Book Haul feat. Patricia Highsmith & Colson Whitehead

In November, I picked up a recent Oprah-approved release, a timely graphic novel, a Booktube favourite and a piece of queer lit. 

I have only read one of the following titles so far, that being Paper Girls, so if you think I should read any of the others sooner rather than later please do state your case and I will carefully consider your plea. 

Things I Like About Autumn

these are the things that I like about autumn,  this year at least:

1 falling out of the pub of a sunday, with my dad and the cub, full of food and empty of conversation. a weekly tradition that just seems to feel even more comforting during the colder months.

Book Reviews feat. Michel Faber & Sarah Waters

During October, I flipped through a couple of stunning picture books, was disappointed by a previous 5 star author and gave another two books top marks! 

Was your reading month successful? Are there any books that you'd like to recommend to everyone? Lets have a chat in the comments because there is nothing more important than chatting about books at length, let's be honest. 

Project Unplug 1

So, here's the thing, my phone is pretty much glued to my hand or side at all times. I am rarely without it. 
And whilst I don't subscribe to the Black Mirror style #makeuthink mentality, I would like to work on how to use my phone less as I'm finding my scrolling these days to be entirely mindless, disruptive and time-consuming. I've decided to tackle it head on with a self-devised 5 week plan that I'm calling PROJECT UNPLUG. Am I having some sort of early midlife crisis?! Perhaps. 

photo credit: pavan trikutam

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? 

Over the next five months or so, I'm going to set myself little challenges, inspired by the five following 'problem areas', in order to spend less of my time watching videos of raccoons. 

I'm going to take you along with me in the hope that I can hand out some good old fashioned unsolicited advice because if there's one thing that bloggers are good at it's giving unsolicited advice!

the problem areas

I've sat down and made a list of the times of day or instances where I find my phone usage to be the biggest pain in the ass. I'll tackle each one separately over the coming months, documenting my experiences and sharing my tips. What larks!

1. my morning routine
My days usually begin with me scrolling through Twitter and Instagram to 'catch up' on everyone's morning updates as soon as I've turned my alarm off. I want to try and work on reducing the urge to go straight for a screen and instead spend my time getting ready for the day because I highly doubt anyone is going to share their magnum opus before lunchtime.

2. my nighttime ROUTINE
I have always struggled with my sleep, to the point where I'm 99.9% sure that I'm nocturnal, and the time that I spend on my phone underneath the covers after dark probably doesn't help whatsoever. I want to get back into my routine of reading at least a chapter of my book before bed instead. 

3. daytime social scrolling
Whenever I get a notification, I find myself then jumping around my various social media platforms in the middle of the day when I should be doing more productive things. This should be easy enough to tackle...she says.

4. viewing
I always find myself grabbing for my phone whilst watching a film or an episode of a TV show, even if I'm enjoying it, and I'm not even sure why! This is a habit that I definitely want to work on and get rid of entirely.

5. out and about
For the past few years,  I have taken to holding my phone in my hand whilst I'm out instead of popping it in my bag and that's not the best idea I've ever had. I need to stop that, really.

PHOTO CREDIT: freestocks

WHAT DO I HOPE TO ACHIEVE?

I think my main goal is to feel less attached to my phone and then, in the time that I have hopefully saved, I would love to write more and read more and just do things with a lot more awareness and intent. Wish me luck!

FOLLOW VIVATRAMP ON BLOGLOVIN

 TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | TUMBLR

Book Haul feat. Shirley Jackson

Quite a lot of new-to-me books passed over my doorstep during the last two months, including a short story collection from an author I've been meaning to read more from and a contemporary take on the classic paper doll books that I would've begged my Grandma to buy me from the shop when I was younger. 

Do let me know if you've read and enjoyed the following books as I'd love to know what you guys thought! Enjoy...