I feel like I’m always disappearing from blogging but I can’t help it. The pandemic has drained the life out of me and it turns out when I feel even the slightest hint of stress I wrap myself up in blankets and escape into TV. I’m totally fine with that by the way, but it does make blogging a bit of a struggle.

After writing a quick paragraph for Vera and Sabrina for their What Does Book Blogging and the Community Mean For Us? post I felt inspired to try and blog myself again. I figured the return to blogging should once more begin by looking back at my year since, honestly, you guys have missed most of it. A catch-up and wrap up of 2021 should be on the cards so we can then start afresh with 2022 and look forward to what's next. Also, I feel like closing off a year is always a great way to find new motivation. It’s either that or a blog redesign but one of those is a lot more effort than the other.

Favourite books

Row 1: The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Widow of Rose House, Act Your Age, Eve Brown, The Roommate

Row 2: The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic, How To Talk to a Goddess and Other Lessons in Real Magic, Empire of Sand, Kate Daniels series

Row 3: Iron and Magic, Spoiler Alert, All The Feels, Seducing the Sorcerer

Row 4: Murderbot series, Starfish

I managed to read over 100 books in 2021. I used to read that number of books with ease each year, but the pandemic years have made reading a struggle. I think the low level of stress I’ve been feeling for 2 years solid probably is the cause of that. I mean, who hasn’t been stressed and anxious through it? Babies maybe? But, it’s definitely meant parts of my brain usually focused on reading have been distracted. I mean, I’m basing the assumption I’m stressed on my inability to stop clenching my jaw and the fact I am definitely more tense than usual. The nurse even had to tell me to stop tensing my arm when I got my booster and I didn’t even realise I was tensing!  Anyway, the pandemic years haven't been great for reading so I feel such pride to realise that despite the reading and blogging slumps I have gone through this year I still managed to read a lot of books. Yes, this includes rereads but I don’t even care. And I managed to do this in addition to reading a lot of fanfiction too. AO3 must be one of my most visited websites at this point. I like to think I’ve read some amazing books this year and below are the ones I want to throw in people’s faces to read too.

A couple of these books were rereads, which I wouldn’t usually include, but I wanted to show all the books which have been highlights for me this year, which includes rereads and the whole of the Kate Daniels series.

Favourite albums

Willow - lately I feel EVERYTHING, Olivia Rodrigo - Sour

Halsey - If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, Taylor Swift - Red (Taylor's version)

I normally create a playlist for every month but lately, I’ve really gotten into listening to albums. I think it’s because I’ve gotten a little focused on an album and played it on repeat throughout the year. I’m not mad about it either because I’ve really liked just singing along to songs I know and being a bit of an obsessive weirdo for once. It has meant I’ve listened to music on headphones a lot more simply because I didn’t want my neighbours to think I was strange… but then who cares what they think?

I noticed this year I’ve very much been about female singers and leaning more into some music which makes me think of the music of my teen years. I was shouting along to Willow’s lately I feel EVERYTHING and I felt like I went through a breakup listening to Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour. I mentioned my love for Halsey’s new album, I always enjoy her music and this latest album felt powerful and feminist even if I can’t always put my finger on why. And who didn’t listen to Taylor’s version of Red at least once? Taylor Swift was my most played artist of this year for a good reason and that album is still on repeat now. I needed the 10-minute version of All Too Well in my life.

