On The Film, Julie & Julia and Being a Blogger

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Have you ever seen the film, Julie & Julia? It's about this writer living in America who decides to challenge herself to finish a project for once. The project she chooses is to cook all of the recipes from this sentimental cookbook in a year and to top it all off, she blogs about the journey. It is also told in alternating points of view, with us seeing the creator of the cookbook living in France in the 1960s.

I originally saw Julie & Julia one day randomly on TV and I instantly fell in love. Every time I think about it, it reminds me of my passion for blogging and writing in general.

I love writing poetry and blog posts. I love blogging about books, mental health and topics that represent life and living. I feel that it's important to use this platform to help others, something that I strive to do in my life. I want to bring attention to real issues, reduce stigma and make people feel less alone. I want to help people find books they will love, books they can escape into and books they feel represented in. I want to help writers to find new readers. I want to do so many things with this blog.

I love being in the blogging/writing community. I have met so many kind and supportive people. I have gained advice, books to read and most importantly, new friends.

Blogging gives us a platform to feel like our writing is valued but also somewhere where we can communicate with others and create a sense of community.

Even after all these years of blogs, we are still here. Bloggers and readers and supporters. You reading this keep blogs alive and I hope that this is something that will never go away.

Support me via Ko-Fi- here you can join my Ko-Fi exclusive book club, request content, join our Discord server and more!

Graphic Novels to Read!

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I love graphic novels. They are quick reads with generally witty dialogue and beautiful illustrations. I really want to pick more graphic novels up so here is a list of some I would like to read. Please let me know if you have any recommendations!

The Tea Dragon Society

This is a super cute graphic novel set in a world where there are dragons named after different teas I believe! I read the sequel as a review copy but I am yet to read the first book and I would really like to!

Lore Olympus

This was originally a webcomic but it has been picked up and published in these beautiful hardback copies. Lore Olympus follows characters from Greek mythology, I think in a modern day setting. I am so excited to pick it up!

Why I Love You've Got Mail: An Essay on Comfort Movies, Mental Health & Books

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I love the film, You've Got Mail. To me it is a classic romcom, a type of film that I used to devour. You've Got Mail is a film that I have watched several times. For me, it is one of my 'comfort movies', a film that feels like a hug, a blanket and a ray of positivity all in one. 

Kathleen Kelly, one of our protagonists, is a children's bookshop owner. A role that so many of us bookworms would love to have. Yet, she wonders "so much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?" This existential question is so relatable. It poses the question, when we get what we've been working for, is it really as good as we dreamt? Reminding us to be mindful, to be present and enjoy every day as it comes.

Meeting a partner through the internet is something that so many people can relate to in this present age. But when this film was created, it feels like the meeting of Tom Hanks' Joe and Meg Ryan's Kathleen, was written in the stars. Their developing friendship, then enemies to lovers relationship (a trope that I have coincidentally realised is in a lot of my favourite films and books), is something that is so captivating that it keeps you watching, loving each beat of this perfectly crafted story.

Whilst You've Got Mail is not the first film to use alternative points of views to progress the story (I'm thinking When Harry Met Sally, for example), the alternate email scripts and stories of each character really give you a feel for that character and their life, whilst progressing the story through the use of situations that are, on their own, typically viewed as mundane.

Comfort movies are much more valuable than their name suggests. On a day when you are feeling low, anxious or unwell, an old favourite film or TV show can whisk you away and bring you back to reality with a potentially more positive approach. If not, they can provide you with escape, and when you are trapped in a spiral, a film or a book can distract you from your thoughts, which at the end of the day, is necessary and immensely important for getting through bad mental health periods.

What are your favourite comfort movies? Have you seen You've Got Mail?

Support me via Ko-Fi- here you can join my Ko-Fi exclusive book club, request content, join our Discord server and more!

