This is a guest post from Jamie at JamieAdStories.

I was really pleased to get the chance to write a guest post for the brilliant Wool of the King blog. After thinking about what I could discuss, I decided to explore why books are still very relevant and important in our modern world. 

Reading is a skill that is not readily available to thousands of people around the planet, so it is definitely worth celebrating and protecting. Books take many forms these days, but however you imbibe them, they provide education and entertainment for so many of us. In effect, books are the keys to other worlds and information; they provide inspiration, stimulation and make us think reflectively about our lives and the way we live them.

So, let me outline some of the reasons for my believing that books really do matter. The following suggestions are open for debate and I would welcome any thoughts on these in the comments below.

1. Books are flexible

Although some people still think of books as printed papers that stem back to Victorian times and oily printing presses, we all know that books have changed with the times. These days, if you want to read a book electronically, you can lap up a story using a kindle reader or iPad. As well as this, audible versions of popular novels have helped to establish a big market for audiobooks.

When buying a book, you can choose how to access that text. For me, I still like to peruse a book shop and flick through the pages of freshly printed stories. But it is possible to get hold of a book right away if you find you cannot wait to get your hands on a physical version. Gone are the days of queueing up at midnight for the latest J.K. Rowling book. You can now download an ebook instantly, should that take your fancy.

2. Books are teachers

Yes, non-fiction books can open our minds to new nuggets of information – that goes without saying. However, fiction books teach us lots too. For instance, I have become interested in visiting certain parts of France, thanks to the novels of Joanne Harris (author of Chocolat). Many of my family are obsessed with crime dramas and, as a result, seem to think they know everything about courtrooms, having picked up lots of lingo from reading about detectives and hearings.

3. Reading is good for the brain

We all need to keep our brains busy so that they carry on working effectively. I am no scientist but I do know a dementia expert who says how important regular reading is in flexing the muscle and continuing to fire synapses. 

Reading expands our vocabulary, makes us think about contexts and storylines, and enables us to make connections with places we have been. Using our memories, we try to find settings we can recall which may help us to envisage a story location.

4. Books are social beings

Just like when you didn’t attend a party that all of your friends went to and you have a case of FOMO (fear of missing out), if others are talking about a new novel, you soon want to be a part of that conversation. Book groups and online forums are very popular these days and sharing thoughts about stories is widespread through blogs and podcasts.

I really enjoy engaging with other bloggers about particular books and often check out Booktube on YouTube where bloggers either ‘big up’ or rip apart new fiction. Personally, I only write about books that gripped me as less satisfying stories don’t hold my attention long enough to make me want to disrespect them. Not all books suit everyone, after all. But it is a reader’s market with so many genres and wonderful authors producing a wide range of stories.

5. Books make a difference

Over the years, books have played important parts in history. These days books provide the inspiration for TV shows and movies, as well as theatre plays. Books have encouraged social change and influenced revolutions. Even today, when a biography comes out about someone famous, the newspapers flock and people start talking about the issues that arise from it.

Books are relevant as they open minds, challenge perceptions, and inspire people to use their imaginations. It is well known that writers get their ideas from other authors. The more you read, the better the ideas you come up with.

Related: Books I read in 2021

Summary

Hopefully, I have convinced you that reading books is still worthwhile and suits the modern world well. Books got me thinking as I grew up and later inspired me to have a go at writing fiction and reviewing books on my blog JamieAdStories. For a previous post about this, please check Why Reading Is Important.

Thanks so much to Lauren for enabling me to write on her lovely blog. I love being able to share my passion for books with everybody and hope you will share your thoughts on the article.

Since I have been trying a lot more foodie places lately, I thought why not review some restaurants as blog posts? Although, I only decided to write a blog after the fact and didn't think to get lots of pictures.

The latest place I have been that I thought would be good to review is Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza in Battersea. There are a few locations across London, but we decided to go to the Battersea one as it was the closest to where Joe (my boyfriend) lives.

It is located around Battersea Power Station, near the new tube station and it seems like everything around there is new - I'm not sure though. There are loads of restaurants around there and they have Birdies mini-golf and bar, so we went there beforehand.

The pizza

For Christmas, Joe's mum got us bottomless pizza for two at Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza, so we went there for a kind of Valentine's Day celebration. I love experience presents like this!

Our table was booked for around 6pm and as soon as we got there, we saw people walking around with the pizza. For the bottomless pizza, I believe it is £16pp for 2 hours of pizza, they do have a few sides too but the pizza was SO filling I didn't even look at the sides. Although we did get the garlic pesto dip which I would highly recommend!

As they are bringing round pizza so frequently, pretty much as soon as you sit down and order a drink you can start getting your pizza, on a slice by slice basis. For this reason, we got really full in about the first 20 minutes and couldn't even last the full 2 hours. So my advice would be to take your time.

For a drink, I had the special lemonade cocktail (I forget what it's called now) but it had vodka, limoncello and lemon and it was really tasty and refreshing. To be honest, the cocktails on the menu weren't really my thing, lots had elderflower so great if you like that but I don't really.

Related: Greyhound at Corfe Castle Review

There were five pizza flavours including the special which was nduja. Surprisingly the nduja special was actually my favourite as it wasn't spicy at all, but I found the pepperoni really spicy. The pizza itself was really good and it was a good thing it was really thin because it's more practical for fitting more slices in.

After the pizza though, I was the most full I'd been in ages. Did I have to secretly undo the button on my jeans and hide it with my scarf on my lap? Yes. I would NOT have been able to last the full 2 hours.

The service

The service was generally good although the waiters did forget things a couple of times, I think a few of them were new but that's ok. It was a busy Saturday and the main thing was the pizza - which was brought round VERY promptly.

Also, we were well looked after and were asked multiple times how everything was.

For sport lovers, they had football on in the background. Important information for dates if you want your football-mad partner to talk to you, maybe go on a day they don't have football on. Thank me later.

Overall rating

For the food, service and general ambience, I would give our experience an 8/10. Everything was great but would have given the extra two points for more pizza flavours and if the waiters hadn't forgotten to bring us our water.

I would definitely go there again and it was such a great gift for Christmas!

Related: 7 fun things to do in Shoreditch, London

Did you like this review? I am thinking of doing more as I try new restaurants and experiences.

Welcome to another post in my The Low Down series, where I give you the Low Down on important stuff.

I don't know about you but I feel like it seems to be harder to make friends as an adult. When you're at school or university, you kind of make friends with the people you see every day because you are all put into a situation together.

Since leaving uni, I have made a few new friends but it is a very different process. My friends from uni or childhood, I don't even remember how I made friends with them, we just have a friendship. So when I think of making new friends it's a bit more difficult.

Having said that, I feel like people as adults are way more accepting and open to new friendships, whereas school kids are kind of mean and form cliques. 

Tips for making friends as an adult

1. Network online

Through blogging and Instagram, I have met some really great people. You can find people who you have a lot in common with and it is a lot easier to approach people online too.

Obviously, making friends online can be dangerous with catfishing etc, so please be careful in doing this.

In Salisbury, there is a group called the Salisbury Social on Instagram where anyone is welcome to join social events including book clubs, drinks and more. Groups like this are great if you have moved to a new area and you want to make new friends because you're all in the same boat. 

Does your city have a group like this? If not, why not start one?

Related: Friendships: The Low Down

2. Put yourself out there

3. Don't be desperate

Wow, that is a long title! When I was telling people I was going it was such a mouthful too. Either way, I had such a great time that I had to tell you about it.

If you haven't watched RuPaul's Drag Race UK yet then what are you waiting for? You can watch it here on BBC IPlayer.

If you are unaware of what Drag Race is completely, then it is a group of drag queens who compete in challenges and someone goes home every week until they crown a winner. There are many seasons in many countries so if you haven't watched any, do it!

A fun fact about me is that I wrote a 10,000 word dissertation on the representations in RuPaul's Drag Race for my final year of university (and got a first which I tell anyone, any chance I get).

A bit of background information about the event

The queens

My favourite acts

At the end

This is a guest post written by Chloe from chlodoeslife.com.

You did it! You finally graduated and landed your first job. Life after university can feel very overwhelming and starting your first full-time job sounds scary, but I’ve created a list of amazing tips to help you navigate through your first job and be successful. 

