Coffee Break, travel

What To Take On Your Cruise in 2019!

It’s time for another cruise! I’ve been fortunate enough to have gone on many cruises in my life so far, so I decided to put some of my cruise essentials in a video! I have linked that video here as well has put it down below. Some of the links in this post might be affiliate links, which don’t change the cost for you, but helps to bring some extra cash (read pennies) my way, so I can keep trying new things and make more videos.

Of course one of the biggest things that I would bring in your bag and not buy it on the boat is sunscreen and bug spray. Everything gets a lot more expensive on the boat and this way you can bring on the sunscreen that works best for your skin. Also if you’re going snorkeling or planning on going in the ocean, try and get some ocean or reef safe sunscreen like this here.
One major thing that I forgot to mention in my video is to take over the counter medications with you! Things like ibuprofen, Tylenol, Alieve, Zantac, Tums, and Pepto Bismal. They have over the counter medications on the ship, but you do’t want to pay $10 for 2 pills. So go ahead and buy that $5 before you go, and that way you can take your ibuprofen first thing in the morning when you wake up with your party hang over.
Make sure to bring a beach bag. This year I will be taking this Muzmm three in one backpack that I have an unboxing for here. I always have some sort of beach bag with me, so that I have something to carry my stuff around on the ship and then I also have something that I can carry off the ship during shore excursions. I like non cloth bags because obviously there is a lot of water around you and just having the synthetic material can make or break having a soaked bag due to splashing. I like having colorful bags as well as having something with my name on it. If you Tiles, it doesn’t hurt to throw one in there.
Something that I found out recently was the magic of towel clips! These magical things help to keep your towel on your chair and keeps them from falling off! They also help to mark your chair as your own and also informs the fantastic staff on the ship that you’re still using your towels and not to pick them up for you. Of course you should drop off your towels at the towel drop off because it helps out the staff.
Seems silly to mention, but bring a hat. My poor boyfriend is as pale as it comes and so I have to make sure that he brings a hat. Me on the other hand, I don’t always have one because half the time they don’t fit on my head with all of my hair.
A reusable water bottle!! This is so big! It’s so easy to get dehydrated on vacation. Being out in sun, drinking, and having fun can lead to dehydration will lead to you feeling miserable, so bring a water bottle. It helps to get you drinking more and then you don’t have to buy water. You also don’t have to get up all the time to get more water. Just don’t put it to the actual machine!! That spreads germs and gets you sick. Use a clean cup to fill your water bottle. Also bring something you won’t be sad to loose. Don’t bring your Yeti’s and Hydroflasks just in case you leave it somewhere.
I love to bring a carry on. Whether that be a backpack or a carry on suitcase. I always have an extra pair of clothes and a bathing suit in there. I like to allow the cruise line to bring my luggage to my room. You can do it on some cruise lines where it just has to go through the security detector and then you can take it on yourself. In it I always have a change a clothes, my makeup, bathing suit, and anything I think I might need for the few hours I’ll be without my luggage. Of course that includes all of my electronics because those do not leave my side.  Depending on the cruise, depends on how much luggage I’m bringing with me. Lately I’ve been traveling very backpack heavy and have been using the Peak Design backpack. There are plenty of unboxings out there, so I did not make my own. I do love the Peak Design set up and how everything goes together. It makes things really easy!
These are some of the things that I think are helpful to have on vacation! You can watch the video below and scroll through to see some examples and what else that I bring! Of course follow me on social media and you can see how I use the items in action!! Have you been on a cruise before? What are your favorite items to bring?
Bookish, Unboxings

April 2019 Owlcrate Box, The Dark Side

It May, so that means that it’s time for me to do the box from the previous month because I can never do these on time!! So without anymore procrastination or delay or talking about absolutely nothing before getting to the items, let’s get to the items. You can also find my unboxing video of the items here, or down below!

The theme for April was The Dark Side and featured some of the same books that other boxes have featured before, so nothing new, but some different items.

First off we got a pair of socks all about Six of Crows featuring artwork by Out of Print from the special edition of the book,  I do love their stuff, and these socks look great!

If we’re doing one Leigh Bardugo series, we’ll do the other and so we have a scarf representing the Darkling from the Grishaverse and designed by Bookmar’d Tattoos

Up next there was a hardcover notebook designed by Stella Bookish Art, and we all know that I love her designs, this time her artwork features a quote inspired by Throne of Glass

We also got a pin banner, so that you can show off all of your enamel pins, or any bookish pins that you might have acquired and designed by Michelle Gray

For the selfie lovers like myself a Vicious inspired phone holder – pop socket- was included in the box and was designed by Hey AtlasCreative

This months enamel pin was inspired by a beaded necklace the main character in The Wicked Saints, Nadya, wears to help her communicate with the gods. It is absolutely beautiful and designed by Hey AtlasCreative. We also got a fabric book map that goes with the book for the month!

Finally for the book! Of course it is an exclusive cover and it’s also signed. It seems like a world wind of a book featuring magic, princes, blood mage, and assassination plans. The Wicked Saints by Emily A Duncan sounds like it is going to be filled with a fast paced adventure filled with magic.