Some books I've promoted so far part 1: children's books

Books are magical. They bring us to whole new worlds, allow us to meet new people and transport us to different times. The books we read as children make such an impact, not only on our reading and writing skills but on our imagination and our love of reading. The passion for reading can be passed on to the next generation to seize, to escape, to create, to enjoy.

So I have a book promotion service where I work with authors to create spotlight posts for their books. I then promote these posts on Twitter and I index them on my book spotlights page for everyone to find. I wanted to start doing some block posts where I show some of the books I've promoted so far, separated by genre or whichever grouping makes the most sense. My blog is open to all genres but in this post I will be showing you the children's books I've spotlighted so far. Click the title or picture to see the post and find out more about the book! These authors work extremely hard and I would love for them to find new readers who will learn something new or find a new world to love.

The books:

Alexander Lee And The Sunken Ship by Laura Austin

Alexander Lee To The Rescue and Tag With Jazz, a double feature by Laura Austin

Angus: the Little White Fluffy Cloud Who Fell in Love with the Sun by Lesley Cordell

My Brother is a Werewolf by Ray A. Price, illustrated by Sam Aston and Arin Bray

So those are the children's books that I have spotlighted so far! Let me know if you pick any of these up. If you are an author and you'd like to commission a spotlight, check out my Ko-Fi commission page for more information.

Doctor Who Books in Order! Doctor Who Book Guide- Original Novels & Reference Books

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Doctor Who is a worldwide science fiction tv show phenomenon. Many of us joined the fandom through the 'new who' in the 2000s whilst others started with the original series in the 1960s. During this time, a lot of books have been released that are set within the whoniverse. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. In this post, I will try to create a doctor who book guide! This will go in order from books based in the era of the current doctor backwards. There are so many more Doctor Who books available, see this page for all of the books!

The Thirteenth Doctor

Doctor Who Vol. 1: Alternating Current

Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown

Doctor Who: At Childhood's End

Doctor Who: A Tale of Two Time Lords

Guest Post: How does Lewis Carroll portray a transition from childhood to adolescence in ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘Through The Looking Glass’? by Darcy R. Keim

 How does Lewis Carroll portray a transition from childhood to adolescence in ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘Through The Looking Glass’?

Darcy R. Keim

Darcy is a Medievalist/Early-Modernist with a Bachelors (Medieval History) and Masters (History) degree from the University of Winchester. Her focus is Royal Studies (particularly Queenship and Female Aristocracy). On the side of this she is a poet and chronic illness awareness advocate. Her websites include “The Historian Circle”, where a variety of history specialists share their research; as well as her more personal “Darcy is a Bipolar” blog, where she uploads think-and-creative-pieces.

The Historian Circle: https://thehistoriancircle.blogspot.com/
“Darcy is a Bipolar”: https://darcyisabipolar.wordpress.com/

Non-Fiction Books to Read!

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I love books, I read a lot of fiction but I also have an interest in psychology, mental health and biology, especially genetics. So here are some non-fiction books in those realms that I am interested in picking up. Let me know if you've read any of these or if you would like to and any recommendations you have for me!

Immune: A gorgeously illustrated deep dive into the immune system

Immune is a book all about our immune systems. I would love to refresh my knowledge and learn more.

Surrounded by Idiots

The synopsis of Surrounded by Idiots sounds fascinating. This book is all about why we don't get on with certain people. I'm really interested in finding out what this author has to say.

Entangled Life

Entangled Life covers everything about fungi and how this is such an important feature in our lives. I don't know why but this just sounds so intriguing to me! I love learning about the biology of things!

The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health

I have had stomach issues for years. It has been found that there is a connection between our minds and our stomachs and sometimes symptoms can be caused, or aggravated by our mental health. I really want to pick this book up and find out more about this topic that's close to me.

Metazoa: Animal Minds and the Birth of Consciousness

Metazoa looks at ocean creatures and relates this to our evolution and the development of different survival features throughout the years. I definitely want to find out more about this!

