Holiday Hiatus

I'm going on holiday on Friday and I can't wait to make the most of those final days of summer. I'm also going to be taking an extended blogging hiatus for a few weeks in September to give me chance to rest and rejuvenate ready for Autumn and Winter. My TBR for the upcoming months is looking rather fantastic and I'm very much looking forward to cosy reading as Autumn arrives. Whether you're going on holiday like me, or are returning back to school, I hope you make the most of these last warm days of 2016! I'll speak to you all in a few weeks and will still be around on social media sharing what I'm up to and what books I'm reading over there :)

Blogging Break

Hi everyone, this is just a quick little update post to let you know that I won't be around for a while. I'm going on holiday tomorrow and when I get back my puppy is getting spayed which will take her a little while to recover from so she'll be needing more care and attention than usual for a few days after the op. I'll be returning to the blog towards the end of September. I hope you enjoy the last days of summer and some of the exciting September releases while I'm gone. I can't wait to return refreshed and excited for Autumn.

Oh, hi there!

So to get straight to the point...

and god have I missed this! This blogging break has been so good for me in rekindling my love for blogging and I'm back now feeling fresh and bursting with enthusiasm to talk books again. I'm also feeling better mentally. My new counsellor is fantastic and although it's still early days it feels good to be addressing my problems head on. I'm also loving being a new puppy parent! Megan has settled in so well. She's so loving and obedient and loves nothing more than learning tricks, she's seriously so smart and is killing it at puppy school. Now we are finally getting some nice weather here in the UK I'm loving having days with her outside in the garden. Whilst I read she loves chasing her ball, splashing in the water and basking in the sun.

Megan

I'm in a better place now and have a lot to look forward to this summer. I'm going to be seeing Taylor Swift in concert with my best friend this month, and I'm also hugely looking forward to YALC in July. I hope that things have been good for you since we last talked and that there are people still here glad to have me back! Thank you for being so patient with me. I'm looking forward to talking books with you all again. I've been reading some great stuff and you can bet there will be reviews up soon!

Goodbye For Now

Hi everyone,

So you may have noticed these last couple of months that I haven't been posting as regularly as usual here on the blog. This has been for a number of reasons: I've been grieving for Dylan, battling a burst of increased depression and anxiety and lately, in truth, I've felt burnt out with blogging.

Since starting this blog almost 5 years ago now I've had the odd week or two away for holiday's and things but I've never had a really long break. It's gotten to the point this past month where I really haven't been enjoying blogging and have approached it with a sense of dread and when I don't post I end up feeling really guilty. It's bizarre because I'm still buzzing with ideas for the blog and am enjoying reading so I'm not really sure where this has come from other than my increased depression which can make you lose interest in hobbies. It came to the point the other week where I was really considering saying goodbye to this blog for good.

I've been thinking about this long and hard and have come to the conclusion that I shouldn't make any hasty decisions whilst feeling this way but at the same time I really, really need a break and so I'm going to be taking a complete break from blogging in April and possibly May too depending on how I feel.

April is an ideal time for me to take a break. We're getting a new puppy on Sunday and I want to give her my undivided attention and start getting her trained. I'm also (hopefully) going to be starting private counselling - a big step for me. Although I've had different therapy before I've always put off counselling. I have a lot of trauma in my past that I feel like I'm ready to confront now in order to move on. I've been told by a lot of mental health professionals that this will open up a can of worms and I'm going to feel worse before I feel better and so to have some space to do that without beating myself up because I don't feel like blogging will be ideal.

My hope is that after a month or two away focusing on other aspects of my life I'll feel ready to return and will have that old passion to talk about books returned to me. I've got so many fun ideas for blog posts jotted down and that love for blogging is still there, there are just other things I need to focus on right now guilt free.

In the meantime I'll still be around on Twitter, Goodreads and Instagram - especially Instagram - I have a new account just for my puppy Megan you can follow her here if you like.

I hope you understand and stick with me until I'm back on my feet.

Keep happy and keep reading until next time.

Jess x

Where I've Been and What I've Been Reading

Hello everyone,

So you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t been posting these last couple of weeks, I had an unexpected blogging break. If you follow me on social media then you’ll know why but I felt like I owed an official explanation here on the blog for those who don’t.

