December 2015 Books

Hi Guys!

This month I haven’t read as much as I normally do as I had read all of the set texts for my course and had lots of assignments to complete. As a result I have managed to get some of the books that I had intended to read in the summer done along with some that I had brought during first semester.

All the Bright Places - Jennifer Niven

I really like this book and I almost included it in last months. However life got in the way as usual and I ended up finishing this in the first week of December. This is really easy to read and you can get into in quite easily. I was reading around 70 pages at a time, which is a lot for me. It is about how a relationship between two people who met at the top of a school building. There characters are quite complex and the plot is very enjoyable, if quite sad, but I rather like that about this.

Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding

This is a book I have wanted to read for a while know, but I never seemed to get round to it. This month seemed like the perfect month to start as I always watch the film about what feels like a million times during the Christmas period. One of my course tutors talked about this a lot saying that it takes the convention of the genre to an extreme and I can kind of understand that. However I still  found this very enjoyable when I was walking to and from uni as I downloaded it as an audiobook.

No Regrets - Xx-Misty

This is a fan fiction based on Ashes to Ashes. I have been reading Misty's series for about 2 years on and off and I really enjoy it. This is the most recent one she is been writing and I really enjoyed it. It is just so easy to read and the characters are so well written that you feel genuine emotion for their situation. It can be found here and I really recommend that you read the inter series, otherwise it will make no sense. A list of her fan fictions can be found here.

Stephen Chebosky – The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I brought this as I had been wanting to read it for a while and see whether it lived up to my expectation. I thought it was alright. It was as if I was reading the book, but felt as if nothing was happening. I felt as if contemplation over the thing was more important than the actual event itself. Maybe I just didn’t enjoy the style of writing, but something just didn’t sit right with me.

Emma Farrarons – Mindfulness Colouring Book

Although you can’t read this I thought I would include it anyway. I brought this about six months ago, just before I went on holiday as I liked the idea of an adult colouring book and wanted something that would fit easily into my bag so I could do a bit of it on the go. I thought that it would be nothing more than a little escape to my youth. However, it has helped slightly with my anxiety as it gives me something else to focus on instead of worrying about everything. Also the patterns inside are gorgeous.

Rainbow Rowell – Eleanor and Park

I have read a couple of Rainbow Rowell books this month and I really enjoy them as they are so easy to read. It is sort of similar to All the Bright Places in the way that it explores the livees of two people who become really close. However, I have to say that I enjoyed All the Bright Places more. I liked both of the characters within the texts and it was nice to see that even though they had completely different lives they both enjoyed each others company. Also it was nice that beneath the surface neither of their lives were perfect even if at first it appeared that Park’s was.

Tommy Wallach – We All Looked Up

I really enjoyed this book and it really different to what I would normally read for pleasure. It follows the lives of four teenagers when they are told that they had two months before an asteroid hits the earth. It was excellent because it showed how each reacted to the news and what they did in the two months lead up to the event. I really enjoyed that fact that all 4 of them to a greater or lesser degree rejected the labels that were put on them by society and as a result felt what it was like to live within the moment rather than always worrying about what the effect would be within the future. It also shows a dystopian world in which they had been thrust into. Through the narratives of the four teens, Wallach is able to show how society as a whole reacted to the news and to show what total and utter chaos was caused. Things were happening within the world that I wouldn’t have even considered happening. I liked Peter’s character the best as he begun to question his label before he knew about the asteroid. As a result the reader forgets his label completely as an athlete as he was never into to them in that way.

Rainbow Rowell – Fangirl

I definitely prefer this to Eleanor and Park. I just felt that I could relate to the character of Cath much more than Eleanor or Park. As a English student who didn’t really socialise and had to deal with anxiety and homesickness. It times it felt like somebody was writing about my experiences. As I related to her I could feel the emotions that she felt and this meant that I was actually looking forward to reading. I found that at times all I could think about was reading this book.

Thanks for Stopping By! :)

Bakemas Day 7 - Christmassy Traybake

Hi Guys!

Sorry this is late

This recipe is great for a large group of people and with the shade of green, it can be used at Halloween as well!

Ingredients

225g Butter
225g Caster Sugar
225g Self Raising Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
4 Large Eggs
4 tbsp Milk

Steps

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180 (160 fan oven).

Step 2

Mix all the ingredients until all well blended.

Step 3

Put half of the mixture into the tray.

Step 4

Mix green food colouring into the remaining mixture and then add to the tray.

Step 5

Sweep a fork through the mixture to create a marbled effect.

Step 6

Bake for around 35 minutes and then leave to cool.

Thanks for Stopping By! :)

Bakemas Day 6 - Gingerbread Man Cupcakes

Hi Guys!

These cupcakes are similar to my normal cupcake recipe, but just with a christmassy twist!

Ingredients

For Cakes:

100g Caster Sugar
100g Butter
100g Self Raising Flour
2 Medium Eggs

For Icing:

50g Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
125g Icing Sugar

Steps

Step 1

Preheat oven to 190 (170 fan oven) and put cases into a muffin tin.

Step 2

Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Step 3

Gradually fold in the flour and eggs.

Step 4

Place the batter into the cases and bake for 12 minutes.

Step 5

While the cakes are cooling, start making the icing. Beat the butter and vanilla extract together.

Step 6

Gradually beat in the icing sugar.

Step 7

Transfer the icing to a piping bag with a large round nozzle.

Step 8

Once the cakes are fully cool, pipe the icing and add the gingerbread men decorations. These ones are from Sainsbury's.

Enjoy!

Thanks for Stopping By! :)

Bakemas Day 5 - Biscuit Baubles

Hi Guys!

Today's post is great for making with kids before or after decorating your Christmas tree.

Ingredients

125g Butter
80g Caster Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
115g Self-raising Flour
100g Plain Flour
2 tbsp milk

Steps

Step 1

Line two baking trays. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract together.

Step 2

Sift the flours together and combine half of it with the butter mixture. Add the milk and mix well.

Step 3

Add the rest of the flour. Mix until it forms a soft dough.

Step 4

Roll sections of the dough into balls and place them on the baking trays. Using a straw place a small hole on the top of each biscuits.

Step 5

Flatten the balls down and place them in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill.

Step 6

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius (140 fan oven). Bake the biscuits for 18-20 minutes (but mine took 15 mins) until they are slightly cracked on top and lightly golden underneath.

Step 7

Leave them to cool and then re-punch the holes and thread string through. Finally ice the biscuits using icing pens.

Thanks for Stopping By! :)