Favourite podcasts

The Magnus Archives, Grounded with Louis Theroux

The Penumbra Podcast, My Favorite Murder

Toni & Ryan Podcast

When I think back on my podcast listening this year it truly amazes me how many podcasts I’ve listened to. But also, the podcasts I’ve listened to which have since finished. I started my year utterly obsessed with The Magnus Archives and it was really the main podcast I listened to. I’d listened to some factual ones too but I listened to that religiously each week and that chatted about it with Vera. I loved that podcast and it might be my favourite story based one I’ve listened to. I still lean towards more factual and comedic type podcasts otherwise. But then Vera finally convinced me to try Penumbra or basically any other podcast she listens to and I started to really enjoy it. It does have weak moments in the story and the episodes are way too long for my liking (and don’t even start my on the Second Citadel storyline) but I still listen to it a lot. I had some new podcasts on my listening repertoire this year too. Louis Theroux released a second series of his Lockdown podcast since we got locked down again in the UK at the start of 2021 and I always enjoy what he does. He has a way of showing the comedy in things but he’s not taking the piss out of people (even if some of the folks in his documentaries probably deserve it).  Louis Theroux is an institution in himself. But My Favourite Murder and Toni and Ryan are new to me this year. I haven’t listened to any My Favourite Murder in a while (there are a lot of episodes and they are long) but I realised I am a total true crime fan and totally didn’t realise. And Toni and Ryan is a TikTok inspired listen (or, actually a facebook inspired one since I became a fan of Ryan after he went viral with his adoption story) and I love it. They do 4 episodes a week and I always listen because they just brighten my day. If you enjoy a more crude humour and want to a couple of Aussies just chat shit and have a laugh that is the podcast for you. And short episodes, which I love for me and my short attention span.

Favourite films

Row 1: Bo Burnham Inside, tick, tick... BOOM!, Fear Street trilogy, Army of the Dead

Row 2: Red Notice, Palm Springs, Space Sweepers, The Unforgivable

This one was a struggle of a category for me. I didn’t really do the cinema this year (I might have seen one film at the cinema… but I can’t remember what it was. I want to say The Conjuring after an impulse trip with a friend but that is how much the film did not stay in my mind whatever it was. I remember the actual events leading up to the spontaneous trip better than the film itself). Honestly, films are a struggle for me to pay full attention to at the moment, give me a tv show to binge any day. I know, that really shows how weird my attention span is but I like to be different ok! I will say, 2021 is the year I realise I think I really like musicals and just didn’t know it. I wanted Hamilton several more times and I know that Bo Burnham is a musical comedy but I listened to his songs a lot. But it was a weird mix of films I enjoyed and actually remember watching.

I notice most of my list is from the second half of the year watching. The Fear Street trilogy I binged in a couple of days and loved, it fed my love for horror films which the new Conjuring film just didn’t deliver. Army of the Dead I thought would be terrible but actually was great (if a touch too long, I had to split into two to finish). Red Notice was always going to be a hit for me, Ryan Reynolds worst films are always enjoyable (or I find they are anyway). Palm Springs was a film I expected to hate, it began weird and I was about to switch off and then realised it was the time loop concept and it was getting interesting. It was a weird one but I can see myself watching again. The Unforgivable and Space Sweepers were both films I almost didn’t feature here because I really enjoyed both but then couldn’t explain why so should I mention them? But then I thought fuck it, it was either that or Labyrinth and The Dig, two very different films I also can’t explain why I like them but I do.

Favourite shows

Row 1: Midnight Mass, Squid Game, Ginny & Georgia, Run On

Row 2: The Bold Type, Superstore, Derry Girls, Taskmaster

I watched a lot of TV this year, maybe not as much as some years but still a lot. I don’t want to tell you about shows which just released a new season and I’ve mentioned before, so no Brassic here. But I do want to talk about the newly discovered shows I’ve watched. There’s no need to tell you about my 20th rewatch of Friends or my love for Buffy. I notice there is a strange mix of shows I’ve loved through 2021. There were the dark shows like Midnight Mass and Squid Game I think a lot people binge-watched (they’re both good, check them out) but the dark shows really weren’t my focus. I had more fun dramas like Ginny & Georgia, The Bold Type and Run On which took up more of my time. Those were the shows I loved and were telling people to check out. I think The Bold Type hit Netflix and me and all of my friends started to watch around the same time so it was so fun to be able to talk about a show together. But I notice it’s the comedies that were the true hits of the year for me. I binge-watched Derry Girls and now watched it to make me smile (where’s the next series channel 4, why are you making me wait) and Superstore I had been meaning to watch forever and saw it arrive on Netflix. I think I watched every episode in a few weeks but the final season was airing on ITV or something so I was having to watch the show weekly for the final season. I loved it so much though, it’s not often I say that about US comedies. And finally, there’s Taskmaster which I was very late to the game on. It’s a show which honestly should be terrible. A group of comedians are set weird challenges to complete for the chance of winning a trophy and pleasing Greg Davies with Alex Horne overseeing them. Even telling you about it the show sounds shit. But I am hooked, I watched the latest series and now I’m backtracking through the past 11 to catch up. It’s stupid and funny and I seriously need this show to brighten my evenings.

