T5W: Favorite First Sentences

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Ginger Reads Lainey. Here is a link to the Goodreads page if you want to join in on the fun. This group is now run by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes .

This week’s topic is Favorite First Sentences. This is a pretty self-explanatory topic and I have chosen some of the sentences that for me have resonated with me for one reason or another. I personally have realised that the majority of the first lines that I like are classics. I tried to give a cross section, however I love a line that will grab you. Whether it shocks you, entices you or you just feel the beauty of it.

Warner Bros

5. “It was a pleasure to burn.” – Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 (1953)

4. “Fuck You” – Don Winslow, Savages (2010) 

3. “If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are. ” –  Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale (2015)

2. “Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul” —Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita (1955)

1. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)

 

 

 

 

 

The Coffee Book Tag

Black: Name a series that’s tough to get into but has hardcore fans.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin

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These books are hefty tomes to read and that in itself is quite intimidating. These books can be hard to get into its a dense plot-heavy book. However, these books have a massive following and are popular for a reason they are great books.

Peppermint Mocha: Name a book that gets more popular during the winter or festive time of the year.

Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

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This book always pops up around Christmas time, this and Let it Snow and My True Love. Probably because they are the most popular YA Christmas books. I really enjoyed Dash and Lily and have read it a couple of times during the Christmas period.

Hot Chocolate: What’s your favourite children’s books?

The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley

I only read the abridged version of this as a child but I love it. I actually just found a full version in the charity shop in a lovely illustrated hardcover and I am super excited to read this cover. It’s a lovely book that I think is a beautiful story and I will be reading it to my own (eventual) children.

Double Shot of Espresso: Name a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to
finish.

Illuminae by Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

I loved this novel!!!! It’s unique and I really enjoyed the way the novel was told through emails, diary entries and accounts etc. It was fantastic, the ending was so tense and I stayed up to finish it because I just had to know how it ended. I am so excited for the second novel Gemina to come out.

Starbucks: Name a book that you see everywhere.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

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Ever since  A Court of Mist and Fury came out it’s been a constant on my Instagram feed. I haven’t read the first one but I have got a copy and do plan on reading it in the coming months. I have heard very good things about this novel and as seems to be a trend with Maas’ novels the second is the better of the two.

That Hipster Coffee Shop: Give a book by an indie author a shoutout.

Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville

I am sorry to admit that I don’t read a lot of indie authors (some but not a lot) but when I saw Zero at the Bone it really intrigued me and I finally bought a copy and loved it!!! It’s an M/M romance and I really enjoyed it.

Opps! I Accidentally Got Decaf: Name a book you were expecting more from.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Karel-Online

I had such high hopes for this novel I loved the premise, the characters, the setting all of the build up the ending was such a letdown! I wanted to much more from the ending of this novel. I think that some of the plot was unneeded, it didn’t seem to have a purpose. Maybe this novel would have been better off as a duology.

The Perfect Blend: Name a book or series that was both bitter and sweet, but ultimately satisfying.

The Harry Potter Series by J K Rowling

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This is always going to be a bittersweet series! It ended! This is the form of ultimate nostalgia for me and it is always a little bittersweet when the series ends again. Regardless of how many times I read this story I fall in love with the characters all over again, cry, laugh and travel with them. However, there is always the upcoming The Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts.

Green Tea: Name a book or series that is quietly beautiful.

Lullabies by Lang Leav

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This collection of poetry is beautiful. It is a mix of love and heartache and I think it has a quiet beauty about it because Leav chooses beautiful words to fit the subject of her poems. If you want to read some modern poetry this is a great choice.

Chai Tea: Name a book or series that makes you dream of  far off lands.

Howls Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The world of Howls Moving Castle is so vibrant and colourful people and places, in all the novels in this series the worlds are so wonderfully created by Jones and I would just love to visit Ingary and if the Studio Ghibli film is anything to go buy it would be wonderful.

Earl Grey: Name your favourite classic.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

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To be honest this is probably a tie between Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. However, I love a gothic classic and Jane Eyre is one of my favourites and as I read it for my A Levels and enjoyed it on a personal level as well I feel that I ought to give it a shout out.

July Round Up 2016

So I have had a bit of  a crazy couple of weeks. The beginning of July was pretty quiet compared to the last two weeks. My younger brother graduated university and now has a degree in Geography and I couldn’t be more proud of him. So to see him graduate we spent the weekend in Exeter (where he went to university). I have never been before and it is a lovely place and we had a great weekend.

I also said goodbye to my Yr 6 class as we broke up for summer. I loved having them and they were a joy (most of the time). I went to their leaver’s disco and had a lovely time spending one last time with them, there were a lot of tears of their end and I was privileged to spend the year with them. I also went to the staff summer meal. It was brilliant fun and it was wonderful to spend time with those that had made my experience at the school so memorable.

Reading…

Sons of Anarchy Vol 1 by Christopher Golden, A Woman Much Missed by Thomas Hardy, Reader, I Married Him edited by Tracy Chevalier, Stone Cold by Robert Swindells, Harley Quinn Vol 1: Hot in the City by Amanda Conner, Cress by Marissa Meyer, A Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan, A Court of Thorns and Rose by Sarah J Maas, Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton, American Vampire Vol 1 by Scott Snyder, My Inappropriate Life by Heather McDonald, The Heartbeat Under the White Coat by C R Guiliano, The Anchor Tattoo and Pistachio Dream by Paula Coots and Tonight  by Karen Stivali.

Instagram…

1. Currently reading Jane Eyre inspired Reader, I Married Him 2. Beautiful food 3. Trying to do some work 4. Thank You presents from my Yr 6 class 5. my first Lean in 15 recipe 6. Wagamama’s Dinner 7. Summer TBR 8. Craving Pulp Kitchen cheesecake 9. Pretty pink roses 10. Selfie after train disaster! 11. My baby brother graduated! So proud 12. #currentlyreading A Court of Thorns and Roses 13. Booktube-a-thon Day 1 14. Am in Love with this pretty tea dress 15. Chilling in the Garden 16. Booktube-a-thon – The Great Gatsby 17. Anyone Recommend? 18. Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!

Loving…

Lean in 15 Recipes

I picked up the Lean in 15 cook book and I am obsessed with the recipes in this book. They are tasty, fresh and healthy. I feel like I have eaten a good portion of food and I have not been disappointed yet. I am very tempted to pick up the second book as well.  If you are looking at  diet cook book then I do recommend this the recipes live up to the hype.

Buying…

Cath Kidston Bag

Cath Kidston

I picked up this foldaway slim tote bag from Cath Kidston in the sale. This isn’t the exact one as mine is grey with pink flowers but it had sold out. This bag is brilliant as it is  really spacious with a canvas outside and a plastic coated inside in case of spills. I will be using this as my carry on and as my tote to and from school next year.

Let Love Win Necklace

I love Shop Dixi products and they recently had a £3.00 sale I was all on that and this necklace just happened to be available. Not only was the delivery amazing it’s a beautiful necklace that I am super happy to have. It’s simple and cute and goes with a lot of outfits.

Watching…

The Girls Next Door

Wikipedia

This is a guilty pleasure and I haven’t watched it since it was on TV and I found an episode on YouTube and have been binge watching it ever since. It’s such bad reality TV it’s almost good. I only really like the Holly, Bridget and Kendra series but I may try the season with the others maybe?

Listening…

Charlie Puth feat Selena Gomez – We Don’t Talk Anymore

You Beauty Box: The July Edit Review

I haven’t picked up a You Beauty Box in an age to be honest I kind of forgot about it but they have had a package revamp and I am very impressed! I saw the preview on Which Beauty Box’s Instagram page and saw that they had some brilliant options this month and I wanted to chekc it out.

They have three new packages the Bronze, Silver and Gold packages. Bronze is £6.95 for 2 products, Silver is £8.95 for 3 products and Gold is £10.95 for 4 products and no P+P. I was amazed at the value of money the box provided me especially as I chose the silver package.

