My Reading Goals for 2022| CarenzaOnBooks

I'm aware that it's very late to be posting something like this, but I wanted to share my reading goals for 2022. Compared to previous years, I want to set some goals I can actually stick to. I've picked three goals that I want to try and complete in 2022. These are things that are important to me and will help me have a great reading year this year. 

Read More Diversely

Reading diverse has been something I've been doing since about 2017, however I've noticed I haven't been reading as diverse as I thought I had. I use CAWPILE to track my reading and one of the features is for how many POC authors you read. I was shocked that mine was only eighteen out of eighty-four. That's not even a quarter. I also read from forty-four American authors, making over half my authors from the US. This year I want to read from more POC authors and from more non-American authors. Translated fiction is going to be a way of tackling that as it's something I would like to read more of. Basically, I want to move away from white American writers and explore more varied voices in my writing. 

Tackle My TBR

As of writing this, I have 220 books on my TBR. 150 of these books are ones I own in my main collection, three are for reviews, thirty-five fall under the "odds'n'sods" category and the remaining thirty-three are ones I'm going to borrow from my parents. I roughly read 85 books a year, so it's going to take me 2.5 years to read all these books. That's without getting more books. So, I'm on a book buying ban. As I work at Waterstones, I can still receive books from publishers and if there are exclusive editions or books in series I'm already reading, I can get those. But, I'm pretty much on a book buying ban until my birthday in August. I am going to tackle this ridiculous pile of books I have to read. I have so many that I want to read and it's time that I finally get to them. 

Read at Your Own Pace

Last year, I set myself a monthly goal of reading one book a week. I didn't always meet that with how busy I was at various points in the year and it would make me sad as I wasn't reading as much as I wanted to. This year I want to read at my own pace. My average is 6 books a month, with some being a lot better and some being a lot worse. I'm going to read at my own pace so I can enjoy the books I pick. At the end of the day, that's all that matters. That I enjoy my book and not how much I'm reading.   

Those are my three reading goals for this year. What are your reading goals for 2022??

How I Track My Reading| Carenza Bramwell

I want to talk about how I track the books I've read. This is something very important to me as reading is such a big part of my life. Over the years, I have accumulated methods for tracking my reading. I currently have five methods of tracking my reading. Yes, I have five, which is excessive. I will be talking about these methods. This is kind of a sister post to a blog post I wrote last year, in which I talk about my book rating system. You can read this post here.  

My Methods

My current methods for tracking my reading are as follows: 

• Goodreads
• Reading journal
• Instagram highlight
• Twitter thread
• CAWPILE 

I am now going to break down why I use these methods and the pros and cons of each.

Goodreads

This is the method I have been using the longest. I first discovered Goodreads back in 2015/16 and have been using it constantly since February 2016. I go through phases with how I feel about books. Back in 2018/2019, I was using it to post mini reviews on each book I read so I'd have a record of what I thought of the books. I stopped towards the end of 2019 as I had so much on my plate. One of my goals for 2021 was to start posting reviews on Goodreads again. I use Goodreads to set a reading goal, to put my unread books and what I've read. Despite Goodreads flaws, I don't see myself stopping using this method. It has over five years of books read in one place.  

Pros

Has everything in one place

Large database 

Cons

Ratings aren't always accurate 

Reviews are difficult- it can be hard to gage what the general consensus is on a book. I also find I am easily persuaded to feel a certain way about a book due to the reviews. 

Reading Journal

This is a much more private method of tracking my reading. I started doing this in 2020 when I needed a notebook to track my blog ideas and it expanded into a place where I write all my creative thoughts. It has my personal thoughts, some of which I keep just for me. It has every book I've read since January 2020 in one place. I like having something physical when it comes to my reading. I really like handwriting things, I don't connect as well with digital methods for some reason. I can tailor this exactly to how I want to track my reading and the only person it impacts is me.

Pros

It's personal to me

Only I will ever see it

Cons  

It's a lot of work

I often have to catch up on it- as much as I enjoy physical things and handwriting, it is easier just to put my thoughts in Goodreads etc

Instagram Highlight

For 2021, I created a highlight of mini reviews of every book I read. I thought it would be a nice way of documenting what books I've read and for people who follow me to see what I'm reading. I've seen a few content creators do this. This is often the first place I share when I've finished a book and has my immediate, unedited thoughts on a book. It's a bit messy, but contains a lot of information. I have conflicting feelings on this method and my Twitter thread. They're going to be on the internet forever. Do I keep the threads once the year is over? I'm not sure how I feel about them.

Pros 

Nice, easy way to engage with what I'm reading

Has pretty pictures of each book

Cons 

It's a lot of work

Sometimes feels very rushed

Twitter Thread

This is my second attempt at a Twitter thread for what I've been reading. I had one back in 2019 that I ended up giving up with. My Twitter profile has the least amount of followers and is the place where I get the least engagements. This thread is purely for me. Similar to the Instagram thread, I'm unsure how to feel about it. I think it's mostly for my benefit and is one I get the most engagements out of (personally). 

Pros

Nice way to document things

Gives people a thread of what I'm reading

Cons

It's a lot of work

Not really sure if I'll keep up with it

CAWPILE Spreadsheet

My latest method for tracking what I read. I had heard of this method for a while but finally decided to try it out. I am going to be writing a whole blog post about my thoughts and experiences, which will be coming out later this month. This is a method created by G from BookRoast on YouTube. It's a data driven method of tracking your books, which is something I have become interested in. I'm going to keep my thoughts short because I will be writing a whole blog post about it.

Pros

Love seeing all the data

Very easy to manage

Cons

Sometimes the ratings don't reflect how I feel

There are some features I would add if I could 

That concludes my post on how I track my reading methods. What sort of methods do you use to track your reading?

Balancing Reading and Watching Time| Carenza Bramwell

If you are a long term follower of my blog or any other social media sites, then you will know I am both a big reader and a big watcher (of film and TV). Since last March, both have become even more important in my life. I wanted to use this blog post to talk about my passion for both and how I balance both. 

What Books, Films and TV Shows Mean to Me

It is a slightly cliche answer, but reading has always been a passion of mine. I come from a family of readers, so it's practically in my DNA. Over the past few years, I have made it a part of my daily routine to always have some time to read. Similarly, with films and TV shows, they have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I wouldn't say it was as active as reading, but there were films and TV shows I waited for and was so excited to finally watch. Since starting university, but particularly in the last year, my passion for films and TV shows has become more pronounced. I watched way over double what I read last year. Being able to escape into these worlds (which I also do with books) was bliss. 

I am also a Creative and Professional Writing student, with the hopes of one day becoming a professional writer. I had thought that I would always go down the fiction route, wanting to write books as they had shaped my life so much. I think I'm now leaning more towards working in film and TV when I graduate. I haven't fully decided as I enjoy writing both and there's nothing to say I can't write both. So not only do I enjoy books, films and TV shows as a consumer, I also like writing them, which plays into why they are so important to me. 

How to Balance Both Passions

Reading and watching are very time consuming passions (hobbies?), which means I have to set aside a lot of time for both. Part of this is for my own enjoyment and part of this is for my degree/to learn more. In 2020, the balance definitely leaned more on the favour of film and TV. This is something I'm trying to balance more in 2021. Whenever I finish uni for the day, my main goal is to try and read for an hour. That doesn't always happen for various reasons. If I don't read for an hour, I like to at least read a couple of chapters.

Sometimes I will prioritise watching films and TV shows over reading. I like watching things before I go to bed as I've found I can get sleepy while reading but it takes me a while to fall asleep. So I've started watching things before I go to bed so I am actually quite tired before I fall asleep. I do set a time limit of 11:30pm being the latest I will be switching things off and going to sleep. This is the balance I've found that works for me personally, so it's really about finding the balance that works for you.

Is One More Important than the Other?

I wanted to include a section on which is more important to me as I feel that is something that should be discussed. The honest answer is no. Both are equally important to me, however, I will always prioritise reading over watching. Most of my content is about books, so therefore I have to put more of my time into books. However, career wise, I see myself going down the film and TV route. This does make finding a balance difficult because they are both so important to me. I think I will always end up watching more than I read because you know how long something is going to take to watch, you can never predict how long something is going to take to watch. So in a rather long winded way, my answer is that both are just as important and finding a balance can be difficult.

My Reading and Watching Routine

I start my day by watching something that is roughly twenty minutes long to help with some back problems I have. I then will watch something that is around half an hour with my parents at lunchtime. Reading is usually my priority and I will read while tea is being cooked. I then watch something with my parents while we eat our tea and spend time together after our busy days working. I like to read a couple of chapters roughly before I got to bed. I end my day by watching something, always making sure to be turning everything off by 11:30pm. 

That concludes this post on my reading and watching habits and how I try to balance the two.

Carenza :) x 

My 2021 Reading Goals| Carenza Bramwell

As the shit show that was 2020 comes to a close, it's time to think about 2021. If I'm being brutally honest, my expectations for 2021 are very low. This is partly due to 2020 and partly because if I set the bar so low, it means I can be surprised. With a new year, comes New Years Resolutions. I'm not making any this year as I never stick to them. However, I am going to make some reading goals for 2021. 2020 wasn't the best reading year for me so I want to make 2021 an even better one.

1) Read One Book a Week

This might seem like a fairly obvious one, but it was something I struggled with at various points in 2020. I put a lot of pressure on myself to read and it takes the fun out of reading. I still enjoy reading, but when I have my Goodreads goal hanging over me, it turns it into a chore. By reading one book a week, I can still enjoy reading and meet my Goodreads goal.

2) Selective Book Purchases

In 2020, I have only purchased 57 books. This does not include ones I was gifted or bought for my degree. This is quite a low number for me as I used to buy books all the time. Now that I'm a student I don't have the same amount to spend on books. I've only been trying to buy books I really want to read. This leads me to my next point within this goal which is to read more reviews for the books I'm buying. It's sad to admit but a lot of the books I've bought in 2020 have been low star reads for me. I've already donated at least 5 books I've bought this year, which is very odd for me. There are reviewers that I trust, but a bigger picture is needed. I'm hoping to end 2021 with a similar amount of books purchased and a better idea of what they're like before I buy them. 

3) Continue Tackling My TBR 

This year I read 20 books of my TBR, with a further 11 being rereads. This is the most I've ever read from my TBR. I have donated a lot of books, most of which I had already read, but I think there's around 50-60 books on my TBR. I'm hoping to make another significant dent in it. A lot of the books I have are backlist titles from the height of YA books, which is when I first joined. I also have a tonne of classics to read. I've enjoyed catching up on these books as it's forced me to read quite widely.   

4) Reviews on Goodreads

From early 2018 till mid-late 2019, I was consistently posting reviews on Goodreads. It meant when I came to write my actual reviews on my blog, I had some notes to go off. I've been keeping a reading/creative journal in 2020, which has bullet points on how I feel about the books I've read. I want to go back to posting reviews on Goodreads as I don't review all the books I read in detail on my blog. I will still keep on making notes as I like having a physical format. 

5) More Active in the Book Community

I've really become invested in the book community this year. I've enjoyed the community aspect as it's been nice bonding with other readers. I know that 2021 is going to be a busy year for me, but creating content and interacting with other content creators has brought me a lot of joy this year. I want to make some bookish friends. I want to pour my heart and soul into my content. I have plans for 2021 and creating content I'm proud of is a part of it.

Those are my reading and book related goals for 2021. What are your goals for 2021?

Carenza :) x 

Has 2020 Changed My Reading Tastes?| Carenza Bramwell

2020. The year none of us where expecting to go quite the way it did. I think calling it a strange year would be an understatement. While 2020 has mainly been very negative and scary, a positive thing to come out for me is more reading time. When I had to move home in March, I began reading a lot more. This got me thinking lately about how the pandemic and COVID-19 has impacted on my reading tastes. I've done a very similar blog post about how lockdown helped my reading, which you can read here.  

Falling Out of Love with YA

The Confession by Jessie Burton is an example of adult/modern literature

Something that I've spotted over lockdown and 2020 is that I am beginning to move away from YA books. I'm now in my twenties, and with the average age of protagonists being 14-19, it just doesn't connect with me anymore. I've enjoyed more of the adult/modern literature I've read than the YA books I've read. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy YA. There are some YA books I've loved such as You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson. The issues covered are still important, there just not the issues that affect me as much anymore. It's been four years since I was in school. I'm about to graduate and start looking for full time employment. School issues aren't something I can relate to anymore. 

Reading and Finishing More Series

I binge read the Legend series by Marie Lu in June

A goal of mine for the year was to tackle more of my series on my TBR. This year I either finished or read completely four series. I don't remember the last time I read that many series in a year. I've also started a lot of series this year, with sequels I either don't own or coming out. While I enjoy a good binge read of a series, I think I am moving more towards stand alone novels. A series has to really capture me in order to want to keep on reading. A general comment for the year would be that I've not been as hooked by many books as I normally am. 2020 has obviously been a difficult year, which would explain why my reading habits have changed. 

Fantasy Has Been My Main Genre

Crescent City by Sarah J Maas is a fantasy I enjoyed

This is unsurprising as it's the genre I own the most books for. I'm not a big sci-fi/dystopian reader and I'm moving away from contemporary at the moment. The books I'd consider my most enjoyed of the year all have some kind of fantastical element to them. I read fantasy for the magical quality, whereas I read contemporary usually for the issue tackled or the characters. I think I'll always gravitate towards fantasy, but like to spread it out by reading other genres. 

Tackling My TBR

The Travelling Cat Chronicles was on my TBR and I enjoyed it

My main goal for 2020 has been to tackle my TBR. This year I have read twenty books of my TBR, which I am insanely proud of. The rest have been either new releases, rereads or books I've decided to pick up on a whim. As I've cut down my TBR and my book collection, it has allowed me to really focus on what I love in books. I intend to continue tackling my TBR in 2021 and maybe even start 2022 with no books on my TBR. 

Low Book Ratings

A five star read for me

I have only given three books, excluding all the rereads, five stars this year. My average has been either four or three stars. It has been very hard to impress me this year. I think this stems from me studying Creative Writing at university. My standards for a good book have become incredibly high. Unlike previous years, I wouldn't say I've read a book that I thought "wow I can't stop thinking about it". Some have come close, such as The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue and The Once and Future Witches, but nothing has made me want to reread it and think about it over and over. As I've already mentioned, 2020 has really taken a toll on my reading and I think I haven't enjoyed books as much as I've done in the past.

That concludes what I've learnt from 2020 and my reading habits.

Carenza :) x  

How to Create the Perfect Reading Playlist| Carenza Bramwell

If, like me, you like to curl up with a good book every now and then, a vital ingredient to this scenario is a good playlist. I used to be able to read in total silence but now I have to have some kind of music in the background. In this post, I will be talking about how to create the perfect reading playlist and what music I have in mine. I hope you enjoy!

Atmosphere

Part of the reason I love a good reading playlist, is that it helps create a good atmosphere. It gets me in the mood to read. Obviously it depends on the book in question, but there will most likely be some music out there for any book you want to read. You can also tailor your music to the book/atmosphere you want to create. If you are reading an epic fantasy, something like the Lord of the Rings soundtrack would be perfect. However, if you wanted a more chill vibe, you could try some classical music. 

How to Make a Reading Playlist

My first tip would be to tailor it to your music style. Don't try and listen to something that you've never listened to before as you'll want to concentrate on that. You want something your familiar with so that the music washes over you rather than demands your attention. 

Secondly, unless you are someone who can listen to songs with lyrics in, I'd recommend choosing instrumental music. Soundtracks and classical musics are going to be your best friend. There's also a wide range out there, so there will be something out there for you. I really like movie and tv soundtracks as not only do they remind me of some of my favourite movies/tv shows, they add the atmosphere I mentioned earlier. I always have something to listen to when I'm reading. 

Ultimately, this all depends on your music taste. If you are like me, and enjoy instrumental music, then there is a lot to choose from. You might be someone who likes having songs on in the background. This is all about preference in the end. 

My Playlist

I have a playlist on my phone called "Reading Playlist". It is what I choose to listen to 95% of the time. On it you can find the following albums:

• The Lord of the Rings Soundtrack
• Sherlock Soundtracks
• Poldark Soundtracks
• The Living and the Dead Soundtracks
• Harry Potter music
• The Musketeers Soundtracks

I think it goes without saying that I like soundtracks. Sometimes, I'll pick a specific album to listen to rather than the whole playlist. I also have an album of music by Bach on an accordion that I love listening to. It really depends on the book and my mood when I'm deciding what to read. 

I hope this has helped you create the perfect reading playlist.

