The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen & MinaLima [blog tour]

Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima are the talented duo behind the graphic art in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beast films. The wanted posters, magazines, Daily Prophet, school books, and even the funky labels of the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products are all intricately illustrated by MinaLima. While this is already very cool, they also have tons of other beautiful designs under their belt and I especially love their fully illustrated versions of classic tales. After The Jungle Book, Peter Pan and The Beauty and The Beast, last week the latest instalment in this gorgeous collection was published: The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales.

5 Must Dos For a Short Weekend Break in Dublin

I'm very excited to be going away to Dublin over Easter, my first holiday of the year and one sorely needed after the incredibly busy few months I've had at work. We'll only be in the Irish capital for just over three days but we have a jam-packed itinerary to make the most of a flying visit, carefully researched and mapped out (though, I'll let you know afterwards if we managed to stick to all of our plans). I know I'm not the only one juggling limited holiday days and a full-time job but still wanting to get the most out of weekend breaks, so I've rounded up my top 5 plans for this getaway to help inspire other globetrotters with limited travel time.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition at the Natural History Museum

We're incredibly lucky in London to have a wealth of museums and art galleries on our doorstep. Regardless of what you're interested in, you'll be able to find an exhibition to suit your tastes. I love discovering new animals facts and nature pictures, so the stunning Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum is one of my annual staples on the cultural calendar. Not only is it a gorgeous exhibit to visit, but the captions underneath each photo provide fascinating insights into exotic locations and animals, making it a very educational outing for all ages.

London in Spring: The Columbia Road Flower Market

We may have had snow in London as recent as this past weekend, but meteorologically speaking spring has already started. Sure, we tend to go by the astronomical calendar but even then it's only another few days until the season of daffodils and blossoms kicks off. With the unseasonably cold weather recently it's been even harder than normal to find spring in London (Wisteria Hysteria is a little while off yet), but there is one London staple that you can visit all year around and looks particularly delightful in spring: The Columbia Road Flower Market.

The Last Wilderness by Neil Ansell

I've been meaning to pick up more nature writing and The Last Wilderness has been the perfect introduction. Neil Ansell's astute observations and eloquent descriptions of his solitary journey through the remote Scottish Highlands was a true delight to experience – bringing a sense of calm to my hectic days with the sheer power of his words.

Top Picks From the £1 Penguin Modern Classics Series

From the moment I first heard about the new Penguin Modern Classics series on the YouTube channel of Jean Bookishthoughts, I've become a little obsessed with this collection of books capturing some of the most captivating voices of modern literature through speeches, essays, short stories and poems. Where I purchased only a handful of the classics from the series that was released a few years ago, in the days since the launch of the gorgeous new pastel blue collection I've become the owner of 12 of the 50 titles. #sorrynotsorry

What I Read in February 2018 – Wrap Up & Mini Reviews

With my goal for 2018 to take more time for each book I read and stress less about getting through all of the review titles ever, I've read a 'mere' four books in February, and I'm okay with that. Being more picky with the titles I picked they've unanimously been brilliant reads (a lovely mixture of fiction and non-fiction too) and I feel very happy with my bookish accomplishment of the month. I've also had more time for reading other content, such as blogs and magazines. I've had years of subscriptions to National Geographic and National Geographic Traveller but never read them back-to-back and I'm now catching up, which I am really enjoying! They are my all-time favourite magazines and it feels so good to finally get around to them, plus they also nicely align with my goal of reading more educational and travel-related content this year, win/win. 

Wyld Afternoon Tea at Mondrian London

I love my themed afternoon teas, having enjoyed an autumnal tea, a Beauty and the Beast one and another in a library in the last year alone. So when my birthday came around last month and it was time to decide on a place to go, needless to say afternoon tea was high on the list. There were a few different location that all sounded great (and I will be checking out this year so stay tuned) but the one we went for this time around was the botanical tea, and it was delightful.