Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

I've been nominated by the lovely Tika over at fANGIRLconfessions! Thanks for the tag!

Let's begin!

Like all other tags and blogger award, there are a few rules:

1) Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their site

2) Post the award's logo on your blog

3) Answer the 10 questions you've been asked

4) Nominate 10 bloggers

5) Set 10 new questions for your nominees

Tika's Questions:

1) What is your least favourite book at the moment?

This is such a hard question because recently I haven't read any books that I've disliked... I'd have to go with

2) What is ONE book you're read this year that you worth a re-read?

I would definitely re-read The Book Thief! I've already read this novel twice (once last year and once this year) and I have to say it's one of my favourite books everrrrrr

3) If I asked you to recommend me any book of your choosing, what would it be? * I'm kinda looking for recs to find more books to read lmao *

I'd recommend anything by John Green (if you haven't already read all his novels) and I love The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath! (It's one of those classic books you have to read at least once in your life)

4) If you could be any fictional character for a day, who would it be? Why?

I don't know if this is a generic answer or just silly but I'd love to be Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice! I think it would be so interesting to get a taster of what life was like back then and Mr Darcy is gorgeous!<3<3

5) What's your favorite meal?

Sushi or Chinese food<3

6) Hardback, Paperback, or E-copy?

I prefer physical copies of books so either a hardback or paperback are fine with me! I don't tend to buy hardbacks often as they're so expensive now so I guess I prefer paperback copies...

7) Name 2 books you've given a negative review to this year. In ONE sentence tell me why. * hehehehe, some of you guys know how evil I get with these questions lmao *

Since I've only been blogging for 2 months I haven't written any negative reviews yet but I'm sure there will be one eventually...

8) If I gave you a lighter a told you to set 3 books that you share a love/hate relationship with on fire. Which 3 would it be? * I'm such an ass for this question! *

Omg this is such a difficult question because fire and books are just a huge no! Gahhh um.... I'd probably set alight

9) You're the main character in a New Adult novel. You move into a dorm/off-campus apartment and have a swoon worthy boy residing across the hall. You guys hit it off immediately and begin "lusting" for one another. What fictional character is he? * muuaaahhaha *

I think he has to be Miles from Looking for Alaska by John Green! Just because he's really smart and lovely and I love how his character was written... He also remembers famous people's last words which is awesome!

10) If you could write your own memoir, what would the title be?

Punk and Disorderly

My Nominees:

Blessie

Mallory

Lauren G

Olivia-Savannah

Tanya

Sabrina

Fangirling Misses Team

Lauren

Sorry if you've already done the tag and I've tagged you again... Also I don't have ten people but if you'd like to do the challenge then please do! I'd love to read it so make sure you leave a link below :)

My Questions:

1) What is a genre you rarely read by wish you did?

2) Do you prefer to read lots of books at once or just one at a time?

3) Hardback, Paperback or Ebooks?

4) If you could be one character in a novel for a day, who would you be?

5) What do you like eating when you read?

6) When you read, do you do it in silence or listen to music and if so what songs are on your playlist?

7) What was your first blog post/book review?

8) Where is your favourite place to read?

9) What's your opinion on love triangles?

10) Do you have any autographed books? If so which ones?

WWW Wednesday!

This meme was created by MizB at Should Be Reading!

Description: This is a weekly event where you share:

(1) What you're currently reading

(2) What you recently finished reading

(3) What you think you'll read next

1) I'm currently reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

2) I recently finished Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

3) I might read Gingerbread by Robert Dinsdale

Sorry I haven't posted as much - I've been so busy at the moment with college homework and stuff!

Happy 1st of October!

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Title: Ugly Love 
Author: Colleen Hoover
Pages: 320
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Book Description: 
When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly

 Get it here | Good reads 

I took part in another read-a-long with my favourite book bloggers, Tika, Mal and Blessie! We all read a certain number of chapters each day and had discussions about the book! It was quite difficult to discuss the book where all members of the read-a-long were present, because we all live in different places around the world! Nevertheless, we managed it and I look forward to doing many more read-a-longs into the future with these wonderful girls! Anyway, onto the review:

My Opinion: 

I don't tend to read romance novels very often but I have to say this is one of the best! I've never read any of Colleen's books before so this was a first... I didn't think I would get into it after reading the blurb but I did and I enjoyed it so much!

When I began reading this book, I didn't have an urge to read on... I mean I was intrigued, thanks to Miles, but if I had stopped reading then and there it wouldn't have bothered me. But then everything kicked off and I literally couldn't put it down!

