a good ol’ fashioned catch-up // ft. what I’ve been up to and new favourite books

hello hello hello!

it is i, resurrected from the dead.

well. i wasn’t really dead *gasp* but i’m back and I have a lot to tell you guys! This post is going to be a long one so prepare the snacks for a catch-up on:

• what i’ve been up to in general
• music i’ve enjoyed
• movies/tv shows i watched
• books i loved
• goals for august

i also really want to hear what you’ve been up to because i genuinely love interacting with you and desperately need friends so please comment or slide into my DMs on Twitter or Instagram! i promise i’m friendly 🥺

also to all of you that followed while i was away, thank you so much!! i guess you sort of took a gamble on me but i hope you enjoy my content and choose to stay! you are amazing and i really appreciate you 🙂

general life

so the main reason i stopped blogging for a while is because of school. you’d think that covid-19 would mean that i’m less busy but it seems to have totally screwed over the wibbly wobbly, timey wimey… stuff.

So in the UK, you take national exams at 16 called GCSEs. I’m taking these next year but because of Covid-19, I missed about 5 months of content so the stress levels are very very high. we did have online school but i found it pretty hard to teach myself and balance everything efficiently so let’s just say i am not thriving and leave it at that.

But on a more positive note, it is the summer holidays!! 6 whole weeks of pure fun!! i may not open a textbook ever again (she says knowing full well the amount of notes she has to make – don’t leave revision till last-minute kids).

I also went on holiday to Swansea in Wales and it was amazing! We spent a lot of time on the beach, went on a hike and i bought a new hoodie which is gorgeous!! watch it become the only thing i wear also long walks on the beach in the evening/early morning are EVERYTHING they’re hyped up to be in books!!

musical vibes

Music-wise, I went through a huge Alec Benjamin phase and I am in love with all his songs (would anyone be interested in specific song recs??). I also really vibed with Gnash’s music and binged One Direction songs.

Taylor Swift dropped a new album which I am completely obsessed with?! i love so many of the songs in it and i’ve been listening to it on repeat. also does anybody get random lines of a song stuck in their head for days? because that has happened multiple times to me with iconic lines from this album. I will be doing the folklore booktag soon and I’m excited to share more taylor related fangirling then!

Other than that, I mostly just listen to the Spotify recommended songs so I don’t really remember any song names or artists. Please send music recommendations my way because I really need to stop listening to the same songs for weeks. i don’t really listen to a specific genre so i’m open to new music!

tv + movies 

I have spent an ungodly amount of time watching various shows during lockdown. If you have watched any of these, please scream about them with me!!

• I fell in love with Glee. I started watching the show ironically because nothing else interested me but by the end of season 2 I was so invested?!
• Never Have I Ever was another really awesome series! I loved seeing some Indian teen representation on screen and it was so fun to watch! Aditi wrote a really awesome post about this show and why representation in the media is important that perfectly sums up my thoughts! Check it out here.
• I watched Season 6 of Brooklyn 99 and I love this show and cast with my whole heart. I need to rewatch this series asap because it is so funny and the precinct has such an adorable dynamic!

Currently watching:

• I am currently halfway through season 3 on Friends and I am OBSESSED with it. This series is amazing and the whole gang has a special place in my heart. I now aspire to be as funny as Chandler. Please let me know if you’ve watched this because I need to scream about it to someone. I!! Have!! So!! Many!! Thoughts!!
• I am also watching Fort Salem on BBC Iplayer which has witches!! and is so intriguing. It is sapphic and so exciting! You should watch it if you like magic, found families, chills and strong, badass women.

Need to watch:

• Season 3 of Good Girls just came out and omg i am so excited to watch it!! I’ve already seen the first episode and I can tell this season is going to be amazing!
• Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy has also been released and I can’t remember much about the first season but I think I really enjoyed it!
• I am also really intrigued by Selling Sunset and The Office so I might check them out next. What shows are you loving at the moment? I need more reasons to procrastinate

new fave books 

I read quite a few contemporaries during quarantine since they are usually very enjoyable and easy to get into! I also began to enjoy mysteries and thrillers and I want to read more since I love the suspense so do send recs my way!

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is an incredible YA thriller/mystery book. The plot is very intriguing and I really enjoyed trying to piece together the different clues along with Pip. I also loved the fact that this book is realistic and believable.  The sequel is also amazing!

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The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton is beautifully written and a delight to read. I fell in love with Kit and became really invested in the story. You should check this book out if you are looking for a sweet contemporary with a touch of feminism and romance.

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Are You Watching? by Vincent Ralph is another thriller that had me completely hooked. I could not stop reading and Vincent Ralph’s writing kept me guessing. I also enjoyed the social media aspect as it gave this book a very unique concept. Definitely one of the best YA thrillers I’ve read!

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Technically, You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson is a cute contemporary written as a series of texts. I loved the unique idea of this book and the conversations between the characters were adorable and so fun to read! This book made my heart smile and I didn’t expect to love it this much.

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You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle is a hilarious lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romance. I loved reading this and I laughed SO. MUCH. throughout this whole book?! The rivalry and romance between Naomi and Nicholas was spectacular and I am obsessed with the pair!

goals for August

I have so many things I want to do in August so hopefully, writing it here will make me feel accountable.

• I really want to post twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays) because I have so many exciting ideas!! but if i don’t, somebody yell at me to get stuff done please
•  I want to drink two liters of water every day – I’ve been pretty good at this recently but I want to keep it going!
• I also want to exercise daily because I’d like to have a healthier lifestlye and feel better in general.
• I also need to make a ton of revision notes so that I don’t hate myself when mocks come around in November.
• I would also like to interact more on book blogs and social media because you guys are absolutely brilliant! Please leave posts that you really enjoyed writing/are proud of so that i can check them out!

Whew, that was a very long catch-up but I hope you enjoyed reading it! What shows are you watching right now? Any book recommendations? What have I missed? Divulge your secrets!

Hugs!

Kerys xx

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