Books

  • 4 Awesome Self-Development Books To Read

    I love books and if you didn’t know I got into book blogging back in 2010. I’m a book nerd and I love a good book haul.

    Here are 4 awesome self-development books I’ve added to my list recently:

    1.Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin

    This is my third book by Gretchen and her love her books. Her Happiness Project changed my life. I did Gretchen’s four tendencies test and really wanted to read her book. I’ve only read my section, rebel and the intro but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read.

     

    2. This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay

    This was recommended by my BFF and that it was really good so I picked it up in my local Sainsbury’s for £3.99! I saw someone online say not to read it if you were trying to get pregnant but now we’re taking a break from IVF I thought I would add it back into my TBR pile.

     

    3. Let It Out by Katie Dalebout

    As I mentioned I started out as a book blogger and I still receive arc books every now and again and I was lucky enough to receive this as an arc ebook and I loved it so much I had to have a physical copy. Must read if you love or are interested in journaling.

     

    4. You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

    Everyone’s been talking about this book but because it got so much hype I put off buying for so long but when I was in my local Waterstones getting The Four Tendencies book I saw this and thought oh it’s not for me but picked it up to read the first paragraph and just the first sentence broke me. “What we think about our selves becomes the truth for us”. It just hit the nail on the head for me in that first sentence.

     

    Honourable Mentions:

    I’ve also been using Sian’s mini penguin calendar as bookmarks for my books. I talk more about them in my video. Also been reading and loving the arc of The Year Of Inspired Living.

     

    Let me know what you’ve been reading and loving recently!

     

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  • Book Buying Ban and the Results

    book buying ban buys
    I wasn’t going to write this post here but I thought why not. During lent I gave up buying books. Only books not ebooks. Part of this was because we had moved and we were living with my Mum so really there wasn’t any room for me to store any books I bought and partly because of a lack of money, and I wasn’t giving up chocolate for the third year in a row just to fail it again.

    book buying ban
    So off I went with my noble intentions not to buy any books for 40 days. I thought it was going to be super hard and I’d have lots of problems. Weirdly enough I didn’t. I’d made a plan to buy Concealed in Death as my present for not buying any books during my ban {it felt only fitting} and no-one had bought it for me for my birthday {it was on my wishlist} and I really wanted it.

    concealed in death
    Seriously addicted to J.D Robb’s In Death series, even though I’m about seven books away from this one, my last book {Thankless in Death} was in hardback and I wanted the next hardback so they would match on my book shelf. Yep, I’m that kind of book person.
    So I did the book ban no real problems at all. I saw I Quit Sugar in the supermarket with my Mum and went back and bought it when the ban was finished but that was the only book I saw and really wanted. 
    text 

    My problems really happened after the ban was over. You see I’ve only bought three books since my book buying ban has ended. I even waited just over week after the ban was over to buy Concealed in Death. I bought I Quit Sugar just after the ban before we moved, then Concealed in Death, then I received a copy of One Day from a friend and then a month or two after I bought What to Expect Before You’re Expecting because it was £1.99 on Amazon, and that’s it. I haven’t bought a book since!
    outtake 
    I feel like I have issues now not because there aren’t books I want to buy, it’s just that I can’t make myself buy them. The amount of times I’ve stepped into Waterstones and picked up a clothbound issue of Emma and then put it back down is ridiculous! Or been unable to press the buy now button on Amazon. I need help! To make me buy books. Ironic isn’t it? Or is it? I guess the book buying ban worked too well.

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  • Mini Book Room Tour

    One of the rooms that has been the first to be finished since we moved was my book room! So I thought I’d share with you how it looks. It’s a really quick video with no sound. I’m currently trying to remember how to edit the full length one for my book blog and I’ll properly do a more in-depth one later in the year if we get new bookcases and I’ve been given my Dad’s desk {we just have to get it over to us} which is quite big so I may have to move some thing’s around.

    All the baking books belong to Ryan and some of the books on the bookcase next to the door belong to Ryan too.
    Some of these books we’re my Dad’s too.

    The rest of these books are my own, bought and paid for with my money {and Ryan’s} or presents from family and friends. I only have three books I’ve received for free one for review, one won in a giveaway and an arc from another blogger to review for their blog.

    I love my book room it’s one of my favourite rooms in the house and hope you enjoy it too!

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  • Read-a-thon..

