As art galleries, restaurants, pubs and salons continue to reopen, albeit, with social distancing measures still in place, August is set to be the most exciting month of our social calendars so far
Summer is saved. Huzzah! As art galleries, restaurants, pubs and salons continue to reopen, albeit, with social distancing measures still in place, August is set to be the most exciting month of our social calendars so far, full of all the beautiful normal things we used to fill our days within pre-lockdown life.
Can we remember what going out feels like, what awkward face to face human interaction feels like, what menu panic feels like? No, no we can’t but we’re so ready to be reunited with all of it. Hello from the other side, dear world.
1 Eat out to help out at all your favourite restaurants, and forget how to do the whole social interaction with a waiter thing.
Image Credit: The Ivy Brighton
2 Praise your boyfriend’s barber fresh cut, but feel deeply offended that he didn’t book in with you again. Who knew love could hurt like this.
3 Visit an open-air theatre. Go get that drama.
4 Escape the city for a well-earned staycation. Glamping, camping, a yoga retreat – holidaying closer to home never felt so good
5 Sip your first proper Aperol spritz of the year. Chin chin!
6 Watch a movie at a rooftop cinema or a drive-in film club for contact-free movie magic
7 Splash about in a lido
8 and immediately complain about how cold it is
9 Hang out in a lavender field and enjoy the pretty purple blooms before they finish for the season. Could you be any more relaxed?
10 Get reacquainted with shoes. It’s been quite the rough patch for them.
This August we're super excited to have some of the super talented Etsy makers from the Zoella X Etsy collaboration on our Tuesday Takeovers! Learn more about Hayley and Lucas from Alphabet Bags...
First of all, how have you been coping with the pandemic this year?
We’re doing ok thank you! It’s obviously been a strange and worrying time but we’re in a very fortunate position that has allowed us to carry on working and also take on homeschooling. It’s been much more of a juggling act than usual with two young children at home and a lot of late nights catching up with work, but we’re so grateful for the flexibility that working for ourselves allows. We’ve had lots of lovely messages from customers placing orders to be sent to loved ones during lockdown, that’s been so nice to see on a daily basis during a tricky time.
Has it affected how you operate your business?
Pre-COVID we probably spent 10% of our time doing work from home but in the last 5 months, we’ve spent the vast majority of our time working at home, just taking trips to the office to send out orders. We set up a temporary office in our living room which has pretty much turned into a permanent workspace. Our operating hours have also changed a lot, working around our kids full time means grabbing 10 minutes here and there and then catching up properly when they’re in bed.
How long have you been selling on Etsy for?
We’ve been selling on Etsy since 2015, although our brand launched in 2008.
How did Alphabet Bags come to be?
We launched Alphabet Bags in 2008. Back then we were living in a small flat in south London where we’d been running an online gallery (thecalmgallery.com), which we had launched a few years earlier whilst at university. We really wanted to branch out and create a collection of tote bags and had the idea to make a collection of 26 very simple and bold initial prints. After spending a lot of time finding the right materials and UK manufacturer we took the plunge and made over 1000 bags in our first batch. In hindsight that was probably a bit risky as we had no idea how people would respond to them, but we were so lucky that they were well received and we had some fantastic press in the early days which was so important in getting our brand out there. We never set out to start an accessories brand beyond that first collection, but we were soon bursting with ideas for other ranges so we got busy designing!
What is Alphabet Bags mission statement?
To create long-lasting accessories with a focus on simple, bold and cheerful design.
What’s your best seller?
This changes all the time, but at the moment it’s our ‘Everything’ oversized canvas totes.
What are you currently working on?
We always have lots of new projects on the go! At the moment we’re working on our first range of greetings cards, some new enamel pin designs, expanding our range of keyrings and sampling some new sweatshirts for autumn. We’re also trying to choose the perfect colour for a new range of oversized totes and pouches. When we make canvas in a custom colour we have to dye a lot, so we really take our time to choose the exact right shade.
