Monthly Book Club Buddy Reads Announcement

Image

Hi everyone! I recently opened the monthly membership option on my Ko-Fi. This is like Patreon but you can pay anything you want to support me and you get exclusive rewards. One of these is a monthly book club buddy read.

Why I opened Ko-Fi membership:

• I wanted to create a community where we can chat & have somewhere to go
• I wanted to have a place to talk about books as much as we like
• I currently can't do things I used to do & things are uncertain so this would give me something concrete

The rewards

• A shout-out at the end of every blog post, including your name and website or author page link (you can opt out, this excludes book spotlight posts)
• Access to an exclusive Discord server to chat about books, health, games, writing/content creation etc.
• Regular reading sprints by message on a dedicated Discord channel
• Vote/contribute to upcoming content e.g. helping me decide my next read, blog post or topic to write a poem on
• Sneak peaks into any upcoming plans
• Monthly book club: help choose our book and chat about it on Discord 
• An individual shout-out on Twitter once a week 
• A shout-out in a monthly supporters blog post which can include your links and work and this will be shared on social media
• Regular updates from me about books, life, health etc. 
• Direct message me to request blog posts and tweets and if possible, I will try to create them

About the book club:

We will vote on a book to read every month, this could be a middlegrade fantasy, YA fantasy, manga, graphic novel, non-fiction book or something else. If we choose a short book we can choose a secondary read too. 

There will be a channel on the Discord server where we can discuss the book as we read it!

Some of the books may come from my TBR but members can suggest books to read too!

Hopes:

I would love to have Ko-Fi members as a space where we can chat and hang out and just have our own fun and supportive community. 

If you're interested in joining, please check out my membership page.

Thank you:

I just want to take this moment to say thank you so much to everyone for all of your support this year, everything is appreciated and valued so thank you.

The Realities of Pre-Diagnosis Chronic Symptoms

Image

Hi everyone. So I have felt reluctant to write a post going into too much detail about my symptoms and my life right now but I feel like chronic symptoms are something that a lot of people don't really know much about and I want to bring more visibility to this and help those who may be in a similar boat to me, feel less alone. 

For a long time I have been dealing with fatigue and dizziness. I would wake up still tired, not feeling refreshed or rested at all. I would struggle with work and when I came home I would just be too tired to do anything. I've also been dealing with costochondritis for years which is inflammation that causes pain in the ribs and chest area.

This year, I began having pain in different areas of my body that would be intense and last a long time and then re-occur. It got to a point where my body just couldn't function anymore. 

For months, I have been dealing with pain, aches and stiffness all over my body, fatigue, migraines, headaches and dizziness that has been so debilitating that I am unable to do things that I used to do. 

My symptoms fluctuate within the day and from day to day so I will have periods where the fatigue is more prevalent or a migraine or body pain. 

I'm on medication to help with the symptoms but it doesn't take them away or make them a lot better. It just means that I have less times of being in agonising pain where I want to cry but can't because I'm in so much pain.

I'm waiting to see a specialist so that I can get a diagnosis and effective treatment.

The future feels so unknown to me right now because I don't know how much better I will get and what I will or won't be able to manage, which isn't great when you already have anxiety. But each day I am trying not to let my anxiety take over my day and to try to have a positive mindset. To focus on what I can do and not what I can't. To celebrate allowing myself to rest without feeling bad about it. Because I literally can't do things like I used to do. There are limitations. Depending on how I feel, I can do small tasks but the more I do, the worse I seem to feel later on. 

I'm getting better at pacing, a technique that some people with chronic illness use where you rest between activities and don't give yourself too much to do. It's hard because I want to be able to do a lot of things but I just can't. Activities I can do can make my symptoms worse, especially when it involves something physical. Similarly, I have a lot of times where I feel like I can't think. 

Living with chronic symptoms isn't easy. Especially when society conditions you to be a working, productive person and doesn't include those who simply cannot. I pushed my body for so long that it just couldn't anymore. 

If you deal with chronic symptoms, please feel free to DM me on Twitter. If you would be interested in writing a guest post for my blog please email me at lucyisreading@gmail.com.

I hope this post helps.

Lucy~

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

My 2022 Goals

Image

Hi everyone! I love setting goals and planning things. Here are most of my goals for the following year. In 2022 I am going to put my physical and mental health first, look after myself and do more of what makes me happy.

• Read lots of middle grade & children's fantasy
• Listen to non-fiction audiobooks (particularly biology)
• Do mindfulness colouring books
• Complete at least one jigsaw puzzle (bookish themed)
• Learn and revise all of French on Duolingo
• Play games more 
• Get a diagnosis for my chronic symptoms (this is more of a strong hope)

Wish me luck with these! Do you have any goals for 2022?

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

Join my little community on Ko-Fi!

Hi everyone, this is just a quick post to say that I have set up a monthly membership option on my Ko-Fi page. You can choose to support me from £2 a month up. You will get:

-A shout-out at the end of every blog post, including your name and website or author page link (you can opt out, this excludes book spotlight posts)

-Access to an exclusive Discord server to chat about books, health, games, writing/content creation etc.

-Regular reading sprints by message on a dedicated Discord channel

-Vote/contribute to upcoming content e.g. helping me decide my next read, blog post or topic to write a poem on

-Sneak peaks into any upcoming plans

-Monthly book club: help choose our book and chat about it on Discord

-An individual shout-out on Twitter once a week

-A shout-out in a monthly supporters blog post which can include your links and work and this will be shared on social media

-Regular updates from me about books, life, health etc.

