The Christmas Book Blogger Tag

I saw the Christmas Book Blogger Tag on a couple of blogs, and thought it would be fun to jump on the band wagon, so here we are. Let's do this!

What is your favourite Christmas scene in a book?

I love the Christmas scene in Little Women when Beth is recovering from scarlet fever, and Mr. Lawrence gives her his late daughter's piano. It makes me cry every time.

Oh, and also the scene in A Court of Frost and Starlight when Azriel takes it upon himself to fix the Solstice decorations Cassian and Feyre made a drunken mess of hanging; when he gets exasperated, and gets caught downing Rhys' good wine. His reaction is hilarious!

Do you have any Christmas book traditions?

Not really. The only ones I can think of are that I try to read festive books during December, and my older sister and I usually go sale-book-shopping between Christmas and New Year. I might have to make shopping for new festive books before Christmas a thing, though.

Do you prefer to get presents of book vouchers or books?

I honestly don't have a preference. Either way, I get new books. I love receiving new books people have chosen for me or picked off my wishlist, and gift vouchers are great because I'm a pro at getting more for the money during the Boxing Day sales.

Do you give books as presents?

Yes, I do. My family are all readers, so I gift books as part of their presents almost every year. A few people will be getting books off me this year, too.

What bookish item is on your Christmas wishlist?

I'm unlikely to get them, especially as they're from international brands, but I would love the Everything Nice Reading Companion from The Quirky Cup Collective; and the Kingdom of the Wicked Favourite Sin blanket from Litjoy Crate.

What three books would you love Santa to have in his sack for you?

1. The T. Kingfisher set of The Twisted Ones, The Hollow Places, and House with Good Bones from Illumicrate.

2. The Bride of the Shadow King trilogy from Illumicrate.

3. The King of Scars Annotated Special Edition Boxset from Litjoy Crate.

Fake Christmas tree or real Christmas tree?

We always have a fake Christmas tree in the living room, and I always get a small real one for my bedroom, so I have the best of both worlds. I always thought I prefered real ones, but I think fake trees are much less hassle.

What is your favourite thing about Christmas?

I particularly love seeing all the Christmas lights and decorations brightening up in the dark winter nights; giving gifts to my family and friends; and watching Christmas movies.

What Christmas book would you recommend?

I'd recommend:

♥ Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

♥ Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar.

♥ Upon a Frosted Star by M.A. Kuzniar.

♥ A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

♥ A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas.

♥ Noel Streatfield's Christmas Stories.

♥ A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories by Louisa May Alcott.

What dish on the Christmas menu are you most looking forward to?

My brother-in-law's goose-fat roast potatoes. They're so damn good! And also my blackberry and apple trifle and my sister's Squidgy Chocolate Log, because they're both delicious.

When do you open your Christmas presents?

We open ours once everyone is up on Christmas morning. And then exchange presents with my older sister and brother-in-law when they arrive around midday.

What's your favourite Christmas song?

It's probably between Last Christmas by Wham, I Believe in Father Christmas by Greg Lake, and It's Only Christmas by Ronan Keating.

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas?

I would love to have another white Christmas, as I've only ever had one (in 2010), and it was magical. It was so cold, we had snow on the ground for weeks, and icicles the length of my arm hanging from the windows! It rarely snows in Oxfordshire at the end of the year, though, so it's unlikely to happen again any time soon.

I hope you've enjoyed The Christmas Book Blogger Tag. If you want to take part, consider yourself tagged! Just make sure to leave the links to your posts in the comments so I can have a read!

What's your favourite Christmas book?

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OPI Wicked Mini Nail Lacquer 12 Day Advent Calendar Review With Spoilers

This year, I'll be counting down the days to Christmas with the OPI Wicked 12 Days of Thrillifying Shades nail polish Advent calendar, and I'm here to review it for you- with plenty of spoilers of the contents!

So, this year's OPI Advent calendar is a collaboration with Wicked the movie, and features twelve bewitchingly beautiful mini OPI nail polishes in shades inspired by the characters, which are perfect for the holiday season and beyond.

There are Glinda pinks and Elphaba greens, yellow-brick-road yellows and ruby-slipper reds- and a whole ensemble of other magical nail colours in between. 

I love the mix of nail shades included in this set, and that there is a colour for every mood, and occasion. Whether you're looking to get into the holiday spirit, feeling feminine like Glinda, or going for dark and edgy like Elphaba, there's a shade for it. It's been so well curated.

