22/02/2021
Hello,
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Hope everyone is doing good and is safe. Today I want to write about just one book that I think is a beautiful read, especially for all us youngsters (yes really did just say that) that need a moment to realise, as an incredible musician once said "don't worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright".
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton is an autobiography memoir of Alderton's life about growing up and the crazy, irreplaceable, energetic madness of your 20s and all the emotions and sensations that come with your early adulthood and particularly love. I honestly have never felt so many strong and different emotions reading one book. Although I would say the main target audience is someone going through or who can remember their young adult life, this book is enjoyable for everyone. You may not know her friends or the places she's been but it delves you into this world of adventure and excitement which is so realistic and shows you the magic of perspective, life is what you make it at the end of the day.
I think I have a real tendency to idolise and glorify my future, I feel a lot of teenagers do. You're free, no boundaries or strings. Maybe you're living in the city with your friends in a crappy apartment, drinking red wine till the early hours of the morning, listening to music on your friends old record player. You're finding yourself, finding your passion and the peers that make you happy, it's all unknown but in a way that's such a thrill. Well it's true that the reality is it's not always like that, life sometimes sucks and the hard truth is you're going to have lows BUT you're also going to have
amazing highs. So with that in mind not only is you're future going to be
awesome your life right now also is. Count the things you're happy for as nothing lasts forever. That is what this book taught me.
The main theme though, you can tell from the title, is love and the way Alderton approaches it is very raw, realistic and inspiring. Love in most cases isn't simple, it's romanticised to us from a young age and everyone has different opinions and perspectives on it, but we all want to be loved don't we? And I'm not just talking about romantic love, I just mean love as an emotion. What Alderton writes about is the complicated foundations of love and how it isn't simple or easy. Love isn't always what you see in the movies or hear in songs, it's unique for everyone and the experiences they've endured. Life isn't about parties, dates, friends, jobs etc. it's about love, simplistically. You must remember though, no matter who you are, you are loved.
Alderton tells the stories from her young adulthood and the memories she has made, it really inspired me and made me understand that you are the only one in charge of your life, make it an ̶g̶o̶o̶d̶ ̶ incredible one!
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Sincerely the most extra motivational speaker of the year,
Molly x
26/01/2021
Hello Lovelies! For the 'Books' sections of this months favourites, I wanted to talk about two books which I finished in January.
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Firstly, I finished an excellent book called 'The Dairy of a Bookseller' by Shaun Bythell. This book is in fact
non-fiction, it's a documentation of Shaun's life as a bookseller. He owns a small bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, called 'The Book Shop'. The book is a day to day record of his life, and the adventures he endeavours pursuing the, close to extinction, task of opening an independent, second-hand bookshop in the modern, internet ridden, society in which we go about our hasty lives. One thing that must be warned to those who want to read this, you will snort and bellow with laughter at the top of your lungs, at least I did. Ask my friends, they will tell you multiple times they've been embarrassed to sit with me in school thanks to Bythell's brilliant writing. I firmly believe that life, quite simply, is hilarious. If you look close enough, you will find humour in the smallest nooks and crannies of your day. Bythell is one of those fantastic writers that can also see this side of life. Even better, he can write about it perfectly to highlight that humour, and make a book, that quite frankly is somewhat just about a man and his bookshop, one of the best, funniest reads of my life. If you need to add some happiness to your days - which I think most people will be needing right now - give it a go!
The next book I finished only a couple of days ago is 'This is Not Fashion: Streetwear Past, Present and Future' written by Wilma Stone and King Adz. A huge passion of mine is fashion, loving all aspects of it and working towards a more
sustainable fashion industry. This book takes you through the history, evolution and influences of the streetwear movement accompanied by a large bank of beautiful images, that helps visualise and educate the reader on the clothes in which we read about. What I love about the creatives industry is the amount of detail and expressionism that goes into everything. If there was a book that looked at all types of creative outlets, looked at each of there histories, political contexts, movements, artists, evolution, the book would never end. There is so much to learn out there, so much to be inspired by, that's what this book highlighted for me. It was insanely interesting to read and learn about the influences of a sector of fashion which may be seen as one of the most influential parts of the fashion industry. It covered a lot of topics that I felt very passionate about and you're allowed to see into a whole different reality of others lives and the stories they have to tell. I defo recommend!
Much love and I hope you are safe,
Molly