Skip to main content

Get To Know Me

 Hi, hello, welcome! 

So, with this being a comeback, some of you will already know me, while some of you may not. You might have known me from "back in the day" of Twitter and blogging, long before Booktok. This post is to help reintroduce myself and fill you in on where I've been and why I stopped blogging for a while. 

I started book reviewing in around 2009, had a blog on Wordpress but got locked out of it, and moved over here. I have always loved blog tours and sharing author posts etc, and am hoping to bring that back. It may take me a while to get back into the swing of things, so please bear with me. 

So, here's what you might have missed...

I suffered the greatest loss of my life in December 2023 when my husband, Steve, passed away. He was in renal failure and dialysis wasn't improving his quality of life, so he chose to stop treatment. We had 2 weeks together before he took his final breath. I can't explain that kind of loss to someone who hasn't experienced it. I spent the next 18 months barely leaving my house. My chronic illness and mental health took a beating, and I only went out for necessary appointments and the odd visit to town with my best friend.



In March last year, there was a knock on my door. I answered it, which in itself was unusual as I never answered the door unless I knew it was a parcel. But that day, I opened the door and met the loveliest man, Sam, who is the vicar of my local church. We had a chat, he invited me to church, and the rest as they say, is history. I became a Christian, gave my life to Jesus, was Confirmed and now have the most amazing church family surrounding me. 



In that same time period, my best friend stopped speaking to me. I still have no real idea why, and it hurts so much, but have decided I will no longer chase people. If  you want to be part of my life, you  know where I am. 

Moving on... 

I discovered Tiktok in early 2024 and bought many, many books that were popular on Booktok. I read some and have to say, I was largely unimpressed. I also have realised that I am not technically minded enough to learn how to make cute transition videos or film voiceovers, so I mainly just share photos with written reviews. I also post these on Goodreads, Instagram, and Facebook. When I figure it out, I will add links to these here. Somewhere... 

So, what can you expect from me? 

I want to bring back my more in-depth, long-form reviews, share books that I'm excited about with you, maybe do some reading challenges. I will share my love for my favourite authors and books. I will share some personal stuff and, let's face it, there will probably be the odd unhinged tangent because... well... it's my blog after all. So, now the fun stuff!

Here Are 7 Things You Might Not Know About Me:

1) I started blogging in around 2009 as a way to get free books because my ultra controlling ex wouldn't let me buy books. (I promise it hasn't been about that for YEARS!)

2) Stephen King has been a favourite of mine for years, and Pet Sematary is my fave of his books.

3) I turned 49 last week and decided to dye my hair purple. It hasn't been coloured since I shaved it off for charity in 2020.

4) I am so, so bad at making tiktoks and I have no idea how everyone else makes it look so easy!

5) I have strong opinions about books. like very strong. Especially since becoming a Christian. My reading taste has changed a lot, and I no longer want to read spice/smut etc, but I will never judge your reading choices. I do still love a good horror story and a behind closed doors romance.

6) I am a dog Mama x 2. I have a 10 year old Pomeranian called Bella and a 4 year old miniature dachshund called Pippa. They are my whole world.




7) I have 8 tattoos. One of them is a book stack on my forearm that I'm trying to get signed by all 4 authors featured: Amanda Prowse, Lisa Jewell, Caroline Cauchi, and Bryony Gordon. Bryony and Caroline have already signed and so has Jane Green, even though her book isn't featured yet. But watch this space!






So, what happens next?

Tomorrow I will be bringing you my first "new" book review. It's a book that is very, very close to my heart by one of my absolute favourite people in the whole world. When you see what it is, you'll probably understand why it means so much to me. Any guesses?

Til tomorrow, my loves! Txx

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tishylou Is Making A Comeback!

  Hi! Fancy seeing you here! Well, actually, fancy seeing ME here as I'm the one who has been AWOL. Life has been changing so much for me these past 3 years that my love of blogging got pushed aside. But I just celebrated my 49th birthday and felt compelled to revive my blog. I have still been reading and reviewing, but it's mainly been short posts on my social media pages, like Tiktok and Instagram. I really miss long form reviews and the personal posts I used to share with you. So, I'm going back to my roots. I plan on doing a Get To Know Me post soon for those of you who aren't familiar with me and my crazy life. That will be followed by bringing and expanding some of my Tiktok reviews on here. I have chosen 10 very special books for my first 2 weeks of posts, and I hope you'll feel how much I love them and what they mean to me.  So, I'll leave you with this for now. To those who have always supported and encouraged me, thank you from the bottom of my heart. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Blog Tour Stop and Review of All Wrapped Up by Heidi Swain

Hi friends! Long time no see! I have been so bad at blogging, and any book reviews I've done have been just on my social media pages. But it's tradition that when a new Heidi Swain book comes out, it HAS to appear on my blog! In fact, my last blog post was almost a year ago, for a Heidi book. If  you  know me at all, you know I love being in Heidi's books. They are so comforting, wholesome and hope filled. The locations are always idyllic and the characters always make me want to befriend them. All Wrapped Up is no exception. What They Say : In Wynbridge, the scent of autumn is on the breeze and love is in the air…   Clemmie Bennett has been renovating beautiful Rowan Cottage on the outskirts of the small town of Wynbridge, for eighteen months following a very public heartbreak back in her childhood hometown. The popular Instagram influencer, lost her husband, sold their home, and has been cosied up the Fens and living a very private life, but now she feels it’s time for ...
Post a Comment
Read more

2015: The year of working, laughing, loving and living

Well, here we are. A week and a half into the new year. Are you all sticking to your resolutions? I am, so far. I decided that I want to be more Sparkly. That to me, means happier, nicer, more kind and caring. It means feeling good about myself and my choices. It means feeling free to love and laugh. Over the years I have lost my giggle. That was one thing my Mum told me in a letter she wrote me before she died. Never stop giggling. And I'm sad to say I did stop. People have noticed, family and friends have commented on it. My fiancé has mentioned it more than once and it was starting to cause problems. I got quite depressed and struggled on a daily basis. Books were kind of a saving grace as was Twitter. But the real world and my REAL life were shut out. So, this year I have decided to change all of that. 2015 is my year of laughing, loving, travelling, working, smiling, playing and giggling. I will still read and review, but only the books I choose. No more blog tours unl...
3 comments
Read more