October Book Recommendations

I don't think a day went by last month when I didn't pick up a book or two, or didn't have Audible playing in the background. Audible has to be one of my favourite things ever, and I don't think I could live without it. (Exaggeration? Maybe, maybe not.) If you don't already know what it is, basically it's an app you download to your phone/tablet that enables you to listen to audiobooks whenever and wherever. Life-changing, for those of us who have long commutes, spend hours cooking in the kitchen, or want a distraction other than music while out running.

I went on a MAJOR Blake Crouch spree this month, after seeing Dark Matter featured on the Instagram accounts of a few book bloggers, and bought it on a whim. I love the way his books flow, every chapter is incredibly gripping and I honestly feel like a huge Wayward Pines hole has opened up in my life now that I've finished that trilogy.

If you're looking for something good to get you through the dark, chilly Octoer evenings here are my recommendations:

• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
• Pines by Blake Crouch
• Wayward by Blake Crouch
• The Last Town by Blake Crouch
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I also re-read a couple of chick-lit (I loathe that phrase) books for some light relief:

• Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella and Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella. The two latest instalments in the life of Becky Bloomwood, one of my favourite characters. Fun, easy reading.
• Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend by Jenny Colgan. Not great, but not terrible. Riches-to-rags story, worth a flick through but I wouldn't rush out and buy it. 

Currently reading:

• Run by Blake Crouch
• Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
• The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Whatever will I do when I run out Blake Crouch? Be asking you all for recommendations I imagine!

Me, Myself and I: #Blogtober Day 1

Officially kicking off #blogtober16 by being late with my first two posts, as I was far too busy gallivanting around in rainy North Wales with no wifi to log on and update. Sorry bloggers.

Day 1: Who Are You?

If you're a regular to my blog you know me pretty well already, so I could be really lazy and link a few older posts, but that would be too easy for me, too boring for you, and not really in the #blogtober16 spirit.

So, who am I? Jeez, getting up close and personal already, are we? That's a complex question. Here are the basics:

I'm Louise, I live in North Yorkshire in the UK (the BEST county, no arguing), and I'll be 30 in 6 weeks. Mum to Cocker Spaniel Logan, who keeps me laughing most days, and witchy black cat Mickey, who just wants to be cuddled from dawn til dusk. I have a BA in Business with Marketing, and have had a few different jobs over the years, including fashion retail, recruitment and tour guide at a science museum, before finding my calling in the veterinary world. I currently work as a practice manager for four rural practices in the Yorkshire Dales, and every day is different. I've been with James for just over six years, and we're planning a wedding for next September (my to-do list keeps getting longer), which both of us are unimaginably excited for. We love to spend our time and money on trips away and good food and drink. 

I'm a passionate yogi and spend a lot of time and energy on my physical and mental health. Healthy body, healthy mind and all that. I'm also a keen runner, having only really started running this summer, and have a 10k coming up in a month, a sprint triathlon in April, and a half-marathon in spring. Aiming for the London marathon in 2018, and I'd love to do one of those wild ultra-marathons, but who knows? I'm a tad injury-prone, having recovered from two broken wrists in two years (cycling accident then snowboarding accident 18 months later), but it hasn't really stopped me from wanting to push my limits.

I have strong social, political and economic opinions, am a passionate feminist and socialist, and giant bookworm. Coffee-drinker, animal-lover, and bloody good cook.

I love summer more than anything, but as the nights draw in and Halloween approaches, I start to get excited for my favourite time of the whole year: CHRISTMAS! Nothing can beat mulled wine, wrapping presents next to a twinkling tree, going out for drinks wrapped in scarves and mittens, and spending time with family and friends. And, obviously, the constant supply of food and wine.

That's enough out of me. Happy Monday!

September Book Recommendations

September already? My, my, where is the year going?!

I get asked this question a lot: what are you reading right now? Can you recommend any good books? And the answers are always: 'I'm reading about four different things' and 'Of course I can!' So if you're looking for something to get stuck into this September, here are my recommendations:

When I discover a new author that I really like, I tend to go on a bit of a spree with their books, so you may see a theme here...

