Hello blog readers, I hope everyone had a lovely, relaxing weekend. I spent mine dressed as Monica Geller, celebrating my friend's birthday with a 90's, Friends themed party. I don't think it gets much better than that to be honest, and luckily no one dressed up as Ugly Naked Guy! I have to say I have been feeling pretty unmotivated and uninspired since my last blog post and was struggling a little deciding what to write about. After much deliberation I thought I would do a short and sweet post telling you about the book launch I was invited to last week by my lovely friend, Anna James, who has just written her debut children's book, Tilly & the Bookwanders, which is out now! I'd never been to a book launch before so I was super excited to be a part of the publishing world for an evening, and see what a different kind of industry event entailed. Here is a little insight into the wonderful night and why this debut novel is so magical.
I had originally thought that if I was to write a post documenting the event it would be focused around my full outfit which I would have lovingly put together. I was going to plan the perfect smart casual outfit to wear but, of course, the universe had different ideas. Instead, I was up at 5:20 am on the morning of the launch, travelling to the other side of London to shoot a TV series for ten hours. Needless to say, my perfectly planned outfit was abandoned. The day was a lot of fun but I was pretty exhausted by the end of it and had to travel directly from set to make it to the launch on time. This meant I was wearing the outfit that I was wearing for most of the day and had to carry my holdall packed full of spare costume from the shoot. Not ideal to say the least! Luckily for me, it turned out that this particular book launch was a pretty casual affair so I didn't feel too out of place with my outfit.
I was wearing my favourite vintage Burberry mac coat which I paired with a simple striped tee by Uniqlo. This combination is one of my favourites and is effortlessly chic instantly making an understated but fashionable look. Add a pair of blue boyfriend jeans by Levi's and you have the perfect classic, casual look which, luckily for me, is great for just about any occasion. To finish the look I wore some brown brogues which I have had for years and obviously the oversized holdall by H&M which is a great weekend bag and looks a lot more expensive then it is. I don't know about you, but I think there is something quintessentially British about this look and I love it. It also strikes the ideal balance between casual and classy.
The event was being held at Hatchards bookshop in Piccadilly as incidentally the majority of the book is set in a magical fictional bookshop, Pages & Co. I climbed the stairs to find a mass of people standing among the books, chatting, eating canapes and drinking red drinks from wine glasses. I wove my way through the people to find a bar area serving a mixture of prosecco and grenadine making a delicious cocktail, bright red in colour, to match the cover of the book. Miniature canapes were served all evening and the night was really a chance to speak to others and celebrate Anna's achievement. After speeches were made, I managed to pick up a copy of the book (which included a free tote bag no less!) and get it signed by the author herself. It was such a nice evening with a very relaxed vibe which was exactly what I needed after such a long day.
Although I haven't finished the book yet, the pages I have read have already encapsulated me. The copy itself is beautiful and made me so excited to read that I had to start it, slightly tipsy, on the tube home! The story follows eleven year old Tilly, whose Grandparents own a bookshop where she loves nothing more then to curl up, with a good book and read. One day she discovers some of her favourite characters have come to life in the bookshop and she realises she has a magical power to "bookwander" into any story. Obviously exciting adventures follow. This is definitely a book which will be enjoyed by any child and adults too. And the good news is, it's going to be a trilogy which means there are even more exciting adventures to follow. You can, and should, grab a copy of the book here!
After a good few hours of drinking and chatting to some very interesting people it was time for me to head home and instantly fall asleep. Things I learnt from this experience; I would definitely recommend going to a book launch, if you can, at some point in your life. I would not recommend drinking grenadine and prosecco after a ten hour day. But you live and learn, eh? All I have to do now is find the time to sit down and finish the book. I can't wait!
P.S sorry for the quality of the photos! Iphones pics apparently don't like being blown up really big and I obviously have no eye for detail after a 10 hour day...