Author Archives: Gee

About Gee

Eighteen. Student. Activist. Creative.

Indigo’s Dragon Blog Tour: Sofi Croft on Mythology

Hey internet! Today I’m delighted to be hosting a post on the blog tour for Indigo’s Dragon, a new title from up and coming publisher Accent YA. Read on to see how Sofi Croft, the author, used mythology as her inspiration for writing her adventure stories:

Sofi Croft on Using Folklore & Mythology as Inspiration

Fairy tales, folk tales, myths and legends have been told and retold countless times, gaining and losing elements with each retelling. They have changed over time, morphed into different versions and inspired entirely new stories.

I love using folklore and mythology as an inspiration for my writing. Indigo’s Dragon features several well known creatures from mythology, reimagined in my own way. There is a griffin inspired magpie-cat, a kraken inspired giant cephalopod, a yeti that is probably more of a hairy boy (or is it?), and dragons that … well you’ll have to read the book to discover their secrets.

In the sequel, Indigo’s Demons, there are many creatures borrowed from Slavic mythology, and in the third book of the series, Indigo’s Deep, I was inspired by the drawings of sea monsters found on Olaus Magnus’s Carta Marina (a map of northern Europe published in 1539).

As well as the creatures in Indigo’s Dragon, the story itself was also inspired by folklore. I love reading Polish and Baltic folk tales and one in particular, the Dragon of Krakow, captured my imagination.

The Dragon of Krakow lived in a cave in Wawel Hill, on the banks of the River Vistula, and spent most of his time terrorising the population of Krakow. Stories about the dragon have been told since at least the 12^th century, and as with most stories of that age that are many different versions. All of the ones I have read end with the dragon being killed; sometimes slain by a prince, but more often poisoned by a tailor or shoemaker using a sheep stuffed with sulphur.

I took the end of this story and used it as a starting point for my own. I thought ‘What if …?’ and then I continued the story, weaving in other threads and twisting it into another tale. I have found myself using this technique several times. In Indigo’s Deep I played with the legend of Jūratė, Kastytis and the Amber Palace, and in the book I am currently writing I have been inspired by the incredibly freakish Baba Yaga who, in the old tales, rides in a mortar and lives in a house with chicken legs.

Like living things stories grow, evolve and reproduce, and I believe by using folklore and mythology as an inspiration writers can help to keep the old stories alive while creating something new.

Indigo’s Dragon (Indigo’s Dragon #1) by Sofi Croft is a children’s fantasy novel full of adventure, mystery, monsters and dragons.

Publication Date: 23^rd June 2016 (Accent YA)

Graphic Novel Review: Alex + Ada Vol. 1 by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn

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Published July 2014 by Image Comics

21823465 Goodreads Synopsis: From JONATHAN LUNA (GIRLS, THE SWORD, ULTRA, Spider-Woman: Origin) and SARAH VAUGHN (Sparkshooter) comes ALEX + ADA, a sci-fi drama set in the near future. The last thing in the world Alex wanted was an X5, the latest in realistic androids. But after Ada is dropped into his life, he discovers she is more than just a robot.
Collects ALEX + ADA #1-5.

My Review: This graphic novel was recommended to me on Amazon, after I’d read the likes of The Wicked and the Divine. I fell in love with the simplistic but beautiful cover, and the synopsis made it sound incredibly interesting. It reminded me of a lot of Sci-Fi I know and love, with its classic-feeling near-future-androids-are-becoming-independent vibe, but I was eager to try it out. I’m so glad I did; Alex + Ada may not be the most original of stories, but it’s told in an incredibly unforgettable way and I adored it.

I’m always a little scared when I start an ongoing comic series, as like with The Wicked and the Divine, I can sometimes get too lost in a complex story. However, with this, I became absolutely absorbed in the story, and it was really easy to follow. Issue one begins with Alex, a relatively normal guy who is quite lonely, and living in a near-future world where many tasks are now performed by androids and robots. All over the news is talk of a Robot Rights movement, and a massacre caused by sentient androids, which is stirring tension. When an X5 android turns up on his doorstep, the newest in lifelike technology, and something he doesn’t desire – he reluctantly boots it up. Soon, he finds himself falling into a complex world of android politics, and discovers that Ada is seemingly more than just an android.

The story feels like an instant classic, and after binging the five issues in this collection, I was really eager to start the next volume. I often feel like the first few issues in a series can be a little dull, just introducing us to characters and story, with lots of yet to be answered questions, but with Alex + Ada, I felt immersed in the story straight away and loved the way everything was executed. I think some people might find it a little dull, as Alex isn’t set up to seem like the most exciting of characters, and his interactions with other characters aren’t that thrilling – but I really loved that! It shows how a lonely guy can become so isolated by the things around him, like the technology that’s running almost his whole life.

The artwork is pretty great. It’s a simplistic style, with a limited blue/grey colour scheme for the most part, but I really liked the way it reflects the sterile, depersonalised feel of the comic’s setting. It would have been nice to see some more variation in the style, but I do think it works with the story really well.

Overall, Alex + Ada was a really enjoyable graphic novel; one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend whether you’re a fan of Sci-Fi, or looking for a way to get into reading comics, as it’s a very accessible story. These first five issues are captivating and enthralling – and a brilliant set-up for what I’m sure is going to be a brilliant story in the next instalments. I can’t wait to see what direction the story goes in the next volumes – this first one was a fantastic introduction to a Sci-Fi world that has a lot of promise.

My Rating:

I purchased a copy of Alex + Ada Vol. 1 online.

Beautiful Books (#1?): Just My Type

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It’s not just the stories between the covers that I love – it’s how a book is presented and designed. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you might know that I’m really interested in cover design. I really love taking the time to admire what effort has gone into making the outside (and inside) of a book look awesome – whether that’s the colour, the artwork, the fonts or something like a slip-cover.

I thought it would be a nice idea to make some kind of feature on this blog, where I talk about all of this! So, in the hopes I do make more posts like this – here’s my first one, all about typography!

I adore pretty fonts – there’s just something really aesthetically pleasing about brush fonts and handwritten ones especially. I’ll admit sometimes I do judge a book by its cover – if it’s got a really cute font on it, the likelihood is I’ll pick it up and have a look! Here’s a few titles I love.

First up – The boy Who Swam with Piranhas. This book is illustrated and designed by Oliver Jeffers, who is one of my favourite illustrators. The title is in his handwriting and I just love it so much. I don’t really know how to describe it properly – I just adore the uneven capitals and childlike joined-up letters. It’s really pretty!

Here’s Paperweight by Meg Haston. The cover is quite similar to the US edition, though this UK (Hot Key) version uses a different style for its title. I really like the ‘paper’ part, as it’s so bold and three-dimensional, and connected to other elements of the cover. The ‘weight’ font complements it really well, despite how different it is.

The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer is a book I picked up just because of the cover. I’d seen it around online as it won the Costa prize, but hadn’t actually looked into what it’s about (I only read the blurb after admiring the cover for aaaaages in a store). I really love the brush font, and it reminded me a bit of Oliver Jeffers’ whimsical style. It’s really eye-catching!

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment or share it around and let me know! I would love to do some more posts like this in the future, talking about cover design and artwork.

Also, if you’re aware of the artist behind these covers, please do let me know so I can add them in! I did try to research, but found it pretty hard to find them.

Bookstagram: Bookish Photography and Accounts I Love

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I really love Instagram – After neglecting my old account for ages, I set up a new one connected with this blog a year ago. Although admittedly I don’t post as often as many people (my phone’s camera isn’t great, so I upload my DSLR photos using a computer client) – it’s probably my favourite social media app. I adore books, and I adore photography, so the ‘bookstagram’ community, a combination of the two, is the coolest thing.

A lot of accounts on Instagram that I follow have beautiful feeds, following colour schemes and styles. I really admire the artistic effort that goes into many Instagram feeds I follow – as weird as it may sound, Instagram has made me very aware of aesthetics in photography and how to master them.

Here are some accounts I follow that I really love!

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@therainingwords – Madiya’s account is just so simplistically gorgeous. Every photo is minimalistic but eye catching, composed really nicely and many are Harry Potter themed, which is a plus 🙂

@themilelongbookshelf – Amber’s Instagram captures such a wide range of books and I really love her creative shots.

@hawwaetc – although more art, not just books, I have to include Hawwa’s account in this post! Hawwa’s journaling and photography and just everything is so beautiful.

@blueeyedbiblio – I love the aesthetic of Emily’s Instagram feed, and it’s no wonder she has over 100,000 followers. I love the range of b&w and warm photos. It feels so cosy and autumnal!

@lucythereader – Lucy’s Instagram is definitely one to follow, as she shares many photos of lovely UKYA titles, and often her guinea pigs with said books. I have no idea how she manages to get her guinea pigs to stay in the shot (my pets would never), so kudos.

@booksandquills – Sanne’s Instagram feed is full of pretty books, much like her YouTube channel. Bonus: lots of photogenic food and London scenery.

@teaplusbooks – I really love this account because all of the photos are equally simple and bursting with colour, which is lovely!

@penguinplatform – Penguin’s new YA platform for teens is so great, and their Instagram feed is always bustling with the latest news about Penguin books, events, and just beautiful photos.

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I really admire everyone’s artistic photography skills on Instagram. I can never stick to a ‘theme,’ even for a few photos, so my feed is always quite bizarre. But what I do often try to do is take photos of my favourite books with settings or objects that I relate to them – for example, Keren David’s This is Not a Love Story is set in Amsterdam, so just after I came back from visiting there, I photographed it with my boarding pass and map. Here’s a few other favourites!*

I’m hoping, in the future, to post more of these types of photos, as I really love matching the backdrop or surrounding props with photos. It’s a fun challenge!

*please note that this post has been scheduled months in advance so these are not the most recent photos on my Instagram. (Right now I’m 99% likely to be sobbing underneath a pile of textbooks / in an exam hall) 😛

Do you use Instagram? What do you like about it, and whose posts do you enjoy following?

Book Review: Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

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Published April 2016 by Little, Brown.

26030682 Goodreads Synopsis: Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days finding and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the German army invaded. Her illegal work keeps her family afloat, and Hanneke also likes to think of it as a small act of rebellion against the Nazis.

On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman’s frantic plea to find a person: a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such a dangerous task but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations—where the only way out is through.

My review: Anyone who knows me well enough will know that I do not shut up about Monica Hesse’s début YA books, STRAY and BURN, which are two of my all-time favourite books, ever. My excitement went through the roof when I found out that Hesse had written another YA book – and I was very interested to see her genre choice jump from Sci-Fi to historical fiction. I was delighted to have the chance to read it.

Girl in the Blue Coat is set in wartime Amsterdam. Hanneke is secretly running illegal errands, delivering extra rations of food to local people, and staying under the radar. But when one of her clients asks her to help search for a missing Jewish girl that she’d been hiding, her life is turned upside down as she is catapulted into a complex mystery, and begins to unravel dark secrets about the what is happening to Jewish people being captured in Amsterdam.

Story time: I visited Amsterdam last year, and had the chance to also visit Anne Frank Huis. It was really heartbreaking and moving to walk around the tiny place the Frank family had to hide in for years – it’s incredibly eye-opening, and hard to believe that this was a reality for many Jewish people during the second world war. Monica Hesse’s attention to detail is admirable; her extensive research is evident in her meticulous descriptions – from the streets of Amsterdam, to the place Jewish people were inhumanely held, to the hiding spaces in Dutch households.

The plot gripped me from the start and hasn’t really let me go, even after closing the book. I’m still thinking about the story weeks later. It’s rare to find something so incredibly raw as this is – the emotion in this book is so intense and it can be quite hard to read the brutal nature of events at points. Admittedly, I don’t take history, but I’m sure the level of detail Monica Hesse explores in Girl in the Blue Coat can exceed what people learn in schools. This has really opened my eyes to what happened in Amsterdam, and I’m eager to learn more.

Hanneke is one of those characters I couldn’t help but adore. From the opening pages, I admired her daring nature, and her realistic inner conflict about searching for a Jewish girl in a dangerous world. I was rooting for her all of the way through, and loved the unlikely community she finds in the book, during her search. All of these characters will definitely stay with me for a long time – many scenes where their backgrounds are explored really moved me.

Overall, Girl in the Blue Coat was an incredible read. Monica Hesse has transcended into the historical fiction genre beautifully, with a powerful and mesmerising novel about the brutality of wartime events in Amsterdam, highlighting the bravery and selflessness of those who resisted Nazi efforts. The story is hard to fault, and was hard to put down; I was desperate to unravel the truth about this mysterious girl for myself. The ending was incredibly unpredictable, and the final events of the story brought me to tears! Highly recommended if you’re looking for a thought-provoking read.

My Review:

I received a copy of Girl in the Blue Coat.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY, BLOG! | A Thank You Giveaway

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Okay, a heads up – this post has been written very much in advance. As you’re reading this, I am drowning in piles of revision guides and exam papers, because it’s mere days until my GCSEs start.

However, it’s a pretty special day, because not only is today The Bibliomaniac’s blogoversary – but it’s the fifth blogoversary. The Fifth. FIFTH. FIFTH!!

I’ve had this blog for half of a decade. That is insane.

That’s the entirety of my secondary school life… And just under a third of the time I’ve been on Earth… Whoa, okay, all this maths is scary. I’m gonna stop now.

ANYWAY ~

Writing a blogoversary post is hard, because I never know what to do, exactly – last year, I just highlighted the blog posts I was most proud of. Seeing as this year is a big number, I wanted to do something a little more exciting.

In the past two to three years, especially, I’ve worked super hard on making this blog a bit more professional; making it look all snazzy and creating content that’s managed to reach a number of people eleven-year-old-me never would have dreamed of. And, of course, everyone who has read this blog has been so awesome over that time – I’m still overwhelmed with every comment and retweet and nice piece of feedback I get.

So, here’s to all of you super lovely people who have been following, reading, liking and sharing the awful, rambling stuff I put on this blog – here’s a giveaway! You can win two of my favourite books I’ve discovered from reviewing, plus some bookish swag.

Prizes: Paperweight by Meg Haston, Alex as Well by Alyssa Brugman, chapter samplers of various books, bookish badges and an Electric Monkey tote bag

Terms and Conditions:

Unfortunately, this is a UK only giveaway, because otherwise shipping prices will be quite high.
This giveaway will close at midnight on the 30th of May.
I will choose as winner via random.org so it’s fair, and reply in the comments of this post to alert the winner or tweet them.
I will contact the winner within a week after the closing date, and mail the prize out within the first two weeks of June.
If the winner hasn’t replied within a week of me alerting them, I will pick another winner, again at random.
Ideally, if you have a Twitter account, please leave your @handle so if you win the giveaway, I can contact you quicker.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment!

(Tell me what you’ve read recently! Something completely random! How you discovered this blog! What kinda of posts you’d like to see in the future! Your comment can be about literally anything, so long as you’re nice :P)

An Interview with Sharon Gosling | Author of The Diamond Thief

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I adored The Diamond Thief, book one of the Remy Brunel trilogy, when I got the chance to read it at the beginning of this year. So naturally, it’s very exciting to have Sharon Gosling, author, on The Bibliomaniac today to discuss the trilogy, its genre, and Sharon’s upcoming projects. Enjoy the Q&A!

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GW: Hi, Sharon! Firstly, could you tell us a little about the diamond thief, for anyone who hasn’t read it?
SG: Hi! The Diamond Thief is set in London in the late 1800s. It introduces Rémy Brunel, who is a French circus performer famed for her talent on the trapeze and the high wire. She also happens to be the best jewel thief in Europe. She’s brought to London by her nefarious circus master in order to steal the famous diamond the Darye-ye Noor (the Ocean of Light), the sister-stone to the Koh-i-Noor (the Mountain of Light), which is in the Queen of England’s crown. As she attempts to steal it she comes up against a young detective called Thaddeus Rec, who is determined to stop her. Together they discover that something terrible is happening below the streets of London’s East End, and are forced to work together to stop it. As they do they also discover some disturbing things about Rémy’s past.

What books inspired you to write, growing up?

As a kid I read pretty much anything I could get my hands on, but with a dad who loved Sherlock Holmes, I developed an early love for detective fiction – and fact, come to think of it. I remember one librarian being a bit concerned about me taking out a lot of adult books about Jack the Ripper when I was probably a bit too young to be reading them. I also read a lot of classic children’s books – I had a lot of Enid Blyton books and Rémy is probably in part inspired by her circus stories. I can remember wishing that our family could pack up and join a circus! Life on the road and the idea of being in a new place every week always sounded so exciting – I loved travel adventures, especially anything that took place in South America, as jungles really appeal to me. So The Hardy Boys were another favourite. I think all of these combined to encourage me to make up my own adventures, which led to writing my own, too.

You do some really interesting things outside of writing fiction, such as writing about sci fi and fantasy in magazines. What’s the most exciting related article or project you’ve worked on?

As a result of writing non-fiction tie-in books for television and film, I’ve spent quite a lot of time on film sets, which I always find really fascinating. Oftentimes watching a TV show being made can actually be quite tedious, as there is a lot of time spent setting up, moving from one set to another, resetting, re-taking the same scene, and so on. But I love it because there’s a very specific energy that occurs on a film or television set, which I think comes from having a large group of very talented people who are all creative in different ways working on one huge project. I always find that very exciting. A year or so ago I wrote the companion book ‘The Art and Making of Penny Dreadful’ – the series is filmed in Ireland, just outside Dublin, and I spent a few days on set at the end of the shooting for the first season. That was a particular thrill for me as I got to meet and interview Timothy Dalton. I know most people would be excited about that for him being a former James Bond, but for me it was because he’ll always be my Mr Rochester! Jane Eyre is my favourite classic novel, and the BBC adaptation that he was in years ago will always be my touchstone for how it should be produced on screen. Of course, Penny Dreadful was created and written by John Logan, Oscar-nominated screenwriter of films such as Skyfall, Gladiator, Rango and Hugo – meeting him was pretty special. He’s a lovely man and an extraordinarily talented writer.

Is there a reason you are drawn to sci-fi/fantasy/steampunk stories?

I think those three genres capture the idea that there are still things to discover and still reasons to be intrepid, which really appeals for someone who always wanted to be out there exploring inaccessible parts of the globe. Today, the world feels so much smaller. It feels known, as if there’s nothing left to discover, no mysterious corners that haven’t been mapped, photographed and given a Wikipedia entry. Genres such as science fiction, fantasy and steampunk open up new possibilities for exploration and invention. That’s probably why I love them so much.

Do you have any plans for books after the Rémy Brunel trilogy?

Always! I’ve got two that I’m currently re-drafting – one for a slightly younger audience that’s set in modern-day London and another which is a horror for a much older YA audience. So they’re both very different, which is fun. Then later in the year I have two more I want to start work on – one is a children’s adventure set in late Victorian England (I’ve realised it’s a favourite setting of mine!) and the other is the first in an adult detective series set in a village very like the one I live in now. So many stories, so little time…!

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I hope you enjoyed the interview! Thank you to Sharon for answering the Q & A questions, and to Georgia at Curious Fox for organising this and introducing me to the trilogy. Interested in checking out the Remy Brunel trilogy? Read my review of The Diamond Thief here!

Book Review: The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling

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This edition published January 2016 by Curious Fox books.

The Diamond Thief Goodreads Synopsis: No one performs on the circus trapeze like 16-year-old Rémy Brunel. But Rémy also leads another life, prowling through the backstreets of Victorian London as a jewel thief. When she is forced to steal one of the world’s most valuable diamonds, she uncovers a world of treachery and fiendish plots.

Meanwhile, young detective Thaddeus Rec is determined to find the jewel and clear his name. Will Thaddeus manage to rescue the jewel? Or is it really Rémy that he needs to save?

My Review: This book has been on my to-read list for ages, and for some reason, I’ve simply never gotten around to buying a copy. However, when Curious Fox were kind enough to send me some of their titles a while ago, I saw that it had been given a cover makeover – I’m in love with the new look! I thought this was a great opportunity to finally get into the trilogy.

The Diamond Thief pulled me in immediately, with a beautifully written and gripping trapeze scene – and all the way through, there was never a dull moment. Protagonist Rémy is not your usual travelling trapeze artist – as well as a secret and mysterious past that she doesn’t fully understand herself, she lives a double-life as a jewel thief and is in London to steal a famous gem.

The plot was gripping and entertaining. Not so long ago, I was hugely into steampunk and fantasy stuff – I feel like more recently, I’ve moved into reading more contemporary fiction. The Diamond Thief felt like coming home to an old friend that I haven’t seen in a while. It was 300 pages of pure, riveting escapism – a classic steampunk-inspired story with some beautifully elaborated Victorian elements.

Rémy is an awesome main character – she’s a classically adventurous and courageous heroine. Also, kudos for her to standing up for herself and refusing to be defended. I’m not 100% sure how I feel about her and another character, whose chemistry is hinted at and I’m sure will be evident in the next book! However, I really did enjoy reading about the unlikely gang Rémy finds herself banding together through her journey to get the diamond and uncover the truth.

Overall, I definitely recommend The Diamond Thief to anyone who loves mystery stories, or ones with steampunk elements. It was a really great read – perfect for fans of Pantomime by Laura Lam and Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell. I can’t wait to read on in the trilogy and see how Rémy’s story develops.

