Appreciating the small things

I woke up to the sun-light blazing through my bright orange curtains. They were ready to be peeled right open to display the wonder of the world outside. I don’t know how twelve hours and a change of the clock seem to make the world of difference. Maybe it’s all in my head, some sort of placebo effect, but I swear waking up this morning was like waking up somewhere new. The grass seemed just that little bit greener, the birds in my back garden just a little bit happier. And with all of that, so was I. 

My day was more productive, to-do lists completed in record time and even time for a break in the middle. And knowing that I could go out for a bike ride at 6 o’clock on all of my favourite public footpaths, through fields after fields of greenery and wildlife, without worry about whether it would be light enough led to more productivity. The bike ride gave me the opportunity to appreciate my surroundings more and more, in a cycle of positivity that I’m determined to seize.

So even if it is a placebo effect, I’m always appreciative of our crazy little thing we do with the clocks to signify the start of summer. In a world consumed by technology, where the common lifestyle involves rushing from one place straight to the next, it’s so easy to let the little things in life pass us by. It’s not often we take time to appreciate the way the sun bounces off a lake that casts a warm glow everywhere, or the stranger in the street that smiles at us as we pass, but it’s something I’m trying to do more and more.


Keep smiling,
Kathryn x

Summer Reading: All the Bright Places review

One of my absolute favourite parts of summertime is spending copious amounts of time reading; and I mean everything, books, magazines, journals, blogs and articals. Absolutely anything. Despite rationally knowing its good to take a break from studying, I find it so hard during the term time to sit down and focus on reading for pleasure. There's always a tiny little part of me that thinks I should be doing something more 'productive' - whatever that is!

Anyway, I tend to resolve to read more during the summer (as you'll know if you've been with me for a while) but I had exams to sit last summer due to illness during the official examination period. This year, however, I have been delivered the prospect of a fabulous almost care-free summer with plenty of free time and endeavor to spend a lot more time reading so I'm keen to share the highs and the lows of it with you.

The first of my big summer reads was All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven and, having seen a handful of reviews, I had great expectations built up about this book. The novel tells the story of two contrasting characters Violet and Finch, who meet unexpectedly meet on top of their school bell tower with both characters contemplating suicide. We travel with these characters on a journey involving several small road trips as well as their own individual more abstract journeys: Violet and her journey through grief, and Finch's journey through mental illness.

All The Bright Places is gripping from the get-go and I was unable to put the novel down from start to end. I was constantly curious to know what would happen next and shell-shocked to find myself shed a few tears (quite a sight on a sunbed I believe) in the final chapters.


I found that the novel portrayed some important and thought-provoking messages including the idea that you can love someone unconditionally, but you still can't always save them. It also addressed the issue of mental health in a way that is (in my experience) understandable and realistic.

On top of this, I read All the Bright Places whilst on a family holiday and immediately after finishing it, I recommended it to my younger sister who really doesn't enjoy reading. She managed to get through the book in a record-breaking 6 hour time period and was absolutely hooked, then decided she really enjoys reading after all. So thank you Jennifer Niven.

I'll be back soon with some more reviews and some general chat, but in the meantime, keep smiling :)

Kathryn x