Book of the month: 'Home Fire' by Kamila Shamsie

Let's kick start this with some real talk: this is officially the best book I've read so far in 2018. It's clear to see why it won the Women's Prize for Fiction and was shortlisted for the Costa Best Novel award. I now definitely need to go and read all of Kamila Shamsie's previous works before eagerly anticipating when she'll release her next book.

Turning the tables on my anxiety

For far too long, anxiety has absolutely had a hold of me. It's been the one calling the shots, and I've been the one forced to deal with the consequences. My anxiety is a part of who I am, but at the same time there are so many other things that make me 'me' that it's not okay to give everything else up for this. In the last month or two I've seen my anxiety sky-rocket again. I'm not sure what's causing it, but I'm determined to not let it shift the control in my life away from me again.

Afternoon office snacking with vegan treats from Doisy and Dam*

I'm a grazer. If I had the choice of only ever eating meals for the rest of my life or only ever eating snacks I'd always go with the latter. Snacks are just a necessity really - who wants to curl up to watch a movie without popcorn???

Average girl size fashion from TU at Sainsburys

I've got a secret for you: my summer wardrobe has about three outfits in. Each year I think I'll rectify this, and each year it gets to the hottest part of summer and I've realised I've failed to do anything about it. Again. 

New in from Trigger publishing: 'Stand Tall Little Girl' by Hope Virgo *TW*: ED

*This post comes with a big trigger warning that the book I'm discussing is about struggling with an eating disorder*

Books about mental health are something I sometimes struggle with because they can be triggering AF. The past few that I've read haven't been too bad, but I found Stand Tall Little Girl tough. I was in a bit of a low mood when I started reading it and it was so well written and accurate that I found myself having to take a few steps back, and wanting to finish it sooner to deal with my emotions around the book.

Summer bucket list

Summer is not a time where I shine. I'm sweaty, grumpy and honestly it ruins the main joy in my life: sleep. But, I'm working on embracing things, even if they bring me discomfort, so whilst I'm waiting around for the season of chunky knits and cosy nights in to rock around, here's a few things I want to get done this summer:

A book for every mood

Picking a book can be tricky. There's the fear that you'll pick a shit one, the concern that you're reading too much of the same thing, and the need to look into yourself to ask: what do I really want to read right now? Maybe I spend too much time picking new books, but I hope at least some of you can relate?! 

Affordable base makeup from No7

No7 is definitely a brand that I completely looked over until a couple of years ago. I just feel as though they don't aim themselves at a young demographic, and the brand's always had an air of 'this is what my Grandma would use'. Except it's actually incredible??? I'm fully ready to embrace my inner Grandma on any given occasion, so it's not a surprise that this is no different.

July favourites and life update

Another hot hot month has been and gone, and I'm just as hay-fever riddled as ever. At this point I'm wondering how I've managed to avoid dehydration what with all the sniffing and the sneezing and general snot. Delightful.

Mid-year(ish) book freak out tag

It's been a long time since I sat down to do a tag, but I couldn't resist this one! There's a lot of questions, so I'm going to get straight on it: