july wrap-up

hi guys! sorry that i've been gone a little while but i'm back now with my july wrap-up for you! let's get right into it!

'fly on the wall' by e. lockhart (goodreads) - 'fly on the wall' is about a girl who goes unnoticed in school and wishes she could be a fly in the boys locker room, and the next day she wakes up and she is one. there's lots of observing and reflecting going on but nothing really happens, you just get some interesting insights into various people who go to her school. i didn't find the book particularly exciting but i do love e. lockhart's writing style so it was a pleasure to read.

'say her name' by james dawson (goodreads) - 'say her name' is about the classic 'bloody mary'/'say the name in the mirror' story line that we've all heard several times before, so it's not exactly an original premise, but it doesn't pretend to be, which i liked. it accepts it's been done before and doesn't try to pretend that it's unique, which really worked in its favour. i really enjoyed this book and it definitely succeeded in scaring me a few times. james' writing style is also really refreshing and very honest to how teenagers actually talk and act nowadays. my only issue with the book is that i felt like the last chapter/epilogue could have been fleshed out a bit more to give a bit more of an explanation, but that's my only bad point.

'scott pilgrim' #1, #2, and #3 by bryan lee o'malley (goodreads 1, 2, 3) - i've been re-reading the 'scott pilgrim' series in anticipation of bryan's new book 'seconds', and i've absolutely adored getting back into this world. i first read it many, many years ago and i really think it is the best graphic novel series out there. i'm sure you all know the premise but if you don't, it's about a guy called scott who has to defeat all the ex-boyfriends of his new girlfriend. i forgot just how much more you learn about the characters in the books than in the film (which is excellent in itself, by the way), like i loved reminding myself all about kim - i love kim!

'life, the universe and everything' by douglas adams (goodreads) - another episode in the fabulous 'hitchikers' series that i am loving! the characters, the setting, the writing, the brilliant british humour! there's really no way i could ever sum it up and do it justice (although i did try here). i love it, go check it out!

'shades of earth' by beth revis (goodreads) - obviously this is the last book in a series so i can't really tell you what happens. the basis for the series is a portion of the world's population which has been sent up in a spaceship to reach a new-found habitable planet in 300 years time, and about how that situation works socially, environmentally, politically, and so on. the premise is excellent and i found this series so interesting. i have mixed thoughts about 'shades of earth' but i love the series as a whole, and i'll be writing a full series review for you guys soon.

'lola and the boy next door' by stephanie perkins (goodreads) - this book follows lola, a costume designer, and cricket, an inventor, as the main couple. i really liked it but it is just a fluffy romance story - nothing too exciting. although a book about a costume designer seems right up my street i found lola to be really annoying, and stephanie perkins used to whole overdone 'wears a new costume everyday' quirky character profile that i hate. when you push the quirky, eccentric character to the extremes like stephanie did it just becomes an unrealistic joke. also, has anyone seen 'the confessions of a teenage drama queen'? lindsay lohan's character also demands to be called 'lola' and is exactly the same. SO OVERDONE. (lindsay is great though) despite that, i really did learn to like lola, and oh wow, did i love cricket! he's my ideal man and i want him to be real so bad haha. i love the name 'cricket' too. plus, there were lots of themes in this book that i adored - it was like it was tailored specifically for me. costumes and figure skating?! yes please! overall, i have mixed feelings, but i recommend giving it a go and making up your own mind. i definitely did prefer it to 'anna and the french kiss' though, and i'm very exciting to read 'isla and the happily ever after' soon!

'landline' by rainbow rowell (goodreads) - i wrote a whole review on this book (linked here) so i won't say too much, but i LOVED it. it's essentially about a woman who has a fight with her husband and she tries to contact him through her old phone at her parents house, only to find that he answers from the past, back when they had their first big argument as a couple. i gave it 5/5 stars! everything rainbow writes is perfect!

'rookie yearbook two' edited by tavi gevinson (goodreads) - i also wrote a review on this book (linked here), a physical yearly publication of the absolutely perfect rookie mag online website for teenage girls. go check it out!

thanks for reading guys! again, sorry for leaving this blog for a little while, i've been so busy with work, but i've still been reading and i've got a lot of reviews lined up for you in the next few weeks, so keep checking back. hope you're having a lovely day. xx

landline by rainbow rowell - spoiler free!

hi guys! today i have a review of 'landline' by rainbow rowell (goodreads) for you! i'd just like to take a quick moment to thank michelle and the lovely people at st. martin's press for sending me this beautiful review copy - thanks so much guys, it was so lovely of you to send me this, you made my whole week! now, let's get to the review:

first things first, rainbow rowell writes the most perfect characters ever. oh man, did i love these characters! i loved georgie, i understood her straight away, and i was so in love with neal it was ridiculous. i absolutely loved heather as well - i'd really like to read a book from heather's point of view, maybe this whole incident from her perspective? or anything really, she was just great, and i can totally see her being a protagonist.