Carenza :) x      

Reasons to Love Reading| Carenza Bramwell

Recently, I've been struggling with my reading. Uni has knocked me for six and it hasn't officially started. I haven't really read any books I've loved this year. Yet, I keep on reading and there are times when I have to ask myself, why? Why continue? Is it out of obligation or out of joy? It got me thinking, why do I love reading? So, I decided to write this blog post and I came up with four reasons why I love reading.  

Mental Health Benefits

I'm going to start with the big one and point out the benefits on your mental health. There is probably someone out there with much more knowledge on this than me, but I will attempt to explain why it helps with my mental health. When I'm having a bad mental health day, I like to escape into worlds that aren't my own. I will come back and explain my thoughts on escapism a bit more later in this post. I'm sure a quick google search will provide you with a list on why it benefits your mental health. It provides that break from reality that can make things, for a while, a bit better. It can also be quite a calming activity. I love to curl up at the end of a long day with a book and loose myself for a while. Most times, when I'm not feeling great, reading a book cheers me up. It allows my brain to engage with something other than what's on my mind and actively forces me to take a break from whatever is worrying me. Reading before bed often means when I go to sleep, I sleep a bit better as I have separated myself from my worry. 

  

Learning

Maybe I'm just a massive nerd, but I love learning new things. Bonus if I can learn new things from books. A lot of the things I've learned in life have come from books. Mostly my vocabulary. I've learnt so many words from books. As someone who is also interested in writing professionally, I've also learnt a lot about what does and doesn't work well in books. I've learnt how to create characters, how to structure stories and so much more. It's a two for one situation, I have fun and I get to expand my knowledge.  

Escapism 

I've already touched on this briefly but escapism is a big part of why I love reading. The ability to loose myself within a book and momentarily forget the world we live in, is a great comfort. It provides that respite from day to day life. There's also something reassuring about being able to visit these amazing fictional places and go on this incredible journeys all from the comfort of your own home. Especially at the moment, with life being so difficult, the ability to take a short break from everything is what we all need.  

Entertainment 

Lastly, but by no means least, books are fun. They're a solid form of entertainment. They're also one of the few forms of entertainment where you don't need to leave the home and you don't need wifi for them. With most of my life being moved online, I've noticed I'm craving that time away from screens. Reading provides that time. I put my phone to one side, only to use it to listen to music and I drown myself in fiction. Unlike films and TV shows, where you know how long it is going to take you to watch them, you have no idea how long it will take you to read a book. As the story progresses, you find you can't put the book down. I get equal, if not more enjoyment, from reading a book compared to other forms of entertainment. There's something about physically holding it, if you read physical books, and have to move the story forward yourself by turning the pages. They bring me endless supplies of joy and entertainment.

Those are just some reasons I adore reading. Why do you enjoy reading?

Carenza :) x

Planning the Perfect Relaxation Night| Carenza Bramwell

With everything that's going on right now, it's hard to feel fully relaxed. My aim for this post was originally to talk about how to have "chill no-work nights" as a student, however, given the current situation, I thought I'd expand the topics. In essence, it's going to be the same post, but slightly altered. I thought I'd share some ideas for how to have a relaxation evening. Some of these activities can be done either by yourself or with the people you live with. 

How to Have the Perfect Relaxation Night

Firstly, pick a night to do one of the activities. If you're like me, then it's finding the time to relax that is the challenging bit, not the actual relaxing bit. Secondly, decide what sort of relaxing you want to do or need. Thirdly, enjoy!

Movie Night

Who doesn't love a good movie night? One of my favourite things to do as a student in need of a relaxing evening was to watch a movie. Most of the time, I would watch by myself, but sometimes I would watch something with my housemates. I have to admit that I am guilty of rewatching my favourite movies, more often than watching new movies. 

During the current situation, there are lots of new ways of watching movies together while being in separate locations. I know there is a feature on Netflix and on Google Chrome. I've also seen people watching stuff together via Facebook messenger and Facetime. It's all about getting creative with how you can do these activities. If you live with other people, you can have a group movie night while still adopting the appropriate safety measures.   

If you are looking for some film recommendations, here is a list of my favourite films. 

Tv Marathon

Again, who doesn't love a TV marathon? There are so many great TV shows to be watching. Before all of the safety measures kicked in, me and my housemates were preparing for the new season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine to drop on Netflix. 

Now is a good time to start a new TV show or catch up on a classic. Personally, I am waiting to finish the latest season of Doctor Who. I've also started watching Noughts+Crosses, an adaptation of a series of novels I love by the same name. Some classics I want to finally get into include Peaky Blinders. There is a never ending list of TV shows and many streaming services available to watch them on.

If you are looking for some TV recommendations, here is a list of my favourite shows. 

Reading Evening

This was my usual way of having a chilled evening while at uni. I would always set aside a few hours, or as many as I could spare, to have a reading evening. I've found that this is a mostly solitary activity, however, I know that a lot of people in the bookish community have been hosting readathons to get through the current situation. 

My perfect reading night involves curling up in bed in my pjs, with a candle burning and my favourite reading playlist playing. I also really like having a tasty drink nearby. I regularly take breaks to just relax my eyes as reading lots can strain them.

I have so many book recommendations on here, you can look through my back catalogue of books.

Game Night

Honestly, all I can think of is the episode from season 5 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine called Game Night. However, in all seriousness, a game night could be a great way to relax either as an individual or as a group. It could also be to play video games or board games. My housemates and I would always play games together and it was a really fun, but easy way to hang out. There are so many great games out there.