Life highlights

2021 didn’t start off the best. I planned to make my grand return to blogging but then the UK went into another lockdown so the blogging and reading slump continued. It was definitely a year with a lot of negatives. You couldn’t watch the news without feeling like we were continually watching another disaster happen. But it wasn’t a year filled with negatives, I still managed to enjoy myself and I can certainly say it felt like the year flew by, even if it did also feel like it would never end.

Once we could, I saw friends and had some fun. Especially when the vaccine rollout began. I’m essentially a pincushion now but I feel lucky that we have the NHS and access to the vaccines we do here. I still don’t have the promised 5G but at least I’m keeping folks safe around me. And with that knowledge, I did feel a bit more comfortable going out and about, even with face masks out there trying to ruin my makeup. I didn’t leave the UK, but I did get out to Bridgnorth and Ludlow. We had sunny weather that meant people had to see my pasty white legs reflecting the sun but I didn’t get sunburn! And I also did quite a bit of drinking, from going to the pub to drinking cocktails with friends. We went out as much as we could and just had a good time. Sure, we had to do lateral flow tests and at points, you weren’t allowed to be up and dancing but we made the most of it.

I even saw some live music this year! From the epic Fleetwood Mac tribute (even if I was told off for enjoying myself and disturbing other people… I still enjoyed myself). I also got to see Genesis with my mom. Considering I hardly knew their music before, or no more than what I’d heard my mom listen to, I have to say it was an amazing show and I feel lucky I got to see them considering it’s potentially their final tour.

It was a year of trying to make the best of a bad situation. It would have been easy to let myself wallow in what I couldn’t do but I did try to make the most of what I could do. I stayed home when we were told to, I spent time with my family. And I just tried not to have a breakdown. I’m pretty sure that’s what we all tried to do. And I tried to have fun when I could. I just hope 2022 will have a bit more good than bad but  

What were your highlights of the year? Was there a particular book you loved or a show that helped you escape? Or did you choose a song or album as your anthem for the year which you played on repeat and everyone you live with probably hates now? Let's talk about the good stuff since the news is really determined to bring us down daily.

Seducing the Sorcerer – Lee Welch

Published: 23rd September 2021

Source: Purchased

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ+

My Rating:

Homeless and jobless, Fenn Todd has nearly run out of hope. All he has left is his longing for horses and the strength of his own two hands. But when he’s cheated into accepting a very ugly sackcloth horse, he’s catapulted into a world of magic, politics and desire.

Fenn’s invited to stay at the black tower, home of the most terrifying man in the realm: Morgrim, the court sorcerer. Morgrim has a reputation as a scheming villain, but he seems surprisingly charming—and sexy—and Fenn falls hard for him.

However, nothing is as it seems and everyone at the tower is lying about something. Beset by evil hexes, violent political intrigue and a horse that eats eiderdowns, Fenn must make the hardest choices of his life.

Can a plain man like Fenn ever find true love with a scheming sorcerer?

Let's begin by saying Seducing the Sorcerer was 100% a Nick influenced purchase. I had seen her mention it on Twitter and as soon as I read her review of Seducing the Sorcerer over at The Infinite Limits of Love I knew I needed it in my life. It perfectly fit my reading mood and it was just such an easy read. It was exactly the perfect book for my mood as I've been reading a lot of fanfic after falling into a slight reading slump but the writing style and characters were lovely and it just perfectly fit my reading mood.

