Reading Update

Hey Guys!!

As you know I love reading and I have set myself a little reading goal for the year, you can see the post here. I must say I am actually doing amazingly well with reading at the moment. I am now onto my 4th book this year and we are only January, well there's not long left of the month. 

So here are the books I have read this month.

Northern Lights - Philip Pullman This was a re-read for me as I haven't read this book in so long, I wanted to read it again. I enjoyed this book but sometimes I felt like I didn't quite understand it, but overall it is a good book.

The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman This is the 2nd instalment to Northern Lights and I must say from this one I started to understand the story a bit more than the first. Again I enjoyed this book and can't wait to get the 3rd instalment so I can see how it ends.

Paper Towns - John Green I read this as my sister recommended it and I loved it! I read this really quickly to as I didn't want to put it down. I don't about you though but I didn't like the character of Margo, I just thought if she was a real person we would not get on.

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes I have only just started this book, I've only read 5 chapters, but I am really liking it and can't wait to read the rest.

There we have it, the books I have read/reading so far.

What books have you read or are currently reading?

Would love some recommendations!!

See You Soon!!

2015 Reading Challenge ox

Hey Guys!!

Last year I decided that I wanted to read a lot more than I had been and set myself the goal of reading 20 books. You can see my post HERE on the books I planned to read and how many I actually read.

Unfortunately I didn't actually reach that goal and read 9 books out of those 20. I think I may have set myself to big a goal as it was a busy year last year. So I have set myself the smaller goal of reading 10 books this year, the good thing then is if I read more I will be very proud of myself.

I am actually going to keep the list of books that I didn't read last year for this challenge, there is actually 12 books on this list but my overall goal is 10.

1. Wish Upon A Star - Olivia Goldsmith

2. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

3. Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe

4. Emma - Jane Austen

5. The Dark Half - Stephen King

6. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

7. Run, Mummy, Run - Cathy Glass

8. Northern Lights - Philip Pullman (CR)

9. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman

10. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

11. Paper Towns - John Green

12. War and Peace - Leo Tolstov

Again it is a wide genre of books, as I don't really have a type of book that I read, I just read the blurb and if I think its interesting I will read it.

I am keeping my fingers crossed I will actually achieve this goal, although I am feeling very motivated this year so far.

You can follow the progress of my reading challenge on my Goodreads account and you can also follow me if you'd like.

Hope you enjoyed this post!!

Do you have a reading goal for 2015?

See You Soon!! 

What I Got For Christmas ox

Hey Guys!!

Christmas has been and gone, now for the usual disclaimer. I am in no way bragging at what I had for Christmas because if any of you readers are like me, you will love this weeks posts. I am very grateful for every present I had and could tell a lot of thought went into them. 

I have split the posts into 3 sections, Beauty, Fashion and Books/DVDs.

The first one is Books/DVDs. I like to share this sort of post as sometimes you may see things you would like to get in the Sales, as I always make a list of things I would like to try from other peoples' posts :)

Anyway on with the pictures.

I actually found I had asked for a lot of autobiographies this year as you can see and also you can see my love for Geordie Shore. I actually had 2 of The Pointless Book so I am going to do something different in each one. I have a 5 year journal which I am looking forward to using and also a great present I had off my Mum is the 642 Things To Write About. I also love my Hungry Caterpillar notebook, going to be handy for blogging and vlogging :) Out of all of these though I am really looking forward to reading Katie Pipers' book as I think she is such an inspiration to women all over.

I had some more Disney films to add to my collection, if you haven't seen on some of the Disney films they are numbered and I am slowly collecting them all. As you can see I had The Sims 4 which I am obsessed with now and can't stop playing it. I must say I am looking forward to watching The Fault In Our Stars even though I know I will cry.

I have added into this post my main present I had off Llewellyn. I love Polaroids!! I think they make pictures look so vintage and I just love the fact that you can take a picture and then it is physically in your hand in a matter of seconds. This is obviously a very popular camera and I absolutely love it. I have decided I am just going to take pictures here and there as I want to build up a lovely collection of special memories through Polaroids.

I hope you enjoyed this post.

See You Soon!!

My Holiday Reading xo

 

Hey Guys!!

 

As you know me and my lovely husband are off on holiday!! Obviously I have a whole new wardrobe, ooppss!! But of course the most important thing for my holiday is the books I am going to read.

 

I love reading as you know and I read a lot on a holiday either by the pool, on the beach or on my balcony (if we have one). The books I have chosen to take is Monday to Friday Man by Alice Peterson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.

 

The Blurb

 

What do you do if you're 34, single and recovering from being jilted two weeks before your wedding day? This is the dilemma Gilly Brown finds herself in. While friends are marrying, having children and moving into the depths of the countryside, Gilly finds herself alone in London and holding on to her fractured family with their tragic past.

It's time to meet new people. So, she decides to get a Monday to Friday lodger, and after a succession of alarming interviews finally finds the perfect one in the shape of handsome reality television producer Jack Baker. Gilly falls for Jack's charm and is transported into an exciting social whirlwind of parties, dining out and glamour.

