCV3Tn981wp45GFwWmgtH8S-vB_GXUOwd-EEKzeXF9wFXfOpEyt0iu-6FcQp-uoTnSKJfvGt_PTSXhhoakMX9am8RYLzOkfcnQe-yu6OYlEUWIE6gCE3hd3M0IpshQM/s200/Becoming.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“Becoming”</b> by <b>Michelle Obama</b>: as I write this blog post I still haven’t technically finished this book, but I know I’m going to finish it before the end of the year and it’s already one of my favourites, so I had to include it. This book got me into <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/11/getting-into-audiobooks-my-experience.html" target="_blank">audiobooks</a> for the first time so it holds a special place in my heart forever. I had been wanting to read it since it came out last year and I’m truly loving it. I’ll make sure to post a review as soon as I finish listening to it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRU9xSTgduBplMUMUbMiRILzXUrJAiNBlSSKLsK9oncfrgngFYJ1tg7Wdsl4thXuezdNGmcL4P6Jgr74I1eUiq_3atqtP0kKrngq4VZ66NKfIR2udHFj8iUnKu2YqxawEoGUawkbAQUA/s1600/25+days+%2527til+christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRU9xSTgduBplMUMUbMiRILzXUrJAiNBlSSKLsK9oncfrgngFYJ1tg7Wdsl4thXuezdNGmcL4P6Jgr74I1eUiq_3atqtP0kKrngq4VZ66NKfIR2udHFj8iUnKu2YqxawEoGUawkbAQUA/s200/25+days+%2527til+christmas.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’m going to add as honorary mention the book that I’m still reading, but definitely loving, as I write this: <b>“25 Days ’til Christmas”</b> by <b>Poppy Alexander</b>, the perfect Christmas read and such a sweet and in part sad but heart warming story to read right before Christmas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">What are your favourite books you’ve read this year? Anything so good I can’t miss out on and should add to my TBR immediately? </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-71294540466976118972019-12-19T14:38:00.000+01:002020-01-02T15:14:35.054+01:00A look into my planner: Moleskine Weekly Horizontal 12 Months<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvwVSd3q7ZwVqv8unIGZIISybPX0qgis1Ib6hSDaG6aNHfDjtvBkypkWdI30nSYjf0F39mbAwDa3j_e6mIRtoAMr5fD0S4iE5CaYq42hMwG5yBTf94xKaCoKsJFBya-5dC7p11Dv_GJo/s1600/A+look+into+my+planner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvwVSd3q7ZwVqv8unIGZIISybPX0qgis1Ib6hSDaG6aNHfDjtvBkypkWdI30nSYjf0F39mbAwDa3j_e6mIRtoAMr5fD0S4iE5CaYq42hMwG5yBTf94xKaCoKsJFBya-5dC7p11Dv_GJo/s320/A+look+into+my+planner.png" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s nearly the end of the year and with the beginning of a new one fast approaching I’ve been figuring out what I loved this year and what my goals (reading and not) for next year are going to be. I’m also getting really close to the end of my yearly planner and with that I’ve been setting up my new one ready for 2020. If there’s one thing you need to know about me, beside my love for reading, is that I am a planner. I’ve always been and I think I’ll always be a planner. I crave lists and making sure I have everything under control and there’s nothing I love more than setting up a brand new planner. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But before I go into how I did that I wanted to talk about my previous planners and why I chose to use the Moleskine one three years in a row. As soon as I was out of high school I bought myself a new planner, ready to start my first year of university. The first planner I tried out was a 18 months <i>Letts</i> flowery blue one and it served me well, but it still wasn’t exactly what I wanted. The following year I splurged on a <i>Kate Spade</i> one, after lusting for months after those big and very expensive ones I couldn’t justify buying, this one was the closest I could find. It was a pretty and useful one indeed, but when it came time to buy a new one the following year I couldn’t bring myself to spending that much. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So in 2017 I bought my first Moleskine Weekly Planner and I haven’t looked back ever since. To make up for lost months I used a 18 months one that first year and then switched to the 12 months one, which I prefer as it makes more sense to have one that starts in January and ends in December now that I’m not in school anymore. I’ve used the <i>large</i> ones with a <i>hard cover</i>, which I prefer for space reasons and to make sure I don’t ruin it whenever I bring it around in my bag. The first year I bought the classic black one, the second year the deep red one and for next year I bought the gorgeous navy blue one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I ended up settling for the Moleskine Weekly Orizontal planner (this is the one that has a weekly spread over two pages instead of one like the vertical planner) because it felt perfect for me. It has a simple but effective design, that leaves a lot of space for personalization and writing. It’s quite thin and not heavy at all, which is a big pro if you don’t plan on leaving it at home on your desk. It has a yearly spread, monthly spreads and weekly ones plus extra pages for notes, extraordinary moments of the year, a map and a lot of those pages that you find in planners and that I never end up using (like time zones and clothing sizing). And it also has a pocket at the very back where you can store anything you want, at first I didn’t think I would use it but if you take a look at my used planners you can see that they are totally full. In that pocket you can also find three sheets of stickers and who doesn’t love stickers? </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But now onto the setting up, which will probably look really easy and simple, but it has been effective for me for a few years now. The first step is to write in my colour coding system, that looks something like this: </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(87, 135, 38); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #578726;">green</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> for birthdays </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 45, 34); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 45, 34); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #ff2d22;">red</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> for university</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 225, 97); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #ffe161;">yellow</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> for appointments </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(73, 155, 201); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #499bc9;">blue</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> for blogging</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">-</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 47, 146); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #ff2f92;">pink</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> for events/concerts</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">and I write in both the weekly spreads and the monthly spreads anything that is already planned in those categories, mainly birthdays and concerts. I then keep up with that system all year long and it has been so effective in keeping track of everything I have to do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I then usually use the weekly spreads as the weeks come, mainly as a place to make daily to-do lists and to plan out my weeks. How I use it may vary with what is going on each week, when I was a student there was of course a lot of content related to exams, studying and classes. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Do you have a planner? If so which one? And why did you chose that one instead of another? </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-52476800642991922622019-12-11T15:12:00.000+01:002019-12-17T11:26:12.557+01:00Book Haul: December 2019 <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">I have to admit that when I opened my blog, nearly a year ago, I thought I would make way more book hauls than I ended up making. Before this one I made only another one, <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/02/book-haul-february-2019.html" target="_blank">this February</a>. That’s it two in a year. It totally makes sense considering I still have a pile of books I need to read, which means I don’t need to buy more. I always try not to buy too many books and prefer to make a new book order when I’m nearly running out of reading material. This haul is a bit of an exception, since most of my books are set in Summer I needed some new ones set in Winter and during <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/11/on-my-tbr-7-christmas-books-i-want-to.html" target="_blank">the holidays</a>. So here’s what I got: </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>‘Letters From Father Christmas’ by J.R.R. Tolkien</b>: I recently watched a documentary on Tolkien, his life and work, and even though I had never considered reading any of his books I got intrigued. Considering that all his other books don’t really fit in with my favourite genres I thought I would start with this book. I’ve read only a few pages so far but it’s such a lovely read. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>‘The Woman In The Photograph’ by Stephanie Butland</b>: if you’ve read any of my posts on <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/05/my-top-5-auto-buy-authors.html" target="_blank">my favourite books</a> or <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/03/my-favourite-female-authors.html" target="_blank">my favourite authors</a> you’ll know by now that Stephanie Butland is at the top of that list. This is her latest book and I’ve been wanting to read it since before it even came out, so I’m super excited to finally get to it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>‘25 Days ’til Christmas’ by Poppy Alexander</b>: as I said since the colder weather got here I’ve wanted nothing more than read books set in Winter and around the holidays and I saw this one all over <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatilareads/" target="_blank">bookstagram</a>, so I had to add it to my list. It sounds like the perfect Christmas story and I can’t wait to read it, hopefully it will put me in the Christmas spirit even more (cause you know I’m already more than excited about Christmas). </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>‘It Started With Christmas’ by Jenny Hale</b>: similarly to the previous book I added this one to my list because I wanted to read some books set around the holidays. I had a lot to pick from on my Christmassy Books list on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/70882113-what-ila-writes" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> but I eventually chose this one. The cover is the most beautiful cover I’ve seen and I truly hope I’ll be able to read both this one and the previous book before this year is over. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>‘Overseas’ by Beatriz Williams</b>: I’ve never read anything by this author but this book was on offer and after reading the blurb it sounded like such a nice story and the kind of book I can then pass on to my mum and my grandma, so I know I had to get it. My copy is the Italian translation titled ‘Le parole del nostro destino’. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>‘At The Edge Of Summer’ by Jessica Brockmole</b>: this book was also on offer and I got the Italian translation of this one too, titled ‘Non ti dirò mai addio’. This story sounded so nice and intriguing that I had to get a copy of this book, even though I have a feeling that I won’t get to it for a while, since it’s not set in Winter, I’m still excited to read it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Have you read any of this books? If so what did you think? </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-48789482375819199902019-12-06T14:11:00.000+01:002019-12-06T14:11:16.184+01:00The End Of The Year Book Tag | 2019 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A couple of weeks ago I was catching up on some Youtube videos I had missed and I watched <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2X5oSeIX7I" target="_blank">Sanne’s (booksandquills) video</a> on the books she wants to read before this year is over. In the video she answers questions from <u>The End Of The Year Book Tag</u> created by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlKiCFTVmXI" target="_blank">Ariel Bisset</a>. As I watched it I realized it was a great idea, a way to reflect on what I’ve read this year and what I still wish to read before December is over. So I thought I could take those questions and answer in this blog post. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s just one book that I started and didn’t finish this year and that is ‘We’ll Always Have Summer’ by Jenny Han. I’ve briefly explained why I haven’t finished it (yet) in my blog post about <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/11/loving-blogging-again-and-getting-out.html" target="_blank">being in a reading slump</a>. I wouldn’t say it’s that book’s fault, but I made the mistake of reading that series one book after another, without taking breaks in between and by the time I go to the final book it wasn’t summer anymore and I wanted to read something set in Autumn/Winter. So that’s the only book I haven’t finished but I probably won’t finish it this year, I want to give it a fair chance and I’ll probably pick it up again next summer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’ve just finished reading <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/12/how-to-fall-in-love-by-cecelia-ahern.html" target="_blank">‘How To Fall In Love’ by Cecelia Ahern</a> which is set in winter and that was the perfect book to transition into the end of the year, considering that where I live we don’t really get autumnal weather for long and it’s been feeling like winter for a couple of months now. I’ve also bought a couple of <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/11/on-my-tbr-7-christmas-books-i-want-to.html" target="_blank">Christmas books</a> that I can’t wait to read. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Is there a new release you’re still waiting on?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I have to say I had to check my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/70882113?shelf=to-read" target="_blank">GoodReads want-to-read list</a> for this, because I’m awful at remembering this stuff. There are a few books coming out in early 2020 that I really want to read, like <i>19 Love Songs</i> by David Levithan or <i>Grown-Up Pose</i> by Sonya Lalli or <i>We Used To Be Friends</i> by Amy Spalding. But there isn’t a book that will come out this month in my list, but I’m sure I’m probably just forgetting something. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This one was easier to answer: <i>Letters From Father Christmas</i> by J.R.R. Tolkien, <i>25 Days ’til Christmas</i> by Poppy Alexander and <i>It Started With Christmas</i> by Jenny Hale. A good common theme I guess. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’m not sure that’s going to happen as far as fiction goes, even though I have good faith in the Christmassy books I still have to read, I’m not sure they could steal the place of favourite book of the year, but you never know what can happen. As far as non fiction goes I’ve only got the chance of listening to <i>Becoming</i> by Michelle Obama (but maybe I’ll be able to fit another one in too) this month and that has quickly become a favourite.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Have you already started making reading plans for 2020?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’m definitely a mood reader, so I never know if I’ll actually stick to any reading plan I make. I know that there are for sure a few books I want to read next year, specifically those that I bought this year but didn’t have time to read and a lot of others that make up my endless TBR. I’ll probably make up a list of around 10 books, like I did <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/01/10-books-i-want-to-read-in-2019.html" target="_blank">this year</a> that I’d love to read throughout 2020, but who knows if I’ll stick to it. </span><br />
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What books are you still planning to read this year? And have you made reading plans for next year?</div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-32711459819256082972019-12-04T14:24:00.000+01:002019-12-04T15:48:10.434+01:00'How To Fall In Love' by Cecelia Ahern | Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Title</i>: How To Fall In Love </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Author</i>: Cecelia Ahern </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Published by</i>: Harper Collins </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Pages</i>: 432 </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21076159-how-to-fall-in-love" target="_blank">Add on GoodReads</a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This book follows the story of Christine Rose as she tries to keep Adam Basil alive. She met him on the Ha’penny Bridge in Dublin one wintery night, where he tried to take his life and she was desperate to keep him alive, after witnessing a man trying to kill himself just a few weeks prior. They make a reckless deal: Adam gives Christine two weeks, until his 35th birthday, to convince him that life is worth living. Her promise seems nearly impossible at times, but she is determined to save him and show him the beauty of life, just as she tries to put her life back on track. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“But where pain was, healing could come; where loneliness was, new relationships could be formed; where rejection was, new love could be found. It was a moment. And moments changed. She would have to live through the moment to get to the next.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“And sometimes when you witness a miracle it makes you believe that anything is possible.” </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Moments are precious; sometimes they linger and other times they're fleeting, and yet so much could be done in them; you could change your mind, you could save a life and you could even fall in love.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I read the Italian translation of this book, so keep that in mind in regards to any comment made on writing style. This is the first Cecelia Ahern book that I’ve read and I have to say it didn’t disappoint. I picked it up quite randomly, in search for a book set in Winter that could <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/11/loving-blogging-again-and-getting-out.html" target="_blank">get me out of a reading slump</a> that lasted at least a couple of month. I’m glad I did because it not only eased me into reading again, but it did so much more: it made me think deeply about life and the choices we make, the people we choose to live our lives with and how everything is temporary even when it feels permanent: feelings, thoughts, situations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I thought I had figured out this story before I even started it, just by reading the blurb on the back, but I was pleasantly surprised by all that I wasn’t expecting. This book is incredibly well written and the story beautifully flows. Every single character felt so real to me and like a crucial part of the story, even the smaller characters. The spin the author put on a usual romance novel, made this story so enjoyable and unique, it allowed more than just love as a central topic. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I admired Christine</span>’s courage in making difficult decisions hoping to finally find happiness. The quality of always doing her best to help others, always going out of her way to make sure everyone is truly happy and content is on I wish I had more, even though sometimes she put herself second for the sake of helping others. I loved how she learned to do more for herself, even when that means going the complete opposite way to what she had planned. </div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I loved how this story was deeply connected with <i>death</i> and how it didn’t shy away from such a taboo and difficult subject. It showed a lot of different ways in which people can approach death and its meaning: from wanting to die to clinging to life as hard as they could, from being freed by it to being tied to a different life because of it. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Have you read this book? If so what did you think? Do you have any other Cecelia Ahern books to recommend? I’d love to read more of her books. </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-82817994224114282992019-11-29T15:00:00.001+01:002019-11-29T15:00:43.933+01:00NaNoWriMo Week 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHkWXjvwaU_W9stYtv80dFLoH9avoW5AT7gsgTZvlmwFJJ_hXAzUdp1qIo6CFD4TIRHT4Ckh4bfnpDOpSwUKtAqcZL4i0zAzGkUOwn8rueXj2iJIlVXbnHIW6M2r_B5PUtNhnrsGeEfg/s1600/NaNoWriMo+2019.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHkWXjvwaU_W9stYtv80dFLoH9avoW5AT7gsgTZvlmwFJJ_hXAzUdp1qIo6CFD4TIRHT4Ckh4bfnpDOpSwUKtAqcZL4i0zAzGkUOwn8rueXj2iJIlVXbnHIW6M2r_B5PUtNhnrsGeEfg/s320/NaNoWriMo+2019.png" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s only two days left of November and just like that NaNoWriMo 2019 is over. I’ve said before how much I usually struggle during this month, but this year time has gone by so quickly that I barely noticed it at all. NaNoWriMo this year has possibly been my best writing experience so far and the best NaNoWriMo I’ve done. I’ve written more than I ever have and I’m satisfied with nearly everything I’ve put down black on white. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This final week has probably been the hardest of this month and my guess is that I’m just tired, I’ve never written this intensely before, every single day with barely any breaks in between. I’m so proud of myself for sticking to this project, for finally giving life to this story that has played around in my head for the past two years, for challenging myself to write as much as I have. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I went into this experience not expecting to finish on such a high note. I honestly thought I would give up a week in, when the excitement for the new project would die down. But seeing this story progress and looking at the ever growing word count motivated me and pushed me to write more. Writing <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/search/label/nanowrimo" target="_blank">these blog posts</a> and my daily updates on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatilareads/" target="_blank">bookstagram</a> stories also helped a lot, it gave me a chance to have a lot more content to put out and that helped <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/11/loving-blogging-again-and-getting-out.html" target="_blank">find love for blogging again</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Of course not everything this month has been positive, there have been days when the last thing I wanted to do was write, but doing NaNoWriMo has pushed me to at least try to write something. Once I was sitting down I got so into the story that I couldn’t stop and that has taught me an important lesson: sometimes all you have to do is start. Just start that project you’ve been thinking about, even if doesn’t turn out perfect and even if you can’t find the motivation to do it. Once you’ve started, it’s going to be easier to carry on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So I had already reached my 50K words goal last week, but I kept on writing and following up with my NaNo updates based on how much I’ve written since November began. What’s next for this story? I still have to write two major plot points (one of which I can’t wait to get to). I plan on taking a small break before carrying on, maybe just the weekend and then I’ll carry on with this story. When I’ll feel like I have reached the end and I’m satisfied with it, I’ll get to editing it and hopefully something good will come out of it. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">How was your NaNoWriMo experience this year? I’d love to hear all about it! </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-6092365899325451392019-11-26T14:16:00.000+01:002020-01-02T15:14:15.948+01:00Getting into audiobooks: my experience so far<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitI0hJd5SZsZhHZHg6k9TMMgxR87hzaZeJIJFG2aRBx7AGnd1c_VZNbVMocvbzbQW6T5xRQQwjOImwf9-beHrteNWzo_Ldx4ElU_XP26E2mJLPmX1V8PrDylydzhTfKd0CxwdItDcWELg/s1600/Getting+into+audiobooks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitI0hJd5SZsZhHZHg6k9TMMgxR87hzaZeJIJFG2aRBx7AGnd1c_VZNbVMocvbzbQW6T5xRQQwjOImwf9-beHrteNWzo_Ldx4ElU_XP26E2mJLPmX1V8PrDylydzhTfKd0CxwdItDcWELg/s320/Getting+into+audiobooks.png" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I have never listened to an audiobook before this weekend. Similarly to my lack of experience with <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/03/why-i-prefer-physical-books-over-e-books.html" target="_blank">e-books</a>, I never truly thought that it was for me. I’ve always considered myself a reader of physical books, I love the smell of books and having a physical copy in my hands when I read. I could never replace that feeling with reading on a screen. Beside my reluctance to try out e-books, I’ve never tried audiobooks either, but for totally different reasons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">First and foremost I never thought I would have the attention span required to only listen to a story instead of having the words that make it right in front of me. But then over two years ago now I got really into <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/04/5-podcasts-i-love-and-always-listen-to.html" target="_blank">podcasts</a>, I’ve listened to so many podcasts episodes over the years that I’ve lost count, I love them so much that I ended up writing my entire university dissertation on podcasting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Once I established that I indeed had the attention span to consume audio content and not only that, I actually really enjoyed consuming content in that format. I started getting curious about audiobooks. I saw a lot of people on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatilareads/" target="_blank">bookstagram</a> raving about audiobooks and I wondered if maybe I could be one of them too. In particular I started thinking that maybe the audiobook format would be my way of getting into non fiction, a genre I’ve never been able to read before. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So like I always do for anything in my life, I started doing a bit of research on the different platforms and services available, their price points and their catalogues. I started talking to other book lovers (readers and listeners) about it, asking for advice and suggestions. And after weeks of thinking about it I finally made a decision: I downloaded <i>Storytel</i> and started listening. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I chose <i>Storytel</i> over other platform/services because it seemed like the better option. For the same price of other platforms I have full access to their complete catalogue (and not just one book a month like some services), which is made of mainly audiobooks but also e-books (who know maybe I’ll get into those too) and is full of new releases and classics as well. It sounded like the perfect option to try getting into audiobooks, it has a lot of the non fiction books I’ve wanted to read for a while and it also has some fiction books I never got around to buying and maybe I’ll get to “read” in a different way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’m still extremely new to all of this, I’m just on my first audiobook ever, but I am enjoying it more than I ever thought. I am finally listening to <i>‘Becoming’</i> by <i>Michelle Obama</i>, a book I’ve wanted to read since it came out last year and I have a lot (and I really mean a lot) of other books saved to my library ready to go. But if you do use that same platform and you have some audiobook suggestions make sure to let me know, I’d love to hear them. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I am hoping that listening to audiobooks will allow me to get to those books that I’ve added to my GoodReads ‘to-read’ shelf but never got around to reading, that it will allow me to broaden my reading habits, that it will allow me to read more in general, by counting both the physical books I’m still reading and plan to read and the hopefully many audiobooks I’ll get to in the future. </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-11418874453808669802019-11-22T14:34:00.001+01:002019-11-22T14:34:55.719+01:00NaNoWriMo Week 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As I sit down to write this blog post I struggle to believe it’s been three weeks since <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/search/label/nanowrimo" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo</a> started. Time has gone by so fast this time around that I can barely believe November it’s nearly over. Even though I’ve written nearly every single day, I hadn’t taken a proper look at my word count until now and seeing how much I’ve written gives me enough motivation to keep going. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Compared to the past two weeks, this past week I’ve struggled a bit more. More than once I contemplated not writing at all, but then I felt guilty and so I forced myself to write at least one scene. Once I began writing I genuinely couldn’t stop so I’m glad I made the effort to sit down and start. It’s true that sometimes things feel heavier and harder than they are and that when you actually do them it’s not as bad as you thought, at least this was the case. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Last week I wrote a really good scene, one that literally flew out of my mind and onto the page, and I think my struggles this week are a result of having to write the scenes that followed. None of them seemed good enough compared to what I had previously written but I figured it was still worth to try. So I still wrote all of those scenes, keeping in mind that if they aren’t my best work I can always go back and make them better. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Something that I’ve always struggled with when writing is my perfectionism. This idea (a very wrong one indeed) that everything I write needs to be perfect right from the first draft. I never allowed myself to make messy first drafts and as a result of that pressure I never finished one single writing project. This year though I was determined to change that, I’ve really allowed myself to just enjoy the process, to write even when it doesn’t seem perfect, to give myself space to make mistakes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So this is what I want to remind myself during this last week of NaNoWriMo. I want to remember how good it feels to finally have this story in front of me black on white, I want to remember how happy I feel every time I look at my word count and realize that I’ve written more than I’ve ever done before. I want to allow myself to celebrate the small victories, because they still are worthy of being celebrated. This experience, if anything, has allowed me to get one step closer to my ultimate dream: to finish writing a novel and possibly work on that to make it the best version that it can be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">How was your third week of NaNoWriMo? Did you make good progress? Are you ready for the final week? As always happy writing!</span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-11401374221020995052019-11-19T15:14:00.002+01:002019-11-19T15:14:42.361+01:00On my TBR: 7 Christmas books I want to read this winter<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I’ve successfully just got out of a months long <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/11/loving-blogging-again-and-getting-out.html" target="_blank">reading slump</a> and I had missed reading a lot. I’m definitely enjoying the fact that the book I’m currently reading is set in winter and that has given me enough motivation to read more books set around the holidays. I’m open to reading more books set in winter, not necessarily around Christmas, but right this moment that’s all I want to read, to get into the Christmas spirit. I know it</span>’s still a bit early, but let’s be honest it’s never too early for Christmas.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I’ve made quite a few <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/search/label/on%20my%20TBR" target="_blank">‘On My TBR’</a> posts before and you can check them all out here. So I thought it would make sense to make one for Christmas books I want to read this winter. As I compiled this list I realized that there are definitely more than just 7 books that I want to read that fit this category. That means that I might have to make a part 2 (and maybe 3) to this post sometimes soon, but in the meantime you can take a look at my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/70882113-what-ila-writes" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> shelf </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/70882113-what-ila-reads?shelf=christmas-books" target="_blank">Christmas Books</a></i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“25 Days ’til Christmas”</b> by <b>Poppy Alexander</b>: I’ve seen this book on bookstagram a lot lately and just from the title and book cover I could tell it was exactly what I was looking for. Then I read the blurb: Kate Potter used to love Christmas but that was before her husband went away with the army and never came back. She is lonely and not in the festive mood, but she wants this Christmas to be the best day ever for her son Jack. So she starts planning, but sometimes things don’t go as planned especially when the loneliest woman in town meets the loneliest man in town. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“One Day In December”</b> by <b>Josie Silver</b>: this book has been recommended to me by multiple people when I asked for wintery books suggestions on Instagram, so I had to include this in this list. It tells the story of Laurie, who never believed in love at first sight, until she saw a mystery man through the glass of the bus and fell in love. But she never saw him again, until a whole year later when her best friend Sarah introduces her to her new boyfriend Jack, the man from the bus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“The Mother Of All Christmases”</b> by <b>Milly Johnson</b>: I found this book browsing through GoodReads looking for the perfect Christmas book and this stood out with its gorgeous cover. The plot was just as good and convinced me to put it on my list. This books follows three women: Eve Glace, Annie Pandoro and Palma Collins. They have one thing in common they are all pregnant around Christmas and they meet at the ‘Christmas Pudding Club’ set up by their doctor. The roads that brought them to pregnancy are completely different, but they might help each other find love and peace around the holiday season. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“A Christmas Gift”</b> by <b>Sue Moorcroft</b>: I also found this book when I was looking around GoodReads and the beautiful book cover drew me in, but I stayed for the story. It tells the story of Georgine, a Christmas lover who throws herself into organizing the Christmas show at the local school to keep her mind from thinking about her ex boyfriend, who just broke up with her and left her in debt and that’s where she meets Joe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“A Winter Beneath the Stars”</b> by <b>Jo Thomas</b>: this book with the dreamiest book cover sounded a bit different from the other ones in my list and that’s what intrigued me. It follows Halley on a train to Swedish Lapland when she realizes that she’s lost the two wedding rings she was carrying with her. The only way to save the wedding is to accept the help of the mysterious Bjorn, who can lead her across the snowy tundra to her lost bag. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“The Christmas Wish”</b> by <b>Tilly Tennant</b>: all these books seem to have the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen and this book similarly to the previous one also revolves around a trip to Lapland to see the northern lights. Esmee wasn’t planning on going on a trip, but when her London life fell apart, she escaped to the home of her beloved grandma Matilda, who put her back together. They planned that trip together, but when sadly Matilda passes away, Esmee decides she’s going to honor her on the holiday of her dreams. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“Let It Snow”</b> by <b>Nancy Thayer</b>: last but not least another dreamy cover for a just as dreamy book. This one is set in Nantucket and follows the life of toy shop owner Christina, who is decorating for her loyal Christmas shoppers when her Scrooge of a landlord raises her rent. As she struggles to keep her shop open, she bonds with Wink, his granddaughter, who helps her see that maybe he is not that bad after all. And with the help of Wink’s charming uncle she might be able to save her shop. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Have you read any of these books? If so which one should I buy first? And if you have any other suggestion, make sure to leave them in the comments.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
