Books

April TBR ’19

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As you will of noticed, I split this months Wrap Up and TBR into two separate posts, and this is the second half, the April TBR. So while I am away for the last week of March, I am not expecting to get much time to read, but I have got Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo, and Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan on my Kindle along with some other books, so I have options.

I am planning on being rather ambitious for April, which could go one of two ways. Supposedly we are meant to be moving, but as of writing this, we still don’t know what is happening- but if it happens then I probably wont be able to read as much. Or I could continue the great month of reading that I had in March and actually achieve everything I want to.

For quite a while I have been meaning to do a reread of Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. I read the first book quite a while ago, and never continued with the series; but now I have a signed edition of Bloodwitch, I really feel that I need to reread the first one and then continue on with the series. Plus while I am loving my fantasy books, it makes sense to keep getting through them.21414439

Continuing on with the fantasy theme, are two arcs I have, one which I believe is already out, and the other out 2nd of April. They are The Tesla Legacy by KK Perez, and Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin. I do believe that the Tesla Legacy is actually a sci-fi, but either way, I am very excited to read both of these and have a feeling that they will be quick reads.29239189

Then a bit of a different one for me, is The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston. This is a companion novel to her first book Geekerella, but I have been reassured that I am okay reading it without reading the first book. Normally contemporary isn’t really my thing, but lately I have really been feeling the need for easy light hearted reads, and this sounds like its the perfect fit!39725622

Onto this months poll, I promise that I will try and prioritise the poll winner this month as I generally seem to never actually get around to it. So for this month I have gone with a theme of continuing on with a series, as I feel like this will make me more likely to pick it up. Your options are; Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs, Obsidio by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman, and Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes. Be sure to check my twitter to have your say. 17342700

What are you hoping to read this month?

Health

Having Chronic Illness and being in a Relationship…

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This isn’t the normal post that I publish on here, my relationship is a rather private thing that I don’t always talk about. But when I started seeing posts about this, I just knew that I had to have my say. As someone who battles a number of chronic illnesses, I can tell you for a certainty that successful relationships are possible.

I first saw this on Instagram, when @chronically.ams posted about it. If you don’t already you really should go and check out her YouTube and Instagram, she is a fellow zebra that is just amazingly inspiring.

‘100 out of 100 relationships that involve caregiving fail’ – Dr Phil

I have been with my partner through the major decline of my health, and we are in the process now of moving out to our very own home.

During our time together he has had to rush my to A&E, visit me on bed rest during my two and a half month stretch of infections, and take me to countless hospital appointments.

He’s been by my side when I was blacking out cold and losing hour long chunks of my memory.

He has learnt how to sort my medications for me, how to strap unstable joints, and even how to do my hair for the days when my hands just wont work.

Now I would count much of that as ‘caregiving’, and we are most certainly in a relationship. And yet, it is not failing?

I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it makes us stronger, because I don’t feel that it makes a difference. It is something that has been part of my life for a long time, and he knows no different. We have learned about things as they’ve come up together, and its just part of who we are.

But apart from this, if you take chronic illness out of the situation, isn’t caregiving all a part of any healthy relationship?

My partner doesn’t have any chronic illnesses, and yet I still care for him. I often cook, do the laundry, and am there for him when he needs to talk through his day. We regularly have phone calls on his way home from work when he just needs to off load, or if something with his daughter is worrying him.

Relationships are a two way street, you both care for each other in various different ways no matter whether there is chronic illness involved, just because you care for those you love.

I would love to hear what your thoughts are with this. Do you have a chronic illness that effects your relationship? Do you think caring puts a burden on a relationship? schizo

Books

ABC Book Challenge- Letter D

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I promised you two editions to this series within one week, so here you go. Today the letter is D, though if you know your alphabet then you probably could of worked that out- maybe I should mix it up and confuse you all.

Memorable Books I have read beginning with the Letter…

I couldn’t possibly only choose two books for this one, it turns out I read a lot of books that start with D. But I have managed to cut it down to three, which I am quite proud of, so lets get started.

