A Literary Dinner With Giovanna Fletcher

Just before I start, I want to make it clear that this is in no way a sponsored post.  I paid for my ticket for this event myself and am receiving nothing for this post, this is purely my own honest opinion.

A couple of weeks ago now myself and Ashleigh from Ashleigh's Tea Party had the pleasure of spending an evening in the company of Giovanna Fletcher at Chelmsford's ACanteen in partnership with Foyles for a literary dinner.  The event was all part of Giovanna's book tour for Some Kind of Wonderful.

I am a huge fan of Giovanna's work.  She is such an inspiration to women and great example of a true Essex woman (we are not all as they appear on TOWIE!).

How she manages to juggle everything in her life, I honestly have no idea.  However she does it and she does it well.  As a successful author, Vlogger, ambassador for CoppaFeel, a mum and a wife, plus everything else that she manages to achieve.  She is in my eyes superwoman. 

It is the second event I have attended now with Giovanna and both times I have been in awe of her.  I mean she really is one of those women where what you see is what you get.  She is so down to earth and easy to speak to, which came across so well as she mingled between tables, taking time to talk to everyone with a smile constantly plastered across her face, bearing in mind she had returned from her trek in Oman merely a few days before. 

The dinner was great too.  I have dined at ACanteen a fair few times in the past and have always been impressed.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will be hosting many more of these types of events in the future.

Thanks to the team at Foyles and ACanteen Chelmsford for arranging a great evening and a massive thanks to Giovanna for being so wonderful.

~ Gem x

A Fabulous Night In

For ages now I've been wanting to attend a book event with Giovanna Fletcher, but with one thing and another have never been able to make them.  So, you can imagine how excited I was when I received a text from Sophie telling me about the Fabulous Night In event last Tuesday. 

I met with Sophie and Kate at London Bridge ready to head over to the News building in time for the event.  It is such a  swanky building and the events was really well organised.  We were greeted with wine and canapés, which was a very welcomed surprise and a perfect touch after a hard day at work.



The ticket for the event was £10, I didn't think this was too bad for an event in London with three well known authors, Giovanna Fletcher, Lindsey Kelk and Mahiri McFarlane.  To top it off, included in the ticket price was a book of my choice from one of the featured authors.

I decided to go for Giovanna's Billy and Me, it's a book I've wanted to read for ages now, but as I still have so many books on my book shelf, I've been good recently and have restrained myself from buying more until I've made a dent in my current collection. 

Books chosen and firmly in our hand (glass of wine in the other), we took our seats ready for the ladies to grace the stage ready to be bombarded with questions. 

I have to say, I felt totally inspired by all three ladies.  They shared many words of encouragement and wisdom both from their own experiences of writing and also pointers they have been given from other authors.  'If you want to write, then write' which was advise given to Gi by Dorothy Koomson.  It is so true though.  So many of us want to do things in life and yet we always find an excuse not to do it (I'm so guilty of this).  I guess this advise could really be transferred to anything, if you want to do it, just do it.   

Hearing them talk about their journeys was somewhat comforting and really gave hope that there is opportunity out there for all of us.  Another favourite quote from the evening from Giovanna 'Creativity is individual' I couldn't agree with this more.  Everyone is different and individuality is what makes us, so we should let it shine and just be ourselves in whatever it is that we decide to do. 

Mhairi McFarlane also made a great point in saying 'it's about what works for you'  We are all so different and that's a good thing, we shouldn't be trying to be someone else.  She also touched on writers block which as a blogger I have encountered so many times.  I loved her answer to it though '9 times out of 10 the problem is real but the solution doesn't have to be picked off the shelf, you can select your own solution'  Again I feel this advise can be used in any life situation.  We become so fixed on the standard solutions that we forget to look beyond them.

I pretty much spent the whole evening in awe of these ladies.  They each gave me food for thought and I can safely say I took away a lot from what they had each said.  The highlight for me though was getting to meet the lovely Gi.  She is just so down to earth and easy to talk to, a truly lovely lady.

 
It was a great evening catching up with blog friends and meeting some very inspiring ladies.

'The last page of a book is never the end'

~ Gem x

World Book Night Winner

Tomorrow see's the arrival of World Book Night 2016.  I talked about it in last weeks blog feature and gave you, my readers the opportunity to win a copy of Lucy Diamond's book A baby at the Beach Cafe.  Along with the book I shall throw in a few little extras, just because I feel like sharing a bit of love and to thank you for your support over the years.  I had hoped for a few more entries, however I appreciate life is busy and that this may not be everyone's cup of tea.  But thank you to those of you who have entered.  

Using the random number generator, I can now confirm that the winner of my little giveaway is Kellie, who would like more time to read to escape the everyday pressures in life.  

Congratulations Kellie, please email me with the address you'd like me to post it out to (gemscountrylife@hotmail.com).

If you've missed this opportunity fear not.  I'm giving you one more chance to win a copy of the book along with some extra goodies on my Facebook Page.  I'll be posting the giveaway at around 10am this morning so make sure you pop over to register your entry.

Have a wonderful weekend folks.

~ Gem x

World Book Night Giveaway

'World Book Night is an annual celebration of reading books that takes place on 23rd April.  It sees passionate volunteers give out hundreds of thousands of books in their communities to share their love of reading with people who don't read regularly or own books.  World Book Night is run by The Reading Agency, a national charity that inspires people to become confident and enthusiastic readers to help give them an equal chance in life.' 

I know I've said this a thousand times, but I really do love books.  Last year I signed up to be a volunteer book giver for World Book Night.  I handed out a few books at work, the rest I took to our local homeless shelter.  It felt so great being able to give something to those who may not read all that often, being able to share a passion of my own with others.  As soon as registration opened for 2016, I filled in my application once more and was pleased to be selected for a second year running.  

Image from World Book Night website

Personally I wasn't as thrilled with the book choices this year, but even still it's an opportunity to spread a little bit of literacy love, which is what I intend to do.  My books have been collected and I'm ready for World Book Night on he 23rd April.  

So with that in mind, I shall be hosting a few giveaways for you to win a copy of my chosen book 'A Baby At The Beach Cafe by Lucy Diamond'.  The first of the giveaways is here on the blog, the others will be on my social media channels, so keep watch on those for a chance of getting your hands on one of the books.  

All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning a copy here is leave me a comment on this post, telling me why you would like to read more books.

I will select and announce a winner next Friday the 22nd April.  Please feel free to spread the word.  Good luck.

  

~ Gem x

An Evening With Cecelia Ahern

I honestly cannot believe that I am actually typing this post.  I have mentioned on many occasions on this little ole blog here of mine, how much I love Cecelia Ahern's books.  I absolutely adore her work and feel so inspired by her words.  There is always something quite magical about her stories, something that I have never come across with anyone else's work before. After speaking to fellow blogger Sophie (who I had the pleasure of meeting earlier this year), about book events at Waterstones, I have been finding myself trawling their events page on a regular basis.  So you can imagine my excitement to spot a Q&A session with the award-winning, bestseller author Cecelia Ahern. I messaged Sophie straight away and our tickets were booked.  

The Q&A was focused on Cecelia's latest book release and her first young adult novel, Flawed.  What I've heard about it so far sounds incredible.  It definitely sounds like it's going to be one of those books that is going to make you step back, asses and think about life. 

The inspiration for the book is very much everyday life, I'm looking forward to reading it and trying to work out what news stories it's related to.  It amazed me to learn that she wrote the book in just six weeks.  When I look at what I achieve in six weeks it doesn't feel like much at all, this woman writes whole novels.  402 pages in just six weeks.  Wow, I really need to up my game.

I was really surprised to learn that Cecelia still hand writes all of her books.  The first draft is done with pen and paper, she then types this onto her computer, giving it the second edit, chapter by chapter.  I loved her definition of this being that her first draft comes from the heart.  I honestly believe that this is so true from reading her books.  There is certainly something quite heart warming about them.

Having two of her novels already created into films, P.S I Love You and Where Rainbows End (Love Rosie) I was keen to find out if any of her other books are destined the same way, I'm pleased to report that yes they are.  The one that I am most looking forward to is If You Could See Me Now, I shall be keeping my eyes peeled for that release.  

I can't say that I expected anything less, but she is so down to earth, the kind of girl you could imagine being your best friend.  She came across so professional but at the same time knew how to have a laugh and goofed around a bit, I loved that.  She just interviewed so well.  I don't know if any of you would have seen the Lorraine show yesterday morning, but literally what you saw there is what you get, that's the real deal.  Just an ordinary woman with an incredible imagination and a passion for love and writing.

It was an absolute honor to be in her company and I wish her the very best of luck with her latest novel (to which the sequel 'Perfect' has already been written and is due for release 30/03/2017) May there be many more fantastic books to come, I know I for one will enjoy reading them.  Her work will never get old in my eyes.  I mean come on, she wrote P.S I Love You at the mere age of 21, things can only going to keep getting better and better, the woman is a pure genius.  

And please, I urge you, if you have never read any of Cecelia's work before, you have to.  You are missing out if you don't.

Thank you to Cecelia and the team at Waterstones in Knightsbridge for an amzing evening, I had a great time.  Any event with cake gets my vote,

~ Gem x

Would You Rather ~ Book Edition

After seeing this little book related blog post idea over on Sophie's blog, I just knew that I had to join in.  I love books and really enjoy reading.  I just wish I had more time to be able to enjoy this past time.  So without further ado here are my would you rather answers.

1. Read only trilogies or stand alones?

I've never read a trilogy of books.  There I've said it.  the whole thought of all those pages just puts me off somewhat.  I find it really daunting and much prefer a quick and easy read (my interpretation of quick though is not what most would expect). 

2. Read only male or female authors?

For me it really doesn't make any odds who has written the book.  I have read many books that I have really enjoyed that have been written by both male and female authors.  I wouldn't ever pick a book purely on the basis of whether it was written by a man or woman however my top 3 favourite authors are all women so make of that what you will.

3.  Shop at a book shop or Amazon?

Price is a big impact for me when buying books and I will admit to borrowing from a library or buying from a charity shop just to keep the cost down (I know, I'm every authors worst nightmare right!) But the thought of loosing book shops really saddens me.  It makes me think of the film 'You've got Mail' with the little book shop around the corner.  Get's me every time.

4. All books become films or TV shows?

Purely for time reasons i would have to answer films.  If i fell in love with a book I know i'd get caught up watching a TV series and with not enough time to do everything that i want to do as it is, adding more fuel to the fire would just finish me.  i'm a sucker for temptation too so I know I wouldn't be able to resist.  Whereas a film tends to last around and hour and a half, I could easily fit this into my week.  plus as i mentioned in my blog post the other day, there are some really great books that have since become films.

5. Read five pages a day or five books a week?

I would so love to be able to answer five books a week, oh how I would.  But I just never have the time, I'm lucky if I achieve five pages a day.  When I used to commute daily into London I would easily read a few books a month which I was happy with, but as soon as the commuting stopped so did the reading. 

6. Be a professional reviewer or author?

Would it be greedy to answer both?  I would so love to write my own book someday.  But surely as an author you would need to do your research and what better way of doing that than by reading and reviewing books of a similar subject written by fellow competitors.  If i'm only allowed one answer though it would definitely have to be author.  

7. Only read your top 20 books or only ever read new books?

Hands down, new books.  I don't think I have ever read the same book twice.  There are so many incredible books out there and many more new ones yet to come. My favourite books change regularly (by regularly I mean every year).  Of course there are the firm favorites, but new ones are always being added to my list.  So if I were to just stick to the top 20 I have now, imagine how many incredible books I would miss out on.

8. Be a librarian or book seller?

A book seller.  Again I'm picturing the little book shop around the corner from 'You've got Mail'  I would love to have a little shop like that in the heart of a community *sigh* Perfect.

9. Only read you favourite genre, or read every genre except your favourite?

I would stick with my favourite as I tend to do most for the time anyway.  You kind of know what you are getting.  It's like a safe little haven.  There are times when i will stray from the sidewalk if a book has been recommended to me and 9 times out of 10 it's a good move but i always steer back to chick lit.  It's just such a feel good easy to read kind of story line.  Plus I'm a sucker for a mushy romance.   

10. Only read physical books or only read e-books.

I'd like to think I would never be tempted by an e-book.  Yes it is 2016, and I know many people would disagree with me here, but nothing beats the feeling of holding a book in your hands.  Feeling the pages between your fingers.  Being able to sniff the pages, and look at the cover of a physical book.  

  

I'd love to hear if you decided to join in with this one or even just leave some of your answers below, I like to be nosy.

~ Gem x

My Top 8 Books That Became Films

If I've read a book that then becomes a film, I'll be honest, I'm usually a bit sceptical about it.  By reading a book you are using your imagination to create up the character using the information you have been given by the author.  It's a powerful tool that allows you to help tell the story, almost like a partnership between the two of you.  Just think about it, two people could read the exact same book and yet they could both have a completely different experience.  Imagining people to look and sound differently, picturing the setting to be somewhere completely different and I kind of like that. 