I would recommend some classics such as Monopoly or a more modern game such as exploding kittens. When it comes to video games, I don't actually know that much, but I have seen a lot of people playing the new Animal Crossing game on Nintendo Switch (which looks so fun I might just have to cave in and get one). From actual experience, I've played some of the jackabox (I think that's what they're called) games and they can be a really good way to relax as a group.

 

Pamper Evening

This is the only option I would say is a solo activity. You can't go wrong with a pamper night. Have a bath. Do a face mask. Just some general tlc. I don't do these as much as I should but they are a really good way to relax. It's important to look after yourself and a pamper night is the perfect way to do so.

Arts and Crafts Session  

This is the only activity on the list that I haven't tried, but I think that having an arts and crafts session would be a great way to relax. I know a lot of people who swear by colouring books as a way of relaxing. You can put some music or a tv show on in the background. I want to try out more forms of arts and crafts, so having a dedicated evening could be the perfect way to do it.

I hope this post was helpful and inspired you to find some time to relax during this difficult time.  

Carenza :) x

New Years Resolutions 2020 Update| Carenza Bramwell

It's crazy to think that it's already March and we're now a quarter of the way through the year. As we've reached this milestone, I thought I'd update you guys on how my New Years Resolutions are going. If you're new to my blog, then here's a link to my original New Years post. 

Changing Tactics 

One of my goals for this year was to develop a new creative skill and I chose drawing. Originally, I was trying to do a small drawing everyday. I've decided to change this method for a few reasons. Firstly, my 2020 hasn't gone to plan so far. I've had a few problems with my health, meaning I've been struggling in general. Secondly, I wasn't finding it as creatively inspiring as I thought it would. It was forced creativity. I was making myself draw everyday and the drawings I was producing were ones I wasn't especially proud of.

The way I approached it at first was to draw three mini drawings to do with my day, but I soon found I became uninspired and lazy when it came to my drawings. I then changed my method for February. I made a prompt page, with a prompt for each day. At first, this was going really well and I was really enjoying it. Then all of my health issues started and I let my daily habit slip. My approach for March is that I've come up with a weekly topic and my goal is to draw a spread on that theme. I'm going to see if this method works for me more than everyday.

Rocky Reading

At first my goal for reading was to try and read two books a week. I set my goal on Goodreads as 104 books. But then I became demotivated each time it would say I was 1 book behind schedule. So, early on I decided to change my goal to 10 books, knowing I would hit this and I have. I still want to read 2 books a week but I'm only on book 13 of the year. By this point I should be on book 20. As I've already mentioned 2020 isn't going to plan, mainly due to my physical health getting in the way. I have to admit that I've been watching way more Netflix than I have been reading. Something I've been struggling with is lack of sleep, meaning it takes a lot for me to feel energised to read. 

I've also found that I haven't been reading books that make me go "wow, I loved that!". I've only read one 5 star books so far and the rest have been 3 or 4 stars. I think the problem here is that I'm at university and don't have access to all of my books. I have around 10-12 books at uni from a wideish selection, but I'm not always in the mood for what I've brought with me. I have been reading a wider range of fiction and non-fiction than I normally would, but I have a feeling that I'm in a bit of a reading slump. I'm hoping that as more 2020 book releases come out, I'll find one that makes me go "wow, I love this!" and will break the slump curse. 

Life Is Getting In The Way

This is a common theme of this post, but my life sadly is getting in the way of me achieving my goals. I've noticed since my health began to decline that I get these random bursts of energy and creativity. I sort of have to go with it and this method isn't working for me. In the first few weeks of this term, I was actively setting time aside to relax and make sure I was refreshed for each week. However, since I started feeling crappy, most days have turned into relaxing days with the odd few hours of work sprinkled in. I've also spotted that I've become way to dependent on my phone. I have this itch to always be on it and I'm trying to break this habit. I just like knowing what's happening in the world, but I think the best thing for me is to cut down the amount of time I spend on my phone. I've developed this unhealthy habit of after I've finished my nightly reading session, I want to watch Netflix and YouTube. I think I'm going to implement a no phones rule after a certain point each evening.

I know this post sounds like me whinging about my health and to some degree it is, but this is my honest update on how my New Years and Resolutions are going. Are you New Years Resolutions going well? 

Carenza :) x

2019- The Ups, The Downs and The Ordinary| Carenza Bramwell

As promised in my last post, today's post is going to be a more detailed overview of what I got up to in 2019. 2019 was an insane year for me, I still can't quite believe that it happened at and that it wasn't a dream. This post is going to be split up into sections- uni, travel/things I did, reading and writing, and personal elements of 2019.

University

At the moment, I am second year Creative and Professional Writing student in Bristol. In 2019, I finished my first year of university and then started my second year. It is going by so quickly, I really could do with time slowing down for a little bit. I don't feel that it would be appropriate for me to talk about the personal side of my university life as it isn't fair on those that know me, but I will mention that like any other part of my life, there were ups and downs. Academically, I definitely enjoyed the second half of 2019. I think for me it was because the first year of any degree is all about building the foundation and that was very similar to doing Creative Writing as an A-Level. So far this year, I feel I have been challenged way more and am getting stuck into it. It terrifies me that I am graduating next year. But for now, let's focus on the present. 

Travel Bug

I think the title of this section nicely sums up a fun part of my life in 2019. Although I didn't do any major travelling apart from visiting Bruges in August, I did so many amazing things in 2019. I posted a month by month thread on my Twitter account (@carenzaonbooks). I saw so many incredible stage plays in 2019 that I will never forget. I think there were only two months last year where I didn't see a single play. I also finally got to see my favourite band, Bastille, live in February in London. It was a life-changing experience and made me realise that I really love concerts and new music. I've touched on it, but travelling to Bruges was one of my highlights of 2019. I hadn't been on holiday in almost six years and finally going was amazing. I've 100% caught the travel bug and am already planning my next adventure. 

