21/02/18

❤❤❤❤❤/5

Genre: Novel/Autobiographical/Political
Published: 29th September 2015
How long did it take me to read: 2 days

This book was both the worst and the best thing I have read to date. The tale follows Yeonmi's real-life account of her struggle to leave North Korea. It was painful to read, but educational nonetheless. I don't know what it is about autobiographical novels, but slap a 'real-life story!' sticker on the front of a book and I will most likely pick it up. However, this novel felt different. I felt like I was reading something that couldn't be real. This horrible place Yeonmi was describing, where she was censored and kept away from the real world couldn't really exist. How could it?

I think what kept me hooked on this book was how rooted in Yeonmi's life I was. I followed her everywhere, she described every harrowing event in detail so much so that I could physically picture them happening. Sometimes I didn't want to see what she was describing, but I suffered through it because she, herself had to go through it also. I have labelled this book above as a 'political' novel, as well as autobiographical. I felt I was being educated on a way of life on every page. Yeonmi's feelings about her way of life and her love for her family were so well communicated, I felt like she was confiding in me personally.


Usually, this is where I would say, 'let's talk about the plot', however, the plot is a difficult word to use when describing this book. It isn't a plot, we are reading someone's real-life journey. I am going to try hard not to spoil anything massive within this novel, but I do want to talk about some of the twists that are included within. I guess I am trying to warn you, that before picking up this novel, be prepared to cry and be thankful for where you live.
Make yourself a cup of tea, take a big breath and begin.

Yeonmi suffers through many of the worst life traumas that can be thrown at her. Some of her family members make the journey out of North Korea, some don't. I won't spoil who sadly doesn't make it, however, there is a beautiful selection of personal photos halfway through the novel that will lend hints. I can't say much without spoiling everything within the book, but what I will say is the main feeling I got from this book was admiration. Yeonmi and her family were so brave. They fought against every power telling them not to go, but they knew that if they didn't they would regret living a life of fear.



One of the only thing that got me through this novel (apart from a cup of tea) was my adorable bookmark from Stitch and Wood. I have been using this bookmark EVERYDAY since it arrived through my post. I am so in love with it. I tend to read many sad books and when I open my page and see the cute, smiley design,  it can't help but lift my mood. How enchanting is this design? The amount of effort that clearly went into this bookmark is amazing, thank you so much StitchandWood, I will link their Etsy below.

Overall, I gave this book a five-star rating because of how harrowing the tale was. It sat with me for a long time afterwards and in my opinion, that is the sign of a good book! I would recommend it to a friend, but I would have to make sure they were in the right head space to read something as distressing. However, I feel that Yeonmi Park's brave story should be passed on.

Thank you StitchandWood!

Check out StitchandWood: Etsy
Check out StitchandWood: Instagram 

How on earth did you make your Instagram feed healthier? It isn't a living being, it doesn't eat or exercise, so how could it be...unhealthy? 

Well, although my Instagram isn't a person, I am. I got sick to death of scrolling through my Instagram and not feeling good enough because of my feed. I know that sounds strange. But I felt like I needed to change what and who I saw on my own Instagram feed in order to feel happier outside of using the app. Okay, let me explain.

Every time I would go to my Instagram, whether it be for business or for pleasure, my whole feed would be filled with skinny celebrities promoting diet products that would make them even skinnier. I personally am a very petite individual, I usually wear a size 6-8 in clothes and sometimes, ONLY SOMETIMES, I can shop in the 'tween' section of shops. But I am tiny in height as well, I am only around 4ft11, so I am a healthy weight. Like most women and men, there is always going to be parts of my body that I would like to change or work on and there are parts of my body which I love. I am trying to make myself love rather than hate the skin I am in. However, I find this mindset extremely hard to get into when my whole Instagram feed, daily, is promoting diet pills, diet drinks and diet teas too me. Why don't you just stop using Instagram then? Instagram is where I do the majority of my business deals, it's where I have a good following and for the most part, I enjoy using the app. I decided I needed to fix this problem because I wanted this app to be part of my daily life and my blogging experience. So, one day, I went through everyone I followed. I unfollowed nearly every Kardashian (even though I have recently refollowed Kylie Jenner because of the whole baby drama), every model and every diet/clean eating company. I decided that my health was perfectly fine and that in order to love myself a little more, I needed to cut out some unnecessary negative self-reflection.

Secondly, my investment in large companies. I come from a family where nearly every member owns and runs their own businesses. However, when scrolling through my feed I noticed that I follow a lot of chains. I followed large, corporate businesses that I didn't necessarily care about. Their products would litter my feed, convincing me to spend money I didn't have on items I thought I needed. These items would be over-priced, machine-made items. I decluttered my following list massively, whittling it down only large companies I truly loved like Waterstones, Paperchase, Whistles and H&M. I began following small business, which products were creative, new and unique. I found out that I LOVED following Etsy sellers, people who hand-made their products. Each one was different. When I promote companies, whether it be for money or for free, I do like working with bigger companies. I like how professional they are and I am always really grateful when I am truly in love with the products, that I get to make them part of my blogging journey. However, I do try and promote smaller, Etsy sellers whenever possible as well. I enjoy giving smaller sellers a voice and sharing my love for them with my own followers.
The bookmark above is from an Etsy seller by the name of ShadowPawDesigns, which I will link below. She makes all sorts of Cosplay items and plenty of other bookmark designs. I feel in love with this bookmark straight away, as I always use cacti in nearly all my photos. It was dispatched and received quickly and I couldn't be happier with the quality of the product. Next time you are scrolling through Instagram, looking to brighten your feed, go on an Etsy sellers search. There are some amazing, innovative designers out their, like ShadowPawDesigns.


Thirdly, just outright blocking people. For anyone who knows me personally, they know I will block anyone who even looks at me weird. However, I have found recently that I tend to not block people who I need to block. I unfollow them for sure, but then I always find myself going back to see what they are up too. Going back and checking up on people who are genuinely not good for you or want to drag you down is not okay and will not allow you to be happy in the long run. Note-to-self, block them and then just leave it. I get sub-tweeted (when someone doesn't openly say it's about you or tag you in it, but you KNOW it's about you) and sub-grammed (Same thing but on Instagram, not Twitter) quite often. And I have to remind myself that most of these people who are making bitchy comments and not saying it directly to me are adults just like me. Adults who pay bills, do their own washing and cook their own dinners, full grown adults. Who can't really be that focused on their own life and achieving their own goals if they are so busy trying to squash mine. Also just a side note, this is about no-one in particular (otherwise I feel that would be completely going against what I am saying), but my 'blocked' list this year on social media has expanded, A LOT.

21/02/18

❤❤❤/5

Genre: Novel
Published: 26th December 2017
How long did it take me to read: 4 days


I was asked to review this novel by the lovely author Heather Martin and I was so glad I took this opportunity. This novel is deemed to be 'for all the women out here fighting for themselves'  and I think in this quest, it does not fall short.
Throughout the novel, we follow Kailee, a high-powered businesswoman. It is clear from the get-go that Kailee has a drinking problem and uses sex to distract herself from all her home problems. Without revealing too many spoilers, Kailee's self-destructive behaviour reaches an all-time high when her sister dies. It becomes clear early on in the book that family is neither here nor there for Kailee. She doesn't talk to many of her immediate family and she hadn't seen her sister in two years before word got round to her that she had died. Things spiralled for Kailee until finally, she admitted she might need help. Again, I won't spoil the ending, but the reader is then taken on Kailee's journey to becoming a more well-rounded person, yet remaining her old powerful self.

This book was an easy and effortless read. I could disappear in this book and not even be aware anytime had passed. Kailee's voice is distinct and there are many times when she, as the protagonist, is speaking directly to the reader. This conversation-like quality in the book made it so easy to identify with the character. Although I personally haven't had nearly as many problems in my life as poor Kailee, the way she would ask questions and express her opinions to an audience she thought was there, made it feel like she was talking to me directly. Kaliee would ask phrases like 'got it? good', which showed off her high-powered and too the point personality while going about her daily, working life.

I felt like this books aim was to be empowering. Kailee, although an extreme version, was meant to represent every person, not just women. I feel like this novel is aimed at women, however, I think that it wouldn't be un-recommendable for men also. I felt myself rooting for the main character in her journey for recovery and healing and I think that could be true in anyone's journey. However, I did respect the feminist theme though, as it's clear that although Kailee is a woman in a male-dominated New York construction industry, she is also aware that she is the only woman working there. My immediate admiration for Kailee came because of her powerful and driven personality, which I felt was a mask that she put on.  Kailee refused to reveal her sensitive self because she felt like she always needed to prove herself in her field of work. Again, without spoiling the ending, in the final chapters, we see a whole new side of Kailee.

Overall I gave it three stars because this book made me think. However, I think it is a little too protagonist based and I would love to see some background characters grow alongside Kailee. She, herself is a lonely character and that's part of her mask that she wears. But I feel that the sensitive, less guarded Kailee she becomes, could allow the narrative to open up for some other characters to come into the light. This book was powerful. I would recommend it to people and I personally would read this book if I ever felt I was in a bad place. This read made me feel proud to be a woman and I identified with Kailee in some aspects of her crazy life.

Go check out Heather's Instagram: H.R Martin
Go check out Heathers book: Fuchsia Parade
Thank you Readers House for connecting us, check them out too: Readers House

Keep reading oxox

I have been thinking about doing this post for a while and I have only got round to it recently. I am a student, I study Media and Creative writing so saving money is always a plus for me. I thought blogging about this would be the right way to go. I must not be the only student who constantly worries about money. I am in my second year and during my first year, I worked alongside as a bar-maid. I love working, I love having a steady income, who doesn't? However, second-year has become so much harder. I no longer have any free days, I am always working on University projects. I quit my job at the very end of my first year and worked throughout the whole of the summer holidays at some other businesses to grow my CV and earn a little extra money. However, I decided that I didn't want to work in my second year. And I am so glad I did. I have been getting better grades and my work has become more focused. However, I no longer feel as comfortable with my money situation. I always have enough money, but I have recently become a lot more focused on saving money.

One of the ways I do this is through hot drinks. I know it sounds peculiar, but I spend SO MUCH money on coffee and tea. Usually, I will allow myself to buy a Starbucks coffee once a day, while I am at University. I am at university four days out the week, most weeks so that doesn't add up to much money depending on what I order. However, I definitely crave more than one hot drink a day. I have spoken about this before, but I carry tea bags with me. I carry herbal tea bags in a small bag, within my bag. I usually have a selection of green tea, spicy chai and berry blast tea, they don't take up much room and it saves me so much money. But also, I leave the house with a green tea/coffee in hand. I take my Starbucks reusable cup with me and take a coffee from home. I don't feel awake until I have my cup of coffee in the morning, so having a coffee in hand that will usually last me until I get to university is always a must.

Secondly, before you spend money think to yourself, 'do I need this?' If you are going to spend money, make sure its something that's worth it. I have recently been gifted this notebook from Chroma stationary . This notebook is perfect. It is a bit bigger than a notebook I would usually have, but it is amazing quality. I obviously write a lot, so having a notebook that I love is always must. Also, talking about saving money, Chroma notebooks are really good quality. This notebook was £14.50 and it comes with free embossing so it can say anything you want! Chroma also has the option for free gift wrapping so you can gift one of these adorable notebooks for a small fee. Having a notebook that I love and enjoy writing in is a must for me. I will link their website and Instagram below, you should check them out!