First of all, I have to mention a book that was from a new found favourite author of last year and that was Mary E Pearson, with her new book Dance of Thieves. I adored this fantasy novel, and the sequel is one of my most anticipated books for this year. It truly is a book that I think all fantasy lovers will enjoy, its got a great romance, lots of action, and tons of political tension. 40864720

Another fantast novel but this time actually from one of my favourite historical fiction writers, Darien by C F Iggulden is a fabulous epic fantasy, with a super magic system and lots of history and politics. I adored this book, and it got me out of my big reading slump of 2017.33245839

Then finally, one of very few sci-fi novels that I have ever deemed to be a favourite, The Diabolic by S J Kincaid is an amazing duology about a modified being having to take the place of her human in a dangerous court setting. Seriously, even if you aren’t a sci-fi lover, you should look at picking this up along with the sequel The Empress. 26836910

Books on my TBR beginning with the Letter…

I love a good retelling, and Damsel by Elana K Arnold looks to be a sleeping beauty retelling. I cant say I’ve ever read one of those so its definitely high on my list of books to get to. It is just sitting on my shelf waiting to be chosen. Probably be the next retelling book I pick up.37859715

And then another retelling of sorts, I would have to say Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige. This is a book I have had for a while, but for some reason I have been struggling to get hold of the rest of the books in the series so I don’t want to start it until I have them all. A Wizard of Oz retelling definitely sounds like something that I will want to marathon through. 18053060

So that is it for the letter D, make sure to check back for E. Let me know if you’ve read any of these books and what you thought about them.

Books

March Wrap Up ’19

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For a number of reasons this month is a bit different to normal. First of all, I have actually had a good reading month, and secondly I am actually ending March on the 22nd, and counting the last week of March as April for the purpose of Wrap UP. As I have talked about I am away for the last week of March and I want to have this post scheduled before I go, so this seemed like the best solution.

So for what is technically just three weeks, I managed to finish five books. Admittedly two of those I had read the majority of in February, but still that’s not the point. This has really helped me to get my GoodReads Goal back up to not a terrible failure.

The first book that I finished, was a carry over from February, and it was After the Eclipse by Fran Dorricott. This is a psychological thriller, that is absolutely brilliant; following each eclipse, young girls keep going missing, and trust me it will have you glued to its pages. I gave this a four star rating, and you can read my review for this book here.42387344

I then flew through a fantasy mystery thriller genre blend, and one of my most anticipated books of the year. I’ve had the great honour of getting to read this before its release date, and you really should add it to your preorder list. The Devouring Gray, is the first book in a new series and one that you really should get involved with. Although this isn’t the best book in the world, it definitely is a great start to what is looking to be a really intriguing series. I gave this first book three stars, and keep your eyes open for my review.42190061

After a very long time of putting it off I then also read Everless by Sara Holland, and the sequel, Evermore. Both of these were really good, with a super interesting concept, and a really loveable main character. I doubt I am going to be review these books on the blog as I read them purely for enjoyment. But if you are looking for a fast paced, quick fantasy that I feel is actually quite a good introduction into high fantasy, then this series is definitely for you.35883046

Then another carry over from February was my buddy read with Ellie over at Hatterell, you really should go and check out her blog. Although she is super busy with University, her blog is still full of really interesting content. Over the last month or so we have been reading The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, and although I didn’t know what I was expecting, it was actually a really amazing read. I got really engrossed in this book, and am gutted that I cant just pick up The Wicked King. All in all, I gave it a four and a half stars, and will be doing a post about it in the near future.26032825

That is by far the best reading week I have had in a very long time. My reading slump is looking to be well and truly over, although saying that I do not want to jinx it. What did you read this month? I will have my TBR up at the start of April.

Books

ABC Book Challenge- Letter C

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Its time for a further instalment of this ABC book challenge series, it may only be entry number three, but I’m still loving it all the same. Today’s letter is C, and you are lucky enough to be getting two of these posts within one week!

