Instagram honesty.
22 May 2017 • confessions, gracie actually has opinions, Instagram, Instagram Honesty
Social media is excellent, and generally I am a
huge fan of it. It's also terrible, and at times I absolutely despise
it. Don't we all, sometimes? Well, I certainly know a lot of people
who actively loathe social media, some of whom have deliberately
deleted any trace of themselves, any presence they had, on every platform.
But
then at the same time, I know folks who have made a career out of social media. This includes me. So many of us have found friends, discovered new favourite things and been
inspired endlessly. Whether it's coming across individuals and
movements we wouldn't have known about had it not been for Twitter;
kinks and fan fic we'd never thought to search for were it not for
Tumblr; 5* cafes and household appliances for sale courtesy of Facey
B, and of course there is always an abundance of beautiful foods and
quirky af outfits to be seen on Instagram.
Yes,
I could go on forever about the wonders and evils of social
media and its various platforms. But today I will just be
focusing on one: the aforementioned Instagram.
An ovary-related Robin Scherbatsky realisation.
19 May 2017 • babies, children, Grace Talks Sex, gracie actually has opinions, gracie's life, life, life goals, musings, Robin Scherbatsky, the future
I
had a revelation recently. I can pinpoint the moment it
occurred – the very second my mind was overloaded with something alien, when my body felt a change
and suddenly my future plans and life goals were, ermm, 'updated'
a little.
Yes, it was...a Robin Scherbatsky realisation.
Yes, it was...a Robin Scherbatsky realisation.
Talking with Lisa Heathfield; her writing process and 'Paper Butterflies'.
15 May 2017 • author, author interview, bookish, gracie actually reads, Lisa Heathfield, Paper Butterflies
If
you know me, or if you've just read this blog for the past year, a)
thank you and b) you'll know which books I like. And you'll know that
one of my absolute most favourite recent reads – and books in all
the world – is 'Paper Butterflies', by Lisa Heathfield.
This
YA novel published by Egmont in 2016 tells the story of June, a
teenage girl living in a very unhappy home. Only unhappy for her,
though. She is abused, relentlessly, and has nobody to turn to for
advice or even simply solace.
The
book made me burst into tears – literally, it felt like a vicious burst – several times throughout, and then by the end I was
hiccuping while hysterically crying... but with a surprised smile on my
face. I poured my feels out onto the blog right after finishing the final page.
I
then went on to read 'Seed', as all my friends had told me to many
times before. I devoured it as greedily as I did 'Paper Butterflies'.
Just like that, I had a new writing idol.
A Map of Me.
11 May 2017 • body love, body positivity, creative writing, grace latter copyright, life, my body, scars
'You'll
have a bad scar,' the GP says, peering down at my exposed tummy as I
lie flat on my back on the nurse's bed. I shift myself a little,
tearing the paper towel beneath me, to get another glimpse at my
staples and holes. This has been the first re-dressing appointment
when I haven't cried – but now I might.
I'm
ashamed. Because my first thought upon hearing this was: I can't
have another scar! As if I've
filled my quota already, aged only 23? As if, indeed. I have a long
way to go yet.
I've
gotten to know my body well, in recent years. And it's
served me well, in recent years.
It's taken the worst trauma and made it the brightest light; it's
bounced back, seemingly quickly, but secretly it's been a hundred
year fight. You can only just see the evidence – if I let you. The
scars, the marks...they're part of me and they tell my story.
What I'll be reading in May 2017.
8 May 2017 • 2017, bookish, May, reading, reading schedule
May
is here. It's official – Justin Timberlake said so. It's the month
when the crocuses sprout, the evenings stretch out and they taste of
gin with sprigs of mint stuck in.
Already
Star Wars Day has been and gone – and with it many friends'
publication days, congrats all! – as has the most prestigious
occasion of the month, little sis' birthday (she's 19, lol what). The
month is moving fast, and after a turbulent April I really need to
get my shit together now (she says, typing slowly from under a
blanket on the sofa halfway through a New Girl series 1 re-watch).
Starting with reading!
As
you guys know, I keep to a month-by-month schedule with my reading
these days. Every month of 2017 so far has been all the more
interesting because of this. I've had some very clear themes emerge
and stuck to specific genres – middle grade fiction, Walker Books only, and a couple bouts of non-fiction.
However,
May 2017 is going to be somewhat different. I have decided that much
like my life at present, my reading plan this month is going to
be...a bit crazed.
Basically,
I'll be reading all the
things I keep meaning to read and putting off for no reason
whatsoever!
Post-op wisdom for all - My #1 Life Hack.
5 May 2017 • advice, appendix, gracie's life, hospital, life hack
There
are lots of things you readers probably shouldn't take my advice on. But if you ignore every other thing I say, every recommendation I make and every life hack I share, please let this be the one thing that sticks in your mind and changes it even just a little.
If you ever feel something is wrong, tell someone.
Yes, this is general advice for life - in any situation, if you feel something is not going well, or just not right somehow, speak up and get heard and make yourself safe. Generally, this is something to live by.
This particular blog post, however, is going to focus on the application of that advice to medical sitch tings.
I have been ill many, many times in my fairly short life. Y'all have heard all about a lot of the illnesses - especially that big one I had that time - and you've been excellent with your responses and I love you etc., etc. But there have been a lot more things I may not have shared in quite as much detail as that Thing. That's just because hey, it's my business and it's not always something people wanna read about. I get that! My gosh, you think I'll be so brazen as to share every intimate detail of my physical upheavals with you? I know you won't want to hear all about my snotty colds, my shitty viruses or my PMS pains (although #livetweetyourperiod is always fun to do, ngl).
No, I won't share all the ins and outs with you guys. But you can be damn sure I will share everything with my doctors.
Cat Clarke's new novel 'Girlhood' & a backlist classic: 'The Lost and The Found'.
3 May 2017 • author, author interview, blog tour, book, bookish, Cat Clarke, Cat Clarke Backlist Tour, Girlhood, The Lost and The Found
So,
some of you readers may have noticed that I am a sucker for a good
cover on a book. Yeah yeah, I know the cliché, but c'mon. You cannot
deny a cover will pull you right in at times. And recently, a certain
author's backlist of books have had makeovers to coincide with and
celebrate the publication of her latest novel!
A post shared by Cat Clarke (@catclarkewriter) on
The gorgeous Cat Clarke's books are a staple on the bookshelf. Everyone I know has read at least 3 of her works and loved every single one. I recently read her latest, 'Girlhood', in under 48 hours because my gosh, it was a thrill ride. (Also mentioned that wild card of a book in my April reading wrap-up!)
In this post, I'll be sharing info on (imho) one of Cat's very best: 'The Lost and The Found'. This book came about in 2015, published by Quercus.
I fell hard for this book just reading the plot. I am a sucker for drama, as you all know. By the end of the book, the tension had made me shaky and the characters were imprinted forever in my mind. Srsly.
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