Insert obligatory time-flies-when-you’re-having-fun and OMG-where-have-I-been comments… It’s insane how quickly 2018 is going by, and I’ve been super busy with various work projects, BUT I was itching to write a blog post or two, so here I am. I know everyone says Beyonce only has 24 hours in a day too, but I genuinely don’t know how she does it. I need a clone.
What have you guys been up to lately? Let me know in the comments!
The Books
I haven’t been too bad with book-buying for the past couple of months, unfortunately, due to my workload I haven’t been great at actually reading books either. Going to start using a planner to try and get a better work-life integration (work-life balance is a myth!). In March and April I picked up:
- Girls Will Be Girls: I’ve heard a couple of BookTubers talking about this text, and as I’ve read a few introductory feminist texts, I thought it would be nice to up my game a little. I’ve already read it, and it make for some really interesting reading. Full review to follow!
- Why We Sleep: The Waterstones Buy One Get One Half Price strikes again! Sleep – I never seem to get enough of it, and I’m a night owl with a distaste for mornings, so this seems like an interesting read!
- Hunger: I’m a big fan of Roxane Gay, having read and loved Bad Feminist, and watching far too many interviews with her on YouTube to be considered healthy. This memoir was poignant, intelligent, and packed with emotion. A great insight into a great person.
- The Great Alone: The Nightingale is one of my favourite books of all time – so there’s no pressure on this one! Eek!
- Almost Love: I really enjoyed Only Ever Yours, and loved Asking For It, so I was very excited for O’Neill’s latest release. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I’ve thought about it a lot since reviewing it. It’s a hard book to give a numerical value to, that’s for sure. Check out my review of Almost Love.
- The Last Tudor: I love Gregory’s The Cousin’s War series, and I think this is the last book set in it. I would love to fit in a re-read of the whole series sometime, but I had to own this one to complete the collection.
- Boy On The Bridge: I surprised myself recently by reading and enjoying The Girl With All The Gifts. I haven’t managed to review it yet (coming soon!), but it’s a genre I don’t read a lot, and I’m interested to see where this story goes.
Movies and TV Shows
March was the month of the documentary, apparently. All highly recommended!
Seeing Allred – An insight into the life and work of women’s rights activist and Attorney, Gloria Allred.
The Final Year – A look behind the scenes at the final year of the Obama administration, with a focus on foreign policy.
Betting on Zero – This documentary focuses on the company, Herbalife, and the attempted take-down by Bill Ackerman, who accused the company of being nothing more than a pyramid scheme.
April, we went back to some regular (and much needed) programming. Though the documentaries persisted.
Shadowhunters – Back for Season 3, the acting and effects have improved, so I’m sticking with it, though I’m not fond of the bigger changes in the story-line…
My Next Guest – I’ve watched all of these so far, but Jay-Z and Obama have been the best.
Baby Driver – I finally got around to seeing this (tainted as it was with Spacey…) and I really enjoyed it.
Queer Eye For The Straight Guy – The second incarnation of this show on Netflix is AMAZING. I can’t wait for more episodes!
Wrappin’ It Up!
- Wendleberry @ Marvel at Words wrote a great piece on giving up AKA DNF’ing and shares some of her favourite Brighton bookshops
- Amy @ Ten Penny Dreams shares what it’s like to be a writer as well as the four hardest things about crowdfunding your book (go check it out, I’ve supported it, and I can’t wait to have it in my hands!)
- Laura @ Boats Against The Current discusses the pros and cons of second hand books, talks about how to avoid TBR overwhelm and asks what makes a good villain?
- Author Shannon A Thompson shares why some books resonate and others don’t, and discusses ageism in the publishing industry
- Jenny @ Jenny In Neverland talks about four Stacey Dooley documentaries you need to watch (I’ve watched three others that aren’t on this list, and they’ve all been fab too!)
- Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction encourages us all to get to know our bookish friends better
- Holly @ Nut Free Nerd asks what does it mean to be a “relevant” reader?
- Lucy @ Queen Of Contemporary shares ways to support your favourite blogs in 2018
- Lauren @ Bookmark Lit talks about her favourite documentaries
In Case You Missed It
I managed to review one book in the past two months, but I’ve read a handful of good ones lately, so reviews will follow soon! In the meantime, check out my review of Louise O’Neill’s Almost Love (3.5/5*). I also wrote Books You Need To Read For International Women’s Day, which was in March, and hosted a giveaway on the blog for reaching my 4 year blogoversary! The winners have already been chosen, and the prizes will be on their way to you very, very soon!
My most popular post in March was 8 Reasons Reading Is A Superpower and my most popular post in April was eBooks vs Paper Books – The Facts. In March, my most popualr review was for the Noughts and Crosses series, and in April it was for Kiss Me First.
What are you hauling and reading, and what have you been loving lately? Let me know in the comments!
Confessions of a Book Geek 
Girls Will Be Girls sounds great! Hope you get that balance soon – I’m still looking for it!
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Girls Will Be Girls was quite funny in the first half, and got a little more intense than I was expecting in the second half. Not in a bad way, just an unexpected way. I found myself nodding in agreement for the first half, and then questioning the feasibility and direction of the second half. It was definitely a lot of food for thought, and one I would keep to dip into, or even reread at some point in the future. Asks a lot of big questions and challenges the status quo!
As for the balance – it seems to be getting worse instead of better! The good thing is I’m not stressed about my presence or lack of it on the blog – at one point growing the blog was the aim, now it’s maintaining it and just posting when I can. R xx
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So many of the books you mentioned are on my TBR! I really want to read something by Roxane Gay because I’ve heard great things about her work…. I’m guessing Bad Feminist is a good place to start?
Also, thanks so much for mentioning my post! ❤
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I LOVE Roxane Gay. You should YouTube interviews with her, quite a lot are held at colleges. She’s so intelligent, and insightful, and so funny! I really, really enjoyed Bad Feminist. It’s a collection of essays, and I find there are always a couple of “weaker” ones, but overall I gave it 4.5/5*, and it really sparked my journey into reading more on feminism (I didn’t fully self-identify until I read that book in one sitting!). After watching so many interviews with her as well, I can “hear” her when I’m reading her books, which adds a new dimension to them.
Hunger was an interesting read, not enjoyable as such because of the painful content (for the author), but it was very honest, and I thought well-written, but I can see that it may not have the same audience as Bad Feminist in terms of relate-ability. Though Gay discusses obesity, and “very large” individuals, a lot of the thoughts and feelings were relatable to someone like me too who has struggled with weight issues, self-image, and the cycle of feeling like you live your life permanently on a diet.
I haven’t read any of her fiction yet, but I plan to this year! Let me know if you pick anything up and what you thought! R xx
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I didn’t think The Great Alone was as good as The Nightingale, BUT it’s still a wonderful read. Go into it with low expectations, and I think you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
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Ah, no… I have a couple of other Hannah books too that I haven’t read yet, but I’m so ready for a 5* read in my life! Thanks for the heads up, B! R xx
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