Memorable Books I have read beginning with the Letter…

This time around, I’m taking Memorable as meaning books that I expected to be so much more than they were. They have stuck in my memory as not being all that good, so here we go…

First of all is a fantasy novel by an amazing booktuber, based around LGBTQ+ elves, and I believe the rest of the series has dragons as well, Cloaked in Shadow by Ben Alderson. This turned out to be a three out of five star read for me, as I just felt that it had very little depth. However I did love the romance in this, and I may one day have to pick up the rest of the series at some point to see how it unravels. 33978711

Then the next, is actually a book by one of my favourite authors, a young adult historical fiction, Changeling by Philippa Gregory. This had so much potential, with a run away daughter of a noble, and a religious father on a journey around Europe. This should of been so good, with the mystery and the romance, but it was just a big let down. I have actually finished this series, or a least read all that are out, and it just never picked up. 17120520

Books on my TBR beginning with the Letter…

I have to start this off with a book that I have been putting on my TBR now for a few months, but I am still yet to start, and that is The City of Brass by S.A Chakraborty. This is a fantasy novel based around the concept of someone who does not believe in magic, then managing to summon a Djinn (which I believe is a genie?). I have never read anything like this, and it sounds really exciting so definitely cant wait to finally pick this up. 32718027

Another that I have been meaning to pick up for quite a while that I am really looking forward to is Clash of Empires by Ben Kane. I adore all of Ben Kane’s works, and Ive even had the pleasure of meeting him, and this is no different. I have really just not had the mood or feelings to pick this up since I have had it, I’ve not really been reading any historical fiction lately. But as soon as I’m in the mood for history, I will definitely be going for this one. 35071346

So that is it for the letter of C, this was actually a tough one. Check back soon for another instalment.

Health

Traveling with Disability…

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Travelling is always a stressful thing, with all the security loops to jump through, and the general concerns of making sure you have everything. This is only made worse when you have a chronic illness or disability. There is so much extra stuff that you have to remember when you are fighting a chronic illness, and a lot of it you cant go with out if you were to forget it.schizo

For this holiday, I have taken about two months to prepare everything that I need to take with me- you probably could do it quicker, but I’ve not been well and had to stop driving, so it wasn’t as straight forward as it could be. It has also been a long time for me since I last travelled, so I have been realising new things I need to sort as I have gone along.

The first major thing to sort out is always medication. Most chronic illnesses come alongside an expanse of medication that help you keep symptoms at bay and make basic things tolerable. Now for me, I have a lot of pain medication along with other medication to help with my stomach, sleep and mental health. With certain medications, such as morphine and some antihistamines, you have to have them authenticated by a medical professional. This sounds a lot more complicated than it really is, all you have to do is get a copy of your prescription, a letter from your doctor, and make sure that your medications have the label with your name and pharmacy signature on. I know that I have had to pay for the medical letter than was £20, but otherwise this is all pretty straight forward.

Now it doesn’t matter if you are going to the other side of the world or just to the next town, you always have to think through do you have the extra little things that help you to be comfortable? For me this consists of comfy clothes, supportive shoes, strapping tapes, and probably most importantly, my wheelchair. This time around I have also included a bunch of sterile dressings, I am currently having to use these for some ulcers caused by blood sugar levels. As some one with a lot of allergies I cant use most plasters, so I have to be sure to take everything I might need with me. Last thing I want is to have to try and find a foreign pharmacy and try and find plasters that wont cover me in a rash.

Finally, its just a matter of thinking through how you are going to get yourself and everything you need to the airport and through to the plane. I am lucky that I am travelling with my partner and all of his family, all of whom are very supportive with my disabilities. We are completely prepared (or at least I think we are), and have booked for the added assistance in the airport, so that I can go through security in my wheelchair. Between the eight adults, we should be able to manage the luggage and two children; but having support from those you are traveling with is always a real help- means that although I could self propel the entire time, I should only have to focus on getting myself around.

