Nostalgic Gigs And Bookish Events- October 2023 Overview

I feel like the Autumn and Halloween lead up was even quicker than usual this week. When we were stood in our house on 31st October and a trick or treater rang the door I was thrown as to how it was the end of October 2023. Thankfully we had some sweets in the cupboard for the kids.

The middle of the month saw me hit the six month mark at my current job which has gone so quickly. I am absolutely loving it though, no two hours are the same, never mind two weeks which is really nice.

I didn’t think October 2023 was a busy month, but then pulling everything together here I realise I did a fair amount.

Three gigs in one week

Around the middle of the month I ended up having three gigs within seven days which hasn’t happened in a while. And all of the music was stuff I listened to 10+ years ago, so it was a real blast from the past.

It started off with a trip to the O2 Arena with Luke to see Blink 182. As the band are back together with Tom it felt only right to go and see them and I absolutely loved the show.

Then I headed to a show in Camden for Funeral For A Friend. This was a 20 year anniversary show of their first album so it was really special to hear it in full. There were a lot of tracks I’ve probably never heard before. A few days later it was time for another anniversary show, this time 15 years of Smart Casual by Kids in Glass Houses. This was one of the most fun shows I’ve been to in a long time and my voice hurt so much when we left.

Movies and entertainment in October 2023

We only made it to the cinema once in October and that was to see Dumb Money. I love these types of movies, and I couldn’t believe it was all based on real life events. It was all around the GameStop share fiasco which happened in 2020 and it was fascinating.

The following week we headed to the Royal Albert Hall to see a live recording of the Off Menu podcast. Ed Gamble and James Acaster are both great comedians, but they are hilarious together. It was a great evening entertainment and reminded me how much I love live comedy.

All the bookish events

I had a few bookish talks over October. At the start of the month it was Henley Literature Festival so I drove over there to head to two different talks. It started with a talk between three different authors all about female friendships and empowerment. I went mainly for the author Daisy Buchanan but the other two women were equally as fabulous. Annoyingly I had a few of the authors books at home but forgot to bring them with me to be signed.

Later that day I headed to a larger venue to hear Emma Gannon talk about her new book the success myth. Every time I read Emma’s work or hear her talk I always find myself nodding along around the pressure we put on ourselves and what we think defines success.

Then later in the month I headed to the Waterstones branch in Trafalgar square for a talk featuring the wonderful Beth O’Leary and a few other fab authors. It was one of the best Waterstones talks I’ve ever been to, the ladies all bounced off each other so well. And I managed to get my collection of Beth books all signed.

A trip to Brighton in October 2023

Me and Luke had a Brighton trip planned for September but the train strikes caused us to reschedule.

We had a pretty chilled day filled with some shopping, a trip up the i360 viewing tower and a lovely Italian meal. It was nice to get away for the day and see somewhere different.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I’m not even sorry about mentioning Christmas now. October 2023 was filled with a few Christmassy things including two different shopping trips, one with my mum in Milton Keynes and one with my nan in Watford.

Alongside my shopping trips I’ve been making good progress with my Christmas shopping, and I’ve already published three different gift guides on the blog.

If I had it my way the decorations would be up now, but I am going to wait a few weeks.

Things for me in October 2023

After being a fan for around 17 years I finally got my first Bring Me The Horizon tattoo. I had been looking for ages for a design that I loved, and I saw a flash design from an artist in Walsall and knew it was perfect. So after a two hour drive I headed to the Midlands and got a tattoo I am so happy with. Even though the studio is a bit of a drive away the artist was fab so I’ll definitely be back to see him again.

I hate talking about weight loss because I know it can be triggering for some people, but at the end of September I started to make some changes in my own diet. I was doing this for my own physical and mental health, and I’m so proud of what I achieved in October. While I’m not dieting in the traditional sense, I am working to a calorie deficit. It means I can still have the food I want (in moderation) and I can still eat out. While I’m not going to talk about numbers because everyone’s different but I’ve noticed changes in my mindset which is huge for me. And I’m excited to see where the next few months can take me.

How was your October 2023?