-Direct message me to request blog posts and tweets and if possible, I will try to create them

If you'd like to support me in this way, thank you so so much, I have no words but it is really appreciated and it will really help me. I hope that anyone who joins this little community will have a lot of fun and feel like it is a safe space to chat and hang out. If you'd like to join, check out my membership page here. Thank you for all of your support in any way- comments, sharing posts, retweets, kind words. Everything means so much to me.

Where to Get Free Audiobooks & Ebooks!

This post contains affiliate links

Image

I love audiobooks and ebooks. I find them really helpful for reading more and audiobooks are great for reading whilst doing other activities. Here are places where you can get free audiobooks and ebooks!

Libro FM

Libro FM is an amazing website where you can get audiobooks and support independent bookshops at the same time. It is the same price as other audiobook services which is great because you can also support indies at the same time. 

Libro FM are currently offering a free audiobook when you sign up for a membership, so instead of one audiobook credit, you get two.

Scribd

Scribd is an awesome app where you can access a ton of audiobooks and ebooks! If you use my referral link you can get 60 days free and you can cancel anytime. If you like audiobooks and ebooks and you read a lot, I would recommend continuing with the paid membership once the free trial is finished.

Libby/Overdrive

If you have a library card, it is very likely that your library has the Overdrive or Libby app where you can read audiobooks and ebooks for free. The range varies depending on your library.

Audible

You can get a free trial for Audible if you haven't already got a membership. They also run regular deals on paid membership which is great.

Kindle Unlimited

Kindle Unlimited is brilliant if you read a lot of ebooks. There are especially so many indie books available on Kindle Unlimited for free. You can get a free trial of Kindle Unlimited to start with and then if there are a lot of ebooks you are interested in, you can continue with a paid membership.

Do you use any of these services or would you like to?

My Top 4 Favourite (& Surprising) Books of 2021!

This post contains affiliate links

2021 has been a wild year. In terms of my reading, I went through a variety of phases of trying different genres to find what my favourite types of books are. So let's see what my favourite books I read this year are!

1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

This book has taken the book community by storm. It follows Evelyn Hugo throughout her life as she becomes a movie star and all about her seven husbands. 

I wasn't sure whether I would like this book but honestly? I loved it. 

This book was so emotional and by the end I was literally found sobbing over a fictional character.

Tips To Boost Visibility For Your Growing Business

This is a collaborative post and it may contain affiliate links

Image

As your business continues to grow, it will require more focus, creativity, better planning, management, and attention from you. Without all of these and more, you risk losing your clients and reducing your conversions, and worse, your revenue.

Getting your business out there may be challenging, but here are some ways to boost its visibility.

Indie Showcase #4 Check Out These Books!

 This post contains affiliate links

Authors work really hard, pouring all of themselves into creating their passion projects and achieving their dreams. One thing that I want to do is to help authors to reach a wider audience and make more sales. Something very important for all authors, is receiving reviews. Reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones and other shop websites help authors to find even more readers. Sometimes authors will run deals such as offering their book for free or for a cheaper price so that readers can access their books and review them for others to find. In these indie showcase posts I am going to share some of these books. Please check out any books that you are interested in and leave reviews online! See other indie showcase posts on my book lists page.

These Violent Nights

Once upon a time, inhabitants of another world tore a hole through the universe and came to Earth. They called themselves Suriias, and rivalled humans in knowledge and skill with one great exception: they had magic.

War followed. Humanity lost. And three hundred years later, humans are on the brink of extinction.

Orphans Thorn and Thistle live in hiding. They are the last of their families, the last of their friends. They scrape by, stealing to survive and living on the streets or hiding in sheds. But even under the brutal regime of the Suriias, there are places where humans can mingle in secret with magical sympathisers, and one night Thistle gets an unexpected offer of marriage from a Suriia with high standing and friends in all the right places. For Thistle, it’s a chance at safety and comfort; for Thorn, it’s a chance to find the ones who killed her parents.

And so the pair move into the capital city of Courtenz. An urban monstrosity of magic and might, false friends and flying cars, drones and death tolls, the new city promises a fresh start – and new love – for both.

But if there’s one thing Thorn knows for certain, it’s that dreams can swiftly turn into nightmares.

See Rebecca's other books.

Books for Sale: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Horror & More

My friend has a lovely Ebay shop where she sells a variety of new and preloved items. Her service is brilliant and there are international shipping options. I am doing posts showcasing items that she has for sale! Click the link or picture to go to the item. See all of the things for sale here.

This post is all about some of the books that are for sale, see all of the books here. 

Promote Your Book/s with Book Spotlight Posts!

 

  Image

My blog is open for paid promotional posts to showcase your work! These posts can feature items such as a book cover, book description, book genre, author bio and buy links. These posts will stay on my blog and they will also be listed on my book spotlights page for readers to find.

Posts are £5 per book. 

The posts will also be shared on:

Twitter (7,000+ followers)

Pinterest (23k+ monthly views)

Instagram (1,200+ followers)

If you would like to work with me, please send all of the information you'd like to be included in the post to lucyisreading@gmail.com or through a message when you pay via my Ko-Fi page. Posts are published within 48 hours once information has been submitted and payment has been made. All genres are accepted as long as the book cover and the book description aren't graphic. 

Please pay via my Ko-Fi page: https://ko-fi.com/lucyturnspages/.