Although this will be going out too late to help me with this trip, I would love to hear any tips you have for traveling with disability. Do you have anything you find really helps you to prepare and get around?

 

 

Health

Why traveling isn’t for me…

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Most people my age, and to be fair people in general, always seem to go travel, want to see the world. Have bucket lists for places they want to go, spending their earnings on lavish sight seeing holidays. Bloggers jumping at any opportunity to write blog posts about beautiful places around the world, and showing the world what its like to go on jet setting holidays. schizo

But truly it is just not for me. I am a person who loves their own bed, and my own home, and just generally the feeling of being in my own home. I may be moving, but I will quickly make that my own home and then be most comfortable there.

Most of my childhood, I would have a different holiday each year, and although I used to enjoy them and have great memories, I always had an uncomfortable feeling about it. Part of me always got very anxious, initially just about the flight and  travel, but as I got older I started having the anxious feeling for the entire trip. Getting uncomfortable about the fact I wasn’t cooking the food, that I didn’t know if the room was clean, that I didn’t know the bugs that could be getting around.

To begin with in my childhood, I only really remember it being in foreign countries, but as I’ve got older and been going to different places in the UK, I have noticed that it is with just about any trip that involves staying a night away from home. I have even had the same anxieties about staying at families homes, and even my partners.

I cant help but think that my fear of traveling is a lot to do with my health issues. I am constantly concerned that I will forget something that helps me manage my health conditions, or that I will get ill while I am abroad and feel completely alone in a country I cant speak the language.

That’s not to say that there isn’t a full list of things and places that I don’t really want to see, because trust me there are. If they could just move and turn up on my doorstep, so I could just do a day trip to see the world then that would be perfect. Sadly though, I highly doubt that that is possible.

But sometimes you just have to fight through anxiety in order to keep living your life, and that exactly what I am doing this month. I will do a post this week all about the extra precautions I have to make in order to be able to travel with my disabilities.

Do you enjoy traveling or do you find its just not for you? There is not harm in not loving traveling, it really isn’t for everybody, some people are just more stay at home people.

Health

Recovery Update March’19

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Just in case you were missing it, I thought I would give you all a bit of an update of how I’ve been doing with my health recovery since such a rough start to the year. Well, I can tell you now that it has still not been an easy sailing journey.schizo

I am writing this a week before I go on holiday, so I still do not know for sure whether or not I will be being allowed to go. However I will say that it is looking very likely, so keep everything crossed and wish me luck.

So at the beginning of March, just before my birthday, I started feeling really rather rough again. I took to my bed, and just prepared to wait it out, hoping to be better before my birthday and definitely before my holiday. A couple more days and I had to go to the doctor as my fever was getting worse.

Turns out I had the flu, however I had developed bacterial tonsillitis on top of the flu- tempted to not bother with the flu jab next year. Saying that, I should just say that I had an allergic reaction to my flu jab, and have since had the flu twice since the jab- I’ve not had much luck.

To treat that I was put on a ten day course of strong antibiotics to try and kick it out quick. And in the mean time I just have to rest and take it easy, something that for once I am not complaining about. Thankfully I have gotten really into reading again so I am quite happy with an excuse to get through some books.

It is starting to ebb away now, my appetite is coming back slowly, and its getting easier to breath again, all looks good I would say. I might of had to spend my birthday on bed rest, and have to change all the plans, but at least it is looking like I will be able to go away at the end of the month.

As for everything else, I have not passed out now for over a month, and my drop attacks have gone back to pretty much their normal pattern. I have now got my appointment dates through for Cardiology and Urology, and hopefully now it will be clean sailing and no more need for hospitals until then.

That being said, I was diagnosed the other week with pre-diabetes. I was tested for diabetes just to see, as it runs in my family and I’ve been having quite a few issues with wounds not healing. So now I am on a mission to try and both improve my diet and lose some weight over the next twelve months before I get retested.

