Hello there! How is everyone? Are you sick and tired of the pandemic already? (That's actually a pretty stupid question.) Got your vaccine? Convinced someone they should, too? Good on you! Here's your weekly dose of the reads I think you might find interesting. I hope you do! Oh, and happy first day of Spring, if you're in the Northern hemisphere; happy Autumn if you're not. :)

Weekend Reads #126

Now, it would seem I have a complicated relationship with this blog. I don't. I love it, maybe not as much as seven-ish (seven??????) years ago, but it's very dear to me and I cannot imagine forgetting to pay for the domain name and letting it all go. On the other hand, it's been years since I was devoted to this little piece of the interwebs.  Rumor has it no one actually reads blogs anyway. Um, I kind of do? Well, people have expressed their preference for a video format, and that's something I doubt you will ever see me doing. And how would Weekend Reads even work as a video? Exactly :) so here I am, having fun just occasionally, hoping it's good enough. Chasing perfection is so last decade. And I hope you can have fun as well. That being said, enjoy this week's Weekend Reads. I hope you're well, I hope lockdowns, isolations, and the like haven't messed up with your head and your life too much, and I just hope you're at piece. At times, that might be the hardest thing you can work on, but one of the most important ones. 

Weekend Reads #125

Well, it seems we only gather here to mark big occasions, such as birthdays and Christmases :) I hope everyone is well—as much as one can be. Stay safe, friends. Drink plenty of fluids, wear masks, wash your hands, find ways to stay connected, but you've done all this, haven't you? Pandemic fatigue is a thing, and I urge you to continue with best practices, and maybe we'll live freely again soon. Call your loved ones if they're away, don't make any drastic New Year's resolutions, or don't make any at all. Read good books and be kind. Here are some internet reads I thought you might enjoy.

Weekend Reads #124

Oh hi, and a happy birthday to me :) I've loved this date since I was a child and can pretty much say what I did on September 26th for the last 20ish years :) I mean, yeah, it's one step closer to death, but every other day is too, and in the meantime, I get showered with love from great people. What's not to love :) But anyway, you're here for the weekend reads, and here they are. Enjoy!

Weekend Reads #122

Happy Saturday, y'all! What have you been up to? I'm trying to decide which book to pick up today, as I've had a slight hiatus. Not asking for recommendations this time as I have DOZENS of books, physical and electronic, lying around and waiting for me to get to them. Though, if you feel you HAVE TO recommend something, fire away :) In the meantime, here are some links from around the Web I feel may appeal to you. Enjoy! 

Weekend Reads #121

Not feeling particularly creative for an even remotely interesting introduction; working at home has taken its toll on me and I might be losing it. No one even talks about "when this is over" anymore. I wish I could be reading more books while days last forever, but I don't feel very capable. Any advice?

In the meantime, here's what you came here for... hope you like this week's links! Do share within your circles if you do!

Weekend Reads #120

Keeping silent over here again, even though I had felt overwhelmed with all the content I was reading online so ended up unsubscribing from various newsletters. My life lately has been a blur—I can imagine it's similar with everyone, given the situation in the world—sleeping poorly, being available to work at all times, not managing to find the time for the book pile that's growing and growing. But I'll still ask you about book recommendations, as you may know already about my love for every list imaginable. Leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter :)

And as you're probably here for some interesting reads, here they are. 

Weekend Reads #119

...And now, back to the regular program!

Everything around me does seem regular, apart from a person here and there wearing a mask. So, is this it? Are we back to normal? Entered the new normal? I have no idea. But I do have some cool reads for you, and hope you enjoy the weekend, whatever your plans may be. Have a good one!

Quarantine Reads #2

Hello!

Unlike last time, when my update was long and thorough, I don't have much to update anyone on. I mean, we've all been staying at home, right? It's not like you care what I do at work, haha. I might update you on all the screen time I've had that didn't involve reading, but that deserves another post sometime when "this" is over. By the way, "this" seems to be over in Serbia in two days. I'm quite wary of the fact and honestly won't be returning to life as before. Heck, we're not even returning to the office any time soon. I'm afraid that the sudden opening of restaurants and cafes might result in a surge of numbers two weeks from now, but let's wait and see. In the meantime, here are some quarantine links for you to take a look at. Stay safe!

Quarantine Reads #1

Hello!

It’s not Friday, but these are not Weekend Reads anyway. Welcome to a new edition of #weekendreads, the one I hope won’t stick for too long.

The last time I wrote here, I let you know I would be traveling to the States the following week.  (Haha.) Time for a little update. If you don’t want to read, feel free to scroll and find the link stash below!

Weekend Reads #118

Hello, lovely people! I'm once again sitting in a coffee shop for the sake of change of scenery, as I have way too many admin-ish things to do this weekend. This time, however, I'll be more than pleased to do so, because I'm traveling (!) to New York (!!!!!!?????!!!!) next Thursday (?????). This will be my first time in the States and anyone who knows me also knows how much I've wanted it for years—well, basically since I was a kid. I remember announcing I would study to be an English teacher and move to San Francisco when I was about nine. My brutally honest mother said to me: "But they already speak English there." Talk about ruining a child's dreams! Anyway, I really did want to travel there for a long time but for me it's always been an adventure that comes with a hefty price. And apparently, I made it to the stage where I could live below my means and stash away coins with a goal in my mind. (Then the stolen passport with the visa episode happened, but I managed to acquire one again.) And here we are. I'm so incredibly happy, and I'm off to plan my trip. As for you, enjoy the links below, and the next Friday links will be here on March 27th—the day I land back. 

Weekend Reads #117

Hello, friends! Here's another Friday. My blog has obviously turned into Weekend Reads, and I guess that's fine—it's a microcommitment I can almost keep. I do miss writing travel posts though, and I hope there will be some new, unexplored (for me at least) horizons to write about, but more on that next week. In the meantime, hope you enjoy the weekend, and talk to you soon!

Weekend Reads #116

Change of scenery, y'all. Not a big one: I'm sitting at a very sunny coffee shop on early Saturday afternoon. But so needed! We had a three-day weekend last week, and all my plans for it went down the drain, thanks to one two several drinks too many. Trying to make amends with myself today and tomorrow. What are your plans for the weekend? Hope you're enjoying the sunny weather too! If you get any free time, take a look at the links below, if you'd like. Have a great weekend!

Weekend Reads #115

Hello again! I'll be quick as I'm in the middle of housework, going to work later, and with an enormous to-do list for the weekend. I'm a list woman, but sometimes I just wish to do nothing for two straight days. Which does happen, and I should obviously be more thankful when it does :) Also, here's a shoutout to one of my most amazing friends who celebrates her big 30 today. Happy birthday, Ivana! 💖 As for the rest of you, enjoy your weekend, minimize your own to-do lists, and have a look at some cool weekend reads below...

Weekend Reads #114

Haha, apparently, it's Friday again! It's also the last day of the month, and even though sense tells us January lasts just as much as all the other months of 31 days, I'm prone to thinking otherwise! Moreover, my monthly pay lands on next Tuesday, so, as someone said on Twitter, my January extends to the next weekend! Oops! On the other hand, welcoming February means we're closer to other good things we scheduled this year. I hope you have, too :)

In case you don't care about the passing of the time, but my weekly round of links around the web, I've got you covered. :) Enjoy!

Weekend Reads #113

I didn't feel the Blue Monday four days ago, but today I'm feeling as if January will never end! I'm such a homebody yet I'm cold at home (my fingers are super cold right now) because the insulation in our building sucks, and I can always turn the AC on but I'm kind of afraid of the next electricity bills. 😅 One thing I've been doing lately to battle the cold: reading! I've had a huge list of books to be read for ages, but this is finally the year I decided to start tackling it! Unfortunately, it means I'm making no progress on my two other lists—one for movies, the other one for TV series—but I'm finally reading almost every free minute of the day, and as a result, it's the 24th today and I read seven (7!!) books. I almost forgot how great reading is. (Besides the good old WWW, which I've obviously been doing on a regular or semi-regular basis :)) Highly recommend it! Anyway, you're here for the links, so here they are...

Weekend Reads #112

Ooh, hello from the new year! Though on the 17th we can hardly still call it new. How's everyone, how are your New Year's Resolutions? Some who've been following a long time can remember I used to post mine here to hold myself accountable, but this year I think I'm giving up. At least in writing. I do have some ideas of what I want to do more (working out, reading, writing), or less (eating junk food), but honestly, I haven't had the time to organize a nice little document with wows to myself. Thinking about it, I feel I should have... maybe in February? :) On the other hand, it's the same as basically anytime—if you asked me in July what I feel I should be doing more, I'd probably tell you: work out, read, write. But I DID read three books in the past two and a half weeks, and I'm going through the fourth one, so who knows! Maybe resolutions and decisions are something you take more seriously in your thirties? What do you think? 

Anyway, here are the new reads... hope you like some of them!

Weekend Reads #111

Ah, the beauty of remembering AND having the time to hit Publish on Fridays! I wish I were able to devote more time to this piece of the Web. I often feel guilty to failing to do the most basic of things, curating interesting reads for you. This does take more time than writing things from scratch! (Though don't underestimate the amount of things I read on a weekly basis—only a small percentage ends up here!) As always, I want to promise myself I would do better next year, but this time, with a full time job and hobbies and social life, I really can't. But I can try at least. Also, I'd love an input from you. What do you want to read? I was thinking of travel, as always, but also introducing bits and bobs regarding financial literacy and managing finance, as this is something I've grown to be passionate about. Would that be of interest to you? Hit me up here or on Twitter or wherever you can find me :) And since this is the last time I'm talking to you in 2019, well, have a good time for the New Year's Eve! :)

Weekend Reads #110

I have an image of the White Rabbit in my head, holding a clock and yelling how late he is... Another skipped Friday! I'm pretty sure I published a link some time ago—a year and a half, perhaps—about a different way to clean your house. The article praised cleaning on Friday nights so you get to have a clean and beautiful home during the weekend, and you don't have to start your Saturday with rags and detergents. I was a convert immediately! But since I'm at my new job with a different work schedule, I do that on Fridays before work. Meaning—if I don't post Weekend Reads on Friday, it's probably because I'm cleaning or scrubbing something. How do you find the idea of cleaning before the weekend? Let me know.... And now, as always, enjoy the links below, and the weekend, of course.

Weekend Reads #109

Here goes! I was supposed to start this edition with "hello from the wonderful Berlin", but I just—pardon this excuse—didn't feel like it. The post was ready, but the night before my backpack got stolen. It wouldn't have been such an issue if it hadn't contained my wallet together with all my money (I know, I know, I usually don't carry all my cash around, but this time it happened), my ID, my health insurance card, all bank cards... then a hand cream that cost half as much in Berlin as it does here at home (that still pisses me off), gloves, liquid lipstick my sister gave me for my birthday, mini mascara, my favorite Prada sunglasses that I saved up for, and let's not forget my PASSPORT with my American visa that was valid for seven more years, that I never used so far, that I was looking forward to using next spring, and that I have to apply for again... paying money, again, and being at risk of being denied, or being given a visa of two months or six months or whatever. Now you may see why I wasn't so keen on being merry happy and announcing weekend.

It is what it is, though, and even though I was hoping that whoever got my bag was happy enough with the cash and sunnies and would leave the bag somewhere for someone to find it, it hasn't happened. I am slowly starting all the processes of obtaining my new documents. It is such a pain in the ass, and heartache, because I had developed a detailed savings plan for my spring break in the States and literally every euro mattered and now I'm dealing with a huge setback both financially (stolen money + money for the new passport & the visa) and logistically (what if I'm denied the visa??). Wish me luck!

Anyway, as I've pretty much recovered, mentally at least, here are some Weekend Reads for you...