Tuesday, 2 January 2018

This time last year, I posted my 2017 goals. With the exception of buying a house, which is still very much a work in progress, I am pleased to say that I managed to stick to my goals and had an amazing year, for the most part. I’m back here again this year with another list of ‘goals’ that I want to achieve. This year, I’ve made sure I’ve been incredibly realistic with my Resolutions and that they’re resolutions that actually mean something.

KEEP UP THE POSITIVE ATTITUDE

One thing that I’ve been really proud of myself for doing in 2017 is being much more positive about myself, my capabilities and my life than I have been in the past. I’m hoping to continue on with this as I’ve found that being more positive in myself has made me more positive in general, with regards to work, my relationships and my general happiness has increased astronomically.

MAKE MEMORIES AND TAKE PHOTOS

This was another resolution I made last year and I kept up the premise and filled pages upon pages with photos and memories, all ready to look back on whenever I fancy. I’m going to carry on doing this, giving my future family the opportunity to look back at the things I did when I was younger if they so wish.

APPRECIATE EVERYONE AROUND ME

It’s so easy to forget how lucky you are to have amazing friends and family around you, and even easier to take everything they do for you for granted. One of my resolutions for 2018 is to show everyone just how much I appreciate them and remind myself just how lucky I am to have a loving environment surrounding me.

UPDATE MY BLOG MUCH MORE REGULARLY

I think it’s fair to say that I’ve let myself go a little bit with regards to blogging and it’s made me incredibly sad to think that something I’ve worked so hard on over the last few years has just gone to pot so quickly. A (realistic) target for me for 2018 is to attempt to blog at least once a week. Getting back on track won’t be easy but a little bit of effort on my part will have fantastic rewards.

SAVE, SAVE, SAVE

As always, I’m saving up for the year. I have lovely things planned and I’m still putting money aside, bit by bit, so I can make a move and buy a house but I’d also love a summer holiday with my boyfriend and a few weekend trips as the year goes on. Travel is my favourite thing to do of all and being sensible with my money means that going away will be as frequent as it used to be!

What are your 2018 Resolutions?

Saturday, 30 December 2017

Exploring Children's Literature #2 - Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Saturday, 30 December 2017

Read post

I’ve really started to pick back up and get back on track with my blogging towards the end of the year so I thought I’d round up the year with a review of my most recent read: Wonder by R.J. Palacio. I thought I’d already read this one, having made my way through quite a few YA fiction contributions, but I had a bit of a surprise when I started ‘re-reading’ my copy so I could go and see the film and found that it wasn’t what I was expecting at all. That said, I really enjoyed reading Wonder and am happy to have added it to my list of books I’ve enjoyed over the course of 2017.

Wonder is a story about a young boy who just doesn’t fit in with the rest of his peers through absolutely no fault of his own. August, or Auggie as he is affectionately referred to as, has a genetic condition that means his face is deformed and countless surgeries haven’t been able to rectify his difficulties. He lives his life just as any other child his age does, except for the fact he can’t walk down the street without people staring and pointing and acknowledging his every insecurity. His parents decide that, at the ripe old age of 10, it is time for Auggie to go to a ‘real school’ and stop his homeschooling, enrolling him in the local private school. He’s told to ‘try it out’ and if he doesn’t like it, he can stop. But it’s really not as simple as that.

Wonder is heartwarming and saddening in equal breaths. It tells the tale of someone who was born to be different finally being allowed to fit in but it also raises the question of why life and people are so fixated on appearance over actual, genuine human qualities. Auggie, a caring, thoughtful and funny child is isolated because he doesn’t LOOK the way that society expects him to and Palacio highlights this issue in a thoughtful and thought provoking way. It highlights how we are quick to judge before we get to know someone and is inspiring in the sense that the good qualities in people are exemplified.

I loved the flip between characters’ perspectives, particularly the section focusing on August’s sister, Via. It was interesting to hear the story from the perspective of the character who was so loving and so caring towards her brother, and yet acknowledge that it’s natural to feel resentful towards people who you actually love. The section from Summer, one of August’s friends perspectives was equally as lovely- when asked why she was friends with August, she merely explains how she was taught to be kind and that August was funny and caring. No ulterior motive, no nastiness underlying her intentions, just pure and innocent kindness.

I’d definitely recommend that this book is taught within UKS2 in schools- the language is very accessible and the story definitely appeals to all types of backgrounds. Even as an adult, I enjoyed the story and I can’t wait to go and see the film after New Year with a good friend of mine!