Bianca Greyvenstein's Blog

Join me on my journey to read the 350 physical books on my To Be Read (TBR) List!

Project TBR Zero Video on YouTubeA bit of a background

At the end of 2023 I realised that I had a bit of a book-buying problem. I decided to count the amount of unread books on my shelves and I found that I had 350 unread books… I was a bit shocked to say the least.

Turns out that I had become a book-collector as well as a reader. Discovering BookTube and Bookstagram had a massive influence on my book buying habits over the years – there are just SO many great books in existence. When I was younger we found books the old fashioned way: you walk into a library or a bookstore. Sometimes a friend mentions a good book to you and you go and find it. When I was little I was also bound to my mum’s book-buying budget. She would only buy a new book when I finished the ones I owned.

Then I grew up and started earning my own money and had infinite recommendations at my fingertips. Add in online shopping, and you can see how quickly books can stack up. Before I could finish the books I just bought I have already watched 10 new videos full of new book recommendations. There was also a bit of pressure to film and show book-hauls and show off your new shiny treasures as the book-dragon you are.

I also moved abroad where books are comparatively cheaper to where I grew up. I walked into Big W here in Perth and I could buy 10 books in one go without breaking the bank. The libraries here are also amazing and I initially had a fair amount of library hauls and returned heaps of unread books. Quite simply there were just too many books and not enough time.

Then enter the Kindle! It was so easy to read hundreds of ebooks and listen to audiobooks rather than the books I owned. Because I owned them. They are there on my shelf whenever I want to get to them, so why not read library books, ebooks, audiobooks, and keep adding to the beautiful collection of shelves? Eventually book buying became an anxious habit. I would buy a book simply to lift my mood. I was trying to get the same satisfaction that escaping into a great story brought me by just buying the anticipation.

The Side-Effects

Eventually I realised that I was just hurting myself in the long run. I was collecting books that I wasn’t even sure I liked yet or not. You can only know if you love a book after you read it after-all. I had 350 books that I had a 50-50 chance of despising because I had never read their contents. I have always wanted to own only my very favourite books and the collecting habit was breaking that goal.

Moreover, I was actually making myself more anxious in the long run. Every time I added a new book to the shelf it added just a little bit more anxiety of “when will I have time to read it (and the hundreds of others)”.

I was also trying to kick the general retail-therapy habit and facing my feelings that lead me there in the first place. Did I really need a light up flamingo or did I just have a bad day? Did I need to buy ALL the books in a series that I haven’t started yet, just because the box set is cheaper? Probably not.

I finally discovered the concept of reaching TBR Zero on BookTube and found that I was not alone in feeling overwhelmed and essentially drowning in my TBR. So I made the decision to count my TBR and share my journey to TBR Zero online to keep myself more accountable.

The Journey So Far

I am currently 6 months into the challenge and quite happy with the progress. This was my initial post I made on Instagram. You’ll notice that the very first rule was: No buying books I haven’t already read. In the first 6 months I broke this rule quite a lot because I did not set myself up for success.

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After I broke that rule a few times I decided to start sharing my journey on YouTube as well. I discovered some more active challenges that people were sharing online and it really motivated me to get back on track myself.

Next I will share a more in depth overview of the first 6 months of the challenge and some of the spreadsheets I have made along the way!

How many books are on your TBR?

xoxo

Binx

The post Introducing Project TBR Zero appeared first on Binx Thinx.

Over the past few weeks I have been doing some think, a bit of soul-searching here and there. And it turns out, I’m no longer a Book Blogger. In fact, I don’t think I ever was one.

Seven years ago I started a blog. This blog. It had a different dress and a different name but the same blog. Initially I thought this would be a stepping stone to being an author with a published book. Then it became a way to meet people who shared my passions. But ultimately this has always been a space to express myself and share the thoughts that play on repeat when I’m trying to sleep.

At the very beginning I thought I might share my life story in parts. But then I started reading more and more blog posts and eventually I started to question myself. Was I writing about the wrong things? Was I using the correct structure? Is this how you’re supposed to write a blog post?

I had a bit of an identity crisis. I thought I should write book reviews because of all the books I started reading. I did that for a little while until I read so many books I couldn’t keep up. I thought I should make book lists and participate in blogmas with all the other bloggers.

But turns out I’m probably not that type of blogger, and the more I kept forcing myself to try be that type of blogger, the less I wrote on my blog. Over time I let my inner critic tell me what a “bad” book blogger I was, but I think it just wasn’t me and what I wanted to write about. This lead to me writing less and less on my blog.

