Tag: book blogging

Fun times and Neon signs 💡

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ Leave a comment

February has been a month of fun times, event busy-ness and new experiences.

This past month, Riverina Readers Festival had a whopping success of an event and I was so proud to see the love, care and time that all those involved put towards the event being a smash hit. I think for me, when we deliver a successful event it’s important to celebrate. So this past week, I’ve not gone so hard on the emails, festival strategy work and planning. I took a breath and relished in our teamwork and passion towards a common goal.

I’ve also had some fun times in my new working gal role. This month I started a new job where I get to combine my passions for local community, service/program opportunity and event planning + delivery. I recognise that I am so privileged to say that I attend a workplace where work does not feel like work. I’m currently getting paid to train, work on and deliver something I’m super passionate about and I just smile every time I think about that! I truly hope each and every one of you get to experience this feeling one day because if I could bottle it up, I’d give it to every single person I meet.

When I’m feeling good and in a healthy headspace, I’m also more open to creative projects, experimenting with ideas and dreaming towards my own long term goals. I’ve let myself lean into that this week and sometimes the result is fantastic, sometimes it’s just a “I’ll tuck this away for later” (and proceed to create another folder on my laptop with images, dot points and unfinished documents) 🤣

But all in all, I think breathing in new experiences, celebrating the wins and letting your mind dream is so important. Especially when we can lead busy lives majority of the time. I’d recommend you try it and see what creative ideas or plans spring to mind 💖🧠

Comment below a win you’ve had this month 💭

Thursday Real Talk: The Key is Delegation

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ Leave a comment

It can be hard in these busy, bustling lives of ours to not feel as if we have too much on our plates. For me personally, I choose to juggle (key word here is choose – we’re usually in control of how much we take on), full time work, recreational sport, book blogging and reviewing, interviewing authors, developing a book festival and making time for friends & family.

I’m not here to boast or brag – I don’t want your empathy as I’ve said, it’s a choice I make – but I’m explaining this to give context in how try to use delegation in my life.

At this stage of my life, I choose to delegate; developing the book festival and friend & family time.

I delegate festival time by having found the most wonderful people who share it’s passion. These people have formed our strong and involved committee, whom each have a plate the size of mine, if not larger. But the key is we choose to delegate areas in which each members skills are going to excel. For example, I love communicating with others. So my areas of excelling include email correspondence, finding local community members to support us, attending networking events and organising our meetings + some more on the creative side of things. Therefore, anything that tends to fall outside of this scope, we discuss who will best suit the task. This is because somebody else in the room will find a task related to their skillset a heck of a lot easier than I, and will have the capacity to have this said task knocked over in 2 hours, compared to my 6. That my friends, is delegation at work.

With my friend & family time, I also choose to delegate. I generally choose to dedicate my Sundays spending quality time with those I value and who bring value to my life in return. You will see online that I tend to do my baking of cakes, biscuits, roasts and entertaining meals on a Sunday. This is because I delegate my other ‘need-to-do’ tasks throughout the week, leaving my Sunday for visitors. I think this comes from growing up and always dedicating time as a family to a Sunday night dinner together. As Italians, it was always pasta on a Sunday – and funnily enough, I still do that now at times. I personally choose a Sunday because it is typically known as our day of rest, but mentally for me, it’s also a ‘fill-my-cup’ day before heading back into the Monday to Friday grind.

I instantly resonated with this post saying the simple 4 words of “Don’t carry it all”, because I’ve had times in my life where delegation wasn’t my strong suit. And don’t get me wrong, as someone who has strong perfectionist traits, this can be extremely hard to work on and I do slip up – it’s only natural and normal. But choosing to have a healthy system of delegation in your life is something I would encourage you to try. And lastly, find those people who are in your corner and WILL cheer you on and work around your choices – they are your people!

Sundays in bed with … ‘The Wake-Up Call’

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ 2 Comments

There is something about Izzy and Lucas that had me needing to stay in my pyjama’s until 3.30pm and finish this book! Yes, you’re hearing that right 🙈

‘The Wake-Up Call’ is our October book pick for THE ROMANTICS book club, of which I’ve started with a book friend this year. It covers all things love, spicy and fun. If you’d like to join our online book club, click here 💖

Izzy Jenkins is a bright, bubbly English gal who passionately despises Lucas, a sexy, strong headed and co-working Brazilian at New Forest Boutique Hotel. Both share the job of receptionist slash hotel managers. Yet sharing the role is proving quite difficult, as the two of them are competitive, quick witted and always have the upper hand on one another.

But see the thing is, Izzy has (and actively does) suppress the fact that she has feelings for Lucas … strong feelings, even when he is a stubborn pain in her behind! So much so that in December 2020, she sends him a Christmas card, openly expressing her feelings and suggesting he meet her under the mistletoe. Oh man, did this go horribly wrong! Que laughing at card, Lucas kissing Izzy’s roommate instead and a totally disastrous next year of Izzy and Lucas trying to work side by side.

I really enjoyed the rollercoaster that is Izzy and Lucas’ enemies to lovers romance. Their back and forth banter, constant teasing of one another in the hotel lobby and in front of Poor Mandy. Gosh, I loved Poor Mandy and laughed every time I read her name and scenes. She’s not in fact poor, but is rather referred to as poor due to having to put up with Izzy and Lucas bickering, competing and disturbing each other every week she works with them.

I will admit, there was a part there where it started to lull for me, but then we got into the heated arguments becoming heated emotional and intimate scenes .. and snap! my attention was well and truely captured again!

Beth O’Leary is an instant buy for me because I always close one of her books feeling lighter, happier and like there is the possibility of romance still in the world 💫 I really recommend all her novels, particularly this one!