Nollaig

Congrats Frankie, and well done to everyone who's given up. I've smoked the odd one over the years, but it never took as a habit. Usually it was 'everyone's out chatting in the smoking area' and it turned into the odd cig with a drink. And I went through the typical 1st year college student of 'I'm old enough to buy them, try them, and parents will never know,' but it still never took, so it doesn't bother me in the slightest not having them. My addiction is food (and emotional eating) instead! Still trying to make small changes that will last on that front, but who knows if I'll ever manage it. On the cheering up front, a new mattress arrived today, yay! The one in our spare room has been awful, so it'll be good to have a new one for nights when one of us is snoring or sick. (I'm sick with a cold at the moment and the last few nights have not been fun!)

It definitely does factor into it, I much prefer thrillers set in Britain than anywhere else (including Ireland). Maybe because I grew up with shows like The Bill? I find American ones harder to get into, same with Scandinavian ones.

We've been watching Gavin and Stacey. I'd never seen it, and OH loves it. Really enjoying it. I have issues with the premise, but I love the characters. Bryn, Doris and Nessa are fantastic.

Gorgeous sunny and cold day today!

Second, recurrence of the one I had from last Wed-Sat or so. I'm the exact same, really irritates me. Lots of hot drinks and water! Sorry to hear you're on your third, that's rough. You feel better too

I had a cold over the weekend and just before it, which began to ease off, but it's back with a vengence now. I'm just happy that it should be gone before I go to London Saturday week.

Indeed, the characters just felt a bit flat for me. Have you read any of the Maeve Kerrigan or Kim Stone series (they're the main characters names, not authors)? I love those, and while a lot of it is I do enjoy the murder mystery element, I adore the characters and that's what keeps me reading. I've started reading Broken Bones, the 7th Kim Stone novel, but I just realised I skipped one! I skipped the 5th book and went straight to the 6th! Whoops! Going to go back now I'm also reading No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Nevill.

I finished The Bone Collector and quite enjoyed it, but not enough to continue with the series. I also read The Visitors by Catherine Burns which started out at 5 stars, but due to the way it was paced and reveals were done, it dropped down to 3 by the end. I did enjoy it though. Not sure what to read next.

I finished A Horse Walks Into A Bar and did not like it at all. Whatever is good about it went totally over my head! Now reading The Bone Collector and quite enjoying it.

Ah sure there's no right or wrong way, just whatever suits you yourself! I chose the gratitude focus as it's an area I'm weak on and I chose pictures because I'm the worst at writing stuff out! Bullet Journaling definitely comes across as something you have to be really arty or design-oriented to do well, I found that off-putting, hence random doodles!

I'm finding it hard to keep it up to be honest. It's given me an idea for an app (I like designing apps since my cert in digital media before christmas!) - a digital bullet journal. An app with tons of icons and cartoons in various colours (bullets, arrows, squiggles, patterns, objects etc) so that you can just click-and-drag your way to a stunning journal page in no time. Can't find an app like it, and I know I'd use it! What do you do in your gratitude journal, do you draw or just write or...? Ha, thanks, but those are really only little doodles. I do quite like my little robin too though Thanks, Frankie! My mood is a bit better lately, and I'm getting a bit more creative again. Working on a portfolio website, gonna start working on designing more apps, entered a competition with one app idea, and am back to digital art a little bit with a monkey for my partner's gaming blog! My partner has wanted this monkey for ages (his blog is Little Monkey Game Reviews) and his ex-wife (who also drew) always said she'd do it, and never did. And then I said I would, and I got as far as sketching him, but never finished. So, this is my plan for a Valentines Day gift, to get this darned monkey finished for him!

I finished The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and it was really great. A book about the reality of the Black Lives Matter movement, written accessibly for white folks. I'm a lower middle class white girl in a very safe city in an insignificant country, and it really got through to me what the reality is like for a lot of folks of colour. Now reading A Horse Walks Into a Bar by David Grossman. Not sure what I think yet, it's a bit outside my comfort zone but that's what I'm trying to do this year!

Thanks everyone

No worries at all, it's a very common mistake and as I say the only reason I point it out is coz I'm a Shinkai fangirl who wants him to get his due credit I love Grave of the Fireflies too, great film. Really hope you enjoy 5cm!

Thanks for the congrats everyone Induction for Masters this evening - I am so not mentally prepared for diving back into hours of academic work every week

Over the weekend I read 220 pages of Friend Request by Laura Marshall, and finished it. I also read about 184 pages of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (it's one with locations on my Kindle so I'm estimating what 40% of is it in pages). So totalling around 400 pages - happy with that! Hoping to finish The Hate U Give this evening, too.

*boop*

I might try and take part a little, I've been doing a good bit of reading recently and still in the mood to keep that up.

We recommend you all join the Book Club Forum and enjoy your discussions from the comfort of your own home! But seriously, most of us don't live anywhere near London so haven't a clue. Someone might be able to suggest something though.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman.

Lol!

I get annoyed when people are constantly in and out of the film. Stop drinking so much you need to pee within 30 minutes!

Tis beautiful out. Blue skies, dry and cold.

I'm reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and Friend Request by Laura Marshall.

Great! Got my results for my Digital Media cert and got a 78.5 grade average (the highest 'honor' awarded at third level in Ireland is a First Class Honours, which is 70% and above, so basically 70% is the target number when studying at third level). I got 71, 72, 76, 78, 79 and weirdly a 95 across my six modules. Yay!!!