Here's a full list of the mini 3.5ml nail polishes you'll find inside. (Descriptions taken from OPI's website):

♥ Ga-linda- a light pink shimmer nail polish that'll ga-lindafy you.

♥ Oh, for Oz Sake- a white polish with pink and green pearlescence that'll unleash magic.

♥ Ozitively Elphaba- a green polish with gold pearlescence.

♥ I'm the Wonderfullest- a blue polish with multi-coloured shimmer.

♥ Glinda, the Good!- a hot pink shimmer that screams 'good witch.'

♥ Love You So Munchkin- a yellow and gold polish.

♥ Deflying Gravity- a black nail polish with blue and silver shimmer.

♥ Nessa-ist Rose- a rosy red nail polish that's Nessa-sary.

♥ Let's Rejoicify- a purple nail polish with red and gold shimmer.

♥ Oz-mazing- a light gold shimmer.

♥ Witch o'clock- a positively green polish that's Wicked.

♥ Fiyero's My Man- a cobalt blue polish that nails every prince-iple.

It was the greens, Ozitively Elphaba and Witch o' Clock, that sold me on this calendar- both shades look dreamy- but the black and purple shimmers, Deflying Gravity and Let's Rejoicify, and classic rosy red, Nessa-ist, look like they're going to be favourites, too. I haven't worn or even swatched any of them yet, as I'm saving that treat for when I open them, so we'll see if my favourites change later.

All of the nail polishes included in the calendar are 3.5ml minis, but they're still a reasonable size, and you'll get at least a few manicures out of each bottle. I can't deny, it would've been nice to see a full-size nail polish included for the final day, though.

The calendar itself is smaller than a paperback book, which is so cute, and perfect if you're short on space. It's made of sturdy, recyclable cardboard, and features a Wicked-inspired design in green and gold, with Glinda and Elphaba from the movie on the front.

Pull back the giant green nail polish, and it opens on a hinge to reveal the twelve numbered windows, in numerical order, and split into two sides. The left is green and purple for Elphaba, and the right is pink, purple, and yellow for Glinda. It's such a pretty design- especially the green side.

The windows are also clearly numbered with a modern white font, so it'll be easy to locate the correct one each day. And you'll find the name of each nail polish shade on the reverse of each window. You'll want to make a note of each one in case you wish to order a full-size bottle of your favourite shades, as, annoyingly, once again, they aren't printed on the bottles. I wish OPI would just print the names on the mini bottles already- it would make identifying them so much easier.

The OPI Advent Calendar retails for £52, which is expensive for twelve mini nail polishes, but it's fair when you consider the full-sized bottles retail for around £16 each. It's also currently included in a lot of Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals, so you should be able to grab it for much less. 

Overall, it's a fantastic, reasonably-priced nail polish Advent Calendar to count down to Christmas with, with a gorgeous variety of high-quality nail shades that will keep your nails looking their best long after the festive season is over. I'd highly recommend it.

You can find it from: Amazon, Boots, Nail Polish Direct, OPI, and Pretty Little Thing. (OPI currently have the best deal)!

Which Advent Calendar have you chosen this year?

50 Things I Want to Do This Christmas

The Christmas count down is officially on, so let's kick it off with a big list of goals for the festive season. 

This list is basically a to-do-list are all the things I want or need to do before Christmas is over, with everything from putting up Christmas decorations to going Christmas book shopping included on it. There are over 50 things on the list, so it's definitely a little over-ambitious and I'm unlikely to do them all, but I know I'm going to have fun trying to cross over as many as I can. I hope it gives you a little inspiration for things to do this Christmas, too!

So, here's 50 Things I Want to Do This Christmas:

1. Buy a Christmas tree for my bedroom.

2. Put up decorations in my bedroom. (I always decorate my bedroom for Christmas because I spend a lot of time resting because of my chronic pain, but still want to be able to enjoy some festive cheer).

3. Decorate the tree and rest of the house for Christmas with my family.

4. Buy or forage for some fir branches for the mantle.

5. Visit a Christmas market.

6. Have a browse around the Christmas department of a garden centre or department store.

7. Shop for treats in Millets' Christmas food haul.

8. Visit the Appleton Christmas Barn. (It's a little Christmas tree farm with a barn converted into a Christmas shop, and a few reindeer to see, near Abingdon in Oxfordshire. They always have the most gorgeous decorations to choose from).

9. Go to the Bourton-on-the-Water Christmas lights switch-on. Or at least visit the town to see the lights. (They have their Christmas tree sitting in the infamous river running through the town centre, so the lights twinkle on the water, making it super pretty)!

10. Go to my town's Christmas lights switch-on. (I've not been in years).

11. Take a drive to spot Christmas lights.

12. Go Christmas book shopping to pick out some new festive books to read over the holidays.

13. Go out for (or order in) hot chocolate.

14. Go out for a festive meal.

15. Get hot roasted chestnuts from a street vendor.

16. Finish my Christmas shopping. (I'm almost finished now- only a few things left to buy)!

17. Finish wrapping Christmas presents. (I've actually wrapped everything I've bought so far, as I started in November)!

18. Send Christmas parcels.

19. Write and send Christmas cards.

20. Make a new Christmas playlist.

21. Listen to lots of Christmas tunes.

22. Have at least one Christmas movie marathon. (But we all know there's gonna be lots of them)!

23. Watch a new-to-me Christmas film. (Any recommendations)?

24. See a festive film at the cinema. (Or failing that, stream a new release).

25. Read lots of Christmas books to help set the scene. I hope to read:

♥ Spectacular by Stephanie Garber.

♥ Letters to Father Christmas by Tolkien. (I've had it for about fifteen years, and have only ever read a few pages).

♥ The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories.

♥ A German Christmas. (I started it a year or two ago, but never finished it).

And I might reread:

♥ Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

♥ A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas.

♥ Midnight in Everwood by M. A. Kuzniar.

26. Listen to a Christmas audiobook.

27. Finish my Satsuma Street retro bauble cross stitches. (I started them a couple of years ago. I think I've made three and a half out of seven patterns so far).

28. Make my Cotton Clara 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year' cross stich. (I've finished the stitching, and just need to finish the back).

29. Make my Cotton Clara Let it Snow Tasselled Embroidery Board Kit Christmas wall hanging.

30. If there's time, start the Muppet Christmas Carol cross stitches I bought on Black Friday.

31. Ger a frame for the Muppets Christmas Carol Christmas cards I bought to display a couple of Christmases ago.

32. Make Christmas crackers for our family Christmas meal. Or maybe just buy a pack, and embellish.

33. Finally make the snowglobe kit that I was gifted years ago.

34. Put together a Christmas Eve box.

35. Buy at least one new decoration.

36. Try to find a tree topper and garland I like for my bedroom tree.

37. Make my blackberry and apple trifle for Christmas Day.

38. Bake a new dessert. (I don't know what, but it would be nice to add in something new this year).

39. Bake and decorate Christmas cookies.

40. Bake Christmas brownies or cupcakes.

41. Treat the family to a box of Christmas doughnuts or cookies.

42. Find something delicious to make for Christmas Day breakfast. (Waffles, perhaps)?

43. Enjoy a Christmas buffet with the family on Christmas Eve.

44. Put together a sweet festive charcuterie board for our Christmas Eve family buffet.

45. Have Christmas dinner with my family on Christmas Day.

46. Play board games on Christmas Day.

47. Make my Animal Crossing island super festive.

48. Open Christmas presents with my dog. (She loves tearing open presents more than most kids)!

49. Dress Rosie (my dog) up in a Christmas jumper. (She will hate me)!

50. Wear every one of my Erstwilder Christmas brooches, and document them on Instagram.

51. Buy at least one new Christmas brooch. (Check! Actually, I've bought four... Post coming really soon).

52. Buy a new dress to wear on Christmas Day.

53. Get new Christmas PJs for Christmas morning.

54. Count down to Christmas with an Advent calendar. (I have the OPI Advent calendar this year, and will be reviewing it soon).

55. Donate presents and / or food to those in need.

56. Make and donate a Christmas box for a homeless person or child in need.

57. Take lots of photos, and share the best bits of the festivities on Instagram for my memories.

And most importantly, make sure I pace myself, and know when to admit defeat and rest!

I always over-do it trying to keep up with how I did Christmas pre-severe-chronic-pain, and end up unable to move for the pain for days after a simple task. I need to remember it's okay not to do it all, and alright if I have a quieter Christmas than everyone else.

