New Books!

Evening folks! I hope you've had a good weekend, and have been enjoying some of the nicer weather. This weekend I've purchased a few more books, both physically and on Audible- and I thought I'd show you guys my choices! 

Frostbite (Vampire Academy Book 2) by Richelle Mead; 

"It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory. 

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price."

The Maze Runner by James Dashner; "When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is blank. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the glade, a large expense enclosed by stone walls."

The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer; "I’ll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name’s Simon. I think you’re going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he’ll be dead. And he was never the same after that.’ There are books you can’t stop reading, which keep you up all night. There are books which let us into the hidden parts of life and make them vividly real. There are books which, because of the sheer skill with which every word is chosen, linger in your mind for days.

The Shock of the Fall is all of these books.

The Shock of the Fall is an extraordinary portrait of one man’s descent into mental illness. It is a brave and groundbreaking novel from one of the most exciting new voices in fiction."

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn; "On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer? 

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?"

The Woman Who Went to Bed For a Year by Sue Townsend; "The day her children leave home, Eva climbs into bed and stays there. She's had enough - of her kids' carelessness, her husband's thoughtlessness and of the world's general indifference. Eva's refusal to behave like a dutiful wife and mother soon upsets everyone but she insists on staying in bed. And then the strangest things start to happen. A funny and touching novel from Britain's funniest writer for over 30 years"

Lots and lots of new books to read, I wish I had more time to read but with possibly the biggest exams of my life coming up, I really, really don't! I will of course tell you guys all about these books when I'm done! There should be a MM post tomorrow but until then, have a wonderful week!

Goodreads and other new discoveries!

Hey folks! I hope you are all having a wonderful week and enjoying the sunnier weather, I've actually had to dig my sunglasses out in preparation for the weekend. Maybe I'm being a little too hopeful? Regardless, I have started using the App for Goodreads this week and wanting to tell you guys about it. I realise that this is not a new invention by any means but it is incredibly useful! 

As many of you will know Goodreads (linked here) is essentially a database for just about every book in existence, there is a plot summary, a little bit of background information, and reviews for all the books and also the capacity to rate the books, read excerpts, see quotes and much much more.

Now this is all very cool, and extremely useful (especially the plot summary's for when you are too lazy to type up descriptions of the books you're reviewing [GUILTY]) but there is also the option to create an account and get personal. You are given virtual 'bookshelves' that include 'read' 'currently reading' and 'want to read' as well as a shelf for 'owned books.' You can view other people's and see what people in your 'communities' are reading too. 

The coolest part of this is that the app is even better, it's free from the appstore and includes everything above with the added ability to scan your books into the database, all you do is hold your phone camera over the barcode of a book and bam, you're sorted. 

In terms of other cool things I've discovered this week, there is a video of 20 strangers meeting and kissing for the first time that has gone viral this week. Linked here, it is well worth a watch! Also, while I am not a fan of Iggy Azalea, her new video for her song 'Fancy' (a parody/recreation of the hit movie Clueless) is absolutely amazing, down to the braces on Dionne's boyfriend's teeth, it is a perfect recreation. Really, really made me chuckle. I'll link it here.

That's all I have to share with you guys just now, but I'll be back soon. Until then, feel free to check out my Goodreads profile here, have a wonderful week!

Film Friday: About Time

Hey folks! I was off school ill on Monday and decided to watch Richard Curtis's 'About Time.' Now Curtis wrote Love Actually, Notting Hill and Four Weddings- so I had pretty high expectations before I'd even started watching. 

The film stars Rachel McAdams (the girl in The Notebook and Regina George in Mean Girls) and Domhall Gleeson (Bill freaking Weasley.) Bill Nighy is also completely brilliant as Gleeson's father. The plot revolves around the concept that all the men in Tim's (Gleeson's) family are able to relive their past. They can revisit any moment to attempt to try and do things differently. Tim finds out about this from his father on his 21st birthday and over the next few years we follow him attempting to use his 'gift' to win the heart of Mary, a beautiful American girl. 

The cute couple themselves.

