Tag: reading

Book Review: The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl

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Hello Everyone, I hope your day has been well. Today I’m sharing another review to end September as we arrive in October, the start of Black History Month!!

Book: The Misadventures of AWKWARD Black Girl by Issa Rae.

This book is great, very funny and entertaining, it’s kind of like an autobiography mixed with a bit of fiction at the same time. Very easy to read and nicely written. I found some sections more interesting than others but overall a really great book. I think my favourite chapter’s are the ABG Guides, although quite stereotypical, it’s all very true and I imagine every black girl out there can relate to something written on the pages.

It’s also a book that I feel like many people would relate to specifically if you’ve got loads of siblings, didn’t have money for expensive things or had divorced parent’s, you might find that you’ve had similar experiences growing up. It’s also so nice to read a book written by a black woman who really draws from her life experiences about growing up and family values in a black house hold. I won’t spoil it too much because there’s so many great stories to read.

You should definitely check out the YouTube series: The Misadventures of AWKWARD Black Girl as it’s hilarious and so well written. It’s about 7 years old but and definitely low budget but at the same time really entertaining which shows you don’t need loads of money to make a great series. Also, there’s a new season finale of Insecure coming out which I imagine will be just as good, based on the trailer!

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Book Review: Look Great Naturally… Without Ditching The Lipstick

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Hello Everyone, welcome to my 3rd book review.

Another book down, one that I read quite a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed reading again. This is a fantastic book for anyone who is keen to change there lifestyle to a more holistic way of living. There are so many chapters that contain a wealth of information for how you can achieve a more sustainable and eco-friendly life, not only that but also saving money in the process. It’s all about clothing, make up, hair products, skincare, therapies and so much more. There is a lot to learn from this and it is written so well with many further resources if you want to find out more about a particular topic.

I read this book many years ago and I found it so interesting at the time, I literally threw away all of my make up and beauty products that I owned and purchased things that were either natural or organic, looking back, I was quite dramatic but also really passionate about what I was putting on my body. It was a little difficult buying makeup at the time because there wasn’t as many options particularly for darker skin tones but I imagine there are so many more options now! In recent days I have gone back to purchasing normal products but its always in the back of my mind to be aware of what I’m putting onto my skin. I also used to sell a lot of my unwanted clothes on Vinted which was great but after I while I couldn’t be bothered to send things away at the post office, so I’d put them in the charity bags instead, hoping they go to good use.

Looking back I feel like I appreciate this book so much more now and it’s great to see how far sustainability has come and the positive popularity it has gained from many bigger, well known brands. It is always a goal of mine to live a more sustainable life and lead a lifestyle that doesn’t just add to the fast fashion climate we are all living in.
I think my favourite chapters are the first 2 about skincare and hair, because they both include so many tips for homemade alternatives to try and make from home, many other them include ingredients we’ll all have in the cupboards and it’s super easy to follow.

So I think I’ll keep this review short as you really have to read the book to see what changes you might want to make in your life, but just know that there is something for everyone no matter how small it may be.

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Book Review:

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Hello Everyone, I hope your day has been well.

Welcome to my second book review.

At this point in starting the review, I’m roughly 3/4 through the book and it’s been such a good read. I’m wondering how the story will end and what will happen to the main character.

Bringing it back to the beginning, the book is set in Jamaica 1783. The story is a mixture of real life and imaginary stories. The main character Nathaniel is a young 14 year old boy who’s mother and baby sister have been sold and sent away to work in a parish far away. Nathaniel is left with what seems like his only friend, Old Thomas who is a much older man who once knew freedom but now works out in the field.

From the very beginning Nathaniel is determined to rescue is family and find freedom. He is sent to England along with his owners (the Barratts) as one of them is trying to find a marriage partner. Interestingly there is a rumour about England being paved with gold and a place of no slavery but when Nathaniel arrives he realises that England isn’t really a safe place for him because he is still a slave. Its fascinating that decades ago England was thought of as a wonderful country where one could live a lavish life, seek freedom and earn wealth, even to this day England comes across as a country that is superior to others and people really want to be apart of it.

Once Nathaniel realises he is still a slave and is to be presented to another owner he tries to escape, and for a while it seems like he will. He meets another black man who is free and works as a dancer, this man is even a part of a secret society trying to end slavery. But as Nathaniel is on a mission for his freedom and to find his family he ends up getting caught and brought back to the Barretts but, he doesn’t stop there.

I’m not completely sure what age this book is aimed at but it was very informative and not uncomfortable to read even though the story is about slavery. The writer takes you on a journey and you feel like you are with Nathaniel along side his journey to freedom. It’s descriptive and very easy to picture the locations and surroundings giving the reader somewhat of an insight of life at the time.

Thanks if you read this far ☺ I won’t spoil the ending but I’m sure you’ll like it because I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it!

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Read my review of The Four Agreements Here

Book Review: The Four Agreements

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Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog.

Today I’m trying something new, so bare with me. I’ll be doing a book review of my current read and this will hopefully encourage me to read more consistently even if it’s only a few pages each day. I actually really enjoy reading but after becoming a young adult I found it difficult to find books that were actually interesting and moved on to non-fiction and self help books. I’m older now and I think it’s much easier to find what interests me so I do have quite a collection of books. I’m quite a slow reader, especially when a book contains technical words that I don’t fully understand so hopefully I’ll be posting monthly depending on the type of book I’m reading and how long it is.

My first review will be on The Four Agreements: a practical guide to personal freedom, something I have loved reading so much recently. I think this is now the 3rd time reading The Four Agreements and it gets better every time. I like the fact that when I’m reading through the pages again, it’s like I’m reading something new that I didn’t notice before and I’m learning more and more. I feel like I am at a place in life (and have been for a while) where I would like to be more myself and break away from how I was raised to be and this book is perfect for that. Some parts of it are quite dramatic for example ‘Even if someone got a gun and shot you in the head, it was nothing personal.’ but I guess it all depends on what the sentences mean to the reader and how they perceive it.

Even there are only 138 pages, so much is packed inside and the book covers topics such as Toltec wisdom, life, freedom and beliefs. This book has helped me to understand a lot of things in my personal life and have a different view on things like, not blaming anyone for how I was raised, people’s reactions are based on their own issues/life experiences and not to take things personally. Also, how holding onto negative words from the past can affect you in your current life.

The four agreements are as follows;

  1. Be impeccable with your word
  2. Don’t take anything personally
  3. Don’t make assumptions
  4. Always do your best

I think this is a good beginners book if you are interested in self growth because it contains lots of useful information that you can start implementing in your life without having to further invest. Not only that but it’s informative, well written and easy to understand.

Let me know if you’ve read this book and what you thought.

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23 things to do at home when you’re bored

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Hey everyone, this is fairly random but I just thought of a few (actually 23) things to do when you’re bored at home!! I guess it’s just to pass time, if you haven’t got much to do instead of spending it online. Most people are on holiday and might not plan to do something everyday so for the days when you are at home, try some of these:

Read a book
Prepare blog posts
Try yoga
Do a word search
Paint your nails
Complete a crossword puzzle
Tidy your room
Give away clothes to charity
Play board games
Try new styles in your hair
Call/message an old friend
Do some colouring
Have a mini workout session
Bake a cake (from my recipes) 😉
Do a sudoku
Take the bin out (if needed)
Clean your bedroom window
Watch a movie
Read blogs on WordPress
Listen to your favourite cd
See how many press ups you can do
Look through a magazine
Sit in the garden