For the past year my beloved dog Dylan battled a very unpredictable type of terminal cancer. I had him for a lot longer than I expected given his diagnosis and he had a very happy life until the middle of January when he started to take a turn for the worse. I had to have him put to sleep on my birthday. It was a really hard day but I couldn’t be selfish and keep him suffering for the sake of one day. I wasn’t on the blog for that last week when he was poorly because he needed me a lot and then I decided to take some time out to grieve after he died. This might seem silly to some people but I’m a massive animal lover and to not have a dog anymore felt unnatural. I got Dylan eight years ago during a time in my life when I was at my worst with my mental health and he gave me a reason to get out of bed on days when I’d otherwise give up. He was a big personality and truly my best friend and closest companion. He has left a big hole in my life.

So that’s why I’ve been away. I’m at a point where I’m ready to return to blogging now but I’m not going to force myself to post if I don’t feel like it and will be taking a more laid back approach for a little while.

While I’ve been away I’ve been reading some fantastic books. I’ve taken a break from review books and have been picking up some older releases. I devoured the first two Wells and Wong books Murder Most Unladylike and Arsenic For Tea by Robin Stevens and I can’t recommend them enough. They provided some much needed escapism! I also recently picked up The Bone Season ahead of an event in Birmingham with the author Samantha Shannon last week and really enjoyed it. It’s perfect for fans of Daughter of Smoke and Bone but at the same time it’s very unique and different. I had a great time meeting Samantha and even plucked up the courage to ask her some questions! I started reading the second book The Mime Order over the weekend and I’m enjoying it even more than book one!

I’ve got lots of reviews lined up to share with you soon and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to my review pile and getting back to blogging. I haven’t had the best start to 2015 but I’m looking ahead to spring.

I hope that all has been well with you and that you’ve been reading some fantastic books! Thanks again to everyone who sent me messages of support on Twitter and to everybody who has been so patient with me.

I’ll be seeing you soon,
Jess

Merry Christmas and Holiday TBR!

Hello everyone! This is just a quick post to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and to let you know that this will be the last blog post from me in 2014. I like to take a blogging break over the holidays to read, relax and spend lots of time with my family. I'll be back posting on January 5th and already have lots of fun things lined up like sharing my favourite books of 2014! Until then I'll still be around on Twitter, Instagram and Goodreads. Thank you for all of your support in 2014 it's been a brilliant year for me and I'm hoping that 2015 will be just as good to me.

Before I go I wanted to share my TBR for the books I want to read over my break...

I've got some festive reads mixed in with some books that I just really want to get around to before the end of the year. Any books that I get for Christmas will also go on my TBR. I'm never sure if I'll read more or less over the holidays - it all depends on what I'm up to really - but I like to have a pile of exciting books to choose from! What are you hoping to read over Christmas? Are there any books I should make a priority?

Keep warm, read lots and eat all of the food! I'll see you in 2015. Merry Christmas!

It is Time for a Holiday!

Hello my lovelies! This is just a little post to say that I'm not going to be around for a while. I'm going on holiday for a week on Saturday to a lovely little cottage by the English seaside with my family. The place we're staying at has no Wi-Fi which is going to be a shock to the system let me tell you! But with no internet distractions and blogging commitments for a week I'm hoping to read a lot of books, watch a lot of DVD's, spend some quality time with my family and, if weather permits, have lots of lovely walks along the beach and in the countryside exploring the area.

Because I haven't had a blog break all year I've decided to extend my break when I return just to re-charge my brain, get on top of my September releases and indulge in some other hobbies that tend to get neglected because I spend all of my time blogging! I'm planning on returning to the blog sometime during the middle of September. By then I'm hoping to have the final feature of my room sorted out which is the bookcases so hopefully my books will all be back where they should be and I can start doing book haul posts again. Yay!

I've had such an amazing spring and summer from going to the Divergent premiere, to YALC, to events at Waterstones, to seeing Matilda the Musical. I've met so many online friends in real life and made some new friends along the way! Along with putting my dream room together this summer feels like a fresh start and has done wonders for both my confidence and my mental health. Now I'm ready to enjoy the last rays of summer and look forward to what Autumn has to bring.

I hope your September is full of amazing books, see you soon! :)