It's okay if we don't have perfectly wrapped presents, an Instagram-worthy decorated home, or fun-filled plans every day. 

Nobody's Christmas is as perfect as they look in the movies, and at the end of the day, none of it is more important than our wellbeing. So, let's not put unnecessary pressure on ourselves this year, and try to go with the flow and enjoy ourselves instead!

What are you most excited to do this Christmas?

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Erstwilder Fleur Harris Brooch Haul

Erstwilder has been killing it with their jewellery collections these last few months, but I'm so behind with actually blogging about the pretty pieces I've been buying from them.

There are a few Erstwilder hauls I want to show you, so today, let's start with the Fleur Harris Woodlands collection which was released in the summer.

The Erstwilder x Fleur Harris Woodlands collaboration features the Australian artist's whimsical woodland animal and nature designs brought to life as brooches, necklaces, earrings, hair clips, and enamel pins, and it's blooming with cottage core vibes.

It's one of my favourite ranges since the last Woodlands collection a couple of years ago, and one I could've happily bought every piece of. Luckily for my bank balance, I managed to limit myself to four.

Here's what I got:

I used to be the proud bunny mama of two big ginger bunnies, so I was naturally drawn to the Dainty Bunny brooch, and knew it had to come live with me. I mean, I've only got one other rabbit brooch in my collection, and they're social creatures, so it would've been cruel not to give it a friend, right? Right! (I love how I justify these things)! Dainty Bunny is the sweetest, most well-dressed bunny in the land, proudly sitting on her haunches, with a glittery white ruff collar around her neck. I love the walnut-brown ripple resin she's made from, and how the swirls of the resin give her a fluffy appearance, to look like real fur. It's available in the UK here.

There was also a second bunny brooch in the Fleur Harris collection, with completely different vibes to the other. The kind that any six-year-old animal-lover would love as much as us animal-loving kids at heart- a delicate white ripple resin Ballerina Bunny! One dressed in a tutu and ballet slippers, and holding a star wand like an Olympic torch! Cutest. Brooch. Ever? I think so! Although, after she arrived, my Mum made me feel childish for buying it, and I wasn't sure it actually went with any of my clothes, so I changed my mind, and decided to resell it. There's no point holding on to a brooch I'd probably never end up wearing. No matter how cute it might be. This one sold out so fast in the UK, but a stockist in Tasmania surprisingly still has some available here.

The next piece I picked out certainly won't be getting resold anytime soon, though. I'm kinda smitten with the tattoo-style Graceful Swallow brooch, and the beautiful teal ripple resin it's made from, which reminds me of light dancing on the sea. It also has a grey ripple-resin face and breast, a little gold beak, and a flush of pink on its cheek. It's such a lovely design, and I love that it looks modern and youthful, instead of like something your Nana might wear, as a lot of bird brooches have a tendency to do. I think it would make a great tattoo, and I'll admit, I'm tempted. Sadly, this brooch sold out quickly from Erstwilder and UK stockists, but it is still for sale from an American stockist here.

My last pick is a little more twee than I'd usually go for, but it was so cute I couldn't say no. I mean, who doesn't love a fuzzy duckling? Now, how about a pair of Well Dressed Ducklings, who've already learnt the difference accessorising can make in turning their feathers from drab to fab, with their fancy pearl necklace, and bow tie? I don't know about you, but I think they're adorable. I bought them with Easter in mind, as their daffodil (ripple resin) colourings will be perfect for spring time outfits, but they' look just as great with autumn colours, too. If you're more of a necklace person, there's also a matching necklace to choose from, and it's still in stock! The brooch is also available from a UK stockist here.

Many of the pieces sold  out within hours, but there are many still available from Erstwilder, and their stockists around the world, so check them out before they're gone.

Did you buy anything from the Fleur Harris collection?

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What I Read in October 2024

I'm running late with this month's reading round-up because the daylight's been abysmal for photos all month (I've given up, and will add photos later), but, when am I not lagging behind? Oh, well, at least I'm here now.

Anyway, October wasn't my strongest reading month. I only finished six books. I came down with a nasty cold, and I felt so fluish, it floored me for a couple of weeks. I kept falling asleep reading after a couple of pages, even after I began to feel better, and there were a few days I only managed a page or two because my eyeballs burned if I focused on anything. (Looking back, I think it might have been Covid). I also found one book, Born of Blood and Ash, really hard to get in to, and took a week to read 120 pages, as it was such a boring start, so that also slowed me down a lot.

I feel really annoyed with myself for not doing better, but I'm trying to remind myself that I was ill, the audiobooks I read were all super long, and that it doesn't matter how much I read, as long as I was reading. I really should listen to myself!

So, what did I read in October?

October Reading Stats:

📖6 books completed, 2 more started.

📖2 hardbacks.

🎧4 audiobooks

📖1107 pages (3316 pages including audiobooks).

🎧86.6 hours listened at 1.1x speed.

📖3⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads.

📖2⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖Average book length: 612 pages.

📖Average rating: 4.33 stars.

📖Average time to finish: 10 days.

📖13 Books acquired. (4 audiobooks, 9 hardbacks). (Although, 2 were for Christmas gifts)

📖7 Books preordered. (7 hardbacks).

I Read:

📖Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling. 3⭐

📖Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. 4⭐

🎧Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 5⭐ (Reread).

🎧Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 5⭐ (Reread).

🎧Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 5⭐ (Reread).

🎧Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas unabridged. 4⭐ (Reread).

And I Started:

📖The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst. (I reached the last 75 pages on Halloween night, which was so frustrating)!

🎧Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas.

Favourite Reads: 

It's between Born of Blood and Ash, and The Spellshop. Although, I didn't quite finish the latter before the month was up, so can I even count it? You know what, I am, because it was one of the most delightful reading experiences I've ever had, and I make the rules here. It was such a cute and cosy story, and it was one of the most comforting and whimsical books I've read since I was little. It felt like reading a grown-up children's story. There were merhorses and mermaids, winged cats, a sentient spider plant, an ambulatory cactus, magic, jam and pastries, heartwarming friendships, and the sweetest romance with a merhorse-wrangler. I honestly could not recommend it to you more- especially if you loved Legends and Lattes. I hadn't even finished it before I knew it was one of my favourite reads ever!

Born of Blood and Ash, on the other hand, began a little slow, but it ended up being a fantastic conclusion to the Flesh and Fire series, and Sera and Ash's story. I'm not sure what I enjoyed more; Sera and Ash kicking ass and serving justice to some very deserving people; baby Reaver and Jadis being adorable and protective of their liessa (queen); Nektas looking after Sera during her grief; Sera and Attes' friendship; or all the cute, domestic moments between Sera and Ash. I'm really going to miss these characters, but I hope at least some of them will feature in the final Blood and Ash book when it comes out next year. (Flesh and Fire is a spin-off series of Blood and Ash, following Poppy's grandparents a few generations before, and the storylines all link together). I'd recommend them- but only if you're okay with spice, violence, and confronting topics like sexual assault and trauma.

Favourite Listens: I don't think I could choose a favourite audiobook for the month. I was working through a reread of the last five books of one of my favourite fantasy series- Throne of Glass, and they were all fantastic to listen to in their own right. The actually-enemies enemies-to-friends-to-..? storyline in Heir of Fire was so much fun to relive. Queen of Shadows was flawless as an audiobook. Empire of Storms has Lorcan juggling knives. topless. in the circus and cutting up his shirts for period protection- enough said. Tower of Dawn has the most underrated book boyfriend ever (Sartaq), and I forgot how funny, inspiring, and adventurous the story was. And Kingdom of Ash made me an emotional wreck- in all the best and worst ways- all over again. How do I even choose?

Least Favourites: It has to be Fear the Flames. It was my lowest-rated book of the month. It's not that I didn't enjoy it, as it was fun, but it just wasn't the best written book, and it was taxing to push on at times. There wasn't a lot happening beyond a lot of senseless stabbings (seriously, they really needed to slay people to steal their clothes?!) and a lot of flirting between the main characters; the dialogue was too often cringe-worthy, and I couldn't help but notice that a lot of Kaden's lines were clearly reworded quotes from other fantasy MMCs, like Casteel, Cardan, Rowan, and Rhys. Also, the MMC had three nicknames for the FMC, which was just ridiculous and exhausting. Who is she? Aelin Galathynius?! I enjoyed the enemies to lovers relationship, though, and Kaden stole my heart. You'll like him if you love Casteel Da' Neer.

And that is what I read in October.

What about you?

Have you read any good books lately?