Monthly recap February '16 | High tea and Love-a-thon.

 This post recaps my month: my personal life, all the books I’ve read & bought, movies and TV shows I’ve seen and links to posts that interest me.
February was a fantastic month! I'm better adjusted to my new schedule, my work is going great and I love living together with my boyfriend. I'm getting more tasks at work and I receive compliments here and there that make me feel so confident. We're finally getting our couch at the end March and it is about time; we are completely done with sitting on the floor. We are now slowly starting to decorate the house and it looks great so far!

We had a delicious lunch together with my parents over at Bagels and Beans to thank them for the help with moving out. We had my sister and boyfriend coming over + some of his friends for game nights, which was fun. I went on a High tea with my mother, grandmother, sister and friend of the family. SO GOOD. I was stuffed for the entire day.

I also started bullet journaling and it has been effective. I love making lists (give me rest in my head) and this helps me to keep track of everything. From expenses, to wish lists, to things I must do that month. It also allows me to be more creative, because I love to decorate my pages.

There was also a new book club, where we could catch up on daily lives and talk about other things than the book, haha.

Blogging-wise: The love-a-thon happened! I had a fantastic week filled with great conversations, talk in all cap locks with my friends and co-hosts Alexa, Cee and Hazel, and I even got to host a chat! For two days, the blogosphere was filled with love and appreciation, I hope everyone can keep it up.

Retelling March '16 | Fairytale products.

Don't forget to tweet and Instagram with the hash-tag #fairytaleRC.

At the end of this post you can put links to your challenge page/post and every review you post on your blog. Please make this easy to navigate by putting it like this:
UPDATE  @ your name/blog name. This is your master post, like your challenge page.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

Let’s imagine that you start your night with a chunky book filled with fairytales. I definitely have my eyes set on all the Leatherbound editions from different tales. I already own the one from the Brothers Grimm and I can’t wait to get my hands on more.

At some point you have to stop reading to get something to eat or drink, so what better way to mark your page than to use some bookmarks?
                              Magic bookmarks.                              The sticker alley.

SkinnyHues.                                Phoenix art studio.

Review 251. Heidi Heilig - The girl from everywhere.

Title: The girl from everywhere.
Author: Heidi Heilig.
Pages:  464.
Published: February 16th 2016 by Greenwillow Books.
Sort: Part 1 of The girl from everywhere.
Source: I received a copy from the publisher on Edelweiss.

Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a time-traveller. She, her father and their crew of time refugees travel the world aboard The Temptation, a glorious pirate ship stuffed with treasures both typical and mythical. Old maps allow Nix and her father to navigate not just to distant lands, but distant times - although a map will only take you somewhere once. And Nix's father is only interested in one time, and one place: Honolulu 1868. A time before Nix was born, and her mother was alive. Something that puts Nix's existence rather dangerously in question...  Nix has grown used to her father's obsession, but only because she's convinced it can't work. But then a map falls into her father's lap that changes everything. And when Nix refuses to help, her father threatens to maroon Kashmir, her only friend (and perhaps, only love) in a time where Nix will never be able to find him. And if Nix has learned one thing, it's that losing the person you love is a torment that no one can withstand. Nix must work out what she wants, who she is, and where she really belongs before time runs out on her forever.

Rating:

This book got a lot of buzz around the time I read it and I must say that it is worth the hype. I thought it was a really clever, well-written story with interesting characters. This was one of the books I read during the 24 hours read-a-thon with my book club and it was not hard to read it in one sitting.

Nix sails together with her father on their ship, The Temptation, to any place in any time with the help of maps. I loved this concept, although I wish there were more explanations around the maps. They must be new (no one must have used them to travel before) and I still don't really understand why. If some of them are so rare, why not copy them before use? Anyway, they are looking for a very special map: one where Nix's mother is still alive. This is a difficult matter for Nix, because her mother died in childbirth, and Nix has no idea what would happen if she travels to that time. It could erase her entirely, but the complex relationship with her father makes her motivated to help him with his quest.

And boy, did I love their dynamic. It is clear that her father is a troubled man who can think of only one thing: finding the love of his life and getting her back. It is also obvious he loves Nix in his own way and it was great to have a book where a father/daughter relationship is the center where everything evolves around. His passionate search for this map makes sure that the plot takes us all to different places in the world in different time periods.

Another thing I really appreciated was the diversity in this book. The crew showcases many different people from other cultures and sexuality. Take Kash, a Persian thief who is Nix's best friend. I am someone who does not need much romance in a book and I loved how Heidi handled this. Nix and Kash first start out as really good friends and not too much happens, but that is what made me ship them so hard. Plus, sass and banter!

I think this book was a great start of a series and I very much look forward to the sequel.

 
“Sometimes a person has to let go of something to take hold of something else.”

Love-a-thon | Final post, thank-you!

All good things must come to an end, so this post is the final one for this year's Love-a-thon. It has been a wonderful experience for me. Last year I was a participant and this year I could even help behind the screen to set up this event. Thank you Alexa for asking me, so I could be part of this amazing team with Cee & Hazel! I feel like we've gotten closer <3 The enthusiasm, love and gratitude all around the blogosphere has made me smile. I feel renewed to pick up blogging. Do remember, we should spread love all year around! So, sometimes do a few of the things you've done this Love-a-thon. Tweet an author that you appreciate their books, tell your friends how much you care and try to find new people to support.

Love-a-thon Challenge | An invitation to tea.

Hosted by: Alexa (Alexa Loves Books), Cee (The Novel Hermit), Hazel (Stay Bookish) & Mel (The Daily Prophecy).

If you want to be entered in the giveaway for this challenge, you have to link up at The Novel Hermit. (If you’re not awake yet, don’t fret! The linky will be open until the event officially ends on February 22, so add yours any time before then.)

It’s time for a tea break! In this post, you’ll share which fictional character, book blogger OR BookTuber OR Bookstagrammer, and author you’d want to have a tea party with and why. Feel free to go above and beyond by including more details about your dream tea party!

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The first thing I'm changing up at my tea party is that I'm serving hot cocoa with additional whipped cream if requested. I have tried many different flavors and ways to drink tea, but for some reason I just don't like it.

Love-a-thon challenge | Get creative!

If you're still interested in participating in the Love-a-Thon, you still can! Just visit this post and fill out the form. Then tweet  @alexalovesbooks, or shoot an email to bbloveathon@gmail.com, so you can be added to the official participant list.

For this challenge and giveaway you have to link up over at Alexa loves books. You must make a poem with the spines of books and it is up to you how creative you get! Make photographs, design it, write it down, paint it, it's all up to you.