bookblogger
books
everything everything
fiction
nicola yoon
reading
zoellabookclub
Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
Sometimes you get reading a book and you can tell pretty early on that it's something special. I felt this way with Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon.
I have been making my way through the books in the Zoella book club, and this one really stood out to me amongst the other 6 books for the collection I'd read beforehand (I've got one book left to go).
The story is about a girl called Maddy, who is unwell - she is pretty much allergic to life. She has not left her house of filter air or spent time with anybody besides her mum and nurse in 17 years, so pretty much all of her life, her life has been extremely sheltered due to her rare illness.
When new neighbours move next door, Maddy finds herself feeling curious about the boy next door, and he clearly feels the same toward her, after the exchange of email addresses over writing on windows, they become online friends, and eventually Maddy, see more that two people in real life.
She falls in love with Olly door despite not being able to touch each other. Is so interesting to see how Maddy character develops as she spends more time with Olly, she only ever spent time with her mum and her nurse, so she is learning to be a sociable teenager, and maintain relationships for the first time ever.
This book is about making sacrifices, and falling in love for the first time.
There is depth to all of the characters. I think every character was very well written, I think Maddy's and Olly character just fit together perfectly and compliment each other. The character of her mum and her nurse Carla, as are also vital characters in the book, and both of them seem like real people with purpose throughout the story.
I love that this story isn't solely based on Maddy's illness, there also are a lot of other topics covered.
The reader learns more about the life of Olly character, his 'ordinary' teenage life, and his family life. He not just put in the story purely to add the romantic aspect. He has his own story - and the story is about how to two characters come together despite their own struggles.
There is also a big twist at the end of the book, which I would have predicted for a second, which makes the book a million times more interesting. There is more to this book than it seems on the
surface.
It's also quite a visual book, which is something I really love. There are illustrations throughout the book, all of which are relevant to the story, and bring something to it. And to make it even more adorable, I read that the author's husband did the illustrations, which I think is possibly the cutest thing ever.
If you into Young Adult Romance stories, I'd give this a read - it gets more interesting as it goes on, and every single character is intriguing, and together they all fit in quite a lovely way, and the story is bloody brilliant. I really loved this book, it's definitely one I intend on reading again!
blogging
personal
Doing It My Own Way
I've been spending my evenings and weekends blogging for a long time now, I'll often opt for a Saturday night home alone in order to spend time typing away on a new blog post. However, despite the time and work I put into my blog, it's rare I gain followers - and I see other gain a following at a faster rate. For a while, this left me with a feeling of 'what am I doing wrong? Am I not as good as others?' but after putting some kinda sad thought into it, I realised that comparing myself to others isn't actually doing myself or my blog any favours, if anything, I'm just feeling crap and disheartened - and nobody wants that, especially if it's somewhat self-inflicted.
I'm trying my best to accept that my blog will not be a fast growing blog, with a huge following in a matter of months, and there is no way I'll ever be sent on those blogger trips which are #instagoal #lifegoals. My blog has a very organic following, and I needed to take some time to remember I actually quite like that. It's something I'm proud of, it reminds me I'm here typing for me, and nobody else, if anyone else is reading it's a bonus. I don't necessarily need to shove my blog post in others faces saying 'read me read me', of course occasionally I will, if I'm proud of my work sometimes I want to shout about it, and sometimes I want to quietly smile to myself.
When I scroll down bloglovin' I see so many blog titles which are something along the lines of "grow your followers" "how to be a better blogger" "Improve your blog" "Blogging tips" "How to be a successful blogger" ... Sometimes I'll give these blog posts a read, usually a bit of a skim, because although they're enjoyable and sometimes useful, they're all a bit the same. The problem I find, is there are so many bloggers putting they're tips and advice on blogging out there it's all a bit overwhelming. I mean, this stuff can be really useful especially to those starting out, but there so much of it, that whole area just feels a bit noisy.
With so many version of how to be a success blogger to read, it baffles me that these posts rarely ask, what makes a successful blogger? Surely we all define success differently and aspire to different things from our blogs. The reason I think the blogging world is great is because there is room for everyone, there are so many different voices to be heard, yet despite this we seem to think that to be a 'successful' blogger we must follow a few rules which usually consist of sticking to a schedule (which I usually try and fail to do - I'm holding hope on this one though), Uploading often (which I usually do), having great photos (I'm mainly happy with all the photos on my blog, and have a great love of photography which has grown from having a blog), having a good writing style (I like my writing style, I feel most like 'me' when I write, and I'm constantly trying to improve to writing), Check for typos (I'm the queen of typos, and that's life), alongside this promote on every social media possible - TweetDeck is usually recommended (I'm not a fan of TweetDeck - even though we've written the tweets it feels a little robot like to me. You can always tell a scheduled tweet), and have a white background, or holiday themed insta (never going to happen - at the moment my Instagram is colourful and very 'me'... can that count as theme?).
So, I sort of manage a few of the 'rules' were told to follow, but not all, because it's just not me. I am the messiest person ever, a clean white background on my Instagram would not reflect a dash of my personality. Also, how are these things going to make me a successful blogger? There's not doubt they'll probably grow my following which would be lovely, I'm not going to lie, I'd have a little smile on my face watching those numbers climb, but if we all followed the same blogging rules, we'd all become pretty similar. Yes, I would love a high following, but because people having loved to read the content I loved to create, which reflect who I am, but not because I was shouting at them on twitter and my posts are as immaculate as my overly themed Instagram.
Something to be me feels a lot more genuine about my slow growing following. I feel I am becoming more confident and aware of my own writing style and the content I want to create, without te pressure of sticking to the reason my thousands of followers clicked the button in the first place.
At the moment I am enjoying blogging more than ever, and I think that's because I feel I am more comfortable to write about what I really want to write about, and I feel a lot more true to myself on my blog. Although there are many things which have made me feel a surge of 'should I really post this' as I hit the publish button, I've also felt the relief and honest in the writing which I think is important. I know I write a lot of on here which would make me cringe if I knew my friends and family were reading, I think honesty in writing is very special and sometimes it's important to be a little raw. So gladly I'll give over thousands of followers and sponsored post for my place to reflect and therapeutic, disturbing honest writing. Of course, I will still splash in my fashion and beauty, because those loves of mine are forever strong. But there is an exception that for my blog to feel completely me, I won't be getting #fan tweets coming in anytime soon, but that's okay.
It's very important to stay true to yourself. This is meant in no way offensively to the immaculate fast growing blogs, I think that's really great for others, I just know it's not me.
When I scroll down bloglovin' I see so many blog titles which are something along the lines of "grow your followers" "how to be a better blogger" "Improve your blog" "Blogging tips" "How to be a successful blogger" ... Sometimes I'll give these blog posts a read, usually a bit of a skim, because although they're enjoyable and sometimes useful, they're all a bit the same. The problem I find, is there are so many bloggers putting they're tips and advice on blogging out there it's all a bit overwhelming. I mean, this stuff can be really useful especially to those starting out, but there so much of it, that whole area just feels a bit noisy.
With so many version of how to be a success blogger to read, it baffles me that these posts rarely ask, what makes a successful blogger? Surely we all define success differently and aspire to different things from our blogs. The reason I think the blogging world is great is because there is room for everyone, there are so many different voices to be heard, yet despite this we seem to think that to be a 'successful' blogger we must follow a few rules which usually consist of sticking to a schedule (which I usually try and fail to do - I'm holding hope on this one though), Uploading often (which I usually do), having great photos (I'm mainly happy with all the photos on my blog, and have a great love of photography which has grown from having a blog), having a good writing style (I like my writing style, I feel most like 'me' when I write, and I'm constantly trying to improve to writing), Check for typos (I'm the queen of typos, and that's life), alongside this promote on every social media possible - TweetDeck is usually recommended (I'm not a fan of TweetDeck - even though we've written the tweets it feels a little robot like to me. You can always tell a scheduled tweet), and have a white background, or holiday themed insta (never going to happen - at the moment my Instagram is colourful and very 'me'... can that count as theme?).
So, I sort of manage a few of the 'rules' were told to follow, but not all, because it's just not me. I am the messiest person ever, a clean white background on my Instagram would not reflect a dash of my personality. Also, how are these things going to make me a successful blogger? There's not doubt they'll probably grow my following which would be lovely, I'm not going to lie, I'd have a little smile on my face watching those numbers climb, but if we all followed the same blogging rules, we'd all become pretty similar. Yes, I would love a high following, but because people having loved to read the content I loved to create, which reflect who I am, but not because I was shouting at them on twitter and my posts are as immaculate as my overly themed Instagram.
Something to be me feels a lot more genuine about my slow growing following. I feel I am becoming more confident and aware of my own writing style and the content I want to create, without te pressure of sticking to the reason my thousands of followers clicked the button in the first place.
At the moment I am enjoying blogging more than ever, and I think that's because I feel I am more comfortable to write about what I really want to write about, and I feel a lot more true to myself on my blog. Although there are many things which have made me feel a surge of 'should I really post this' as I hit the publish button, I've also felt the relief and honest in the writing which I think is important. I know I write a lot of on here which would make me cringe if I knew my friends and family were reading, I think honesty in writing is very special and sometimes it's important to be a little raw. So gladly I'll give over thousands of followers and sponsored post for my place to reflect and therapeutic, disturbing honest writing. Of course, I will still splash in my fashion and beauty, because those loves of mine are forever strong. But there is an exception that for my blog to feel completely me, I won't be getting #fan tweets coming in anytime soon, but that's okay.
It's very important to stay true to yourself. This is meant in no way offensively to the immaculate fast growing blogs, I think that's really great for others, I just know it's not me.
beauty
beauty blogger
make up
Playing with Make Up...
Like many beauty addicts, I love doing my make -up for no reason. It a way to let off some creative energy, and experiment with creating new looks. I think it's amazing to see what you can do when you use a face as your canvas, and with the constant inspiration from Instagram, I find myself want to experiment with products and colours more and more.
So here is a look I created after stalking a few Instagrams - it's not perfect but still, I like how it turned out!
I think the darkness and winged shape of the eye makeup is stunning.
I thought I'd attempt to create a cut crease look, so I decided to pop my Stila Foil Finish Eyeshadow (in the shade Comex Gold) through my crease, now I know I've not done a perfect job of this, but I like how it looks nonetheless.
What do you think of this look?
Maybe next time I recreate it, it will be to leave the house!
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book
CTRL ALT DELETE
Emma Gannon
Featured
internet
memories
msn
reading
CTRL ALT DELETE, How I Grew Up Online By Emma Gannon
As I am a big fan of Emma Gannon's blog, podcast, newsletter and general existence, I was, of course, excited to get my hands on her book. I've got to say, now that I've finished it, I do actually think it was even better than I expected - I was not at all disappointed with the content or the writing.
Through the book, Emma reflects on growing up with the internet, and the effect being online had on her life. Being just a few years younger than Emma, I felt I could relate completely - those attempts of flirting over MSN and irrational crushes on someone you'd never speak to face to face is definitely something I experienced. Reading this book (the first half especially) I found myself looking back, massively cringing, and laughing my head off, as I remembered just how unaware I was as a teen with the freedom of the internet (after waiting for the dial-up connection and keeping anybody from using the house phone), I also felt very thankful, I was not the only one that went through these teen experiences I desperately pushed to the back of my mind. I find it comical to think what life was like when I first began using the internet on a huge, extremely slow machine in the 'computer room' of our house.
This book made me laugh out loud and made me think deeply about, uhh, pretty much everything. From crushes and friendships to the TMI of giving head for the first time (which is so honest and bloody hilarious to read about), death, troll and those who don't understand the internet generation, CTRL ALT DEL covers it all. Despite the vast number of topics covered throughout the 260 pages, everything is still very relevant and fits in very well. Considering there is an entire chapter on a lady Emma met in the loo, there are no words to fill paper or for the sake of typing, every single word is worth reading and each sentence matters in the 'story' being told.
