Recap June '17 | More new books.

Bookclub! I was the only one who finished the book, but most of our conversations are about other things anyway, haha. Daph gave me a birthday present that took ages to arrive and it is this gorgeous Grimm's Fairytales picture book. It looks great in my growing Fairytale book collection. I haven't shot a photo of it yet, but it will follow!

Travel agency. We are busy with the planning of our vacation (we really need to start booking something..), so we went to an agency for travels with the train to get some information. Looks like we might visit Venice after all! I'm so excited and hope to share our booked plans soon.

Shopping. Because what else would you do when you get your vacation money from work? Haha. I'm building a new wardrobe, so every month I buy some new pieces and this time I discovered a new favorite store.

Family. My mom and dad celebrated their birthday together and it was fun to hang out with everyone. My father got a special tablet for photo editing and we treated our mom by going to La Cubanita. On one of the hottest days, Father's day, we went to the park and I had a barbecue over at my grandparent's house.

Music festival. There's always a free music festival, with different stages and lesser-known bands. Unfortunately, it started to rain really hard that day, so we only went there for an hour. We visited our friends and even took a walk in the woods after we had some delicious ice cream (Tony Chocolonely flavour!)

Team building. This year we went with Insights, which is a personality test that shows your percentage for certain colors – and those are assigned to certain personality traits. The test also makes some sort of story about you, with different subjects like 'strong and weak points' and 'the way you interact with others'. Some things were spot on, but I also noticed a few wrong elements that made me sound really harsh and cold. We had some team building elements, followed by a barbecue, so I had a great time.

Harry Potter. Twenty years of Potter magic! Seventeen years ago I discovered this fandom and it has never let me go. I can't believe it and it makes my heart so happy to see Harry Potter is still alive, especially now with the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

Recap May '17 | Being active again.

May was a great month for sure. I became a little more active and it feels good. The awesome sunny weather makes it easier for me to go outside, so I hope to keep it up.


1. I went to a yoga class with friends and it was so relaxing yet intense. I love this way of toning your muscles and getting relaxed, so I need to get over my fear of going alone. First step was taken, now it is time for me to be brave..

2. I had a short vacation with my boyfriend's mother, sister, brother their boyfriend/girlfriend. We stayed at a bungalow house from Friday to Monday and we had some great activities and fantastic weather! The first day we swam in the subtropical pool and I got injured after I bumped my head really hard under water in the wild-water course. Nothing too bad though, but it shocked me and I had a monstrous headache that night.

The next day we had a parcour in the trees, about 6 meters of the ground. It was scary at times, but it felt so good to complete it without falling! After it we went into an Egyptian themed escape room, which we completed with 3 minutes left. Everyone went for another swim in the pool, but I stayed back home with my mother-in-law and finished a book.

The next day we went for a round of paintball. The guns were bad, but it was fun to do and afterwards we did a few adventure golf courses, which was challenging. Board game night!
On Monday we had to leave the bungalow at 10:00, so we went to the pool and stayed there until 14:00. We ate some ice cream, I played pool with my boyfriend (and won of course ;P) and then we went home.

3. I had a sport event with work. Archery tag, Lasergame, Volleybal, Estafette and Bubble football. We didn't win anything, but it was fun to hang out with some colleagues after work.

6. De-coloured my hair! It turned green, but after I washed it with ketchup and more Head & Shoulders it slowly turned back into blonde. I have to say; the purple hair adventure was great and now that I know it will wash out relatively easy, I will return to it!

Audio book Adventures | Discovering Storytel.

I have tried to listen to audio books in the past, but for some reason it never managed to grab my attention. This was before I found out that I can listen, and enjoy, audio books on my way to work. Sitting in the bus with an audio book is the best thing ever! I still can't concentrate on audio books when I do something, but the bus ride is so much more fun now. 