How did you find the process of creating products for the Zoella X Etsy Collab?
Zoella and Etsy have been amazing to collaborate with! As a brand, it’s really important for our collaborations to fit with our aesthetic and personalities and we found that particularly true when working together on these products. We’re so pleased with the results and really excited to share them with everyone!
We always find this question difficult to answer, not because there aren’t great things about working together, but because it’s all we’ve really known. We’ve worked together for over 13 years since leaving uni! We have always enjoyed working together but never set out to create a family business. I think the flexibility that comes with running a family business, especially when you have children, is such an important thing and we’re really grateful to be able to spend so much time together and with our kids.
How long does your end to end process take when designing and selling something new for your shop?
This varies from product to product. For some product types, we can have an idea one day and then be launching the actual item within a couple of weeks. Other items or large collections might take several months or even years to go from concept to reality. We keep many of our staple items such as totes and zip pouches in stock ready for new designs to be printed. These are the fastest items for us to turn around when we have new ideas. There is much more involved when working on a brand new collection, especially if we need to find a new manufacturer or go through a lengthy process of sampling and tweaking to get the samples just right. We’re still working on one large collection of enamel pins which we’ve been trying to get right for over two years now, but we’re not giving up!
What inspires you?
These days it’s being parents of two young kids that provides the most inspiration. Things like our ‘Everything’ oversized canvas totes probably wouldn’t exist if we hadn’t experienced days out with the kids while carrying most of the contents of our house! Other items such as our Snacks bags and Ice Cream Appreciation Society collection were created for them to use, and we’re so lucky that other people seem to like them too!
How do you relax outside of work?
There hasn’t been a lot of time for relaxing the last few months, but when we do get some downtime nothing beats a hot bath and a good book or podcast.
If you could give one piece of advice to our audience who want to start making their own products what would it be?
Be original! We think that is one of the most important things that would help with your success. If your offering is unique people would be so much more likely to find you. Starting is often the most daunting step, but it doesn’t need to be. Many businesses can be launched and tested without a large investment, it’s definitely good to start small and grow gradually. With Etsy, you can get your brand in front of a huge worldwide audience relatively quickly which is such an amazing opportunity when starting a business.
2020 = the horror story none of us signed up to read, making a feel-good, ‘warm and fuzzy inside’ story all the more needed.
Sigh. Whilst poolside reading might be off the cards, it’s no reason to ditch the feel-good reads you normally pick up en route to somewhere divinely sunny- hang on in there, next year will be our year people!
2020 = the horror story none of us signed up to read, making a feel-good, ‘warm and fuzzy inside’ story all the more needed. We’ve picked out the creme de la creme of this genre to see you through summer and beyond- the perfect companions for a staycation, golden hour in the park or alongside a blissful bubble bath. So sit back, relax and let yourself be transported to a word of pure escapism.
One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia is a 2006 memoir by American author Elizabeth Gilbert. The memoir chronicles the author’s trip around the world after her divorce and what she discovered during her travels.
Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. … After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues–and they’re for him.
Lara Jean Covey is a teenage girl who writes love letters when she gets a crush too big to handle but she never actually sends them. One day her deepest secrets are revealed and she creates and elaborate plan to save herself from being too embarrassed but it all goes pear-shaped when it turns into more than fake.
A tender, joyous debut novel about a cub reporter and her eighty-six-year-old subject—and the unlikely and life-changing friendship that develops between them.
Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief.
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the colour yellow.
Grieving for a family she has lost or lost touch with, she’s haunted by the echoes of her footsteps in her empty home; the sound of the radio in the dark; the tick-tick-tick of the watching clock.
Spiky and defensive, Missy knows that her loneliness is all her own fault. She deserves no more than this; not after what she’s done. But a chance encounter in the park with two very different women opens the door to something new.
Another life beckons for Missy if only she can be brave enough to grasp the opportunity. But seventy-nine is too late for a second chance. Isn’t it?
Nadia gets the 7.30 train every morning without fail. Well, except if she oversleeps or wakes up at her friend Emma’s after too much wine. Daniel really does get the 7.30 train every morning, which is easy because he hasn’t been able to sleep properly since his dad died. One morning, Nadia’s eye catches sight of a post in the daily paper:
To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I’m the guy who’s always standing near the doors… Drink sometime?
So begins a not-quite-romance of near-misses, true love, and the power of the written word.
In this wildly funny journal of a year in the life of Georgia Nicolson, British author Louise Rennison has perfectly captured the soaring joys and bottomless angst of being a teenager. In the spirit of Bridget Jones’s Diary, this fresh, irreverent, and simply hilarious book will leave you laughing out loud. As Georgia would say, it’s “Fabbity fab fab!”
When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.
The ‘I Heart’ series features 8 books and follows the story of Angela Clark, from cheating boyfriends to travelling the world these books are jam-packed with fun.
Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.
15th July 1988: Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that?
And every year that follows?
Generations of readers young and old, male and female, have fallen in love with the March sisters of Louisa May Alcott’s most popular and enduring novel, Little Women. Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.
When her daughter Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shut-in, throws herself into preparations for the trip. But worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And after a school fundraiser goes disastrously awry at her hands, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces–which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an elaborate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveals a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades. Where’d You Go Bernadette is an ingenious and unabashedly entertaining novel about a family coming to terms with who they are and the power of a daughter’s love for her mother.
Single mum Robin Wilde adores her six-year-old daughter and loves her job as a makeup artist’s assistant. She has a wonderful best friend and an auntie who is bonkers, yes, but loves her to the moon and back. But Robin has a secret. Behind the mask she carefully applies every day, things just feel … grey. And lonely. She struggles to fit in with the school mum crew. Online dating is totally despair-inducing, and she worries every day about raising her little girl with self-confidence, courage and joy.
One cruel night, Meggie’s father reads aloud from a book called INKHEART– and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books. Meggie must learn to harness the magic that has conjured this nightmare. For only she can change the course of the story that has changed her life forever.
One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia is a 2006 memoir by American author Elizabeth Gilbert. The memoir chronicles the author’s trip around the world after her divorce and what she discovered during her travels.
When the Princess of Nova accidentally poisons herself with a love potion meant for her crush, she falls crown-over-heels in love with her own reflection. Oops. A nationwide hunt is called to find the cure, with competitors travelling the world for the rarest ingredients, deep in magical forests and frozen tundras, facing death at every turn.
After being together for ten years, Sylvie and Dan have all the trimmings of a happy life and marriage; they have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, beautiful twin girls, and communicate so seamlessly, they finish each other’s sentences. However, a trip to the doctor reveals they could live another 68 years together… and panic sets in. They never expected ‘until death do us part’ to mean seven decades.
An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.
Growing up in a quiet Yorkshire village, Roxanne couldn’t wait to escape and find her place in the world in London. As a high-powered fashion editor she lives a glamorous life of perennial singlehood – or so it seems to her sister Della. But when Roxanne gets her heart broken by a fashion photographer, she runs away, back to Della’s welcoming home above her bookshop in Burley Bridge.
Tiffy Moore and Leon Twomey each have a problem and need a quick fix.
Tiffy’s been dumped by her cheating boyfriend and urgently needs a new flat. But earning minimum wage at a quirky publishing house means that her choices are limited in London.
Leon, a palliative care nurse, is more concerned with other people’s welfare than his own. Along with working night shifts looking after the terminally ill, his sole focus is on raising money to fight his brother’s unfair imprisonment.
Leon has a flat that he only uses 9 to 5. Tiffy works 9 to 5 and needs a place to sleep. The solution to their problems? To share a bed of course…
As Leon and Tiffy’s unusual arrangement becomes a reality, they start to connect through Post-It notes left for each other around the flat.
Can true love blossom even in the unlikeliest of situations?
Can true love blossom even if you never see one another?
Or does true love blossom when you are least expecting it?
We’re kicking off our staycation series with the best of British camping - and its bougier sister, glamping!
With the FOC currently advising against all but essential international travel, holidaying overseas may be off-limits this year, but there are still plenty of opportunities to sojourn closer to home. Come through staycations, you silver lining you!
Come through staycations, you silver lining you!
Enjoying a Summer retreat without boarding a flight certainly has its pluses. Jumping straight in your VW for a road trip or hopping on a train without the suitcase weigh-in rigmarole makes hot-footing it on your holibobs a breeze.
We’re kicking off our staycation series with the best of British camping – and its bougier sister, glamping! Because who doesn’t love huddling round a campfire and gorging on sticky s’mores?
25 Bougie Manicures To Inspire Your First Post-Lockdown Salon Date
After months of naked nails, we can finally book in for our first post-lockdown manicure but with this glorious reunion comes the inevitable task of… picking a shade or design. Gulp.
PSA: nail appointments are back on! We’re so excited, are you excited? Everyone’s excited.
After months of naked nails, we can finally book in for our first post-lockdown manicure but with this glorious reunion comes the inevitable task of… picking a shade or design. Gulp.
The pressure’s all too much. That colour wheel of fortune will never not be petrifying: let’s go classic red, no wait, actually scrap that, let’s go nude. On second thoughts, let’s live a little and go for PANTONE OF THE FREAKING YEAR.
We’ve gathered 25 of the best-dressed nails on the interweb to inspire your post-lockdwon mani. Get bookmarking! And good luck with the decision making process.
@lisapotterdixon
Who doesn’t love a bit of tie-dye?
@fingerfeast
A tonal gradient manicure dream.
@HeartZeena
Dreamy pastels to complete your Summer.
@OverGlowEdit
Old MacDonald had a farm and a strong manicure game, or so the rhyme goes. Check out that cow print.
@emilyjanelathan
For all those who just love somethin’ abstract, there’s pottery art
@emilyjanelathan
and brushstrokes!
@camilacoelho
Pride ready.
nailsbymh
Real pressed flowers, what a time to be alive.
@nailsbymh
Prism ombre = high-key amazing.
@hardasnails.studio
The life and soul of the party.
@beautyworksbyamy
Summer at your fingertips.
@beautyworksbyamy
Cool pistachio tones for the win.
@beautyworksbyamy
Florals so good, Miranda Priestly will be shooketh.
@Jennynails
Have you ever seen a happier set of hands?
@betina_goldstein
Glitter is always a good idea.
@sara_waiste
Over Summer now? How about an autumnal set!
@hardasnails.studio
Head in the clouds.
@heartzeena
A 10/10 colour combo.
@emilyjanelathan
Sunshine in a manicure basically.
@betina_goldstein
Gold-embossed foliage. Sign us up!
@betina_goldstein
Fawn print Bambi nails – go live your best Snow White life.
@heartzeena
Why settle for one colour when you can have 5?
@rosebnails
Ready for red tips?
@majestyspleasure
A fine simple outline.
Booking your nail app? We’d love to know what you go for!
Introducing Zoella X Etsy: A Sneak Peek At The Collection
We’re incredibly excited to announce the Zoella X Etsy collaboration - a new limited edition lifestyle & homewares collection in partnership with our favourite independent sellers on Etsy.
This post is part of a paid collaboration with Etsy UK
We’re incredibly excited to announce the Zoella X Etsy collaboration – a new limited edition lifestyle & homewares collection in partnership with our favourite independent sellers on Etsy.
The 20-piece collection, launching on 10 August, features a mix of bespoke wall art, ceramics, cushions, tote bags, sustainable stationery, greeting cards tea towels, and hand-poured soy candles, so you can have fun styling every nook and crook of your space with colour, pattern and personality.
Inspired by contemporary trends and Zoe’s signature interior style
Inspired by contemporary trends and Zoe’s signature interior style, the blush pink, burnt orange, mustard and blue colour palette will make a statement in your home whatever the season.
We partnered with talented makers and dreamers
We partnered with talented makers and dreamers who are committed to creating unique handmade items, made to last and bring you joy in your homes every day.
To amplify the importance of shopping small and to champion the work of these wonderful independent creators is exactly what inspired this collaboration to happen.
After handpicking the Etsy sellers whose aesthetic and ethos complemented the Zoella brand, we got to work on moodboarding a versatile collection of homewares designed to make your home a happy place.
Together, the Zoella X Etsy range forms a unique collection of lifestyle and interiors decor, with creativity and craftsmanship at its core. We can’t wait to see how you style the pieces in your homes.
Launching Monday 10th August at 9:00am BST
This post is part of a paid collaboration with Etsy UK
Much like remembering to water that one thirsty plant you always forget about, SPF is a part of your daily routine.
Much like remembering to water that one thirsty plant you always forget about, SPF is a part of your routine you’ll forever regret not doing before it’s potentially too late. Whilst SPF should be something you’re using on the regular (and by that, we mean daily people!), the quest to find the perfect skin-protecting companion naturally crops up during the warmer months of the year.
No matter your skin type, there are generally similar concerns when selecting your heatwave or golden hour essential, namely: will it be heavy on the skin? Will it break me out? Will my make-up look patchy on top? And whilst childhood nightmares of being smothered head to toe in any old thick and sticky sun cream have our pores screaming at the memory, there is thankfully a plethora of lightweight, matte, hydrating and invisible sunscreens now on the market to take the stress out of sun care! Go forth and conquer endless sunny soaked activities safe in the knowledge that your skin is thanking you for it.
Oily
If you’re used to powdering mid morning and go through setting spray like there’s no tomorrow, the thought of adding a heavy product to your base can be enough to scare you away from sun screen for good. But it doesn’t have to be this way! There are numerous budget to boujie brands out there now catering for us shiny guys and gals which are perfect to wear alone or under make-up. Look out for ingredients like Seaweed, Zinc, Caffeine, Rice Starch and anything that boasts sebum controlling benefits.
Dry
When you’re dealing with dry or flaky skin, the last thing you want is something coming in the way of you and your bestie (moisturiser), but thankfully an SPF can actually help in quenching your thirsty complexion. Striking the balance between non greasy and hydrating is a fine line, but brands like Elizabeth Arden and CeraVe have it nailed, curating the perfect ingredients to nourish skin whilst protecting it too. Vitamin C, Aloe and Hyaluronic Acid are key components to look out for here.
A formula free of fragrance is also something to consider when seeking to minimise irritation, as alcohol and essential oils can, in fact, make skin drier and redder. Mature complexions can also reap from the benefits of a hydrating sunscreen, making it a failsafe pick for anyone looking to slow the signs of ageing (although we personally adore the stories wrinkles and smile lines tell).
Normal
Those with a ‘normal’ complexion have the pick of the bunch in skincare, but there are still some helpful hints and tips for finding the perfect formula for you. Lightweight and non greasy are still buzz words worth looking out for, as any addition to your routine that claims to not disrupt the rest of your skincare is one to watch.
Without the need to target any specific skin complaints, a normal complexion means you have the pick of the bunch in finding a sunscreen soulmate that fits the bill! That said, UVA/UVB protection is a must, helping to ensure your skin is protected from discolouration, as well as daily aggressors like pollution.
Acne Prone
Adding a new SPF to your routine might feel like it’s not worth the aggro that troublesome skin might give you, but the right formula will only amplify the benefits of your existing skincare routine, not hinder them!
Problem skin-saving brands like Mario Badescu and La Roche-Posay have changed the game in bringing the best of skincare and sun protection together, meaning you don’t need to compromise on one or the other to nail your everyday base. Blemish-busting ingredients such as Niacinamide, Aloe, Rose Water and Vitamins C and E are ones to watch, and anything that claims to be fast-absorbing and texture redefining is great too!
Dark Skin Tones
No matter your ethnicity, SPF is essential for every one of us! With that in mind, selecting a product designed to work best on Black skin tones might just be the key to finding the product for you- especially those which claim to sit invisibly on the skin without the infamous white cast that heavier products can leave behind.
Black Girl Sunscreen by BLK + GRN is the holy grail of POC SPF, enriched with cocoa butter and carrot seed oil to keep skin moisturised and protected with no sticky residue left behind. Sun protection oils are also worth a try, allowing your natural skin colour to shine through and radiate golden hour energy all day long. You glow girl!
For The Body
And finally, protecting the sensitive areas that rarely see the light of day (we’re talking about you shoulders, ankles and stomach) is ultra important too when getting your dose of Vit D in the summer sun. Mists are a great and easy option for all over coverage, removing the fuss from application and also feeling super refreshing amongst the stickiness that comes with 25 degrees and over.
Whether you’re planning on a dip in the pool or simply know you’ll be sweating like a (very cute looking) pig, water-resistant is always a plus! If you’re after that instant hit of holiday fragrance, it’s always safer to pop this on your body and leave the non-perfumed additions for your face- you’ll be smelling like a tropical dream in no time!
Author of the Zoella Book Club July pick My Dark Vanessa. We caught up with Kate to find out more...
First of all, how are you and how have you been coping in 2020?
I’m doing ok—I have secure housing, financial stability, and a job that allows me to work from home, so I am very fortunate. It’s been a strange experience releasing the novel into a pandemic, but everyone putting out a book right now is in the same position so it’s easy to keep perspective.
We loved reading My Dark Vanessa for our July book club, what was the process like for writing your debut novel?
I worked on My Dark Vanessa for a long time, about eighteen years total. A lot of the writing process took place in academic creative writing programs—I have three degrees in creative writing—so parts of the novel were being workshopped and critiqued on a regular basis. The final version of MDV was actually my PhD dissertation.
What inspired you to write My Dark Vanessa?
I started writing what about become MDV when I was a teenager, and it really started with Vanessa. As a character, she came to me fully formed which is something that’s hard to explain because it feels a little supernatural, like she already existed and I just happened to be tasked with writing her. Over the years, my obsessions ended up making their way into the novel, namely questions of consent and coercion, early aughts pop culture, postfeminism, and Lolita. Throughout the writing process, if I found myself really preoccupied with a topic, I’d try to figure out a way to work it into the book.
What was it like to become a Sunday Times Best Seller?
Surreal! So much of the publication process has been surreal, but to know that the book is out in the world and being read is incredibly gratifying.
We love the MDV memes, do you enjoy seeing people’s comedy takes on the book?
Yes, absolutely love the memes. The subject matter of MDV is of course very heavy, but I think there’s still space for humor in responses to the novel. And in general I try not to take myself too seriously.
What are you currently working on?
Right now I’m working on what I’m referring to as “Book 2.” No title yet, and it’s still brand new so it all feels very delicate, but I’m buzzing with excitement over it and it’s all I want to talk about, but I’m paranoid that talking about it too soon might ruin it. It’s such a comforting thing, though—to be back in the writing process and to have a project that, for now, is completely mine.
What are you reading at the moment?
I just read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel for the first time and it was interesting to compare the realities of COVID-19 to the fictional pandemic in that novel. I also read Notice by Heather Lewis, which was devastating, mind-blowing, gut-wrenching. That novel changed the way I think. Next up, I’m looking forward to reading Luster by Raven Leilani and I have the feeling I’m going to love it.
We love that you are a Zoe and Zoella fan! Who are some of your other favourite follows online?
