What Sophie Said

Colouring books. When the magazines and adverts first started telling me that’s how I’d be relaxing and that colouring books for adults would be so popular, I paid no attention whatsoever. And then my sister bought me a mindfulness colouring book last Christmas. Armed with my coloured pencils, I decided to give it a bit of a go while watching tv. And I fell for it. It really works. As someone who has anxiety and in general is and over-thinker and likes to be occupied, it provides that perfect balance between having a task to focus on but that task being creative and relaxing. Once I finished that book, I moved onto others. Harry Potter ones inspired by my trip to the studio tour and a Narnia one because I needed a break from flowers and nature. There are so many options out there, and my doubt was definitely proven wrong. Do you use colouring in as a way to relax?

It's been a while, but the reading itself certainly hasn't stopped! Here's my latest round-up of mini-reviews... Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden This tells the story of Sayuri, thrown into the geisha world where, as a young girl, she is naïve and manipulated, until she rebels. There were several strong themes throughout the novels, such as love, and loss, when she is torn from her family, and also the empowerment of women originally forced into an oppressive situation. The book had been on my to-read list for years after multiple recommendations, and offers a fascinating insight into the geisha world, a culture I know next to nothing about. The fantastic characterisation meant that as a reader I fully believed every word. Golden skilfully pulls readers into a world they may be unfamiliar with, but at once it feels familiar. The book is peppered with tragedy but inspires so much hope, and is definitely one I would recommend. Mindfulness for Life: How to Us...