Books I Want to Read

Reading has become somewhat of an activity that I no longer find time for. Last year I set myself a Goodreads reading challenge of 30 books. I achieved that goal and then some.

So this year I decided to up my target and read 35 books. This all seemed to be going well, I read 5 books in 10 days while I was on holiday and I thought that the challenge was off to a great start. It kept on going quite well until I started back at University. Since then I have only added 8 books. Which means that I am only 37% through my challenge, and it is almost August...

It's not neccessarily that I don't have time to read, but more that I would rather watch TV, or go on social media. Also that I just haven't been able to sink my teeth into any good books in the last four months. Well aside from one that I will share my review of soon.

So I decided to make a list of all the books that I have been meaning to read, or have started to read.

1. The Girl on The Train - Paula Hawkins:

From Goodreads

This book has been on my must read list for quite some time. I planned to read it before it became a movie, but I think that I will run out of time. I really do want to read this, but everytime I try I just cannot quite get into it.

2. Carry On - Rainbow Rowell:

From Goodreads

I am a big fan on Rainbow Rowell, my favourite book is Fangirl. Which I have read around 10 times. This being the sequel, you would think that I would have read it so quick it wasn't funny but, I have a problem. This problem is that if I have a physical book, that I own I just don't ever get around to reading it as there is no pressure to do so.

3. The Luminaries - Eleanor Catton:

From Goodreads

This is also the same reason that I haven't yet read The Luminaries, which my grandmother bought for me in 2013. It has just been sitting on my bookshelf taunting me. Well also possibly the fact that it is a really big, heavy book and as a person who likes to read in bed, I cannot hold it properly. I wanted to read this book ever since it won the Man Booker Prize. I guess it's the link to New Zealand. Also in my final year of high school my teacher read an old story that Eleanor had written for an assignment. It was amazing. Oh, also I might have to mention that we went to the same High School.

4. Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard:

From Goodreads

I have been meaning to read this book since it was released. I loved Red Queen, albeit eventually. I just found that I couldn't quite get into the weird dystopic power thing at first. But I gave it another go and completely loved it. But then I decided to read the novellas, and I have been stuck on Steel Scars for months. I just don't like reading books out of order. But I just cannot get through Steel Scars...

5. Lady Midnight - Cassandra Clare:

From Goodreads

I am a massive fan of Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter novels, I have read and loved every single one of them. But this book, while I have started it, is quite different. It is more about the mystery of things that happened in the other series, and compared to the love stories and action of the others I just cannot seem to get into it.

Are there any books that you have been meaning to read? How many books are you trying to read this year? Have you read and really enjoyed any of these books?

2016 Calendar

I realise that we are halfway through February already but I have had so much on, that I decided I needed to take a break from this blog for a little while. It's great to be back, and I am really sorry to all of you that I haven't posted any new content in four months but the reasons I needed the break were more of a priority to me than this blog is.

So anyway following the trend of last year I am going to share my 2016 Calendar with you again. I want to thank everybody who downloaded it and used it as it makes me so happy that I can make something that can benefit others. As well as brightening up their life and making them a little bit more organised.

The calendar is slightly bigger than last years, it uses more of the page allowing more room for writing. the calendar includes all 12 months of 2016 (yes I realise that two are almost useless now). So I hope that you enjoy.

You can download the calendar here.

How is your new year going? Tell me how I can improve on this calendar for next year? Is there anymore printables that you feel would be great for college organization?

My Stationery Essentials

I like to write my notes with a pen and paper. Call me old fashioned but I find that I can scribble stuff down faster than I could with a laptop, and also that I tend to comprehend more of what I physically write than what I type. This means that I need pens that can write nicely and without smudging.

I have issues with pens that smudge as I tend to drag my hand across the paper when I write (similar to left-handed people) which also means that I get blisters on my little finger when I write (as well as ink...). So this is a list of all the pens that I like as well as other items that I find I like to have with me.

Pilot G2-07
I find that these pens have a nice tip that makes my writing look really nice. Although the ink is a little slow to dry I find that it doesn't smudge too much. These pens also have a great lifespan, they usually last me a term at university, so I only go through four a year.

Sharpie Stylo Fine Point
I love felt pens, but for me this is the only one that doesn't smudge. However I find that I go through quite a lot of these. I tend to push quite hard when I am writing which means the the tip disappears quickly.

Stabilo Swing Cool Highlighters
I have used these highlighters since I started high school. They are a nice size and they last forever, I think I have only replaced them three times, and you can buy each colour separately meaning that you don't have heaps of one colour waiting to be used.

Kikki K. Felt Tip Pens
These are slim felt tip pens that I like to use for underling the titles and dates in my notes, as well as writing things in my planner (colour coding duh..). These pens are cheap and last a long time. I would also recommend Stabilo Point 88, but they are not so easy to buy in New Zealand, well you can buy the packs but if one runs out good luck finding just that colour. So I like Kikki K. as they always have replacements.

Ruler
When I rewrite my notes I like to make sure that the underlining is straight so I always use a ruler. It doesn't have to be a long one I just use a 15cm (5.9in) one.

Post it Flags
I like to use these to flag pages in my textbooks as well as in my notes. I also colour code these.

Post it Notes
These are great for writing little notes, whether it be things to add to my notes, or for notes inside a textbook these have so many great uses that I can't live without them.