Title: “The Nightingale” Author: Kristin Hannah Genre: Historical Fiction Quotation: “If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: in love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.” Kristin Hannah’s historical fiction novel “The Nightingale” follows two sisters as their lives are torn apart by the German invasion of France during World War II. Each sister must face her own demons during the war. Vianne must raise her daughter alone while her husband is a prisoner of war in German territory. Isabelle joins in the war efforts by secretly helping American and British pilots who have been…
DIY Knick-Knack Dishes
I always find random bobby pins or thumb tacks scattered on my desk that need a home, so I thought no better way to provide them that place to crash than to make a DIY knick-knack dish! This craft cost me less than $10 and took me under an hour to make. What better way to spend a Saturday morning? Materials White Porcelain Dishes (I got mine from Target for $2 a piece) Acrylic Paint Markers (Optional) Sharpies (Any color) Saran Wrap (Optional) Oven Step One Make sure your dishes are clean before you start any design. Nothing ruins a good project like dog hair and dust! After you’ve cleaned…
7 Ways to Self-Care in 2018
Self-care has been a huge topic lately. I see articles on self-care everywhere I look and the importance of taking care of your mind and body (duh!), but I’m also seeing people talking about how you’ve got to make sacrifices to reach your dreams and the “no pain, no gain” mentally is still very much present. It seems like 2018 doesn’t know what it wants from us, and that there’s this dichotomy between hustling and working your butt off to be the best you can be, and taking care of yourself and relaxing. I know I have a hard time stepping away from the work flow to make sure I’m…
5 Influential Female Authors to Read Today
This past weekend women around the world protested in major cities speaking out against injustices against women in the 2018 Women’s March (an event that began last year as a way to speak out against inequality, sexism, assault, and more). This movement has continued to grow in the last year with fuel being added to the fire every day. From the #metoo movement to an executive order rolling back a mandate that requires companies to cover birth control in their health care plans, it’s more important than ever that women (and men) speak out about their rights and equality. In honor of this movement, I’m here to share some of…
Top 12 Books to Look Forward to in 2018
A new year means a whole new set of books coming out to read. I’m typically pretty bad about looking forward and figuring out what amazing books are coming out, but this year I decided to add some new releases to my list to look forward to. I’ve compiled a list of books including one release for each month of the year. Genres include fiction, young adult fantasy, non-fiction and more. Let’s get started! Photo from Amazon 1. January — “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing” by Daniel H. Pink In his new book, Pink strives to prove that timing is a science rather than an art. Using research and…
High-End Makeup To Try in 2018
One my biggest goals in 2018 is to go completely cruelty-free with my makeup collection. While there are a lot of drugstore brands that are cruelty-free, I find the majority of options are high-end, which means it’s a lot more of an investment. I’ve never had a problem spending money on my makeup since I’m putting it on my face and near my eyes, but it’s still hard to part with my hard earned cash for a mascara. Therefore, I’ve compiled a list of the high-end, cruelty-free products I’d like to try out over the course of 2018 — that way I’m not dropping $400 in one Sephora visit. Let’s…
10 Tips to Stay Fit in the New Year
It’s a new year, and you are ready to change your life around. 2017 was a bit of a hot mess (or maybe it wasn’t), so you’re swearing 2018 is your year to get your crap together. The top of your priority list? Finally hitting the gym and eating clean. It’s so easy to write out these goals on the first of the year, but to actually follow through with them? Easier than you think. I’ve got 10 tips for how you can accomplish your goals in 2018 and be the best you yet (or at least a healthier you). 1. Don’t lose site of your goals. It’s so easy…
New Year, New Resolutions
Happy New Year! When does it become unacceptable to say that? Anyways, it is the new year, and with a new year means new resolutions and goals. I know there’s a lot of argument against new year’s resolutions, but I don’t see the harm. In my humble opinion, we should always be striving to be best the best versions of ourselves, whether that be on the first of the year or a random Tuesday half-way through October. Resolutions, to me, are broad ideas of how you would like to change in the new year, so that’s what I’ve outlined in this post. Let’s get started! 1. Be kind to myself…
Books I Read in 2017
Every year I make it my goal to read 50 books, and I have yet to reach that goal. But I did read 45 in 2017, and that’s pretty darn close. Keep reading to learn a little bit about the books I liked and disliked in 2017. 1. “Me Being Me is as Exactly as Insane as You Being You” by Todd Hasak-Lowy A young adult-novel I read while ringing in the new year. Hasak-Lowy tells a riveting coming-of-age tale entirely in lists. 2. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald I know it’s pretty unbelievable that I hadn’t read an American classic before I turned 22, but it’s not…
7 Lessons from 2017
2017 felt like a constant battle. I dealt with a lot of (pointless) drama during my last semester of college, I graduated, I moved (twice), and I started a new job; looking back, it really wasn’t all that bad. This was a year of growing up and discovering a lot about myself in the process. Check out what I learned this year and what knowledge I plan to take with me into 2018 to make it my best year yet. 1. Forgiveness doesn’t come easy, but it’s essential to moving forward. I’ve been hurt a lot in my life. By people that know it and people that don’t. I’m sure…
