This is technically a Top Ten Tuesday topic but I’m behind so I’m just going to post it on a Saturday so we can still share and discuss reading/bookish goals of the year!
I don’t typically set New Year’s resolutions as it gives extra unnecessary pressure to meet them. Instead, I like the idea of an encouraged goal for the year. Something to think about but not absolutely required to do within an allotted time. Do any of you ever feel that goals just sound better with less weighty expectations?
Anyway, here are my 5 reading-related goals for the year! Counting down from 5 and in no particular order…
Wherein I, Andge, lover of all things Alice and Wonderland-esque will chronicle in picture and words the insane experience that is The Alice Cocktail Party Experience.
Please note this blog is not affiliated in any way with The Alice Experience and I do not get compensated for any promotional reviews I leave below. I’m just a girl who has a shared love for Lewis Carroll and his fantastical world.
The lovely entrance to Wonderland
We start off at the door, which is a beautiful key-shaped entrance that’s oddly reminiscent of Kerstin Gier’s book covers.
You see the similarities right?
Back to that door. Of course it wouldn’t be to Wonderland without the tagline: Down the Rabbit Hole. You know I’m partial to it. So shall we head on down the rabbit hole together?
Upon entering, this is the wondrous view. Colours! Odd shapes. Random knickknacks. You name it, it’s here. Separately they may be less overwhelming but together? Just brilliant.
Everything is completely on theme, from the wondrous tea party table spread to that GIANT Cheshire grinning down at us.
Not to mention, Wonderland wouldn’t be complete without our very own Mad Hatter guiding us through whatever wacky tea party he’s about to throw. Talk about getting into costume and character! This guy was absolutely marvelous.
The sets around the room really got us into the theme – who wouldn’t feel like they’re somehow in a wacky Wonderland universe?
I loved all the creativity and thought put into the smallest things, from the teacups on our table to the many suits decorating the walls and objects. (And by that I do mean the cards.)
The atmosphere was set and the party itself was interactive and loads of fun! From solving riddles to making tea (the alcoholic kind), it was a one of a kind experience that’s for sure.
This may look like ordinary tea – I can assure you, it’s got some special ingredients 😉
I must applaud the workers who make this party so lively and entertaining. Just look at that wondrous Queen of Hearts gown! I haven’t had that much of a surprising good time since before the pandemic.
Overall, I never thought I’d get to experience any Alice in Wonderland themed anything but it goes to show there are fellow lovers of Wonderland out there like me. So here’s to going down the rabbit hole (outside of a book for once) and loving every moment of it.
I read somewhere that April is poetry appreciation month. Whether or not that is fully true, I wanted to take the time to highlight poetry on this blog. Now, I don’t read as much poetry as I would like to, but for a little while, I was so immersed in poems. It was a weird transitional period in my life, and I found that the emotions and feelings invoked by poets just reached into my heart like they could see how I felt.
So I wanted to take this time to collate the poetry books I read and loved, as well as those on my TBR. Perhaps you may find that they will touch you too in a way you’re needing right now. Or maybe they’ll introduce you to something you never knew you wanted to read until now.
And if you have any recommendations for other poetry books, I’m all ears because I want to dive back into that genre with the perspective I now bring.
I love how this book touches on heartbreak and seeing the world around you with reminders of your first love. I hated that it made so much sense to me, even after so many years since such heartbreak. Why couldn’t I just let go? But Dawn’s words helped me heal in some ways I never got to – where closure was never truly formed. Where it previously made sense to just forget the pain, shove it to the farthest corner and move on, perhaps years later I come to realize I hadn’t exactly moved past that dark corner I never looked at.
Down the Rabbit Hole 