Tag: Summer

June 2021 Reading List

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Hey guys! I am BACK with another reading list because I’m tackling my HUGE TBR list that just keeps growing and growing one book at a time. Last month I was watching a ton of book recommendation videos on YouTube and just doing research on which books to read and guys, there are SO MANY good ones out there. Like so many.

I’ve also just been going to the bookstore once in a while to just look around and soak in all of the beautiful books. It’s so calming and I love seeing all of the new stuff- and the old stuff that they put on clearance. I got a book on psychology for six bucks, and a combined hardcover copy of Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey for twelve. I’m going to need to keep finding deals like that because all of this reading is going to make me broke. Anyways, I definitely recommend just going to a bookstore and chilling if you need some time to chill!

I picked three books for this month that I think will be great for summer, and are all super highly recommended online. Last month I read A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab which I enjoyed- I wanted to read the second one this month but they didn’t have it available in paperback. But I think A Darker Shade of Magic was my first foray into adult fantasy. Up until a few months ago I thought all fantasy books were either for kids or teens, so this opens up a whole new world! I’ve included an adult fantasy read on this list:)

I also have kind of a darker fiction/fantasy novel that should be interesting, and more of a summery teen mystery as well. So as usual there’s a pretty good mix going on! I just need to start reading more intensely because I’ve been slacking a bit by watching history videos on YouTube before bed lately….

Hope you enjoy this list!!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

What a cover, hey? This book follows a middle aged man who come back to his hometown in England for a funeral, and basically begins reminiscing about his childhood and all of the weird and kind of haunting things that happened to him when he was seven and met a girl named Lettie Hempstock. Lettie lived at the end of the lane where there was a duck pond that she claimed was an ocean- and takes the boy along for a pretty wild ride. This book was supposed to fit into my prompt of “Less that 200 pages”, but then I realized this edition has more than that!! I might just use it anyways lol. I’m about fifty pages into The Ocean at the End of the Lane and it’s alright so far. Neil Gaiman is also the author of Coraline which totally creeped me out when I was younger (and still kind of does), and I can definitely sense that kind of vibe going on in here so far. Should be an interesting read!

We Were Liars

This book was actually recommended to me by my cousin a while back but I haven’t picked it up until now- and I’m so excited to read it! A group of friends is summering on a private island in Massachusetts, and they each have something to hide. That’s, like, almost all of the info about this book that I can glean off of the internet and the back cover. But I DO know that it’s a mystery/thriller novel and it seems like it will be a great summer read! I also heard that there’s a bit of romance going on, so that’s kind of fun. And apparently there’s a revolution and a secret and an accident, so I don’t know if that means a murder???? I guess we’ll see! I’ll keep you guys updated.

The City of Brass

This is the longest book so I thought I’d save it for last, but it might be the one that I’m most excited for. It’s an adult fantasy novel and it’s set in the Middle East which I think is so unique, and it just looks amazing!! It follows Nahri, who is a con woman in eighteenth century Cairo, struggling to survive. But she accidentally summons a djinn warrior named Dara, and is forced to flee with him away from Cairo in search of the city of brass, Daevabad. It’s full of magic and royalty and an epic adventure and just such good stuff!!!!!!! Also I believe it is the first book in a trilogy so if it’s good y’all know what I’m reading next month:) If you’re looking for something that’s fantastical but are a bit bored of your typical fantasy story lines, definitely give this one a try!

That’s all for June! Hopefully I get all of these done by the end of the month, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, and I have all of the time in the world to get through my TBR list.

Have a great week and happy reading!! Let me know what you plan on reading this month in the comments:))

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)

August 2020 Bullet Journal Set-Up

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July just flew by, and I’m sad to see my Anne of Green Gables theme go, but I’m absolutely IN LOVE with my theme for August!! At first I was kind of going for a Spanish tile look, but now that I’m done I’m totally getting Mediterranean vibes. I used the fine tip of my light blue Tombow Dual Brush Pen, and a darker blue crayola marker, as well as my gold brush pen from the dollar store, my white Gelly Roll pen, and a finer gold gel pen. I haven’t used my bigger Tombow markers in a while because the brush tip is a little to big for the size of my journal, but the fine tip works perfectly here and I love the colour.

I also didn’t use ANY black in this entire set up and I plan to keep it that way! It just makes it feel really clean and simple and bright, which I love for summer. These spreads are pretty simple in general, cause I wanted a bit of a break from lots of drawing. The tiles are easy to draw because I used the dotted lines as a guide. I also varied the tile sizes a bit to keep things interesting.

I hope you like this month’s set-up and can pull some inspiration from it! I love love love how it turned out and I can’t wait to come up with some more weekly spreads:))

Here’s my title page! I drew 12 tiles that are 8×8 dots each, leaving some space at the top and bottom. It was lots of fun drawing out all these different designs! After I had coloured everything in, I went over the darker blue parts with my white gel pen for some extra detail. Then I wrote August in gold in a simple lowercase font. My quote for this month is “Go bravely, go deeply, or do not go”. While I don’t officially have a focus for this month, I want to make it a priority to give 110% in everything.

Again, I’ve been liking this half page calendar layout a lot! I might have to switch back to a full page one once school stuff starts up again, but for now I’m enjoying this look. I have space for my goals, events, and tasks, and then just my little calendar to write a few important dates down and keep track of what day it is (because when it’s summer AND Covid it’s hard to know). I messed up on my calendar because I forgot that August ends on a Monday and kept drawing circles until the end of the week. But I managed to cover it up by doing some little doodles, and then I did more in the top row too so it looks intentional. And yeah, I drew some smaller tiles here to which I think are so cute:)

My trackers spread is just super clean and simple. I think I’m just going to stick with this horizontal style because I just love the way it looks and how simple it is to fill out. I used a finer gold gel pen to write smaller, because I didn’t want to use black. And then I also have a workout tracker to keep tabs on my fitness.

These pages turned out great and it makes me happy just looking at them!! I did more small tiles for my gratitude log, and bigger tiles over on my blog planner. I haven’t included a blog planner in a while because I wasn’t really using it, but recently I started planning out my posts in advance and it’s helped me a ton, so hopefully I can plan stuff more using this.

And finally, my first weekly spread. Super simple; just some tiles and the first letter of the days of the week. I had another head-smacking moment as I started the week off with Sunday, and then I was like oh shoot, August first is a SATURDAY. I really didn’t want to paste paper on top or mess it up, so I just put Saturday and Sunday together into one box and whatever. I also ended up writing the dates in with my gold gel pen, but it didn’t make it into this photo.

There’s my set up for August!! It’s one of my favourite ones I think; I just love the colours and the simplicity. I had a few little hiccups but it turned out great in the end! Let me know what you think of it and I’ll see you guys Wednesday with another post:)))

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Lentil and Quinoa Salad

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I haven’t had lentils in a looooooong time, mainly because I usually reach for chickpeas or other beans. Lentils take a little bit longer to cook, so that’s probably why. I guess I could buy the canned variety, but they’re just not the same. Yesterday I was kind of craving them, which is something I thought I’d never say. Honestly though, I wanted a good lentil salad where the lentils still had a bit of bite and there was a good freaking dressing! So I got in the kitchen because when I’m craving something, I get to work.

We didn’t have a lot of veg in our fridge, but we had everything you need for a good lentil salad. Quinoa, red onion, parsley, hummus, balsamic, olive oil, and of course, lentils. Yes, I included hummus in the dressing. Hummus makes EVERYTHING better, and in this case it adds flavour and some volume to the dressing. The parsley and red onion add some great colour to this salad. Oh, and I used red quinoa, which is fun! As far as I can tell it tastes the same as regular quinoa, it just has a nice colour. Try it out!

The lentils only took about 25 minutes to get tender. I took them off as soon as they were soft, because I didn’t want them to get too mushy. Then I mixed them up with the quinoa, parsley, onion, and that awesome hummus and balsamic dressing! So simple and so yum and so fresh. On the side of my salad I had some more hummus (duh) and sweet potato, which went really well. If you want your salad a bit heartier you could try tossing the sweet potato right in there.

Hope you enjoy this light salad that’s perfect for a quick lunch or side dish!!

Lentil and Quinoa Salad

Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as a side dish

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 cup dry green lentils
  • 1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley
  • 1 tbsp hummus
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Give your lentils a little rinse, then toss them in a small pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down a bit and let the lentils simmer for about 25-30 minutes, until they’re tender but still have some bite, and most of the water has been absorbed.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the hummus, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and some salt and pepper.
  3. Toss together the quinoa, cooked lentils, parsley, and red onion with the dressing. Serve with more hummus, and some roasted sweet potatoes.
  4. Enjoy!

This is one of my favourite simple salads to make, and I’ll definitely be making it again sometime soon. See ya later!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Summer 2020 Reading List

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Hey guys! It’s a tad late to be posting my summer reading list, but better late than never, right? Lately I’ve been trying to read more books that fit in to my 2020 Reading Challenge. I read some Anne of Green Gables books (which were so cute and good and will always have a little place in the corner of my heart that I reserve for books), because the author L.M Montgomery has written more than 20 books, I read the Handmaid’s Tale because Margaret Atwood is Canadian, and right now I’m reading A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami, because it was translated into English from Japanese.

So I’m making progress, but I still have a long way to go. Some of the challenge prompts are kind of hard! Like, a book under 200 pages, and one above 500 pages?!??! I should’ve saved Animal Farm and The Lord of The Rings to read this year. I did do some more research for this list though, and found books that help me with my challenge. I actually managed to find a couple of YA fantasy books that fill up some spots, so that’s a real bonus!

I’m really grateful to this challenge for expanding my book horizons, though. Like, I probably never would’ve found out about A Wild Sheep Chase without it! Even if you’re not doing a reading challenge for 2020, I challenge you to pick up a book that you wouldn’t normally read sometime soon! It can be a really transforming experience. Here’s my Summer 2020 Reading List!

A Wild Sheep Chase

This is what I’m currently reading, although I’m only about 30 pages in. It’s about a man in Japan who receives a postcard with a mutant sheep on it, and then gets warned that he must find the sheep, or else faces some serious consequences. His journey takes him all around Tokyo and into the mountain ranges of Japan, and he kind of discovers himself along the way. When looking at books that are translated from another language, this one stood out to me because of its interesting plot line. I’m excited to see where this novel goes! If your looking for some other good books that have been translated, I highly suggest The Alchemist or The Winner Stands Alone by Pablo Coelho.

The Guinevere Deception

It was HARD finding a book with more than 20 letters in the title, but I did it and guess what- it’s a YA fantasy novel! This book is about Princess Guinevere, who travels to Camelot to marry King Arthur. But Guinevere is NOT actually Guinevere- her name and identity is a secret. The wizard Merlin sent her to protect Camelot and threats both within and outside of the court. This book looks like it’s full of magic and I’m so excited to read it!

Sorcery of Thorns

This is the other YA book I found, and it was written by an author in their twenties. A girl named Elisabeth, who has grown up in the Great Libraries of Austermeer, wants to one day become a guardian of the magical grimoires that reside there. But she becomes tangled up in a crime that lets one of the most dangerous grimoires free, and must go to the capital to face her punishment. Although she grew up believing that sorcerers were evil, she strikes up a friendship with one and begins to learn things about magic and herself that she never thought possible. This book has magic AND libraries, so sign me up!

The Great Gatsby

This is kind of a classic and I would’ve liked to read it at some point anyway, but now’s the perfect time because I have to read a book written in the 1920’s! It’s about Jay Gatsby and his new love for Daisy Buchanan. Although it takes place in fictional towns, it gives insight into the lives of wealthy Americans in the 1920’s. It’s considered one of the best books ever written (by some people), so hopefully it’ll be a good read!

Those are my book picks for the summer! Let me know if you’ve read any before and what you thought of them. Can’t wait to get reading;))

Yours Truly,

Olivia;)))

Cherry, Peach and Quinoa Breakfast Bowls

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Hey guys! I’ve been pretty much eating the same things for breakfast during the time we’ve had to stay at home. I either have a smoothie bowl- which are awesome and my favourite- or just a big plate of fruit with some but butter- also very good. But today I had some leftover quinoa so I thought I’d experiment.

Quinoa is a super healthy; it’s a whole grain, contains some protein, and has all 9 essential amino acids. So it’s a great way to start your day! This recipe uses precooked quinoa, for when you have some leftovers and maybe not a lot of time in the morning. I’m starting summer school soon so this may come in handy.

To make these bowls, I cooked the quinoa in some almond milk and allspice, along side some peaches and cherries; two of my favourite summer fruits! The cherries turn everything a nice pink colour, and when you get a little bite of everything it tastes like a fruit pie😍😍😍

Hope you enjoy these Cherry, Peach and Quinoa Breakfast Bowls!

Cherry, Peach and Quinoa Breakfast Bowls

Serves: 1

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 cup almond milk, or whichever milk you desire
  • 1 peach
  • 6 cherries, pitted and cut in half
  • 1/8 tsp allspice

Directions:

  1. In a small pot, combine the quinoa, almond milk, allspice, 4 of the sliced cherries, and 1/2 of the peach, diced.
  2. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook for about 5 minutes, until the fruit is soft.
  3. Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl, and top with the reaming cherries and the other half of the peach, sliced.
  4. Enjoy!

Have a great day and I’ll see you tomorrow for my last post of the month!☺️

Yours Truly,

Olivia