Hi, my name is Chloë and I blog over at chlodoeslife.com. I graduated in May 2020 and started my first (corporate) job in August of that year. In the year and a half between starting that job and writing this post, I’ve learned a lot and now I’m sharing my tips with you. Thank you, Lauren, for giving me the opportunity to guest post!

1. First Impressions Matter

It sounds cliché, but it’s definitely true: first impressions matter. Make sure that on your first day - and every day after - you’re dressed properly and look neat. Of course, you dress according to your workplace - make sure you know beforehand what the dress code is. If there is none, you can easily wear jeans and nice jumper, but just make sure that you don’t look as if you’ve just rolled out of bed. It gives your employer the wrong impression of you.

Not only your outfit is important, there are a few other things to take into consideration as well. Make sure that you have everything you need to make your first day into a success. Take a notebook and a pen to make notes, bring some snacks and a water bottle if you’re not entirely sure your workplace will provide these. I wrote a whole post on how to rock your first day on my own blog, so make sure to check that out if you’ve finished reading here. 

2. Always Ask Questions

And you can take always quite literally. You just graduated and have only limited to no work experience, nobody expects you to know everything from the start. Even after months and after a year and longer, it’s still okay to ask questions. Nobody is perfect and even senior profiles still need help sometimes. It’s better to continue asking questions than make big mistakes that could cost you your job! 

You need to ask questions in order to be able to be successful in your first job. Finding solutions to a problem yourself is time-consuming and not efficient. Of course, you shouldn’t just bother your manager with every little inconvenience. I once read a tip online about the 20-minute rule: if you can’t find any possible solution within the first 20 minutes, ask your manager. If within the first 20 minutes you have a slight idea of how you could solve it, try that first. If that doesn’t work, speak to your manager. This way you don’t unnecessarily bother them and still find a solution in a timely manner. 

Related: 10 productive things to do on a Sunday for the best week

3. Take Additional Training

As someone who has just entered into the workforce, you naturally don’t have all of the skills you need yet to grow as a professional. Along the way, you automatically notice there are things you can’t do yet, and you should take every opportunity you can find to expand your skill-set. Not only for your current job, but any future positions you will take on in your career.

Most companies have a training budget available, so make sure you check in with your manager about how much you can spend yearly on courses. When you find a course that’s relevant to your job, talk to your manager to see if you can attend - you shouldn’t pay for these yourself. If there is no budget, there is also plenty of free training available online that will help you expand your skill-set. For example, some of the tools I work with or some of our business partners offer free online training on various subjects that I try to attend as much as I can. 

4. Learn To Say No

This probably also depends on the department you work in and on your individual skills, but as a new hire, people from different departments will ask you for your help, especially if you have one specific skill that might be useful for them as well. I, for example, speak German fluently, so the marketing and customer service departments often ask me to help with some translations. 

What’s important to remember, is that you make sure it fits in your schedule. Always do your job first and then see what you can do for other people. I know that especially in the beginning it’s very hard to say no to others, because you want to make a good impression, but you should always put the tasks you were hired for first. If a favour for someone else doesn’t fit in with your other deadlines, say no politely. Most of them will understand. This is super important to avoid any unnecessary stress and to not feel burnt out after a while. 

5. Stay In Touch With Your Friends

Nothing is more important than staying in touch with your friends. Even if you have less time now than you had before, find some space to squeeze in your friends for a drink after work every now and then. As a junior, you can feel very out of place sometimes, especially in the beginning, and being able to talk to your friends about it, can be a huge relief. 

It’s the perfect way to let out those frustrations that you can’t share with colleagues or family, because they simply won’t understand. Talking with people that are on the same level as you will make you feel understood. After all, most of them will be going through the same thing and it will help you feel less alone at times. 

Related: What now? A life after graduation

These are my tips to be successful in your first job! I hope you enjoyed them and that they’ll be useful for you in your job too. Thank you again, Lauren, for the opportunity and for letting me write a piece for your blog. 

Yours truly,

Chloë 

I love making A-Z lists of things but it can be quite hard when you get towards the end of the alphabet. Full disclosure: I do not have anything for the letter X.

A while ago for Valentine's Day, I wrote an A-Z list of date ideas and because I love films, I thought I could create a list for that too. Some letters of the alphabet have lots of really good films starting with that letter, so for some, it was really hard to narrow it down. For others, there were only a few that I'd seen beginning with that letter. For example, I'm pretty sure I have only seen about three films beginning with the letter V, but S had loads I wanted to share.

The films in the following list are all films I have seen, enjoyed, and would recommend to you. If you need watchlist inspo, then look no further. There is a range of genres, some new, some old.

A-Z list of movies you need to watch

A - American Psycho

B - Back to the Future

C - Clueless

D - Do the Right Thing

E - Everybody's Talking About Jamie

F - Forrest Gump

G - Get Out

H - The Help

I - In the Heights

J - Joker

K - Knives Out

L - Legally Blonde

M - Mamma Mia

N - The Notebook

O - Only Yesterday

P - Prisoners 

Q - Queen of Katwe

R - Ratatouille

S - Schindler's List

T - Titanic

U - Us

V - The Vow (There are probably better films beginning with V but I have not seen very many beginning with V)

W - Wizard of Oz

Y - Yes Man

Z - Zootropolis (the only film I have seen beginning with Z but still cute).

There we have it, this list was so much fun to make so let me know if you enjoyed it and I can make more. There are so many films I would recommend and if you love films like me then follow me on Letterboxd here.

Letterboxd is an app where you can log each and every film you have ever watched. It's basically a social media channel where you can rate and review films and see what you're friends have been watching.

Related: What to watch on Netflix and Disney+

How many of these have you seen?

Welcome to my yearly roundup post where I share with you the highlights and lowlights from my year, 2021 has been a weird year, a lot has happened and although it hasn't been my favourite year, I have had some really good memories and some big changes have happened in my life.

My 2021 Roundup

January 

February

March

March for me was mainly filled with socially distanced walks with friends. At the start of the year, I would just complain so much about all of the things we couldn't do but those walks with friends were something I really appreciated and it made me focus on the things that we could do to bring us joy at that moment in time.

April

April is my bday month and I had yet another lockdown birthday and turned 22 but this one felt way less restrictive. I was able to see my boyfriend and friends and a couple of weeks after, Joe and I went for an outdoor meal to celebrate when things opened outdoor seating. Classic me to make it a whole birthday month. Stay tuned to see what I do for my 23rd birthday and if we are in lockdown again (my luck). If not, I'm going big!

Because outdoor seating started opening for restaurants and pubs and I was gagging to be anywhere but my uni bedroom, I went any time that I could for bottomless brunch or for food. But does anyone remember how freezing it was? I just remember thinking it was going to be warm and it really wasn't, I even had to wear gloves at one point.

May

So after all these months of writing my dissertation since January, I finally submitted it in May and basically finished uni. Throughout all of the other months, I was doing loads of uni work too but I didn't mention that because - boring. 

When I submitted my diss, I got the standard picture with the front page outside my uni. Only the front page - because we submitted it digitally rather than on paper, which I think is so much better anyway.

After finishing, I was invited by the National Express to go on a PR day out with them, so Joe and I went to London for the day on the coach.

We also went to a PR evening at Mbuntu's opening night in Southampton. So basically, I was feeling quite VIP in May. Uni was over, and there was a lot to look forward to re the world opening up.

June

One of my favourite days ever was in June, too. At our uni house, my two friends and me planned a sports day themed party at our house. It was the first party we could have at ours because of Covid and the people who didn't really like to party were away that weekend so it worked out well. It was so much fun and we did some classic games like egg and spoon race.

Another PR invite - My friend Maddie and I were able to try the lovely Greyhound Inn pub in Corfe. I can't recommend their pub garden enough, it was so stunning and there are great views of Corfe Castle.

Also in June, I spoke on the radio for the first time. I was interviewed on BBC Radio Wiltshire as someone who watches Love Island to talk about the new show starting. Big deal for me as I hate speaking on things like that.

July

July was the month I moved back home from uni which was a weird experience. It still hasn't hit me yet that uni is over for good and it's been months since finishing.