I actually underestimated how brilliant this movie would be. Tim's attempts to perfect his life are pretty hilarious. However, there are several really really serious parts and I cried multiple times. I love that it's set in England, a lot of rom coms are set around all American girls who solve their problems with a trip down 5th Avenue and Daddy's credit card but this movie is quintessentially British and the main character is a guy. And a bumbling, awkward, lanky, 'too skinny' guy at that. 

About Time is literally one of the best rom-coms I've ever watched. And the term rom com doesn't really do it justice. You'll laugh, cry and the inevitable 'life affirming' narration at the end is just that, life affirming. 

At just under two hours, I really can't see any reason for you not to watch this film. 

Plot: 5/5 

Characters: 5/5

Overall: 5/5 

Favourite Quote: 'We're all travelling through time together, every day of our lives. All we can do is do our best to relish this remarkable ride.'

February Music Favourites

Hey folks! I'm a little late on this month's music favourites, but I finally got it together today- so here's February's favourites.  

Say Something // A Great Big World

Team // Lorde

Drunk In Love // Beyonce ft Jay Z

Do It All Over Again // Elyar Fox 

I Don't Wanna Love Somebody Else // A Great Big World

Sail // Awolnation

Gonna Get Over You // Sara Bareilles 

(Scream) Funk My Life Up // Paolo Nutini 

Mr C // Nina Nesbitt 

Irrelevant // Lauren Aquilina 

I have a Film post for Friday but until them, have a wonderful week! 

Motivational Monday!

Evening folks, it's Monday again which means it's time for another MM post. I've been feeling distinctly unmotivated these past few days due to a combination of factors including a killer cold and sore throat. Due to this, I felt like posting a perky quote about 'a journey starts with one step' or something of the same vein, so my quote for this week is distinctly less cheerful. But none the less, here is my choice for this week. 

I'll do a (slightly late) 'music of the month' post for midweek and there's already a Film Friday post for the end of the week, ah the perks of having a 'sick' day, eh? Have a nice day! 

Film Friday: The Book Thief

Hey guys! The Book Thief was finally released this week in the UK and this evening I headed to the cinema to see it. I simply adored the book, it's one of my absolute favourites and for those of you who haven't read that, I would totally recommend it. However that's not necessary for the film. I'll do a spoiler free paragraph and then warn you when I'm about to go into detail. 

Essentially, I was extremely worried about the producers turning this book into 'just another war film' (the book is set in Germany in the late 1930's and 40's.) However this film is, in my opinion, an absolute triumph. The acting is superb and is helped by the fact that most of the cast is relatively unknown, with the exception of Geoffrey Rush. Sophie Nelisse, who plays Liesel Memminger- the main character, is amazing. She really captures the youth of Liesel, despite the various tragedies she faces. Equally the actor who plays Rudy, ____, shines. He was by far my favourite character in the book and I completely fell in love with him again in the film. The film stays relatively true to the book and I cannot complain in that respect as the best elements of Zusak's book are impeccably recreated. The scenery is beautiful and the filming techniques bring the story to life in a way that will undoubtedly have you laughing and crying. 

Now for the spoilers. 

Oh my, how I cried. For those you who have read the book AND PLEASE PLEASE LOOK AWAY IF YOU HAVEN'T, the deaths of Hans, Rosa, and poor Rudy are all completely heart wrenching as is the moment when Max has to leave. Max is a character that I feared would be overlooked but his impact on Liesel is celebrated and it was very nearly in tears when he woke up from his coma like state. Rudy essentially just makes me want to cry, a little boy with so much talent and promise and all he wanted was a kiss from Liesel and basically I can't cope with his death, even 5 years after I first read the book. Death's narration adds a whole other level to the story, a sort of microcosm on the nature of death. The opening and closing lines are also included which makes me want to cry even now (the line 'I am haunted by humans' is one of my favourite in literature.) Equally, the end scene is wonderfully done and does true justice to Liesel and Max. I haven't been this happy with a book to movie adaption in a long, long time and after last years disappointment with how The Mortal Instruments was adapted, this has brought me fresh hope in the movie business. 

There will be a Motivational Monday post for sure if I cannot post anything before then, if not- have a wonderful weekend.