Thirdly, turning off lights. When I used to live at home, my parents used to nag me about turning off the lights when I leave a room. I used to roll my eyes and proceed to leave every light on throughout the house. However, since moving into my student house, where I deal with the bills, I have found that turning off the lights does make a difference to the price of bills. I know that sounds stupid, like how did I not know that electricity costs money? I knew that it does, but I feel like now I am very aware of how much bills cost.

I have to buy A LOT of books for my course. So fourthly, buy second-hand books. I will always head to my local Oxfam books or other charity shops for the books that I need rather than spending the money online or at Waterstones. If I can't find the books at a charity shop, Amazon is my next port of call. I will go to Amazon and look at the 'used' options for books. Usually, I can and will get them for a much-discounted price, which helps out a lot. Also, don't be afraid to exhaust your local library. Whether it be your university library or your local one, don't be scared to go and see what books are there. At the end of the day, you are spending a lot of money for your university course, so it is your right to use their resources.

Finally, don't be scared to use your Student Id. I think this is something I personally forget a lot. I forget it carry it in my bag, I forget to ask shops if they accept it and I forget that it will save me a lot of money. Clothing shops like ASOS and Topshop will accept your student discount and give you some money off, which again, helps a lot. But also, keep your eye out for apps like Unidays and Student beans which will alert you when businesses are offering a discount for students on some of their products.

Obviously, there are so many more ways to save money and I would love to hear how you save money!

Thank you, Chroma stationary!

Check out their website: Chroma Stationary
Check out their Instagram: Chroma Stationary

Want a copy of the Oh Comely magazine? Click here to look!

13/02/18

❤❤❤❤❤/5

Genre: Autobiography
Published: 24th June 2013
How long did it take me to read: 4 days


Happy Valentine's day!
I was going to do an extremely Valentines day themed post with hearts everywhere, but then I decided that I'd rather talk about something a little different. I have been with my boyfriend for a while and I am in love with him every single day, rather than one day out of the year. Yes, we are celebrating Valentine's day, we are going for dinner and we are going to see the Black Panther film (I am very excited!). However, I think Valentine's day is more than just the love you have for your partner. It is the love you have for your best friends, your pets, your family and your extended family. So instead of posting a lovey-dovey post, I decided to review a book about self-discovery, self-love and celebrating the love of having two families that adore you in return. I hope you enjoy.

Lion is an autobiographical novel which focuses on Saroo, a young Indian boy who leaves his home in Ganesh Talai, only to get lost after taking a train which he thought would take him home. After Saroo arrives in Calcutta station and realising that he doesn't know where he is, he begins to live in the station for two weeks, salvaging food from the floor and sleeping on the station benches. At this point, Saroo is only five years old meaning he witnesses some unsavoury events that he remembers until his adulthood. Saroo spends a couple of months in the city of Calcutta as a homeless child, where he meets a lot of people who don't necessarily want to help him. For example, while living at the station, a railroad worker takes him into his home and gives him a hot meal. However, Saroo gets a weird feeling from this man and proceeds to run away. The railroad worker chases him until he hides away and manages to escape his clutches. A variety of things happen to Saroo and he spends most of his adult life thinking about how slim his chances were of surviving.
Normally, I won't spoil the ending of a book, however, there was wide coverage of this real-life story and also, the ending is stated within the first two pages of the novel.
Eventually, Saroo meets a teenager who hands him over to the authorities. They place him in foster care where he is later adopted by an Australian couple. He spends his whole adulthood looking for his home in India, which is difficult because as a child, he had mispronounced the name of the town he used to live in. So no-one can pinpoint exactly where he has come from.
At the end of the book, he is finally reunited with his mother which was televised by 60 minutes (a tv show).
Although I have actually said what happens at the end of the book, I still highly suggest giving it a read because there is so much more that happens in the novel. But also, you won't cry from my review, but I can almost guarantee you will cry from the story.