I loved the mysterious aspect running through because I kept wanting to find out what happened in Miles' past and who was Rachel? As the book continued I found myself really enjoying the past and present feature running through. It meant we could find out what was happening in the present with Tate and Miles, but were also able to get an insight into Miles' history.

The characters were wonderfully written! I loved how relatable Tate was, how protecting Corbin was of his little sister and the mysteries behind Miles. My favourite character, although he wasn't one of the main characters, had to be Cap! He was so kind-hearted and caring and he said some of the best quotes in the novel (most of the ones below were said by him >.< )

What I loved the most however, was the twist. I'm trying my very hardest not to go blurgh and spill the most unexpected part of the novel! All of us taking part in the read-a-long had a discussion about theories we thought could happen (and we had a lot of theories) but none of them came close to what actually happened! Right, I'm going to stop talking about this because I don't want to spoil it for anyone!

Lastly, I really liked the 'water' aspect running throughout the novel. Not only does this link to the twist but it also links to Tate and the way she feels! This was a lovely unique touch!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance novel. There are some scenes that involve sex so I'd probably advise mature teenagers to read it... Anyway this novel suits anyone who enjoys romance and new adult novels!


 Favourite Quotes: 

Her eyes are sad. Her thoughts are sadder.

~~~~

Sometimes not speaking says more than all the words in the world

I wonder what his silence is saying

~~~~

'It's impressive. Defying gravity? Watching sunrises and sunsets from places Mother Nature didn't intend for you to watch them from?'

~~~~

'And I realised... just now... that God gives us the ugliness so we don't take the beautiful things in life for granted.'

~~~~

There's nothing in the world that compares to the feel and smell of brand-new rain

~~~~

'People are more interesting at night,' he says. 'I like to sleep late. Avoid all the fool who are in too much of a rush in the mornings.'

~~~~

It's the beautiful moments like these that make up for the ugly love

 Rating ★★★★

4 out of 5 stars

 Next book I'm going to review:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

20 Things you might not know about me tag!

Photo credit: http://brigittemaria.nl/

I've been tagged by the lovely Tika over at fANGIRL Confessions. Thanks for the tag! The rules are simple anyway, just answer the 20 questions :)

1.) How tall are you?

I'm 5ft 8

2.) Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?

I'm double jointed so I can turn my arms almost the entire way around... It's hard to explain and pretty gross to look at but yeah, I can't think of anything else >.<

3.) What's your biggest blog-related pet peeve?

I think it has to be when people deliberately ignore your comments. Like when you see they're answered to someone else but not you... god that annoys me!

4.) What's your biggest non-blog related pet peeve?

I hate it when people fold the corners of their books over or when they crack the spines! And I'm a bit of a perfectionist so really scruffy work drives me mad...

5.) What's your favorite song?

I have so many favourite songs omg how do I choose...

Room to breathe - You Me At Six

I'm James Dean and you're Audrey Hepburn - Sleeping With Sirens

Alone Together - Fall Out Boy

And many many more

6.) What's your favorite Etsy shop that isn't yours?

I don't have one but my favourite shop is either Topshop or Urban Outfitters!

7.) What's your favorite way to spend your free time when you're alone?

I really enjoy creative writing and drawing so usually I'll just sit and listen to music and draw which is perfect.
I also watch a lot of TV... And of course I read a lot!

8.) What's your favorite junk food?

Chinese omg

9.) Do you have pet(s). If so, what kind and what are their names?

No pets:(

10.) What are your favorite fiction and non-fiction books?

Once again too many to count but my favourite fiction are: It's Kind of a Funny Story, The Book Thief, Perks of being a Wallflower, The Storyteller

I don't really read non-fiction books but I love A Chinese Cinderella if that counts as non-fiction...

11.) What's your favorite beauty product?

Eyeliner whether it's pencil or liquid!

12.) When were you last embarrassed? What happened?

The last time I was embarrassed was probably when I ran over to see my friends at lunch but ended up tripping and went flying into them. We all fell on the floor in a huge bundle hahaa

13.) If you could drink one beverage for the rest of your life besides water, what would it be?

I would drink Cider forever but it's alcoholic and I'd be drunk 24/7 so I'm going to go for Oasis because it is perfect! (even if it would rot my teeth due to sugar... oh well)

14.) What's your favorite movie?

Ugh I can't just say one movie but it has to be between The Breakfast Club and Breakfast At Tiffany's... I have a thing for old classics okay

(I just realised they both have breakfast in the titles aha)

15.) What were you in high school: prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep?

I'd like to say a tie between the artist and band geek but honestly, I was probably the loner...

16.) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

I'd live either in China because they're food is delicious and the scenery is beautiful out there or America because they have amazing shops and everything seems to happen in the USA... I also love the Chinese culture omg

17.) PC or Mac

PC all the way!

