Lately I’ve been all about books. I think my publishing internship is rubbing on me because, while I’ve always read a lot, this fall I’ve doubled the amount of books I’ve read. This whole year actually. Naturally then, my Christmas wish list this year is mainly books. I’ve been reading a lot of YA and fantasy so most of these are continuations of series.
Sabaa Tahir’s Torch against the Night I’m really excited about because An Ember in the Ashes was BRILLIANT! I can’t say enough good things about it. The Invasion of the Tearling is also a sequel. It continues from the events of The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. Holly Bourne’s …and a Happy New Year? is the latest Spinster Club book and after reading the original trilogy I’m OBSESSED. Holly Bourne writes in such a relatable and funny way. Anna Kendrick’s Scrappy Little Nobody has been something I’ve wanted to read for a while. Also, after watching the new episodes of Gilmore Girls (Did you watch them? Thoughts?), I really want to get my hands on Lauren Graham’s Talking as Fast as I can.
I feel like everyone (including yours truly) is on a Harry Potter high this year. First we got the Cursed Child, now Fantastic Beasts movie AND book, and I’m also going to see the play in London in a month. So obviously, I included a little Hufflepuff-y goodness: the house scarf! I also love the Luna Lovegood mug, she’s definitely one of the most lovable cooky characters in the series. And how cute is the BB-8 mug?! I also really need a new watch and this kitty one speaks to my cat lady soul. Finally, the Doctor Who mug…because it combines Christmas and one of my favorite fandoms.
What’s on your wish list this Christmas? Anything you fancy on my list?
(Late) 5 Fandom Friday: Christmas Wish List
This 5 Fandom Friday post is a bit late due to my unfortunate case of very Christmas-y bronchitis and the merry after-present of an allergic reaction to my antibiotics. However, as I haven’t done these 5 Fandom Friday posts in a long while, I’ll consider this a success! Hopefully now I’ll have more time to blog that I’m on Christmas break :)
So, this (last) week’s topic was “Christmas wish list”, which was a fun coincidence since I was going to post one already. My fandoms are all over the place in this list and there were so many items I wanted to include, that I ended up making a bit of a different kind of division between the things:
- reading (most of my wishes are books…or a poster about books)
- writing (writing guides are lovely)
- toys (one is never too old…)
- clothing (Hobbit-themed T-shirt is a must!)
- and organization (I desperately need a diary for 2016)
BONUS: A super awesome writing exercise journal on Fancy – 642 Things to Write About
The 5 Fandom Friday linkup was started by the lovely ladies from The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick. Go check out their blogs for more info! :)
New Year 2015: Reading Tips and Resolutions
Christmas Books
Christmas was amazing and I was lucky enough to get lots of books, most of which I’ve already devoured. So they are also my reading tips for you lovelies for the new year :)
Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me?
Lena Dunham’s Not That Kind of Girl
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Biography
Diana Gabaldon’s Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2)
Skye Alexander’s Mermaids: An Enchanting Exploration of Their Myths, Legend, and Lore
Aubrey Sherman’s Wizards: The Myths, Legends, and Lore
My Resolutions for the New Year 2015
- Exercise more (and fit into old clothes, hopefully)
- Study hard! (and start those psychology courses, I’ve been pining after)
- Read a lot – just for fun!
- Learn to cook at least 5 new dishes
- Get more organized
- Find an internship/summer job/anything really
- Play more with the kitty
- Decide on a topic and start writing my MA thesis
- Travel to a new country
- HAVE FUN!!!
Life Lately: Fall Semester Shenanigans
This semester has been really crazy: I took a lot of courses for my MA studies and somehow in between all my classes I managed to have some resemblance of a social life as well as travel a bit.
When summer was ending and school only starting, we did a short weekend trip to my boyfriend’s cabin, which was a great was to get away from the busy everyday life. We also celebrated our third anniversary shortly after that. I was involved in some events for the new freshmen, which was a great way to get into the swing of things at school.
I also managed to have time for the art fair and a trip to Suomenlinna and to Tallinn.
I also saw the first football game of my life this fall – Ari dragged me to the Finland vs. Romania match, which was surprisingly entertaining even for me (I have never followed sports of any kind).
Midway through the semester I went to the book fair (an annual visit for me) and then I visited Ireland for the first time ever. I loved that trip and everyone there was incredibly friendly.
I’ve been doing a lot of work, running the Helsinki chapter of Her Campus. For our Snapshot articles, I’ve attended a lot of art shows, which is a lot of fun!
The last Hobbit just came out and we went to line up for the midnight premiere tickets for the special night event, which effectively destroyed our sleep rhythm.
We also organized a Her Campus Helsinki bake sale, which was a big hit. Now, classes are over and we just have our finals left, which is something we had to celebrate with some Chinese food in Kaisaniemi.
Christmas is almost here and I can’t believe how fast the fall semester went by! Hopefully 2015 will be just as amazing as this year!
Holiday Cheer To You All
This my last Christmas/vacation post because my school started today. Now it’s time to get back to normal routine (and stress out a bit more). Hope everyone had a great vacation!
Christmas Time for Me
We managed to have several Christmas parties with friends before coming to my mom’s house but now the holiday exhaustion and general relaxation is starting to set in and we can’t do anything else except sleep, eat and watch movies. Perfect holiday I’d say.My holidays are being spent at my mom’s house with my boyfriend – although we did also have an early Christmas dinner with his family during the weekend because we can’t be with them now. We have a tradition of eating a huge dinner, watching Jiminy Cricket’s Christmas special on television and then opening all the presents around the tree. Naturally, my mom decided this would be a perfect time to embarrass me in front of my boyfriend by showing home videos of me as a baby. I guess embarrassing moments belong to any big family events.
Favorite presents:
- Jak and Daxter ps3 games
- lovely jewelry
- good times with friends and family
Best memories:
- playing a role-playing game with family
- eating Christmas dinner
- watching home videos
How are all of you spending the holidays?
Pre-Christmas Vacation
Last week I decided to visit my high school friend, Vanessa, in Turku and spend the entire weekend with her. I took a train to her place and already on the first day there we managed to do all our Christmas shopping, go for coffee, attend a traditional Russian Christmas party and go to an Irish pub to listen to both live Irish songs as well as Christmas carols. It was a hectic day but I haven’t felt so stress-free in a long time. I had forgotten what it feels like not to have a million school and work project weighing on your shoulders all the time. We had planned to finish up some of our last school projects on Sunday and somehow managed to do them quickly and efficiently. Even though we weren’t working alone, it was so much easier to do the projects with someone there to help come up with new ideas. I guess a fresh pair of eyes and a new outlook was all we needed to get things done. While there, I took some photos of Vanessa’s room because she has some of the cutest artwork and prettiest things there. Also, I just adore how eclectic her bedroom looks.
Photography at an Indoor Market
I absolutely love photography, and so, me and my friend decided to go take photos outside. But guess what! — it was way too cold! After shivering outside for a while we ended up taking a few photos at an indoor market but quickly switched to a coffee place in favor of cappuccinos and gossip. Here are the results of our slightly unlucky photo session though:
I’ve been crazy busy lately trying to scrounge up the last bit of energy I have in order to get through the final exams and essays before Christmas. Luckily, no matter what happens, I’ll be free after next week. Then I get to focus on decorating the house and buying presents. Anyone else super excited about Christmas?!