Yes, I am a HUGE Zoe fan. (Please tell Zoe I love her.) Her vlogs were my go-to thing to watch when I was deep in the writing process and just needed to turn my brain off for a while and feel cozy and happy.
Overall, I tend to be pretty eclectic with who I follow, but YouTube is probably where I spend the most time taking in others’ content. The past few years I’ve really enjoyed watching booktubers and my husband and I like to watch travel vloggers together.
I also love comedians like Conner O’Malley who use social media to create performance art. My favourite thing is finding someone on YouTube and not being able to tell if it’s a persona or if it’s “real.” I’m just fascinated by the innovative ways people use social media. I’ve always said that if I were ever to get another PhD, I’d want to study the internet, specifically vlogging.
What do you do to switch off and relax?
Watching vlogs! But also: take my dog on long walks, listen to ambient music, and put screens away.
What do you always carry with you?
These days, a face mask and my favorite lavender hand sanitizer spray are the most important essentials. I also try to always have my notebook with me because if a writing idea comes to me, I need to get it down on paper right away or else risk it being lost forever. Other things that stay in my bag: a big pashmina that I use as a blanket for hanging out in the park, a rollerball perfume, a roll of dog poo bags (very glamorous).
What does your perfect weekend look like?
Either a couple of days of morning coffees at a nearby bakery followed by quiet time writing at home, or a short trip with my husband.
If you could only eat one meal again what would it be?
Not a meal, but sour gummies. Though, if you eat enough sour gummies, do they become a meal?
If you could give one positive message to our followers what would it be?
This has been a year of struggle and hardship, but it’s also been full of activism and awareness and long-silenced voices finally being heard. I hope everyone can stay engaged and committed to bettering themselves and their communities as we continue to take care of each other.
July Book Club 2020: My Dark Vanessa By Kate Elizabeth Russell
Without a doubt the most harrowing book club to date, My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell is a novel that we were equally frightened to open and compelled to finish.
Without a doubt the most harrowing book club to date, My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell is a novel that we were equally frightened to open and compelled to finish.
Billed as the most controversial book of the year, it examines the devastating effects of a sexual relationship between a fifteen-year-old girl and her teacher.
To the reader, the teacher is a textbook predator but to the young vulnerable protagonist, Vanessa, “to be groomed is to be loved and handled like a precious, delicate thing.”
You begin to see what made this month’s novel such a dark and disturbing read. Find out all our thoughts and feelings in the gallery below!
All he did was fall in love with me and the world turned him into a monster.
An era-defining novel about the relationship between a fifteen-year-old girl and her teacher.
Vanessa Wye was fifteen-years-old when she first had sex with her English teacher.
She is now thirty-two and in the storm of allegations against powerful men in 2017, the teacher, Jacob Strane, has just been accused of sexual abuse by another former student.
Vanessa is horrified by this news, because she is quite certain that the relationship she had with Strane wasn’t abuse. It was love. She’s sure of that.
Forced to rethink her past, to revisit everything that happened, Vanessa has to redefine the great love story of her life – her great sexual awakening – as rape. Now she must deal with the possibility that she might be a victim, and just one of many.
Nuanced, uncomfortable, bold and powerful, My Dark Vanessa goes straight to the heart of some of the most complex issues our age.
Trigger Warning: Rape, consent, abuse, coercion.
Charlotte
It feels odd to talk so highly of a book that shouldn’t be ‘enjoyable’ to read, but for some reason, I felt a real connection to Vanessa and invested in her journey as if she were a friend.
Oftentimes I find when a book flit between the past and the present it doesn’t always add much to the storyline, but in this case, I think the ability to see toxic habits and behaviours come up, again and again, was so valuable in demonstrating the often lifelong impacts of trauma. It really hammered home how even the most fleeting moments in adolescence can go on to impact the course of your life. The tale is a gritty and hard-hitting one, but despite its intenseness, the final chapters left me feeling hopeful and reassured that there is always potential for progress and growth, no matter the circumstances.
Despite having never experienced anything similar to what Vanessa went through, I couldn’t help but feel that Russel’s words summed up so perfectly the confusion, guilt and emotional exhaustion that comes with an abusive power dynamic and the heaviness this places on you day in and day out. This book made me think and has truly left a lasting impact on me. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.
Would recommend – yes
Rating 5/5
Lareese
Like the itch you can’t stop scratching, My Dark Vanessa was a story I could not leave alone, even if I wanted to. I wanted to both escape the story and see how it all ends. Kate Elizabeth Russell doesn’t tiptoe around the pitch-black subject matter and this all-consuming novel more than lives up to the darkness its title alludes to. It explores themes of sexual abuse, paedophilia and trauma with such skill and intelligence, that continuing to read it seems like the only way you can stand with the protagonist, Vanessa.
Possibly not the feel-good read we’re all jonesing for during these turbulent times but its literary pull is so powerful that putting it down seems like an injustice in itself. It’s uncomfortable because it has to be. It will destroy you.
Would you recommend: Definitely!
Rating 5/5
Holly
I’m trying not to read the blurbs before I start a book because I sometimes feel like it gives too much away, but I regret that this time. It was brilliantly written but took me a long time to read. Kate paints such a vivid picture and my heart ached for Vanessa all through the book. So much that I found myself avoiding reading it. It was so interesting and will give a voice to so many people but I honestly don’t think there’s one part of the book where you don’t feel helplessly desperate. I did love the ending, it offered us some closure but I just wanted a happy ending, which I know is a somewhat unrealistic outcome. Great read!
Danielle
WOW. What an incredibly intense and interesting book. It was so
seeing such a different side of abuse and trauma, and one that is quite possibly the most common. The MeToo movement was such an incredible catalyst for change but MDV shines a light in places I hadn’t thought about before which makes it such a compelling story. I loved that the book jumped between two time frames, it was so well placed and I was always excited to catch up with both Vanessa’s stories. I admittedly was swept up in the romance of Vanessa and Strane until it got sexual and from that point on I was so aware of how he groomed her and manipulated her and took advantage of her. Strane is just as complex as Vanessa, knowing what he is, knowing that it’s wrong, trying to limit the damage but his character evolves in such a way that I too ended up feeling betrayed by him. Usually, I pick up feel-good books but I’m so glad that I listened to MDV as it really made me think and stayed with me after which is a true testament to a great story.
Would you recommend? Definitely but with a trigger warning
Rating: 5/5
Maddie
I found this book incredibly uncomfortable and at times disturbing to read but that didn’t stop it being one of the biggest page-turners I’ve read this year. The story follows the books narrator Vanessa at various points in her life. As a quiet, friendless 15-year-old budding poet entering into a relationship with her 42-year-old teacher up until present day where she is in her early thirties and finally opening up about the trauma of her past. Despite Vanessa’s insistence that there was love and kindness between them, to me this story is so clearly one of child abuse and the damage such abuse can cause to its victims long after they stop being children. I found it truly heartbreaking how manipulated and brainwashed Vanessa was and how that experience scarred her well into adulthood. It’s a very powerful and difficult read.
Would recommend? Yes
Rating: 4/5
Darcey
My Dark Vanessa is one of those books that grips you from the beginning, I was invested in not only Vanessa’s story but finding out what happens to Strane too.
This book is an uncomfortable, but informative read. I have never read a book which delves into the honest and difficult dynamics between an abuser and their victim, where the victim does not see the abuse but see’s it as their first experience with love in an adult relationship.
Throughout reading I longed for seeing Vanessa getting some type of justice, I think this is why it was so hard to put down. Every page I turned I thought “maybe now she will see the truth, maybe now Strane will get what he deserves”. Although the book doesn’t necessarily end with justice, Vanessa finds peace with what happened to her and that in itself is incredible.