I even dabbled in BookTube for a while and made videos about books and reading. At the time I was yearning for a sense of community and friendship. I had just moved to a new country where I was struggling to make connections and friends. And then Covid hit and everyone became more isolated than ever and making videos became my escape. I enjoyed my time learning new skills and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, but there was always something a little bit unsatisfying about it. I missed writing. Deep down I wanted my writing to be displayed in my videos. I was fascinated by people who combined the art of writing essays and poetry with making videos.

So as it turns out, I’m more of an essayist than a “how to” or “list” blogger. Some of my favourite posts ended up in the “Life Updates” category because I didn’t know what else to do with them. They were a combination of diary entries and prose and they just made me feel a little bit more like I wasn’t really a proper “blogger” because they didn’t really fit into “lifestyle” or “tips” or “reading lists”.

Early last year I read My Inner Sky by Mari Andrew and since then I have slowly come to the realisation that the types of writing I have enjoyed most ardently are probably what you would consider personal essays. I had originally discovered Mari through her Skillshare class Drawing as Self Discovery, and it was one of the very first classes that I successfully completed. It was a truly therapeutic class and I enjoyed expressing myself in a new way. I am also grateful to Mari for reminding me that Personal Essays are a reputable and enjoyable form of self expression.

So here I am almost a year after reading her collection and I want to get back to blogging. I am a proud Personal Essay writer who promises to no longer feel pressured to “stick to the status quo” of the blogging world.

What promise are you making to your own self, dear reader?

Lots of love,

Bianca

The post I Don’t Think I’m a Book Blogger appeared first on Binx Thinx.

So today I’m trying something new in more ways than one. I’m participating in a very late discussion post, and writing a blog post on my phone.

Some background information

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme that was originally created and hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books starting in August 2019, and was then cohosted with Dani @ Literary Lion from May 2020 to March 2022. Aria @ Book Nook Bits has been the host since the beginning of April 2022.

Let’s Talk Bookish

Prompts: We’re two months into 2023 – how are you feeling about your reading this year? Do you have a yearly reading goal? Do you think that those kinds of goals help you to feel motivated to read more books, or just causes stress? If you set yearly reading goals, when and why did you start setting them? Would you consider reading without aiming for a number? If you don’t set reading goals, why not?

First of all…

So I came across bookish blog memes a couple of years ago and discovered that they’re a really amazing way to interact with other bloggers. They’re also awesome for finding writing prompts. So let’s see how this one goes, I know I’m technically a few days late but I wanted to participate in any case.

We’re two months into 2023 – how are you feeling about your reading this year?

I’m actually feeling quite confident about my reading this year and I feel quite satisfied with my reading choices as well. Last year I started working full time for the first time in what feels like millennia. It was a bit of an adjustment in all areas of life, but I knew from the getgo that I would have a lot less time and energy for reading.

I wasn’t wrong. In 2022 I set my reading goal at one book a week or 52 books for the year. I had a very slow start but eventually I managed to up the goal to 75 and I ended up reading 75 books in total. I know that’s a lot of books in the grand scheme of things, but my personal record was reading 278 books in 2020.

2017-2022 Goodreads Challenges

So for 2023 I have decided on a reading goal of 72. A bit lower than what I read last year but I didn’t want to push my luck. I already had a bit of a moment this week where I was falling 3 books behind and wanted to lower my goal a bit. I’ll see how the first few months of the year go and adjust if necessary, but I did manage to catch up and I believe I’m only one book behind on my goal at the moment.

Do you have a yearly reading goal?

Yes, as I mentioned above I have been setting a yearly Goodreads Challenge goal since 2016. That was the first year I really started to use Goodreads around December and then in 2017 I used the Goodreads app for the entire year and I haven’t looked back since.

I quite enjoy participating in the challenge every year and I find it extremely motivating to collect all the badges. I also like how it simply shows you your goal, a nice collage of the book covers, and whether you are on or off track in terms of meeting your goal.

My 2023 Goodreads Challenge

I also like that the goal is editable so you can make your goal lower or higher depending on what happens throughout the year. It would be extremely annoying if you could only set the goal once but then have a 6 month reading slump.

Do you think that those kinds of goals help you to feel motivated to read more books, or just causes stress?

It’s a bit of both, probably for me and everyone else. But I have learned a lot about myself through setting these goals. I have learned how much I can accomplish when I put my mind to something. I read so many books during 2020. It was my first year on Booktube and participating in readathons. It was a great distraction from other things that happened that year and I am grateful for the motivation the reading goal instigated.