When a book becomes a film, that power is taken away and you are left to sit back and watch someone else's interpretation of the story and how things look.  There are times where this goes very wrong.  But then there are times that it goes so very right.  Some of my favourite films have been created from books that I have read and enjoyed, so I thought I'd share those with you here today.

* The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks directed by Nick Cassavetes 

* The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffinegger directed by Robert Schwentke

* The Help by Kathryn Stockett directed by Tate Taylor

* My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult directed by Nick Cassavetes

* Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen directed by Francis Lawrence

* Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert directed by Ryan Murphy

* One Day by David Nicholls directed by Lone Scherfig

And my all time favourite

 * P.S I Love you by Cecilia Ahern directed by Richard LaGravenese

Do you have any favourite books that became films?

~ Gem x

My Top 10 Favourite Reads

It should come as no surprise to you that I enjoy reading, I've mentioned it a fair few times on my blog before.  I love that feeling you get when your reading a book, the feeling of not wanting the story to end.  Of being able to imagine yourself in their little world amongst the pages, feeling and living what is going on, imagining yourself in their shoes.  That is the beauty and magic in books and it fascinates me  how an author is able to capture those feelings and emotions within you.

I thought I'd share with you today some of my favourite books that I've read in the past.  I tend to mostly read your typical chick lit type of books.  Those feel good, girly romances, I just can't get enough of them, as you will be able to tell from my list below.  Although you will also notice that there are a couple of others that have slipped through the net, books that have been highly recommended to me by friends, for which I am grateful for.

(I no longer have the books so haven't been able to take photos of the covers, all images are from Google images)

If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern - I'm a huge fan of Cecelia's work, she is a fantastic writer and she always manages to add a little bit of magic to her stories.  This one in particular follows the path of a young child and their imaginary friend, it is brilliant trust me.  

Image sourced from Google images

Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern.  Could you imagine waking up with someone else memories, finding yourself drawn to someone you've never met because of them.  Another fairytale like story from Cecilia that is definitely worth a read.

Image sourced from Google images

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, I cannot tell you how much I loved reading this book.  It's not what I would normally read but  literally could not put it down.  How I would love to visit a place like this, if only it were real.

Image sourced from Google images

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf, a story of twists and turns provoking panic within you wondering what has happened to the two young girls who have gone missing.  Very powerfully written and a real good edge of your chair kind of read.

Image sourced from Google images

One Moment One Morning by Sarah Rayner, I read this book as part of a book group I was in quite a few years back now, but the book has never left me.  It really makes you think about a situation, and what may be happening elsewhere.

Image sourced from Google images

Rosie Hopkins Sweet Shop Dreams by Jenny Colgan, a true feel good book, who wouldn't want to run their own sweet shop?

Image sourced from Google images

Amelia Grey's Fireside Dreams by Abby Clements, I loved reading this and could relate to the whole moving house, and would love to have a project like this one day, perhaps without the love triangle though, I'm rather quite happy with my Husband :)

Image sourced from Google images

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, I read this as part of my book club and would never have picked it up otherwise, a bit of a chiller but well worth a read, and it is so much better than the film.

Image sourced from Google images

Sister by Rosamund Lupton, this is another of those breath holding, edge of your seat type books and yet the more I read the more I wanted to read, I could not put this one down.  Again completely different to what I would normally read but you know what, sometimes it's good to step out of the comfort zone every once in a while. 

Image sourced from Google images

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, now this is a book to get you thinking about your life, how you treat others and how you may be perceived.  It definitely makes you re-evaluate things that's for sure.

Image sourced from Google images

Have you read any of these books?  What did you think?  I'd also be interested to hear what books would be top on your list.

~ Gem x

Goodreads

I've said it many times before and no doubt there will be many more times that it is said in this little space of mine, I love reading.  I'm not quite sure where my love of books comes from, but I remember as a kid during the summer holidays being excited about going to the library to pick out my next read, getting home and taking the book out into the garden and sitting in a tent and reading for hours.

I'm still very old school.  I don't own a kindle or any other form of reading tablet, nor do I intend to.  I like nothing more than the feel of a real book in my hands, feeling the pages between my fingers, being able to smell those pages as I turn them.  That is something you would never get with a kindle.

Another thing I love about reading is the conversation it can spark, whether it be between 2 friends, a family member, a colleague or a complete stranger.  Talking about the same book, recommending something new, I just love it.

