Going Back To School, My TBR & Fall Bucket List 🍂, Window Shopping…

I. Going back to school

I’ve always loved September. This season is a season of new beginnings for me, a much needed return to my routine and of course… the perfect excuse to buy new stationary! Although I’m 26 years old, this last part hasn’t changed – because lucky me, I became a teacher. Now I get to buy the whiteboard markers, the cool red pens –cliché, I know– and the AMAZING erasable Legami pens. Whether it’s for correcting papers or journaling sessions, I always feel like my whole life is being romanticized when I use them.

In September I started my first ever full-time job. So, yeah, big big deal. It’s been a few days and despite the overwhelming workload, I’m loving it. Last Friday was ‘Bonding day‘ – Going on an outing with the kids made me feel so nostalgic. I used to love school outings. But I’M the teacher now!!!

Special mention for my beautiful pencil case from Aarong, my favorite shop in Bangladesh!

II. Reading Journal updates & What’s on my TBR

Here is an absolutely not exhaustive list of books I’ve read in September and plan on reading for the coming months…

(read) Hex by Jenni Fagan: Incredible witchy feminist fiction (fav of 2025 so far). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(read) Evidence of the affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid : Another fav! A painfully beautiful story about infidelity & friendship.
(read) Oscar et la dame rose by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt ( translated title: Oscar and the lady in pink) : A comforting book about death. Sounds weird, I know, but just trust me on this one!
(read) La Bonne Mère by Mathilda Di Matteo (This is a French book and I couldn’t find an English translation): I loved it so much. This is the story of a complicated but full of love mother-daughter relationship.
(read) What happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon : Destination read from my Amsterdam trip!

(on my tbr) Evening & Weekends by Oisín McKenna #1 For Inklings Book club by Jack Edwards.
(on my tbr) The Coin by Yasmin Zaher #2 Also for Inklings Book club by Jack Edwards.
(on my tbr) Gone girl by Gillian Flynn : THE thriller!
(on my tbr) Harry Potter by J.K Rowling : My next Fall Bucket Challenge read.
(next read) As long as the lemon trees grow by Zoufla Katouh : My best friend & I have a book club & this is the pick of the month.

I’ve read 31 books so far this year and it has made me sooo happy! Mainly because I had very good reads overall…

At the beginning of the year, I decided to start a reading journal…

Once in a while I print the covers of the books that are on my tbr and I keep them in an envelop together with all kind of things I use as bookmarks. When I’m done reading a book I’d stick its cover in my journal and add its title & details.

I would then write down my favorite quotes/pages and sometimes journal about it (or not). It became a true act of self-care and my main creativy outlet. This gives me the opportunity to slow down, and reflect longer on what I have read. My journal has made my journey as a reader a little extra special.

I even decided to create myself a little reading bingo with categories that match my interest & reading goals in the coming months :)

III. Fall Bucket List

Like I said, my reading journal also happens to be an amazing creative outlet. This year I decided to make a fall bucket list to make the most of the coming months and appreciate the magic of this season – even though it’s still so hot here in Malta…

If you speak French, love books and fall; you’d love Margaud! She is all about seasonal reads & decor ; and just like me – Fall is one of her favorite seasons! She is the one who inspired me to do seasonal bucket lists.

IV. Sunday morning shopping trips

I love a good shopping trip on a sunny sunday. My husband and I usually walk around from shop to shop without a destination in mind.

I used to struggle with impulsive buying, I could never go to a shop without buying something (anything, really). These past few months/year I have been taking photos of things I’d like to purshase and added them to my Wishlist album photo on my phone. This way, I get to go home and sleep over my decision – if I’m still thinking about it, I’ll go and buy it. Doing this allowed me to enjoy window shopping without being tempted to buy things I will end up decluttering later.

Here are the latest temptations…

(Just for fun!) He l o v e s Toy Story.

By the way, I don’t think I ever went to a children’s toyshop before as an adult, and I enjoyed every single minute of it. I got nostalgic, thought about my little siblings’ next Christmas presents, and even felt a little bit of excitement thinking about the future that may or may not await us… Like I said, so much fun!

V. Curls updates

Hair has been growing! But you’ll never notice with these curls…

VI. On wasting food

Wasting less food has been a big goal of mine this year – it’s even on my 2025 Goals list. I’ve been looking into recipes, tricks and tips to make sure I tick this box at the end of the year. The one ingredient that always ends up going bad in our home is banana. So last time, I baked some cute banana/apple cakes and it was yummy!

I could share a whole post about the topic, but I’d like to figure out even more practical and effortless ways to reduce waste first.

VII. Justin Bieber’s new album, especially ‘Go baby’!