2020 Personal Goals Update

I cannot believe we’re already over half way through 2020, like where is the year going! Also I don’t even feel like I’ve achieved or done that much to be honest this year, and I suppose that’s kinda true with the whole lockdown and Coronavirus thing. At the moment, every month is definitely rolling into one, during lockdown, I even lost track of days. I’m glad I’m finally back into a ‘normal’. I hope you and your family are all keeping well.

Back in January, I shared with you my 2020 Personal Goals, here I outlined exactly what I wanted to achieve over the course of the year. Now we’re nearly in August, I thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on my Personal Goals and provide an update on progress. It also helps me to know where I am with my Goals and with five months remaining in 2020, if I have yet to achieve something that I set out at the beginning of the year, then I’ve definitely got the time too!

I know I share my Monthly Goals but this doesn’t show the overall year story. When I’m setting my Monthly Goals, I try and keep my 2020 Goals in mind. It can be hard achieving your Goals, especially if it’s one you want to achieve in one year. Your Goals can be a lot easier to achieve if you think about them monthly but then also break them down to weekly and daily. If you don’t create Monthly Goals, now, more than ever, is a great time to start creating Monthly Goals!

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Book Review // Wasteland*

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I am very excited to share with you today’s post, it’s my very first book review of July. It’s definitely not quiet at the moment for book reviews! I’ve even got a couple more lined up to share with you over the next couple of weeks. Today, I will be reviewing Wasteland by Terry Tyler, I’m super excited to share this one with you today. This review opportunity has been made possible by Reads & Reels.

Before we start my review and what I thought, let’s read the book bio for background context.

Wasteland? Let me tell you a little bit about it;

‘Those who escape ‘the system’ are left to survive outside society. The fortunate find places in off-grid communities; the others disappear into the wasteland.’

The year is 2061, and in the new UK megacities, the government watches every move you make. Speech is no longer free – an ‘offensive’ word reaching the wrong ear means a social demerit and a hefty fine. One too many demerits? Job loss and eviction, with free transport to your nearest community for the homeless: the Hope Villages.

Rae Farrer is a megacity girl through and through, proud of her educational and career achievements, until a shocking discovery about her birth forces her to question every aspect of life in UK Megacity 12. On the other side of the supposedly safe megacity walls, a few wastelanders suspect that their freedom cannot last forever…

When I picked up this book I knew it was a sequel and to be honest, that didn’t stop me! It’s unique because it is a true standalone as well. We’re treated to a book that shares the action between several protagonists but Rae Farrer is the central character. Rae’s thoughts is in the first person and the other characters are in the third person. Terry Tyler portrays Rae as a fairly typical conformist member of society. For me the first half of the book was a little slow but the second half of the book definitely explodes into life!

By the end I was definitely engrossed and then I realised I finished the book. I’m glad the unanswered questions are tied up at the end, it’s definitely allows the book to be a stand-alone one as mentioned above. You go through so many different emotions throughout this book, Terry Tyler has definitely done well with this one. There are some poignant, sad and disturbing moments. I also love the writing style of Terry Tyler!

This is the first book I have read from Terry Tyler and I’ve fallen in love with her style so I’m definitely going to look at her other books. Of course, like my other reviews, I don’t want to reveal too much! If you want to find out more, then you’ll have to read it for yourself. I can thoroughly recommend Wasteland to any reader who loves the Dystopia genre, to be honest, even if you just want to try Terry Tyler’s work.

How about a little about the author, Terry Tyler;

Terry Tyler is the author of twenty books available from Amazon, the latest being ‘Blackthorn’, set in a post apocalyptic England, 115 years in the future. Proud to be independently published, Terry is an avid reader and book reviewer, and a member of Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team.

Terry is a Walking Dead addict, and has a great interest in history (particularly 14th-17th century), and sociological/cultural/anthropological stuff, generally. She loves South Park, Netflix, autumn and winter, and going for long walks in quiet places where there are lots of trees.

You can follow Terry Tyler on Twitter and her official website.

Please give some love to Terry Tyler and if you can not wait any longer to read it for yourself, you can buy Wasteland to read in Ebook (Kindle Format). You can also find it on Goodreads now!

I hope you have enjoyed this little review! What are your
thoughts on these books?

Also, make sure to follow me on my blog (in the sidebar) and don’t forget to follow me on Bloglovin’, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Love Gemma x

*Thank you Reads & Reels for gifting me the Wasteland eBook, in return for an honest review. The featured image was sent to me in the Media Pack, for more information please see my About Page.

Monthly Goals // July 2020

Goodbye June! Hello July!

It’s my favourite time of the month, reflecting on the Goals I set myself at the beginning of June, then create new Goals for July. I love setting new Goals as it gets you excited for the upcoming month! Also it is good to have something to look forward to and achieve in the month. If you want to see what I got up to in June, I have shared my adventures in my Monthly Favourites // June 2020 here.

It’s great to review and reflect each month, sometimes you even forget what you’ve done. I love sharing these Monthly Goals with you. They definitely help me to stay on top of my Goals and to always think about them. If you’re trying to achieve Yearly Goals, I would definitely recommend breaking them down into Monthly Goals, that way they’re more manageable and you remember them!

Introduction to: LoveCases

I hope you are all doing well. Happy Summer! I hope you’ve had a great start to Summer. We’ve been treated with this lovely weather. Today I wanted to introduce you to LoveCases, a phone accessories brand. It was that time of year to upgrade my phone! Who doesn’t love new things? When the Samsung Galaxy S20 was first announced, I fell in love and could not wait until upgrade time. No surprise really, I adore Samsung, I have the whole collection now – Samsung Galaxy Buds and Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Well that came around and I was soon upgrading my phone, in turn that meant I needed a new phone case. I love bringing my personality out in my phone case, I can look for hours trying to find one! I’m so specific when it comes to phone cases, nothing too big or colourful, really just simple will do. Also I adore the Cloud Blue colour so I have to keep that on display. I was shopping around online and came across LoveCases, I fell in love all over again.

Book Review // Link*

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It feels like yesterday where I shared my last book review here on An Ocean Glimmer. Oh wait, it was only last week! That’s right, I shared with you my thoughts on Cutlass and Flintlock by Ashley Nixon. Today, I will be reviewing Link by Summer Wier, I’m super excited to share this one with you today. This review opportunity has been made possible by Lola’s Blog Tours.

Spring collection from Friction Free Shaving

[PREVIOUSLY COLLABORATED WITH FRICTION FREE SHAVING]

It wasn’t until I started planning for this post that I released I received my very first Friction Free Shaving Shaviour over two years ago! I knew I had it for a while but not that long. I introduced Friction Free Shaving when I was gifted the Shaviour, Rose back in May 2018. If you want to learn more about Friction Free Shaving, you can check out ‘Let’s Talk About Shaving – Friction Free Shaving’. I have been using this handle and the razor delivery service ever since. I still adore the razor and the blades are amazing!

Also the biggest thing about this service, I receive fresh new blades every month. I haven’t had to worry about purchasing razors since. This is a massive weight off my shoulders. I’ve seen subscription services for other health products but as I’ve still got a supply of products, I haven’t seen the point of going ahead with them. If there’s any that you’ve been loving, let me know in the comments!

Book Review // Cutlass & Flintlock*

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Here we are again, I’ve really been treating you recently. Here is not one book review, but two! I’ve been able to share with you quite a lot of book reviews recently, I hope you’ve been enjoying them. I’m excited to share with you today’s books, I’ll be reviewing book one and two of the Cutlass Trilogy by Ashley Nixon, Cutlass and Flintlock. This review opportunity has been made possible by Lola’s Blog Tours.

NYX Makeup Haul

Who doesn’t love to treat themselves? I have been using makeup on and off for a couple of months now, I don’t wear it every day at the moment. When I was based in the office, I did wear makeup every day, it did become apart of me, especially with struggling with my acne. I know nothing about makeup! I’ve been receiving makeup tips from a couple of friends but also speaking to makeup artists. I’ve heard good things about NYX, so after I finished the foundation from L’Oréal, I wanted to trial one from NYX.

I was recommended Born to Glow, I loved this foundation! I never really know how much I use and most of the time, I always try to keep one in reserve. Unfortunately, I didn’t do that this time! When the lockdown came here in the UK, I did stop wearing makeup daily but I still wanted the option there to wear makeup. Due to Coronavirus, of course, I couldn’t pop down to Superdrug or Boots to purchase new products. I did try ordering from Boots and Superdrug online but unfortunately, everything was out of stock.

5 Things to do at the start of the month

I love the start of a new month it is a great time to reflect on the previous month and to get ready to embrace the new month ahead. Our lives can be pretty hectic, so I’m sure anything that can help with staying organised is a bonus. Also there’s definitely certain things that you have to do at the start of the month. It also puts you in the perfect mindset for the month.

I thought I would share a couple of tips on what you can do at the beginning of every month, hopefully this will allow you a smooth transition into the new month.

Monthly Favourites // May 2020

Goodbye May! Hello June!

I hope you and your family are safe and well. Can you believe June is here? What happened with May! I don’t know about you, but I feel like May went faster than April. Is that because I’ve gotten used to this whole lockdown thing? Well whatever it is, I’m happy for June. Normally June is a really good month, it’s full of car shows and it’s the start of Summer.

I’m not sure what June will bring but hopefully, whatever it is, it will be good! Of course, my Favourites are a little different at the moment, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to do much. This month’s Favourites includes just that, what I have loved throughout May. If you following me on Instagram, you might just recognise some of my Favourites as I’ve been sharing with you A LOT of content on Instagram.

What has been one of your Favourites from May? Let me know in the comments! I’ll love to know.

It’s time to reflect on my May Favourites: