Lists

Mini Book Reviews #1

| Eleanor

I’ve become obsessed with books again. I want to read all of the time and all I think about is books. Obviously, that will be reflected here on my blog.

This post is the first of a series that you may see popping up every couple of months on this blog. I can’t know how often I will be posting my mini reviews as it depends on how much I’ve been reading. However, I’ll share my mini book reviews whenever I’ve read enough to make a decent post.

Now, onto the mini book reviews…

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

I’ve never been a huge fan of self-help books but I figured I’d listen to this audiobook. Maybe it’s just that self-help books aren’t for me or maybe this book just sucks, I really don’t know. But anyway, if you want to hear a privileged white man telling you something that you probably already know, then you might like this book.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

This book made me feel every emotion that you could wish for a book to make you feel. I completely fell in love with the story and it made me see the beauty in life again. Anne of Green Gables makes me want to walk through nature, take in the beauty and laugh with a friend. Such a beautiful book.

Rating: ★★★★★

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Slow Living 101: A Beginner’s Guide To Living Slowly

| Eleanor

These days, everyone is moving fast. We live in a fast-paced world and it’s easy to get swept up in the rush of it all. This is where slow living can help.

Here’s the thing: in the long run, faster is not always better. Living too fast can lead to burnout and leave you feeling bored of life.

I’m not saying that you need to do everything in slow-motion. We still need to get things done, we just don’t want to damage out physical and mental health in the process.

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Some Everyday Things That We Should Start Romanticising

| Eleanor

Life can be tough so it’s important to enjoy the little moments that bring us happiness.

I’ve seen a lot of talk online about romanticising your life and honestly, I’m here for it. I love the idea of taking the most basic and usually boring parts of your day and embracing them.

“It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.” – Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables.

If you’re looking to make your everyday life a little more romantic and beautiful, here are a few things that you can try…
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Books I’d Like To Read This Summer ♡ Summer TBR

| Eleanor

Summer is nearly here and I’m actually dreading it. I really don’t do well in the heat.

One of the things that I am looking forward to though, is sitting in the shade with a book in my hand. Reading outside just feels so much nicer than reading indoors.

I plan on reading a lot this summer so I figured that it would be a fun idea to share some of the books that are on my Summer tbr…

A Tangled Summer by Caroline Kington

‘In the West Country village of Summerstoke, the family at Marsh Farm are too preoccupied with living their lives to notice the farm sliding into ruin. Charlie Tucker, dreaming of victory in a motocross race and flirting with the local barmaid, is unaware of the danger the farm is in; while little sister Alison, busy with her A levels, is determined to dispense with her virginity before the end of the summer and falls for the enigmatic biker, Al. Their brother Stephen is hopelessly in love with the star of the local Am-Dram society, while mother Jenny dreams of escaping to Weston-Super-Mare in the arms of the local vet. Fed up with watching her family squander their birthright, septuagenarian grandmother Elsie – the only Tucker with a lover – issues an ultimatum: either her grandsons find brides by the end of the year, or they lose their share of the farm. And that’s only half the problem… Up on the hill in Summerstoke House, the land-grabbing, unscrupulous, Hugh and Veronica -call-me-Vee Lester watch the demise of Marsh Farm with undisguised pleasure. If they can get the Tuckers turfed off the land, their dreams of owning a bigger stud farm will become a reality; and if they can help hasten the demise of Marsh Farm with a few schemes of their own… And at Summerstoke Manor, in the heart of the village, live the three elderly Miss Merfields and their ancient nanny with nothing better to do than pull strings and watch.’

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

‘Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of “buccaneers and buried gold”. First published as a book on 14 November 1883 by Cassell & Co., it was originally serialized in the children’s magazine Young Folks between 1881 and 1882 under the title Treasure Island or, the mutiny of the Hispaniola with Stevenson adopting the pseudonym Captain George North. An old sailor, calling himself “the captain” – real name “Billy” Bones – comes to lodge at the Admiral Benbow Inn on the west English coast during the mid-1700s, paying the innkeeper’s son, Jim Hawkins, a few pennies to keep a lookout for a one-legged “seafaring man.’

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How I Got Out Of The Worst Reading Slump

| Eleanor

My reading journey has been a little bit of a rollercoaster. Up until I was about 14 years old, I refused to read for fun. I read when school made me but that was it.

I had a friend who loved reading. She would read what I referred to as ‘adult books’. And no, I don’t mean anything sexual as you’re probably thinking. I meant that she would read books that we targeted towards adults. None of the YA fiction or middle grade stories. I was amazed by her reading skills. She read out loud with so much speed but could still understand what was happening in the book. It shocked me and I was a little jealous. I wanted to love books like she did but I just couldn’t make myself.

One day, another friend of mine asked if I wanted to borrow one of her books. She liked reading but she read more young adult fiction than my other friend. The book she offered to lend me was Airhead by Meg Cabot. I reluctantly took it from her and started to read. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did and after reading it, I had caught the reading bug.

Since then, I have been in and out of reading slumps. Sometimes I’m only in a slump for a few weeks but other times, it can be months. I thought that the months that I wasn’t reading were terrible. I knew that I had great books sitting on my shelf that I wanted to read but I couldn’t force myself. If only I knew that I would end up in the worst reading slump ever and those months were nothing in comparison.

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5 Youtubers I’ve Been Loving Lately

| Eleanor

I accidentally developed a Youtube obsession. It all started when I decided to waste a bit of time during these never ending lockdowns. What started as a time waster, has turned into a favourite part of my day. It sounds silly but I just love getting into bed in the evening and watching some of my favourite youtubers.

Recently I’ve been watching a lot of videos about vintage fashion, cottagecore, books and home decor. I do love other types of content too and I will watch all sorts, but those are the most common for me to watch recently.

Anyway, here are some of the youtubers that I’ve been watching recently..

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