When Jack is introduced to Gilly's family and friends, it's only the attractive and eccentric Guy, the newest recruit to her dog-walking group, who isn't quite so convinced about Jack's intentions. As Guy watches them grow closer, his suspicions of Jack and his feelings for Gilly deepen. Is Jack so perfect after all... and what exactly does he get up to at the weekends?

 

The Blurb

 

Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

 

The Blurb

 

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once."

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

 

I really can't wait to read all 3 of these books :) I have actually borrowed The Fault In Our Stars off my sister Chloe, where you can visit HERE. She did warn me that I might cry reading it so will keep my sunglasses on just in case!! I like that 2 of the books I'm reading are popular so I have an idea about what they will be like, but what's great is I don't know anyone that has read Monday to Friday Man so I don't know what to expect :)

 

I will let you all know in another post what I think of these books!!

 

See You Soon!!

 



My 2014 Reading Challenge

Hey Guys!!

I LOVE reading!! A lot and this year I want to read more than I did last year, because I look back to last year and didn't have a lot of time to read at all. There's not a particular genre I like/love as personally if the blurb interests me and draws me in I will read it, though I do like reading classics like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, etc. I have a thing about classics and also I have a thing about having to read the book before the film.

This year is going to be different I am making myself a goal for the year!! I have seen a lot of this going round at the moment, seeing people want to read more and setting themselves goals of how many books they want to read, and am going to give it a go myself :)

My personal goal is to read 20 books this year. I have started off small as I don't always have a lot of time so will be happy if I get to 20 and even happier if I exceed it. I will share with you my list :)

1. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

2. MockingJay - Suzanne Collins

3. Casual Vacancy - J.K.Rowling

4. Go Swift and Fall - Douglas Westcott

5. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll

6. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

9. Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe

10. Emma - Jane Austen

11. The Dark Half - Stephen King

12. Monday to Friday Man - Alice Peterson

13. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

14. Run, Mummy, Run - Cathy Glass

15. Northern Lights - Philip Pullman

16. The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman

17. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

18. The Fault In Our Stars - John Green

19. Paper Towns - John Green

20. War and Peace - Leo Tolstov

So that is my list of 20 books I want to read this year :) as you can see it is a wide range of genres and authors as I don't like to read the same sort of book all the time. Also out of these 20 only 3 I have yet to buy which is not bad at all :)

Have any of you made a reading goal?

What would you recommend?

See You Soon!!



Bedroom Update

Hey Guys!!

 

So a while back I did a post on how I wanted to redecorate our bedroom, as I wasn't 'in love' with the red anymore, and wanted to do something a bit different.

 

The plan was:

1. New Bedroom Furniture

2. Re-paper The Red Walls White

3. Re-paper The Feature Wall

4. New Bed

 

We have got as far as getting the new bedroom furniture which we had been putting together all weekend. We were going to get white furniture but decided to stick with pine and just got a new bed in white.

 

We discussed what furniture to get for a while and decided on a double wardrobe for us to share and an over bed unit to give us some decent space in the bedroom, which thankfully it has :)

 

I have also moved all of my books from the living room into the bedroom, and as I now have a little sort of office space now which you will see in a post tomorrow :)

 

So here are the pictures of the bedroom so far :)

 

 

All that is left to do now is to wallpaper the red white because we have decided we are not repapering the feature wall, because as you can tell from the above picture, the over bed unit covers most of the feature wall.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this post and I hope that you keep your eyes peeled tomorrow for my post on my little office space. I am so excited for you to see it as I am loving it so far and my desk has only been together about 2/3 hours :)

 

See You Soon!!



New Year Reading

Hey Guys!!

 

Well been as though I have now nearly finished The Hunger Games Trilogy, I thought I would share with you what I am planning to read in the New Year. I have picked 5 books out of my book collection and has given myself the goal of 3 months to read them all. I know its a lot of books in a short space of time but I am determined to do it :)

 

So I have decided out of my book collection I am going to read:

Casual Vacancy - J.K.Rowling

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

Alice In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

Go Swift and Fall - Douglas Westcott

Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chebosky

 

I am going to read them in this order as well so that I'm not reading the same sort of book one after another. Also I chose these as I have not read them yet, and also because I love the classics like Charles Dickens as well as the more up to date authors like J.K.Rowling.

 

I honestly can not wait to read them and am hoping I don't get many books for Christmas as 3 of the books in this list are from 2 Christmases ago.

 

Has any of you guys read any of these books?

 

Do you prefer classics or up to date?

 

 

Hope You're Having A Good Week!!

 

See You Soon!!



My Recommended Read

Hey Guys!!

 

I thought for todays post instead of giving you a review on a book I'm reading, I would suggest a book you should maybe read if you haven't already, and of course if it takes your fancy :)

 

So I thought I would recommend 'The Time Travellers Wife' I picked this up while away in Rhodes as I had finished reading all my other books and needed something to read :)

 

Of course I had already watched the film before reading it, I have a thing about having to read the book first before watching a film :/ but that didn't stop me from wanting to read it, it actually made me want to read it more :)

 

 

I absolutely adore this book and is definitely the perfect book for a holiday where your just relaxing on the beach or by the side of the pool!!

