focus on the little things

As I enter exam season, when controlled assessments and GCSEs are flying towards my face at 100 miles per hour, I like to focus on the little things.

Like my mum handing me a ready-made cup of tea as soon as I walk through the door, home from school.

Like sitting in church, sandwiched between my two brothers, and listening to my vicar give a sermon on how everything will be ok.

Like laughing until I cry after a friend forgets she's not alone and sings a line of a song off key, out of tune and at the lowest pitch I've ever heard.

I like to focus on the little things, because there isn't one big thing in my life right now that makes me happy 24/7. It's the little things, like the people I love and moments with them, that keep me smiling on my darkest days.

When I'm exhausted and stressed and irritable, the right song (currently listening to The 1975's new album a lot, but specific songs - Halo / Lewis Watson, Dancing on My Own / Calum Scott) can make me 10 times happier, or reading an incredible chapter of my current read (Room by Emma Donoghue), or watching an episode of Agent Carter with my mum while chugging down luke-warm, forgotten tea and snuggling under a blanket.

I smile when a friend sends me funny photos because "you seem sad a lot lately, I want to make you happy", or when my brother buys me Reese's peanut butter cups to snack on during revision, or when I understand something in Physics that I've really been struggling at.

It's easy to miss and forget the little things, but please appreciate them. They could mean the difference between a happy day, or going to sleep feeling lost and alone.

x

review: the truth about the harry quebert affair

Bonsoir! (well, it was the evening when I wrote this)

After thinking about the kind of posts I want to write, I've decided to start writing reviews of books, films and TV shows. I'd love for this blog to link more into my bookstagram, and so thought adding more literary content would be a good place to start!

I thought I'd start with a review of one of my new favourite books - The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair (a mouthful, I know).

The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker (translated by Sam Taylor, as it was originally written in French) begins with the story of Marcus Goldman, an author flung into success after his first novel, who is struggling to write a second novel that will live up to his new-found reputation. He visits his old mentor, Harry Quebert - one of the country's most respected authors - in Somerset, New Hampshire, to find a cure for writer's block. But once the body of Nola Kellergan - a 15 year old girl missing for 33 years, with whom Harry Quebert once had an affair - is found buried in Harry's garden, Marcus' plan to write a new book is upended as he tries to prove Harry's innocence and find Nola's murderer.

Sounds good, right? It is.

The book is beautifully written, flipping regularly between Marcus' investigation into Nola's disappearance and Harry's relationship with her during the summer of 1975 - the year Nola went missing. Dicker captivated me with his complex and flawed characters and the intricate back-stories and secrets those characters had.

The book is split into three sections, and it was not until the third and final section that I was finally able to form theories as to what happened. Dicker keeps you so in the dark throughout the entire novel, feeding you tiny morsels of evidence for each character, so they all look as guilty as each other.

And the plot twists! I read the third section late at night, because I wanted to finish it that day. And it was just plot twist after plot twist after plot twist. He's the killer, no, she's the killer, wait no, they're the killers, wait no! My head was spinning, but it was never confusing - only ever thrilling and incredible.

I recommend this book to everyone that ever asks me for a book to read. It's just one of those novels that is perfect for everyone and anyone - and an instant favourite for most, like myself.

I hope you liked this post. Please let me know if you'd like to see similar posts.

Thanks for reading. xx