Reads and Ramblings with Beth

hi everyone!  A few weeks ago I held an Instagram poll asking whether people would be interested in seeing mini reviews of the books on my first year university reading list. I am starting my degree in September and have been enjoying reading the books in preparation to start!  Lots of people were interested, so here is the first part!! Part 2 will be up very soon - I have 1 more book to finish.  Module 1 - Intro to Literary Studies > Girl Meets Boy - Ali Smith (2007) This book is a modern retelling of Ovid's 'Metamorphoses', re telling the myth of Iphis and Ianthe, through Anthea and her gender queer partner Robin.  Everything in this book is about challenging normal expectations and the wonder of fluidity, from the characters to the unique style of narration. There are many important themes such as feminism, activism, gender identity, sexuality, sexual harassment and homophobia.  The water motif that runs through the book is a really beautiful portrayal of fluidity and

Hi all! Back with another book/lifestyle post today all about fitting reading into your life. This was chosen from a poll by my Instagram followers as today's post - I hope you enjoy!! ✈️ USE YOUR JOURNEY OR COMMUTE 🚎 Personally I used to get the bus to work several times a week, and I don't drive, so I also had to get the bus into the city centre or get lifts everywhere! This is a golden opportunity for reading. Pop a book or kindle into your bag and you're all set. A great chance to squeeze in 10 minutes or even an hour depending on the length of your journey. I hope I don't need to point this out - but obviously do not do this if you are the driver! 🛏️ BEFORE BEDTIME 🧸 The hour or so before bed is an ideal time to sneak in some reading. Put your phone down/away/onto night mode and fit in a few chapters before you sleep. It will make you feel more relaxed and cosy, and stop the disruptive stimulation from your phone. You could also try doing this first thing in the

  Hi everyone! Welcome to my first lifestyle related post! Today's post is going to be a very different one to my usual content and whilst being loosely tied in with books, I've decided to use this challenge to talk about something I'm very passionate about and introduce some awareness and lifestyle to my page. I have also made the decision that from now on, my blog will not be solely focused on books and reading, as I have so many other interests and hobbies I am keen to share; but there will still be bookish content!!! Firstly, if you aren't comfortable with discussions around blood, periods etc then this might not be the post for you; but if you're willing to stick around then hopefully you will enjoy this post and you might even learn something along the way!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A short while ago, the #BloodyBrilliantBookStack  challenge was started on Instagram by a creator called Chloe Salisbury - with the aim to raise awareness of Period P

Hello everyone! BIG news.... 🎉 🎉 I am turning my blog into a Books and Lifestyle blog... 🎉 🎉 My lovely book blog baby 'Locked Down with my Bookshelf' has had an upgrade and 'Reads and Ramblings' will now feature all my passions and crazy ideas. There will still be book reviews and other book content because my love for reading and the book blogging community is still just as strong, however, I've realised that I also enjoy researching and advocating for other topics and I'm really excited to do that! I hope my current followers and regular readers will continue to support my blog and that lots of new faces will also join us as my new posts go live.  This blog is likely to have posts on...... 💜 books - reviews, list, recommendations 💜 student life - I start uni in September and will be sharing my experiences 💜 topical issues - BLM, Period poverty, news stuff 💜 lifestyle - mental health, reusable menstrual products, amazing places I visit any other topics

Hello everyone and happy August!  Hopefully this will be a fairly short post - but we know how much I can ramble on.... JULY WRAP... So, July was a bit of a weird reading month for me. I felt like I was reading all the time and should have raced through lots of books - and I definitely bought a lot of books - but I actually only managed to complete 3 books during the month!!  Normal People - Sally Rooney I really really enjoyed this book just as much as I did the series. I loved Connell's character especially and thought it was really important that Rooney had chosen male mental health representation. I would have preferred this book in a different narrative style and not to jump around as much in the timeline however, it was amazing.  Rating: 4.5  ✩ The Beekeeper of Aleppo - Christy Lefteri This book was an absolutely beautiful read. I haven't previously read any books about the current issues in Syria but this one really opened my eyes to the peril of an immigrants journey.