The three items I chose were the Illamasqua Precision Liner, Nuxe Body Oil and the Aethic l’Air Bein InFlight Hand and Face Cream. You also received a tube of the newest St Tropez product the Gradual in Shower Tan and £10 off voucher for the brand White Rabbit skin care.

The first product is the Aethic L’Air Bien Remarkable Re-hydradtion InFlight Face and Hand Cream is an organic products with goji berries,  amaranth oil and other natural ingredients designed to retain moisture. I am not sure how much product the £24.00 tube that is sold on their site (X). I have sent a message and tweet so if I get a reply I will update. This product smells amazing and so far the couple of times I have swatched this product it has kept my skin soft.

The second product I requested was the Illamasqua Precision Ink Liner in Abysss. This is a full size product retailing for £20.50 (X). That is more than double the amount I paid for the box so it make it amazing value for money. I am always a lover of Illamasqua products but I tend to forget about it. I got a lipstick in a previous You Beauty Box which I loved so I am gonna have to try more products. This is a waterproof eyeliner, that has high pigment and applies lovely. I have been using this regularly and am really impressed with the formula and brush its easy to use but comes of easily with makeup remover. I can’t say I’ve gone in the pool with this on but I have been in the shower and its remained in tact.

The third and final product that I chose was the Nuxe Paris Huile Prodigieuse Multi-purpose dry oil for face, hair and body. This is a lovely product that is made from 6 oils (Macadamia, Hazelnut, Borage, Almond, Camellia and St. John’s Wort) that is non-greasy and smells delicious. I love putting it on my elbows where I get really dry patches. It doesn’t leave a greasy residue and absorbs into the skin like a dream. This product retails for £17.00 for 50ml (X).

The extra treat product is the St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion, this is in the shade medium. As a pale person I don’t know how well this shade would work for me but I am going to do a little test on my hip to see what it looks like but I can hide if I get ridiculously orange. I use the St Tropez Everyday Gradual Tan in light and I like that product so I am sure that I will like it. It doesn’t have a off putting scent which I like. I will write an update once I have tried it out. It retails for £14.50 (X) for 200ml.

I am really impressed with the value for money this box is and if you want to check out a beauty box this is a great value for money and inexpensive option that I have always liked the products that the offer and the fact that you can choose is a big bonus. I was thrilled with my box and would recommend.

 

 

T5W: Most Recent Additions To Your Wishlist

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Ginger Reads Lainey. Here is a link to the Goodreads page if you want to join in on the fun. This group is now run by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes .

This weeks topic is Most Recent Additions to Your Wishlist. I logged on to my amazon wish-list to see what I added recently and the answer was not a lot! So I went to Goodreads to see what I added recently. I have put myself on a book buying ban so I am trying to avoid wanting books. So far I am doing OKAY ?!?!? Anyway I picked out some of the books that I definitly want to get my hands on soon or when they are released.

5. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick (X)

Goodreads

This is Anna Kendrick’s debut book; a collection of autobiographical essays surrounding moments in her life. Anna is one of my favourite actresses, she is funny, witty and charming and I have no doubt that her book will reflect that about her and I am excited to pick it up when it is released.

4. Nevernight Jay Kristoff (X)

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I have never read anything by Jay Kristoff alone, I loved Illuminae which he wrote with Amie Kaufman so when I saw this series I wanted to pick it up. Nevernight is about a girl Mia; who joins a school for assassin’s as she wants revenge for her family. I love me an assassin novel so this is something I will definitly be picking it up in August when it is released.

3. The Ice Dragon by George RR Martin (X)

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This is a children’s book written within the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, it sounds like a lovely story about Adara and the Ice Dragon who loves her and their fight against the fire dragon’s. This is illustrated by Yvonne Gilbert and has some beautiful illustrations. I saw it in Waterstone’s and will hopefully be able to pick it up soon.

2. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas (X)

Goodreads

I just finished A Court of Thorns and Roses and I throughly enjoyed it and am excited to continue on with this trilogy (I think it’s still a trilogy). I desperately want to see more of these characters and I have heard that ACOMAF is much better than the first. This is the continuation of the Feyre’s story and her coming to terms and navigating the evens following the ending of the previous novel.

1. Bitter Sweet Love Michael Faudet (X)

Andrews McMeel

This is the second collection of poetry written by one of my favourite poets. His first collection Dirty Pretty Things was one of my favourite books last year and I was so excited to hear that he was releasing this collection. I will really should pre-order this.

 

Travel and Summer Fashion Favourites

Sunglasses are a must have for me during the summer months and on holiday as I don’t always want to wear a hat, especially if I am just going somewhere in the car or on the train. They are also a must have for me after any plane journey as I can throw them on and hide the bags I get from waking at 2.00am. I am obsessed with Ray-Ban sunglasses and my favourite at the moment are the Tortoise Shell Erika Sunglasses £107.00 at Sunglass Hut. Speaking of sun hats I love the sun hats with embroidery this ‘Rosé All Day’ Sun Hat is £89.00 from The White Elephant Designs. They are a bit expensive but you can get plain sun hats starting at £10.00+ from most high street stores.

A pair of comfy high-waisted shorts are a must have for me as I love that they are easy to throw on over a bikini, I love these Vintage Mom Shorts are £28.00 at Topshop. They pair with everything from a tank, shirt or a standard t-shirt like this grey one £6.99 at H&M. They are a little longer than usual and I have bought them in larger sizes as causal t-shirt dress. A pretty sundress is a must have! You can pair it with flats for a casual look or throw on a pair of heels for a dinner date. White dresses with blue embroidery will always be a winning look in the summer, they always remind me of Greece. This Pampelone Natalia Off the Shoulder Dress £100.00 at Beach Cafe is a little more expensive but can be a good investment for summers to come.

I want these shoes so bad!!! The Tan Suedette Ghillie Heeled Sandals, £29.99 from New Look are to die for. I have a very similar pair from Primark that have shorter and chunkier heels that I adore. I love these lace up style shoes and they are super popular at the moment and you can get them in all sort of heel heights/thicknesses so whatever style of heel/flat you prefer you can get this style the way you prefer. What summer holiday is complete without a bikini? I love this Textured Mini Striped Bandeau Bikini Top, £25.00 (X) and Tie Bikini Briefs, £15.00 (X) at John Lewis its a lovely classic print the stripe and will last across seasons. I am a bandeau fan, as a lingerie consultant I recommend the bandeau style for a fuller bust if you want to avoid wires at the beach as you get more coverage of the bosom.

I like a practical and classic style bag for summer. I tend to avoid carrying loads of stuff in the summer as compared to winter. I like a saddle bag and this Large Saddle Cross Body Bag £30.00 at Warehouse is a beautiful, style and is a bag that you can use over and over again. I am a massive fan of  bohemian jewellery and the hand of Hamsa is one of my favourite charms to wear and this cute little charm is £10.00 at Accessorize is perfect. I have a necklace already but I wear it with both dresses and t-shirts and I feel a little more put together with a necklace as it is a piece of jewellery I rarely wear. If you want some truly bohemian pieces two of my favourite sites are Boho Moon and Shop Dixi.

T5W: Books You Wish had a Sequel

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Ginger Reads Lainey. Here is a link to the Goodreads page if you want to join in on the fun. This group is now run by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes .

This weeks topic is books you wish had a sequel; this can include stand alone novels or series you wanted more of. I found this so hard as I am not going to lie I read a lot of series and so far all the series I have read  have ended in a pretty satisfactory manner. However I scoured my shelves and found five books that I would love to to have sequels.

5. Uprooted by Naomi Novik 

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I personally think this book should have been a duology/trilogy because things were kind of skipped over and i think a sequel could maybe answer some questions and see the relationship between The Dragon and Agnieszka develop in a more natural and healthy way. Although Ellen DeGeneres is producing the movie for this novel which I will be going to see.

