Arabella

21 bookish post ideas for 2021

Published on January 6, 2021January 2, 2021 by Arabella3 Comments

This year I’ve decided not to take part in a yearly review of 2020. There’s going to be a lot of people saying how much they’ve achieved over the previous year. But I’m very aware so many others missed out on many of their yearly goals due to the pandemic. All things considered, 2020 was a good year for me but I’m not thinking going over why would be all that tasteful right now. For many, making it through 2020 was the biggest achievement for the year, something that should be celebrated as the past year has not been easy.

Instead of a yearly review I thought I’d be fun to keep things light-hearted and looking forward. I know many have entered this year tired and as a blogger I know I came into 2021 exhausted on the writing front. So, after some brainstorming (and some searching on Pinterest) I gathered 21 bookish post ideas to help us kickstart 2021. If you’re struggling for post ideas give these a read, there’ll be something you can draw inspiration from.

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My reading bucket list for the New Year

Published on December 23, 2020December 23, 2020 by Arabella3 Comments

This year has been a bit of a mess for those of us who set yearly goals. When we were writing out new years resolutions none of us could have predicted what was to come. I don’t know about you, but I’ve completed less than half my goals because many of them, like doing a 10K charity run, simply couldn’t happen due to safety concerns.

This got me thinking when it came to plan my goals for 2021 and what type of goals would be even feasible with the current state of the world. Then there was the question of are goals even the right thing to me making for the new year, can my mental heath handle that added pressure? After a bit of thinking and talking to those who know me the best, I’ve decided to set as little goals as possible and instead create bucket lists of things I’d like to do next year. Sure, there will be some goals being made, I’ll still have financial ones, business ones and even an updated Goodreads challenge, but there won’t be many. Life is too unpredictable right now for big set targets.

The idea is that bucket lists take off some pressure that a goal would do but still gives me some form of direction for the year. They also feel far more exciting and intimate than a big end of year goal. I’ll also get more satisfaction by crossing off many small activities over the year, I think that will help keep me motivated.

So, in the name of all thing bookish I’m going to share with you my reading bucket lists for 2021. I’ll still be doing the Goodreads challenge throughout the year, but I haven’t decided if I want to aim for 25 or 30 books this year, I struggled enough with 20 this year.

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How about both? Reading with a Kindle – one year on

Published on December 16, 2020 by ArabellaLeave a comment

In nine days Christmas will be upon us once more, where has this year gone? I don’t know about you, but I’m seriously disorganised this year, there’s still presents to buy, things to wrap and people to see through windows and at safe distances. Things are going to be different, but that’s OK.

Upon thinking of last Christmas and how things have changed, I inevitably ended up thinking about some lovely gifts people got me last year and how I need to make a point of thanking them once more for some of the things I’ve used daily. One such item was my Kindle Paperwhite.

I’ve talked about my beloved Kindle a few times on here, and it’s a frequent face on my bookstagram, it’s no secret that I adore using it. One of the most notable posts I did fangirling about it was one called five things using a Kindle taught me about reading. I wrote it within the first few months of using my Kindle as my primary media for reading and went over some of the things that surprised me when I swapped over to using it.

Seeing as it’s coming to the end of the year, I thought it’d be a good time to give you a year update on my Kindle and any my views have been shaped over the year. I wasn’t sure if a Kindle would ever be a good fit for me and I know I’m not the only one who’s had that concern after all, they’re not exactly on the cheap side of things. I’m hoping this might help out a few of you who may be waiting till the January sales to pick one up for yourself but are still a little hesitant.

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An Enchantment of Ravens – book review

Published on December 9, 2020December 9, 2020 by Arabella3 Comments

It’s getting close to the end of the year and the completion of the Goodreads challenge, something I’m behind on at the moment. This means that these past few weeks have been full of speed reading (or as close to speed reading as a dyslexic student with an eye watering number of essays due can). One of the books I got my hands on to try to make up on my book count was An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Roderson.

An Enchantment of Ravens is a fantasy book that follows Isobel, a young master painter who has a particularly dangerous set of clients: the fair folk. In a world where craft is highly valued by fair folk and everything is paid for by enchantments, Isobel developed a sharp mind and polite mask that didn’t upset the fair folk she painted. Things take a turn for the worst when she paints her first royal fair one, Rook the autumn prince. After she painted him with human emotion endangering both the prince and herself, they travel to the autumn lands for Isobel to face trial for her crime. The book follows them as they form an alliance to survive, prompting forbidden emotions that endanger them even more.

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