190. Loving Lately...

Here's a quick rundown of what has been making me happy recently, from food to make-up, books to films!
What's floating my boat?

Reading: I've been getting stuck in to A Force To Be Reckoned With: A History of the Women's Institute by Jane Robinson for a couple of weeks now, and I'm really enjoying it. The WI has always intrigued me - not only do they love tea and cake, but they have done so much incredible work over the years and it's so interesting to learn about. I'm expecting to finish this book this week, so I'll post a review - see if it sounds like your kind of thing!

Watching: I've been really getting back into my TV lately, as a result of poor nights' sleep and, therefore, spending the rest of my days off on the sofa! I'm re-watching Peep Show from the beginning, I'm really enjoying ITV's new drama Home Fires which is about the WI (do you see a theme going on here?!) and, as recommended by my sister, Jane the Virgin which is a new comedy on E4. Film-wise, I watched Kingsman yesterday with S and it was brilliant - funny and action-packed!

Eating and Drinking: It would be a lot faster simply to list what I haven't been eating recently, as I've been hungry 24/7! I've been trying to incorporate more fruit into my diet in the form of smoothies, and I'll be sharing some recipes over the weekend. I've not had much energy to prepare any fancy meals, but S and I had a tasty Mexican inspired cottage pie last week, which I blogged about here. 

Beauty: I finished my Snow Fairy shower gel this week and I miss the smell of it already! I wish I had stocked up whilst it was still available... I'll just have to wait until next Christmas and then hit Lush! I've really been loving a new lipstick that I picked up in Superdrug recently - it's L'Oreal Paris Color Riche in the shade 'Julianne's Nude'. It's a gorgeous, subtle dusty rose colour and its perfect for pale girls like me who want to add a pop of colour without overdoing it.

What have you been loving lately?

120. Reading // Reading Habits Tag

The wonderful Katie from IntoTheBookCase tagged me in this fun #bookbloggers Reading Habits tag, so I just had to give it a whirl. I love reading and it takes up a lot of my time (not that I'm complaining!).  I occasionally post book reviews too, so feel free to check those out too; Reconstructing Amelia, Half of a Yellow Sun and The Book Thief. 

Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

I'm happy to read wherever I am, but when I'm at home I like to snuggle up in bed or curl up on the sofa. It has to be somewhere comfortable where I can happily relax for hours.

Bookmark or random piece of paper?

I never use bookmarks, I'm one of those people who folds the corner over, however, when I was younger I used to love bookmarks and even spent my pocket money on them (book-worm from a young age!)

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter or certain number of pages?

I prefer to finish a chapter before stopping, as otherwise I find myself a little bit lost when I go back to reading. If I haven't got time to make it to the end of the chapter, I'll just wait until the end of the paragraph instead. 

Do you eat or drink while reading?

I often read on my lunch break at work so eating & reading have to work together for me! As you might imagine, this frequently ends with my book, clothes or face splattered in food!

Do you watch TV or listen to music while reading?

I can't watch TV whilst reading, to be honest, I don't understand how anybody could?! When I'm at Shane's and he's playing on his XBOX or watching something on the TV whilst I read, I just put some music on, but something relaxing so that I can keep my mind on the book.

One book at a time or several at once?

I can never read more than one book at once. I remember doing my English Literature AS Levels and not being able to read anything for pleasure, because I was always studying a book for school instead, and since then I've struggled to read more than one at a time, but I prefer it that way. I like to be able to completely focus on one set of characters and one story.

Reading at home or everywhere?

I do most of my reading at home, but I also read on my lunchbreak, when travelling and sometimes if I just fancy a bit of downtime out of the house, I'll head to Costa and read my book; just me, a cuppa and a good book.

Reading out loud or silently in your head?

In my head, always.

Do you ever read ahead or skip pages?

I'm so bad for reading ahead! If I'm really enjoying a book, I always want to know how it ends and I have to physically restrain myself from reading the last few pages or googling it! If I'm finding a section a bit tiresome, I'll often skip a page or two, too.

Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

Nothing I own ever looks new for long! After carrying a book around in my bag, everyday for a week, my books are usually covered in make-up, food and God knows what else! 

Do you write in your books?

I don't think I ever write in books, apart from study books. If I find a quote I love, I just put a sticky note in there or fold the page over.

I'm fairly new to the #bookbloggers community, so I don't know many book bloggers to nominate, but if you'd like to do this tag then feel free, just let me know!

114. Reading // Reconstructing Amelia

Set in Brooklyn, New York, Reconstructing Amelia is Kimberly McCreight’s debut novel  and it tells the story of Kate, a hot-shot lawyer and single mother, in her quest to find out the cause of her daughters death after Amelia is found dead, having jumped (or so we are lead to believe) from the roof of her exclusive school, Grace Hall.

After receiving an anonymous text: “Amelia didn’t jump.” head-strong Kate, a character who I really warmed to as I progressed through the novel, takes it upon herself to find out what really happened to her daughter.  

The novel is written in a number of formats, different tenses and from the point of view of the two central characters – Kate and Amelia. I really enjoyed this different perspective as it added an extra depth to the story, and provides the reader with intimate details and thoughts from the characters lives, without seeming forced or unnatural.