As nightclubs reopened in the UK, I was able to go to my first ever drag show, and see my fave Scottish Queen, Lawrence Chaney. I love drag so much and I hope to go to many more drag shows in the future, it was so much fun!

The day after (suffering from a hangover) I went on my first out of two student nights out in the whole of third year. I was so glad to go on a night out after months of not being able to.

This is the month Joe moved back to London for work too, so since then, we have been getting up to all sorts of fun things that I will let you know about.

August

After much anticipation on whether it would happen or not, my friends from uni and I went to Bournemouth 7s Festival. This is basically the event we look forward to every year and we couldn't go in 2020 so it felt even better to go this year - even if my feet did feel broken by the end of it.

September

At the beginning of September, my mum, grandma and I went to see 9 to 5 The Musical. Going to see shows is a newfound love of mine and I have really enjoyed all the ones I have been to so far and this was no exception.

In the middle of September, Joe and I went on a long weekend away to St Ive's in Cornwall. We had the best time there and this was the last of the sunny weather we had this year. Read about our St Ives trip in full here.

Towards the end of September, I visited Joe in London and we went to Spitalfields Market, where I had a pulled pork bun, and about a third of a crumble from Humble Crumble because it was so filling. After that, we went to a spontaneous comedy show at Vauxhall Comedy Club and had a really good night.

October

I also took my friends from home on a night out in Bournemouth. We went to DYMK which is the gay club in Bournemouth as I had such a great time there seeing Lawrence Chaney earlier in the year.

November

I haven't stopped going on about this, and I'm not sure when I will but I graduated from uni in November, and this was probably the best day of the whole year. It just made all of the days of hard work and feeling like I couldn't do it pay off.

After graduating and celebrating with my friends, I also had a party a few days later to celebrate with my family friends at home. In true Lauren Kenny style, we had a huge brie centerpiece.

Another month, another visit to London, but this time it was to see my friends. We celebrated one of my friend's birthdays by going to Hijingo in Shoreditch, which is basically a really futuristic boozy bingo. I am yet to win anything at a boozy bingo - I'm starting to think it's a fix.

Towards the end of November, I just started getting into Christmas activities early, like Christmas shopping and going to the markets for mulled wine.

December

To kick off December, I was invited to a PR meal at Pizza Venti in Salisbury where we tried their amazing Christmas menu. The pizza was to die for!!

I also went to my first book club meeting. I have been a part of the book club since September but there were various reasons why I couldn't attend the previous ones. It was really great to meet some new people in my home city.

As I said, I also try to share the low moments as well as the highlights, and in December, I spent a lot of time feeling really anxious. I have spent a lot of time trying to improve my mental health and going out of my comfort zone, but what I was hearing in the news about the new waves of Coronavirus made me really worried because of how much I struggled in the previous lockdown.

At this time of year, we usually go to the Dortmund Christmas markets but this year we went to the Birmingham one instead.

All in all, the year has been filled with highs and lows just like any other year. Has it been the best year of my life? Has it been the worst? Not really. A lot has happened that I'm grateful for and that's why I really like writing these posts. At first I thought this year had been a bit rubbish with Covid, but looking back through the year, I have some really fun memories and lifelong achievements that I am proud of.

What are some of the highlights of your year?

I have started doing a few book reviews this year and that's because, to be honest, I have only really started regularly reading as a hobby this year.

When I was at uni I had to read for my course so I didn't really want to do it in my free time, but I've actually been enjoying it since leaving. Does that mean I'm a real-life adult now?

So, I thought I would share my favourite books I have read this year with you.

My best reads of 2021

1. Women Don't Owe You Pretty by Florence Given

2. Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

3. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

4. Good Vibes, Good Life: How Self-Love Is the Key to Unlocking Your Greatness by Vex King

5. His Other Woman by Louise Voss

6. Drag Queen of Scots: The Dos and Don'ts of a Drag Superstar by Lawrence Chaney

7. Release the Beast: A Drag Queen's Guide to Life by Bimini Bon Boulash

8. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

I was debating doing a Christmas gift guide this year as I did one last year, but I thought since I created the Salisbury Bloggers network this year, it would be great to share some local businesses with you, whether you are from the Salisbury area or not.