I wasn't certain at first as Fenn was a homeless drunk who seemed to have a weird obsession with horses. That is basically what you get from the first couple of pages anyway. I was seriously questioning what I was reading and if I was going to become invested. Luckily, after another couple of pages I swiftly retracted my initial thoughts as he wasn't a drunk, he simply got a bit caught up in his drink one night and made a the foolish decision to follow a fine looking horse. Who hasn't found themself drinking more than they intended? And he was homeless but, as I learnt later, it was because he couldn't allow himself to be restricted to a boring job stuck indoors which would suck the life out of him, instead he knew he needed to be out in nature. And I definitely know a few people who can relate to that job struggle. Fenn was simply a man down on his luck. He thinks his luck is becoming worse when he appears to have been duped after a hard days labour to be given a scarecrow of a horse made of sackcloth and sticks waiting for him instead of the knackered old horse he had been promised to be able to sell to the knackers yard himself for a bit of cash. He takes the cruel joke on the chin but that sackcloth horse had far more magic within than he realised and leads him off on a grand adventure to Morgrim's door. Fenn was easy to love as he might have appeared gruff and rough looking, he was an absolute sweetheart once you got to know him. He was so soft-hearted and any man who cared for animals as much as he did couldn't be anyone bad.

Morgrim should have been the grumpy one I was slow to warm to. He was the court sorcerer with a fearsome reputation as cold and uncaring, along with being scheming and manipulative. It was a reputation he was happy to nurture because having a reputation as such meant people would think twice about crossing him. I was suspicious of him taking Fenn and his magical horse in at first and did guess some of his reasons fairly quickly. But I could tell that his reputation was undeserved as he was so kind and he cared so much about people. He didn't become the court sorcerer to abuse his power but he wished to help people and give them the assistance he could and felt guilt over those he couldn't help when he felt he should. How could I not be charmed by him?

Fenn and Morgrim might have seemed like an odd couple. They had lead different lives until they met but they were both such kind men who did care about helping others. They balanced one another as well and I loved their slightly awkward courtship of being polite and making eyes at each other whilst Fenn went about simply fixing things and helping Morgrim with silly little tasks to show he could help care for Morgrim even if he wasn't what people would call a gentleman. Their romance seems like it should be totally sweet but they definitely had a little kink when it came to the bedroom with them exploring a little light BDSM. That was something I'd expected after reading Nick's review but it was something a little different to a lot of the romance I'd read lately. It was handled very well with frequent check ins between both of them to be sure they were comfortable with how things were progressing and boundaries were set which is always good to see. And did I mention that both Morgrim and Fenn were in their 40s? It's so refreshing to read a romance with older MCs it can be a little boring to continually be reading about young twenty something's off falling in love.

As for the plot and magic system, it wasn't overly complex. It was easier to understand and there wasn't the need for pages of world building, which I really appreciated because I think it would have slowed the book down and really detracted from the good things I read. I really enjoyed this and so I know this book won't be the last I read from Lee Welch.

Have you read this book or anything from lee Welch? And please give me some fantasy romance recs because that is obviously what I keep coming back to reading.

I took a week off and I won't lie, I did nothing productive. I have no excuse for not writing a Sunday post last week, i just didn't feel like it. It was the one weekend for the whole of October where I had no plans and so I decided to do absolutely nothing. Or, I actually spent a lot of time watching Squid Game and then finally finishing Run On. But it was nice to not make myself do certain things and just went where the mood took me. It was partially because I'd had a load of things through from my solicitor so it seemed like the house move could be imminent so i had a mad panic of making sure I had boxes and got all of my books packed up... and then there were more delays so the mad rush was for nothing. But also I am still in my book slump and I thought if I didn't pressure myself to blog during my one free weekend maybe I'd use the time to read. Didn't happen so I figured probably shouldn't avoid blogging and just suck it up to see when the reading mood will strike instead.

Listening

@ryanjondunn HOSPITAL + BEDROOM w @toni.lodge #toniandryan #lol #bedroom ♬ original sound - Ryan Jon

I’d normally feature music here but I’m actually a little obsessed with a new podcast and that requires me to listen. It’s called Toni and Ryan and it’s just two friends who are chatting away about whatever grabs their attention but they are hilarious. Laugh out loud funny so I don’t tend to listen to this out of the house so I don’t seem crazy. Great episode lengths for doing a bit of housework, though. I will say there is some swearing and I heard them from the ‘the things you can say in x and also in the bedroom series’ so I guess if you don’t find these funny maybe not for you.

Life

The past couple of weeks have pretty much revolved around house related things. Chasing solicitors and estate agents and general rubbish like that. And a whole heap of packing. I have boxes everywhere, it's as bad as when I first moved in. I'm hoping it's the last stretch and I can move soon because this has been dragging on. I just want to move and make my next house my own. I'm excited and nervous. I actually had a note through my door about the school having a bonfire the start of November and so there would be noise and fireworks and it really reminded me why I want to move. I do not want to live next to a school and I am fed up living here.

Other than that things have been quiet until this weekend. I went to the Birmingham Bierkeller and it's safe to say they put on a funny night with music, two Birmingham lads dressed up in their lederhosen pretending to be German and getting you to drink out of steins and do some German drinking songs (and many British ones too). There were loads of people dressed up for the show as well and one woman who there was even actually German and recommended a great beer festival to attend in Germany so now my friend wants to go next year (I don't even drink beer). But it was a funny night at a place I'd never even heard of before.

You'll all be pleased to hear I also sorted out my halloween costume. I decided I couldn't do anything scary or involving face paint because even as a kid I got annoyed with having my face painted so it needed to be easily recognisable. What did I decide on? Red riding hood. I know it's a little boring but I saw one of the buffy halloween episodes where she went as red riding hood and it's lovely and simple and I even have a basket already to carry with me. I'm glad to have it sorted and it didn't require me buying too much to get it right.

TV

Like I said at the start, I've been doing quite a bit of TV watching. I watched all of Squid Game in a couple of days and that was fantastic, highly recommend if you can get through the first episode. I was hooked but I know it might not work for everyone and obviously not recommended for children. I then decided I really needed to finish Run On because I've been watching that for weeks. I did finish but I realised I could only really watch one episode a day because it was such a light soft k drama which didn't lean into too many of the OTT elements you can have in some of the romance ones. But that meant it was almost too sweet if that makes any sense?

I've now moved on to finishing the third season of New Amsterdam as it's finally aired here. I'm trying to take it slow since I'm a little hesitant watching shows which heavily feature the impact of the pandemic because I almost want my TV to be my escape, but I've always enjoyed New Amsterdam so I'm watching. It is a heavy reminder how tough it's been for almost two years now.

Reading

As you can see, not a lot of reading has been done since my last Sunday post. I’m still reading some fanfic so that’s something, but  I just don’t know what I’m in the mood for. Mood reading is the worst. Even my random number method has failed me… or not failed but highlighted I am really in a specific reading mood and can’t figure out what said mood that is. I’ll try rereading some favourites next. I thought Seducing the Sorcerer would fix my slump because I sped through it and it was exactly what I wanted to read when I started. But once i finished I was back to my confused search to find my next book. I borrowed All Systems Red from my library thinking maybe a quick listen would help get me in the reading mood and, again, loved it. Listened to it all in one sitting but still don’t know what I want to read next and the next two audiobooks are on hold but could take up to 4 weeks so can’t even listen to them. Lucky Shot and Chasing Impossible were a couple of random number picks… neither was great and considering Lucky Shot was like 25 pages are something stupid short I thought it would get me in the mood to read more Sarina Bowen books… it did not. And I love Katie McGarry books but I’ve realised there is a specific reading mood I must be in to read them otherwise I just roll my eyes at them so Chasing Impossible suffered as I wasn’t in the right reading mood. And now I am back to reading Drarry fanfiction and wondering what I want to read. I don’t think I’m in the mood for anything contemporary because I did pick up The Love Hypothesis but put it down after just a few pages.

I’m sure I’ll figure out my reading eventually. Just hope it doesn’t take another 6 months.

New To Me

Just one other book purchased other than Seducing the Sorcerer, which I read straight away, and that was The Prison Healer. It was in the monthly kindle sale and it sounded interesting so I figured I’d give it a read and promptly didn’t pick it up. I might try that next, at least if I hate it I can return it. But I tend to avoid doing that unless I genuinely hate a book or realise I bought the wrong book because I thought the cover looked like another books I wanted to read (it happens).

And that is my past couple of weeks. I’m off to figure out what I can talk about what I’ve not been reading much. At last I’ve finished a couple of books so there can be reviews. What books have you been reading lately?

What a month! I’ve just got back into blogging and already everything feels chaotic. I always forget how much time blogging takes up, as does reading. How did I ever find the time? Not that I’m going anywhere but I’m definitely around less than I used to be. I suppose that’s what we call a healthy life balance? Except for half of the time I'm not around as much as I'm either working through my lunch or working late before going out with friends so maybe I don't know the meaning of balance and need to sort myself out. I won't though, because I love doing everything a little bit half arsed and very much crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. Let's see if I can remember how to wrap up my life, although I swear I attempt to do that each month with little to no success.

Playlist

I would like to say for whoever has seen this post when it was posted why didn't you tell me I missed my September playlist? Looks like the embed code got removed when I was editing stuff, that is such a me error to have. I even read through the post and still missed my playlist disappeared.

This is a weird mix for my September playlist. I have also been listening to a lot of other Taylor Swift albums but I figured you didn't want my playlist of songs that I like to sing and annoy my neighbours with. Instead, these are the songs I searched out to listen to and a whole heap of Genesis because I have a new found love for them after seeing them live. I just worry I'll still be listening to the same songs when it comes to October.

Life

I feel like you've had my life highlights in my Sunday posts. I've even looked at my photos to see what I've been doing and it's mostly been convincing my mom to feed me when I go to hers, drinking, seeing friends, working, and trying to keep my Duolingo streak going (I'm at 479 days which is amazing! I will say that a lot of streak freezes have been utilised in that time and I am no closer to being good or even slightly fluent at German).

My month began with me staying at my mom's for a long weekend house sitting but mostly hanging out with Milo. It was a chilled weekend that didn't involve as much TV watching or reading as originally planned because my brother kept coming over to keep my company and then friends wanted to make plans at the weekend. I got my quality Milo time in, though, he remembered how awesome I was and I remembered how cosy he was at bedtime curling up with me. I did forget he is totally averse to a lie-in and that to him getting up late is staying in bed until half 7. The sacrifices you make for pets, right?

I also finally got back to blogging, I still feel rusty as hell and I am amazed I used to have time to blog hop, reply to comments, write new posts, and read some actual books. It was some actual witchcraft I was performing before my hiatus, now I'm amazed I ever have time to post anything. And I was doing it all while having an hour commute to work. I must have really used that commute time for reading because god knows when I fit it in. I also think I used to sleep less. But even now I am constantly tired and I'm getting the sleep in... sort of. Actually, maybe I just waste a lot more time now and have a shorter attention span. 

What else? I've spent a lot of time going out and seeing friends, that's been marvellous. Although is it possible to revert in age? I turned 30 this year and I swear I'm going out as much as I used to when I was a student. I definitely blame that fact on the pandemic, now that restrictions have eased I think everyone I know is trying to fit in everything they've been missing. It's still weird to be going out but I do feel better about it now I'm fully vaccinated. I also went to see genesis, I've only mentioned it a few times. That was my first really crowded event. It's one thing going to a pub or a bar and having to go back to service at the bar but it's very different being in a big venue and seeing all of those people. It's an interesting people-watching experience to see how everyone acts and behaves.

I fully expect my October to be just as busy, I'm even planning to go out for Halloween (ideas for a Halloween costume would be much appreciated otherwise I will be something boring and half arsed. I also refuse to wear face paint, there are limits).

Blogging

Where did I go?

Random Number Generator // WTF do I read next?

Sunday Summary // 12.09.2021

My favourite books of 2021 (so far)

Sunday Summary // 19.09.2021

Why am I so bad at finishing series?

Sunday Summary // 26.09.2021

My Thoughts // Kate Daniels series - My likes and dislikes

Reading

I was actually pleased with how much I read this month. 11 books with only one DNF is not bad going. After finishing the Kate Daniels series I did fall into a slump and then pretty much spend the rest of the month reading Drarry fanfiction but who is perfect really? I finsihed a series I've been meaning to finish forever and managed to clear a couple more books from my TBR, it's a win all around and no one can tell me otherwise. 

And that was my September, a weird month but good. What did you read in September? What was your favourite book?

Any we are finally in October, I don't like it. New month's stress me out as I start thinking I need to get loads done and realise I did nothing the month before. I'm still not sure what I think I should be doing, though. I really need to stop drafting these the same day they need to be posted, but sometimes I am just too lazy to do them sooner.