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what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-60321604098025092162019-11-15T14:42:00.000+01:002019-11-15T14:42:28.884+01:00NaNoWriMo Week 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvU_Qkqnlyq99C0mdpvgdgMbjTU98VJIRYtBIHTtxugcgUMwbpj_La5XRvt-o6avSVENpnNC52fNfxJk1z6d2ngy10k6eFUC9-Rduhqqsp1solOahBb1ekdUg17YMSszlwMxlhViziEE/s1600/NaNoWriMo+2019.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvU_Qkqnlyq99C0mdpvgdgMbjTU98VJIRYtBIHTtxugcgUMwbpj_La5XRvt-o6avSVENpnNC52fNfxJk1z6d2ngy10k6eFUC9-Rduhqqsp1solOahBb1ekdUg17YMSszlwMxlhViziEE/s320/NaNoWriMo+2019.png" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">November is flying by. I can’t believe it’s already been two whole weeks since NaNoWriMo started and I even more can’t believe how positive this whole experience has been this time around. Having more time during the day to write has definitely made a difference and allowing myself to take breaks on days where the last thing I want to do is write has also helped a lot. I’ve been able to do that without letting my perfectionism get the best of me, mainly because I started this project with a lot of writing done already and being able to rely on that has helped a lot. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In fact, if you’ve read my previous NaNoWriMo posts, all linked <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/search/label/nanowrimo" target="_blank">here</a>, you’ll know that my goal for this year was to reach the 50K words goal at the end of the month, so that adding that to what I had already written would leave me with a novel of roughly 70K words. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stick to that plan, but I know that by week 2 I’ve reached a goal I’m super proud of. My total word count since NaNo started is (as of yesterday) of nearly 24K words, which is a lot and perfectly on track. But if I look at my total word count I have officially written more than 40K words and let me tell you: it feels incredible!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Week two has been good: I’ve written nearly every day, always reached my daily goal of words and the story is developing nicely if I can say so myself. I have allowed myself to take a break over the past weekend, because I truly struggle to write during those days, where the only thing I want to do is take a break from my weekly routine, which also now includes writing daily. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’ve reach a good point in my story, specifically I wrote a scene yesterday that I’ve been playing around with in my head for a long while. There are two main scenes in my story that were the first to come to mind, but not the first to be written. One of which I got the chance of finally writing yesterday and it felt like one of those moments when everything comes together. I’m apparently quite good at writing fight scenes (not physical fights, I’d be useless at those) and the words flew out of me, I managed to write nearly 2 thousands words, which is a record this year for me. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">So week two has been good to me and I truly hope that week three and four will be similar to this one, I have a feeling that the closer I get to the ending the easier it will be to write this story. How has your week two been? Happy writing! </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-5883383747578806532019-11-12T14:39:00.000+01:002020-01-02T15:13:59.622+01:00Loving blogging again and getting out of a reading slump <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MbWhfaqp5K4yolIXXGYuyi4zAK9xXcwMgVEm9KO2oW-IcYHh6u3CHNlF3cS3exiIaRcx5I8pnPl_UdZtfToAN7W0gaiUynU_oAXScSxXHQ0NonL3h1649aPw99KRgeDyAxiG6NKDFtY/s1600/For+more+tips+about+kids+fashion%252C+visit+reallygreatsite.com..png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MbWhfaqp5K4yolIXXGYuyi4zAK9xXcwMgVEm9KO2oW-IcYHh6u3CHNlF3cS3exiIaRcx5I8pnPl_UdZtfToAN7W0gaiUynU_oAXScSxXHQ0NonL3h1649aPw99KRgeDyAxiG6NKDFtY/s320/For+more+tips+about+kids+fashion%252C+visit+reallygreatsite.com..png" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">September and October weren’t my best blogging months, I blogged just a few times over the span of two months and I have to say I felt quite guilty about it. I’ve talked before about <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-pressure-of-blogging-consistently.html" target="_blank">the struggle of blogging consistently</a> and feeling guilty whenever I couldn’t blog or simply didn’t want to, even if not a lot of people read my blog. It felt like I had fallen out of love with blogging and writing all together and the few times I managed to write something I was forcing myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Then November started and from the very beginning I felt like the old times, I wanted to blog and blog about anything and I had so many ideas for new blog posts. I think that feeling came from two things: firstly I had subconsciously given myself a chance to take a break the previous two months and that allowed me to fall in love with blogging again. And secondly I started <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/search/label/nanowrimo" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo</a>, which brought back my love and need for writing, and consequently I wanted to document my experience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So I’m back to blogging twice a week, just like when I started nearly a year ago now and I’m loving it just as much, if not more. I have a feeling that my lack of creativity during the months of September and October was tied to a <b><a href="https://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/07/3-ways-to-get-out-of-reading-slump.html" target="_blank">reading slump</a></b> as well. I didn’t realize that I was in a reading slump at first, but then I tried to think about the last time I had picked up the book I was reading and I couldn’t remember when that happened. I hate being in a reading slump, like most book lovers, especially because even if I was in a reading slump I still craved reading. I just didn’t feel like reading what I was reading at the time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s not the book’s fault and it isn’t mine either. I just made a couple of mistakes: firstly I started reading this trilogy and since I had the three books in one volume edition I didn’t take a break in between each book and I think that affected how much I enjoyed them. Secondly I started reading that book around the end of Summer and since it’s set in Summer it seemed ok, but now that it’s Autumn (even though it feels like Winter), the mood reader in me wants to read only books set in a similar weather. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Once I realized I was in a reading slump I knew I had to do something to get out of it, especially if I wanted to reach my yearly GoodReads goal of books read. I’ve already reduced the number of books I plan on reading this year, from 30 to 15, a few month ago for a few different reason. But if I want to reach that number I need to start reading again. I truly want to enjoy that book I started and I know that right now it’s not the right time. So I’m putting it aside and I’m starting a new book, this time set in Winter and I can’t wait to get back into the rhythm of reading and writing book reviews and sharing my love for books. </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-84900394916200934662019-11-08T14:30:00.000+01:002019-11-15T14:27:00.932+01:00NaNoWriMo Week 1 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cWQ_A8Xw6icfS-2M7YPOt-LnTnMHhyshXxMIzWkzfCJIdbp2TY6oBiviGd0qHOghGqLPgjcSFM7yHR8OLveZdNmcKBGK_PUBAXlhtazb3TpPneI9E6yXoAqG6nGCKsj2BQga56uSESI/s1600/NaNoWriMo+2019.