Reading & Writing

For me 2019, wasn't the best for reading and writing. I think I was so focused on other things that I forgot how much I loved them both. I only read 88 books, which is still a lot, but ended up being less than I read in 2018. Writing wise, I only started two projects and I did not finish them. I think my problem is due to the fact that I do a writing degree, so it can feel like my time is consumed with it. This is a bizarre way to think about my dream future job, but I am someone that gets very demotivated easily. I mentioned this in my previous post, but one of my goals for this year is to make time for a non-uni writing project. 

Personal

Without going into details, 2019 was one of the worst years for me mentally. I struggled way more than I have done in the past. It got to a point that was so bad I reached out for help for the first time. It's something I need to follow up on as I'm still not at a mentally stable place I want to be, but I am way better than I was last year. It won't be a surprise as my 2019 was crazy busy and I never really gave myself any time off. While that might sound like my 2019 was bad, it was also filled with some great moments in my personal life and many that I will treasure for the rest of my life. 

Like the title suggests, 2019, for me, was a year filled with ups, downs and straight up ordinary moments. Despite it being a roller-coaster-esque year, I wouldn't change a thing about it. 

All the best,

Carenza x 

Finding Time to Read| CarenzaOnBooks

At the moment, with my life being insanely busy, it feels like there is no time to read. I am constantly working or running around like a headless chicken. So, partly for my own benefit, partly for others, I thought I would share some tips on how to make sure you find time to read in your busy life. 

Have a Fixed Reading Time

This is something I definitely need to put in my life. So far this month, I've only read 3 books because I've been so busy. I try to read before I go to bed, but sometimes that doesn't work and I don't end up reading as much as I would like to. I might start trying to find time to read earlier in the morning rather than late at night, as by the time I'm crawling into bed I'm exhausted. Don't feel bad if you don't stick to your fixed reading time straight away as it will take time to become a part of your everyday routine. See where you have the most time available in the day and utilise that time for reading.  

Make the Most of Every Option Available to You

If you don't want to lug around a big heavy book around with you, then fear not, as there are other options available to you. I've started listening to audiobooks every-time I have to walk somewhere. I've found this means that I am getting something done and still using my time to read. I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks while I'm at the gym. I also used to use the Overdrive app a lot and when I would arrive early to my lectures, I would read whatever eBook I was reading before people arrived. It means you can get some reading done and not have to carry a huge book with you.

Use Reading to Relax

This is something I really need to do as I've been very stressed lately. Since I started blogging again and as I do a book heavy related course, sometimes it feels like reading isn't a hobby and that there is no time to relax. Sometimes it can feel like reading is a chore, but I'm trying to get back into the mindset that reading is something I enjoy. Reading before bed was something that I find relaxing. It helps you to feel sleepy. Depending on the book, reading should be a fun and relaxing experience. Take time in your day to wind down and to not spend every hour working. 

I hope these tips are helpful. Please let me know if you think I've missed anything as these are the tips I would find helpful.

Carenza :)x  

The Joys of Audiobooks| CarenzaOnBooks

Recently, I have discovered the joys of audiobooks. I've taken out a subscription to audible. I'm listening to audiobooks whenever I can. With my recent discovery of audiobooks, I thought I would share some of my thoughts on audiobooks. 

You Don't Have to Carry a Book with You Everywhere

I really like how light it is to take audiobooks with you. It's just carrying my phone and I take that with me everywhere. As much as I love physical books, they are so heavy to lug around with you. Especially as I do a subject which means I have to have a lot of books with me anyway, adding one for my personal reading just makes my bag super heavy. Phones aren't that heavy which means it's really light to have my audiobooks with me. Gone are the days of heavy physical tomes, bring forth the days of light reading (pun intended). 

   

Multi-Tasking Is Possible

I am a big fan of multi-tasking. Listening to an audiobook means I can use my time productively and read my books. I've started listening to audiobooks on the way to and from uni. It's only a 10-15 minute walk, but that's half an hour I'm listening to. I also like listening to my audiobook as I do my food shopping. As the local supermarket is half an hour walk away, with the whole 2 hours (roughly) it takes for me to do my shopping, I can listen to a lot of my audiobook while doing something boring but useful. I've also started listening while I'm at the gym. I've got to walk to the gym and then there's the time I spend at the gym, which means I can listen to even more of my audiobook. I just love how versatile they are. 

 

They're Very Relaxing

It might just be me, but I find the idea of someone reading to me relaxing. If I am having a very stressed day, sometimes reading physical books actually makes it worse as I can't concentrate on them. But with an audiobook, I give it my full attention and it relaxes me. Something I've been doing since the summer is trying to read every day and because of audiobooks, I know I've read something without having to pick up a physical book. It means I have another way to relax after a bad. 

I'm annoyed that I didn't start listening to audiobooks sooner as they're a really good way of getting reading done. They're also very accessible to people who can't read physical books, which means even more people can read. I've fallen in love with audiobooks and am going to try and read more of them from now on.  

My University Reading Nook| CarenzaOnBooks

Since moving to University a month ago, I have created a little reading nook in my room. I've always wanted a little reading nook and I'm very proud of how this one turned out. I thought I'd share with you how you can turn your university room into the perfect reading space as that was something I was very keen to do when I moved out.

An overview of my reading nook in my university bedroom

Blankets and Cushions

The first stage for me was to add lots of cushions and blankets. I have always been a fan of cushions and blankets. If you go back to some of my earlier blog posts, you will see that from my old bedroom. For me, cushions and blankets can add so much to a space. They make it feel more cosy and welcoming. All the ones in these pictures I have bought from Primark, proving that to have a cosy and fandom themed room doesn't need to be expensive. I've also added some cuddly toys because who doesn't love cuddly toys? Also, my giant Totoro plush is incredible and well worth the £34 I spent on it in Edinburgh.

My Harry Potter cushion collection and some cuddly friends

    

Fairy Lights

Again, I have always been a sucker for Fairy Lights. Not pictured, but I do have some Pumpkin fairy lights on my bookcase. At night, fairy lights add to the cosy environment and there is nothing greater than curling up in bed with a good book and turning on my fairy lights. I managed to pick up both of these sets for under £10.

Top set- Amazon

Bottom set- Primark, Harry Potter potion bottle fairy lights

 

Posters and Decorative Things 

Even though I'm technically not allowed to have posters on the wall in my uni room, I've stuck up quite a few. I love posters. I'm always collecting new things to stick to my walls as without them, I found the walls here to be quite bland. I've mostly focused on the area around my bed as that's where I wanted the room to look its best. 

Posters from various places

Cosy but Practical 

As much as you want your reading nook to be cosy, it is also important to make sure it is practical and functions well. Make sure you are well supported by cushions as there is nothing worse than being uncomfortable while reading. Also, make sure it is well lit as it can cause damage to your eyes if you are straining to read.

A memory foam cushion to support me

A bedside lamp to make sure the area is well lit

Why I Love Reading| CarenzaOnBooks

Reading has been a part of my life for as long as I could remember. As a child, my parents would have to prize books out of my hand to get me to sleep and once they had left the room, I would go and find them again. Reading was something I enjoyed and, growing up just as social media was beginning to expand, reading was the only way I had to entertain myself as a child.

I've always had a bookshelf in my room. As a child, it held all the Beatrix Potter books I owned and I would read the ones I enjoyed the most over and over. When I got my first CD player, I would fall asleep to the sounds of audiobooks. I've lost count of how many times I listened to Juliet Stevenson read me Jane Eyre. If the CD finished, I would climb down from my bunk bed and put the next CD on.

Coming from a family of readers, you could say that reading was in my blood. Some of my fondest memories of my childhood are reading the Harry Potter books with my family and listening to them on road trips to various holiday destinations across the country. When I would stay at my Gran's house, I would demand that she read me a book before I'd go to sleep.

Books have been something I've gravitated towards more and more in recent years. With the recent book to movie adaptations of The Hunger Games, Divergent and City of Bones, my eyes were opened to the world of YA. For my 15th and 16th birthday, I went book shopping and picked up so many books I want to read...let's ignore the fact that half of them are still unread.

While YA is the main age range I read, I have started to read more modern fiction such as the Poldark series. I've also started to love reading scripts as a part of my passion for the theatre. The last two years, I've only read 60 books a year. But now, I've read almost 40 and we're not even halfway through the year.

To answer the title of this post, why I love reading, simply, there is nothing quite like it. Books will be there on days when I feel like no one is and I can travel to far away places from the safety of my bed. As Stephen King says "books are a uniquely portable magic".
Carenza x

How to Have the Perfect Reading Day| CarenzaOnBooks

Over the weekend, the UK turned into a winter wonderland as snow covered most, if not all, of the surrounding areas. As much as I love snow and going outside to build snowmen and snowwomen, to me it screamed perfect reading day. This is something I definitely want to do in the future, and recently I discovered a really cool Icelandic tradition which inspired me to write this post.

Taken from Google images

As much as I would love to participate in this, it's actually my dad's birthday on Christmas Eve, so I think I may not be able to participate in it just yet. But, here are some of my tips on how to have a perfect reading day!

Plan Your Reads Ahead

As bookworms, it feels as though our never-ending TBR will one day crush us, whether this physically happens to us is another thing. So plan your reads ahead. My book of choice was The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien as I feel as though it's time I read these books. You may want to tackle a big book like The Lord of the Rings or you may want to tackle a few smaller books. Just make sure come your reading day, you have all the books you want to read. You can also use this as an excuse to buy some new books......

Pick Your Reading Room

I spend half my time in my bedroom anyway as its where I do all my work, so to me, my natural habitat became the perfect spot for a reading day. Make sure it is tidy in advance as there is nothing worse than not being able to find your bed amongst the piles of clothes that need putting away and books you have littered around your room. I tided my room and made sure there was room for me and my books. For me, my bed is my favourite place to read as it's very cosy and in my room, I have two large windows, meaning there is lots of natural lighting. I have fairy lights adorning every surface for when it gets dark as well.

Turn Off All Electrical Devices 

In a day and age where everything seems to be online, it can be hard from switching off for a while. Unless you want to listen to music, try turning off your mobile device for a couple of hours. I have fallen back into the nasty habit of watching YouTube before I go to bed and losing precious hours I could spend reading. I can only speak for iPhone users (as I have an iPhone myself), but try switching your phone on night mode while you read.

Remember to Eat and Drink

I know it seems stupid to say this but, eating and drinking is very important. I have been known to get so absorbed in what I am doing (whether this is college work or reading) and forget about the lovely hot drink I made myself, which has now gone cold. I don't feel as though I need to lecture you on the importance of staying hydrated but remember to have a drink every now and then. If you are looking for a recommendation of what to drink, then I would highly recommend Whittards Mulled Wine Instant Tea. As a non-tea drinker, this is the perfect winter warmer. 

Have Little Breaks

As I've already admitted, I sometimes forget how to function like a human when I get absorbed in what I'm doing. I know that we love to read and reading days are lovely, but remember that it's important to stretch your legs. Even if this is just a five minute (or less) walk to the kitchen, it's good to get up every now and then. If you have a furry friend, why not play with it or take it on a walk? If it's snowing, pester your family to come outside and build a snowman. Seriously, even if it is only a ten-minute snowman, you're still getting outside.

Have Fun

At the end of the day, the most important thing about your reading day is to have fun. I know what it's like to get to a place where you feel like you can't have fun because there is so much to do. But at the end of the day, you need to have these little breaks and moments of fun to have something to look back on. And think about how your TBR might not crush you if you get some books read off it.

So that concludes my post on how to have a perfect reading day. Let me know if you do this as I would love to see what you guys do!
Carenza x       
   

November Wrap Up| It'sCarenzaB

Hey Guys!
How are you?
It's that time of month were I look back on what I have read the previous month. I've noticed a trend in my wrap up's since September and that is every month I have been saying "this is the most books I've read in one month". November beats them all. In November I read 10 books. I have no idea how I managed to find so much time for reading on top of all my school work. Usually I pair together my wrap up's and TBRs but I have already posted my December TBR.

November Wrap Up

The first book I completed in November was Shiver by Maggie Stievfater. I listened to this on Audiobook using the Overdrive app. I gave it 5/5 stars. I loved the narrators of the story as well as the story line. I have owned the books for almost a year but have never been motivated to read them. I'm planning on listening to the other two books in Audiobook format. I also need to get the novellas from this series.

The next book I read was for class and that was On Writing by Stephen King. I'm usually someone who sticks to fiction so reading a non fiction book was really interesting. I really enjoyed this and learnt so much about King's life and what it means to be a writer. I gave it 4/5 stars. I defiantly want to pick up some of his other books.

Then I read An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld by Cassandra Clare and it was illustrated by Cassandra Jean. This book only just came out in the UK and I am beyond happy that it did. I gave it 5/5 stars. It's such a beautiful book and you can pick it up at any time. The only section I haven't  read it the section for The Last Hours as the book does contain minor spoilers for some characters.

I finally got around to reading Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas this month! It had been on my TBR since I finished Queen of Shadows and I have to say I was a bit disappointed with it. I gave it 4/5 stars in the end but that was because the ending of the book saved it for me. I'm not going to be writing a review for this any time soon as I want to post reviews for the other books in the series first.

 Next I read Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare and a bunch of other awesome authors. I have a full review for this up here. I really enjoyed it but then I do say that with all of Cassandra Clare's books. I gave it 5/5 stars.

I also read the screenplay for the Fantastic Beasts movie. I was so happy I picked up the same day I saw the movie. It was really interesting reading a script from a film which is something I've never done before. I gave it 5/5 stars and my review for the movie is already up.

I was lucky enough to win an Advanced Reader Copy of History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera through Maximum Pop Books. I didn't plan on reading it this month but I ended up reading it in two days. I will have a review for this book going up in February (it's release date for the UK). This book left me an emotional wreck and I gave it 5/5 stars. I am now dying to pick up More Happy Than Not (also by Adam Silvera)

Then I read Winters' Snow by Carrie Hope Fletcher. This is a On the Other Side novella. I gave it 4/5 stars because of the quality of the book. The cover is made out of cardboard and it just seems a bit flimsy. My review for On the Other Side is already up on here.









I don't have a photo of this book as I don't own it in physical format. I listened to Court of Fives by Kate Elliott. I gave it 2/5 stars. I don't know whether it was the narrator or the actual story, but I did not enjoy this book. I found the narrator very annoying as well as the main character being annoying too. I don't think I'll be picking up the sequels to Court of Fives.

The final book I read in November was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I read the bulk of it in November but finished the last 100 pages on December 1st, so I'm putting it on my November Wrap Up. I gave it 5/5 stars and I will be putting a review up very soon. It's so different to anything I've read before and I loved it so much.

December TBR

I only have one book that wasn't on my December TBR post to include in this post.

I have to read Me Being Me is Exactly as Insane as You Being You by Todd Hasak-Lowy for class. I've read around 250 pages so far and I'm not a huge fan. 

So that concludes my November Wrap Up and part December TBR. Let me know what your plans are for December (reading wise).

Love,

Carenza x

5 Books I Want To Read Before The End Of The Year| It'sCarenzaB

Hey Guys!
How are you?
At the beginning of this year I set myself the goal of reading 50 books, thinking I would never hit it. I'm currently reading book 50 and have been thinking about books I really (and I mean REALLY) want to read before 2017. I was going to do 10 books but I have decided to narrow it down.

1) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
I have owned my copy for almost a year and a half, and I still haven't read it. I tried to read it in July but I gave up because I wasn't enjoyed it. As some of you may know, I love the Dorian Gray series that Big Finish do and it's inspired me to pick up the book.

2) The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
I have wanted to read this since I saw the movie trailer but for some reason I didn't get round to it. My best friend bought me a copy for my birthday because she had read it and loved it. I'm super motivated to read it so I can fangirl with my best friend.

3) Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas
I am currently reading this and so far I am enjoying it, though I am spotting a lot of similarities between ACOMAF and this. I want to be up-to-date with this series as this time last year I started this series and I really enjoy her writing.

4) Finish the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan
This year I finally started the Percy Jackson series and the Heroes of Olympus series. I am really determined to finish these as I want to read the Trials of Apollo series.

5) The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
So I have seen the movie for this book and I really enjoyed it. I'm wanting to branch out with my reading and not just read fantasy. I've been really enjoying psychological thrillers/ murder mysteries on TV so I thought I would try and read some.

So I hope you enjoyed this short post, I'm slowly getting back into blogging after my very short break because of Spooky Week.
Love,
Carenza x