I loved this book. For people that know me, a large part of my identity is that my family fosters children. I have strong feelings towards how fostering is publicised. It isn't. I have never seen an advert broadcasting what an amazing option fostering is. But reading this book and hearing how thankful Saroo was for his fostering family was so heart-warming. I know this won't be the case for most people but currently, there is only 44,625 fostering families in the UK which isn't much considering there are 64 million people currently in the UK. 78% of children in Great Britain are or have been in care and that means that the fostering agencies will have to recruit  5,900 more fostering families in order for there to be enough families to support these children (all facts provided by Foster statistics, click the link to find out more). Again, I know this is a very personal reason for a book to mean so much to me and it won't apply to everyone. But it was a strong reason I gave this book five hearts out of five.

Lion was so harrowing to read and as I say with some of the books, I had to make myself a cup of tea and sit down with some biscuits before I could carry on reading. And I don't think I could have got through this book without my Honeywell bakes biscuits. These biscuits were so adorable and tasted amazing alongside a cup of tea. Honeywell Bakes do personalised orders as well as their cute avocado and heart designs. Perfect for this Valentine's day. I'll link their Instagram and shop below so you can hop over there and have a look! This book made me feel every emotion under the sun, so a sweet treat was definitely needed.

I have nothing bad to say about this book. The only thing I wished I had done was to buy the original cover. Having the film cover of books is one of my pet peeves. I always want the original cover, but that just for vanity I guess so it will look nice on my bookshelf. I also haven't watched the film yet, which I must get round to doing. It took me a little bit longer to get through this book than I usually take. But I found myself wanting to take my time, wanting to make the book last. But in turn, I am a strong believer in watching the film after the reading the book. So, because it took me so long to read, I haven't watched the film.

I would only recommend this book to people if they wanted to have a good cry. This book is very sweet and sour, yes he finds his long-lost family, however, he also has to endure being homeless. It will make you feel every emotion, but I still strongly recommend it.

Thank you, Honeywell Bakes!

Check out their website: Honeywell Bakes
Check out their Instagram: Honeywell Bakes Instagram

Keep on reading oxox




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Around this time at University, I begin to start working on my projects for various lectures. Which entails me having a handful of notebooks. I am VERY picky about notebooks. I prefer to have a spiral notebook with notes so I can rip out my messy work and start again neatly. However, I also like to have some that aren't ring bound. Because then it forces me to be well-ordered and precise with my word. So basically, I love notebooks and buy WAY too many.

To kick off my haul, I was recently bought this adorable notebook by my boyfriend. As you can see from this photo, this book isn't ring-bound however, it does have tear-away pages. Which means if I am not happy with a piece of 'neat' work that I write in here, it is more than easy to rip the page out. However, I do run the risk of this book becoming very thin if I continue to rip pages out. The quote on this notebook is the reason my boyfriend bought it for me, 'Bring me coffee and I will love you forever'. I am a sucker for ANYTHING coffee related. It was gifted to me from an independent store in my hometown, it was £4.00, which I would say isn't an eye-watering price for a notebook that you really love.


The second book of my haul is this adorable notebook from Newton and the apple. I have been gifted this book from this company as I saw it and fell in love with it. I am a sucker for a graphic, quote notebook and it really stood out to me. Also, it is not lined. There is an option on the site to have a lined version, but I wanted a non-lined version so I could doodle and recreate mind maps inside it, instead of my normal lined notebooks. I loved the empowering message of this book and that's what drew my eye to it originally. Newton and the apple also gave me these pencils as well. Although I am taking a degree in Media and Creative writing, my grammar is not the best. But these pencils add a fun and helpful reminder on how to spell simple, but easily misspelt words such as 'their, there' and 'your, you're'. These notebooks are only £3.95, which I think is a bargain for such an adorable notebook. Newton and the apple will be linked below if you wanna pick yourself up one!
























Keep on reading oxox

7/02/18

❤❤❤❤/5

Genre: Poetry
Published: 11 October 2016
How long did it take me to read: 2 days

When I see these posts on other people blogs/youtube channels, I always click on them. I thought this might a strange post to do because it's slightly outside my usual content. However, I always find 'what's in my bag posts?' interesting so I thought why not?