Reading the book, I felt like Emma was a close friend, and we were between laughing fits and deep conversations which often happen in intimate relationships, but something I think it rare to find through printed words.
Emma is such a refreshingly honest, and naturally, a witty writer, alongside this her, points are so well informed and a great reflection on what she stands for, what she's experienced and who she is. I felt as though I was reading Emma's train of thought, as her personality shine through the entire book (in the same way it does her blog and newsletter). I often find the in books can feel quite robotic as the writer looks back on memories, which you hadn't experienced, but this book, is quite the opposite, I was laughing along remembering my own experiences and curious to hear more Emma's past, and the things which made her the woman she is today. There were many memories which I'd pretty much blocked them out due to pure embarrassment of my teenage existence - but at 24, they are now something I can laugh about. It's a very brave book for Emma to publish and that's what I love about it. It is so real.
Those experience you push to the back of your mind because you think you're the only one who has the most cringy teen experiences come back to life, as the writer subtly reminds you being a teen in the world of internet isn't supposed to be a life of #goals especially when you specialise in trying (and usually failing) to chat up your crush over MSN. Oh, the memories. And in complete contrast, the book also discusses going from awful unpaid internships to becoming a successful freelance business woman (which is actually #goals)
This was the best book I read in a lot of time - I felt more connected to the writer than ever before and I think it's because Emma kept the book so raw - a brave move which definitely paid off.
Through the book, Emma reflects on growing up with the internet, and the effect being online had on her life. Being just a few years younger than Emma, I felt I could relate completely - those attempts of flirting over MSN and irrational crushes on someone you'd never speak to face to face is definitely something I experienced. Reading this book (the first half especially) I found myself looking back, massively cringing, and laughing my head off, as I remembered just how unaware I was as a teen with the freedom of the internet (after waiting for the dial-up connection and keeping anybody from using the house phone), I also felt very thankful, I was not the only one that went through these teen experiences I desperately pushed to the back of my mind. I find it comical to think what life was like when I first began using the internet on a huge, extremely slow machine in the 'computer room' of our house.
This book made me laugh out loud and made me think deeply about, uhh, pretty much everything. From crushes and friendships to the TMI of giving head for the first time (which is so honest and bloody hilarious to read about), death, troll and those who don't understand the internet generation, CTRL ALT DEL covers it all. Despite the vast number of topics covered throughout the 260 pages, everything is still very relevant and fits in very well. Considering there is an entire chapter on a lady Emma met in the loo, there are no words to fill paper or for the sake of typing, every single word is worth reading and each sentence matters in the 'story' being told.
Reading the book, I felt like Emma was a close friend, and we were between laughing fits and deep conversations which often happen in intimate relationships, but something I think it rare to find through printed words.
Emma is such a refreshingly honest, and naturally, a witty writer, alongside this her, points are so well informed and a great reflection on what she stands for, what she's experienced and who she is. I felt as though I was reading Emma's train of thought, as her personality shine through the entire book (in the same way it does her blog and newsletter). I often find the in books can feel quite robotic as the writer looks back on memories, which you hadn't experienced, but this book, is quite the opposite, I was laughing along remembering my own experiences and curious to hear more Emma's past, and the things which made her the woman she is today. There were many memories which I'd pretty much blocked them out due to pure embarrassment of my teenage existence - but at 24, they are now something I can laugh about. It's a very brave book for Emma to publish and that's what I love about it. It is so real.