 

It was a fun box that highlighted some dark characters. I wish that we could get some different series represented in some of these boxes because we get the same fandoms all the time and there are plenty of series out there that people would love to see items for, but these were still fantastic. Did anyone else notice that the art prints have disappeared?! I did! What did you think of the box? What was your favorite item? Let me know down in the comments, but until next time,

Keep turning the Pages

India

 

Book Reviews

Three Dark Crowns, Kendare Blake

There is only room for one Queen in the isle of Fennbirn, but there are three queens who are trying to be the strongest they can to take the throne. When the time comes it is going to be up to the all three queens to try and defeat the other in order to be called the true Queen. Each generation there are triplets that are born in the hopes that one of them will become the next true Queen. They grow up together for a few years and then are separated to go to their prospective part of the kingdom where they can learn how to grow the unique gifts that they were born with. Mirabella is an elementalist who can control the weather with a fierce energy and bring flames and lightening down on whomever gets in her way. Arsinoe is a naturalist who is said to be able to bloom flowers and help trees to grow, as well as have a familiar, or an animal, who she is said to be able to communicate with. Finally there is Katharine who is a poisoner, which makes her immune to all of the deadliest poisons to where she can even eat a whole feast of them.
I genuinely enjoyed this book. Once I finally got into it I could not put it down. There is a lot of world building in the beginning and with the fact that there are three queens, you have to see each of their worlds. There are a lot of characters in the book, which sometimes gets confusing, but as you keep reading they start to really set themselves apart. I love the different ways these queens grew up, and I was also glad to know that they all knew what happened for them to become the queen instead of the finding out on their 16th birthday. I would definitely recommend this book. It’s kind of in the dark fantasy realm. It’s not a typical princess book by any means, and that’s what I loved about it. Until next time,
Keep Turning the Pages
India
Bookish, Unboxings

UNBOXING BOOKTUBE | March 2019 Owlcrate

Here comes another Owlcrate Unboxing! Last month’s box included items from books like Game of Thrones and Nevernight to go with their Murder and Mayhem theme for March. Instead of talking too much about it let’s list out some of the items that are in the box! If you would like to watch me unbox it you can either click here, or you can find it down below!

First up! We’ve got Owlcrate’s first travel mug inspired by Nevernight and designed by Catarina Book Designs.

There an exclusive Owlcrate canvas drawstring backpack designed by Michelle Gray. It has a nifty zipper pouch on the inside, which makes it different than a lot of other “dump” drawstring backpacks

We’ve got a wooden bookmark by the royal wooden bookmark makers themselves Ink and Wonder Designs featuring a Game of Thrones quote paying homage to the Stark Family.

The illustrious candle makers at In the Wick of Time created three different candles inspired by This Savage Song. I got Corsai, which one did you get.

Next up we got a sticker designed by Jamila Mehio inspired by Three Dark Crowns.

The pin was created by Iron and Ink Designs and is an incredible compass pin that helps to represent the book for the month and its four quadrants.

The book of the month was Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte. Four Dead Queens brings total opposites together in a tale filled with twists and turns to figure out who has been murdering the four queens. This definitely seems like a book if you like Three Dark Queens.

 

For more pictures and to always stay up to date, make sure to follow me on Instagram!

 

Murder and Mayhem Box by Owlcrate
Bookish

BLACKATHON TBR!!

Hi everyone and welcome back to my channel. My name is India and today we are going to be doing my TBR for Blackathon, which started at the beginning of the month, but that I’m finally getting up now. If you’ve been following me on twitter then you know that I had a difficult time getting some of these books and went ahead and started reading some other books. Let me know what you’re  reading during this challenge!
I’m really excited about this read a thon because it is centered around books written by black authors and/or books with black main characters. This read a thon is hosted by Francina Simone over at Francina Simone, Lauren over at The Novel Lush, and Jessie over at Bowties and Books. They have decided to do this with reading challenges to help pick out your books and to force you to try to read more diversely, which I think is awesome! I know that I’ve picked way too many books for this read a thon and probably won’t get to a lot of them, but I decided to aim high. It also gives me a lot of variety to read, so I can go from book to book. What are some of the books that you’re reading? Below are some of the books that I have chosen as well as a couple that I have read and loved that fit into the categories
1. FEEL THE LOVE. Read a book (any genre) featuring romance between two black people (or one black person + a person of color).
An American Marriage, Tayari Jones
Recommend A Princess Theory, by Alyssa Cole
2. WAKANDA FOREVER Read a graphic novel or comic series with a black or African MC
Kindred, Octavia Butler
3. HEAR US ANY work by a Black or African author
Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany Jacksonn
Let’s Talk About Love, Claire Kann
Black Enough, Anthology by multiple authors
Well Read Black Girl, Anthology by multiple authors
4. FEEL THE BEAT. Spoken word: listen to these 4 poems and share your favorite on social media or with a friend. Discuss what this poem means to you and why it matters.
Balaenoptera by Joshua Brandon Bennett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9TWj…
What I’ve Learned by Aja Monet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8byI7…
“Waiting” by Jasmine Mans, Alysia Harris, and Jennah Bell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgxU7…
Cuz He’s Black by Javon Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Wf8…
5. MORE THAN A COLOR. We house complexity within us. Read a book starring an intersectional black character (black & LGBT, black & neurodivergent, black & disabled, etc)
Let’s Talk About Love, Claire Kann
Recommend: Odd One Out by Nic Stone, Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert
6. IN THIS TOGETHER Read the group book with us! Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo