Winter Favourites!

Disclaimer: I have previously received PR products from Penguin, HarperCollins, and Picador. Any books mentioned that are published by Picador, HarperCollins, Penguin or Penguin-owned companies are marked with [PR relationship].

What a year, right? This is my last post of the year and I have to say I won’t be sorry to see the back of 2020, nervous as I am for what 2021 may hold. Throughout the year I’ve been doing my quarterly Favourites posts, so you can find my Spring, Summer and Autumn posts linked! As usual, I’ve split it down into categories.

Books

Kindle Paperwhite
Okay, so it’s not a book, but I love my new Kindle, and obviously it’s book related. I did write a post about the Paperwhite and how it compares to my old Kindle!
[PR relationship] Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie
This was the first Christie I read, and I really enjoyed it! I’m definitely going to read more by her in 2021. You can find my review here!
[PR relationship]. A Thousand Ships – Natalie Haynes
If you like the Greek myths and legends, and retellings, and books about women, this is the one for you. Again, I’ve written a review, which you can find here.
[PR relationship] Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
I’ve been trying to read more classics in 2020, and this one was great! It’s a bit tricky at first, getting used to all the characters as some of them share names, but once I was into it I was really into it.
[PR relationship]. Dracula – Bram Stoker
Another classic ticked off in 2020! I had to read this one in October, of course, for the spooky season. It was definitely a lot slower than I expected it to be, but I really enjoyed it.
[PR relationship]. Beloved – Toni Morrison
This is a brilliant book that I really recommend! It’s a powerful read, and it’s one that’s stuck with me for quite a while after reading it. You can find my review here.

TV

X Files
Another spooky season pick! I only watched the first season, but I really enjoyed it and I’ll definitely carry on watching. Hopefully in the new year I’ll have more time to watch TV, because at the minute I’m not finding much time for it. I did write a review of it though, which is here!
The Queen’s Gambit
I think pretty much everyone has watched The Queen’s Gambit by now. It’s a truly great TV show, following a young orphan as she becomes a chess master. It also deals with addiction, drugs, loss and drink along the way.

Films

Nativity
What more can I say? It’s Christmas! Nativity is my absolute favourite Christmas film. It’s so heartwarming, and funny at the same time. Perfect Christmas viewing.
Inception
Sometimes my boyfriend and I watch Netflix together! The Queen’s Gambit was one show we watched, and we also watched Inception. The concept is pretty confusing at first, but it was really fun to try and follow along.

Music

evermore
Another Favourites post, another Taylor Swift album! I think everyone was amazed when Taylor Swift announced she had yet another surprise album dropping and again, with practically no notice. I loved folklore, so I was super excited the story was continuing, and evermore does not disappoint.

Games

Nintendo Switch
I decided to treat myself and buy a Nintendo Switch, and I’m really glad I did. I managed to find a secondhand one that wasn’t really expensive, and I’m loving it. While I have my PS4 for shooter games, the Switch is great for some calm RPGs!
Stardew Valley
On the topic of RPGs I have on Switch, Stardew Valley was one of the first games I bought and I love it! The aim is basically to build up your own farm, with some nice little aliens/monster type things thrown in along the way. It’s addictive, and I’ve almost played through the first year already.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
And another Switch RPG! Everyone was obsessed with Animal Crossing a few months ago when it came out, and I can’t lie, it was a big factor in my decision to buy a Switch. I’ve not got that far into it yet, but I’m enjoying it. It’s adorable, and I love how much you can customise your island.
Chess
Just for the record, I did get into chess before watching The Queen’s Gambit. Not that there would have been anything wrong if TQG had got me into chess, but I watched TQG because I was interested in chess. I have to admit, a love for chess isn’t really necessary to enjoy TQG but I think my enjoyment of both strengthened my enjoyment of the other.

Websites/Apps

Notion
Notion is a great tool to get organised! You can find a tour of my own Notion layout and a bit of an explanation of how it works on my blog, here.
LiChess
LiChess is my favourite app to play chess on at the minute! If you want to play online, I’d definitely recommend it.

Food/Drink

Christmas food!
By this, I mean eating too much of everything, and especially too much sugar.
Homemade mince pies
I know this comes under Christmas food, but I wanted to give them a shoutout. By homemade, I do mean home-assembled really, as I cheated and bought pastry instead of making my own. Super easy, and still fun!
Nescafe Cinnamon Bun Instant Latte
These are a limited edition one, presumably for Christmas, and they’re really good. Unlike a lot of the instant/at home lattes, they really do taste like cinnamon!
Biscuits
At work, somebody had the bright idea of buying staff room biscuits as well as tea and coffee. It really helps the morale!

That’s the end of my Favourites post! What have you been enjoying recently? A Happy New Year to you all, and I’ll see you in a few days time for New Year.