4. Simon vs the Homosapein’s Agenda by Becky Albertalli (X)

OMG this book made me die!!! I loved Simon and Blue and their relationship and I so desperately wanted to see the continuation of their relationship. This is another book I will be going back to again and again but I would love to see more of Blue and Simon’s to fricking cute relationship.

3. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (X)

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This story was lovely and the ending was too cute and I think seeing the life of Simon, Baz and Penelope after life at school would be so much fun. This was one of my favourite books of 2015 and I read it twice in one month and will constantly go back to it. I WANT MORE!!

2. Harry Potter by J.K Rowling

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I know we technically getting a sequel with The Cursed Child but I think everyone will agree with me when I say that I would be happy for Harry Potter going on forever but I think it would have been really interesting to see Harry and Co’s life in the year after the war. Honestly I’ll take anything.

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (X)

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I love Cath and Levi and as much as the book ended nicely I would love to see Cath move further outside her comfort zone and her blossoming relationship with Levi as she progresses through college. I am obsessed with this book and love re-reading it so I would love for there to be another book with these characters

T5W: Books Outside Your Comfort Zone

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Ginger Reads Lainey. Here is a link to the Goodreads page if you want to join in on the fun. This group is now run by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes .

This week ‘s topic is Favuorite Books Outside Your Comfort Zone. These are books that you enjoyed that you don’t usually go for. My main genre’s of choice are fantasy, contemporary and romance, so I have chosen books that I wouldn’t usually go for. I am trying to pick up books that are out of my comfort zone as of late so I have actually go options for this week.

5. Carrie by Stephen King 

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Horror is a genre I enjoy in films and books but I don’t really pick up. However I have wanted to read some of Stephen King’s works for ages but his books tend to be long and intimidating. However when Carrie was re-released I saw that it wasn’t that long and as Carrie (the original) is one of my favourite horror films I decided to pick it up. I gave the book 4 stars, I found it to be a interesting way of story telling and I thoroughly enjoyed  it.

4. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff 

There was so much hype surrounding this book and it sounded so interesting in the way that the story was told; it is a epistolary novel (told through documents etc.) I don’t really go for Sci-fi/Dystopia novels as I tend to get bored half way through; I prefer fantasy. However I really enjoyed this story it was interesting and fun and it was a brilliant way to start my reading year. I gave the book 5 stars on Goodreads and you can check out my full review here.

3. Casino Royale by Ian Flemming 

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I actually had to read Casino Royale for a university module. I think I was one of the few students on that course to actually read the novel instead of just watching the film (there are differences I promise you). I actually surprisingly liked the novel it was easy to read and I enjoyed reading about James Bond as I have seen all the movies (my dad is a big fan). If you like Spy novels and haven’t considered picking up James Bond you really should. I gave Casino Royale  3.5 Stars

2. Outlander by Diana Gababdon 

Book Perfume

Historical Fiction is just not my jam. However as there is just a little bit of fantasy in this novel I decided to pick it up (finally this is a hefty tome as well). I fell in love with this novel! Jamie and Claire are a new favourite OTP and I adored their relationship. It was a lot grittier, emotional and intense than I expected it to be and I was pleasantly surprised. Outlander got a 4.75 stars (.25 was removed for length).

1. Just Kids by Patti Smith 

Viva Tramp

I got this in HMV on a whim. I don’t think I realised it was a memoir until I actually opened it up. This memoir is by far one of my favourite books of all time. It is so beautiful and heart breaking. I had so many emotions while reading Patti Smith recount her relationship with Robert Maplethrope and his subsequent death. It hurt to read some of the words that were so beautifully written. I cried like a baby (unfortunately on the train where someone asked me if I was okay). 5 Stars on Goodreads. READ IT, it has inspired me to read more memoirs (Hemminway and Warhol) and I am hoping to pick up more about people I find interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

June 2016 Round Up

Wow, I can not believe that June is over already! It seems like the start of the month was so far away as I have had such a busy month, booking a holiday, my little brother’s 21st and this weird rainy weather has bee crazy.

