The Curated Closet: A Simple System for Discovering Your Personal Style and Building Your Dream Wardrobe by Anuschka Rees
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book changed my life.
Filled with super helpful tips that will help you declutter your wardrobe while building a collection of clothing that you will love (AND more importantly- actually use!).
I strongly recommend this book to anyone struggling with the dilemma of having “nothing to wear”.
There is a TON of work involved in this book but it is so worth it.
I have 4 cupboards…but mostly use gymwear or PJs (I’m a freelance writer). This book was the push I needed to get the closet I deserved and let go of clothes that I was keeping just because.
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Category: Reviews
Book Review: The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Samantha Sweeting wants one thing in life- to become partner at her prestigious law firm.
She’s worked overtime, birthdays, given up holidays. The partnership is almost hers..until it isn’t,
She makes a major mistake that costs the company millions. Unable to handle seeing her dreams die, Samantha walks out.
She ends up on a train and then in the middle of nowhere. When she stops to ask for directions, she’s mistaken as an interviewee for a housekeeper position. One thing leads to another and Samantha doesn’t correct the error. Instead, she starts working as a housekeeper.
Samantha has absolutely no domestic skills and this is made clear from the very start.
What interested me about this book is that I felt like I could relate to it. With absolute no domestic skills, the first thing I did when I faced a career setback was start cooking. So it was fun to see someone else go through that strange transition.
Like most of Sophie Kinsella’s books, this was a funny read. It really pulled me in and I couldn’t go to sleep until I had finished this book.
I would give it 10 stars if I could because it was that good.
The characters were lively and entertaining, there’s some small town vibes which I always love and of course a hot love interest.
What more could you want?
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Book Review: The Last Battle by C.S Lewis
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I had to brace myself going into this book since it was the last book in my boxset.
The Last Battle opens with a toxic friendship between a not so clever donkey and a very devious monkey.
When the monkey comes across a lion skin, he invents a scheme that changes all of Narnia for the worse.
Aslan summons the Friends of Narnia to help but this time it looks like they might be too late.
This was a great book but it felt like all it did was make me cry and smile and feel all warm in my heart. Over. And over. And over again.
This was a great series that I enjoyed despite my very adult age
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Book Review: The Silver Chair by C.S Lewis
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve made no secret of my absolute hate for Eustace.
But a mere two seconds into this book and it’s clear that he is a changed person. So when he and Jill are sucked into Narnia and then quickly separated, I was genuinely worried.
Aslan comes in and requests that Jill track down Eustace before the two of them go and locate the lost prince.
At this point, I no longer have any idea what happens in Narnia so it was great being thrown back into a familiar world but with no clue as to what lay ahead. I was also incredibly scared of the witch/creature who kidnapped the prince.
This was my favourite book so far and I cannot wait to see how the series ends.
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Book Review: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
FINALLY A Narnia book I know very little of.
I remember the painting and the ship and that’s it. So I was excited to dive into this one. Edmund and Lucy are staying with their horrid cousin, Eustace for the holidays. I don’t think I’m the type of person to hurt a kid but gosh, I really wanted to punch Eustace. He annoyed me so so much. Take every adult trait I hate and put it in one snotty kid and that’s Eustace. Know-it-all, snobby and no imagination whatsoever (that last part bugs me because despite his lack of imagination Eustace ends up in Narnia and it’s clear that he and Narnia are NOT a fit!).
When Eustace, Edmund and Lucy end up back in Narnia, they end up on the Dawn Treader, Prince Caspian’s ship.
Prince Caspian is on a journey to find the seven lords- nobleman who supported his father and who his uncle banished. Thing is, it’s been a looong time and these lords could be dead.
(I feel like Caspian just wanted to get out on the sea for fun but okay).
I think this might have been my favourite book in the series. There was always so much happening and it was so entertaining. I couldn’t get through it fast enough.
I’ve reached the stage where it feels like Narnia is my home and it’s really going to hurt me to move on from this series.
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Book Review: Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Let’s get one thing straight: I read Prince Caspian for Ben Barnes. No shame, no regrets. I loved him as a kid, and I still love him now. Sorry, not sorry.
