books – Page 4 – that lemon life

Me-time and de-stressing

Hola everyone.

Today I want to talk about something that should be important for everybody and that really means a lot to me, actually. And yes, you guessed it – I’m talking about ways I de-stress and relax and calm myself down. Actually, Zoella again inspired me to do this post. I wanted to write this one for weeks now, but watching her lastest video (link) really pushed me to finally do it. So, here we go.

Nowadays, I think it’s honestly really hard to completely switch off and de-stress, mostly because being online and just basically on surrounds and follows us the whole day and, for most of us, night too. I mean, I know, smartphones and tv shows and movies and the social media are all gifts from heaven, but sometimes, especially smartphones, have nothing than a bad impact on us. Personally, I try to not have my phone next to me the whole day, for example I turn it off at night and keep it in another room. I actually can’t sleep if my phone is in the same room when I go to sleep. And sometimes I even have a day off from my phone. I just don’t turn it on at all and I have to say, it really relaxes me a lot. And yes, you seriously have more time for other things if you don’t waste it being online all the time and reading a Facebook feed for the third time.

Oh and of course, today, stress is something normal for most of us. There’s always something to do and I think that for some people, it’s really difficult to separate themselves from all the do-do-lists and work and stress, which is also a reason I wanted to write this post. So, let’s get to the most important part, which is my ways of de-stressing and winding down and getting some me-time.

Taking a bath
- This is actually one of the most important things for me if I want to relax, because I can literally wash all of the stress of the day off and clean my mind. And also, who doesn’t love soaking a little bit and lying in some nice warm water before going to bed. It really gets you in that chilly and sleepy mood.

Going for a walk with Molly or going for a short run
- I think that any physical activity can help you de-stress and clean your mind. I especially love going for a run when I’m angry or when I have the feeling that I’ll explode any time. And getting some fresh air at all just really gets me down.

Taking some photographs
- You know how much my camera means to me and since I got it, taking pictures became a really important part of my life and one of my biggest and most important and intense hobbies. And I noticed how walking around with my camera and taking some nice pictures really calms me down, because I fully concentrate one this one thing and everything else just fades away.

Cuddling with Peaches
- I think that pets are really important if you want to live a happy life. Especially when it comes to me and Peaches, we really have a special bond and basically stick together all the time. The past week my day started with a huge cuddle session with Peaches and actually there aren’t a lot of things that relax me as much as holding Peaches in ma arms and hearing her purr.

Cooking or baking something
- Food. What else gets you relaxed if food doesn’t? I don’t really know how it happened but through time cooking and baking became a really important hobby of mine and I just love it. Taking raw products and turning them into something delicious. I especially love meals that just get you into this cozy and warm mood, like pasta, stew or a nice soup. And eating all that good stuff afterwards is just the most amazing part, let’s be honest.

Watching a good movie or tv series
- Movies and tv series just really mean a lot to me, you know that. But I think when I want to forget about my problems or all of the stress, watching a nice movie or a good tv series really gets me down and makes me forget about everything else. Except when I have to really finish college stuff or study for an exam, then watching a movie just makes everything worse. Because I won’t feel any better before I don’t finish it all.

Reading a book or listening to music
- I think that especially listening to music and doing nothing while doing that and reading a good book really helps me relax and wind down before going to bed. Both, books and music really do mean a lot to me and help me de-stress is just a really nice bonus.

Talking to my friends or family
- To be honest, talking to someone about all the things that stress me out and make me nervous, really helps me a lot. Or even talking to you guys about it really helps me. Because it gets all the stuff off of my mind and that’s just amazing.

Sleeping
- Actually, there’s nothing to add to this. Just sleep. That’s pretty much the best way to relax. So please, try to get a good sleep every night, it really helps.

So guys, there you go. Those are my ways of relaxing and winding down and getting some me-time. I hope I could help you guys with some of my tips and also, maybe some of you do the same to relax, which is awesome. Oh and if any of you want to talk to me about de-stressing or anything else, I’m here. And until then, I hope you enjoyed this post and, as always, thanks for reading. x

My book club

Hola everyone.

Today is the day I want so start something really special. My own book club, right here, right now. Actually, again, Zoella inspired my to do this, but it’s also something I already had in mind and would really like to build up. To be honest, I was never that interested in reading books when I was younger. I mean, of course I read some, but it wasn’t something I would have called my hobby or so. But today it is. Reading and books have become my hobby and I’m really happy about that.

A few years ago I found the perfect style of books for me and totally fell in love. I mean, I’m not obsessed or something and I don’t read ten books in one month. But as soon as I end one, I start another one and read it with all my heart and I try to enjoy it as much as I can. I’m not the kind of stressed reader, I really take my time. I try to live the story, get into it, understand the characters and sympathize with them. That’s the kind of reader that I am.

So, as you all know, the purpose of a book club is to talk about books. And I want to start by presenting my favorite books of the last year to you. Enjoy.

The Girl Online series by Zoe Sugg

I love love love love love these books. Oh my god. Actually, the first book is one of my forever favorites, god I love it so much. I think I read it in about 4 or 5 days, even in school. I remember sitting in class with my teacher doing nothing and me reading the book for the whole hour. And noone even said something, so it was all good. And I cried so much when it ended, but happy tears because it was so beautiful, the same with the second book.

Actually, this series is the embodiment of a girls dream. First flying to New York, then meeting a super hot guy and on top of that falling in love and being able to blog about it. Whaaaaat???? And yes, I know, how amazing is that? But of course, there has to be a downside. Penny, the protagonist, has to fight with huge panic attacks and her awkwardness, but also Noah – the hot cute guy – has a secret which could ruin everything. So yeah, exciting exciting. I can only recommend this book series to you. I loved it and I can’t wait to finally read the third one, which is going to be published at the end of the year. I’m exciteeeeeed.

Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne

This is another cute book I read this year. And I loved this so much. It’s about a girl named Evie (hello @ Joe Sugg), who has some really complicated mental health problems and who just moved into a new city with a completely new college, where nobody knows that she once went nuts. She wants a fresh start, with new friends, maybe even a boyfriend. And although it seems to work out, not telling her secrets could destroy everything. So, yeah, the story is really exciting. I could’t stop reading. Sometimes all I wanted to do was jump into the book and shake some sense into Evie, but at the end… You know what? You should find that out by yourself.

Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard

This is the book I told you about in my Copenhagen haul. Actually, it’s one of the books Zoella presented in her own book club and now I’m doing the same in mine. This is such beautiful book, for real. To be honest, I hate romantic stories. I don’t like romantic movies nor books. Because all they do is make me jealous and then hate everyone who’s in love. But this book is different. I mean, yeah, it’s about love. But love between friends. And this book just gets it. For real. I highly recommend it.

The story is about Caddy, a girl looking for some significant incidents, she wants something important and special and exciting to happen. And then she becomes friends with the newly moved Suzanne, who is trying to escape from her past and become somebody new. So the adventure begins. An adventure full of happiness and love, but also full of problems, tears and hurt. At the end Caddy has to chose between good or bad. A decision that could change everything.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Let’s be honest, who hasn’t either read the book or seen the movie or both? I did both and I regret nothing, because the story changes you. The book is about Charlie, a complicated, introverted and very intelligent freshman, who is looking for some friends at his new school. But being a wallflower isn’t always easy and stepping into this new world full of music, drugs, dramas and new friends turns out to be even more difficult than Charlie thought.

This is one of those stories pretty much everyone can somehow relate to. It brings you back to those years in college, where every day felt like a trip on a rollercoaster. In some moments it makes you smile, in others it makes you cry. And I have to be honest and say that it kind of seemed really depressing to me. But also really positive. I think it depends on you, what side you chose. But in the end, it all feels like an homage to life and what could be more beautiful than that?

Never Have I Ever by Katie Heaney

I think I already talked about this book in an earlier post. It’s all about the author Katie herself and her life. Her date-less life. Now that she’s twenty-five, Katie starts to question herself and begins to remember all of her past, all the situation she could have got an boyfriend and what exactly went wrong. This path also follows her friendship with her best friend Rylee, who couldn’t be any more different. And to be honest, this book couldn’t be any better. I bought it because I, myself, am still date-less and the moment I saw this book, I just had to read it. To see that there are other people out there go through the same. And this book made me so happy. It’s such a funny, totally relatable and inspiring story and memoir. And not just for people who never had a date, but for everyone who ever struggled to find love. And if that relates to you, I really recommend this book. You won’t regret it.

The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman

This is one of those books you will never be able to forget. Because it’s just too inspiring and full of love and happiness. Although it begins really sad. So, this is about Brett Bohlinger, who seems to have achieved everything she ever wanted – a hot boyfriend, a good job, a cool apartment. And then her mum dies and everything changes. Mostly because her mum, even after her death, set herself the mission to change Bretts life, for good. It all begins with a letter Brett wrote when she was younger, a list of life goals. And her mother wants Brett to achieve all of those in the next year. And so as the journey begins, one thing becomes very clear: sometimes life’s sweetest gifts can be found in the most unexpected places.

As you can see, this story is about life and its struggles. As soon as you start reading, you sympathize with Brett. You go through all the ups and downs together with her. Cry with her. Smile with her. And at the end, this book makes you, or made me realize one thing: life is like a rollercoaster, full of positive and negative aspects but at the end, you get out and all you do is smile.

So yeah, there they are. My first books for my book club. I’m planning in continuing this list, adding books and presenting them to you. Actually, I have already planned to buy some books in Brighton on my vacation next week:

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward
This Modern Love by Will Darbyshire (go Will, woooo)
Harry Potter And The Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling (of course)
and more

So yeah, there you go. I really really hope enjoyed this post and like my idea of this book club. Oh and please feel free to talk to me or join this “club”. Everyone likes to talk about books, so go on. And until then, as always, thanks for reading. x

Copenhagen Haul

Hola everyone.

I know, I don’t have anything to explain, you already read the title. Welcome to another haul (yeeeeey). Actually, I’m pretty excited – probably even more than you guys – because I can talk some more about some of my favorite topics. Shopping, books and fashion.

I mean, I don’t really have to tell you that my mum and me went shopping in Copenhagen, that’s pretty obvious, lets be honest. The weeks before our trip I stopped myself every time I wanted to go shopping (do you even know how hard that is???). Because I knew I had to save all my shopping desires up for Copenhagen, which I gladly did. So I flew to Copenhagen with my plan of buying some pretty cool things, most important dungarees. Dungarees is a trend I tried to avoid or let’s say ignore, but you know me, I can’t ignore cool trends like that. Especially not if my beloved fashion YouTuber Zoella just absolutely nails wearing it. So, I had to get a pair of those. And apart from that I wanted to get an off the shoulder shirt because I simply love them and a cute tea cup from Urban Outfitters. So, that was my plan.

So, the first thing I bought was actually the book called “Beautiful Broken Things” by Sara Barnard, which I really wanted to buy, because it was on my book list. And I always have to stroll through book shops in the cities I travel to and finding the book was just another bonus.

On the third day my mum and me had our big shopping day. A good day, because I actually got everything I wanted to. Dungarees, off the shoulder tops and a cute cup. All of my clothes are from the H&M, a shop I usually don’t really go to because it’s pretty lame in my city. But surprisingly H&M stores are always so much better in other countries, it’s nearly unfair. And yes, I love everything I got and the dungarees just plainly slay. I love them.

Oh and I got my cup as planned at Urban Outfitters and I love it sooooo freaking much. I love the color and it looks so vintage and just awesome. Oh and it feels really nice too.

The last thing I got were two cactuses. It looks like cactuses are THE trend in Copenhagen or Denmark overall, so I just had to get some. I found them at a market close to our hotel and they looked so small and cute and tiny and beautiful and I wanted them. So I bought two and hoped that they would survive the flight, which they did, thank god. They actually are called my two little dwarfs and I absolutely love them.

So yeah, that’s everything I bought. I absolutely loved Copenhagen and I’m so happy that I went there with my mum and that I got all those beautiful things. I hope you love them as much as I do and enjoy my as always artsy pictures. If any of you went to Copenhagen or shopping or want to talk about anything else, I’m here. And until then. as always, thanks for reading. x