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cWQ_A8Xw6icfS-2M7YPOt-LnTnMHhyshXxMIzWkzfCJIdbp2TY6oBiviGd0qHOghGqLPgjcSFM7yHR8OLveZdNmcKBGK_PUBAXlhtazb3TpPneI9E6yXoAqG6nGCKsj2BQga56uSESI/s320/NaNoWriMo+2019.png" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I can’t believe it’s already been a week since NaNoWriMo started and I even more can’t believe that I’ve managed to write something every single day so far. But let’s go with order, you know that <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/10/why-im-doing-nanowrimo-this-year-and.html" target="_blank">I’m doing NaNoWriMo this year and why I’m doing it</a>. In my latest post I’ve also talked about <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/11/a-look-at-my-previous-nanowrimo.html" target="_blank">my past experiences with NaNoWriMo</a> and how those went. I also created a section at the top of my blog with all my NaNoWriMo posts, because I know that I’m going to make a few of them this month, and you can check it out <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/search/label/nanowrimo" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Now onto the interesting part, this blog post is going to be all about my first week of NaNoWriMo and what my experience has been so far. I have to say that it’s been more positive than I expected and I’ve been feeling good about my writing for the past week. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’m really hopeful for the rest of the month and I hope I’ll be able to stick to this routine and keep up my writing so I can reach my final goal and complete this novel. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I have been writing around 1.6K words and 1.7K words every day, which is the average amount needed to get to the total 50K words by the end of November. I’m proud of myself for sticking with this, even when I felt a bit stuck with my story or tired after a long day, I still pushed myself to write at least a little bit and as I expected once I started writing I couldn’t stop.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">One thing I’ve noticed is that I need to write in chapters, I can’t leave a chapter unfinished or leave a scene hanging and I cant’ start a new chapter for just a paragraph. I don’t if that’s the planner in me, but having a bit more structure when writing has definitely helped. At the same time I haven’t planned my plot down to every scene and that has also been helpful in letting my creativity flow. I’ve also felt better about this project since I had already written a bit over 20K words before I started NaNoWriMo, those words feel like a safety net I can rely on if I need a day off at some point. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Finally one thing that has truly helped has been seeing other people’s progress and sharing my own progress online. In fact you can see my daily updates in my Instagram stories on my Bookstagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatilareads/" target="_blank">@whatilareads</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Have you been taking part in NaNoWriMo? If so how was your first week? Happy writing! </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-74330259609901196912019-11-05T14:33:00.002+01:002019-11-05T14:33:59.688+01:00A look at my previous NaNoWriMo experiences <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4Srv5-3njJfzkOLdxd9yaYeunUVwOr868sp_O80vQNsSJzuHjLWIgPBXhzzVuxoGxV__eyb2PA4KMrIvoxIM3jNhHiYNk9r0KfGNbTfmBjCMInDq89XG0gUcwBA_wA96HfpUktmIF-M/s1600/NaNoWriMo+2019.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4Srv5-3njJfzkOLdxd9yaYeunUVwOr868sp_O80vQNsSJzuHjLWIgPBXhzzVuxoGxV__eyb2PA4KMrIvoxIM3jNhHiYNk9r0KfGNbTfmBjCMInDq89XG0gUcwBA_wA96HfpUktmIF-M/s320/NaNoWriMo+2019.png" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s officially November and <b>NaNoWriMo</b> has officially started a few days ago. If you’ve read my <a href="https://whatilareads.blogspot.com/2019/10/why-im-doing-nanowrimo-this-year-and.html" target="_blank">last blog post</a> you’ll know why I decided to take part in NaNoWriMo this year and as a result of that choice you might expect quite a few blog posts on that topic. Maybe writing about it will help in keeping me accountable and productive and it might also help me get out of the creative slump I’ve found myself in the past few weeks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In my last blog post I briefly mentioned that I had already taken part in NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago and that I would make a separate blog post all about that experience, so here it is. The first time I took part in this writing project was in 2016 and I decided I would challenge myself to write a 50K words novel in a month a couple of days before November began. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I had been playing around with that idea for a lot of months by that point and I just needed the right push to start writing. I am a perfectionist at heart and I would’ve never felt ready to start writing, so I just started. My goal was to reach that 50K mark by the end of the month, no matter how messy and imperfect that first draft would be. And in fact it was very messy and incredibly imperfect, but it was still complete, because I did manage to reach my goal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So my first NaNo experience was nothing but positive, that month I was extremely busy with university classes and studying but I still managed to write a bit every single day. I wrote in between classes and while commuting to and from my university, mainly on my phone, but I did it. I completed NaNoWriMo and I was so proud of myself for doing it. I have to admit that three whole years later I still haven’t properly touched and edited that first draft, but I still love that story with my whole heart and I promised myself I would pick it up again at some point. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">That amazing, even if tiring and stressful, experience isn’t my only NaNoWriMo experience, in fact I tried doing Camp NaNoWriMo a couple of times in the following years. Once with the aim of editing that very first draft of my very first novel and another time with a completely different project in mind. The second time I completed that project but also quickly fell out of love with it and kind of never touched it again afterwards. Then last year, November 2018, I thought I could try it again with the same story that I’m writing this year (that just gives you an idea of how long I’ve been playing around with this story and how much I want to tell it), but November turned out to be a month so busy I barely had time to write and after a couple of weeks I dropped my project. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">These past experiences have taught me that when I truly want to do something I actually can do it and that I don’t need as much planning as I always think I do to finish a project this big. At the same time they have taught me that it’s okay to let go sometimes, let go of projects and ideas. They taught me that I don’t always have to be perfect and that sometimes trying is good enough. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Have you done NaNoWriMo before? How was it? And if you are taking part this year how’s it been so far? If you want to be my writing buddy my nickname is: What Ila Writes and if you want to see daily writing updates make sure you're following my bookstagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatilareads/" target="_blank">@whatilareads</a> Happy writing! </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-36066062842772012242019-10-30T10:12:00.000+01:002019-10-31T14:13:02.066+01:00Why I’m doing NaNoWriMo this year and some NaNo prep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s nearly the month of November and I totally can’t believe there’s only two months left of this year and even crazier of this decade. I honestly don’t know where the time has gone this year, but with November right around the corner, <b><a href="https://nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo</a></b> approaches too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">If you don’t know what I’m talking about I’d suggest you take a look at their website. The name NaNoWriMo stands for <i>National Novel Writing Month</i> and it’s a project that takes place in November every year, during which people from all around the world pledge to write a 50K words novel in 30 days. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I discovered it a few years ago and tried it out in 2016, but I’m going to make another blog post soon all about that experience and how it went. But I’m writing this blog post because I decided that I’m going to take part this year too. That means that this November I’ll be extra busy, trying to finish a novel I’ve started earlier this year. As you know I’m not a published author but one of the things I love the most is writing and my biggest dream is to be a published author one day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’ve been working on this novel on and off for a while now, I’ve been extra motivated and productive at times and written already over 20K words, but that was quickly followed by weeks and weeks of writer’s block. But I am determined to challenge that and give it my all this November, it worked before for me so I’m hoping it will work again and I’ll be able to finish this novel. My words goal for this book is 70K words and considering what I’ve already written, the NaNo goal of 50K words seemed perfect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So I’m taking part in this because I hope that it will give me enough motivation to write daily, especially by seeing and being supported by other fellow writers that will always write along during this coming month. I’m excited and a bit nervous, because I’m scared I will somehow drop this project and not finish my book. As I said I’ve started working on this idea a few months ago, it’s going to be a contemporary YA novel (did you guessed it already? That’s pretty much nearly all that I read). </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As for NaNo prepping, which means all the preparation work you might do usually the month before November, since it’s a story I’ve already worked on quite a lot I’ve focused on the parts that weren’t working or that I was struggling with. That meant for me the plot, I tried to figure out what were the major plot points I still needed to touch on and the filler chapters I needed to write, which are the things I struggle with the most. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Are you going to take part in NaNoWriMo this year? If so what was your prepping like? If you want to be my buddy, just leave me a comment. </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402039193795880728.post-16437876530123218692019-10-22T15:00:00.001+02:002019-10-22T15:10:49.002+02:00On my TBR: 7 classics I haven’t read yet <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">My relationship with classics I’d say is… complicated. I’ve read quite a lot of classics during my school and university years, when I had the chance of reading just for fun and not for school anymore the last thing I wanted to read was a classic. I don’t think I’m the only one that associate classics with school and for that reason stays away from them as much as possible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s also a part of me that is honestly a bit scared that I won’t really understand them as well as other books, I feel like reading classics requires a bit more work to get the language and actually enjoy what you’re reading. But even if that’s all 100% true for me at this time, I don’t rule out the possibility of reading some of them at some point in my life. After all I do feel a bit left out sometimes when people mention all the classics they have read. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So today I want to share with you 7 classics that I haven’t read yet but that I kind of want to read at some point, especially because I consider them important elements of our literature and culture. But before I share those, make sure to check out all my other <a href="http://whatilareads.blogspot.com/search/label/on%20my%20TBR" target="_blank">‘On my TBR’</a> posts, I’ve made a few before of all different books I hope to read at some point. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen</b>: my mum is a big fan of Jane Austen and all her books, she loves these kinds of classics, so I have a few in my house that are just waiting to be read. I feel like this book is one of those classics that I might enjoy the most. Like many of the books in this list I have studied it in school, I know the story and I’ve read bits and pieces over the years, but I have never read it from the beginning till the end. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“1984” by George Orwell</b>: if you know me you’ll know that these book has never ended up in my hands not only because of it’s “classics” status but mainly because it’s not a genre I usually gravitate towards. But since I studied it in my english class in high school I’ve been fascinated by this story and the concept at its base, so I hope I’ll get to it at some point. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“The Little Prince” by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry</b>: this one is another one of those classics that I think nearly everyone says they’ve read (not sure if that’s really the truth). In this case as well I know the story really well and watched the movie plenty of times, but even though I own a copy of the book I somehow never ended up reading it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë</b>: this is another one of my mum’s favourite, so I guess it’s one that I’ll get to sooner than others, since I already own a well loved copy. Similarly to the others of this list I know the story really well since studying it in school and I included it in this list even though I had to read a shortened version of it for my english class at some point during high school. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“The Great Gatsby” by F. S. Fitzgerald</b>: like the previous book I also read a shortened version of this book in high school, but similarly I never got around to reading the full novel. I know that this book doesn’t exactly fit the stereotype of what I usually read, but I’m still fascinated by this story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare</b>: is there really a book that screams classics more than this book? I guess we all know this story really well, I know I do. I’ve seen multiple movie adaptations and heard a lot of people talk about it, but I never had the chance of actually reading it from beginning to end, so it made it to this list. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë</b>:<b> </b>and finally another one of my mum’s favorites (she truly loves classics), another book that I already own and that I’ve lightly studied in school. I have a feeling that this one, similarly to a couple of other books of this list, will be the closest to the genres I usually end up reading. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Do you read a lot of classics? Or like me after school you’ve been neglecting them? If you love classics which one is your favourite? </span></div>
what ila readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669451647362810220noreply@blogger.com2