Now, onto the book.
The plot of Prince Caspian felt repetitive to me- why is Narnia always in turmoil? Can’t it just be a peaceful, magical land for once? This time, the story revolves around Prince Caspian, who’s forced to flee after discovering that his uncle, King Miraz, wants him dead. Meanwhile, the Pevensie siblings are magically transported back to Narnia after years away, only to find the land in chaos. They team up with Caspian to fight for Narnia’s freedom, hoping to finally establish a just ruler.
I’ll admit, part of my enjoyment came from picturing the movie cast in every scene. But even without that mental imagery, I found myself really invested in the story. Still a bit embarrassed that I’m enjoying this series so much at my age but loving it nonetheless.
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Book Review: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia #1)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Do I even need to review The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? It feels like we all know this story by now. Four kids stumble into a wardrobe and end up in a magical world. Classic.
But honestly, I loved it all over again. This book reminded me why Narnia is so magical- C.S. Lewis’s world-building is incredible, from the snowy woods to the grand battles. And seeing Aslan again brought back all the feelings I had as a kid. SO MUCH COMFORT!
Once again, I found myself completely enchanted. Maybe I am a reader of children’s books now.
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Fiction Friday: Book Review- The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have a vague idea of the Chronicles of Narnia plotline, so when I read the books, I spend a significant amount of time trying to guess what happens based on what little I know.
For this book however, I knew nothing which made it all the more exciting.
Shasta runs away from his abusive father with a talking horse. Along the way, they meet a girl and another talking horse and uncover a plot to conquer Narnia.
This group tries to race to Narnia- a land that they’ve never been to before- before war begins.
This was a short read but still pretty fun. I’m a bit bummed that we don’t see more of these characters but I’m hoping maybe they’ll be back in later books.
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Fiction Friday: Book Review- The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Why does this book entertain me at almost thirty years old?
I was having a bad week and I saw the Chronicles of Narnia boxset in the bookstore and thought “hey I work hard. I deserve nice things!”
And so here we are.
I never read the books when I was a kid but I LOVED the movies. To purchase the entire boxset as an adult really healed my inner child but staying up on a Friday night unable to sleep until I completed the book was such a great feeling. (They really don’t make books like they used to).
I’m going to assume we all know of Narnia at this point.
This book serves as a prequel and explains how Narnia came to be. I kinda wish that I started with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to get the full experience but I didn’t hate this.
This was a fun little read and I cannot wait to finish the series.
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My Top 4 Books About Writing
I’ve been writing for a really (REALLY) long time. And while I might not always have been a copywriter or a content writer (or atleast held the title), I have always been obsessed with becoming a better writer.
Okay wait, that statement isn’t exactly true. There was that period in Customer Care when I gave up on writing but I like to mentally block out that time. It doesn’t fit my personal brand of obsessive writer.
Anyway, here are four of my favourite books about writing:
1. On Writing by Stephen King:
This book was a really nice way of me returning to my roots as a novel writer. Part autobiography, part writing manual, this book is told in an easy-to-read manner by Stephen King. This book was incredibly well written and I walked away having learnt a few things.
2. A Self-Help Guide to Copywriting by Dan Nelken:
I picked this up from…someone. I don’t remember who. I do remember it was early on in my Marketing career and I never got around to finishing this book until now. This was a really helpful book that shone light on all of my writing fears. I finished this book in a matter of days and was left feeling like “Hey, you know what? I think I CAN do this writing thing”.
3. How to Freelance Like a Boss by Shea Karssing
This is the most recent book that I read. Like the book above, this one alleviated my fear of writing. More specifically freelance writing. This book had short chapters that were easy to understand and fun to read. Each chapter also ends with a really nice to-do list of tasks that help grow your freelance business.
4. Brand by Alizia Licht:
While not strictly a writing book. Brand was a nice reminder of how important it is to put in effort for your personal brand. For me, one of the reasons I write is to build my personal brand (and I like to focus on my personal brand because it helps me get new writing opportunities). It’s a cycle that I use often which is why this book is here.
Do you have any great books about writing? Drop me a recommendation below.