even if my brain sometimes doesn't feel like my own.
I feel intensely, even when I wish I wouldn't,
Hiya lovelies,
It's been a minute since I've done a life update, and since I've got an exciting week ahead, I decided to come and write about it. I will head out of the country on my first solo trip abroad in a few days. When did I decide this? Just under three weeks ago. It's impulsive, I know, but I have been so eager to travel, and this year has been lowkey tragic and quite frankly, I refuse to allow the whole year to be a loss.
I'll be heading over to Croatia for my first-ever solo trip abroad. It's not an overly long trip, just five days, but it's the perfect opportunity to dip my toes into solo travelling. I want to do a much longer travelling stint around Europe next Summer, and this is the ideal opportunity to see how I do. I'll be staying in hostels, exploring and taking the world in.
Within three weeks, I've had to do so much preparation, from seeing if the country is LGBTQ+ friendly to ensuring I don't get my period while I'm away and making the best travel-inspired playlist for the flights. I opted for the free luggage option, which is essentially one bag, and oh boy, has it been a challenge to fit everything into one flight-friendly bag. I've had the most issues with liquids, so many hair products, shower and hygiene bits, and sun cream- getting them all into one small bag was challenging. I have managed to master packing lightly, though I really had to be succinct in my options.
I've never been more prepared for anything in my whole life.
I'm looking forward to watching the sun set and rise in another country, exploring and trying new cuisine and enjoying new cultures. I have a couple things on my to-do list, like exploring the old town, visiting The Organ, and having some downtime on the beach with my Kindle- my chosen holiday read is Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko. I've been feeling off balance for a while now, and an adventure and some much-needed time to myself will help me rebalance and feel more like myself. I've been so eager to get away, and I saw cheap flights and thought: when was the last time I did something spontaneous? So, I jumped at the chance.
This is not to say I don't have some worries, I've never stayed in a hostel before, but that's part of the lifestyle of solo travelling. The best way to travel is to keep it as inexpensive as possible, and accommodation can be expensive! Equally, if I'm not that into staying in hostels, I can plan accordingly for my 2024 trip. I am excited; above all else, my soul needs this trip!
No doubt I'll be doing some writing whilst I'm away, and I'll be taking lots of pictures, so expect a blog upon my return!
Hello, lovelies!
It's been a minute since I posted about my reading journey, and it's been a rollercoaster. At the beginning of the year, I set a reading goal of forty books, which I thought was pretty realistic. Six months later, and that isn't the case any longer. For the first five months, I only managed to read five books in total, and quite frankly, it left me feeling guilty. So, I decided to lower my reading goal for the year to twenty-five.
It feels much more manageable, and since setting the new goal, I've managed to read seven books. Having a more realistic goal has inspired me to read more, and I've been taking advantage of other reading formats like Kindle and audiobooks. I've been running out of space for books, so having the option of purchasing an e-book has been a godsend as it allows me to continue supporting my favourite authors and feeding my buying books addiction.
So far, I've read some pretty fabulous books this year. Not to list them all (we know I do this at the end of the year), but my favourite books I've read so far are:
I was sober.
Until I wasn't.
I forgot how good wine tasted,
how good wine would make me feel.
After a rough day,
a bottle of wine greets me like a wife I never had.
Never disappointed in my being,
but always there to soothe and listen.
I was sober,
until I wasn't.
Hello, lovelies!
It has been an incredible couple of days. Yesterday, I turned 25, and The Moon is a Lesbian was officially published and shared with the world! What a way to enter the next stage of my life!
Everyone in my life has been so supportive, and I feel so grateful for every single person. My heart has never felt so full before. When my copy was delivered today, I felt this overwhelming state of pride. I did it. My name is on a book I wrote- it feels surreal! From sharing my poetry on my blog here to actually being able to flick through a book to read them is insane to me.
I've had the aspiration of publishing a poetry collection for many years. I've mentioned it so much on the blog, and now I can share the link with you so you can purchase The Moon is a Lesbian! I can't thank you enough, yes, you, the reader. I appreciate everyone who wanders onto my blog and reads my words. It means the world to me that you read what I have to say. Thank you!
Hello, lovelies!
I am back with the cover reveal for my new upcoming poetry collection: The Moon is a Lesbian. I am super excited about it all, we're a couple of days away from the publishing date!
You can buy your copy on the 23.03.23!!
I'll start by saying crime and thrillers aren't my usual genre, so I was stepping into fairly new territory with this book. Having said that, I enjoyed reading Hiding in Plain Sight, the suspense was right, and I liked how we saw different perspectives. I think that had the story stayed in the serial killer's perspective, it may have gotten too much, but it did not, and I liked the change of pace between the different characters.
Throughout this story, we follow a serial killer, an art scammer, a cheating wife and a laid-off manager navigating life in a small Irish town. Immediately you’re dropped into the drama from the serial killer’s perspective, which is unnerving, to say the least. At first, switching points of view was jarring, and it was hard to really understand who was who. However, once I learned the different characters and their dynamics, the narrative and storylines started to make sense and became enjoyable. I think the jarring aspect was that it's not always clear when or who the perspective is jumping to. It doesn't have the typical indicator of ' so so's POV,' but once the characters are established, you can easily tell who is who as the story unfolds.
I liked how the writer kept the serial killer's identity away from us for most of the book. Through his point of view, we witnessed the attacks he made and how he prayed on his victims. We got to see how he did things so closely whilst most of the time not knowing his name. It added a great deal of mystery to his story. The crimes were gruesome, and the descriptions were sometimes too much. But that is what you'd expect from a serial killer's perspective.
I enjoyed reading Hugh’s point of view the most, he’s made redundant from a managerial role, and we follow him as he navigates through life trying to pick himself up. We see him come to terms with his dear mother’s Alzheimers and watch him become heartbroken as his wife leaves him, and we then witness him fall back in love with an old classmate. His story is endearing and, quite frankly, my favourite part of the book.
When I first started reading, I couldn’t understand how these people’s lives were linked. And as the story unfolded, it was really clever of Egan how he put it together. The art scammer Jana works for the serial killer trying to make enough money to fund her art gallery to support her and her son moving and living their dreams. Her story of almost getting away with it was really interesting to follow. She ends up being caught and arrested. She almost becomes a victim of the serial killer as he tells us in much detail how much he despises her. It’s through her faked paintings we meet Sharon Winters. She helps uncover the truth about the forged paintings and becomes the serial killer's next victim. Sharon and our good guy Hugh go way back, and he saves the day. It’s all brilliantly linked.
Overall, Hiding in Plain Sight was really entertaining and dramatic. It is fast-paced, and despite the very long chapters, I didn’t find it too difficult to read. At times I found myself (especially in the second half) putting it down and wanting to pick it right back up immediately. This isn’t my usual genre to read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! So, if you're looking for something with plenty of action, I'd recommend grabbing yourself a copy when it's released on February 23rd. You can buy it on Kindle or paperback here on publication day.
.jpeg){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}