Kate explores Amelia’s life through her texts, emails and social media and finds out some shocking information about her daughters life that she hadn't been aware of, reiterating the posing questions on the novels front cover: do you really know whats going on inside your daughters head?

As well as the obvious drama and suspense throughout the novel, it covers a number of important topics from bullying, love, homophobia and betrayal – I really wish, despite how graphic and dark it gets, that I’d read this novel when I was at high-school as it would have taught me a few (extra) lessons. Pardon the pun.

I read a couple of reviews on my GoodReads app, after finishing the novel, that said that they didn’t warm to Amelia’s character as knowing that she was dead from the off-start made them not really want to learn more about her or get attached, but I didn’t feel like this at all – as a large proportion of the book is written in past tense you’re transported back to a time when Amelia is alive and, therefore, it doesn’t feel as though you’re reading about “a dead person,” you’re simply discovering more about the events and emotions that lead up to Amelia’s final minutes.

The ending to Amelia and Kate’s story is unexpected, emotive and honest. I found myself unable to put the book down because every page was so enchanting and (I’ve got to admit that on several occasions my curiosity almost got the better of me as I was seriously tempted to pay Google a visit and find out the ending) I’m so glad that I read this book and I’d urge anybody who loves a bit of a drama, suspense and plenty of emotion, to read it too. 

Do you think you would read this novel?
What's your favourite genre?

107. Reading // Half of a Yellow Sun

I'm a big fan of charity shops for a few reasons, a) I'm constantly skint, b) it feels less materialistic to buy something when the money is going to a good cause and c) I'm always after a bargain. I find charity shops a fantastic place to scout out new (well, new to me) books and thats exactly where I found one of my most recent reads: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. 

I love history and, therefore, historically based novels are a huge point scorer for me! Although, prior to reading Half of a Yellow Sun I knew nothing of the Biafran War and, in general, very little about Nigeria's history, I was drawn in by the blurb of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's second novel.

Having never read any African literature before, I went into the novel with an open mind, wanting to learn and completely unaware of the emotions that I'd uncover during reading.

One of the novels characteristics that I really appreciated was the way in which the story is told, through the eyes of three of the main characters, rather than from just one characters point of view. The novel isn't written in first person at any point but the omniscient narrator (hello GCSE English Lit..) really helps you to understand what each character is going through, their thoughts, feelings and intentions.

The characters themselves are all so wonderfully different and, despite the narrator switching from character to character regularly, their different personalities and perspectives mean that you never feel confused or lost, or have to turn back a few pages and remind yourself of whats going on. I personally found  Ugwu, a teenage houseboy from the Nigerian bush, and the elegant, sophisticated Olanna to be my favourite characters. I found their stories compelling and true, and felt myself sucked into their world more so than I was with the 'revolutionary' Odenigbo or the oh-so-English Richard. 

There is - in my opinion, based on books I've read in the past - a fair bit of politics involved, namely as it's based on a civil war and historical events, but I don't feel that this is a negative or a reason to put the book down and not read it. The blend of politics and raw emotion make for a really gripping story, and the fact that it is based on true events makes it all the more powerful.

This month, the film version of the novel is being released in cinemas throughout the UK and, based on the trailer, I'd say it's going to be fantastic - I just hope that it doesn't stray too far from the story and stays as honest and brutal as it needs to be in order to portray the true story of the Biafran war and it's people. 

I'd strongly urge everybody and anybody to read this book. It's powerful, dramatic and incredibly emotive. I'm really looking forwards to the film and reading Chimamanda's first novel, Purple Hisbiscus.

Have you read any of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's books?

Will you be going to see the film?

102. Lifestyle // Sunday Summary

I'm hoping to introduce a weekly summary to my blog which will be posted each Sunday, providing you with a quick look through what I've been up to. I hope that you'll all enjoy it as I really love to have a nosy at peoples lifestyle posts. So what's my week been like?

I was off work on Monday as I've been quite unwell recently (I did a post about this earlier in the week, which you can find here) and my medication had left my feeling very lightheaded and drowsy, so I had a lazy day at Shane's, mainly consisting of sleep, cuddles and Breaking Bad (we're now into season three and absolutely loving it!) 

On Tuesday, I was back to work and had a super busy day as we were reaching deadline for three different projects. I took a really healthy pasta salad to work with me, as I'm trying to eat healthier due to my recent illness, and I've been using MyFitnessPal to keep track of my intake - it's such a fantastic app and I use it everyday now.

I also had my Nexplanon implant removed on Tuesday as I was nearing the end of my 3 years. I had been dreading the procedure as I've heard some real horror stories (plus I'm extremely squeamish!) but it went smoothly and didn't hurt at all, although it's now quite tender. 

Wednesday was a brilliant day as we beat target on all three of our projects (YAY! *fist pump*) and I also had plans to meet one of my best-friends, Becca, for a drink (non-alcoholic of course, pesky antibiotics!) and to see The Book Thief at our local cinema. We both really enjoyed the film (you can read my review of the book here) and I had such a laugh. My anxiety often prevents me from socialising as much as I'd like to, but whenever I do manage to go out and see friends, I really love it and it spurs me on to do it again. We're planning on a few drinks at a swanky cocktail bar nearby soon. 