i couldn't even believe how well-formed these characters were, though. particularly georgie's mum; i knew exactly how she would say something without ever being told about her accent, and i could picture what she would be wearing without needing a description. it's not like they were stock characters that everyone knows either (such as, the all-american high-school cheerleader, or the bored housewife, and so on), they were SO UNIQUE. it didn't take me any time at all to get into the book, it was instantaneous, and i made a note in my book journal when i was on page 20 saying how i felt like i'd known these people for years.

because of how in-depth her characters were, rainbow managed to do something which i think a lot of authors can't, which is create real emotion between characters that the reader can feel. she did this a lot in 'eleanor & park' (remember the really steamy hand-holding scene on the school bus? when i read that i was 100% back to my 15-y/o self, holding hands with a guy for the first time) and she did it again in 'landline' - just the suggestion of phone sex in a conversation sparked up so much passion in the scene; one sentence and she changed the whole tone of the chapter. rainbow is a truly phenomenal writer, she has such great control over the story and the reader.

other than characters she's also excellent at dialogue - you know those chapters in books where it's just back-and-forth conversation in speech marks but with no indication of who's talking and you get so confused? there's a lot of that in 'landline' but it totally worked. this might be because i knew the characters so well (i could tell who was speaking) but i was never confused, and i loved those chapters. the conversation flowed really well and it always felt really natural and organic, and so REAL. i don't know how she managed to make a story about a magic phone seem so real but she pulled it off.

speaking of knowing the characters really well, i found myself reading something neal said and thinking, "that is so neal!" or "that's totally something neal would say!" how did i know this guy so well?! he wasn't even present through most of the book! and that's the crazy thing - i only knew neal through georgie's perspective and yet i knew him so completely and so honestly that i could probably point out his dialogue even if you removed all the names.

another thing is that i was so amazed by how the whole time-travel thing was handled as well. it was so crazy to be totally in love with 1998 neal and to be so convinced that he and georgie were perfect for each other, and then to simultaneously be hating 2013 neal and thinking he was being a total idiot. like, this is how you tackle relationships and time travel, people!! i also thought georgie's little internal monologue and her discussing whether or not she thought she was crazy was completely spot-on; again it felt so realistic, so natural.

i absolutely loved the plot and i think it was really well-balanced, but i did think that the ending was quite rushed. well, perhaps 'rushed' is the wrong word - it had a steady build-up, but it just ended too soon! i was crying happy tears but then i turned the page and that was it! i wanted MORE. that's not really much of a criticism though - in my eyes, the book is still perfect.

my absolute favourite thing about this book though, was that it was just such a pleasure to read. from the very first page i was so involved in the story and the writing was so smooth and lovely. it's one of those books were i was just sub-consciously savouring it - i would be full-up on this book after 30 pages and could live off those 30 pages for a whole day, which i love. i love being able to mix my life with a book, and looking forward to getting back into a world when you next get the chance to read, and this book really lends itself to that. i adore rainbow's writing style and i made a bunch of notes of really great sentences and phrases that i loved, so i'm gonna just leave a few here:
"he kissed like he was drawing a perfect straight line. he kissed in indian ink." 
"seth never talked about the saturday-morning girls now, but georgie assumed the parade marched on." 
plus little things like saying that neal fed the pugs "table food."
it was just so wonderful to read. the only real thing that determines my enjoyment of a book is simply that - how much i enjoy the experience of reading a book - that's really the only thing i ever want and in that sense, this book had it all.

obviously i give this book 5 STARS - it was so perfect and i just enjoyed it so much. i'm actually kind of sad now that i only have 'attachments' left to read and then i've exhausted the rainbow rowell back catalogue - i hope she writes more soon! haha, so that is it! thank you guys for reading, let me know what you think of 'landline' in the comments! have a nice day! xx

♥ rookie yearbook two ♥

hi guys! today i have a review of the absolutely perfect 'rookie yearbook two' (goodreads), edited by the lovely tavi gevinson (click through for her twitter, blog, instagram), today! i've been so excited to write this post and tell you guys just how much i adored this book.

the rookie yearbook is a series that showcases some of the best artwork/writing/photography/diy's/general creative genius from rookie mag, an online publication for teenage girls that's been going for just over 3 years and was initially created by tavi when she was just 15 (and OH GOD do i wish i had done something that cool when i was 15). i'm gonna put this right out there and say that i think rookie is the coolest project to have ever existed; i regularly submit really bad writing for them to turn down (one day i will write something good enough to be published! one day!) and i desperately wish that there had been something like this for me when i was in high school. it's just a positive place for girls, and my favourite thing is that they don't take that attitude of "we have all the answers, listen to what we tell you," it's more like, "let's just muddle through and figure it out together!" IT IS AWESOME. it's just a big wealth of knowledge and cool art and fun stuff and great advice, and articles can go from how to do an ice cream manicure to a complete guide to kissing.