Music

I actually haven't been listening to anything new this week. I think I’ve just been listening to Taylor Swift on repeat along with about 4 albums I’ve been obsessed with for months. One song I’ve been listening to a lot is Rumours by Lizzo and Cardi B. Honestly, it is such a tune and I kind of love it. I forgot I went through a phase listening to Lizzo on repeat and it got slightly renewed when I heard this song.

Life

It's been a full week of work for me this week, I don't think I worked a full week through the whole of September with various days of annual leave booked in so this week felt long! It's also the first week the weather has truly turned and felt like Autumn. I've been wrapped in blankets and have taken to having a hot water bottle around while I work, it's especially nice to keep my feet warm when I'm sat working because slippers just aren't enough, they aren't heated! I was trying to stay strong and leave the heating off until October but I had to give in eventually. It's not like I'm a student any more where we were constantly telling ourselves to put on another jumper. I spent a lot of my student years in bed to stay warm. Now, I just don't like turning the heating on too early as it feels like I'm giving in and once I do it will just be permanently cold weather. I never claimed to be a reasonable person.

I also bought a new phone this week, I'd been debating buying the new iPhone when they announced it since the battery on mine is becoming worse as time goes on but it seemed a bit excessive. Mine was still working I just have to carry a charger round with me if I'm out all day. But then my mom upgraded her contract and got one and the want became too much. I'm a little embarrassed to say I bought a new phone because I sort of wanted one but mostly I was jealous. I may be 30 but I'm still able to be petty and unreasonable. Don't worry, I'd got money saved away for a potential new phone anyway, but I'd been trying to stay strong. It's is very shiny and new, though. I love shiny and new tech and my old one is being sold so at least I'm not one of those people who hoards away a million old phones in their house. I suppose I should be allowed to treat myself to nice things, but I get the guilt like I shouldn't waste money in that way. It's strange, physical possessions I feel bad about buying but if it's a trip then it seems ok. Strange how brains work.

I had a fun night out on Friday, I was only going to the pub and then my friend was like do you want to go into town there's a band on and somehow we ended up out watching a band in a little bar I haven't been to since 2019 and it was awesome. I then woke up the next day a little worse for wear and then started feeling the going out guilt. Restrictions here have been eased in the UK with the government telling us to wear masks where we think it's sensible and social distancing isn't possible. It's such a wet blanket approach to things but I think because vaccine take up has been fairly high they're relying on that to keep hospital covid admissions down. Anyway, since that is our guidance most people are going about their business like we've not been living in a pandemic and I am functioning through the weird middle ground of doing normal things because they're allowed but then feeling guilty any time I do and constantly worrying I'm not wearing a face mask enough but then it's only effective if the person who is sick is wearing a mask. Basically, I don't think my brain is ready for complete normality and anytime I go out and do normal things I'm worrying. It's good for me to get out, though, and lateral flow testing is around for a reason.

I did spend yesterday feeling a little delicate, which is why I didn't do anything I planned to. Now I know I'll be spending my Sunday doing my whole to do list and doing nothing fun. I'm hoping I can start Squid Game this afternoon if I get laundry and cleaning done.

Reading

Look, I'm still in the slump and fanfic blackhole I entered after finishing the Kate Daniels series. I will get back to reading next week (I hope) but I don't know what I want to read. I ended up DNFing the novella collection I was trying to read last week because I'm just not with it. Although, it's not an official DNF I've more placed it to one side to go back to at a later date. I am listening to an audiobook of Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything which is quite interesting. I fancies a non-fiction listen while I was working. I've had a hardback copy of that book on my shelf since uni and I am honestly never getting through it, sometimes stuff like that is easier for me to take in if someone else reads it to me. I've a little over halfway through so fingers crossed I finish next week and I can finally remove it from my shelf!

New To Me

Just one new book this week, I finally bought The Love Hypothesis and now I'm worried about starting it. With all of the hype what if I don't like it? I also don't know if I'm in the mood for a contemporary romance, but it's my ultimate romance trope so I know I need to read it. I'll get there, that can potentially be next week's read if I can get back in the book mood. I do normally get tired after a couple of weeks of binge reading fanfic so there's the chance I'll be back then.

What have you been doing this week? Any good book recommendations or songs I should be listening to so I don't just listen to the same 5 albums on repeat?