Book Review - Hygge & Kisses By Clara Christensen

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Hygge & Kisses

"Bo, 26, has always been careful, cautious. However, she's just been made redundant and her life plan is beginning to unravel. Before she starts immediately applying for other jobs in a panic, her friend Kirsten persuades her to take a holiday, to visit Kirsten's mother's house in Aalborg, North Jutland, a part of Denmark Bo is ashamed to admit she has never heard of.

'What's the weather going to be like?' she asks Kirsten hopefully, scrolling her cursor over the budget airlines webpage. 'Terrible,' Kirsten replies, 'London is positively Mediterranean by comparison, and of course it's November so it'll be dark seventeen hours a day. But no one goes to Denmark to get a tan. You need a change of scene and to blow away the cobwebs, and trust me, Skagen will do that. Besides, the summerhouse is cosy whatever the weather, and you never know who else will be around.'

A few clicks later and there is no going back. And Bo's life plan is about to be entirely rewritten."

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I think I first became obsessed with Hygge about 2 years ago. I was intrigued how it related to mindfulness & I loved reading about the history of how it came about in Denmark. It initially started when I picked up The Little Book Of Hygge & now anything that's related to Hygge, I immediately gravitate too.

My mum kindly got me this book, she said it was because it reminded her of me. Cups of tea, candles & a cosy setting. That's everything I love on a front cover basically! 

Let's start with the main character Bo. I'm not really sure what I thought about her if I'm honest. She's supposed to be a 26 year old, but I felt at times, she seemed alot older. I thought I'd be able to relate to her more, being a similar age, but I didn't really feel that connection. I also didn't enjoy the character of Ben. I know he was supposed to be the one that treated Bo badly & she was therefore drawn to another character, but I just felt their relationship wasn't very believable.

My favourite part of the book was the second half when Bo goes to Aalbord & meets Emil, Flo & Simon. The house they stayed in was beautiful described & I could almost imagine myself there, snuggled up in bed with a book, watching the snow fall outside. The Danish landscape sounds truly breath-taking.

Flo soon became my favourite character, she is just so sassy & funny. I love her relationship with Simon as well, the characters bounced off each other & made me laugh out loud.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, it was a nice light-hearted read, but not a story I'd reccomend if you want something to get stuck into.

Overall Rating - ★★★

Have you read any 'Hygge' books? What do you think about the whole concept?

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January & February Favourites

Soap & Glory Face Wash
I got this face wash in a Soap & Glory gift set for Christmas (how amazing was that deal in Boots for a whole suitcase of products btw!?) & I've been using it since the beginning of the year. My skin absolutely loves it & it makes my face feel so clean after I've used it. I think because it smells so minty, it just makes you feel so awake & fresh.

Hygge Book
I picked this book up at the beginning of the year & I'm obsessed. I've got a full post coming on it so I won't write too much about it now, but if you haven't heard of Hygge, I'd highly recommend you pick up one of the many books out there about this style of living. What I've found most exciting is I can literally pick up this book when ever I feel like I need a warm hug & it's right there to offer comfort & relaxation.

Video Editing Software - Power Director 
So, after struggling with a basic video editing software for the longest time, I put the Power Director on my wish list for Christmas & I kindly received it from my grandparents. I'm absolutely loving using it & editing videos from last year! Vlogging is so much fun & this allows me to play around with all my clips & make videos.

Soap & Glory Speed Plump Moisturiser
 This smells incredible. Seriously. If you haven't tried this, you need too. I use this as a primer before applying my makeup in the morning as my skin is very dry on my T-zone, so this just preps my skin before I apply my foundation. I just can't get enough of it!

Garnet Ring
I got this ring for my birthday in January & haven't really had a day where I haven't worn it. It's just so pretty! It was from my parents & they ordered it off Etsy. The rings are all handmade & after looking at a few more of the seller's pieces, I really want to order some more!

Garnet Necklace
This was a gift from my best friend for my birthday & how perfect was it that it matched my ring! The two of them together make the perfect combo!

Barry M Quick Dry Nail Polish
I love painting my nails as I'm sure you all know, however, I do get extremely impatient waiting for them to dry when I've got things to do! These Barry M nail polishes are life savers, they dry within a couple of minutes & the shades in the range are just so beautiful. This lilac shade is my absolute favourite & perfect for spring time.  

TV

Ibiza Weekender
This show is my absolute guilty pleasure. I love all the characters & now they're back with a bang for 2017, I'm loving everything about the show, especially David being head rep. He's just so fabulous.

Making A Murderer

This has totally taken over our lives, both James & I are obsessed. But equally, it makes us so angry watching it! If you've seen it you'll know what I mean, but we're about half way through & can't wait to finish it.

The OA
Ahhh, who's watched this?! We finished it a few weeks ago & I've actually written a full review post on it here if you'd like a read. In a nutshell, it was one of the most confusing shows we've watched, but it was so gripping at the same time. Season 2 has been announced so we're keen to watch that when it's out.

Events

In the middle of January, James & I moved our furniture into storage, with the help of his dad Allan. It took us all day, in the snow, but we eventually got everything packed safely away. It's so exciting, because as soon as James starts his new job (on Monday!) we can get a few months pay checks under our belts & start looking for a place to move into!

It wouldn't be a January / February favourites without mentioning my birthday & as always, I had 3-4 days worth of celebrations & I loved every minute of it. I have to say though, my favourite part was staying in 'a cabin in the woods' with James on my actual birthday evening. I reviewed the place we stayed & it was absolutely beautiful & perfect for us. You can check out the post here if you like.

At the end of January, we organised Gem's baby shower. Can you believe she's due to give birth this month!? Where does the time go..

Ah Valentine's Day this year was just perfect. James & I went to Brighton for the day & I finally gave him the tickets I bought for Craig David back in December, so he now knows we are going next month! I'm so excited!

Nan & Dad's both had their birthdays at the end of February, so we had a buffet lunch to celebrate. I've written a bit about it in my last update post if you wanted to see Nan's cake!

& finally, this is kind of a sad event but also a happy one. My manager at work had his retirement do last Sunday & although it was the most wonderful day & he was so grateful to us all, we are going to miss him so much. Work already feels so different without him.

Music

JP Cooper - September Song (Indian Summer Mix) 

What have you been loving this year so far? : )

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