It's the most wonderful time of year. Christmas lights are twinkling everywhere, my room looks like there's been a tinsel explosion and the book release dates for next year are finally making their way into the world!

I was writing down a list of them just for my own knowledge and I reached the end of Page 1 before I noticed they were all queer. I'm not even doing a reading challenge next year so this truly was an accident - I actually think I only know of one non-queer book that's being released in the entirety of 2019...oops! Anyway,  I put up a little poll on twitter to see if sharing that list would be something people would want to see and here I am sharing away! Some of these have been on my list since the day they were announced and others are more recent additions but they are all ones that I'm already counting down the days until I have them in my hands.

University is kind of a terrifying experience. Moving away from home, living in a new place, meeting new people and studying on a whole new academic level is an awful lot to deal with in one go. If you've been around on my blog for a little while it might not be a surprise to you that I found my undergraduate a totally overwhelming experience. I struggled and stressed and worried for three years straight - I had a panic attack that included the really ugly, messy kind of crying on my third day there (in front of two office staff and a lecturer - great first impression I made!) and that just set the tone really.  London, despite being a city I'd had my heart set on for a decade, was a very harsh place for me. It was always slightly too much: too busy, too loud, too fast paced and I constantly felt like I was on the outside looking in, not really a part of the bustling city life but also not really wanting to be.

That being said I don't regret going to London, or staying there. I can't regret the decision that resulted in the most wonderful bunch of weirdo's - girls I'm privileged to know let alone count as friends. I can't wish I'd picked a different path when it brought me back to writing, when it has led me to studying my passion in a city I'm falling more in love with every day.

I second guessed every moment I spent in London, never feeling capable and always feeling more like I was just surviving than actually living. In Edinburgh it's already a completely different story - I know it's still very early days but I'm actually living in this city as opposed to surviving each day and disliking most of them. Every part of it has completely captured my heart and I haven't found anywhere I don't like yet. Edinburgh even looks magical when it's miserable and gloomy! Putting aside how pretty everywhere is for a minute I do feel like there are tangible reasons for this feeling and have summed up my top four.

A modern day queer retelling of Twelfth Night - finally my dreams have been answered! This refreshing take on a classic story features a Belgium Princess, a freelance reporter / former women's football player & a whole tangled heap of feelings - I adored it!