 

I love the way in the book that she wrote it from both perspectives and always started each bit off with 'Clare:.........' and 'Henry:..........' so you knew who's perspective it was from. Another thing I loved was how she portrayed the love between them because as you are reading it you feel the exact same feelings, and I must admit this book actually brought me to tears towards the end. 

 

The difference between the book and the film is that in the book there is a lot more detail and obviously there are bits in the book that's not in the film.

 

I definitely want to read this again as I loved it the first time and I'm sure I will love it the 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th time :)

 

I am going to finish this post here as I don't want to spoil the book for people who hasn't read it, as I like to read books where, even if its recommended, I know nothing about it :)

 

Let me know if you do decide to read it

Or

Let me know what you thought of the book if you have read it

 

Hope You're Having A Good Week!!

 

See You Soon!! 



Book Review: The Hunger Games

Hey Guys!!

 

I have finished reading The Hunger Games and thought I would let you know what I thought of it. This is going to be a long post so I do hope you will enjoy it and obviously I know other people may have different opinions to me about this book, so let me know what you think as well if you have read it :)

 

At first I thought the same as the film, it was a little bit slow to start, but I think that is because you read the title of the book and expect it to go straight into The Hunger Games. I definitely thought the writing was fantastic, everything was described so great which I was then able to picture completely in my head :)

 

When she introduces Katniss Everdeen you get the immediate impression that she cares very much for her family, as she goes hunting to make sure that there is food on the table for them and then when she volunteers in place of her sister, that then confirms my first impression. I do love that she is smart, independent and determined to survive, which obviously throughout the book you want her to anyway. What was your fist impressions of Katniss?

 

When Peeta Mellark was introduced I wasn't actually sure what to make of his character because she doesn't actually introduce him until he has been picked at the Reaping. During the run up to the Games I thought he was sweet and caring, also that he wasn't very confident in himself as he didn't think he was going to win. Then when he was in the Games and he had teamed up with the Careers I thought ooooo you sneaky boy, as I thought he was going to try and take everyone out to win the Games himself. Then when he saves Katniss life during the tracker jacker part I switched back to liking the character :) What was you first impressions of Peeta? 

 

I also loved in the beginning of the book how hard Katniss Everdeens' life is at the beginning and then she is literally thrown in the deep end when she has to go to the Capitol. When you read it, its like you can picture how much of a stark difference it is between District 12 and the Capitol. Its like you can picture her having to search the woods for hours for food to feed her family, or at least something she can trade. Then when she gets to the Capitol you can then see the stark difference as she can have whatever food she wants at the touch of a button, they have stylists to prepare them for the run up to the Games and just the luxuriousness of being there. As you read it though you can feel the anticipation of the run up to the Games, its like as you read it you know in the back of your mind that they have to still go through the games. What did you think of the differences between District 12 and the Capitol?

 

During the part of the book which is when they are in the Games, I felt tense with anticipation as to what was going to happen and felt I had to keep reading so that I knew what happened next. When they first got in and all the things they needed were presented in front of them I couldn't believe how much of a 'blood bath' it was, especially when you have a vivid imagination like me. Its like you expect it because its a game where you fight until the death and until there's only one left but you don't realise how bloody it is. I felt very tense when the Gamemakers decided to draw the Careers and Katniss together with the fire because I just thought oh god don't get hit or burnt and felt like I was on the edge of my seat. I was so glad then that she managed to get up that tree and then was able to get away from the Careers with the tracker jacker nest even though she got hurt in the process. What did you think of this part of the book?

I don't want to go into to much detail about what happens through the book as you may not have read it yet so I am going to now round it up to my conclusion :)

Overall I thought the writing was fantastic, everything was described in so much detail and in a way that you could picture it all throughout reading which was also fantastic :) I also liked that with all the characters you could relate to them in some sort of way or that you know someone with those characteristics which made me enjoy the book so much more.

I would definitely recommend this book to anybody that enjoys this sort of book and if you haven't read it yet and would like to you can get it from Amazon, WHSmith, Waterstones and anywhere that sells books really. Let me know what you think of the book as well :)

Hope You're Having A Good Week!!!

See You Soon!!!

 

 

My Winter Reading!!

Hey Guys!!!

If there is one thing I love doing during the Winter, other than stew, it has got to be curling up with a nice, warm blanket, a cup of tea and a really good book. I could read for hours and hours with a good book in hand and just go off into my own little world, while doing it.

So I thought I would show you what I am going to be reading over the Winter. I have just finished my Lord of the Rings Trilogy, so obviously now need something new to read and thankfully I have a lot of books that I still have yet to read. So I have decided my next reading goal is to complete The Hunger Games Trilogy, I had these as a Christmas present from a friend as she recommended them to me to read.

 

What I am going to do as well, each book that I finish I am going to do a little review on it so that if there is any of you that hasn't read them yet you can see if its worth reading. To be honest I have watched the film and thought the film was fantastic so hopefully the book is just as fantastic :D

 

 

If any of you readers have read it what did you think of the book?

 

 

Now as it doesn't really take me long to read a book, the review will probably be up next week so keep your eyes peeled for that post :D As for right now I am going to go and start the first book :D