Monday, 24 July 2017

Monday Medley #1

All being well, this will be the start of a new series on Spare Oom, hence the little #1 up there in the title. I realised that I spend a hell of a lot of my time reading, books and magazines and especially blogs, and I felt like it was time I shared a bit of the love. I thought I'd share a few of the things I've loved reading each week, on a Monday because yay alliteration, but also so that this post can serve as something to refer back to should you run out things to read. I hope it proves useful and that you discover some amazing bloggers and writers! However, I have absolutely no idea what to use image-wise for this series, as I don't like the idea of using images from other people's posts. You're getting something generic and inoffensive this time around, but I am open to any and all suggestions!


PRINT

This classic dystopian tale of a totalitarian Christian society represented in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood has had a resurgence in popularity, thanks to the new TV series on Hulu. This was a book that had been on my to read list for a very long time, and rather than just watch the series I thought I'd read the book first. It's an incredible piece of work that doesn't do anything as juvenile or simplistic as saying "all men are bad", but instead is a fair and complex examination of a deeply dysfunctional society. Each character has their own motivations, though these are hard to discern, as the book is told entirely by Offred. This is definitely worth a read and I would recommend it to everyone; the style of writing is quite fluid and speech-like, taking some getting used to, but it still makes for a very easy read.

DIGITAL

TIME LAPSE
One of my favourite types of blog posts to read is anything that covers a long period of time, in what I would call a time lapse post. It's when you choose to look back over a period of time through one consistent medium that reflects the changes that time. Two of my favourite bloggers wrote posts in this style very recently, and both are definitely worth a read if you're into that sort of thing. I also wrote a post along these lines (shameless plug), so I've linked that below as well if you fancy it!

Lizzy Hadfield of Shot from the Street shows us her favourite film photograph for a year, and it's really interesting to see how her style and circumstances change throughout. They're all beautiful photos but I particularly love the one with the wellies! Read it here!

Gwennan from Twenty Something Meltdown (a name I will forever relate to) did a round up of her 100 Days From Where I Stand Instagram project. It's essentially just 100 photos of her feet, but seeing the different places, shoes and times of day really gives a little snapshot into her life without being invasive or weird. My fave was definitely the paddling pool. Have a gander.

I've had a pretty eventful year, and coincidentally used up an entire notebook (an almost unheard of event) in that time. I wrote a little bit about how my life has changed and how that was reflected in that little book, which is mostly full of to do lists and the occasional diary entry. Clickity-boo.

MISCELLANEOUS
Rather than a selection of blog posts with a similar theme, the next few are just a mishmash of wonderful things I've read lately on all sorts of topics. There are a few on mental health and self-esteem, two about the realities of parenthood in different circumstances and one about robot furniture. I figure that covers most bases. 

Rebecca of From Roses wrote about the importance of taking time off, even if you love your job. This is not advice I needed as I'm prepared to go on holiday at the slightest excuse, but it made for very interesting reading about self-care and forgiving yourself for doing what you need to do. One to bookmark.

Sophie Cliff's blog is new to me but I fell in love with it after this post. She's a fantastic writer that really paints a picture with her words, and this post will make you feel like there's still good in the world even on the greyest of days. It will also make you crave soup. Perfect pick-me-up.

There have been loads of posts lately with people moaning about Instagram and the new algorithm. Imii breaks the mould with frankness and honesty about why she's lost Instagram followers lately, and it makes for a very refreshing read amongst all the (justified) whining. Go read it!
Elizabeth from Ice Cream Whispers Clara wrote about her experiences with ME and how it affects her life and her parenting. This was a beautiful post that gives a huge amount of insight into what it's like to live with ME, and I feel like I understand far more than I did. The photography is as gorgeous as ever, and it's definitely something you should take two minutes to read. Find it here.
Jo of Flourish and Blotting is a new Mum and general amazing human being; I do not understand how she's managing to blog with a newborn, but mad respect to her for that. In this post, she talks about self-esteem and how it's changed since having her daughter, and how you can't compare yourself to others. One to remember.
Robot furniture is a thing. No, really.

RECIPE

I figure this post wouldn't be complete without a recipe, and this lemon posset from Cake and Whisky sounds like a dream. I love all things lemony, and I'm just imagining this with a crunchy biscuit on the side for some extra texture. Excuse me while I buy 10,000 lemons.


And finally, I found out that cats in kimonos are a thing.


Stalk me!
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