Finally, my ulcers are finally starting to heal up. Turns out half the reason they weren’t healing is because I am allergic to Iodine, which is what they were using to try and help them to heal while warding off infection. So I can no longer have anything with iodine in, and have now got to use the silver nitrate variant instead, I feel like I’m just getting fancy now. Got to change out my emergency medical kit.

That is it for my health update for today. I’m sure I will do another after my holiday and the consultant appointments, But for now, please keep your fingers crossed that I keep everything together and am allowed to fly at the end of the month.

Books

ABC Book Challenge- Letter B

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Its time for round two of the ABC book challenge series, if you missed the first then you can catch up on what its about, where I got the idea and Letter A, here.

Now todays letter is B, so lets see what books come up this week.

Memorable Books I have read beginning with the Letter…

Last year saw a few very memorable books being read, some of which I have the great honour of reviewing on this blog. The first memorable book to mention is A Baby’s Bone by Rebecca Alexander, a super emotional historical thriller genre blend. You can read an extract for it here.38206728

Another thriller on this list is A Breath After Drowning by Alice Blanchard, a chilling who did it, following a psychiatrist having to face her demons to work out who was behind her sisters murder years before. This book really did envelope me into its hold, and I loved the entirety of this book, I need more by Alice Blanchard!! You can read my review here.

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Books on my TBR beginning with the Letter…

First book that comes to mind is one that I have had on my shelf for a very long time now. I believe I brought it on a Christmas shopping trip a few years ago, and that book is Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. Still I know little about this, but I think that its about a woman’s experience on death row. 17333319

Finally a book that I got in a FairyLoot box and have been dying to read, Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake. All I know about this is that it is a young adult fantasy, but it has had some very mixed reviews from what I have seen. Have you read it? What were your thoughts? 32295486

That’s it for Letter B, join next week for Letter C. You should give this series a go, send me the link if you have.

Books

Thriller Recommendations 2019

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Its time again for another post of recommendations, this time around it is all about the thriller books that I think you really must read. All four of these books are amazing, and have stuck in my brain since I first read them.

The first book I want to recommend today is one of my most recent reads, and one that I absolutely adored. After the Eclipse by Fran Dorricott is a thriller novel that was released last month from Titan Books, and kept me gripped to its pages from the beginning to the end. I had the pleasure of being part of the blog tour for this last month, but my views are completely my own, and I would rave about this book even if I hadn’t been on the tour. The concept was so different to anything I’ve read before, and the characters were all so loveable, so if you have picked it up already, go and get yourself a copy. You can read my review here. 42387344

From the same author as one of my other recent reads, comes my next recommendation, The Dry by Jane Harper. Earlier this year, I read her latest novel, The Lost Man, and it was just as fabulous. But I would definitely say you should start off with her first work. The setting of all her books is so unique, set in the Australian out back, these books have an element of suspense to them that I have never found in any other novels. They are perfect to be read in the summer, especially if we have good whether as you can appreciate the surroundings so much more. You can read my review for this book here. 31560399

The next two were two of my favourite books of a few years back, and they have stuck with my ever since.

The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti is an intense identity based thriller. This was the start of my obsession with this style of thriller novels, still now I am always on the search for new books like this. I read this very quickly, and the benefit you have is that there are now more books. She has since released Blackbird Season and In Her Bones, both of which you can definitely add to your TBR if you love this one. You can read my review for this book here. 31846442

Shortly after discovering Kate Moretti, I had the please of reviewing The Passenger by Liza Lutz. This was another identity based thriller, that I read in no time at all. Following a woman running away from being accused of a crime she didn’t do, and having to start over and try and make a life for herself. I found myself getting very attached to Debra, and that in itself kept me glued to the pages. Once again you can read my review here, and soon she will be releasing her new book, The Swallows. 29451611

So those are the four thriller novels that I have to recommend, but trust me there could be many more. But those will have to wait for another time. Have you got any thriller novels you’d like to recommend? I’m always on the search for more.