5 Ways Books Make You Rich

Hi guys. This week's blog is all about how books make us rich and not in the monetary sense of the word. Have a look at the 5 ways books make you rich and add some of your own in the comments if I forget anything.

Knowledge is Power

Books give us knowledge and the power to use words - either for good or bad reasons. As J.K Rowling wrote: "Words are in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it."

Comfort

We all need comfort, whether it's from family and friends or from characters in books and the stories that authors tell. Books are an invaluable source of comfort for any bookworm and they will always be there for you when you feel alone.

Strength

It may be similar to knowledge but strength is absorbed from books and the morals within them. Books give us the strength to stand up to people, to tell someone we love them; to seize the day. To me, that's what a book is all about.

Role Models

Role models are an important part of any book - every person in the world needs to look up to someone, whether that person's fictional or non fictional. Some people look up to Katniss Everdeen for courage whereas others look up to Luna Lovegood for being her authentic, quirky self.

Authors

As readers, we often read a book and don't think twice about the author unless they're well known or we want to read more of their work. However, authors are an important part of the world we live in because if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have stories to brag about on Insta or bookshelves of stories to read when we need someone to be their for us. Authors make us rich by giving us the stories we crave; the stories the world needs.


I hope you enjoyed this list but please feel free to add your own ways that books make you rich. Until next time, Vee x

Poetry Review: the witch doesn't burn in this one

Hey guys! In this week's blog I'm going to be talking about and reviewing Amanda Lovelace's second installment of poetry. I have read the princess saves herself in this one and it was one of the best collections of modern poetry I have read. I'm also open to more poetry book suggestions so please feel free to comment your recommendations!

So Amanda Lovelace's idea of poetry is different to the normal, old fashioned type but in lots of ways it's so much better in getting messages across. In this second poetry collection, Lovelace explores topics such as revenge, politics, sexual assault and feminism.

When I first read the book my first impression was that it was very anti men. I haven't been through her experiences so I can't comment on that but I feel like most of the poems attacked men - maybe it was just aimed at rapists and bad men but for me, I would feel rather uneasy about reading this as a guy.

However, Lovelace explores her inner strength in this book as well as her previous one. She writes mostly about women helping women, supporting one another; knowing that we are strong. I think it's so important that she has written about this subject because we do need to stick together and change the world through art. If even one person reads your work, that might be the sign they needed. That might be the thing that they need to hear. If your art can change or empower another person, even just one person, it's still worth writing, painting, drawing, crafting.

Lovelace also explores eating disorders and how we see ourselves. Lots of young people could feel less alone just by reading her poems. A major theme in this book is having confidence and exploring how that isn't a bad thing. As long as you don't have a massive ego but you love who you are, that's all that matters.

We need to cheer each other on and that's what I have taken away from this book. I want to stand up for myself and be the happiest version of me possible. Reading Lovelace's poetry always inspires me to follow my dreams - shouldn't all writers' work have that effect?

Have you read any of her work? If you haven't I highly recommend getting down to your local bookstore or online to buy both her works! Until next week, Vee x

Bookish Merch For Your Loved One

We all have that bookworm in our life, and if you don't know who it is, then it's probably you! If you're thinking about buying gifts for a loved one or just for yourself, then have a look at my list of bookish merchandise to buy. Enjoy!

Stationary and Bookmarks

One of my favourite bookish sellers is Fable and Black (UK) who sell bookish pins, mugs, notebooks and much more. I personally had a haul before Christmas and bought myself some notebooks, pins, patches and tote bags.

I bought myself this reading journal that's absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to start using it. I also bought a few notebooks with various quotes. Can you tell I'm obsessed with tea?

The bookmark in the photo is from Wallflower Designs and I received it when I was a rep. Charlie has some beautiful designs on her website which you can find here. I love Fangirl quotes!

Pins and Patches 

I have the "Read more" pin and "Books" patch from Fable and Black and I absolutely adore them! I even got a discount on the pin because it was damaged before buying (I haven't noticed at all).
















(Photos from Fable and Black's website)

I still need to buy a denim jacket to sew this bad boy on to!

Tote Bags

This tote bag is also from Fable and Black and I use it for everything -not just books! It's sturdy and will be the perfect gift for a literary lover to show off.

Mugs

I bought this mug on Amazon and I absolutely love it. I admit I haven't read all the Harry Potter books, I watched the movies, but I still love the quotes!

If you love Beauty and the Beast then you'll love Primark's selection of Disney pieces. I searched high and low for this Chip mug and finally found it! Now I just need Mrs Potts and the purses. I also have the Chip Purse which stands next to my mug (they're too cute to use!).

I hope you enjoyed the blog and if you have any merch ideas you'd like to share with me, please drop a link in the comments.

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Book Review: Since You Lost Your Brother by Daniel Yetman

I was recently asked by Daniel Yetman if I would read his book, Since You Lost Your Brother and I delightfully agreed (especially when I get asked to review paperbacks instead of kindle stories!).

Review of Since You Lost Your Brother by Daniel Yetman
I received the book in the mail - it's a short story (120 pages) so it doesn't take too long to read. As soon as I read it I could tell this was real love Yetman was talking about - not the bookish kind that some authors create. The book had so many twists and turns that by the end I had no idea what would happen - which added to the effect the book was trying to make.

The story is about a man and a woman who've been in a long term relationship and the woman loses her brother. After that the couple falls apart from her depression and sadness. He leaves, not being able to cope anymore and moves to Seoul. He continues to write and tries to get over her but writes about her every day. He meets other women but can't get over the idea of them making it work again.

I believe the moral of the story is that we don't know what's going to happen in life so let's live for the moment and make the most out of it. It's a true story about love and heartbreak and the hold someone can have on you long after it's over. This story is definitely a must read for anyone who's going through or has gone through a traumatic break up.

I won't give you any spoilers for obvious reasons but I will say that you need to read it! It's a collection of short chapters that Daniel was writing each day on the subway. I will admit I was emotional by the end but it was worth it. I even want to recommend it to my friends because it was so moving.

I would say that the only down side was proofreading. There were misspelled words and sentences but all books have at least one mistake. I think it's safe to say if that's the only downside, then I really enjoyed this book.

This book really does have it all - love, grief, heartbreak and how to survive and live a life after it all.

If you're interested in buying Daniel's book you can find it here.

I hope you enjoyed this week's blog and tune it for next week's, where I'll be interviewing Daniel and asking some questions about his writing.

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Book Review: Another Day by David Levithan

Once I read every day and heard there was a sequel, I couldn’t wait to read it. However, for some reason I put it off for months and then I picked it up. I don’t know what I expected – maybe a story after the story; instead we see Rhiannon’s part of the story, how she feels about A, his nonexistent gender, sexuality and her unhealthy relationship with Justin. 

We all want her to leave him but she’s scared to. David manages to write about real problems in an imaginative way so that we question life itself – the path it wants for us and if gender, sexuality and everything else matters. The truth is it doesn’t. David is gay and he understands how gender shouldn’t matter. But it isn’t easy for someone who has only dated/crushed on boys or girls.

I’m pansexual, which means I like people regardless of their gender. In theory, it would make sense that were always able to do this – to love someone for their personality, not their gender or body or looks. But is isn’t that easy. These factors can come into play and David teaches us that this is okay. 

Rhiannon loves A because of who he is inside – not all the bodies he inhabits. There were other factors to this situation that make it a difficult decision for Rhiannon. A moves around all the time into different bodies – which isn’t fair for both of them. Ultimately, this book – and all of Levithan’s – makes your mind boggle in wonder. 

David makes us question things we never knew needed questioning. That’s why he’s a brilliant writer. Very few writers have me hooked to binge their books but Levithan always manages to do this.

I highly recommend you read Every Day and Another Day – in that order. You may get annoyed with how indecisive Rhiannon is, but she also makes you aware of how indecisive we all are. Let David’s writing keep you up all night with questions. I hope you read it and if you have, please tell me what you thought.

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Book Review #5: Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Well hello there! I'm glad you stopped to take a look at my review of Geekerella by Ashley Poston. I will be giving a brief overview about what Geekerella is about and then my review and thoughts on the book.


Overview

Geekerella is Ashley Poston's newest novel and it's about a girl who is obsessed with Starfield, a sci-fi TV series which is getting a film made out of it. Danielle - or Elle as she's referred to - lost her mother and father at a young age and she has to live with her wicked stepmother and step sisters; just like Cinderella. Elle's dad started a convention called Excelsicon for people to come together and celebrate different fandoms. Elle decides to enter a cosplay contest at the con with her parents clothes to try to win tickets so she can move to LA, far away from her evil stepmother.

Elle starts texting a random stranger about Excelsicon and they start to bond - little does she know this person is Darien Freeman, the actor to play Carmindor in Starfield's new reboot. And she is not happy! She believes Darien is just a self obsessed guy with abs.

This book is all about fandoms coming together, love, friendship and finding out who you are.

Review

I had high expectations for Geekerella since I had seen that almost everyone on Instagram has a copy; I had to see what all the fuss was about - and get my hands on that beautiful cover! And trust me, this book delivered.

Even though I didn't understand some fandom references, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this magical book about a girl finding her feet in an impossible world. And it is set out like Cinderella, so of course I will love anything fairy tale like! Ashley makes us hope for a better life for Elle and the book keeps us on the edge of our seats till the very last chapter. We want to know how it ends even though fairy tales usually end happily ever after.

I really enjoyed how witty Ashley made the characters, how she made the dialogue come alive and my favourite character has got to be Sage, Elle's best friend since she is such a bad ass!

Ashley captures what I imagine it would be like to be a movie star in a world where none of your secrets are private, where your social life is an open book for all to read. Darien wants a normal life outside of his acting career and Elle just wants someone to care for her after everything she's been through.

Geekerella teaches us that no one is perfect and that there is hope in this impossible world.

Throughout the book there are quite a few spelling errors which makes me cringe but apart from that I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. This is definitely one of my favourite reads of this year!

We see the characters unfold and step out of their shell slowly, the way it would happen in real life. This book is half fairy tale, half reality, giving us a perfect balance for fantasy and contemporary lovers alike.

Overall, I would rate this book 4.5/5☆

If you would like to learn more about Geekerella and Ashley Poston, just click here.

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Let me know in the comments what you thought of Geekerella!