I was part of a book club a few years ago but the group split after about a year.  It gave me the opportunity to read books I wouldn't have otherwise read.  At the time I was working in London and read a lot during my daily commute.  I wish I had as much time now as I did then to read.  i really ought to make more time for it but I can't help but feel guilty just sitting and reading.  I guess that is why I haven't looked into signing up to another  book group, I'm not saying it will never happen, just not yet.  Besides that I have a bookcase full to the brim of books for me to pick up and read, so it would be nice to get those finished first.

This brings me to Goodreads.  Have you heard of it?  Do you use it?  I'm becoming a little bit obsessed with it.  I'm being very good and restrained and haven't yet, notice I use the word YET, bought any more books, but I have been tempted.  There are just so many books out there and this amazing website recommends you books based on what you have read and enjoyed before, plus you can recommend books to others.

I've already begun to find people on there that I know, so if you are on there come over and say Hi (Gem Wilson).  I'd love to see what you have been reading, and who knows there may well be some new little treasures that we could introduce each other too.  Of course you can always leave me a comment on this post too :)

Hope to see you over there.

Love Gem x x

Lately

Sorry for the blogging break.  Sometimes in life there is something that needs to give, all to often it is this little space of mine right here.  I am going to try my hardest to visit more regularly though.  I have a few posts in the pipeline so watch this space.

James started a new job at the beginning of the year and as a result he works away from home quite a bit.  I've adapted pretty well although some days are much harder than others.  I've found the key is to keep myself busy.  I've talked about hosting my own craft evenings for so long now, this seems to be the perfect time to bite the bullet and do it.  I held my first one a few weeks ago.   It was lovely catching up with crafty friends and I'm already thinking about hosting my next one.

That same week I also joined the hundreds of volunteers for World Book Night.  I've wanted to do it for a fair few years now but always forget about it until it's too late to sign up, but this year I made sure I remembered.  I was giving out Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen, I loved the book, it was something quite different to what I usually read so it was a perfect choice for me to give out.  I gave some books out at work and the rest, along with some books of my own I delivered to CHESS a local homeless charity in Chelmsford.

On the subject of books, I've been trying to read a lot more recently.  Some days are better than others, more often than not I only manage to squeeze in about 20 minutes when I get into bed before my eyes become heavy and I can no longer take in the words on the page in front of me.  But I guess 20 minutes is better than nothing.  I'm currently reading Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson, I'm captivated by it already and I'm only about 30 pages or so in.  I'm also reading The Happiness project by Gretchen Rubin.  Each chapter is a focus on each month of the year so I am reading it month by month.  Another book I'm currently reading like this is The Birdwatchers Year by Richard Williamson, we get a lot of birds around our house so this is a nice one to read month to month.

I'm a bit slow off the mark here, but I've also decided to make use of the house to myself by watching the Twilight Saga after hearing so many good things about it.  The truth be known when they were first released I was never really interested, they didn't appeal to me, but now I've actually watched them, I feel as though I have missed out all this time.  Next up to watch are The Hunger Games, I've already seen the first one which I really enjoyed so now I've just got to catch up with the next two in time for the third one to be released later this year.

So this is just some of what has been going on in my world but do pop back as there is more to come this this gal right here, including a weekend spent in sunny Spain.

Love Gem x

Making Plans

OK, so it appears that working full time and blogging are not going to go hand in hand as easy as I had hoped. I really must make more time for this little space of mine, because in all honesty, I enjoy being here.  I have managed to keep up to date with reading the blogs that I love to read, so it's really just a case of making that little bit of extra time for this space right here.

I've been busy making dates and plans with friends and family and my diary is slowly beginning to fill up.  Don't you just love that at the start of a new year.  A fresh and empty diary waiting to be filled with lots of exciting days out and plans, days that will be cherished and spent with loved ones.  I just find it so satisfying.

I've also started the One Line A Day book this year and I'm so pleased with it.  You may have heard of it before (or even have it yourself) but if you haven't you really should check it out.  It's basically a diary that gives you space to write each day for five years, so each year you can reflect on your entry the previous year or years depending how long you have been keeping it.

It sits on my bedside table and I literally cannot wait till I'm filling it in, in 3 years time, just being able to see how much in my life may have changed. I'm a teeny, tiny bit gutted that I didn't invest in it last year, so that I could have captured all my wedding plans and memories, but it wasn't meant to be.  I'm sure I will get something from it though and it will be a nice little keepsake to hang on to in years to come.

I've got a lovely weekend lined up for this weekend so hopefully I will be back to share some little adventures with you soon.

Have a great weekend where ever you are.

Love Gem x