    Untitled
    Read-a-thon was last weekend. If you don’t know what readathon is, it’s a 24 hour reading marathon. From 1pm (UK time) Saturday till 1pm Sunday. You can read what you want and how often you want. You can participate in challenges that are set-up and you can win prizes. You an blog as much as want about it while it’s happening. It’s on twice year, once in April and once in October. I normally only participate once a year but I had quite a bit of holiday left and needed to use some of it up so I took a long weekend and am so glad I did.
    I read what I wanted to read, as I think it works if you always set some sort of target for your self and once you’ve hit that target you can read something else or stop. 
    I always go to bed though I’ve never once stayed up and done it the whole way through, reading too much makes me seriously dizzy sometimes so I don’t want to deal with that.
    Read-a-thon is over for 2013, I’m really looking forward to April 2014’s read-a-thon, as I much prefer read-a-thon in April than October.
    My previous read-a-thon post’s!

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  • Gluten-Free Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond by Linda J. Amendt

     photo glutenfree.jpg
    Breakfast is the favorite meal of the day for millions of Americans, but those with a gluten intolerance are out of luck, since many breakfast foods and baked items have been banned from their diet. They must find gluten-free alternatives or go without. For the rising number of Americans who are choosing to follow a gluten-free diet as a healthy lifestyle and for parents experimenting with gluten-free recipes for their families, they, too, are having to do without.
                That disappointment will no longer be the case. In Gluten-Free Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond, home cooks will discover a variety of gluten-free recipes for their family’s favorite breakfast foods. From light quick breads, muffins, biscuits and scones to tasty pancakes, waffles, coffee cakes and sweet rolls, this collection of 100 recipes will bring breakfast back to the gluten-free table. A tantalizing array of frittatas, quiches, and breakfast casseroles are perfect for any meal of the day. The recipes in Gluten-Free Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond are quick and easy to make and yield delicious, satisfying results.
    Recipes for homemade all-purpose flour, crepe batter, pancake batter, sweet roll dough, and biscuit dough will give every gluten-free cook the basics for creating delicious dishes of their own.
                In addition to great recipes, Gluten-Free Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond will provide cooks with the information they need about gluten-free ingredients, including ingredients to include—and avoid–in their diet and preparing and measuring ingredients. Each recipe chapter will begin with tips to help home cooks create great-tasting gluten-free breakfast specialities to serve from morning to night.

    Full of lots of information right at the beginning of the book and a great tips section and introduction about what the book is about and why it’s written. I found this really useful and helpful. 
    I adored the amazingly good quality pictures and I liked how many of them they used of as I always like lots of pictures along with the recipes because it helps to know what it should look like and whether or not it actually would work for you
    I thought the recipes were simple and easy to follow, which means I could easily do then, as baking is not my cup of tea. My favourite section would have to be the biscuit and cake section as I haven’t grown up at all and still love cake and biscuits for breakfast but now they’re more healthier and better for you.
    There are lots of recipes in here that I wouldn’t use but I like how there is a large mixture of recipes suitable for everyone.
    There are so many awesome ideas in Gluten-Free Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond I know my Mum would love the quiche recipes and I think this would make an amazing birthday or Christmas present.

    Overall I really liked this one and would happily buy it myself or for family and friends. The only downside is it’s a little expensive in shops but may be cheaper on Amazon (I haven’t looked there yet!)

    originally posted at Swept Away Again

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  • I read… a lot..

    {my only signed book!}
    It’ll be no surprise to you if you’ve been following me a while or know me from Swept Away Again that I read a lot, & I really mean a lot. I read a least 200 books a year. Last year I actually read 230 books but only aimed for 180. This year I’m upping my aim from 180 books to 200. I’ve already read 101 books so far, so I think my goal is definitely in sight.
    I read anywhere I can, in the bath, in bed, on my lunch breaks, on the train, cuddled up with the bunnies. I take any opportunity I can to read. I even read while watching films {which annoys Ryan, because I often end up asking what happened}. 
    I read hardbacks and paperbacks, I like listening to audiobooks but generally prefer reading on my kindle or ipad mini.
    I generally read some sort of paranormal romance or urban fantasy because reading to me is escapism and why would you want to read something that is very similar to your everyday life! But I do read other gene’s crime, classics, autobiography, self-help, YA & poems.
    I’ve always been a reader but while at University studying English and being tasked to read a lot of Dickens it definitely dented my feelings on reading, which is possibly why I read something so different nowadays.
    If I can’t read something at least every other day I feel very lost and like I’m wasting my life. I read more than usual in unhappy circumstances. When my Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer my head was often in some book and after my Dad died the world around me didn’t exist unless I needed it too and the rest of the time my head was permanently crammed in a book.
    Reading is my way of existing and coping, it has now become very much a part of me that I really feel lost if I can’t read for a few days. This maybe isn’t normal or maybe it is. I don’t really know nor do I really care. It works for me and I’m happy with that. 
    So this is the reason from time to time that you’ll find a random review on here that I want to share and think it’s something you should read or not read, of course it’s totally your opinion.

    Do you read a lot? Do you review books on your blog?
    Happy reading! xox

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