I wanna start a new series of sorts in which I tell you about the past month. Books I’ve read, music I listened to, places I visited and anything else I feel like sharing. This month I will share the books I read and my thoughts on them. And my favourite bullet journal pages of the month. So let’s start by discussing the reading I did in February 🙂
READING
I have to admit that at the beginning of this month I was incredibly unmotivated to pick up a book and read. And because of this, I resorted to audiobooks. This format always helps me get out of a rut cause I can consume books without being tied to a chair with a paperback in front of my face. I can just put my earphones in and listen while going for a walk.
the gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue
The first audiobook I managed to finish was The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. This was a book for which I had very high expectations, unfortunately, it did not live up to them. It was by no means a bad book, I just found it to be nothing more than average. The main character was a bit of an asshole, which was something I very much enjoyed for the first half of the book but after that, it started to get on my nerves. He doesn’t really communicate and is too far up his own arse. Besides that, I found the adventure aspect to be mediocre and had to try really hard to be invested in the storyline. I did however really enjoy the setting, the main character’s sister, and the diversity.
Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me
Immediately after finishing TGGTVV I picked up the audiobook copy of Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me by Lily Collins. I had recently watched To The Bone on Netflix and wanted to know a bit more about Lily Collins, so her memoir seemed like a good place to start. And I am really glad I picked it up. As the title suggests, this book was a very personal account of Collins’ life so far and it really felt like there were no barriers. She went into everything from her struggles with anorexia (if this triggers you I would strongly suggest you don’t pick up this book cause she goes pretty in depth), toxic relationships, and everything in between. I personally think this would’ve been a fantastic book to read when I was around 15 cause Lily does write in a very big-sisterly manner. However, even as a 21-year-old I still found this book very refreshing to read.
Little Black Book
In between listening sessions, I did do some reading in physical format. I picked up Little Black Book by Otegha Uwagba (and also wrote a review on it which you can find here) which I finished in no-time cause it was so short. Basically, it’s a book for the working women (in the creative field) full of tips and recourses for a flourishing career.
Szen Zone: Reaching a State of Positive Change
Next, I read Szen Zone: Reaching a State of Positive Change by Gary Szenderski (I also wrote a review about this book on my other blog). It took me quite a while to get through this book, however, I did enjoy it. It could at times be a bit too floaty for my liking, but most of the text was very inspiring and eye-opening. Definitely a recommended read for self-help readers out there!
A Simple Heart
Lastly, I read A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert. I rarely pick up classics, but I was gifted a copy of this and it’s one of the penguin little black classics so it’s very short. I was in the mood for something quick and figured I would fly through this in about an hour. This was not the case, however. It ended up taking me a day or two because the pace was rather slow, which I actually loved. This little book actually tells the life story of a French servant in the 1800s. In just over 50 pages I grew very attached to the main character. Flaubert also did a very good job at making the side characters memorable and a big part of this short story. I definitely want to read more of Faubert’s work in the future.
BULLET JOURNALING
This month I was using my bullet journal very sporadically. I kept up with it for the first two weeks but after that I just kind of stopped… This is mainly because I’ve been putting too much pressure on my spreads lately. I don’t just plan but also journal daily on my new layouts and after a little while I just couldn’t keep up with it anymore. So that’s why my favourite pages are just from the beginning of the month.
First off are my daily spreads for the eighth and ninth of February. I really enjoy the neutral colour palette of these pages. Also, I like the look of black and white doodles so that’s what I was practicing on these pages. By the way, for anyone who’s wondering, all the pictures on my spreads can be found on Pinterest.
Secondly, my dailies for the twelfth and thirteenth of February! Again, I like the colours on these pages. Around this time I purchased a new gold ink from Ecoline so I experimented a bit with that. The pink background of ‘galentines’ is also an Ecoline ink that I really enjoy using. Good to know for anyone who uses a Leuchtturm1917 journal, Ecoline ink does not bleed through the paper!
What is your favourite thing you did in February?