On Thursday, I had a last minute look around the shops to choose presents for Mothers Day as my mum was visiting that evening. In the end, I opted for two books from Waterstones (which I'm desperate to borrow once she's finished reading them!), a bar of chocolate, a lovely little bathbomb and some eye-cream. I'm hoping she'll treat herself to a pamper night, using her gifts. We had a lovely catch-up whilst she was home and she's left Grace, our golden retriever who lives with her, for 10 days whilst she has a break in the Cotswolds with her partner, so that's an extra added bonus (apart from now being covered in dog hairs!) My Birchbox also arrived on Thursday which was a nice little treat. I've not tried the products yet but I'm looking forwards to as I got a really good mix. 

Friday was payday AT LAST so I treat myself to getting BioSculpt Gel Nails done at a brilliant local salon as it was on special offer for just £12 (usual price £30) and I'm really impressed with the results. I opted for a dark burgundy shade and I'm hoping it'll last at least a fortnight, and give me a chance to grow my nails out as I have very soft nails, so they normally snap but the BioSculpt makes them so much tougher whilst it's on, that they shouldn't break or tear at all. I also treated myself to a huge box of beauty goodies that I found on my local selling page, for just £20. I can't wait to try them all out and get a few reviews up.

I had a really long lie in on Saturday and, when I eventually surfaced, I had a brief wander down the street as I wasn't feeling particularly good (perhaps because I had a couple of glasses of wine to celebrate finishing my run of antibiotics the night before!). I spent the afternoon blogging, watching crappy television and, in the evening, Shane and I had a cheeky takeaway (I opted for chicken chow mein with crispy seaweed, which I finished off this morning - a treat once in a while can't hurt, righht? Right?! *looks hopeful*) and caught up on Breaking Bad (again).

Today has been spent mainly blogging and chilling with Shane, which has been perfect considering the weather. We nipped down the street briefly and I picked up L'Oreal's Miss Manga mascara and their new Super Liner 'Blackbuster' which I hope to review within the next few weeks. I also managed to finish reading Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which is amazing (review coming soon). I'm now looking forwards to tonights #lbloggers chat, some tasty lemon & herb fish for dinner, a long soak and yet another Breaking Bad marathon.

I'm back to work tomorrow but I've got lots of posts planned for next week (and I'm also hoping that my USB cable will arrive so I can get some of my own photographs uploaded) including My Month in Movies, a beauty review, another book review and - of course - another Sunday Summary, so keep your eyes peeled. 

101. Reading // The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

* A word of warning before I begin - I've lost my USB cable for my camera, so I'm currently unable to upload my own photographs onto the blog - hence me using photographs sourced from elsewhere on this post. I've ordered a new cable, so I should be back to using my own photographs again next week. *

Today's post is a review of my most recent read: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

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The story is set in Germany just before, and throughout, the second world war. The main protagonist is a young girl called Liesel Meminger who has been sent to live with a foster family on the (not so) aptly named Himmel Street (Heaven Street), an impoverished area of the fictional town Molching.

One of the main 'selling points' of this book, for me, was the unique narrative style - which I won't ruin for you! - but it is a fantastic idea, and very effective.

I would describe Liesel as a quiet but headstrong character, she's also incredibly intuitive and very curious about just about everything, with an amazing sense of humanity. Liesel's foster parents, Hans and Rosa, are both colourful characters too. My initial impression of Rosa Hubermann was not a positive one; she comes across as strict, slightly vulgar and, generally, not a particularly nice lady whereas Hans Hubermann is immediately portrayed as a kind, considerate and young-at-heart new father figure for Liesel.

Inquisitive Liesel soon develops a passion for books and, in particular, words and the magic that they can contain and express. The title of the book, as you may have guessed, comes from the fact that Liesel loves to steal books - from wherever she can find them, including the mayors wifes extensive library. 

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Throughout the novel, a relationship with the young Ruby Steiner also develops. It begins as a friendship based around football, stealing and fist fights, but - as the two characters grow up - it develops into something more, a teenage romance, which is truly beautiful to read. 

There is also the arrival of Max Vandenburg 'the Jewish fist fighter' who seeks refuge with the Hubermann family, as the result of an unbroken promise made by Hans decades earlier. For anybody who knows the history of Germany, in particular whilst it was under the rule of Hitler and the Nazi party, as soon as Max arrives on the Hubermann's doorstep, you instantly feel tension and fear for the family - or at least I did.

During Max's stay, he forms a friendship with Liesel which, in turn, increases her love for the written and spoken word and he inspires her to write her thoughts, feelings and experiences down which, I feel, helps Liesel to truly become herself. 

As I really recommend this book to everyone, I don't want to give away too much - apart from an insight into the characters and the story line - but it truly is an incredibly moving, at times incredibly humorous, and overall incredibly well written novel which will make you not want to put it down. 

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I'd also thoroughly recommend the film - also named The Book Thief - which is in cinemas now. The book is available from most good book stores, or on Amazon.