These are a few of my favourite things #17

 

Books:

Forgive my Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Forgive my fins is the first in the series and we follow Lily who is half-human, half-mermaid and her experiences living mostly on land, attending a regular high school. She gets herself into a complication when she kisses the wrong guy, in mermaid terms they are bonded for life and we follow the story from there.

The author incorporated mermaid related descriptions into her writing style, and this made the experience for me. Most of the book takes place at Lily’s school, and those scenes represented teenagers in an authentic way. It was a fun read that I would recommend.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

This was one of my favourite books of the year so far. I went in with a bit of courage, as the themes and page length were very much outside my comfort zone. The writing style is captivating, and we as readers are swept into the magical world that is The Starless Sea. It’s the kind of book I would recommend to those who like experimental writing, I would describe the genre as contemporary fantasy but it’s best going into it without any prior knowledge of what it’s about.

Mrs Bibi’s Elephant by Reza Dalvand

This is a heart-warming tale of friendship between an eccentric lady and her beloved pet elephant. A beautifully presented picture book, the illustrations are a delight and I particularly loved the way the people were drawn, each one so unique. 

The Whale Who Wanted More by Rachel Bright

Humans have been consuming way too much and it’s threatening our earth’s resources. In this children’s book I loved how the author flipped the role of the whale and made him want nice shiny new things. There was a clear lesson that friendship not things is what really make us happy and felt it was a clever way to present the global environmental problem to young children.

The Usborne Book of the Moon by Laura Cowan

This is a non-fiction book, in a graphic novel format illustrating how people through history viewed the moon. It has fascinating stories, such as the landing on the moon, the development of technology and much more. One of my favourites on the topic of space science.

Films:

Fashionably Yours (2020)

‘After years of organizing fashion in the city, Lauren decides to move home. In exchange for her organizing services, mover Rob makes it his mission to help her see the beauty of Seattle.’

This was one of those films where you can just switch off and not think too much. The lead couple had a lot of chemistry and the fashion aspect was fun to watch as well. If you are after a fluffy romance, I would certainly recommend it.

A Brush with Love (2019)

‘Jamie is considering giving up on art until she paints a vision board which brings her success. But the mysterious man who appears in it is a real-life Prince Charming and Jamie embarks on a whirlwind romance with him.’

This film was a pleasant surprise and ended up being one of my favourites from the year so far. There were some lovely poignant moments, particularly when the artist finds herself again through her love for art; it encouraged me to rediscover my creative side.

Designed with Love (2021)

‘Clothes designer Skye goes mobile with a “fashion truck” – but she can’t drive the truck and run the business alone. Help comes in the unlikely form of handsome entrepreneur Kevin. As they work together, Skye and Kevin find they have more in common than they thought… could it be love?’

I loved the premise of this film; the overriding theme of fashion interested me and watching Skye’s fashion truck business develop was really fun. It was refreshing to see the main character talk about style as a way to express yourself, instead of following trends or fast fashion.

Podcast:

Online: Offline with Bianca & Brogan

My Spotify page recommended me this podcast so I thought I would give it a go. Created by online content creators, Bianca and Brogan, they have some refreshing conversations to share on many topics such as self-care, embracing our quirks and much more.

Music:

KEYS by Alicia Keys

I got back into Alicia Key’s music after coming across her recent YouTube content. The new Keys album has a soulful, classy, contemporary sound which I could imagine appealing to a wide audience.

Lifestyle:

Snow Drops & Daffodils

Spring is here and I’ve been loving seeing things pop up. I took photos of some snow drops and daffodils as they brightened my day.

Out of these reviews which was your favourite?

What kind of genres in books do you normally gravitate towards? :-) Xx