If you are not yet aware of the Salisbury Bloggers network, this is an Instagram account I created over summer with the aim of connecting creators and local businesses in Salisbury and the surrounding areas. While being at uni in Bournemouth, I was part of the Bournemouth Bloggers group and had some great opportunities from being part of it, so I thought Salisbury needed something similar. Follow the Salisbury Bloggers network on Instagram here.

Another aim of the group is to create opportunities for Salisbury creators, similar to the opportunities I had from Bournemouth Bloggers. So, if you are a local business wanting to work with influencers and creators, or if you're a creator looking to work with local businesses, get in touch and see more information here.

Salisbury Christmas Gift Guide

So, I am going to be sharing my favourite local businesses with you where you can get great gifts for loved ones for Christmas.

1. Wolf Cabin Wax Melts

I recently ordered some wax melts from Naomi at Wolf Cabin Wax Melts and they smell amazing. Wolf Cabin is a small wax melt business local to Salisbury which was started in 2020 and the name of the business inspired by everything cosy, just like you would find in a cabin.

Their wax melts would make great Christmas gifts and stocking fillers. They have such a wide range of scents - Christmassy and non Christmassy and they are so affordable too.

2. Rosebourne

3. Ginkgo Accessories

4. Crystals

5. My Mini Wardrobe

If you are looking for handmade knitted clothes for little people in your life, then look no further than My Mini Wardrobe on Etsy.

These items are handmade in Salisbury and you can personalise and chat with the business owner to collaborate on the perfect pieces.

6. Weathered Knots

Paige from Weathered Knots creates and sells the most amazing home decorations made out of Macrame knots. So much talent goes into these items, and again she is local to Salisbury.

Paige's website is definitely worth a look. There are so many unique gifts you could buy for a loved one to spice up their living space.

7. Army Flying Museum

8. Ruby and Moon

9. Maul's Cheese and Wine Bar

10. Chalke Valley Soaps

11. Artisan Wine and Spirit Co

12. Bluestone Vineyards

13. Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm

Now that I have left uni and don't have to read for my dissertation anymore, I am actually enjoying reading as a hobby for the first time really. One of the books I have really enjoyed reading lately is Lawrence Chaney's first book, Drag Queen of Scots: The Dos and Don'ts of a Drag Superstar.

If you don't know who Lawrence Chaney is, they are a Scottish drag queen who won RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 2 and I have been a fan since watching the show. I have also seen Lawrence Chaney perform live which was fabulous.

I haven't really read a biography until this one and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so I had to share my thoughts with you.

What was the book about?

The book does what it says on the tin. It is an autobiography mixed with advice for drag queens who want to start out. As Lawrence was only 24 at the time of writing, the book is about their childhood, teenage years and how they got into drag, and ultimately winning Drag Race.

Related: Women don't owe you pretty book review

After watching Lawrence Chaney KILL IT all of season 2, it was so interesting to read about their childhood. As with many drag queens, they were bullied throughout most of their childhood, mostly for being gay, being fat or being Scottish. Although it was hard to read about, Lawrence made light of this and in the end, the bullying lessened at school due to their sense of humour. Being funny and making fun of themself was a way out of being targeted and I resonate with this a lot.

After that Lawrence wrote about getting into drag and gender identity. They said at one point that they are still on a journey with gender so even though I have heard Lawrence be referred to as he/him out of drag and she/her in drag, I am using gender-neutral pronouns in this post such as they/them/theirs.

The book had a lot of content about mental health but it was a light read due to a balance of talking about important subjects whilst also injecting comedy into the book.

Should you read this book?

The answer is 100% yes! Even if you are not into RuPaul's Drag Race, it's still so interesting to read about how an ordinary person pursues their dreams and becomes a drag superstar. 

Related: 5 books I wish I'd read sooner

Have you read this book?

Since starting university I have written a few blog posts about student life, so I thought I also need to write about it all being over as sad as that is.

I finished university in May but I have only just had my graduation.

If you are reading my blog for the first time, I have been studying Communication and Media at Bournemouth University for the past four years (including a placement year) and have recently graduated!

About the day

Onwards and upwards