My Rating:

I received a copy of The Diamond Thief from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

Intrigued by The Diamond Thief, or already a fan? Come back to this blog this time next week, for an interview with the author!

ZOM-B GODDESS Blog Tour: Win One of Five ZOM-B Full Series!

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Hey, everyone! This week I’m hosting a blog tour post for the epic finale to Darren Shan’s ZOM-B series: ZOM-B Goddess.

I’ve been following ZOM-B since the first book was released in 2012, and this series is undoubtedly an all=time favourite of mine. It’s brilliantly horrific and gory, but underneath the terror, there’s also some really in-depth themes of family, race and identity.

The twelfth and final book in the series is out now, and here’s a little about it!

And now, a competition… 🙂

Would you like to win a full set of the ZOM-B series? Simon & Schuster have five full sets up for grabs!

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To enter, you must be living in the UK. Please send your name and address to georgia.walters8[AT]yahoo.co.uk, with the subject line “ZOM-B: COMPETITION” to be entered!

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I will pick winners at random, and the competition will close in a week. Good luck 🙂

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If you’d like to read my old reviews of some of the series, you can click the links below!

Book Review: ZOM-B – Book Review: ZOM-B: Underground – Book Review: ZOM-B: City – Book Review: ZOM-B: Angels – Book Review: ZOM-B: Baby

Reading and Revising: How I’m Balancing Both in Year 11

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Most people probably know, because I moan about it enough on this blog and social media – I’m in year eleven. And exam season is approaching. And that’s pretty scary.

Whilst I’m so eager to revise lots and get my grades, because they mean a lot – I’m also eager to read lots and get blog posts up, because to me, that’s an equally big part of my life (and the more fun part). Last year, I took a couple of GCSEs early, and found it incredibly hard to just put those books down and revise, dammit. I spent the entirety of April/May of 2015 either revising and being annoyed that I wasn’t reading, or reading and being annoyed that I wasn’t revising. A vicious cycle, you’ll agree, but an unavoidable struggle for any bookworm.

As the majority of my GCSEs (and the most important ones, to me) are happening this year, I’ve decided that I need to approach exam season with a healthy, balanced way of doing both what I love, and what I need to do. Many people are great at making schedules and timetables, but I find it hard to stick to allocated times, and would panic if I didn’t commit to a set order.

I realised (after tumblring about my revision methods and a lot of people saying it was useful) that it may be worth sharing my goals, tips and ideas on how to balance reading and revising. Hopefully, this might come in handy to you, if you’re taking exams!

Set a realistic reading goal:

If I neglect reading for ages, I only get into a reading slump, which saddens me more than anything else. Over the past few years, I’ve read 2/3 books a week on average. This exam season, I’m restricting myself to one book/graphic novel/etc a week. A manageable number for me, and it’ll keep me kinda sane whilst studying and sitting exams.

Use reading as a reward:

I read this thing online where you can treat yourself with something small like a jelly baby or a piece of chocolate for every page of a textbook you revise from. I try to eat on revision breaks instead (otherwise I just stare blankly at a page while stuffing my face with chocolate) so I’m replacing the edible reward with a chapter of a book. I’m a person who has to write out stuff in order to revise – so for example with my science revision, I’ll let myself read a chapter once I’ve written out the key info, or answered example questions, for one topic.

Use online time wisely:

I have online science, maths and languages work on apps such as Duolingo, and blogging is always the much more fun alternative, so I’ll procrastinate online work by doing that (cough, definitely not what I’m doing by writing this post – oh the irony, cough). I’ve set myself a goal for each online revision app I have, and for my blog. At the time of writing this, my current goal is to write a blog post a week, and visit each revision app once a day. It’s working so far!

Novellas!

Over the past few months, I’ve been ~~hoarding~~ saving some short reads for the next couple of months. If I start a really long book just before an exam, I know I’ll just binge-read it instead of getting some crucial revision in. With novellas, I find that I usually read them quite quickly, and I know that I can put them down and just finish them in a second or third sitting. This also applies to graphic novels and comics – I’m hoping to buy a lot of series I’ve been behind on (Ms Marvel!!) so I can read issues between studying.

If you’re also currently studying – how are you balancing it with your hobbies? What methods do you use to make sure you’re studying enough, but also enjoying your hobbies?