April 2016 Books

Hi Guys!

This is SO late!

The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas - Ursula Le Guin
4th April - 4th April

This was the second of four short stories I had to read for one of my modules. It was really short and a bit of a weird topic, but on the whole it wasn't too bad.

The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe
4th April - 4th April

This is another short story I had to read for uni. It was even weirder than the last one. It basically has a very unstable narrator who is full of guilt.

Trumpet - Jackie Kay
11th April - 15th April

This is the last book I studied in my Gender and Writing module. It is an interest story on the topic of transgender and identity. I really enjoyed reading this and challenged stereotypes very well.

Freakangels - Warren Ellis
18th April- 19th April

This is a webcomic about London in the future. In the end we only had to read volume 1, which I'm quite glad about as I didn't really enjoy it. I just found it a bit boring. I don't know whether it would have improved as it went along.

Geek Girl Model Misfit - Holly Smale
18th April - 26th April

This is the second in the Geek Girl series and it was just as good as the first. It was full of some wonderfully weird facts and a really nerdy narrator.

Divergent - Veronica Roth
19th April - 21st April

I watched the film version and thought it was quite good, so I decided to read the book. It is very different to the film, but in a good way. It was a lot more detailed.

Stay Where You Are & Then Leave - John Boyne
23rd April - 27th April

It is a children's novel by the author that wrote The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. It tells the story of Alfie, a young boy who is trying to find out what has happened to his dad who went off to war in World War One. It felt slightly childish at times, but it was ok.

Sonny's Blues - James Baldwin
28th April - 28th April

It was the longest short story of the lot being 29 A4 pages long! It was really strange and the worst thing was that I (along with the rest of my seminar group) read the wrong short story!

Thanks for Stopping By!

March 2016 Books

Sorry this is so late.

All Fall Down – Ally Carter

24^th Feb – 2^nd March

Apparently last month I read a lot of Ally Carter! So much so that I have now read all of her books! I would say that this series is probably my second favourite series of hers – wedged nicely between Gallagher Girls and Heist Society. However, I have to say that I preferred the second book in the series, but I often find this, I did with the Gallagher Girl series.

Bonjour Tristesse – Francoise Sagan

3^rd March – 4^th March

This is the first short story I have to read for one of my module at uni. I enjoyed this more than I expected to and I am using it for my second assignment of the module. I must say that when I saw a quote of the back saying she was the “French version of F. Scott Fitzgerald” I was slightly worried as I really don’t like The Great Gatsby. However, although I can understand where they were coming from, I found Sagan’s novel to be so much more enjoyable.

Double Crossed – Ally Carter

4^th March – 4^th March

This is the first of two short stories that are available on Kindle by Ally Carter. This one is a cross over novel between the Gallagher Girl series and the Heist Society series. I really enjoyed this and I felt it was very cleverly done. In addition, I don’t feel you have to read either series to understand it, although it does help.

Before the Fall – Ally Carter

5^th March – 5^th March

This is a good short story to introduce you to the Embassy Row series. It describes the events leading up to where the first story begins. I think I preferred Double Crossed, but it was still good for extra information about the story.

See How They Run – Ally Carter

5^th March – 7^th March

This is the second book in the embassy row series. I found it an easier read than the first book and it was definitely more interesting to read.

Love Rosie – Cecilia Ahern

7^th March – 11^th March

I love the film adaptation of Love Rosie, but I didn’t enjoy the book as much. There are a lot of differences in terms of the plot. In addition, the entire plot was written in the epistolary form with a series of letters, emails, notes etc.  I would have preferred a normal novel form with other letters interspersed within the story.  

Geek Girl – Holly Smale

11^th March – 15^th March

This is the first book in the series by Holly Smale. I have been wanting to read the series for a while now and have only just got round to it. It was a nice easy read and was quite funny at points.

Paper Towns – John Green

15^th March – 16^th March

I listened to this through an audiobook and really enjoyed it. It was very different to Fault in Our Stars in terms of plot, but in a good way. It’s quite refreshing for an author to write such different things, but to like both of them.

Perfect Scoundrels – Ally Carter

16^th March – 18^th March

It is the final book in the Heist Society series and I feel that it rounded the series off well. The plot was well delivered and all loose ends were tied up properly.

Thanks for Stopping By! :)

Easter Cupcakes!!!

Hi Guys!

Today to get back into blogging, I thought I would share an easter recipe.


Ingredients


For cupcakes:

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











For icing:

50g Butter
125g Icing Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Yellow Food Colouring








Steps:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 190 (170 fan) and place cases in cupcake tray.

Step 2

Beat butter and sugar together for around 5 minutes.

Step 3

Gradually fold in flour and eggs.

Step 4

Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes. Then allow to cool.

Step 5

To make icing beat butter and vanilla extract together. Then gradually beat in the icing sugar. After that add the food colouring.

Step 6

Place the icing in a piping bag with a large round tip nozzle and pipe onto the cupcakes.

Step 7

Grind flakes into small pieces with your hands. Place on top of cupcake and finish with mini eggs.

Thanks For Stopping By! :)

February 2016 Books

Hi Guys!

Book - Animal's People

Author - Indra Sinha

Date Started - 22th Jan

Date Finished - 2nd Feb

Basic Overview - Basically Animal's People is a fiction novel based on the Bhopal disaster.

Opinion - To be honest I didn't love it. It took me a long time to get through and I found the fact that the protagonist was saying swear words every 45 seconds slightly annoying.

Rating - 2/5

Book - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban 

Author - J.K. Rowling 

Date Started - 27th Jan

Date Finished - 12th Feb

Basic Overview - The third book in the Harry Potter series.

Opinion - I quite enjoyed this one. I think I probably preferred Chamber of Secrets really.

Rating - 3/5

Book - Zoo City
Author - Lauren Beukes
Date Started - 2nd Feb
Date Finished - 9th Feb
Basic Overview - Zoo City tells the story of Zinzi December, a criminal who as her punishment is given an animal that she has wear at all times.
Opinion - For a uni book it was a fairly quick read. However I found the plot slightly confusing. It was one of those book that once you've finished you're not really sure what has happened. The only problem is that this book is currently out of print. It took me three attempts to get this book in English as the first two times I was sent them in French!
Rating - 2/5

Book - Biafra
Author - Nnedimma Okorafor
Date Started - 10th Feb
Date Finished - 10th Feb
Basic Overview - It is a short story which I think is about a real life event.
Opinion - To be honest I can't fully remember what it was like, but I didn't enjoy it as a much as Spider the Artist.
Rating - 2/5

Book - Spider the Artist
Author - Medi Okorafor
Date Started - 10th Feb
Date Finished - 10th Feb
Basic Overview - It is futuristic story of a time where giant spider like creatures live in the pipes within a city. It tells the story of a woman and how she befriends one.
Opinion - I enjoyed this more than a thought I was going to.
Rating - 3/5

Book - Where She Went
Author - Gayle Forman
Date Started - 13th Feb
Date Finished - 17th Feb
Basic Overview - It is the sequel to If I Stay telling the story of Mia and Adam 3 years later.
Opinion - I really liked this book. I read If I Stay a few months ago and really enjoyed it. Although the sequel was not what I expected I still really liked what Forman did with it.
Rating - 4/5

Film - District Nine
Director- 
Date Watched - 18th Feb
Basic Overview - This film tells the story of when aliens inhabit Johannesburg. When they are told to leave it is exposed how bad it is. Vickers, the leader of the team sent to evict them, is injured and as a result slowly turns into an alien.
Opinion - It was very shocking and when you know the context behind it, it makes it even worse.
Rating - 3/5

Book - On Black Sister's Street
Author - China Unigwe
Date Started - 18th Feb 
Date Finished - 24th Feb
Basic Overview - It tells the story of 4 women who have found themselves moving from Africa to the red light district in Brussels.
Opinion - I didn't think I would like this book as much as I have, because they gave us a warning at the beginning of the module that it covers very delicate issues. It does cover some horrific issues, but does it in a very sensitive way.
Rating - 3/5

Book - Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops
Author - Jen  Campbell
Date Started - 19th Feb
Date Finished - 19th Feb
Basic Overview - Shows some very interesting conversations that have been overheard in bookshops.
Opinion - I got given this for Christmas, but have only just found time to read it. It is very funny and quite quick to read.
Rating - 4/5

Book - Oxford Book of English Verse
Author - Ricks
Date Started - 25th Jan
Date Finished - 29th Feb
Basic Overview - It is a huge anthology of poetry with everything from early modern poetry (which barely looks like it written in English) to contemporary poetry.
Opinion - Each week for the last 6 weeks now I have studied a different period of poetry. I studied sonnets 18. 55 & 130 by Shakespeare in the first week. I quite enjoyed those. I have to stay I didn't enjoy to his coy mistress as the metaphysical poets don't really interest me. Again Keats odes to the nightingale and Grecian Urn don't really interest me either as I don't like Romanticism. However I did enjoy Rosetti's Goblin Market which has some very interesting interpretations. This week I am set to study T.S. Elliot which I am really looking forward to.
Rating - 4/5

Thanks for Stopping By! :)

Commuting!

Hi Guys!

At the end of last semester I decided to withdraw from my student accommodation in order to commute to uni instead. I can honestly say it was without a doubt one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. However overall I believe I have done the right thing. It is a great feeling when you feel as though you have made the right decision. I have been commuting for 4 weeks now and so far everything is going great.

I thought I would make this post today in order to help anyone who is thinking of commuting. It is honestly not as scary as I thought it would be. I had visions of delayed trains and rushing into lectures and seminars late, but with a bit of planning it turns out fine.

I thought I would explain the pro's and con's of commuting. I'm not going to sit here and tell you it's all wonderful, but overall I do believe I made the right decision for me.

Lets start with a positive shall we. I can't deny that being able to go home to my parents (and the dog) every night is amazing! One of the hardest things I found with being in student accommodation was how isolated I felt. I hardly ever saw my flat mates and as a result I just seemed to spend hours at night on my own in a room that never quite felt like home. I just felt so alone. If there is one thing that anxiety feeds off it's time to think. Now if i've had a bad day, I can come home and talk to mum and dad and you would not believe how great that is.

However commuting does take quite a big chunk out of my day. I have a 25 minute bus ride, then a 20 minute train ride and finally a 15 minute walk to uni. That doesn't sound that bad, but it's all the waiting around that makes it longer, especially on the way there. It seems that the trains and the buses just do not seem to coincide at all!

On the other hand, all the time that I have to wait around can be put to good use. I usually use the time that I have to read. I normally have about 2 hours a day in which I can read whilst i'm commuting and this allows be to get through the set texts that I have to get through easily as well as reading for pleasure sometimes.

The early mornings and late evenings can be hard sometimes. If there is ever anything I miss about living in student accommodation it is not being able to practically roll out of bed to get to uni, especially on a Monday morning. I have a lecture that starts at 9am. This means that I have to get up at 5:45am to be out of the door for 6:30am. This makes Mondays feel like they last about 3 weeks long! I have to say I do find it quite hard when people complain about that lecture! Equally I have two late night lectures at finish at 6:30pm and 7pm. For some reason there is one train at 6:30pm and then not another one until 7:30pm. This means that get on the same train on both days, meaning I don't get home until about 8:15pm.

Ultimately the best positive about commuting is that my anxiety feels a lot more under control again. Don't get me wrong, I still get anxious, but not half as bad as I did last term. Overall this means that I feeling a lot happier and this helps to confirm to me that I did make the right decision.

Thanks for Stopping By! :)

Book Tag!

Hi Guys!

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

I Generally I do the majority of my reading when I'm commuting to and from uni. However if I am at home then generally I will read when I'm in bed because it's comfy.

2. Bookmark or a random piece of paper?

I would love to say I'm the type of person that has a ready supply of bookmarks everywhere. Unfortunately that isn't the case and most of the time I find that I just use the receipt that came with the book. Either that or I use the Post It page markers as they generally are in my bag all the time.

3. Can you stop reading anytime you want or do you have to stop at a certain page, chapter, part, ect?

Most of the time I set myself a goal of how many pages I will read in a day. So I read to a certain page. If I am near the end of the chapter then I will finish it.

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?

I'm trying to drink more water. Most of the time I have a bottle of water with me.

5. Can you read while listening to music/watching TV?

I can't when watching TV, but I can when listening to music.

6. One book at a time or several at once?

The majority of the time I read a couple of books at a time. However because I am ahead of reading for semester 2, I'm only reading one book at a time.

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

Everywhere.

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?

Most of the time I read in my head, purely because it's quicker. However if I am reading a play, then I generally read out loud so I can follow the story better.

9. Do you read ahead or skip pages?

I never skip pages, because you never know what you might me missing.

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it new?

This is probably quite controversial, but I am a spine breaker. I can't stand when a book doesn't stay open very easily.

11. Do you write in books?

Again it is quite controversial especially among the people on my course. It's a bit of a marmite situation. Personally I love writing in books, but I know others that hate it.

Thanks for Stopping By! :)

Boots Haul

Hi Guys!

Sorry this is really late. Today I thought I would show you some of the items that I have got from boots over the last few weeks.

Lee Stafford Here Come The Curls Shampoo and Conditioner - 2 for £10

I needed I new shampoo and conditioner, because I didn't feel like mine was working very well anymore. I like this combination as it makes my hair feel really clean and really defines my curls.

Lee Stafford For Hair that Never Grows Past a Certain Length Treatment - £5.99

I brought this after the success of the shampoo and conditioner as I am trying to grow my hair out at the moment. It is quite hard to tell whether it is actually doing something, but at the very least it makes my hair feel really soft.

Una Brennan Vitamin C Skin Renew Cleansing Oil - £10.99 (got a third off this)

I have wanted to try a cleansing oil for a while now, but have always been scared it would make my skin really oily. However I was pleasantly surprised by this. I had slightly dry skin at the time as the weather was quite cold and this just helped to balance it out. This made my skin really nice and soft and I use it in combination with the next thing i'm going to talk about.

Una Brennan Rose Calming Creamy Cleanser - £7.99 (got third off this)

I normally use this after the oil to double cleanse and it was very effective. However I don't like the smell of rose, but I can cope with that as it is effective.

Maybelline Gel Eyeliner - £7.99

I brought this hoping that it would last longer than a cheaper Seventeen one I brought a while back. I doesn't really especially if you have eyeshadow on.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Eau de Nude - £4.99 (got for half price)

I have been waiting for this shade to come to the UK since these were realised. However I find that it can look slightly orange on my pale skin.

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer - £5.99 each (got for buy one get one half price)

I have gone through so many of these as it is great for both under the eyes and spots. I generally use it all of the face when i'm feeling lazy. I got two of these as I know I will use them eventually.

Seventeen Waterproof Mascara - £4.69

I brought one of these when I was first at uni as I was sick to death of panda eyes considering I spent about 60% of my time crying. This is a really good mascara at it doesn't budge. Also it is reasonably priced and lengthens and separates my lashes well, holding the curl all day.

Soap and Glory Hand Maid Hand Gel - £2.50

I usually buy this using my boots points as it is really handy to have in my bag. Also it smells nice, which is better than the fake smell of cucumber which is used for 80% of hand gels. Cucumber doesn't smell of anything, but you put it in a hand gel and suddenly it has a really strong scent, which doesn't make any sense.

Thanks for Stopping By! :)