Those are all of the non-fiction books that I am very interested in picking up! Are there any non-fiction books that you want to pick up? 

Support me via Ko-Fi- here you can join my Ko-Fi exclusive book club, request content, join our Discord server and more!

Waterstones black Friday deals- half price off!

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Most of us love to get a good deal on the things we buy and if you are here, you may very well love books as much as I do! Well, Waterstones have started their black Friday deals with 50% off a range of books! Waterstones is one of my favourite bookshops and I am an affiliate with them which is still so amazing to me. So I thought I'd share some of the books that are on sale (just click a cover to go to the Waterstones page for it). You can also use my link to see all of the books on sale.

So there are some of the books that are half price off at Waterstones in their black Friday sales. Please let me know if you find any books that you are excited about! You can see all of the books in the sale here.

On the wait for answers and what's next?

Hi everyone. So as you might know, I have been dealing with ongoing debilitating symptoms that could be a chronic health condition. It seems that I might have to wait longer for answers than I had anticipated which is frustrating and upsetting. I am seeing if there is anything else I can do but in the meantime- if this is something chronic I know that reducing stress and anxiety is important in any treatment plan so I am going to try to rest and relax as much as I can. 

As the future is uncertain, I have been thinking of contingency plans- what can I do in case this is something chronic? 

One thing I would love to do is to be able to make a regular living from my blog, as I may not have an alternative means of income in the future. 

I love writing and I would dearly love to make an income through doing something I love. I also have a newer blog that I started, where I am going through grammar and teaching points for English Language teaching, based on my CELTA qualification experience. I started this to help me to revise what I learned on my course and to keep improving my knowledge. It would be amazing if I could monetise both blogs.

I immensely enjoy writing posts for both of my blogs. Through my experience in the blogging community, I believe that one way of consistent monetisation is through advertisements. In order to apply for the ad service that has been recommended by fellow bloggers, my blog/s have to reach certain criteria, including page views.

I'm not sure if I can ever reach these statistics. I have tried Pinterest and SEO strategies in the past, as well as social media. This may (almost definitely) be an unrealistic goal but if I could attain this, I would have one less worry on my plate.

If you like my writing, please check out other posts on this blog, as well as my teaching blog, if you are interested. Please share any posts you liked and return regularly if you would like to. It all helps!

If you are a blogger and you have any advice, please feel free to DM me on Twitter or email me at lucyisreading@gmail.com!

Some of the books on my TBR!

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I recently did a big unhaul, sorting out books I want to read and ones that I am no longer interested in reading. I decided that I wanted to focus on mainly reading childrens and middlegrade fantasy books, as well as comics, graphic novels and manga. Due to health issues, I am listening to some of these books via audio. If you're also an audiobook listener, you may be interested in checking out my page about where you can get audiobooks, including free ones.

Here are some of the books on my shelves that I am hoping to read soon or I am currently reading!

Inkheart

Inkheart is a YA fantasy about book characters coming to life. I saw the film years ago and quite enjoyed the concept. I am currently reading this book alongside some other reads and I'm really liking it so far. I also love these new illustrated covers!

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood is a modern sequel to the original Winnie the Pooh books. It is an authorised sequel, written and illustrated by new creators. I read this years ago and remember really enjoying it. I'm currently not loving it as much as when I originally read it but if you are fond of these characters, I would recommend checking it out.

Aru Shah and the End of Time

Aru Shah and the End of Time is an amazing middlegrade fantasy based on Hindu mythology. I am over halfway through this read and I am adoring it. I would highly recommend this book!

The Edge Chronicles 4: Beyond the Deepwoods

The Edge Chronicles is a massive series. This book follows a boy who strays off the path and I assume he has some adventures!

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch

Eva Evergreen is a cute middlegrade fantasy which follows a 12 year old girl, Eva, who wants to become an elite witch but whenever she uses magic it takes a lot of her strength. She ends up going on an adventure I believe!

Have you read any of these books? If not, would you like to?