At the beginning of the month I went to Warner Bros Studio Tour for the second time this year! I went with my friend Amy this time and had such a fun experience (it also didn’t take as long this time) I do have to say that the Great Hall is more spectacular during Hogwarts in the Snow but I throughly enjoyed going back. I may do a full post.

A Rachel, friend of mine held a BBQ this month on luckily one of the few nice afternoons of the month which was a lovely afternoon and I did get a little red and have only just managed to get rid of the watch tan on my arm. I even made a new friend little friend in her son Oliver. The other major news of the month was the birthday of my baby brother. Elliot turned 21 this year which is crazy as he is graduating in July as well.

Reading…

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, Pulling Her Trigger, Beauty and the Biker and Letting her Lead by Alexa Riley and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Instagram…

1. Were going to Hogwarts!!! Warner Bros Studio Tour
2. Butterbeer; not as gross as I thought it was going to be! 3. Bookshelf Reorganisation
4. HP Studio Tour Selfie with Amy 5. Adored this Pride and Prejudice retelling
6. Sam Heugan in  a Kilt or Cowboy Hat? Either will do  7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
8. Beautiful blue Soigne nail polish 9. Happy 21st Birthday Elliot
10. Roses 11. Handmade Father’s Day Card; Perks of working in a Primary School
12. #currentlyreading Outlander while enjoying a Soy Caramel Macchiato
13. Having PAYDAY Burritos again

Loving…

Old Mout Cider

Old Mout Cider

This is a New Zealand Brand which has become popular in the UK recently I picked up a Kiwi and Lime flavour when I went to my friends BBQ and loved it. I love the flavour combinations and as long as the weather brightens I have a feeling this will be my go to beverage.

Buying…

I have been picking up bits and pieces for my holidays this month and I have most of the stuff I need which makes July a lot easier as all I really need to pick up now are toiletries.

I picked up a few more basic clothing items as well as this oversized jacket from Forever 21 which I have been searching for for ages! I also wanted to pick up some of these Nike Leggings and managed to find them in the outlet in Freeport and are some of the comfiest clothing ever. They will be perfect plane pants. For my holidays I picked up this miPac backpack. It’s very roomie and has a padded pouch for electrical items. It will be easy to carry all my things in.

I got some money for my birthday and bought a new watch, I love my old watch still but wanted a leather strap. I also picked up some new beauty products this month. I haven’t bought anything new in ages and as my boots has a new NYX stand I wanted to try some of their products and picked up their BB cream and setting spray. I also picked up one of the new Urban Decay VICE lipsticks as well. JASON is a brand I have never heard of but I wanted to try a  aloe vera based product and chose this one.

Watching…

Deadly Women

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I found this while searching though something to watch on Netflix . I always find serial killers an interesting topic and hearing the stories of different types of murderers although morbid and a little creepy is quite fascinating so I have been making my way through the 40 episode series. It covers big murders like the Manson Cult to Rose West to other not so well known female killers.

The Great British Sewing Bee

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This is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I could never sew as well as these people do and I just like to see what they make each week. So I have been tuning in each week. Final is this week though.

Listening…

When You Love Someone by James TW

I am obsessed with this song I have been listening to it non stop over the last few weeks.

Summer TBR List

I don’t know if summer is ever going to come to the UK as it has been raining all week long with random spurts of sunshine. Ahh the joys of being British.

That being said the three months of summer will be the only free time I have for at least the next year as I am going back to university to become a teacher. I won’t have a fantastic amount of free time so I want bang out some of my most anticipated summer reads. When I created this TBR list I wanted to include a selection of different genres, although most are contemporary, I also picked out fantasy, not fiction, memoir and classics to name a few to both expand my reading and give myself plenty of choice.

I have a list of 12 books I want to try and pick up (I probably wont pick them all up as I know I will pick up other things depending on my mood) before I have less reading time :(.

Let me know you summer reads in the comments down below…

1. Summer Day’s and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins (X) 

naturallysteph

This is the summer edition of My True Love Gave To Me Perkin’s collection of holiday stories. I loved the holiday collection and I knew that as soon as the summer collection came out I have to have it. I have it on my kindle and will probably read in on the plane. I’m excited to delve into this stories of summer romances, lazy summer days and perfect summer nights.

2. Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour (X)

thebookcastle

I have heard some wonderful things about this book as a LGBT novel and a contemporary which is the genre I tend to veer towards in the summer months. This is the story of Emi, a Hollywood set designer that is a little unlucky in the love department. I have a feeling that this will be the one novel I take with me on holiday.

3. Winter by Marissa Meyer (X)

To be truly honest with you I actually need to read Cress first but as I haven’t yet I guess it should technically read Cress (maybe in July). I wanted to get this series finished before I go off to University in September because it’s a bit of a beast. Winter is the fourth and final instalment in The Lunar Chronicles and focuses on not only Cinder’s story but the story of Winter, a retelling of Snow White.

4. Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (X)

adventuresinya

Like I said I veer towards contemporary novels in the summer and Anna and The French Kiss is always reccomended as a YA summer read. I loved Stephanie Perkins writing in My True Love so I have high hopes for this companion series. This novel revolves around Anna who is shipped of to Paris in her senior year and meets a gorgeous french man, one problem his girlfriend. Even though this isn’t set in the summer months I think the setting will more than make up for it.

5. Reader, I Married Him edited by Tracy Chevalier (X)

The second collection of short stories this time based around the classic Charlotte Bronte novel Jane Eyre. This collection includes 20 stories using the inspiration from the first line of Bronte’s classic work. A wide variety of authors and stories are written in this collection and I am excited to pick this one up as Jane Eyre is one of my favourite classics.

6. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (X)

bloodyhellbrennan

This is the one and only classic on my list as I have been horrible at keeping up my promise of reading more classics this year. As I tend to prefer the more gothic classic style literature I think this might be a classic I finish. Rebecca is the story of the second Mrs de Winter who moves into her new husband’s home, where the housekeeper is faithful to the first Mrs de Winter; Rebecca who’s death is surrounded by mysterious circumstance.

7. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (X)

I have had this book since last summer where I bought it to read on holiday. Well I never got around to it so I am actually currently reading this one. I have been a bit obsessed with Sam Heugan and I want to watch the TV series but I want to read the book first. Outlander is a time travel story where Claire is transported back in time to 1743 Scotland and the arms of the handsome highlander Jamie Fraser.

8. Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (X)

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Morgan Matson is pretty much the Queen of summer YA contemporary and there are a few to choose from and Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour was the first one I came across and wanted to pick up so I decided that this was the one I was going to choose to read first. Amy and Roger have to make road trip across the US California to Connecticut. They both have baggage and demons to face and this trip may  be the healing they need.

9. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid (X)

aestasbookblog

This book has been allover bookstagram as of late, I can’t get away from it.  However the premise of this story is beautiful, so I put it on my list. This is a story about the concept of having more than one love of your life. When Emma’s husband disappears and presumed dead she falls in love with Sam who brings her back to life. When her husband is found she had to decide what her heart is telling her. This sounds like a interesting concept and has been garnering high reviews with an average 4.27 rating on GoodReads.

10. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver (X)

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The third and final collection of short stories on this list (I promise). This is a collection focusing on love, loss, and companionship. The main reason I heard about this novel as it is mentioned in one of my favourite films Stuck in Love. I am interested to see where this collection goes and what I can garner from this text.

11. My Inappropriate Life: Some Material May Not Be Suitable for Small Children, Nuns, or Mature Adults by Heather McDonald (X)

Heather McDonald is hilarious! Her comedy special on Netflix had me creasing over from start to finish so when I saw that she had published a book I new I had to pick it up. This is the only non-fiction piece on this list; I really should find some more really. I have a feeling that this memoir is going to be just as funny as McDonald is on TV. If I want something light hearted and comical then I can pick this up.

12. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (X)

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I like poetry, more modern poetry than classic and this collection seems right up my alley. This is a journey piece with each chapter taking the reader somewhere new focusing on love, loss, abuse, violence and femininity. I have a feeling that this collection will give me a new perspective on how sweetness can be found in the bitter moments of life.