This month I discovered Storytel and since it offers a 14-day free trial, I decided to give it a shot. I can already tell you that I've paid for my first month now. It is basically a Netflix service for audio books. For €9.99 a month you can listen to as many audio books as you want. You don't buy them, so when your cancel your subscription you'll not be able to listen to your previous audio books. I think this is a great deal. Also: I'm not sponsored by Storytel. They don't even know who I am. 

Recap April '17 | Birthday, YALFEST and book club sleep-over.

April is always one of my favorite months, despite the funky weather. It was definitely a great month! I've done so many fun things; which meant I had less time to read, as you can see..

I went to Beauty and the Beast in the cinema twice. Once was in IMAX 3D and what an experience! You can see my thoughts about the movie in my review, but in one word: MAGICAL. I definitely shed a few happy tears and the songs are on repeat. The first time I went with friends, the second time with my family and we combined it with going out for diner. Talking about food, hehe, I went with my boyfriend, sister and brother in law to a Dim Sum restaurant. Delicious!

I participated in something we call 'Duinenmars' which is a yearly event where you can walk different distances and get a medal or a new pin. Every medal holds 3 pins. This was my 5th time, so I got a new medal. We had amazing weather; it was incredibly sunny and warm. I've also picked up running (again), but this time I see myself improve and that is motivating.


I celebrated my birthday (26 years already, eek!) I had a lot of healthy snacks, I got a beautiful birthday cake made by my talented sister and I got really thoughtful presents. I felt loved :)

I had two fun bookish events. I went to YALFEST with a girlfriend, which is a pretty new book event hosted by different Dutch publishers. It was great! There were eight authors (Amy Ewin, David Arnold, Lesley Livingston, Megan Shepherd, Donna Freitas, Veronica Rossi and Victor Dixen) who were interviewed and then we got time to get our books signed + a picture. I had a workshop about translating books from English to Dutch and there were different stands with activities, like making your own buttons or getting a temporary bookish tattoo. I'm definitely going again next year.

The other event was our book club sleep-over, which is actually for the Dewey 24-hour read-a-thon, but lately ends up as a day/night where we watch really (and I mean REALLY) bad book adaptations. This time we picked Fallen and The Fifth Wave. I think we were all pleasantly surprised by The Fifth Wave, but maybe it is because you can't get anything worse than Fallen. This movie is by far one of the worst movie I've ever seen. Every scene takes 100 hours and is filled with cringe-worthy sentences, broody looks in the distance, swoony staring in each other eyes and terrible special effects. It was hilarious. Hanging out with these girls is the best.

March '17 | London (first flight!) and lots of food.

This truly was an amazing month! And what is my monthly recap without mentioning the fact I ate some delicious food?

The best thing that happened was my trip to London with Debby and Daphne. It has been.. 8, perhaps 9 years since I first been to London and I fell in love all over again. I had an amazing time with my friends and I believe they got to see a side of me they didn't know yet, haha. I definitely can't wait to return any time soon, because there are still so many things left I want to see/do!

Highlights of the trip were: (check out my Instagram for more pictures)

-We went to Les Misérables, which was an amazing experience.
-We saw Seven Dials after we met Samantha Shannon, for her book signing for The Song Rising. She was lovely! She promises us a lot of pain in the upcoming books. I'm ready to endure all of it.
-British Museum, Natural History Museum (They moved Dippy, I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED), Victoria & Albert, where we also ate scones. Walked across the Tower Bridge, posed in front of Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, saw the whispering Gallery in St. Paul's and we bummed over the fact Westminster Abbey was closed for a special service. Also had a glimpse of 9 3/4 on King's Cross.

