Hello! Happy New Year. I hope 2019 is a year of good vibes and fun. Today we have five things for January. It's summery, imaginative and a little New Year-y...

Mary Poppins Returns: Oh my goodness. I LOVED this beyond words. Mary Poppins fills a personal, nostalgic corner of my heart and it just makes me so indescribably happy. The sequel with Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda buzzed with the same magic and wonder as the 1964 film. There are a lot of whimsical nods to its predecessor which made me emotional, naturally. It is wonderful and if you want something to fuel your inner child and imaginative streak, this is the ticket.

Back To Journalling: I really let my daily writing fall to the wayside in the latter part of 2018. Subsequently, I have very scattered musings to look back on as a result. I'm determined to get back into writing daily because it is such a brilliant tonic. I do love it as a means of unwinding at the end of the day. This year I am using a Muji notebook as my main journal, as well as this gratitude journal from Kikki K. 

The Water Cure: I cannot stop thinking about this book. I read The Water Cure x Sophie Mackintosh in the bath amidst turquoise waters c/o bath bombs, on a sunlit lawn, first thing in the morning with coffee, in rooms with friends reading the same book. Much like the evocative cover, it made me think of hazy mornings, blue, salt and gauze. It made me want to wear something sheer and traipse across sand, feeling the grit and the velvety waves. It conjured vibes of The Tempest and also The Virgin Suicides. Sisters devoted to one another, trapped yet powerful. Sophie Mackintosh's writing is a visual feast and I loved escaping in to this hauntingly beautiful prose. I'm already quietly assessing when I can read it again.

Round Towels: A random inclusion sure but one of my friends bought me one for Christmas and I am ob-sessed with it. For some reason these towels can get expensive but you can find them more affordably at Cotton On. Anyway, I love mine for chilling in the sun with books and music. Ok and maybe for dozing off. They'd be great for the beach and picnics+poolside too. The perfect Summer companion.

Decor Dreams: New year, sorta new decor. This year, as well as wanting to do some much-needed tech upgrades, I want to invest in a new bookshelf. I also want to mix up the prints on my wall and just make things a bit more cohesive and 'me'. I've already given my wardrobe a major declutter as well which gave me some more storage space. This point is probably of interest to nobody but because I like to get thrifty with decor, it may result in some blog posts.

-I hope you are all enjoying the early days of January so far. Stay tuned for a couple of yearly wrap-up posts coming next week! xx

There's been a change in literature and film recently, one I am really welcoming. We are seeing women in much more complex roles. Gender disparities are being challenged and the story lines on offer go beyond that of your standard rom-com. I despise that term by the way, I'm just applying it for the sake of this post. Gillian Flynn is one of the game-changers writing about multifaceted women but she has a challenger in the form of Paula Hawkins, author of last year's bestseller and beach/pass copies to all your friends read, The Girl on the Train. 

I only got around to reading this book last month but I intentionally waited so it was fresh before I saw the film. I devoured this book, not quite as quickly as I did Gone Girl thanks to assignments and things but still fast nonetheless. It tells the story of Rachel, an alcoholic separated from her husband yet still fixated on him and her former married life. Each day she catches the train and observes her old life and that of the people she doesn't know. After the disappearance of a local woman and Rachel's lack of recollection from the night of her last sighting, she begins to wonder if she was involved. I will leave that summary there, lest I ruin it for anybody. I absolutely raced through this book. It had such a varied list of suspects, given the book shifted through three different voices and while I did come close to the final outcome, I had many other theories that were competing. One thing that did bother me a little bit was the changing perspectives. I think Rachel's point of view works best in the book but otherwise I really enjoyed this one. 

Now on to the movie, I was lucky enough to attend a preview screening for this before it was released and I was excited. Not only for the film but also because Emily Blunt, one of my all-time favourite actresses was in it. The key difference between the book and the film was that the book was set in New York. Honestly I don't feel like it makes a huge difference really. Otherwise this adaptation was extremely faithful to the book and any changes made only served to enhance the plot. Unlike the book, I feel like the three intertwining stories of Megan, Anna and Rachel all play out much better on screen. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I was still tense watching it and felt edgy in places. I really, really loved the movie though. Emily Blunt is amazing as Rachel. She's such a versatile actress anyway but she really shines in this movie. Fingers crossed she gets the recognition for it come awards season. 

Now for the fun part, NZ readers, I have one double pass to give away to see The Girl on the Train* and one which I am giving away on my Instagram. To enter, you just need to tell me your favourite book to film adaptation in the comments below. This giveaway will close next Thursday the 20th of October and I will contact the winners later that day to arrange posting the passes to you. For additional entries, fill in the Rafflecopter box below and comment over on Instagram too. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

*Double passes supplied by Trigger World. This giveaway is in no way sponsored and all thoughts and opinions are my own.