April ’18 | Wrap Up & May To Read

I’m extremely happy to say that this month has been so much better than the last; I feel more refreshed as a person and definitely ready to continue with my education and blogging as normal. This month I’ve played about more with my content and my life outside of blogging; I’ve pushed my own boundaries and am extremely happy with the results. Although, I’ve had the occasional downfall, I feel as if I’ve come out of it as a better person. With the help of some of the things I learnt while in CBT I’ve managed to do all this while still taking care of both my mental and physical health.

Before moving onto the various segments, I’d just like to mention the small milestone my blog reached this month. Just a few months ago, I was celebrating 50 followers and now I’m celebrating double! Thank you so much to every single person who followed or even read something I’ve written in passing; it means so much to me to have people who care about my rambles and opinions. I’m not the most confident with my work, so it’s just incredible to see people who think otherwise enough to follow me. Thanks again!

Outside the world of blogging…

As mentioned previously, I’ve been fairly productive this month, in multiple different ways. I’ve pushed myself into situations I’d usually skillfully avoid, interacted with those I’d usually shield myself from and surprisingly came out the other side unscathed.

So, this month I’ve:

Created a few different social media platforms for my blog! As someone who used to promote this blog on my personal sites, this was something that’s been on my mind since beginning this blog. Those who I’d associate myself usually aren’t that big on literature, it being mostly full of music fans, so I decided to branch out and create a Twitter and Instagram solely for my love of literature. Plus, it was incredible to have two of my favourite authors follow me back. Feel free to give them a follow if you’re interested; I usually follow back!
Met one of my all time favourite authors, Alice Broadway, at a signing in Birmingham. As a Creative Writing student at university, it was incredible to meet and discuss my own work with someone I idolise and receive such lovely comments back. My ramble all about it is here.
Saw two of my favourite bands in concert; Mallory Knox and Don Broco. Although, it was only a few months since I was saying that about the latter again, yet I couldn’t restrain myself from purchasing another ticket when they added new dates to their UK tour; they’re one of the best live bands I’ve seen. I managed to travel away from home by myself for it too, which is something I’ve always struggled with due to my anxiety; however, it was a generally positive experience! After the Mallory Knox concert, I also managed to meet the drummer after being a fan for around seven years, which was an incredible moment. He was so kind and welcoming to speak to and I managed to get a photo with him, which I won’t post because I look awful.

I created a Reader’s First account and won my first book! Reader’s First is a website for UK Book Bloggers where they can enter competitions from writing first impressions of new titles and have a chance of winning copies of unreleased books. It was the first competition I entered and I won a copy of Keep The Home Fires Burning by S. Block! It’s a work of historical fiction, which is completely out of my comfort zone, yet I’m really excited to try it.
I got tickets for all three days of YALC! I’ve never been before, having heard of it yet never had the money to go, yet this year that’s finally changing. The line up looks incredible and I’m so excited to make some memories and write a huge post about it!
I finally saw my favourite Youtubers live. I’m a huge Game Grumps fan, them playing a big part in my self care routines, never failing to cheer me up. They have a live show where they play video games with members of the crowd and luckily they announced a show in my city. It was so much fun! They referenced old videos, answered some questions, gave hints of future projects and helped me realise how much fun Mario Party can be.
I saw Avengers: Infinity War and it broke my heart. The film came out on Friday in my country, yet I wasn’t able to see it until the day after due to other plans. However, my Mom bought us VIP seats meaning we were able to use the recliners and it was incredible. I won’t spoil it for anyone, but it’s brilliant and everyone needs to see it immediately.

My April Reading Goals

I feel as if I’ve been saying this a lot recently, however, this time I’ve taken it to the next level. I haven’t read a single book on my reading list for this month. Although, I’m planning on repeating the last reading list for May, it’s still a little infuriating; some of the books on that list were what I’ve been planning to talk about in my dissertation (oops) and a few extremely popular titles among the YA community that I have no clue about. However, after discovering Netgalley and becoming completely obsessed with it, I’ve managed to read a total of seven books; A personal record!

After Hours | Emjay Haze (ARC) (5/5)
Starfish | Akemi Dawn Bowman (ARC) (5/5)
The Witch Doesn’t Burn In This One | Amanda Lovelace (5/5)
Spark | Alice Broadway (5/5)
A Chosen Life | K.A. Parkinson (ARC) (2/5)
Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 1 | Fujita (5/5)
Call Me by Your Name | André Aciman (4/5)

Total Pages Read: 1,759 (+ 7hrs and 43mins audio)
Current Goodreads Progress: 24 (48%) 8 ahead of schedule
Male Authors: 1
Female Authors: 6
Genres Read: Mental Health, Realistic Fiction, Erotic Romance, LGBT, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Adult, Poetry, Feminism, Witches, New Adult, Sequential Art, Manga, Graphic Novels
Triggers Found: Strong Language, Sexual Content, Homophobia, Violence, Death, Anger, Alcohol, Blood/Gore, Mental Illness, Sexual Assault, Depression/Anxiety, Racism, Attempted Suicide, Emotional Abuse, Child Abuse, Abuse, Trauma, Fire, Transphobia, Body Image, Crude Humour

Favourite Reads of the Month:

Top Five Tuesday

As predicted, I’ve not managed to complete one of these posts every week, yet with looming university deadlines that’s to be expected. However, I’m hoping to have most of my university work done over the next month, so hopefully by June I’ll have more free time to create more fun blog posts! I have a huge list of what I’d like to create.

Character of the Month

This month’s character is one I’ve been planning since the beginning of creating these kind’s of posts. I adore this character, and I think it shows quite clearly through my writing.

Character of the Month (April ’18) | Tony Stark

Telling Tales

I’ve managed a fair few of these posts this month, exploring the various different types of posts and creating a good selection, from hauls to tags. Although, I’d have liked to write a few rambles, having ideas in mind, yet unfortunately my commitments have set me back a little. Yet, this might motivate me to complete my assignments sooner.