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Articles by Gladys Elskens
All the books I read in July reviewed
In terms of how many books I consumed, July was my best month of the year so far. Besides six books that were on my summer tbr, I also read a book for the book club I regularly attend, and I listened to my fair share of audiobooks. If you would have told me a year ago that audiobooks would be my go-to source of entertainment during walks and household chores now, I would have never believed you. I’m going on holiday in a few weeks and I’m so curious to see how much I end up reading there.
We’re all obsessed with being thin again, but I refuse to shrink my body
We had taken so many steps, it seemed. We had learnt from the noughties and its fat-shaming tabloids, diet pills, laxative powders and crash diets. We realised how much the mentally of that time had negatively and permanently damaged our relationships with our bodies and food. We started seeing different sizes in the media. The steps were small, but they were there.
The cheek of the mediocre man continues to astonish me
Member-only story Gladys Elskens · Follow 7 min read · -- It was my idea to go to the tearoom in Stow-on-the-Wold. A few years ago I had visited the place with a friend and it had been the perfect spot for cake and coffee, so when my boyfriend and I were in the area I wanted to recreate the experience. The tearoom has several floors, with each room decorated in a completely different style.
My first 25 books of 2025 reviewed
Member-only story Gladys Elskens · Follow 10 min read · -- At the time of writing this, I have read 25 books this year. Or I guess I should say I have consumed 25 books, because some of those have been audiobooks. I know there are lovers and haters of audiobooks — ‘Can you really mark a book as ‘read’ if you’ve listened to it?’ I was asked recently — but I’ve become such a fan. I’m still relatively new to it, but it’s a great way for me to consume more stories.
Can we finally leave Meghan alone?
Member-only story Gladys Elskens · Follow 8 min read · -- Last weekend was International Women’s Day or, to use the German term that I very much prefer: Feministischer Kampftag — Feminist Fight Day. Four days before that, Meghan Sussex, also known as Markle, released her new lifestyle show With Love, Meghan. The concept: She invites people over, prepares meals, and shows the audience the little things she does to give her guests a luxurious and wholesome experience.
Is Intermezzo overrated? My 2024 end-of-year book tag
Gladys Elskens · Follow 9 min read · -- I know everyone says this at the end of every year, but how is it December 2024? More than ever I feel like this year has just flown by. 2024 was definitely the year of discovering new reading formats. First of all, I finally caved and bought a Kindle. If you would have told me this a year ago I would have laughed in your face. For years I proudly declared that I would never, ever, be the kind of person who read ebooks.
The stress of streaks: When tracking your habits backfires
Gladys Elskens · Follow 5 min read · -- Last month, I decided to end my relationship with Goodreads. Well, I haven’t completely ended it, but I have started testing the waters with another book tracking app. After several friends recommended Fable to me, I finally made the switch. As I was exploring the app, I noticed that at the top of the homepage there was a box with the question Did you read today?.
Spring came, my productivity went
By Gladys Elskens #2 Gladys' Gazette Well, this is awkward. While you probably barely noticed that I was gone, I'm very aware that in February's Gazette I announced that I would be sharing a new edition every month on top of my regular posts, only to disappear off the face of the earth for two months. I won't even try to come up with any excuses. The truth is life got busy, life got hectic, and before I knew it I was back...
Cherry blossoms and cats on adventures
I’m fortunate to say that I don’t have many bad days. Of course some are better than others, but most of the time I go about my life feeling relatively cheerful. I can usually manage to not let the small things affect me. Last week, that was a little different. I received a letter stating that from April onwards my rent and service charge will be increasing. That in itself did not surprise me, but the amount did. It was a lot more than I had expected.
How PE classes damaged my relationship with physical activity
If you have ever had gym class, you probably fell into one of three categories: 1: The child that LOVES PE and annoys everybody else by being overly competitive (in my adult life now I sometimes meet people who I just know were those children and I automatically don’t like them). 2: The child that doesn’t particularly love PE, but also doesn’t really have an issue with it. 3: The child for whom PE is not that different from going to a torture chamber every week.
