Books

5 Star Predictions

Posted on August 27, 2018

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Sometimes I wonder what the point is of picking up books that you don’t think you will rate at least 4 stars. That’s why recently, I’ve been carefully picking out my next reads and researching them thoroughly beforehand. I know I can’t read every book in the world, and that’s why it’s all the more important to think a bit more deeply about your choices. So many books that I’ve picked up because they were cheap, not because I thought they’d be 5-star reads…

Inspired by BookTuber MercysBookishMusings YouTube video on 5-star predictions, here are some of my own. These predictions are based on Goodreads average ratings, blogger buzz, general popularity, and my personal excitement for the book’s topic.

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Videos

Document Your Life: January + February + March 2018

Posted on August 5, 2018

In which I go on lots of walks with my favorite dog friend, meet my future service dog’s possible mom, see Joshua Hyslop live, go rock climbing, and more.

Music:
Joshua Hyslop – Home (iTunes/Apple Music – Spotify)

I chose this song because, to me, it sort of describes the feeling of waiting for better things. I’ve been waiting for a long time, for things like therapy, my service dog, treatment of my eating disorder, a place of my own to call home…
I also felt like the pace and sadness of the song matched my feelings during these months. Even though I went out and did things, I became increasingly more anxious about the wait. It was never really off my mind.

In the dark, in the quiet now
It’s too much for me to take
To feel alone as if there’s no way out
Oh, give me peace of mind today

When the nights are long
And the days go on
I don’t feel the same anymore

Videos

Document Your Life: 2017 In Review

Posted on July 8, 2018

A yearly overview of all the Document Your Life footage from the year 2017. The year did not go exactly as I’d hoped, but looking back on this video, I think I dealt with everything quite well.

Warning: it’s all a bit fast, so if you want to see certain footage more closely, you can always re-watch all of last year’s Document Your Life videos in this YouTube playlist. 😉

I decided to use the same song as last year’s year in review video because it fits so well with the topic and has great pacing!

Special thanks to Tom and Valeria for making it possible for me to finish this video.

Music:
Ine Hoem – This Year (iTunes/Apple Music – Spotify)

Books

Spring 2018 Book Reviews

Posted on July 5, 2018

This post includes affiliate links.

As I suspected in my Winter Book Reviews, I have, in fact, ended up in a reading slump. Not because my reading pace is slower (that, I don’t really mind), but because I just haven’t been feeling the motivation to read. I think my switch to primarily non-fiction may have something to do with it, so I want to read more fiction in the upcoming seasons to see if that helps.

I read 3 books in March, 2 books in April, and 2 books in May. Out of the 7 total books I read in spring, 2 were from the library, and 5 were books I bought, already owned, or received for review. Only 2 out of 7 were fiction, the rest non-fiction.

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Autism

My One Year Autism Diagnosis Anniversary

Posted on May 23, 2018

Today, it has been one year since I got my diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at age 21. Before I sought a diagnosis, I had already known for a few months that I was indeed autistic, but I needed the official paperwork to get the care I require. Since then, a lot has changed in my life.

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Books Minimalism

Books I’m Getting Rid Of

Posted on April 28, 2018

I’ve been putting this off for the longest time, but I may finally apply minimalism to my book collection (at least a little bit).

I’ve always said that my book collection is excluded from my minimalist lifestyle. I was working hard towards a massive home library that had each and every book I had read in my lifetime, whether I enjoyed the book or not. I spent hours hunting down the books I read in childhood, so I could add them to my Goodreads profile and have the number of books I’d read be complete.

I no longer feel like this fits me. I still want to have a massive home library, but when I look at my shelves, I want to see books that I remember having read. Books that I rated at least 3 stars, books I enjoyed. Books that mean something to me. Books I’d consider re-reading. It may take me a little longer to have my three IKEA Billy shelves all filled up, but it’s worth it if it means I can look at my book collection and feel joy.

I will make sure all of these books find a good home, whether that’s through selling them, or donating them to Better World Books.

If you’re curious about why I got rid of certain books, keep reading.

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Books

Winter 2017 Book Reviews

Posted on March 24, 2018

This post includes affiliate links.

In the winter of 2017-2018, I didn’t read nearly as many books as I did last season. I’m afraid I might have gotten into another reading slump… Still, I managed to read 1 book in December, 3 in January, and 3 in February.

I’m okay with that. One of my goals for 2018 was to read more consciously. When I first discovered young adult fiction, I read between seventy and a hundred books a year, and I barely remember anything from those books. It’s too early to tell now, but I hope that in a year from now, I’ll still remember enough to be able to talk about them with people. I’m also reading more non-fiction, with the goal to learn something new every once in a while.

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