What I Read in August 2024

I'm a little late to the round-up party, but hey- I'm an introvert; I'm just proud I showed up to the party at all!

This is what I read in August:

August Reading Stats:

📖11 books completed.

📖5 hardbacks.

🎧6 audiobooks

📖1705 pages.

🎧47 hours 15 minutes listened at 1.1x speed. (Plus about another 10 hours of HOFAS).

📖4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!

📖3⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖16 books acquired. (10 audiobooks, 6 hardbacks).

📖9 books preordered. (8 hardbacks, 1 audiobook).

August was a decent reading month for me. I finished 11 books, and started 2 others, completed my audiobook reread of ACOTAR, and smashed my Goodreads reading goal by 7 books, 4 and a half months early! I'm not gonna lie, it felt good.

I Read:

📖Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. 4⭐

📖Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett. 3⭐

📖Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana. 2.5⭐

📖Gild by Raven Kennedy. 4⭐

📖Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan. 3.5⭐

🎧A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas dramatised. 4⭐ (Reread).

🎧A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas dramatised parts 1 and 2. Both 5⭐ (Rereads).

🎧House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas dramatised parts 1 and 2. 4⭐ / 5⭐. (Rereads).

🎧House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas dramatised part 1. 5⭐. (Reread. Also, part 2 isn't out yet, and I didn't realise until after I'd finished part 1. *Cries.*)

And I Started:

📖Glint by Raven Kennedy..

🎧House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas unabridged.

I apparently spent August spirited away in the fae realms- every single books I read was fae fantasy of some description! It was completely unintentional, too- I didn't even notice until I saw my Storygraph infographics! Question: how many fae books is okay to read in a row before I have to admit I have a problem??

Favourite Reads: Probably Gild by Raven Kennedy, and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. Two very different reads, but I loved them both a lot.

Favourite Listens: A Court of Silver Flames, and House of Earth and Blood part two. It was really fun to listen to two of my favourites as audiobooks, and they were even better the second time around. Although, I still found the beginning of HOEAB difficult to get into- apparently, the heavy world-building is still dull when someone else is doing the reading for you, and the party lifestyle at the start just isn't my thing.

Least Favourites: Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana. It started off strong, but the quality of the writing quickly went down hill, and it was ultimately a big hot mess. It's a shame as it had so much potential, but it just didn't deliver.

September's shaping up to be a good reading month, but I'm not sure if I'm going to beat August's tallies; I've been reading some big beasts, so I'll probably finish less books this month. I'm hoping to fit in lots of reading this week and boost my reading goal, but I guess we'll see how I go in a couple of weeks.

Wish me luck!

What was the best book you read in August?

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What I Read in July 2024

Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Fairytales Jewellery Haul

Once upon a time, in a kingdom long burned to ash, there was a girl who loved fairytales very much. So, when Australian jewellery wizards, Erstwilder, made a bargain to create a fairytale jewellery collection with the happy art creator, Pete Cromer, she could not resist filling her basket with the wondrous resin jewels as if she were gathering food for the winter. Don't judge her; they were spelled to be irrisistable to all who love stories. And the girl lived happily ever after wearing her favourite fairytales on her heart and earlobes for all to see, while she skipped through the forest, waiting to be spirited away by a fae prince with wings and unresolved trauma... Or possibly the therapist she desperately needed...

Or, in English... I splurged on the recent Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Fairytales collaboration, and I'm here to show you the pretty brooches and earrings I bought.

First up is one of my favourites from the collection- the Snow White brooch, White as Snow. I'll admit, while I've always liked the story, Snow White has never really been at the top of my list of favourite fairytales, but I instantly fell in love with this design. Snow's so striking and really draws in the eye with the mix of cobalt blue, turquoise, cherry red, and black ripple and glitter resins. And how cute are her little ice-blue bluebird friends? Great style and animal sidekicks? Not gonna lie, I'm a little jealous. (Find it in the UK here)

Next up is the sold out Wonderland brooch, and it has to be one of the best non-Disney Alice in Wonderland designs I've ever seen! I love that instead of drawing inspiration from over-used scenes like the Mad Hatter's tea party or Alice falling down the rabbit hole in to Wonderland, Cromer thought outside the box and made art of the croquet scene. It shows Alice facing off with a giant pink flamingo, with a little lilac hedgehog in her hand, and a bed of toadstools and flowers on the grass around them. I love the mix of ripple, plain, and textured resins it's made from, especially the swirling pastel pink sky that adds a dreamlike quality, and the interesting dotted sunshine-yellow resin used to give her hair texture. I'm not sure if it's a new resin for Erstwilder, but I haven't seen it used before. It's pretty cool. 

I've never understood how Little Red Riding Hood could ever mistake a wolf for her grandmother- was Little Red visually-challenged or was her Nana just that hairy?!- but okay, I'll admit, this version of the wolf does a good cosplay. The That's Not Grandma brooch is a very convincing human granny in her raspberry-pink and lilac polka dot, scalloped-trimmed nightie and scarlet cat-eye glasses. I mean, you barely even notice the two-toned ripple and bubble resin lilac fur, snout, or tail, do you? Definitely deserves a few points for effort. He's easily my favourite from the collection, along with Snow. (Find it in the UK here)

I always loved the Disney version of Pinocchio growing up, but parts of it also scared the crap out of me. I don't know what's scarier- kids being turned into donkeys, or every lie you tell showing on your face for all to see? *Shudders.* Thankfully, there's nothing scary about the Boys Don't Lie brooch, just a charming wooden boy taking a stroll beside the sea while a whale breaches the waves in the distance. With the wood-effect resin and the moody teals, and olive greens, it has such a nostalgic feel to it, and it's the perfect piece to wear to keep a little of that childhood magic alive. (Find it in the UK here)

I was also lucky enough to receive one of the gift-with-purchase brooches, for buying multiple pieces from the same stockist. For this collection, Erstwilder produced little fairytale books in red, green, and blue, and I received the green. It's a gorgeous sea-green ripple resin tome, with gold detailing, and as a big old bookworm, it's one of my favourite gifts-with-purchase brooches to date. It's perfect for double-brooching with the fairytale brooches, but great on its own, too. I've got a couple of book print dresses it'll go perfectly with.

Alongside the main collection, Erstwilder also brought out a range of complimenting Essentials earrings, which are affordable studs and drop earrings, usually with less detail and layering than those in the main collections. I love wearing them with most of my outfits, so of course, I picked up a couple of pairs to add to my collection.

I was instantly drawn to the Beauty-and-the-Beast-inspired Eternal Rose drop earrings, as not only are they super pretty, but because they're giving off ACOTAR vibes. The red ripple resin they're made of is probably my favourite resin Erstwilder use, and the gold detailing adds a nice contrast. I need to repierce my ear as one of my old piercings keeps closing up, but when I do, I'm gonna wear them with everything. If you're not a red rose fan, they also come in white, and there are studs in both colours, too. (Find them the UK here)

And the other pair of earrings I chose were the pale pink shell studs, as I thought they'd be ideal for pairing with my sealife brooches and for finishing off cute summer outfits, especially on holidays by the sea. They're little scallop shells, made from the prettiest shimmery coral-pink resin, and they're lovely. The shell studs also come in pearly white, and there are drop earring options, too. (Find them in the UK here)

One last thing that I love about this collection is the packaging. Usually, you'll find that jewellery from Erstwilder come in circular boxes, but for this collection, they redesigned them to look like little books! They even made each one a different colour, allowing those who splurge on multiple pieces to create their own little Fairytale bookshelves. How cute is that?!

Most of the Fairytales collection sold out on release day, as Pete Cromer collections usually do, but there are still a handful of pieces and most of the Essentials earrings available to shop from via Erstwilder, and their stockists. I highly recommend them.

Did you buy anything from the Fairytales collection?

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Books Read in July 2024

I've been posting a monthly round-up of what I've been reading on Instagram each month for a while now, and I wanted to start recording it here, too. So, let's get the ball rolling, and start with what I read in July.

July Reading Stats:

📖12 books completed.

📖5 hardbacks.

🎧7 audiobooks (Rereads of the first 3 dramatised ACOTAR books- they’re split in to 2-3 parts each).

📖1973 pages.

🎧47 hours 26 minutes listened at 1.1x speed.

11 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star reads!*

1 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can't believe I finished 12 books in July! (And began 2 more).

I haven’t read this many books in a month in a couple of years, so I’m feeling really proud of myself.

The higher-than-usual read count is mostly because I’ve just gotten into audiobooks; after reading my first 2 ever in June, I’ve gone from never being able to stand them, to finishing 7 in a month! They're oddly addictive, and so relaxing to listen to when I'm doing other stuff, and not in the mood for music. I'm mostly just planning to listen to rereads, because I like to tab all my favourite quotes and passages when I read, but I think it’s safe to say I’m converted.

So in July...

I Read:

📖Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. 5⭐

📖Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco. 5⭐

📖Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco. 5⭐

📖Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. 5⭐

📖Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross. 4⭐

🎧ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas, dramatised parts 1 and 2. 3⭐/ 4⭐ (*5 star in print).

🎧ACOMAF by Sarah J. Maas, dramatised parts 1 and 2. Both 4⭐ (*5 star in print).

🎧ACOWAR by Sarah J. Maas, dramatised parts 1, 2 and 3. All 5⭐

And I Started:

📖Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.

🎧ACOFAS by Sarah J. Maas dramatised.

Favourite Reads: Divine Rivals, Kingdom of the Cursed, and Kingdom of the Feared.

I became completely addicted to the brilliant Kingdom of the Wicked series, which is a dark-romantasy murder-mystery about morally-grey demon princes, witches, and goddesses, set in Italy and the Underworld, with some forced proximity, and an enemies-to-lovers, marriage-of-convenience plot thrown in for good measure. The series just got better and better as it went on, (not to mention spicier), and Wrath and Emilia have become one of my favourite bookish couples ever.

I’ve also fallen hopelessly in love with Divine Rivals, which is about two rival journalists communicating through magic typewriters during a fantasy war, and the enemies-to-lovers relationship that develops between them while reporting on the frontlines. It’s basically like The Lake House- if The Lake House had teenagers, typewriters and war, instead of a middle-aged couple, mail boxes, and a two-year time gap problem- and it’s so romantic, and beautifully written. I finished it a couple of weeks ago, and I still can't stop thinking about it. I enjoyed the sequel, Ruthless Vows, a lot too- which was an absolutely devastating read- but it hasn't left its mark on my heart in quite the same way. Probably as it hurt my heart so much.

Favourite Listens: ACOMAF (A Court of Mist and Fury) and ACOWAR (A Court of Wings and Ruin), but the ACOTAR series is one of my all time favourites, and they’re much better in print form. The dramatised audiobooks are fun, but at times, they kind of sound like bad TV movies. Especially the first one. But I actually really enjoyed ACOWAR as an audiobook- it was perfectly tense and dramatic with all the battles and betrayals, deaths and hostility. Starfall and chapter 54 in ACOMAF were also so satisfying to hear read aloud. It's just a shame the growls and wails of pain were so cringe-worthy, and that some of the voices don't match the characters at all- particularly Cassian's.

Least Favourites: I didn’t have a single bad read in July, so I don’t have any I wish to critisise this month. At least, any more than I just did about the ACOTAR audiobooks! Haha!

Did you read anything good in July?

*Based on how I rated the print versions of ACOTAR. I rated some of the audiobooks a little lower because the voice acting is kinda cheesy, but the books are all five star favourites of mine.

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The Cotswold Wildlife Park April 2024

I wanted to quickly share some of the photos I took during my visit to The Cotswold Wildlife Park this spring. I actually had this post all ready to go in April, but it somehow got lost in my drafts. Oops!

My sister and I had a lovely day out there on the first warm day of spring in April. It was my first trip out to anywhere other than medical appointments or the shops since last July, so I can't begin to tell you how good it felt to be out and about doing something fun for a change, especially with all the blossom on the trees, and pretty spring flowers blooming wherever we turned.

The Walled Gardens looked particularly gorgeous with so many unusual varieties of tulips and daffodils (as well as many others) catching our eye as much as the animals. I wish I had taken better photos, as mine really don't do their gardens justice.

We saw so many amazing animals during our visit, from otters and penguins to tapirs and wolves, but I think this trip's highlights were the wolverines, anteaters, and rhinos.

We got to see the wolverines having feeding-time zoomies around their outdoor enclosure, and it was fun to see them galloping around at full-speed, while their keeper went in, armed with just a broom for protection. I've never seen them so active before.

I was also really excited to see the giant anteaters out and about for the first time in about a decade. I managed to capture this little guy going for a stroll along the back of its paddock, and stopping for a quick snack at a tree. I've never seen an anteater feeding in real life before, especially not naturally, so that was pretty cool to see. 

Another highlight was finally getting to see their two rhino calves. I'd wanted to go see them since they were born weeks apart last autumn, so it was nice to see the overgrown puppies before they got big. I don't know what it is about rhinos, but I just find them adorable.

Oh, and we also met a couple who had brought their animal-loving French bulldog to the wildlife park as a birthday treat, and isn't that just the most wholesome thing ever? They were holding him up to see the tamarins, and he was being such a good boy, quietly wagging his tail at them. It was so cute.

I wish I could take Rosie for a visit, but I wouldn't dare, as, judging by the way she goes ballistic at squirrels and cats, I just know all hell would break lose if she saw something new, like a monkey or a meerkat. We'd probably get kicked straight out. Haha!

