Monday 28 August 2017

Tea, Early Mornings, and Things to Look Forward To...

Hello there... If any of you have stuck around and read my blog for a while, you'd know that I am not going to university like most 18-year-olds are. Instead, I'm working, and trying to blog, and planning university open days and hopefully actually applying for uni because hey, I think I know what I want to do now. 

My job sometimes requires me to start at 6:30 in the morning, and yes it is a horrible thought but there's something wonderful about being up at 5am and watching the world wake up. Like the middle of the night, the early hours of the morning are perfect and untouched and beautiful. 
Early starts allow me to have the rest of the day to do nothing, or everything depending on how I'm feeling and I like that. There's no anxiety just waiting around to go to work, I just get up and go and have a day to do what I really want to. 

Usually, what I really want to do after working is curl up with a mug of tea and a book. I'm really enjoying writing book reviews and reading books, and with a to-be-read pile almost as tall as me, hopefully I'll be doing more of both of those during the next year of my life!

I've got more than books to look forward to, though! I'm hopefully going to be writing for Noizze, a site that publishes music reviews, which is something I'm really looking forward to, since I've not done any proper music reviews in such a long time and I do really enjoy it. 

So yes, this post is just a little update to let you all know what's happening in my life. I'm excited! 

- Dottie x

Wednesday 23 August 2017

BOOK REVIEW: The Art of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson

"Two outsiders. Two secrets. 

David longs to be a girl.

Leo wants to be invisible.

When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long..." 

I picked up The Art of Being Normal recently from the Amazon book store (the best place to get books in my opinion), alongside Matt Haig's The Humans. I'd seen it around in a few Instagram posts and was curious to read it.
While I'm currently struggling to get into Haig's book (sorry, Matt!), I devoured The Art of Being Normal in under 24 hours. 

The story is gripping and so intriguing, switching between main characters David and Leo's perspectives. I became emotionally invested in this book, it made me smile, and it almost made me cry. For someone who hasn't experienced what character David has, it's definitely a good read because it opens your eyes to what it's like to be living in the wrong body, and Williamson wrote with empathy and knowledge of the issues covered in this novel, and she wrote so well. 

The plot twist(s) in this book are great, it leads you to believe one thing, and then does a complete U-turn (for me, anyway. you might figure it out!). Each character develops and has their own little things about them that you learn, and I adore the ending of this novel. 

I'd recommend this for anyone struggling with gender identity, or anyone who doesn't understand it. It really opened my eyes, and it will do the same for you. Otherwise, if you're a fan of John Green, Matt Haig, etc. and are just looking for something good to read, then pick this up. You'll love it as much as me!

(If you'd like to read my book review of Matt Haig's How to Stop Time, head over to my other blog, 18 Going on Eighty here).  - Dottie x