-All the bookstores. Debby showed me the wonderful store Forbidden Planet. I'm in love.
-All the food. We tried pies, English breakfast, fish & chips, the best cookies, ice cream surrounded with candy floss, a real Sunday roast, Scottish Eggs, Sushi, yuuuum. We also had the worst restaurant experience ever, so thanks Kimchee, never again.
-My first flight. Yep. It finally happened and I survived thanks to the support and beautiful serenade of Debby and Daph in the middle of the airport. We went with the train to London and went back flying. It was interesting. I did NOT like the start, but the middle part was okay (had to stop thinking about the fact you are floating around) and I liked the landing.
-A ride in a Double decker. I love those things.

I had a fun bookclub meeting. I finally had a house-warming for two friends, because things kept coming in between, and we went out to get hamburgers (I had a delicious hot dog) We went over to our friends to celebrate a birthday (I love the fact I can finally give someone books for her birthday!)  and I got addicted again to playing Mario on my Nintendo 3DS.

I'm getting more responsibilities at work, which is scary and really exciting. I have a feeling I might get a permanent contract at the end of this year *fingers crossed*

Once upon a time I fell out of blogging..

....And I still haven't found my way back. I keep struggling with writing posts, simply because I feel uninspired. I still enjoy writing and I want to be able to post more regularly, but every time I try to sit down I want to do something else. There is something holding me back and a while ago I figured out some of the things that bothered me, but I can't do anything about it. I need to find a way to deal with this problem and one of the things I need to do is take a step back for now.

I feel like my blog doesn't really matter anymore and I've been out of touch with bloggers I used to be close with. Every time I open Twitter, I wonder how much it matters whether I tweet or stay silent. Most of the times it feels like I can just disappear and no one will notice - and while I realize that blogging is something you should always do for YOU, it's demotivating to feel that way.

I think everyone has noticed that there are huge time periods between new posts and I hope you will stick around no matter what. My progress in returning back to the blogging world might be slow, but I'm definitely working on it. The Love-a-thon has helped me realize that I still enjoy visiting new blogs and that I want to keep up with reviewing books. Branching out to blogging about my bulletjournal has helped and perhaps I need to go and explore more other topics too, like bringing back Mel in Movieland.

It feels good to write this down. It's not an apology, because I've always felt those are unnecessarily, but this has been bugging me for some time. So. There. A post to admit the biggest, most terrible blogging slump I have experienced in my 5 years of blogging. I don't know how long it will take, but I will not quit. I'm just taking my time.

Recap February '17 | Photo shoot, Love-a-thon and bookshopping.

This was a good month, where I discovered my new addiction; the TV show Outlander. A few years ago I read the first four books, but for some reason I quit and now I remember again why I liked it so much. Hello, Jamie Fraser and your darn adorable accent. It's such an easy show to binge-watch. Trigger warning for sex scenes, violence and sexual abuse.

I went disco-bowling for a friend's birthday. It has been a while since I bowled and I was reminded of the fact that I am terrible at it, haha. But it was fun and that is all that matters.

To celebrate Valentine we went out to eat hamburgers and I got a pretty set of three piercings for my ear. We always like to acknowledge the day without making too much fuzz, so this was nice.

I went out to drink bubble tea and to do some book shopping with someone who is quickly becoming a friend. It was great to browse for new titles with someone who loves books as much as I do. Our boyfriends decided to hang out in the pub in the mean time.

The Love-a-Thon happened, I was one of the co-hosts, and I had a great time learning new people. It gave me new motivation to write reviews and to make more time to comment around the blogging community.

And I did something I never thought I would ever do. My mom talked me into going to a photo-shoot with her, a friend and my sister and she persuaded me by loaning a Belle dress. I decided to go with it and in the end I did get a few photo's that I like.

Love-A-Thon 2017 | Questionnaire.

I am proud to present the first post of the 2017 Love-a-Thon! It's been a lot of fun to work together with Alexa, Cee and Kristin to make this another successful event. This is the time to show us your answers to the questions and to hop around other bloggers to show them some love!

An Introduction to You and Your Blog.

1. What’s your name? Where in the world are you blogging from?
   My name is Melanie, but most people call me Mel. I'm from The Netherlands, a really cold country, but it does have its perks.
   
   
2. Tell us your history with reading. Were you always a reader? Were you a reluctant reader? Was there a book that convinced you to become a reader?
   I've always been a reader. Ever since I was little I forced people to read books to me, until I was old enough to 'read' them myself. I also used my doll carriage to walk around with all my books, because I didn't like dolls.
   
   
3. How did you get involved in the online book community?
   I stumbled upon Goodreads and found this whole new world filled with other booklovers!
   
   
4. How did you choose your primary platform (blog, Instagram, YouTube, etc)? How did you come up with your blog name?
   I started to follow readers on Goodreads with similar taste and soon found out they used Blogspot for their blogs. I liked the fact that the interface seemed to easy and that it was free. My name comes from Harry Potter ( 'The Daily Prophet' ) and it was a very random idea that popped up in my head. I still love it. That happened in February 2012, so I've been around for some time now.
   
   
5. What’s your favorite thing about the online book community?
   The fact that I can discuss, rave, fangirl, cry and laugh together with other people who get me.
   
   
6. What sort of posts can readers expect from you?
   A mix of different type of posts. Mostly reviews. Sometimes I post a discussion, something about movies/TV shows and lately I've been really into bulletjournaling. It has been fun to explore this new hobby and to talk about it on my blog. I also talk a lot about fairytales, retellings and Disney whenever I get the chance.
   
   
7. What book genres do you talk about most?
   Fantasy and fairytales, my favorite genres.

Talk Bujo to Me | January '17.

If you are new to bulletjournaling: it is basically a wish list, to-do list and journal – and what I like to do is decorate it with doodles, handlettering, stamps and washi-tape. I have two informative posts about my step into this bujo-world and setting up collections. 
Setting up 2017.

I started with the set-up of my new bulletjournal in December last year and it has been so much fun. The best thing about the bullet system though, is that you can start at any point in the year. I started my dotted Emerald Green Leuchtturm 1917 in June last year and I filled it entirely. I wasn't really sure what to expect and what spreads I wanted to include, so setting up my new one was easier this time. I enjoyed using my Leuchtturm, so I bought a light blue one for 2017. The stickers you see are purchased from Redbubble.

My next informative post will be about all the materials I use, but here is already a little spoiler. I'm building a collection of different pens and I found this set of Staedtler fine liners (0.3 mm) for a good price. I really like to use them for that little pop of color in my spreads and they are also very easy to doodle with.

The first page is my key and the start of my Index. I googled a picture of the Disney castle and drew the silhouette as my key. The Index is the part where you list down all your spreads with page numbers to make it easier when you look for something. I have a few special methods to keep my Index simple and uncluttered that I will share with you next time. I'm currently 'reviewing' a few ways to make navigation easier as well, so be on the look-out for that post.

Another spread I enjoy using is the 2017 calendar. I flip to this yearly overview when I'm setting-up my monthly log and habit tracker (I include the days and dates). And let's be honest, I simply like the look for having a calendar as one of the first pages. The next page are a few of my goals, divided in 'personal' and 'hobbies'. I like to set goals to give myself some guidance what I want to achieve in a year. This can be something as simple as 'make time for my family/boyfriend' or 'be kind and open-minded'.

Recap January '17 | Family and Friends.

This month was not too bad, if you overlook the fact that one part of the world is crashing and burning. Again, it was a time filled with family, friends and good food! You won't hear me complain.

I had two bookclub meetings. The first one was for our Secret Santa and I got some awesome presents. We ate hamburgers and while the service was terrible, the food was delicious. The second one was filled with interesting stories, hehe. Good service and I had some fantastic pasta and a chocolate cake with nougat ice cream.

I had another spring roll day with my family, one of our best traditions if you ask me. I also went shopping with my mother and sister – and we had some Indian take-away afterwards. To top it off, I also went out for dinner with my boyfriend for our monthly date night. For the first time ever I tasted the world of Pilipinas food and I liked it a lot!

I dyed my entire hair purple and it took me some time to get used to all the stares, but I love it so much that I don't care anymore. It's one of those things I wanted to do for such a long time and I'm happy I finally did it.

I also started working-out by going for a run, until I caught a bad cold halfway the month and now I have to get back into that routine. I'm seriously trying out different things to get off my butt, but it's hard to find motivation with this cold weather. I'm thinking about purchasing PIIT from Cassey and combine it with yoga with my favorite channel Yoga by Adriene. Wish me luck for February! I'm setting up a work-out sheet, because crossing off squares might push me to do it more regularly. 

7th Annual End of Year Survey | 2016, part 2.

BLOGGING.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2016? 
I sucked this year. I hardly commented and I don't think I've found a new book blog.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2016? 
I can't think of one that stood out.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog? 
I like the new Bulletjournal posts I've started. The first one was about Bulletjournal adventures in September.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)? 
I hosted the (Fairytale) retellings challenge again, but I was slumpy and sucked at it.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2016? 
Making new connections with publishers.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? 
I was uninspired. This is also the first year of working full-time after graduating last year, so I had to get used to my new schedule. A lot of time I was just too tired to write anything and I had no ideas, but I hope to get back to it in 2017.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)? 
According to the stats from blogspot, it is the sign-up post for the Fairytale retelling challenge.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love? 
My recaps. They were popular last year, but because I sucked a lot this year with commenting, I hardly got any comments back.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
The start of the Bookly Bird subscription box in The Netherlands. The items are not as epic as the boxes in other parts of Europe, but at least is is more affordable and I like to be surprised.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? 
-Goodreads challenge: went down from 100 books to 90.
-Sucked at all the others, simply because I decided I wanted to read whatever I wanted to read, without feeling restricted.

LOOKING AHEAD.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017? 
Brandon Sanderson – The Final Empire.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2017 (non-debut)? 
V.E Schwab – A Conjuring of Light.

3. 2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? 
S. Jae Jones – Wintersong.

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2017? 
V.E Schwab – Our Dark Duet.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017? 
I hope to finish 100 books again and I will try to read as many prompts from the Popsugar challenge as I can. I also want to return to blogging and commenting around the blogosphere, because I feel like an outsider.

6. A 2017 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone: 
By Your Side by Kasie West. About a girl who deals with anxiety. She is locked in the library for the weekend and finds out she is there together with a boy who has a bad reputation.

7th Annual End Of Year Survey | 2016. Part 1.

I'm going to split up the Annual End of Year Survey, hosted by Jamie@Perpetual page turner, in two parts. In this part I'm going to talk about all the books I read in 2016.

Number Of Books You Read: 90.  

Number of Re-Reads: 10.

Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy (30) followed by fairytale retellings (22)

1. Best Book You Read In 2016? 
Best retelling: The Shadow Queen – C.J Redwine.
Best mystery: Far From You – Tess Sharpe.
Best contemporary: Girl Against the Universe – Paula Stokes.
Best fantasy: Crooked Kingdom – Leigh Bardugo. (Second best: Amy Tintera – Ruined)
Best adult fantasy:  A Gathering of Shadows – V.E Schwab.
Best diverse book: The Rose and The Dagger – Renee Ahdieh.
Best steampunk: The Vanishing Throne – Elizabeth May.
Best paranormal: The Raven King – Maggie Stiefvater.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? 
The Female of Species by Mindy McGinnis. I loved her previous books, so I went in with high expectations and ended up being disappointed. I simply did not connect with the story of the characters.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. I fell in love with the unique promise and the characters.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)? 
I don't think I did a lot of book pushing this year. I've been in a terrible blogging slump and I hope to recover from in it 2017 – and return to pushing books.


5. Best series you started in 2016? Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016? 
Started: Ruined by Amy Tintera.
Sequel: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E Schwab.
Ender: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo.


6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016? 
After scrolling through my list of read books, I'm gonna have to say none. All the books I loved this year were written by known authors. All the books by unknown authors before this year were okay or disappointing..

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? 
Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes. It is a contemporary book, but is is so much more than simple fluff. The struggles from both characters and how they dealt with their problems did a lot to me.


8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? 
Hands down Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. Ever since I fell in love with Six of Crows I've been anticipating this sequel and it was everything I could have asked for.


9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? 
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, to refresh my memory for the sequel.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?
J.K Rowling – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has a gorgeous dark blue cover with gold details.

11. Most memorable character of 2016? 
Besides the group in Six of Crows, I would pick Holland from A Gathering of Shadows.


12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016? 
The Rose and The Dagger by Renee Ahdieh is beautiful.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016? 
Perhaps Am I normal yet? By Holly Black, about a girl with OCD.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2016 to finally read?
Most books I read this year were published in 2015/2016, but the only one I can think of that is way older is The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2016? 
Jodi Meadows – The Mirror King.

“Sometimes we hate others for the things we hate in ourselves”

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2016? 
Shortest: I'm not going to count novella's, so book: Diane Zahler – A True Princess. 192.
Longest: Sarah J. Maas – Empire of Storms. 693.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most. 
The Cursed Child, because I simply couldn't believe how terrible it was. Horrible plot and so not-Harry-Potter-like. I hated it.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) 
I don't want to spoil anything, but let me say that I love all the sailing ships in the universe of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year. 
Despite the fact that my favorite Chaol simply disappeared to make way for sex scenes, I still love the friendship between him and Dorian.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously. 
I'm going with Ruined by Amy Tintera. I really liked her dystopian duology and she blew me away with Ruined. I never thought I would love it so much, because the story itself is pretty basic, but it was so good.

21. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure. 
It is definitely not the best book I've ever read, but I finally picked up Illuminae by Kristoff/Kaufman and I love how unique it was.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016? 
None. Let me say, this was a mediocre reading year..

23. Best 2016 debut you read? 
None. All the debuts I read where disappointing.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year? 
I don't care about repeating myself, because this book deserves to be named here: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. It is such a fascinating world.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read? 
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them. Despite the fact that it is a script, Rowling managed to make it feel like reading a story.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2016? 
I don't cry/easily cry, so I can't think of one.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year? 
C.J Redwine – The Shadow Queen, because I don't hear a lot about it and I loved it.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul? 
Yep, Crooked Kingdom, simply because I don't want it to be over.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016? 
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, because of the plot. Illuminae by Kristoff/Kaufman, because of the way it is written.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? 
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas, because the ending is amazing, but the overall story was disappointing. It could have been so much more.

What is the best book you read in 2016?

Talk Bujo to Me | December '16.

I started my official bulletjournal in June and after 7 months, my entire dotted Emerald green Leuchtturm 1917 is filled. I love to flip through it and see all the collections and spreads I've created. It helps me to stay organized in different ways, because it acts like a to do list, diary/journal and wishlist. It helps me to be creative in a different way and I love how I can practice different fonts and a more solid handwriting. Definitely be on the look-out for more bulletjournal posts in 2017, also to help you with setting up your bujo if you are interested.

Setting up the month. 

For the 'hello December' page I decided to draw some random snowflakes and Olaf. I accidently created a new month called 'Dember' in my monthly log, hehe.

The habit trackers are great, because they show me how I divide my time and what areas I should focus on. In my case, that is definitely working-out. The to read/to watch list is more an idea and over the months I rarely finished everything I wrote down, but it is a fun addition and I like to see how far I can come. It is most helpful for listing down review copies I should read that month.

Doodles.
I was really ambitious this year and decided I wanted to make my own Christmas cards. Here are two examples. On the other photo you can see one of my pages in my sketchbook and I'm quite happy with the result.

2017, the start of a new bulletjournal. 

I always like to start with a new beginning, so I am saying goodbye to my full Emerald notebook and I'm going to start in a dotted turquoise Leuchtturm. It is fun that I can perfect my set-up and all my spreads now that I have more 'experience'

Yearly recap | Fabulous 2016.

This year was fabulous, despite all the less fabulous things that happened all over the world. I can honestly say this was one of the best years so far, because I've been blessed with some fortunate events, lots of good food, lots of time with loved ones and many new opportunities. I've grown even more and I've stepped out of my comfort zone many times, which I hope to continue (and improve even further) in 2017.

My goals for 2017 include:
1. Keep pushing myself. Grow. Overcome my fears. Get out of my comfort zone.
2. Be gentle and loving to myself.
3. Keep making time to do the things I love.
4. Make beautiful memories and enjoy every moment. Be around my family as often as I can. Spend a lot of quality time with my boyfriend.
5. Be healthy: keep up the clean eating and start to work-out on a regular base.
6. Save money, but also treat myself every now and then.
7. Read all the books. Only buy the most anticipated ones/sequels.
8. Finish another bullet journal.
9. Be creative. Practice watercoloring and lettering. Work on my Wreck this journal.
10. Invest more time in Instagram –> practice more with my Canon.

This is my last post of 2016. HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVELY FRIENDS!


Here is a round-up from some of the things I believe are highlights of my year of 2016. Also: my book club meetings every month <3 I don't know what I would do without these girls!

January: I found a job in December and started January 4th. I also moved into my rental house with my boyfriend. I also saw the Beauty and the Beast musical.
February: I made a beginning with bulletjournaling (but my real attempt started in April) and I was one of the hosts for the Love-a-thon.
March: I spend a lot of time with my family and boyfriend; we visited a lot of restaurants. 
April: I celebrated my 25th birthday, together with our official house-warming. We slept in a castle. We had the bookclub sleep-over at my place.
May: Sad news was that I lost a friend in a car accident. At the same time, my grandfather turned 80. I saw Mumford and sons in concert and it was fabulous.
June: A LOT of good food. I finally got my ear pierced (Auricle) and I dyed my hair tips purple.
July: I got my hair retouched. I went to a theme park.
August: I saw the Harry Potter exhibition in Brussels, together with a long weekend there. I went on vacation to Italy, where I saw some amazing places like Rome, Capri, Vatican City and Pompeii – where I climbed on the Vesuvius.
September: More good food, haha. I went rowing with my boyfriend in the park.
October: I got a contract renewal, which means another year at my job! I'm loving it. Again, had a lot of good food this month = family time.
November: We celebrated our 8th anniversary by going to an escape room. I had a team building event with work and a Sinterklaas celebration.

This month, December, recap:
-Celebrated Sinterklaas with my boyfriend's mother.
-Bought our first Christmas Tree and decorations, which was so much fun.
-Celebrated my grandmother's birthday.
-Went out for dinner with my sister after a full day of Christmas shopping.
-Celebrated 'three' Christmas days. I really got spoiled by my family.

I finished a total of 5 books so far, but I have 6 more to go so I can reach my goal of 90 books. I will talk about this in the Annual End of Year Survey by Jamie @ Perpetual Page Turner.
1. Heidi Heilig – The ship beyond time.
2. Diane Zahler – A true princess.
3. Wendy Higgins – The great pursuit.
4. J.K Rowling – Fantastic beasts and where to find them.
5. Kathryn Purdie – Burning glass.

As you might have noticed, I took a step back this year. I hardly participated in my own (Fairytale) retelling challenge, because I felt uninspired, and I didn't find any motivation to go around and comment in the blogosphere. I'm definitely going to step it up in 2017. I've given myself enough time to get used to my new life schedule (my first full-time job) and I feel like I am ready to return! I'm definitely going to change things up, because I did enjoy writing my bullet journal posts. I feel blessed that publishers still want to work with me and I even made a new connection.

My blog resolutions are:
1. Write down all the reviews I want to post on my blog, but don't review ALL of them. It is okay to read a book for me.
2. Post more regularly and try new things. I don't have to be unique/original, but I want to explore different topics.
3. Comment on other blogs once a week. Pick a day and use one hour to comment.

In one word: how was your 2016? Any resolutions for 2017?

Recap November '16 | 8th anniversary and Team building.

This post recaps my month: my personal life, all the books I’ve read & bought, movies and TV shows I’ve seen and my journey in the world of Bulletjournaling.

I did some fun things this month.

I surprised my boyfriend by taking him to an escape room. We celebrated out 8th anniversary and this has been something on top of our bucketlist. It was amazing and I definitely want to check out more escape rooms. The puzzles were diverse and challenging, but not so hard you couldn't figure it out. In the end, we managed to escape on time with the treasure! He took me out for a lunch at my favorite place (Bagels & Beans) and he gave me a Snape Funko and the new CD from Adele. He knows me so well.

We went to help my boyfriend's best friend to paint his hallway. His girlfriend is moving in and she also loves to read; so we spend all our time talking about books. Yes! I think we drove the boys nuts at some point, but one does not simply stop talking about books.

My boyfriend and I went to the cinema to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them; I'm so happy we saw it on the big screen. The movie was worth it and I already can't wait to see it again. It was magical and detailed + I fell in love with the cast. 

I had a teambuilding event with my collegues at Madurodam, where we had a park escape (and my team won. Oh yeah) Madurodam = a park where you can see tiny buildings from places all over the Netherlands.

And last but not least, I had a Sinterklaas celebration with my colleagues. (Sinterklaas = a Dutch holiday.) We played a game called 'dobbelen' Everyone had to buy two presents. You need to roll the dice and each number has a specific task, like 'steal a present from someone' or 'everyone has to give their present to the person on your left side'. In the end we all ended up with two presents. I had a great time.

I did great this month! I have this low-key book buying ban, so I only got two books I really wanted. I bought the screenplay from J.K Rowling - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the Wreck it box from Keri Smith, with the famous Wreck This Journal. This will be my art project for 2017 *excited*

Another book I bought was Nemesis by Anna Banks (for book club and in the end I was the only one who read it, haha) Anna Marie McLemore – When the Moon Was Ours was in my Bookly Bird subscription book and I couldn't be happier. This book sounds amazing! I got a finished copy from Iron Cast by Destiny Soria from the lovely people at Abrams, together with a copy from Warren the 13th by Taria del Rio. And one of the biggest surprises was this lovely package from Tor, inlcuding an ARC From Windwitch by Susan Dennard, because I am part of the Witchlanders (Earthclan!)

1. Holly Bourne – Am I Normal Yet?
2. Tara Sim – Timekeeper.
3. Sarah Glenn Marsh – Fear the Drowning Deep.
4. Audrey Coulthurst – Of Fire and Stars.
5. Anna Banks – Nemesis.
6. Sophie Jordan – Rise of Fire.

Clicking on the titles will bring you to my reviews on Goodreads.
Am I Normal Yet surprised me. It was an impulsive buy when I found it in the cheap ebook section on a website. I really liked it. Timekeeper was SUCH A LET DOWN. The same with Of Fire and Stars. Fear the Drowning Deep was okay and Rise of Fire was tragic.. I hope December will be a better reading month. Movies.
Neighbours 2: sorority high. So bad, it was funny.
True memoirs of an International Spy. Mediocre comedy movie.
The Brothers Grimsby, hehee.
Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. FANTASTIC.
I Give It a Year. Nope.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, because I'm rewatching them <3

TV shows.
I watched a few episodes from season 2 from Jane the Virgin, season 2 from Marco Polo and season 2 from Reign.

How was your November?