All Antonia Bernardin Blog posts

Welcome to the place for endless scrolling

If you don’t care about the categories and just want to scroll through my posts newest to oldest, this is the place!

They Both Die at the End

Book 21 for the year was They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera because I was on a run with the sad books, so why not hammer it home?
Gaslighting- what is it?

Having a word for something that you have experienced is powerful and I felt it was important to talk about this particular topic.
The mystery of the ‘great resignation’ isn’t so mysterious- toxic work place stories.

Let’s begin with a rant because the absolute PRIVILEGE in these articles about the ‘great resignation’ is sending me into a rage.
The Midnight Library

Continuing the magical library theme from my last read, I recently read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.
The Starless Sea

Number 19 read of the year was The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern!
Exercising without the goal to lose weight

You might be asking yourself, why is this a blog topic? It’s hardly a revolutionary idea? But, you see, it is. Exercising regularly is synonymous with weight loss discussions…
Terry Pratchett quotes… because I can

I could go on and on about Terry Pratchett as being both an amazing human being and an incredible writer… but instead of doing that, here are some quotes
Book romances that filled my tacky- girlish heart

Here are my favourite book couples/ romances with very little logic or explanation and certainly no context
Classic books I actually enjoyed and why

If you want to dip your toe into the world of classic literature, here are the ones I would recommend!
Writing a fantasy novel- a chaotic how to

What are the basic steps to consider when writing fantasy?
Stop working yourself to death for employers who don’t care- a rant

No job is worth killing yourself over because, frankly, there is no prize at the end of this.
The boy with the ocean eyes- The Prompt Project

Todays prompt: Eye Contact: Write about two people seeing each other for the first time.
No-one has time to read- and that’s okay

I don’t know about any of you but now the world has opened back up and restrictions have lifted, I’m struggling with readjusting to how busy life used to be. Was it always like this? Was I always this tired? Did I always have this little free time? Even more than that my biggest problem…
Setting the scene- 5 things to get you started

Lets have a look at some of the basic things to consider when setting the scene…
How to make a bookworm- getting your kids to read

I will prephase this by saying that I am not a parent, this is purely based on the things that I know from my own childhood and from other book lovers around the internet. Let them see you read This, I think, is the biggest one. Kids imitate what they see. I have a grown…
Current WIP, an excerpt, part 2

m trying to be brave again this week and since I recently started re-drafting my ‘big project’ from the beginning, I thought, why not share the opening scene?
Blood and Ash Series

This series by Jennifer L Armentrout was number 16-20 of the year and was another TikTok recommendation
Ultimate guide to planning your book

I won’t pretend to be an expert because, frankly, I’m yet to finish writing one but I’ve planned out a couple, so here’s a real basic check list.
Long fantasy series’ – which ones are worth it?

An entirely biased review of long book series and whether they are worth the effort to read
Imposter syndrome- a rant (sort of)

What is imposter syndrome? And why do I used it to describe myself, a lot.
5 things I wish I’d known before studying writing at uni

Just some thing I wish I’d been given a heads up about before I studied my English and Creative Writing Degree
In defence of being a bad poet

Okay, so I think most, if not all of us went through an angsty teenage phase and, convinced no-one has known anguish quite like we have, we wrote poetry that we thought would be ground breaking.
All the Bright Places

This book, by Jennifer Niven, was my fifteenth read of the year, in this so incredibly doomed attempt at the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin

g of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne.A.Brown was my 15th book of the year and another one I’d been really looking forward to starting.
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue

Number 13 for the year was The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab – I was quite excited to finally get to this one.
A Sky Beyond the Storm

This book, by Sabaa Tahir, was the 4th book in the Ember in the Ashes Series. I was very excited to read this as I had waited a full year after discovering them and powering through the first three.
Dead or Alive- Skulduggery Pleasant

Number 12 on this year’s pitiful what I have read list, was Dead or Alive, the 14th instalment in the Skulduggery Pleasant Series by Derek Landy.
Shadow and Bone

Books number 9, 10 and 11 of the year were the Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo
5 Moments Lost in Time

ve a glass half full mentality to life, it’s incredibly hard to stay in the the moment, to be truly present, not thinking, just being.
The Sound of Silence- the prompt project

Prompt number 5- I find a prompt, write what I come up with on the spot and post!
My top 5 favourite authors

My favourite authors whose books I’ve found myself re-reading the most! Also, tell me yours!
Memes for book lovers and writers, part 2

This is by far the laziest post I do. I just collate the brilliant work of more creative people on Pinterest. Enjoy.
Chain of Iron

Book number 8 for the year was Chain of Iron, the second in the Last Hours series by Cassandra Clare.
10 Book Nerd Confessions

The things book worms want you to know, except they started reading and forgot.
The Lost Book of the White

Book number 6 of the year was the Lost Book of the White by Cassandra Clare, the second in The Eldest Curses series.
Skulduggery Pleasant Series

I recently read all 15 books in the Skulduggery Pleasant Book series and I LOVED them!
A Bad Day to Be Jordan- the prompt project

Prompt number 4- I find a prompt, write what I come up with on the spot and post! Easy Peasy.
Audio books- do or don’t? Non-reader’s edition

I don’t subscribe to the idea that audio books somehow ‘don’t count’ as reading, or that using them as a way to enjoy literature somehow makes you lesser. I am an avid reader and I will never stop recommending books and reading as a form of entertainment,
Why you should be a writer.

Here’s the part I think you can relate too if you’re reading this. I write because it is a compulsion, there’s something in me that likes to tell stories and always has.
Top 5 book scenes that stayed with me

I like to read and I have read a lot of books over the years, so what are the five scenes from books I’ve read over the last few years that stick in my head?
How not to give a sh**- a rant

The truth is, nobody really gives a f*** about what you’re doing, what you look like or who you are.
Current WIP- an excerpt

I’ve decided to share a section from my first draft of one of my works in progress. I’m trying to be bold, as this is something I’ve held close to my chest for a long time
Points of View explained

An authors guide to points of view in writing- back to basics
Top 5 book tropes that never get old

If you’ve wandered onto TikTok lately, specifically, #booktok, there’s been a lot of posts discussing their favourite cheesy book tropes. So, I thought I’d have a little fun and share some of mine
10 Lazy ‘self care’ hacks

-warning, this blog includes swear words, turn back if you’re under 18 or faint of heart- Now, I’ve included the quote marks in the title to demonstrate that I am using that term with a bit of chagrin. ‘Self care’ is 2019/20 word for doing the shit you need to do to keep yourself alive…
Writing- 5 lessons I’ve learned

I am one of those people who has written and loved writing since they were a child, so this means I’ve written for a while now at a few stages in my life, including university (where I studied English and Creative Writing). So here’s the top 5 lessons I’ve learned about writing over the years
2021 Reading Goals

So for the last two years I’ve tried to complete the 100 books in a year reading challenge and I have epically failed each time!
Scraping some joy from 2020

I thought I’d scrape together some happy things that have occurred to me this year, in vague attempt to cheer us all up.
Defeating the insomnia demon

Me and sleep have a fractious relationship. So I thought I’d share some ways I deal with the insomnia demon
“I Don’t Have the Words”- The Prompt Project

The Prompt Project, I use a writing prompt, I write it and then I post it!