a few recent faves

Oh hello, I'll be honest. This post is really just an excuse for me to use these photos that I took with my bouquet. I never get flowers so whenever these Bloom and Wild flowers turned up on my doorstep for my birthday I was so overwhelmed with joy, especially when they came from someone who I wasn't even expecting a gift from. I have a few exciting posts planned and in my drafts but I just didn't feel like these photos belonged with them so I guess they'll have to wait! I've been switching up the way I'm using imagery on my blog and I've had such good feedback from you all so I'm excited to keep creating. All this to say, this is just a favourites post and since I'm really not one for a monthly favourites post, this is just filled with some things I've been loving from the beginning of this year. My most recent favourites post was from December where I highlighted all of my faves from 2020 so I guess this post is a continuation from that so make sure to check it out while you're here.

What I've Been Reading

So far in 2021, I've finished 16 books, there's been two two-star reads, four three-star reads, six four-star reads and four five-star reads so it's not been too shabby so far! You can read more of my thoughts on everything I've read so far in my January and February reading wrap up posts. I think out of my four five-star reads though my favourite would have to be 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue' by V.E. Schwab. Occasionally, when I'm struggling to pick which book to read next I ask on Instagram for my followers to pick between two and when it came to Addie LaRue is was easily one of my most anticipated reads and it had hype around it so it wasn't overly surprising when it won the poll very convincingly. I just know that if it hadn't have won the poll that I wouldn't have read it yet because it was one of those books that was so intimidating for me, I'd heard such good things but I also knew it had the potential to disappoint me but it definitely ended up exceeding even my highest of expectations. If you're unfamiliar The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue follows funnily enough Addie LaRue who on the eve of her wedding in 1714 makes a deal with an evil spirit to live forever but ends up cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets until one day, three hundred years later, she meets a man called Henry in a bookshop in New York City who remembers her. This book is heartbreaking and so beautifully written and it truly is V.E. Schwabs tour de force. Even if you're not typically a fantasy reader I'd so recommend picking this book up. It has so much heart and has such a good mental health narrative against a fantastical backdrop. I screamed and cried multiple times while reading this and I honestly couldn't recommend it more!

What I've Been Watching

I used to be the biggest Netflix consumer but honestly, I've found myself not really in a binge-watching mood lately. There are so many new shows that I've heard are great and I definitely need to check out but right now I'm just eagerly anticipating the return of some of my faves! One thing I am watching though is Love, Victor on Disney+'s new platform STAR. I am the biggest Becky Albertalli fan and Simon Vs The Homosapiens Agenda is one of my all-time favourite books and obviously I loved the movie 'Love, Simon', but when I first heard about Love, Victor', a new series inspired by the movie, I was apprehensive. When I started seeing clips pop up last year when it aired on Hulu however, I was pleasantly surprised but really, how could anything to do with the Simonverse truly disappoint me! Love, Victor follows Victor Salazar, a new kid who has just moved to Creekwood a few years after Simon was there and who is also struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. He hears Simon's story and starts to message him for advice and we follow Victor's journey in navigating this new city, new school and new people while still learning about himself in the process. It's just so so wholesome and with a new episode dropping weekly it's keeping me on the edge of my seat eagerly anticipating Fridays!

What I've Been Listening To

It's Eurovision season so for the next few months my music taste will morph into obscure Italian rock and Spanish power ballads but prior to that I've been listening almost exclusively to this playlist that I've entitled 'sad girl bops' filled with, you guessed it, sad girl bops. There's nothing quite like female singer-songwriters ripping your heart out with their lyrics while you also get to bop at the same time. Obviously, drivers license by Olivia Rodrigo is here because it's very clearly the song of the decade which as someone who's loved Olivia Rodrigo pre-drivers license makes me so very happy. I also feel like I need to give a special shout out to my forever fave Maisie Peters who has just released her absolute masterpiece 'John Hughes Movie' - the true definition of sad girl bop. Also, the music video is a work of art so I've popped it here so you can have a listen!

I've also been listening to a lot of musical theatre songs because that's a love of mine that never goes away! The main ones of choice lately have been Waitress, Bonnie and Clyde, The Last Five Years, and Starry. There's just so much serotonin to be had from singing loudly to power ballads and trying to sing romantic duets with yourself!

What I've Been Loving (Bonus Pick)

I mentioned in this post about some sustainable swaps that I'd made to my shower routine which included a Lush Shampoo bar. I'm pleased to announce that after purchasing it in October I have only just now had to replace it! Since the last time I had used 'Snow Fairy' which is a Christmas scent I switched it up with this order and went for 'Honey, I Washed My Hair'. I'm already obsessed with this one. I washed my hair three days ago and it still feels so soft and clean and also smells divine! I was a tad apprehensive about making the switch to Shampoo Bars originally but I'm definitely hooked now! One thing I will say though is because I ordered it online due to shops being closed it came in the most insane amount of packaging. I obviously understand that it was to stop it from breaking in transit but for what was supposed to be a sustainable purchase it was a little excessive.

And Voila! So that's just a little bit of insight into some things that I've been loving lately! I hope you enjoyed this peek into my life offline! I could honestly talk about things that I love all day so I tried to keep my thoughts pretty brief here. Let me know what things (especially tv shows because as I've mentioned I'm on the lookout for more) you've been loving lately too!