It may not be a big haul. But I spent a lot of time dwelling over what I wanted to buy in the book section of HMV recently.
Not only are they predominantly 2 for £6 but also the staff informed me that they get new deliveries all the time, so now I'm going to have to visit more often - as not everything is stocked online with HMV and I just love going and looking through the shelves. I always feel like I pick up books that I might scroll past online and miss!
This beautiful bank holiday weekend we headed to Sheffield's Meadowhall to the lovely Flannels because nestled at the back of the beauty floor is the remarkable Sienna Kitchen and Bar.
Adorned with plants, pink ombre chandeliers and iconic coffee table books, Sienna Kitchen and Bar is a haven from the bustling shopping destination of Meadowhall.
We were warmly welcomed into Sienna, asked how our days were going and shown to a cosy corner of the restaurant. Warm tiered lighting brought depth and a level of cosiness alongside immaculate furnishings and complimentary prints that could have left me propped up in the corner with a book all day.
We started with cocktails whilst we perused the menu, enjoying an espresso martini and a Japanese whisky and plum highball. Sienna's menu takes inspiration from the world over from Sri Lankan curries to Taiwanese chicken and sashimi. But we were there with brunch in mind...
Between us, we ordered the french toast and eggs royale...
The french toast came, soft soaking in macerated strawberries with a cooling vanilla ice cream. The stem ginger, candied lemon and biscoff crumb bringing crunch and texture to the sweet treat.
Then decadent smoked salmon on English muffins with perfectly poached eggs on top with dill hollandaise sauce and keta caviar for the eggs royale.
and as if that wasn't enough we were then treated to a chocolate bomb...
As white chocolate sauce melted a chocolate sphere filled with brownies and surrounded by chocolate jelly and passionfruit. The perfect fresh fruit to cut through the chocolate.
The service at Sienna was impeccable, our glasses were never empty and every member of staff was attentive, friendly and informative. A lovely extra touch was the Sienna postcards, advertising their light plate and cocktail offering whilst also alluding to their global theme.
We cannot wait to go back and try their mains, or even enjoy a little cocktail for a shopping interlude.
Follow Sienna Kitchen and Bar here or book now - you won't be disappointed!
Where a crux of a book holds you to a spot, audiobooks have a tendency to hold you to the activity you are doing when you are around them. So as a book ramps up I find myself walking or cleaning for longer or just waiting those few extra minutes to finish listening to a chapter before I swipe my fob into work.
Anyone else get like this? Like even though you could carry on listening as you move, you find yourself sitting in your parked car for the end of the book?
How to own the room by Viv Groskop
A tower block filled with the richest of the rich descending into madness within its own confines?
You got me.
Read by Tom Hiddleston.
You got me more.
How does modern architecture and technology effect the human psyche? The novel follows a series of months as the inhabitants of the building descend in mass psychosis on tribal levels as the three egocentric men at the centre of the story fall into their own.
The tower itself falling into a microcosm, a city within itself. Taking with it, rules, ranking and regulations. With the liminimal space of the car park isolating them from rationale and reality.
“Later, as he sat on his balcony eating the dog, Dr Robert Laing reflected on the unusual events that had taken place within this huge apartment building during the previous three months.”
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Listening to Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other was an incredible experience. Narrated by Anna Maria Nabirye bringing life to the 12 incredible stories.
Spanning time and locations through a collection of exquisite characters, perceptions and longing Girl, Woman, Other is all-encompassing in these women's voices and urges everyone to find the time to read it.
Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Somehow it has taken me this long to get round to reading Kurt Vonnegut, and you know, I sodding loved it.
Lost in this strange sci-fi satire as a representation of post-traumatic stress disorder I found it difficult to get into the rhythm at first, especially with Franco's drawl. But as I got into the flow I couldn't stop listening.
This American classic brings a new light to World War II writing for me and I find myself seeking it out more and more...
The Collectors by Phillip Pullman
Beautifully short and sweet, Pullman's The Collectors is narrated by Bill Nighy and follows a discussion between two men at college in Oxford about two pieces of art.
What they don't know is their connection is part of a story that transcends time and location.
For another touch into the world of His Dark Materials, I highly recommend it.
Lunar living by Kirsty Gallagher
Gallagher's Lunar Living brings moonology to modern audiences.
Drawing on ancient wisdom to empower and bring you more entune with the cycles of the moon. Lunar Living is a soothing support system to help you understand the moon and its effects.
Imaginary friend by Stephen Chbosky
At a hefty 24 hours and a half, Stephen Chbosky's Imaginary Friend was one of the longest books I read last year.
I chose the novel due to my love of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, but the similarities end there. This novel got under my skin in a different way, with veins akin to Stephen King.
Following Christopher and his mother as they escape her abusive partner, they settle in a new town before Christopher goes missing in the woods. What follows is a voice, a secret that came with him from the woods, with a history stemming 50 years back.
Imaginary Friend crept up, building strangely and intensely which I loved, however I did struggle with some of the religious allegory.
After 8 audiobooks in 2021, I wonder how many I will have time for in 2022!
I had a right laugh looking at the past years posts and reflecting on what I thought were intentions. Not only were we in the early stages of a pandemic, but I think I was really lying to myself because I know deep down I want to put my energy and space into writing, but it is like picking a wound through therapy - it bloody hurts.
Maybe this year...
From wanting to use my energy better and create more to moving my body more, sleeping better and treating myself. I realised everything I wanted to achieve came back to giving my body and my mind what it needs.
So 2022 is going to be about:
1. Saying no. I am awful for doing everything for anyone who asks, then ALWAYS being surprised when they act like an arse. So 2022 is the year of the no.
2. Reading. I typically set a number, but really it is about making it a priority as it quietens my brain. I tend to reach for the same shows over and over again to fill my brain with noise, but reading does this too - in a healthier way and it gets me thinking, learning and broadening my world.
3. Work hard. I put my all into everything so why am I not putting it into me?
Keeping it short, simple and to the point.
To simplify - be kind, work hard but take no shit.
Apparently I never even finished a part one with a part two in 2021. So before I even mention audiobooks I listened to in the last year we better cover 2020...
Some of my favourite reads of 2020 were audiobooks, including Kiley Reid's Such a Fun Age. Following Emira in a chain of events kickstarting from being falsely accused of kidnapping a white child, a child she is actually the hired carer for.
Be ready for a ride, but probably not the one you assumed you would be getting.
From questions around the 'right' thing to do to, the face of feminist blogging, the power of the internet in mistreatment and privilege, Such a Fun Age drives conversation amongst a brilliantly clever novel having you laughing at human behaviour one second and questioning it the next.
A novel about two best friends living their best life? Ya got me.
Emma Jane Unsworth's Animals follows Laura and Tyler, best friends drinking and dancing their away around Manchester. But of course, it doesn't stay that way with engagements, careers and family changing their paths. These women are not necessarily likeable, but that's what I love about them - they are real.
I'm a sucker for a small story within the complexities of two people. Animals bring the very truth and pain of 'growing up' or facing real adulthood. The honesty this thirty-year-old feels.
Finding the beauty of every day and the unsustainable hedonistic.
Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
I realise all I did was moan about Matt Haig's Reasons to Stay Alive, but I am a firm believer in not having an opinion on something till you've experienced something. Well, I disliked this too, not as much but still.
But again, if it has helped you then at least it has done some good.
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Another standout book of 2020 was Rebecca Solnit's Men Explain Things to Me, essays that had me laughing, frozen in thought and crying.
From Virginia Woolf and mansplaining to rape culture, feminity and discrimination, Solnit's essays have this beautiful way of creating tension in sentences that are reflected in the self when reading. Taking gender-based issues and tearing them down to the human right they align with.
Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
If you happen to find an interest in this book because you work in marketing, take it from an English and Creative Writing graduate who has ended up in the world of marketing - read Christopher Booker's The Seven Basic Plots instead.
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
One the last books in read in 2020 was also one of the best. Reni Eddo-Lodge's Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race grew from a blog post to this incredible book, delving deeper into the feelings that drove such a strong response to the blog post and the need for an open discussion.
This is a must-read for everyone for a country in denial.
Maybe I'll get to 2021 audiobooks sooner rather than later... let me know you're favourite audiobooks below!