I am Thankful.

I am by no stretch of the imagination American, however I think a holiday dedicated to sharing all the things we are grateful for is a beautiful idea. Here is a little list of all the things I want to say thank you for partly to inspire others to really stop and think about how lucky they truly are but mainly because it's a cute thing to do once in a while that gives you a real sense of perspective.

- My family who are always there to support me and never fail to make me smile. I am so blessed to be able to refer to the members of my family as my closest friends. Because that's honestly what they are, when you strip away the fact that they have to put up with me because they live with me.

- Gorgeous friends that will always reply to a text or call no matter how far spread we may now be. Also that we can not see each other for months on end and yet when reunited we don't aknowledge any separation what so ever.

- The ability to own pets. I have a bit of a managerie and love them all unconditionally, I couldn't now imagine my home without animals.

- My job. Yes I complain and moan about it but seriously my job is pretty awesome. The people I work with and for are genuine and kind people and for me that is vital, regardless of the actual work itself.... Also earning money is kinda nice.

- The fact I can access so much. I have a laptop, phone, television and iPad for Internet - meaning entertainment and communication all of which are a luxury often expected and assumed but not appreciated.

- All my fleecie blankets and jumpers. At this time of year my blankets, marvel jumper and unicorn onsie are loved and worn beyond belief. 

- Also with the temperature dropping I am thankful for a nice cup of tea, nothing makes you feel more at home and cosy than a good cuppa.

- Books. As seen by my attempt at booktober I am trying my best to get into a regular reading habit... I'm getting there slowly.

- Music - there is no mood that can be experienced that you can't find a song to accompany and that's pretty special. Music really is how feelings sound.

- Cake. Or baked goods of any kind. It's again at this time of year that I remind myself how much I enjoy baking. In fact as we speak I am waiting for some blueberry cupcakes to cool down so I can tuck in.

So those a few things that are right with my life right now, all in all I reckon I'm doing fairly good!

Take time to think about all the good things you have, let them sink in and you might just find that life can be freaking amazing.

X

Awesome of The Week: Gary C Charity Shirt

I came across this shirt approximately 7 minutes ago and am in love.

A very brilliant YouTuber called Gary or Gary C designed this t-shirt and all proceeds are going to a charity that he volunteers for called Mind which supports those that perhaps need a helping hand due to varying mental health issues.

They do great work so giving anything to them is going to make an incredible difference... plus the t-shirt is adorable and crazy festive so what's not to love?

Here is the video where Gary talks a little bit about it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0noL99P_xSY&list=UU_4syT17DvSSc8wGpxc2b1w

Give it a watch and then why not head on over to here to purchase your own. They are only available for a limited time so don't leave it too long!

x

Booktober # 4: Pawn of Prophecy By David Eddings.

"Long ago, the Storyteller claimed, in this first book of THE BELGARIAD, the evil god Torak drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe.

But Garion did not believe in such stories. Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he know that the Apostate planned to wake dread Torak, or that he would be led on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger by those he loved--but did not know...?"

I am miffed at myself that my last Booktober installment has occurred almost half way through November, but I have won the battle with illness and general life business to complete the first in the epic David Eddings fantasy series.

After there being so much hype surrounding these books I went into it hoping beyond reason that I would enjoy it - I think my Dad would disown me if I didn't. Luckily I did! 
I will admit that it's slow to begin with and unless you are a fan of high fantasy you might struggle to get through this one at any great speed. Having said that once I was a fair way into it I did find myself being sucked into the adventure, you truly bond with and care for the characters you meet and feel like you are travelling along beside them.

 Even though this is apparently the slowest of the four I still found it a delight to read - it's only left me with extremely high hopes for the rest of them! With that in mind I have already put in my request for the others in the series to be dragged out of the loft and dusted off for me to start, especially with the promise that they only improve with time.

The world is described in stunning detail so if you have an active imagination like me you won't have any difficulty in immersing yourself. It is however done without being too over-bearing, I find quite often in high fantasy that so much emphasis is placed on building the world up that character development occasionally loses it way - I didn't find this to be the case at any stage of Pawn of Prophecy.

I think this would be an ideal choice for anyone that is just starting in fantasy as I am not overly experienced with it but didn't lose my way!

x

Booktober #3: Throne of Glass By Sarah J Maas.

"In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament - fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin's heart be melted?"

This is very late and at this point I'm just hoping to finish Booktober by the end of November! 

This book was yet again a recommendation from my wonderful Sophie when on one of our countless book shop explorations. I'm so so grateful to have her as an influence on not just what I read but on my general reading habits. This was no exception.

If being ill is good for nothing else it did allow me to catch up. Quickly. This weekend I was not feeling my best and so spent the entire day wrapped up in a blanket, feeling a bit sorry for myself, surrounded by tissues and Lemsip. Basically the perfect situation in which to digest this book and that is exactly what I did. I effectively read the entire novel without a break until I finished it at about 4 in the afternoon. It was Marvelous.

I wasn't really sure what to expect here as thankfully the blurb doesn't give much away - it throws you right in to the action without much scene setting at all, but in this case it was very a clever choice. It's written in a way that leaves you wanting to know more and more and you don't at any point in the entire story find yourself waiting for something exciting to happen. Every moment draws you in with inexplicable force.

One thing I enjoyed about Throne of Glass is that although there was a definite love interest it really didn't feel like it was the sole focus which was refreshing. I mean don't get me wrong I appreciate a nice bit of mushy romance as much as the next person, but sometimes it's just great to read foremost about a girl who is a full on bad ass, super talented and all round awesome. Basically I want to be Celaena.....

There is of course one major story line of Celaena fighting her way through a competition to win her freedom which is nail biting as it is but there are also a number of side adventures and curiosities to keep you going - there is literally no opportunity to get bored.

The one small niggle I would have is the ending seemed ever so slightly abrupt for me. It was probably only due to the fact that I wasn't ready to leave this world behind and definitely wasn't ready to say good bye to all the stunning characters I'd met, so really it's just testament to Sarah J Mass's beautiful story.

If you are looking for a book that you can binge out on this is it..... BUT WAIT there's more. Yes this is the first in a series (I seem to be making this a habit!) so that is at least 1 more to add to my TBR list along with the extras that tell you the tales of Celaenas time as an assassin which I can't wait to sink my teeth into.

x