Ramblings from my pages… #10

Welcome to the tenth instalment of Ramblings from my pages… One day, I’m going to get it together enough to post this rambling every Sunday as was the intention, but that day has not come yet, but I’m working on it! This post was inspired by It’s Book Talk’s “5 on Friday: Things I’m Loving Lately” – it differs slightly, similar in that it will feature bookish and non-bookish topics, but different in that I will ramble about things I’m loving, hating, wishing for, links I’ve enjoyed, life updates – you name it, I may just ramble about it. The only staple feature of this post will be concluding it with a cool link I found around the web.

Today’s ramblings topics: A Novel Companion, Books That Matter, Bird Box movie, Morticia Addams quote. Whether you read the entire post or jump to the section(s) you’re interested in, I hope you enjoy my ramblings. Note: if it’s green, it’s a link, click it!

A NOVEL COMPANION

You may have noticed towards the end of this year, my blogging schedule has been all over the place, a lot of that comes from feeling disorganised and so just not posting anything. I had a notebook that I turned into a reading journal, which was great when I had time to create the pages. What I really needed was a pre-formatted planner, and I found one! Introducing A Novel Companion from Little Inkling Designs. Another Bookstagram find.

There’s so many parts to this planner, I’m just going to highlight my favourite bits. First, I love that the entire planner is undated (if you remember, that was one of the thing I loved about The Happiness Planner I bought), I’m all for undated planners because, for me, it takes away the pressure of having to ‘use it, or lose it.’ If I have a good run from January to May, and then take a break, I can pick it back up in August, with no wasted pages. The only thing that bugs me is there’s only enough room for 10 months of TBR’s, hauls and Social Media Schedules – there’s clearly 12 months in a year, so whether that’s a tactic to get you to buy another, I don’t know, but it’s the only failing I can find with this planner.

A Novel Companion has space for you to track your wish lists, books you’ve read, goals, favourite quotes, upcoming book releases, must see movies and TV shows, book reviews, and more. It’s also complete with some stunning prints. Here’s a preview of some of the pages.

I ordered this planner from Canada, it converted to about £13 for the planner, which is not bad at all. I used a discount code I found on Instagram to get 10% off. I can’t remember the exact price of shipping, but I know it wasn’t expensive – I wouldn’t have bought it if it was! Last I checked the planner was out of stock, but due back on 11th January (don’t quote me on the date).

I did purchase a bookmark too, and have seen a few other lovely items, it’s definitely a bookish shop I’d recommend. Browse Little Inkling Designs on Instagram, or visit the website.

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BOOKS THAT MATTER

Last month, I mentioned Books That Matter, a new subscription box I discovered. I just wanted to share with you their December box, and highlight the theme for the January box. December’s box focused on self-care and wellbeing, which has become a running theme for these ramblings, unplanned but I love it! The book, What a Time to be Alone: The Slumflower’s bestselling guide to why you are already enough by Chidera Eggerue, was one I had my eye one and was delighted when I found out it was the featured book for this month. A snapshot of the blurb:”

Sometimes it’s not easy to find self-worth in a world that seems obsessed with telling us we’re not good enough. Empowering, intimate and full of heart: In What A Time To Be Alone, The Slumflower will be your life guru, confidante and best friend. She’ll show you that being alone is not just okay: it’s just about the best freaking thing that’s ever happened to you. As she says, ‘You’re bad as hell and you were made with intention.’ It’s about time you realised.

The box also shined a light on a very important cause, the fight to end period poverty; collaborating with Project Period: This is our period for two of the items (bookmark and tote bag). Project Period is building a movement set on providing period products to all those who need them, no matter where they are from or how deep their pockets are.

The January box is celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the team come up with. If you like the sound of it, visit Books That Matters website, or check out their Instagram, and in my Instagram browsing I found a discount count BOOKWORM10 which will get you 10% off (code was valid at the time of writing this post).

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BIRD BOX MOVIE

Promotion Survival Kit from HarperCollins

I read Bird Box by Josh Malerman back in 2016, it was one of the first reviews I posted on my blog, you can read it here. I loved the book, five star loved the book! I loved the movie too, I thought it was a really good adaptation. It wasn’t as scary as I thought, and much more emotional in places that in anticipated. It’s a Netflix original movie, starring Sandra Bullock, and I highly recommend it.

What’s really interesting is I have been talking to quite a few people who have watched the film, and it seems viewers are divided. The consensus I’m finding is those, like myself, who read the book a few years ago, or those who have not read the book at all, really enjoyed the movie. Whereas, those who read the book recently found the movie to be lacking, which makes sense, I guess, if the novel is fresh in your mind, you’re more likely to notice the plot changes in the movie.

Have you seen the movie adaptation yet? Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.

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MORTICIA ADDAMS QUOTE

My WhatsApp photo is rarely ever my face, I prefer a good quote, and one I’m really liking at the moment is this one by Morticia Addams.

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LINK AROUND THE WEB

Impress Prize for New Writers

Congratulations to Sophie Haydock for winning this years Impress Prize for New Writers, I look forward to the publication of your novel, The Flames, next year. You can find out more about the prize, the shortlist, and the winner, here.

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I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it, and you’ll join me next Sunday for some more ramblings.

If you missed my last rambling you can find it here – topics: The Happiness Planner, Bookishly Editions, HarperCollins wins, and King Readalongs.

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Oh, and….

WISHING YOU ALL HAPPY NEW YEAR!! SEE YOU IN 2019!!