At times it can also be a little bit stressful, but those were the moments where I really learned how to develop self-compassion and -kindness. At first I didn’t handle it too well and would try read some shorter books that I wasn’t particularly interested in, just to be able to add to my goal.

But eventually I reached a point where if I saw myself falling slowly behind on my reading goal I took the time to reflect about why. I investigated what else was occupying my reading time and my mental space.

Was it social media? Sometimes, yes, and that became a wakeup call to reevaluate my routines and priorities. I remember the times when I read the most I would make an effort to read every morning and every night for at least half an hour.

At other times it was studying or work or other priorities that were taking my time and energy. Sometimes even when I tried to read I was so exhausted I couldn’t retain anything at all. So those moments I forgave myself for and surfed the wave until reading wasn’t feeling like a chore anymore.

Sometimes stress can be an excellent motivator to get you back on track, but it’s important to think critically and holistically. I was able to have really high reading goals while I was still a student. But now that things are a bit higher-stakes I had to readjust accordingly and focus on keeping up with my marking, work, and savings goals first and foremost.

Why did you start setting a yearly reading goal?

I actually can’t really remember how I came across the Goodreads app back in 2016, but it probably had to do with Fangirl. I had had a very long reading slump in my last year of highschool and the two years just after I graduated. The first book that really captured my interest and helped me beat the reading slump was Fangirl. I was a major fangirl back in the day and I ended up reading more Fanfiction than books.

It was also during that time that I was still describing myself as a “reader” but I realised I wasn’t actually doing much of the reading part. I felt a bit of societal pressure to read differently now that I was older and it kept me from reading much of anything at all. I also had a lot more drama in my social life which was quite entertaining and time consuming. Eventually I was drawn back to the written word and realised it was a lot better use of my time than getting drawn into other people’s repetitive repertoire of social games.

It was extremely comforting finding the online book world. I started writing and blogging around the same time and I suppose that’s probably how I found Goodreads too. The goal was an unintended bonus of my digital explorations. I realised along the way how much of an anchor reading was for me. My real world went through so much change, but I always managed to find comfort in the consistency of books.

In a strange way I feel the same way about Goodreads. Amongst other apps having constant updates and drastic changes, I find a lot of comfort in how consistent Goodreads has remained over the years, another anchor. My reading goal has become one too – the number I return to when it feels like life has gotten away from me.

Would you consider reading without aiming for a number?

Probably not. At least not at this stage of my life. Like I’ve said, I find the number extremely comforting and grounding. I am not the best when it comes to time perception and having the number there as a focus helps me be more aware of time in general. Without the goal to check in on, I could let months pass without remembering whether I’ve read or not.

In fact, this year I have taken it one step further and I am tracking my daily pages read through my spreadsheet that I created. It’s been extremely motivational to see my daily reading tracker graph show me how my reading fluctuates. If has also made me want to read more consistently again.

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My 2023 Reading Trackers To sum up…

I love setting a reading goal, but I also don’t think it should be something that takes over your life or demotivated you. Having a reading goal is a personal decision and the number is only a guideline. Not all goals are equal. They can be general or more specific. Perhaps you only count novels to your goal, or perhaps you have multiple goals to real books in different languages or across age ranges. Goals are great for sparking reflection and introspection.

They are also a great way to look back on one’s life. I can take a glance at how much I read in a year and know exactly which parts of my life made it possible. I also know when I prioritised quality over quantity and vice versa and how each made me feel.

If you have never set a reading goal before, I encourage you to try it out and see if it works for you. You might be surprised what you learn about yourself along the way.

Keep thinking, Inklings!

xoxo

Bianca

Are reading goals worth it?

The post Are Reading Goals Worth It? appeared first on Binx Thinx.

Perfection is the satin-lined casket of creativity and originality. 

~ Augusten Burroughs

To the naked eye, I probably appear to be the furthest thing from a perfectionist. I’m not very tidy or overtly organised. I’m always a bit of a mess and slightly scatterbrained. My bedroom is constantly a miniature natural disaster of my belongings strewn across surfaces and piled together in apparent disarray.

When someone says the word “perfectionist” the typical Type A, Monica Gellers or Amy Santiagos come to mind. When I more likely come across similar to the Phoebe Buffays and Lorelai Gilmores of the world – rather quirky and apparently disorganised. In reality I feel like I’m often trapped in my brain with the same thoughts running through my mind on an endless loop. It all boils down to the same basic concept: “be the best or don’t bother trying”.

Read more

This is upheld by an inner narrative of unrealistic expectations that have a large negative effect on my relationships with myself and with others. The unrealistic expectation of being able to write a novel with little to no preparation is eerily similar to expecting others to never make mistakes or be able to read my mind.

I’m sure this thought process, and the anxiety that comes with it, melded to my subconscious during my childhood thanks to multiple factors. I could waste time naming them all but it wouldn’t really serve a purpose here. The reason why I wanted to write about this today was to discuss my bad perfectionistic habits of feeling like a failure instead of a person who is tired and needed a break.

I was doing quite well with overcoming some of my negative thought patterns until the global pandemic which was quite traumatising for myself and literally everybody else. I just wanted to reassure myself (and possibly others) that it’s normal to fall back on negative coping mechanisms after grief and trauma. We get knocked into survival mode and our brains enjoy the familiar, even if they don’t always serve us.

So, as soon as the world went into lockdown, my little negative thought patterns started rearing their heads in many different ways. The germaphobic tendencies I already had were exacerbated by the mask mandates every other month. The lockdowns and social distancing caused my social anxiety to have a major flare-up. It was all-round not fun and I went backwards in a lot of areas. Survival-mode really kicked my butt and Perfectionism came to the rescue.

Nevertheless, the past three years did hold a lot of good as well. I spent a lot of quality time with my sister. My parents moved to Australia and I got to see them after 14 months. I got my Masters degree and two new jobs. It was a difficult time but I also managed to make new friends and stay in contact with old ones. I also read a lot (no seriously… a lot) of books. I made videos on the internet and started a bookclub. I attempted many 30 day yoga challenges (and completed a few of them). I started reading in Afrikaans and French. I became a permanent resident of Australia.

It was not all bad, and that’s important to remember, thanks to the stark influence of negative bias on the subconscious. Perfectionism is one of my coping mechanisms, and I have those because my brain and my body are only trying to protect themselves.

Over these past three years I have also realised how important it is to celebrate milestones and document memories. My scrapbooking skills got quite a lot of practice while I was at home and I think scrapbooking is a really great way to practice overcoming perfectionism. You find the beauty in torn pages and somehow layering mundane things on top of one another creates something beautiful. I also rekindled my love of photographing random every-day objects. I realised that compiling them into little monthly photo albums was really quite satisfying, even if nobody else understood their significance, I did.

My perfectionism has mostly impacted my writing, as has been the case for the majority of my life. This has always been the thing I have wanted the most, so this is also the area wherein I am the most self-critical, unfortunately. I had an extreme case of writers block and I am extremely grateful to these other avenues where I found a creative outlet when I needed it. But I do believe it is time to put my fingers back on the keys.

“Practice makes permanent, not perfect. If you practice the wrong thing, you make the wrong act permanent.”

~ Hamza Yusuf

When I tried googling the opposite of perfectionism I came across acceptance, pragmatism, and stoicism. All three much healthier thought processes and philosophies for life. This is my reminder for future me, a list of wonderfully cliché affirmations:

Accept the things you cannot change.Doing something you love badly is better than not doing it at all.If you want to do something, just keep going. Even if you take one step every day, you will reach the finish line eventually. Our thoughts create our reality, so be less self-critical and more self-compassionate.If you want to do something just go for it. There will never be a right time, there is only right now.Taking breaks doesn’t mean you need to start over when you come back. Revise what you need to, and then keep going!Most importantly, be realistic and mindful with your spoons.

That last one might leave you scratching your head, but I have found the spoon theory particularly helpful in explaining social, physical, and mental exhaustion to friends and family this past year. For instance, teaching is a job where you have to be “on” and alert 90% of the time because you are in charge of engaging and supervising a lot of little lives. So when you come home or on the weekends you might very well be finished with all your social and mental spoonfuls of energy for the week. If you have a friend who probably works much longer hours than you but they spend 70% of their time at their own desk, they might find it difficult to relate to why you “never” want to hang out.

We all have different amounts of social, physical, and mental energy to start off with and we all have completely different agendas and need to budget and spend our spoons accordingly. This mindset has really allowed me to find more self-compassion when it comes to not wanting to write a blog post after report season has just finished; or saying no to what looks like a really fun brunch but I know I’ll need that energy for a full day of teaching on a Monday.

