Favourites for 2020!

2020 has been… odd. While some good things have happened in my personal life, I haven’t done much or discovered a whole lot of exciting things or been one of those people that’s learnt new skills in lockdown… But let’s not dwell on that. Today is about celebrating the things I have enjoyed in 2020! While I don’t normally do *favourites* posts, I decided to make an exception this year, because we could all do with more good stuff in our lives! So, I’m going to be recommending some non-bookish things I’ve liked this year (don’t worry, the book wrap ups will come soon enough!) It won’t be a tremendously long list, cos about 95% of the things I enjoy are book related 😉 Let’s hop to it!

Love Wedding Repeat– yes, I’m mentioning this again 😉 This was the movie I had most fun watching this year. And (I can say from experience) it’s also the kind of film that I can happily rewatch!

The Queen’s Gambit– I was surprised by how much I loved this. I hardly thought that a TV show about being a chess champion could be so gripping and emotional! And when I look back on all the TV I watched this year (and I watched a fair amount 😉) it’s the one that stands out to me most. It’s a real winner.

Folklore– Taylor Swift’s surprise album drop just about made my week/month/year. As I predicted when I ranked the songs, my favourites have mostly changed (other than Invisible String, which is still my number one, cos it just continues to make me so happy). My new order is: Invisible String, Mad Woman, Illicit Affairs, Exile, Cardigan, Hoax… then it’s pretty much the same. Love this album- still my favourite from Swift! (And I’m writing this just as I find out she has another album out this year- SQUEEEEEE!!!)

Wizard of Oz Bookmark from Bookworm Heaven– yes, I’ve showed this off before. And yes, I said I wouldn’t show off any bookish stuff in this post. However, this is the exception to that rule, because isn’t it pretty?! You can check out the Etsy here for more designs (notspon).

Philips IPL device– this was my sister’s idea to include, cos as you may have noticed, I’m not really one that knows a lot about beauty products (though if you want *much* better tips in that department, check out her blog!). In fact, it was also her idea to take advantage of all the months in lockdown to do something practical for the future and try out these hair removal devices. I’m not as far along in the programme as she is (having only started in our second lockdown) but I can say the results are looking really good so far! If you’re interested, the Philips device I’m using is not only super easy to use, quick and painless! It’s pretty revolutionary!

Yoga with Adrienne– I don’t know if this counts as something from last year, but we gotta take the wins where we can get them! And one thing that has just been more and more vital to me this year is yoga. While there are a lot of online yoga classes and apps to try, the one I consistently come back to is Yoga with Adrienne, because she just has the loveliest, most encouraging, fun personality. I can’t recommend her channel enough if you’re already into yoga, do a little bit of it, or just want somewhere to start! 

Merphy Napier– I have no idea if I’ve mentioned Merphy Napier before, though I certainly should have! She’s my favourite booktuber (and youtuber overall). Her content has been consistently awesome all year long! (Love this video in particular cos it shows you how creative her lists are and gives you a good idea of her taste at the same time)

Foil Arms and Hog– I actually discovered this last year… but who cares? This comedy channel consistently gets me chuckling. They’ve a huge back catalogue to get through- which I’ve made a reasonable attempt at 😉 Plus, even in the pandemic, they’ve been putting out sketches weekly!

Holderness Family– finally something *great* that I found in 2020! Thanks to By Hook or Book, I discovered their spoofy songs (a lot of them on Covid). And my favourite of the bunch is easily they’re hilarious takes on Hallmark Christmas movies!!

And finally… THE PLAGUE!!

With his best bud Tiptoe the Rat… Yeahhh I was scraping the bottom of the barrel for faves in 2020, but to be fair, I was really delighted that my friend sent me this (rather cute version of the) Bubonic Plague (also known as Hugo the Bubo 😉 ).

Annnnd that’s all I have for now! (because most of my faves this year consist of *books*!) What have you enjoyed this year? Let me know in the comments!