Early spring feels, reliving first dates, cheese paradise and Miley Cyrus
I cannot tell you how excited I am to share this first edition of my brand new newsletter! These past couple of months I have been writing consistently, but I also noticed that there were things I wanted to share that were either too short for a separate blog post or too long for social media: life updates, highlights from my life in London, a little snippet of writing in the form of a diary entry or short story, and recommendations on not only books but also TV shows and podcasts.
My teacher scammed me for two years: Part three
There is no way to overstate the degree to which I’m overthinking this phone call. I come up with a fake name, a fake company, and a fake (but realistic) reason for contacting them. If Robert does work there, I don’t want him to find out I called. My goal here is to get as much information as possible without seeming suspicious. A woman answers the phone, as expected, in French. I decide to have this conversation in English.
My Bali horror night
The hotel complex in Munduk was absolutely lovely. It looked like an old village surrounded by nature, quiet and incredibly charming. Small paths led to the wooden cottages where we would be staying. The reception and restaurant areas had roofs but no walls, which added to the rural and welcoming feel. There was a plaque that boasted about previous famous guests. There was only one name I recognised, but it was an impressive one: David Bowie. Wow.
Letting go of the fear of being ‘cringey’ will set you free
My best friend and I were having a conversation on WhatsApp. I can’t remember what exactly we were discussing, but at some point I said ‘Oh yes, I mentioned a similar thing on my podcast last week.’ She jokingly replied: ‘My god, this girl and her podcast.’ She didn’t say it in an unkind way, but it was clearly a joke to imply that I mention my personal projects a lot. Until a couple of years ago, that comment would have made me doubt myself. Am I talking about my podcast and my writing too much?
How the Greek capital stole my heart
Apart from maybe Paris, I don't think there's a city that I have heard more mixed reviews about than Athens. Over the years I have been told all sorts of things: It's dirty, it's the most beautiful place you could ever visit, it's disappointing... Still, Athens was very high on my list of cities I absolutely wanted to visit, and as a lover of all things Greek mythology my hopes were high.
What I read this past season
Hey book lovers (which, if you're reading this blog I'm going to assume you are)! We have two months of 2023 left, and for those of you who set a reading goal in January that means we're slowly running out of time... I don't know about you (and do let me know in the comments) but if I want to reach my goal of 50 books, I need to step up my game. A lot. I'm currently 31 books in, which definitely isn't bad. I've had worse reading years.
What do I have to say that hasn't been said before?
When I ask myself why I haven't put more content out there yet, or why I haven't tried to get some of my work published, there are a couple of reasons. Laziness is high on the list. A crippling fear of failure, sure. The possibility that nobody will like it.
My 6 day solo trip
Berlin is one of my favourite cities in the world. I spent my year abroad there in 2013, which I can barely believe was 10 years ago. I have been back a handful of times since, but the last time was in 2018. So this summer I felt like a trip to the German capital was long overdue! I LOVE going on holiday by myself and Berlin was this year's solo trip. I was there for 6 days, during which I visited some familiar places, discovered new spots, and quite literally took a trip down memory lane.
Presenteeism: The lurking employee wellness problem that’s costing your business money
3 min read It’s a well known fact that sickness absence has huge financial implications on our businesses. The measurement of these absenteeism figures often form part of the KPI’s of our employee wellbeing strategies across the globe. We can understand why, as sickness absence is easy to monitor and report on making it a relatively simple measure of the return on investment of a wellbeing programme.
How to Celebrate International Women’s Day in 2026
International Women’s Day is just around the corner on 8th March, and marks an opportunity to celebrate the women who are leading the fight against gender bias. It is also one of the most important days of the year to raise awareness for gender equality and to honour women’s achievements. Women’s rights have come a long way, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
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