Sunday Blog Share

Sharing The Blog Love!

 Attention all blog lovers! Today is one of my favourite days of the week. Not only is it the traditional day of rest, (yes I am still in my pjs!) it's also the one day of the week when everyone shares their favourite links over on Twitter using #SundayBlogShare!
So... Today I've decided to share the blog love with all of you. Below I have collected 30 of my favourite reads from recent blog posts. It was tough deciding which posts to include but I think I've got a pretty good mix to suit all your tastes! I've done all the hard work for you so now all you have to do is grab a brew, sit back and relax. Simply click on any of the photos to be taken to the relevant post. Enjoy reading and let me know which are your favourites in the comments box at the end... Love always... girlgonedreamer xxx

1. 'An Insight Into Blogging' 

by AimeeRaindropWrites 

2. 'How To Make Your Sunday As Productive As Possible'

by AislingsBeautyBytes 

3. 'Clinique Breast Cancer Awareness Products'

by TheSundayGirl

 

 

4. 'Literary Agent Sarah O'Halloran's Wish List' 

by Madeleine Milburn

5. 'Kendall's Shade Lipstick'

by Eri Ilsley

 

 

6. 'This Book Could Very Much Save Your Life'

by VeryBerryCosmo

 

 7. 'Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR'

by Fabulous Book Fiend

 

 

 8. '"No Makeup" Makeup Look'

by A Little Rosy

 

 9. 'eBay Bargains Autumn Decor'

by Makeup Savvy 

 

 10. 'Three Ways To Relax And Unwind'

by InTheFrow

 

 

11. 'Inspiring Instagrams/Volume 2'

by A Beautiful Mess

 

12. 'Things Only Us Bloggers Will Understand' 

by Fleur Danielle

13. 'Introducing The White Cliff Bay Series'

by Holly Martin

14. 'September Payday Wishlist'

by AllThatB

15. 'Tips To Help You Motivate Yourself'

by Jordan Courtney

 16. 'Three Autumn Staple Pieces'

by Dungarees And Donuts

17. 'These Are A Few Of My Favourite Books'

by AimeeRaindropWrites

18. 'Pinterest Inspiration - Home & Decor'

by Lipsticks & Collars

19. '10 Reasons Why Autumn Is The Best'

by Kiah's Adventures

 

 20. 'Lose The Stigma Related To Mental Health'

by The Curvaceous Vegan

 

 

21. 'Get To Know Me' 

by Jorlaska

 

 

22. 'Laugh Everyday To Increase Happiness'

by Hazel Addley Coaching

 

23. '17 Things That Happen When You're A Stationery Addict'

by What She Wrote

 

24. 'This Week I'm Obsessed With...'

by Kimamely Beauty

 

 

25. '11 Reasons Why I Love Autumn & Winter'

by Hanna Talks

 

 

26. 'Say Hello // The Librarian'

by Sunny Sweet Pea

 

27. 'Happy 6th Birthday'

by Sprinkle Of Glitter

28. 'Let's Talk About Mental Health'

by What She Wrote

29. 'Stationery Haul'

by Life In Florals

 

 

30. 'Fleur De Force Cosmetics'

by Mallow Beauty

 

Until next time... :)

 

*All photos taken from relevant blogs/blog owners. Copyright not my own.
*SundayBlogShare created by Suzie

My weekend so far...

 

£1.99 on Amazon. Click here to buy. Click here for reviews.

Another recommended read!

'Emma is a newly-wed looking forward to some blissful years with her new husband, Mike, but everyone else expects her to have children. Emma is a teacher and so, in everyone's mind, she MUST want children.

However, Emma has never wanted children and has to convince her husband, her family and her friends that she's not cut out for motherhood.

Instead, Emma wishes to pursue her teaching career and help children with Special Educational Needs, but her plans are thwarted and she has to make a decision which will affect her and her husband forever.'

Kathryn can be contacted via her Twitter page. Click here to be redirected.

My weekend so far...

Have any of you ever kept a diary? I used to fill one in daily. I think I would have been about ten or eleven when I first began documenting every waking moment. By the time I had reached my late teens it just sort of stopped. These days I prefer to share my thoughts etc with you guys. For whatever reason it makes me feel much better than a diary ever did.

Today was an exhausting day emotionally. We went to see my grandad. (My sister and I with her boys.) It was much harder than I had imagined it would be. The house seemed so empty without my nanna pottering about and there were a lot of tears shed. On a positive note however, our visit seemed to perk up my grandad so I guess we just have to keep taking it one day at a time.

Completely changing the subject, I've managed to get a lot of work done on my novel. It is as I've probably said before, an altogether cathartic process for me. And I'd just like to say a huge thankyou to all who have emailed me, especially Lucy! I certainly couldn't get this story right without your help. Roll on the day when it's finished so I can finally share it with you all!

I'm settling down for the evening with a muchly needed glass of wine now but I hope you've all had a pleasant weekend so far! Have any of you got any exciting plans for tomorrow? (I'm personally looking forward to my weekly fix of 'Sunday Blog Share.')

Catch you all soon... 

Justine xxx

P.s... Next weeks post is finally beauty related. This is after all supposed to be a blog about books, life, fashion AND beauty! :)

An A-Z of me!

Hello all! So I know I don't usually post on a Thursday, but it would seem lately that I upload a post just as and when I have time. Hopefully at some point I'll choose a set day and stick to it. But in the meantime... 
Inspiration struck me last night as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed. You may have seen an A-Z type 'About Me' doing the rounds? Yes!? No? Well basically it's 26 set questions revolving around the letters in the alphabet. I enjoyed reading some of the posts last night so I thought I'd share my own answers with you all. Here goes...

A. Age - 33. Feel more like 25! Age is just a number right?
B. Biggest fear - Death. Even writing it makes me feel all weird.
C. Current time - 6.49pm.
D. Drink you last had - Wine. And still drinking it whilst I type this!
E. Easiest person to talk to - My nephew, Nathan and my best friend, Helen!
F. Favourite song - Currently Little Mix, Black Magic but to be fair I have a new favourite every week! 
G. Ghosts, are they real? - I'm quite a spiritual person so I'd like to think so.
H. Hometown - Preston.
I. In love with - My three nephews. They really are my whole world!
J. Jealous of - I try not to get jealous. I guess we all want something that someone else has but it's good to remember and count our blessings.
K. Killed someone - Not unless you count Spiders!
L. Last time you cried - Today. Someone asked me how my Nanna was doing. Had to say obvs that she was no longer with us. I'm just really missing her.
M. Middle name - Anne-Marie.
N. Number of siblings - Three.
(Two sisters and one brother, all younger than me.)
O. One wish - To fall in love with someone who loves me just as much. 
P. Person who you last called - My mum.
Q. Question you're always asked - Are you taking on NHS patients? Every minute. Of every day. Wish we could take you all on believe me!! 
R. Reason to smile - I try to find something in every day. Today I heard that a little girl is finally cancer free. That made me happy.
S. Song last sung - Little Mix, Black Magic. On repeat whole way home!
T. Time you woke up - 7am.
U. Underwear - None. I'm in my PJs already!
V. Vacation destination - It's got to be Paris. I've never been anywhere!! I seriously need to get a passport. There are so many places I'd love to visit but Paris is up there on the list!
W. Worst habit - Talking too much!
X. X-rays you've had - Back, hand, dental.
Y. Your favourite food - Depends what mood I'm in. Right now? Bosco salad from Pizza Express!
Z. Zodiac sign - Virgo.

And there you have it. That's me. Well, a little bit of me anyway.
What would you have put for your answers? Feel free to share in the comments section below! 
Hope you all have a pleasant weekend. 

Lots of love GGD xxx

Update on my week

 

So it's been a busy week all in all. A productive one at that! I've done my usual five days at the practice but I've also done quite a lot of work on my book, mostly research. The two main topics I'm currently looking into are Mental Health and Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. 
If you don't know what the second condition is then here is a bit of information about it...
FOP is a rare disease in which muscle and connective tissue are slowly replaced by bone. Essentially at it's worst, a person becomes trapped in their own body. It affects just one in every two million people in the world and as such it's not that well known about. 
Obviously I know quite a bit about Mental Health from personal experiences so I haven't had to do much research in this area. But I still love to hear other people's perspectives on the topic. I've had several people already approach me who have shared their own stories. It all helps when creating a realistic character plus it helps me on a personal level too.
With regards to FOP however, my knowledge is very limited. Sure I have learned a lot lately from the internet, you can educate yourself on almost any topic these days, but I'd love to speak to anyone affected personally by the disease. It's so important that I get this novel right on behalf of those living with the reality of FOP. 
If you're reading this and you happen to have an insight into either Mental Health or FOP and you feel like sharing your story, please do get in touch via email, jamachin07@aol.com. All information will be treated as confidential. Of course if you don't mind your name being amongst the many others in my acknowledgments then that's ok too.
That's all for now. Hope you've had a fantastic week. Sorry for lack of photos/colours. I've not had as much time as I would have liked to put a post together. Sometimes I think I take on more than I can handle! But regardless, I'm enjoying all my projects. Catch you all soon! 

Lots of love, girlgonedreamer xxx

September Book Haul

 

 

I promised you all a book haul and here it is. After trawling through my bookcase trying to narrow down which books should feature, it became apparent that I have too many favourites to list in one post. Bearing this in mine I've decided that the best thing is to share my recommended reads over several posts, this being part one.

I hope you've all had a fantastic weekend. Thankyou for all the kind emails, messages and tweets regarding my last post. 
Sharing that side of me was anxiety inducing to say the least and as you all know I had my reservations. But I'm so glad I did it now. You've been nothing but lovely and supportive. Huge hugs! 
Talking of support, please go and check out my lovely friend Lora's new blog. I won't say what it's about, just that you ought to read it. Click here to be redirected.

And now that I've got that out the way, let's talk books! 

First up... 

'Ways To Live Forever' by Sally Nicholls

This is one of my all time favourite reads. Although technically a children's novel I truly think readers of every age will appreciate it. Sally writes beautifully and in a way that makes the words flow effortlessly off the page. In a nutshell it's about an eleven year old boy who is dying of Leukaemia. Tissues at the ready!

 Excerpt...

'LIST NO. 1 FIVE FACTS ABOUT ME

1. My name is Sam.
2. I am eleven years old.
3. I collect stories and fantastic facts.
4. I have Leukaemia.
5. By the time you read this, I will probably be dead.'

The blurb...

'Sam loves facts. He wants to know about UFOs and horror movies and airships and ghosts and scientists, and how it feels to kiss a girl. And because he has Leukaemia he wants to know the facts about dying. Sam needs answers to the questions nobody will answer.'

That's all I will reveal about this particular book. To say anymore would spoil it. Go read it! Enough said.

'Can You Keep A Secret' by Sophie Kinsella

Excerpt...

'Of course I have secrets. Of course I do. Everyone has a secret. It's completely normal. I'm sure I don't have any more than anybody else.
I'm not talking about big, earth shattering secrets. Not the-president-is-planning-to-bomb-Japan-and-only-Will-Smith-can-save-the-world type secrets. Just normal, everyday little secrets.
Like for example, here are a few random secrets of mine, off the top of my head:

1. My Kate Spade bag is a fake.
2. I love sweet sherry, the least cool drink in the universe.
3. I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is...

14. I have no idea what this guy in the grey suit is going on about.
15. Plus I've already forgotten his name.
And I only met him ten minutes ago.'

And so begins Emma's story. After a very bad day, Emma finds herself sat aboard a turbulent plane spilling all her secrets to the handsome American sat next to her. But it doesn't really matter because he's a complete stranger. And as soon as she's off this plane she'll never see him again. Or will she? The following morning she comes face to face with the big boss of the corporation she works for. Three guesses who the boss is?! Yep. The stranger from the plane.
This was actually the first Sophie Kinsella novel I ever read. In fact if I'm honest, as much as I love Becky Bloomwood, I preferred this to the Shopaholic series. This is one to go for when in need of some laughs or lighthearted relief.

'On Writing' by Stephen King

 

 

Part memoir, part master class, Stephen manages to combine both beautifully in this fascinating read. 
And who better to give advice to the aspiring writer than the international bestselling author of over fifty books? Stephen certainly knows his craft.
Not just a practical guide, Stephen also shares memories spanning from his childhood right through to his near-fatal accident in 1999. 
This is a must for every writer, novice or not.

'If I Stay' by Gayle Forman

 

 I read about this book on Twitter and immediately went out to buy it. It wasn't quite what I expected but I did enjoy it nevertheless. 

It follows the story of Mia, the sole surviver when a four-ton pickup truck plows headlong into the family car with the force of an atom bomb. Alone for the first time in her life and hanging on by a thread, Mia has a decision to make. Should she stay or should she go? 

This is one of those life-affirming books that makes you appreciate the people and the little things around you. 

If you do read this and like it then definitely read the follow on novel, 'Where She Went.'

'The Lovely Bones' by Alice Sebold

 

Excerpt...

'My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. In newspaper photos of missing girls from the seventies, most looked like me: white girls with mousy brown hair. This was before kids of all races and genders started appearing on milk cartons or in the daily mail. It was still back when people believed things like that didn't happen.'

Blurb...

Susie tells her story from heaven. Everything Susie wants appears as soon as she thinks of it - except the one thing she wants most: to be back with the people she loved on earth.
Watching from heaven, Susie sees how her death has devastated her family. Over the years, her friends, and siblings grow up and fall in love, doing all the things she never got the chance to do. 
But life is not quite finished with Susie yet...'

This copy is pretty well worn as you can see. I read it about ten years ago and I fell in love with it immediately. It isn't a light hearted read, in fact I remember certain parts disturbing me, but that said it's written in such a way you can't help but be gripped. 
Just don't take this to bed with the aim of reading just a few pages. I guarantee you'll still be up in the early hours as I was! This, like 'All The Bright Places', is one that will linger in your mind for weeks after you finish it.

'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion

Blurb...

'Don Tillman is a thirty-nine-year-old geneticist. He has trouble dating. In fact he's never even had a second date. And so he devises The Wife Project. A scientific test to find his perfect partner. Surely a foolproof idea? But then Don meets Rosie - 'the worlds most incompatible woman' - throwing Don's safe, ordered life into chaos.' 
Could Rosie be the one?

I've literally only started reading this but so far I'm loving it. 
I don't usually read fictional books by male writers, that's not because I have anything against them, it's just that the majority of books I've ever bought have happened to be written by females. 
Graeme has opened my eyes somewhat. If this is anything to go by then I'll be trying novels by more male authors in the future!
He has brought to life a character that is set to become a household name. I can only describe Don as a male version of 'Bones.' (Here's hoping you've seen or heard of that particular tv series.) With social skills that leave a lot to be desired, Don is downright honest and matter of fact, telling it like it is, even when he offends. I'll possibly review this one in the future!

'The Other Side Of The Story' by Marian Keyes

 

 

I've saved this one for last. Marian Keyes. One of my all time favourite authors. She is legendary. If you haven't heard of her then you must have been living under a rock. And if you haven't read one of her bestselling novels - then as Marian herself would say in her lilting Irish accent - shame on you! 
Seriously though, Marian has an ability to connect with women the world over with her witty, well written page turners. 
I think it also helps that women have a lot of respect for Marian. Afterall she did hit rock bottom (she is a recovering alcoholic) but picked herself back up and started to write. I often wonder whether writing saved Marian like it did me.
'The Other Side Of The Story' is my favourite of all Marian's novels. I think secretly this is because it gives such an insight into the publishing world. I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the story. 
So what's it about?
It follows three very different women... Jojo, a feisty red head and literary agent, who also happens to be in love with her very married boss. Lily the author who Jojo represents, is enjoying overnight success with her debut novel whilst feeling guilt ridden for stealing her best friend's man. And Gemma, thirty two, an event designer, Lily's ex- best friend. Newly single, she spends most of her life looking after her mother and emailing a colleague about her frustrations. 
As we all know, nothing is ever straight forward when it comes to love and war. This is a definite must have on your reading list! 


And so that brings us to the end of part one. I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know if you do try any of these books or if indeed you already have. 

Have a fabulous week... Don't work too hard! I'm off to get some much needed shut eye.

Lots of love GGD xxx 


Photos for 'Ways To Live Forever' and 'Can You Keep A Secret' taken from wikipedia.org


All others my own 

Excerpts/Blurbs take from:

www.sallynicholls.com/books/ways-to-live-forever/ - Chapter One

 www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/book_detail.php?b=Can_You_Keep_a_Secret_ - Chapter One

The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold - Chapter One

The Rosie Project Graeme Simsion - Blurb