Those experience you push to the back of your mind because you think you're the only one who has the most cringy teen experiences come back to life, as the writer subtly reminds you being a teen in the world of internet isn't supposed to be a life of #goals especially when you specialise in trying (and usually failing) to chat up your crush over MSN. Oh, the memories. And in complete contrast, the book also discusses going from awful unpaid internships to becoming a successful freelance business woman (which is actually #goals)
This was the best book I read in a lot of time - I felt more connected to the writer than ever before and I think it's because Emma kept the book so raw - a brave move which definitely paid off.
blogging
diary
family
Featured
friends
lifestyle
personal
You may have noticed I've been a little quiet on my blog for the last week or so. Having planned out my daily blog post for the month and feeling a burst of enthusiasm get the going with them - I found my laptop was not feeling the same. As the machine powered up, the screen did nothing. I heard my little MacBook chime, and the screen - blank. In the panic, I googled MacBook recovery and had an online chat with a very patient guy from Apple, but whatever I tried, still nothing - so I gave in a booked an appointment for the genius bar to get my baby fixed. Of course, I had to wait an entire week for the appointment, an entire week without blogging. 7 days, while at home waiting to start my new job, I couldn't blog. Then, of course once I took my laptop in, I had to wait even longer for it actually to be fixed. I'm not somebody who can blog from a tablet or phone, unfortunately, I just can't do it. The quality of my posts would have suffered massively if I tried it, and as I'm ready the queen of typos, I didn't even want to imagine the typo situation as I attempted to type up my usually far too wordy blog posts through the cracks of my phone screen.
So, I was having a break from blogging.
I'll admit I found myself feeling pretty bored - what did I do before I had a blog?!
Once I managed to overcome the boredom and busy myself. I found myself feeling quite refreshed stepping away from a computer screen. I fell in love with reading again - I read 4 new books in the almost two weeks I was without a laptop, wrote some new poetry, and got messy baking.
I also spent a lot of time with friends and family.
I rummaged through one-off shops in Chepstow, and enjoyed a pub lunch with my Auntie and Uncle, I explored Leigh Woods with some friends, enjoyed a wine and cheese night while catching up with some of my favorites, took myself on a few autumn walks, visited my old work and let myself feel content with just doing nothing!
I will be giving you some more in depth catch up with a lot of these things, as it seemed to be the perfect time to play with my camera! Not having my laptop reminded me that I do photography firstly because I enjoy it, not just for the blog, and sometimes it's nice to go out with a camera, even if the images are just for me to see
However, as much as I enjoyed my time away from my laptop, I can't wait to blog my little ass off again! I've written out my schedule for the rest of the month. My blog posts will be going live at 4pm (UK time) weekdays on my blog, and a video every Sunday on my Youtube Chanel at 7pm.
I'm feeling very motivated and inspired now I've had some time away from my laptop, and I hope that will shine through in my posts. I'm going to try my very best to be organised enough that I will be able to keep to schedule despite starting a new job in the upcoming weeks, I'm excited to dive back into the world of blogging!
Love,
C x
The Accidental Blogging Break.
You may have noticed I've been a little quiet on my blog for the last week or so. Having planned out my daily blog post for the month and feeling a burst of enthusiasm get the going with them - I found my laptop was not feeling the same. As the machine powered up, the screen did nothing. I heard my little MacBook chime, and the screen - blank. In the panic, I googled MacBook recovery and had an online chat with a very patient guy from Apple, but whatever I tried, still nothing - so I gave in a booked an appointment for the genius bar to get my baby fixed. Of course, I had to wait an entire week for the appointment, an entire week without blogging. 7 days, while at home waiting to start my new job, I couldn't blog. Then, of course once I took my laptop in, I had to wait even longer for it actually to be fixed. I'm not somebody who can blog from a tablet or phone, unfortunately, I just can't do it. The quality of my posts would have suffered massively if I tried it, and as I'm ready the queen of typos, I didn't even want to imagine the typo situation as I attempted to type up my usually far too wordy blog posts through the cracks of my phone screen.
 |
| More on this delicious salted caramel brownie coming soon! |
I'll admit I found myself feeling pretty bored - what did I do before I had a blog?!
Once I managed to overcome the boredom and busy myself. I found myself feeling quite refreshed stepping away from a computer screen. I fell in love with reading again - I read 4 new books in the almost two weeks I was without a laptop, wrote some new poetry, and got messy baking.
I also spent a lot of time with friends and family.
 |
| I love all the colours Autumn brings, it's my favourite time of year! |
I rummaged through one-off shops in Chepstow, and enjoyed a pub lunch with my Auntie and Uncle, I explored Leigh Woods with some friends, enjoyed a wine and cheese night while catching up with some of my favorites, took myself on a few autumn walks, visited my old work and let myself feel content with just doing nothing!
I will be giving you some more in depth catch up with a lot of these things, as it seemed to be the perfect time to play with my camera! Not having my laptop reminded me that I do photography firstly because I enjoy it, not just for the blog, and sometimes it's nice to go out with a camera, even if the images are just for me to see
 |
| You can get 20% off my laptop case and anything else from Coconut Lane with the discount code chloeharriets20 |
Love,
C x
first impressions
zoella
zoella lifestyle
Zoella Lifestyle First Impressions
Like many bloggers, I was pretty excited to hear Zoella was bringing out a lifestyle range. I have always liked her beauty range (the hand cream is a saviour), however, as I'm definitely no longer in my teens (mid twenties actually... It makes me cringe a little when I say that!) I'm a little outside of the age group the Zoella Beauty range is aimed toward. However, I still find myself intrigued when there is a new Zoella release and interested to see what she creates, as I'm sure many 20-somethings are. I think Zoe may have realised this too, as her lifestyle range seems to have a slightly more grown-up vibe - it definitely seems covers a larger audience, I don't feel too old for these products, but I can see teens enjoying these bits and bobs, and even those a little older than myself. I have a weakness for stationery and candles, so of course, I was going to be obsessed with the range, and alongside this, I'm a complete sucker for a cheesy, yet inspirational quote and these seem to run through the aesthetics of the stationary.
On the day Zoella Lifestyle went to boots stores, I popped in to see what I could get my hands on. As it had gone midday, there already wasn't much of the range left in store (it must have seriously been leaving shelves fast!) However, I managed to pick up three of the things I was lusting after - The Once Upon A Time Notebook, The She Designed A Life She A Life She Loved Organiser/Stationary Book, and The Seaside Stroll Candle. I'm pretty impressed with these things so far, so I thought I'd give you the lowdown...
The notebook is A4, so it's a good size. The cover is a soft faux leather, and a lot more flexible than it looks, so which I really like. There are quotes written on the front, back and throughout the book. The quotes are a great way to gain that extra bit of motivation, inspiration, or even just a friendly reminder to stay positive. Alongside this, the quotes in the book are also ideal for dividing up the pages and working in sections. The text on the cover is embossed, in a stunning rose gold, which stands out against the grey, giving the notebook a sophisticated, yet eye-catching finish. To put it simply, it's a very pretty notebook, which pretty much shouts positive sayings at you - what more could you want from a notepad?!
This was one of the things I was most excited about from the launch. Similarly to the notebook, it follows the grey theme with the rose gold embossing of an inspirational quote (this also happens to be a quote I really love). It's smaller in size, which makes it much more handbag friendly. It closes neatly the use of a magnet, which I think is a little sleeker than an elastic band, and has an orange and white zig-zag post-it blogpost on being more productive, you'll know I mentioned that I find having too much on my to-do list overwhelming and counterproductive. This little list writing section is perfect to avoid that - there are a set number of spaces, and it's titled big plans - it's basically telling you only need to pop in important stuff down. Of course, anyone can use it as they please, but I will be using it for my big plans.
The right side of the book contains just one page which is set out as a mini weekly calendar. Each day is boxed in "hello Monday" with two sections per a day, a sun and a moon - night and day. This makes is really easy to map out of your week. My only complaint is, there is not much space for each day, however, that's the compromise you make for having such a compact organiser. There is also an option to write down the highlights of the week, and next week's goals. This is the perfect if you need to organise your time and stay positive.
This was the only candle they had left when I got to boots however, I kinda fragranced
I'm pretty pleased with all the bits I got for myself, and I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of the product Zoe has to offer. I think they products
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