In short, have grace for yourself and others. We’re all doing our best and trying to be a little bit better every day. It also helps a lot when you have some qualitative data such as your good memories and achievements to look back on. If you get stuck on the quantitative data too much it can blind you to the rest. So sure, track your likes and follows, your word count and number of books read, but leave some space in your journal and your life for gratitude and memorable moments. It really does make a difference and helps creativity and joy nudge perfectionism out of the picture.

I hope you are all doing well, in the comments please let me know what has brought you joy recently.

Lots of love,

xoxo

Keep thinking, Inklings!

The post Confessions of a Closet-Perfectionist appeared first on Binx Thinx.

Ah finally a Top Ten Tuesday prompt where I do not feel pressured to take pictures and spend hours waiting for them to upload (because my internet hates me whenever I need to upload anything). This weekly meme is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and I love participating – when I remember I have a blog, that is.

So today’s post is all about my favourite places to read. I could sum this up and say everywhere and anywhere, but I will be a bit more specific for the sake of this post and because I’m having fun trying to rank them in my head. So, dear reader, behold the list of my Top Ten Favourite Places to escape into books:

10. While book shopping

I am trying to cut down on buying physical book buying and lately I only go looking for specific books that have been on my radar thanks to the bookternet. Nevertheless, I do still enjoy a good browse (when I manage to escape my family in the mall) and I will read the blurb and the first page of books I have never seen before – just to get a taste before I make the decision to take them home with me forever.

9. In the library

I hope this one will move up a bit higher in the future but I am currently on a library ban until I finish all of my physical owned books. However, I do love to pick up a book or two and read them right there in the library. Libraries have always been a safe haven for me and I love spending as much time as possible in them.

8. At a café

I have recently developed a fondness for ordering a hot drink and reading alone in a café. However, this is a rare occurrence and often only happens when I am waiting for someone or an event to start. I hope to have more time in future to take myself on little coffee-and-book-dates to find new cafés.

7. In my car

Okay this may seem a bit strange but when I know where I’m going and I’m comfortable with the route I enjoy listening to an audiobook to pass the time in traffic. This is not every time and not every audiobook, but occasionally I happen to come across the right combination and it just works.

6. At my desk

As this post is just about places to read I thought I’d include places where I read different things too. I like to read my non-fiction, self-development, and university readings at my desk. It helps my brain get into focus mode and I am trying to train myself to associate my bed with leisure and my desk with work and productivity. So for it has been working well and I read my language learning books and other non-fiction at my desk with the help of my pomodoro timer.

5. In someone else’s car

Okay this one is a bit different to number seven because in this case I am not the one driving so I am not limited to audiobooks. This one is generally a rare sighting since I received my drivers’ license, but I am very proud of the fact that I trained myself to not get carsick while reading on family road-trips. I am admittedly very out of practice with this, but I have a lot of fond memories of the books I used to read like this in-between our car-singalong sessions and stopping for food.

4. At my breakfast table

This is a pretty interesting one because this is only for breakfast and not other meals as a rule. For lunch and dinner I am often with my family or we eat while watching TV together (not the healthiest I know, but we’re short on time okay). But for breakfast I prefer to read. This is usually because I will get hunger pangs halfway through my morning read and then I do not feel like putting the book down (usually on my kindle) so it will travel with me to the kitchen. I will generally watch some YouTube or series while making my breakfast and then tuck back into my book while I munch.

3. On the train

I always thought I would be entirely too nervous to read on the train but as I have gotten used to my commute I absolutely love it! The train is one of the smoothest means of transport that I take and it’s the perfect opportunity to catch up on uni or book club readings. If I’m in the mood to enjoy the view outside I can turn on my audiobook and drift away.

2. On the couch

In second place, we have the couch! Ever since I was little I would spend time with my family and indulge my book addiction simultaneously. I love to read on the couch with some company. I also manage to zone out with the help of background noise in the form of movies or shows that I’m not particularly interested in. That way I can read with company.

1. In my bed

In the number one spot we have my lovely cozy and warm bed! Are you surprised? Me neither. I love snuggling up at night with my kindle on dark-mode, or being awake with the sunrise to read a floppy paperback in the morning light. I may also have a slight tendency to sit on my bed during the day. This is entirely thanks to my dogs who are permanently attached to my body 90 percent of the time. Beds have always seemed so magical to me because you travel to your dream worlds in them while sleeping or you can travel to imaginary worlds with a flashlight and a great book.

I had so much fun thinking of all these places and putting them in order! Please let me know in the comments what some of your favourite reading spots are.

Lots of love,

Bianca.

The post My Favourite Places to Read appeared first on Binx Thinx.

Five years ago a girl started a blog and the rest is herstory.

On the 7th of June 2016 I opened up my laptop and wrote my first ever blog post: To Blog or Not to Blog. I wrote about why I wanted to write and it was mainly so that I could finally call myself a writer with full confidence. It felt wonderful and empowering and I am so very grateful that I made the decision to enter this world. It has always been here for me when I need it.

My Anniversary Notification

Looking back on the past five years, this blog and I have both gone through so many journeys. Binx Thinx evolved from Fireberry and the theme is worlds away from where I began. I moved to self-hosted and migrated all my blog posts. I have written from four different continents and various locations along the way. I have moved to apartments, air bnbs, and finally a rental house. I wrote on aiports, in hotel rooms, in guest rooms, and in classrooms. This all makes my life sound so much more exciting than it probably is but I am unbelievably grateful for each and every opportunity I have had to get me to where I am today.

I went on a road-trip in America and finally visited my childhood dream of Walt Disney World. I made so many friends and said goodbye to many more. I became a university Graduate and a Goodreads Author. I started a BookTube Channel and a Book Club. I became a dog mom again and a cat aunt. I got my driver’s license and I joined a gym. I decided to become a Teacher and started my Masters. I have read over 700 books, written over 100 blog posts, and taken over 400 bookstagram pictures.

There were a lot of ups. But also a lot of downs. I have experienced so much grief since 2016 and it had made life unbearable sometimes. I have had to bury friends and family. I have dealt with depression and anxiety. I’ve gone to therapy and asked for help. I binged tv shows and ate a lot of sugar. It was a lot for me but I survived even when I didn’t want to. Now we are in the middle of a global pandemic and we have yet to reach the other side.

It feels like every year passes in a blink of an eye but when I pause and look back on everything it is actually quite extraordinary that so much can happen. What I have written here is only a scratch on the surface.

I have read through a few of my older blog posts and I have noticed that I always feel the need to apologise after an extended absence. It kind of gives me that same feeling when I don’t play Animal Crossing fora few months and then I come back and all my villagers are really mad at me for leaving. It’s not a nice feeling, but I think I bring it upon myself by the way I look at it. I played Animal Crossing again yesterday after an absence of two months and this time it seemed more like my villagers were excited to see me again instead of mad that I was away for so long. I don’t think their reactions changed – mine did.

So I’m not going to apologise this time for being away, I am just going to come back to writing when it feels good to write. I am going to be unapologetically myself. I am a bit scatterbrained and cluttered and I struggle with executive functioning. I try to be as organised as I can but I also tend to put too much on my plate and never cut myself any slack.

I have had uni and my final teaching prac and reading for bookclubs and liveshows and the new gym and for two months I was just spending time with my family after 14 months of not seeing them. I used to go to therapy to get my emotions out but this year I haven’t had an outlet and it all built up inside me.

Last week I was a sleepy couch potato and my days consisted of eating, sleeping and watching tv shows. This week I feel like my brain has energy to be creative again so I have been journaling and making videos and cooking and writing this blog post and it has been wonderful.

Recently I watched a video about embracing our natural waves of energy. Basically it means taking advantage of the times when you feel energized and not trying to force yourself to work through your energy dips. Being kind to yourself and resting when your body needs it. I think that’s a wonderful strategy to follow and I have been trying to take note of when I have more energy throughout the day. Also getting enough sleep helps.

It really has made a huge difference in how I feel and I am less likely to feel bad about my daily accomplishments. Some days I use my energy for family outings and other days I use it for doing chores or being creative. A day is not long enough for me to spend the time I want on everything I want to do, and that’s okay. The days and hours add up in the long run and in another 5 years I will have another long list of amazing things I have done.

So here is to every day of the next 5 years. I hope they will be as memorable as these past 5 have been.

Lots of love,

Keep thinking, Inklings!

xoxo

Bianca

The post 5 Years Later… appeared first on Binx Thinx.

Dear Reader, one of my biggest dreams is coming true this year! I have wanted to start a book club for the longest time and now it is finally happening. My best friend and I are co-hosting The Parabatai Book Club!

Who Should Join?

This book club is perfect for anyone who wants to read Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter books for the first or fiftieth time! We will be reading all the books in the Shadowhunter universe for our first year and a half of the bookclub.

January 2021 – City of Bones

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know…

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

February 2021 – City of Ashes

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what’s normal when you’re a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who’s becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn’t ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary’s only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City’s Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

March 2021 – City of Glass

To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters – never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City – whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

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See You There!

Check out our BookTube channels for monthly live shows!Our Book Club PlaylistHow to Read Shadowhunters

This is the order we will be reading the books in as of January 2021.

Thank you for Reading!

I hope to see you soon, happy reading Inklings!

Lots of Love

xoxo

Bianca

The post Introducing The Parabatai Book Club | Jan-Mar 2021 Picks appeared first on Binx Thinx.

Hello Inklings! Look at me being all consistent (let’s hope I didn’t just jinx myself). This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about books I want to read during my Summer holidays!

1. Secrets of the Starcrossed by Clara O’Connor

My first ever physical arc! This one had to be top of my list because it is being published next month (the of January to be precise). I have been waiting to read this one until a little bit closer to the time. I believe this a Young Adult trilogy set in a Dystopian future caused by some changes to our history.

2. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

I reread The Hunger Games earlier this year and I am very excited to read the prequel! I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book, but either way, I look forward to reading more about this world. I believe this story is all about President Snow, so I understand why there are probably a lot of mixed feelings surrounding this book, but I love a good villain origin story, so I hope this is a great one.

3. Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

Another beloved childhood series with a new book! I know it’s probably unnecessary to reread the same book from a different perspective, but I have the time so why not?

4. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

Okay, not going to lie, this was a total impulse buy but I am a curious creature and I couldn’t resist. This book has gotten all the hype this year and I thought I’d give it a chance. I believe it is adult fantasy, and that’s all I know at the moment.

5. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

This story is extremely intriguing and I hope I love it as much as everyone else who have been raving about this story. So far I have only read some of Schwab’s middle grade, but I am sure her adult will be just as good if not better.

6. The Magpie Society by Zoe Sugg and Amy McCulloch

I have read and loved Zoe’s Girl Online series and I am very curious about this dark academia-esque murder-mystery. This is the first in a new series and how stunning is this cover?

7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I am sure this book has been on many of my tbrs, but I am adamant about finally reading this book! Magic, circuses, what more can I ask for?

8. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Naturally I had to include her second novel. I have heard that this is a perfect book to read over Christmas-time.

9. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

I had a lovely chat with my mom a couple weeks ago about some of her favourite books, and this is one of them. I love this story so much and I think I will love the book as well.

10. The Jane Austen Collection

I am still trying to finish Jane Austen’s novels and it’s slow going, but I am getting there. Currently halfway through Pride & Prejudice, aiming to finish at least one or two of her novels soon.

I really wanted to focus on some big physical books that I would love to read sometime soon! I have been enjoying making seasonal tbrs (even if I get off track sometimes) as they help me to focus a bit more on my reading goals.

What is on your tbr this season?

Thank you for reading!

Lots of love

xoxo

Bianca

The post Books On My Summer TBR appeared first on Binx Thinx.

For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday I decided to go with books that make me think of Christmas. I’ve included a mixture of books that I have read and some that are still on my TBR. Let’s jump right in!

1. In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren



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I have not yet read this one, but the cover just screams Christmas. I have read one of Christina Lauren’s books and really enjoyed their story-telling and I have been wanting to read some more romance novels, so this seems like the perfect read.

2. The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan



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This book has been on my radar for quite some time thanks to Zoella’s Bookclub. I only realised recently that it is in fact 2nd in a trilogy, and after watching the Netflix adaptation of the first book I am even more interested in this series. This edition’s cover is the prettiest in my opinion, and I really hope to read these books soon.

3. A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig



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This just looks adorable! I believe it is a Father Christmas origin story and it sounds like a lovely series.

4. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott



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This is one classic series that I am looking forward to finishing. I have started it before and watched a few adaptions and I know the opening scene involves Christmas in a very lovely way. I do own a different copy of this but this cover is way more Christmassy and I had to include it.

5. The Toy Makers by Robert Dinsdale



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Okay, I know absolutely nothing about this book, but anything to do with Nutcrackers always make me think of Christmas. I have heard that this is a lovely story and I hope to read it soon.

6. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickons



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I have always enjoyed this classic tale, but I do not believe I have read the book before.

7. The Twelve Doctors of Christmas



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Last Christmas I read a different collection of Doctor Who Christmas stories and I loved it! Ever since I started watching the show is has become intertwined with Christmas in the geekiest way possible and I love it. This collection looks like it will be a great read too.

8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss



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Okay now we get to the last few books that I have actually read! I have loved the movie adaptation of this as long as I can remember, and the book’s message is just as good.

9. The Nevermoor Series by Jessica Townsend



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Okay I have read the first three installments in this series and I LOVE how they showcase Christmas in the world of Nevermoor. I chose to feature this cover of Wundersmith because it looks the most Christmassy to me, but I think the other two books are where Christmass really shines.

10. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis



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I couldn’t make this list without including this book. In fact, I am watching the adaptation while writing this post and it is lovely. This particular book in the Narnia series has a big focus on Christmas and I love Father Christmas in this story, he’s super cool.

Okay, now I am officially in the mood to turn on the AC as cold as it can go and snuggle down with a blanket and some hot chocolate! Even though I have always had a summer Christmas, I love reading and watching stories about winter wonderlands and snow (seeing as it never snows where I live, I have always associated the idea of it with Christmas anyways).

I hope you are all having a jolly holiday season and reading cosy books! What is your favourite Christmas book?

Lots of love

xoxo

Bianca

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The post Books That Make Me Think Of Christmas appeared first on Binx Thinx.

For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday is is all about rereads! You either hate it or you love it, but we all have opinions about reading books again. I personally adore rereading books, especially my favourites.

I have a whole shelf on my Goodreads dedicated to books I want to read again, so for this blog post I took 10 books or series from the top of my list.

1. The House of Night Series by P.C. and Kristen Cast



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The House of Night is a vampire series that I was completely hooked on during my teens. This is a very long series and I my family gifted me the first 6 (I think) for one of my birthdays. I still remember the joy I felt when I hunted round the house and one by one my family handed me a couple of books and wished me a happy birthday. I also have fond memories of reading this series on a family road-trip to the seaside. I thought the concept of the vampires and magic in this series was so unique and I look forward to reading them in the (hopefully) near future.

2. Confessions of Georgia Nicholson by Louise Rennison



[image error]Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

I believe the first time I read Angus, Thongs it was in a two-book-bindup that I borrowed – from my school library or a friend, I am not too sure. I loved the awkward teenage shenanigans and the movie adaptation stole my heart. I do not think I read further than the first two books so I would really like to reread them and finish up the series too.

3. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr



[image error]Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Now this is another series I need to finish. I only the first book and all I remember is a fairy-tale world that I wanted to sink into. These covers are stunning I would love to finally finish this story.

4. The Specialists by Shannon Greenland



[image error]Model Spy by Shannon Greenland

Okay I was obsessed with this library book when I was in high school. I later discovered that it is also part of a larger series and I would love to read more about these teenage spies.

5. Study by Maria V. Snyder



[image error]Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

A good friend lent me the first trilogy in this fantasy universe and I was hooked. I would love to read about this world again and I’ll probably devour the other books that have been added to it since I was 14.

6. The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini



[image error]Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Okay this time I own the full set, it just needs to be shipped over the ocean. I was obsessed with Eragon growing up (my current car is even called Saphira). Who would not love an epic fantasy about dragons? The author was also a huge inspiration to me – he was 19 when he wrote the first book. I would love to go on this adventure again as an adult.

7. Inkworld by Cornelia Funke



[image error]Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I do own the older copies of this trilogy, but I am a bit in love with these new illustrated covers. This story is all about a book! As a bookworm I was hooked immediately. In the Inkworld there are people who can read things into and out of books. Maybe if I read them out loud this time I will be transported into the story…

8. Fallen by Lauren Kate



[image error]Fallen by Lauren Kate

This series was the start of a new supernatural love for me. I think I fell in love with Angels long before I fell for Vampires. I am a bit hazy about what happened after the first book, so I would love to return to this world and read to the end.

9. Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble



[image error]Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble

I have been fascinated by the story of Anastasia since I watched the animated movie. This series speaks also speaks to the part of my soul that adores folktales. I think this series was one of my first ever that I read on my kindle and I loved it.

10. The Host by Stephanie Meyer



[image error]The Host by Stephanie Meyer

In 2020 when the rest of the world was hoping for Midnight Sun, I was one of the few crossing fingers for a sequel to The Host. I loved this story maybe even more than I loved Twilight. I borrowed it from a colleague and I still hope to buy my own copy one day soon. In the meantime, I really need to read the story again. It is one of the few science fiction books that I adore.

I adore rereading books, but let me know in the comments if you do to and which books you love to read again and again.

Lots of love

xoxo

Bianca

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The post Books I Want to Read Again appeared first on Binx Thinx.