• I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. 'In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh.' Beautifully descriptive work, with a huge twist which grabs your attention and doesn't let go.
• I See You by Clare Mackintosh. 'You do the same thing every day. You know exactly where you're going. You're not alone.' My favourite of the two Mackintosh books, but only just. This one I found particularly haunting, days after finishing it. 
• Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson. 'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning.' I read this in two days while on the beach in Sardinia, so that shows how gripping this novel truly is.  
• Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty. 'Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One small dog. It’s just a normal weekend. What could possibly go wrong?' This has to be my favourite book in a while. Addictive, perfectly-paced, and well-built characters you can't help but grow to love. 
• What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. 'Alice Love is twenty-nine, crazy about her husband, and pregnant with her first child. Or so she thinks...' Funny, sad, heart-warming and the type of book that wrings wry smiles from anyone reading it. 
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. You'll have heard of this one, I'm sure. I found this a particularly chilling, gripping read and struggled to put it down. 

As for what I'm reading right now...

• The Natural Way of Things, by Charlotte Wood - recommended to me by my lovely friend Giselle, this book is haunting and so well-written I can't put it down. 
• The Husband's Secret, by Lianne Moriarty - continuing my Moriarty love-affair. I've got this on Audible to listen to on my morning/evening commutes. 
• Come Away With Me, by Karma Brown - a wonderful debut novel about finding yourself after a tragic loss. Goodreads.com calls it 'a luminous celebration of the strength of the human spirit' and so far, I have to agree.

Life Renovation

Most people don't wake up one morning and decide to place their physical and mental health at the top of their to-do list. Normally some form of catalyst occurs that kicks people into a new health regime which becomes a way of life. 

Sometimes it's trauma: recovering from an injury or illness, or focusing energy into something new after an emotional break-up, loss, or other life incident. Sometimes it's a positive motivation: a holiday coming up, a milestone birthday, a wedding, maybe all three. Or for some people, it's looking down at the scales or into the mirror and seeing someone they don't recognise. 

As much as I dislike the #sweatingforthewedding hashtag, I have to be honest and say that our September wedding next year is a big motivator for me to get up off my butt, stop watching Sherlock reruns, and do something productive. I was going to yoga twice a week, going for the odd jog, and that was about it.

Little Things You May Not Know About Me

Hello, hello! Happy Friday! It's almost the weekend and if we're lucky, it will be a sunny one. Another personal post from me today. One of my favourite things about discovering a new blog is finding out all about the blogger. Feeling like you know the person behind the screen makes reading so much more personal, so here are a handful of little things about me that you may or may not know. Enjoy...!

1. I am absolutely, completely, totally obsessed with The Walking Dead. Self-confessed walker-stalker.
2. I own more gym leggings than any other item of clothing. 
3. I can't stand regular tea. Herbal tea, at a push, is acceptable. 
4. Going for dinner and to the cinema to see a new film is my idea of a great Friday date night. 
5. I live in skinny jeans and oversized jumpers/t-shirts.
6. Christmas Day is my favourite day of the whole year, and I always wake up super early like, well, like a kid at Christmas. 
7. Gin and tonic with elderflower is my current drink of choice. 
8. I quote Friends characters on a daily basis, and I've watched every episode more than 10 times.
9. My hair is naturally mousey blonde, but I've dyed it every colour under the sun.
10. I'm not a very good passenger. If we're have to drive somewhere, I will always be the driver. 
11. I spend a lot of time at work missing my cocker spaniel, Logan.
12. I'm not blessed in the chest department; shopping for bras is my personal hell. 
13. I'm a very passionate feminist, and will talk to you about it until the cows come home if you let me. 
14. I type fast. Like, really freakishly fast.  
15. I love cooking and meal planning. Cooking dinner is my favourite part of any average day. 
16. I get really, really stressy when plans change. My brain just cannot compute.  
17. I'm a total geek for anything Star Trek related, always have been. 
18. However, I have never seen Star Wars. 
19. I love gardening and planting flowers, although I seem to have a knack for killing them. 
20. I prefer being barefoot or wearing sandals/flip flops over everything else.
21. My music taste hasn't quite advanced past 2009. I'm currently listening to the new Panic! album on repeat. 
22. I really dislike most cooked fruit and desserts with alcohol in them - particularly trifle! 
23. I have a lot of love for stationary, and am always buying new notebooks and pretty highlighters.
24. I spend most of my evenings daydreaming about the next holiday I'm going to plan.
25. I love supermarkets. I'm the weirdo who enjoys doing the weekly shop.
26. I'm the friend who sends you five emojis with most messages. Sorry not sorry :)

Let's Get Personal: Bad Days

Hello, hello. Time to talk about something that plagues us all, but we don't often discuss it: bad days. We've all had them - days that start out badly, and just continue on from there. Sometimes they can be a hangover from the day before, if worry or anxiety or PMS or anything is playing on your mind. For me, 99% of the time a bad day is caused by anxiety, and that in itself is something I tend to keep on the QT...but that's a post for another day.

I thought I'd write out a wee list of things that have proven really helpful for me in the past, when I'm dealing with a really foul mood, a bout of anxiety, or just a general 'WTF is today' mood. This list won't help everyone, since we all deal with things in our own particular ways, but this is what helps me if I'm feeling particularly low and need to be picked up.

1. Netflix and binge. I can't be the only one who reaches for Netflix every time they feel crappy? Right now I'm marathoning Orange Is The New Black and Grey's Anatomy (tissues, anyone?). Candles lit, curtains shut, chocolate bar in hand, the evening is set. The only word of advice I have is limit whatever you're watching to a certain timeframe or amount of episodes, or you're likely to waste the day completely or stay up hideously late and in return feel worse than you did before.  

2. Get up and get out. The polar opposite to disappearing into your sofa with a bowl or popcorn and the remote? Getting up and going outdoors. Having a dog is a great way to force you outside, as the damn things seem to need walking all the time (love you Loganface!), and having a companion is always preferable to walking solo. I love a good jog, or a hot and sweaty yoga session, both will never fail to clear my head.

3. Escapism. Reading is it for me, but some people prefer music, art or movies. Anything that takes your mind away from where you are, and transports you somewhere far away is incredibly therapeutic. I've always been an advocate for art classes for those with depression/mental health issues, as I've seen some people come away feeling relaxed and rebooted, so anything you can do in your own home/surroundings to achieve that is something to work on.

4. Reach out. You know how they say that talking helps? It's true. On many occasions, I've dug myself into a pit of depression over something, sometimes lasting days, and waited too long to talk to anyone about it. Whether your worries are based on legitimate concerns or not, talking to a friend can help alleviate the feeling that you're struggling on alone. Sometimes a ten-minute phone call does the trick, sometimes a trip to the shops, or an hour-long Facetime session. When your friends are scattered everywhere from down the road to the opposite side of the globe, it can be hard to coordinate schedules, but good friends are always there no matter what. 

5. Little things, big help. Shower, coffee, tidying the kitchen, playing with the cats - there will be unlimited things that you do daily which give you a small lift, so go do them. Even if you just had a cuppa ten minutes ago - have another. Have a bath with rose petals and a glass of wine. Snuggle with your pets under a blanket. Whatever works, no matter how small.

6. Set a goal, and make a start. A lot of the time, feelings of sadness and failure stem from not feeling adequate. I can tell you right now: those feelings are not real, and you are ALWAYS enough. But I know how easy it is to succumb to a negative mindset. So setting a goal and hitting it, however small, is a great way to boost your self-esteem. Anything from a trip to the shop, paying that bill you've been putting off, or hitting a PB, whatever works for you.

7. Plan a trip. With friends, family, or significant other; it doesn't matter. Get the diary open and a date pencilled in. Broke? Go to the park or a museum, anything free will do just fine, as long as you get to spend time with those closest to you.

Let me know what you do on a bad day, and if anything on my list helps you as well as it helps me!

PS: How cute is the sign in the photo? Taken at our stunning wedding venue - only a year and a bit to go!!

Running for Ages (feat. Age UK)

Let's get this out of the way quickly: I hate running. OK, hate is a strong work. I seriously, really, emphatically dislike running. I'd rather be at a pilates class, in the gym, cycling, or pretty much any other fitness activity. But it's good for me, I have a good little four-legged buddy - who only trips me up sometimes - and, whether I like it or not, it's good for clearing your head after a long day. Friends, I know some of you feel me on this one - running sucks, but we do it because it's good for us.

However...