So, overall, we had another lovely visit to The Cotswold Wildlife Park, and even though we've been approximately 8930921 times, we can't wait to go back.

If you've never been to The Cotswold Wildlife Park, and love animals and plants, I'd highly recommend it for a day out. It's a fantastic place to visit all year round, and I can attest that as a local, who's been taking day trips there all her life. Plus, it's on the edge of the beautiful Cotswolds, so you can come check out my part of the world!

Have you been to the zoo lately?

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Birthday Wish List

It's my birthday in a few days, so just for fun, I've put together a little wish list of things I'd love to receive or would spend my birthday money on, if I'm lucky enough to be given any. 

Unsurprisingly, it's mostly made up of dresses, pretty books, quirky brooches, and stationery. Shocker.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22 // 23 // 24 // 25 // 26 // 27 // 28

1. I was obsessed with Polly Pockets in the nineties, so naturally, I'm gonna need this Polly Pocket mini backpack from Loungefly when it releases this summer.

2. And obviously, that means I'm also gonna need this adorable Polly Pocket zip around wallet to go with it.

3. This toucan print trapeze dress from Popsy Clothing looks like the perfect dress to throw on over leggings on a hot day, to stay comfortable but still look stylish.

4. I've wanted to try the Bride of the Shadow King series for ages, and the Illumicrate Bride of the Shadow King special edition trilogy is to die for.

5. I'd love to add Erstwilder's otterly adorable Owen the Otter brooch to my brooch zoo.

6. Can we talk about how cute this Doodllery Cloud brooch from Little Moose is?!

7. If there was an award for prettiest bookmark, I think The Quirky Cup Collective's Iridescence Bookmark would definitely win it. I want one!

8. I recently bought my first notebooks from The Quirky Cup Collective, and now I'm obsessed. They're beautiful, and the quality is amazing. I'd love to add this stunning Otherworldly Journal to my tiny collection.

9. This romantasy colouring book looks awesome.

10. This Quirky Cup Magic Tarot Journal is also dreamy.

11. I'm dying to get my hands on this pretty pastel Loungefly My Little Pony sky scenes convertible tote backpack. If I'm lucky enough to get any birthday money, I'll probably cave.

12. I need this Meeko iPhone case from Skinny Dip! He's the best Disney sidekick ever!

13. I ran out of my YSL Touche Eclat blur primer a couple of years ago, and it's amazing, so I'd be thrilled if the beauty fairies blessed me with a new one on my birthday.

14. I love this Pool Party brooch from Erstwilder's recent Atomic Abode collection. I could wear it and pretend I'm sunning myself by the pool in some tropical paradise while I'm stuck in sunny Oxfordshire this summer.

15. This Loungefly My Little Pony colour block mini backpack is the thing my nineties kid dreams were made of.

16. The colour palette is different to what I usually go for, but I kinda love this cottage-core patchwork print dress from Joanie Clothing.

17. I'm so tempted by Owlcrate's beautiful special edition of Sword Catcher.

18. My face needs all the help it can get these days, so I'd love a new YSL Touche Eclat illuminating pen to make me look a little more alive.

19. How pretty is this Paris scenes print dress from Popsy Clothing?

20. I really want to get a book light to save my eyes as I keep getting eyestrain, and this IF Book Lover's Reading Light has made my short list. I love the botanical pattern, too.

21. The Loungefly My Little Pony castle mini backpack has been on my wishlist for over a year, but can you blame me when it's this cute?!

22. Another booklight I've been considering is the IF Really Tiny Book Light. They come in a bunch of colours, but I'd probably choose petal pink or mint.

23. I love colouring-in with watercolours, but I'm still learning how to mix the perfect skin colours, so it would be handy to have some ready-to-use shades I can use when I'm feeling lazy, like this ZenArt portrait watercolour set.

24. Monet's got nothing on Little Moose's beautiful Waterlily brooch. How cute is the little frog?!

25. I really want to try this Ecoline skintones watercolour brush pen set.

26. I've also wanted to read Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong for ages. Apparently, it's an Antony and Cleopatra retelling with Hunger Games vibes.

27. I keep hearing good things about Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows and have been meaning to read them for over a year, so I'd love to get the duology.

28. And finally, I'd love to add this gorgeous Bushbaby Duo brooch from Little Moose to my collection.

If you want to see what didn't make the cut, you can find my Birthday Wish List board on Pinterest here.

What's on the top of your wish list right now?