as much as i love rookie, though, i find it really difficult to read off my computer/phone for long periods of time, so i rarely get to see as much as i want to, so having all the best bits printed in a physical publication made all my dreams come true. now i get to hold tonnes of amazing work IN MY HANDS and i can carry it around with me and i don't have to worry about wifi connection (i'm taking all my rookie yearbooks to uni with me - unlimited inspiration? yes please!!!).

visually the book is STUNNING. like each page is a collage masterpiece, and every month has a theme (starting with a cute editor's letter) which is continued into the aesthetics, and it's so clear how much time and energy went into producing this thing. i took loads and loads of photos of the artwork and of my favourite articles and stuff whilst i was reading so i'm just going to put a few here, so you can see what the pages actually look like:

there is so much cool stuff in this book, like a letter to readers from mindy kaling, super cute tarot cards, interviews with people like emma watson and molly ringwald and morrissey , stickers, amazing playlists, a guide to journalling, some of the best photography i've ever seen (and i went to art college), a guide to being less self-conscious, how to make diy stencils, really insightful articles about things like racism and being trans* and your relationship with your parents and falling in love and sex, and SO MUCH MORE. i could list every single page but obviously i'm not going to. 

my favourite article was probably 'the year i learned everything' by roxane, it was INCREDIBLE. it was a short story in diary format about a girl and her interactions with the men in her life. not only was i so invested in the characters after only 6 pages that i CRIED at the end, but it was so wonderfully written that i read it like 7 times in the same night just so i could properly absorb it. i would read anything this girl writes. i hope one day she publishes a book, or several books, because i just want to read everything she has to say.

another article that i want to briefly mention is 'nobody's perfect' by rachael; this spoke to me on such a deep level that i felt like she was talking about my own personal experiences. this article gave me some of the best advice of my life. (i'd also like to mention here that i've seen professional psychiatrists and therapists before, none of whom could help me or understand me, so that goes to show how smart and wonderful the people who write for rookie are.)

i just adored this book; i want to be surrounded in this dreamy atmosphere forever. i gave it 5 STARS on my goodreads but would've given it over a thousand if i could have. if you only ever pay attention to one thing i say, let it be this: READ ROOKIE. truly it's the best thing i've ever discovered and i want to share it with the world.

obviously, before 'rookie yearbook two' (goodreads), there was 'rookie yearbook one' (goodreads), which i read over christmas 2012 and also gave 5 stars to, and in october there will be 'rookie yearbook three' (goodreads), which i am SO EXCITED to get my hands on and read. 

okay, okay, i'm going to stop rambling now; you all get the idea. so, i hope you enjoyed this post and thank you for reading! (and go read rookie!!!) xx

wicked, new job, and finishing college

hi guys! i have a lifestyle post for you today, but i'm not sure whether or not to keep doing these any more if i'm honest. i feel like my book posts are going really well and that these types of posts aren't popular at all and maybe my blog would be better if i focused on just one genre? but i also feel kind of guilty about not doing my theatre reviews like i used to, and i know that if i get to travel then i'll definitely want to blog about that, so i'm not sure what to do. opinions in comments would be greatly appreciated!

so at the start of may i had my final major project deadline! i was really good about planning my work and making sure i got stuff done so i wasn't too stressed by the deadline and i was really happy with everything i submitted. then sometime towards the end of may we got our results - and somehow i managed to get a distinction! that's the highest grade you can get on my course, and i only needed a pass to get into university, so i am over the moon about that! i want to go a lot more into detail about the work i did but college have kept my sketchbooks back to be examples for next years students so i'll have to wait a little while before showing you guys.

the same week that i got my results i also had an interview for a summer job which went really well and i managed to get the job! i don't really feel comfortable with telling you where this new job is because i spend so much time there and we only have around 3-6 employees in at any one time so it would be really easy to track me down if someone tried to find me and i just want to put my safety first. i will say that it's in retail for a big company. anyway, i started on the 1st of june and i'm absolutely loving it; it's the best job i've ever had! i'm actually quite sad that i'll be leaving at the end of september haha!

june has also been a great month for theatre! i saw an amateur production of 'seussical the musical' which was really good (although i did accidentally buy front row seats and we kept catching the cat in the hat's eye haha), and the 'wicked' tour came to the grand! i actually ended up seeing it twice - once with my family, and then about 5 days later i was able to grab myself a front-row dress circle seat. i saw 'wicked' in london's west end last year (which i wrote about here) but honestly, i thought it was so much better on tour! i'm not sure if that's because i forgot some details or because i was sat so much closer at the grand, but the story seemed a lot clearer and well-rounded. plus, as always, i found some new things to love this time round - nessarose's 'wicked witch of the east' was phenomenal and i realised just how heartbreaking the story is for glinda (she loses her best friend and the only man she's ever loved, and then has the courage to stand up and rule oz?! she's incredible!). i also adored nikki davis-jones' 'no good deed', which i had never really liked before. you guys know how much i love this show and you should definitely all go see it if you get the chance!

so that's it for now guys! the only thing that july holds for me is working hard and saving money haha! do you guys have any exciting plans? thanks for reading xx