18.) Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, bf/gf?

My friend said he was going to buy me a Yoshi hat for my birthday since I said Yoshi was my favourite Mario character!

19.) Favorite Celebrity?

I have so many but I love Heath Ledger and Judd Nelson (so hot!) 

I also love Audrey Hepburn :)

These questions about 'favourite something' are so difficult because I can never just choose one thing!

20.) What blogger do you secretly want to be bestfriends with?

I'm already really good friends with Tika, Mallory and Blessie! But I'd love to be better friends with the girls at Fangirling Misses, Erin and Tanya!

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

Title: The Woman in Black
Author: Susan Hill
Pages: 200
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Gothic
Book Description: 
Set on the obligatory English moor, on an isolated causeway, the story has as its hero Arthur Kipps, an up-and-coming young solicitor who has come north from London to attend the funeral and settle the affairs of Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. The routine formalities he anticipates give way to a tumble of events and secrets more sinister and terrifying than any nightmare: the rocking chair in the deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap, a child's scream in the fog, and most dreadfully--and for Kipps most tragically--The Woman In Black.

The Woman In Black is both a brilliant exercise in atmosphere and controlled horror and a delicious spine-tingler--proof positive that this neglected genre, the ghost story, isn't dead after all

 Get it here | Good reads 

My Opinion: 
For part of my English course in college, I had to read The Woman in Black. It was one of those books I wasn't that interested in reading, but because I had seen the film, I was curious to see what the book would be like in comparison.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the mysterious aspect running through and all the questions that continuously popped into my head like 'was he imagining it?' 'what's going to happen next?'
 etc. This links to the characters and how they were really well written. Especially in the beginning, a lot of questions aroused in my head when people starting acting weirdly around the main protagonist. This intriguing aspect kept me wanting to read on!

The writing style throughout the novel was fabulous. There were tones of descriptive paragraphs that didn't go into too much detail about the setting, but made it seem very realistic and visual. This is not only great for my college coursework, but it adds a really nice realistic aspect - I felt like I was right there in the scene! The descriptions were really creepy and quite sinister at times (especially the description of the woman herself!) which added the Gothic feature. I found the book got more tense about 3/4s of the through which was great as I had been waiting for it to get more scary! I also loved the ending! Although it was very sad I did enjoy it :)

I didn't find the book as scary as all the critics were saying. This could just be because I'm not that scared easily, or maybe it's because the film has influence my viewpoint. When I was reading it, I found myself imagining scenes from the film and watching the characters from the movie in my head (the main reason why I prefer reading the books first) which probably made the book seem far less scarier than it may have been if I wasn't imagining the film. I guess seeing the film physically, gives a different affect to just reading...

I think seeing the film before reading the novel has had a large impact on the book. For example, I know what's going to happen so (especially with a horror story) I already know why everyone doesn't want him to go to Eel Marsh House and I know exactly what happens at the end. I feel like this sort of ruined it for me but overall it was a very good read, however I was expecting it to be more scary after seeing the film... Maybe if I'd read the book first I wouldn't feel this way... hmmm

I would definitely recommend this book to people who are just beginning to get into Gothic/horror novels. It's a relatively short book and the font was quite large in my copy so I read it in a matter of days! It isn't a really scary novel (but that's just my opinion, could be different for everyone) so that's why it would be good for people who either want to try reading something new/out of their comfort zone or for anyone who likes this genre!

Favourite Quotes:

Innocence, once lost, is lost forever

~~~~

I looked up ahead and saw, as if rising out of the water itself, a tall, gaunt house of grey stone

~~~~

Even from as far away as this I could hear the mysterious silence, and once again the haunting, strange beauty, of it all aroused a response deep within me

~~~

Sea birds soared and swooped, silver-grey and white, and ahead, at the end of the long straight path, Eel Marsh House beckoned me

~~~~

'You've gone through some rough seas.'
'Well, I'm in the calm after the storm now.'

~~~~

They asked for my story. I have told it. Enough.

 Rating ★★★ 

3 out of 5 stars

If you do read this book, I'd love to hear what you thought! Let me know in the comments or send me a message on one of my social networks; I'm up for a chat about books any time!

So as most of you probably know (and if you don't know about this why?!) there's a movie adaption of the book! It includes Daniel Radcliffe and I watched this before reading the book. It's a very good horror film. I personally didn't find it that scary, but then again I don't get scared that easily... It was very jumpy though! I really enjoyed the movie, but I don't recommend watching it alone...

Anyway here's the trailer:

Next book I'm going to review

Gulliver's Travels by Johnathan Swift