Another busy monday

Happy Monday folks!

This weekend has been crazy, busy and exhausting. I'm probably being overdramatic but long shifts have meant I've not had time to do anything that I had planned over the weekend. I finished the weekend with a ten hour shift and quite literally crawled into bed last night. So, I have come to university early in order to continue working on my essay for the realist novel. Instead, I am blogging. Three days without blogging is awful.

Anyway, one of my Austen books arrived in the post the other day- Being Elizabeth Bennet. Not only is the jacket absolutely adorable, but its just so entertaining! I started going through it straight away and finished the first run through last night. I ended up following the path of Elizabeth for this first attempt. However I did note that the other options and outcomes were really fun. For example, there was the option to slept with Darcy's gardener. Spoiler alert- surprisingly, you don't get to marry Darcy if you do this! I am so glad that this was recommended to me! I'm now just waiting for Lost In Austen to arrive, which from what I can gather, is more or less the same thing but exciting all the same.

I have, however, managed to start thinking about life after university. I was really keen on a masters degree. I still am. But I am also thinking about a gap year. A rather clichéd gap year actually, full of travelling. I've wanted to do a tefl course for a while now. I don't know. I'd settle for more time to read right now.

Why does time pass so quickly at university and yet so slow everywhere else? Seminar time. See you all later, I hope you have a lovely Monday.

It is so late

Good morning folks. It is twenty to two at the moment and I've been home from work about an hour. Someday all of these late nights and long shifts are going to be worth it. The night time must make me soppier than I realised.

Anyway, I am currently eating miniature brownies and searching for something to watch. I finished my third (maybe forth) watching of Gilmore Girls in less than six months. I have a whole list of things to watch and yet I am stuck. On the bright side I purchased another new book! And it's another Pride and Prejudice retelling! I don't know why I'm putting myself through another one but this one is from the point of view of Mary Bennet and is called The Forgotten Sister by Jennifer Paynter. I'm writing yet another essay on Pride and Prejudice but this time I'm looking at minor characters and Mary was a huge interest to me whilst planning. I hope this book will be better than some I've read in the past couple of months.

Whilst shopping on amazon, I found an Austen CD. If I'm shopping for Austen themed things, can I write it off as some form of market research? Anyway, it is a collection of BBC Radio dramatizations. They're preformed by actors such as David Tennant and Benedict Cumberbatch. I dare say that will be arriving later on this week- as soon as I get around to ordering it. The cover is pretty too.

I also have King's Cage to get around to. I think this is the final book in Victora Aveyard's The Red Queen series. I hope the end of this series is as good and gripping as its beginning.

This weekend I plan to watch the episode of Piers Morgan's Life Stories with Nigel Farage that I'll miss on friday evening. I can't stand either of them but this twitter promotion made it sound too good to miss. If nothing else it will give me something to rant about. Expect that some time.

As if Nigel Farage and Piers Morgan on the same channel, at the same time, wasn't enough bad news, Wolverhampton has experienced storm Doris today. Nothing has been safe; birds have been blown into my window today, I've heard various people complaining about their bins being knocked over. But by far the biggest tragedy was the death of a young woman caught in Doris' crossfire. She was enjoying a Starbucks with friends when something fell on her. Life really is too short; what a sad, sad loss. My thoughts are with her family.

It's been an interesting day, to say the least.

It is now twenty to three in the morning. I think this is the latest I've been up after work. Perhaps sleep will catch me soon.

Good night guys. Sleep well and have a lovely Friday.

Lost in Austen

Afternoon folks, I hope you're all having a good Wednesday!


I haven broken the spending ban that I put myself on (I have no willpower, that much is clear) and have ordered a couple of new books. Arriving on Friday is Being Elizabeth Bennet: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure and sometime next week Lost In Austen will be arriving. I absolutely love adding to my Austen collection. I really need to stop buying books in preparation for moving house, but I figure two more won't hurt right? Shelf space is another story though! I am all for not judging a book by its cover but this is absolutely amazing.

This mornings lecture was really interesting. I will admit that I haven't finished Hamlet; I am almost there but favored finishing Swear on This Life after work last night. I'll finish it in time for next weeks class, I promise. We looked at varying film adaptations of Hamlet and the differences were amazing. I always think it's really clever that they set adaptations in different eras. Some of them are so well executed. We focused on the Kenneth Branagh's version and I really enjoyed it. Since then, I've been sat on the landing at uni.

Well I've been blogging and working on an essay (more blogging than essay) for about three hours now and should probably think about going home. I think I'll dig out a couple of dvds tonight and have a takeaway. I'm on the late shift at work tomorrow so seize the day and all that.

Have a great evening guys. See you tomorrow.

Swear on this life by Renee Carlino

 When a bestselling debut novel from mysterious author J.Colby becomes the literary event of the year, Emiline reads it reluctantly. As an adjunct writing instructor at UC San Diego with her own stalled literary career and a bumpy long-term relationship, Emiline isn’t thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of a young and gifted writer.

Yet from the very first page, Emiline is entranced by the story of Emerson and Jackson, two childhood best friends who fall in love and dream of a better life beyond the long dirt road that winds through their impoverished town in rural Ohio.

That’s because the novel is patterned on Emiline’s own dark and desperate childhood, which means that “J. Colby” must be Jase: the best friend and first love she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Far from being flattered that he wrote the novel from her perspective, Emiline is furious that he co-opted her painful past and took some dramatic creative liberties with the ending.

The only way she can put her mind at ease is to find and confront “J. Colby,” but is she prepared to learn the truth behind the fiction?

(From Goodreads)

So I mentioned that a friend had lent me this book last week. I thought it would have taken me much longer to read but I started it yesterday morning before my long shift at work. Just over twelve hours later I had finished it. I was an emotional wreck by the end of it. It had the tone of a Colleen Hoover novel and I fell in love with her last year. It Ends With Us was very similar to Swear On This Life. It was a brilliant book that was written by a woman, about a book written by a guy about a woman. Work that one out! I don't know how Carlino managed it but Jase seemed to have his own style of writing. The different voices were clear and easy to distinguish.

The balance between the present day, and the past was perfect. The presentation of the fact was particularly interesting; it was written into the book rather than through flashbacks. Reading the past in the form of a novel was so much more entertaining and original. I know that I am an emotional sap  but I felt as though I grew up with Emerson/Emiline. Carlino included all aspects of childhood development, especially from a female point of view. It was even more heartbreaking with the realization that Emiline had no mother to guide her through puberty, and through her experiencing with her first love. Instead, Emiline suffers from issues of abandonment. Her mother has deserted her, and her father appears to have given up on life and on taking care of his daughter and even Jase eventually gives up and vanishes from her story.

Trevor was a character I disliked and didn't get on with, and I found myself more uncomfortable with him than with Emi's father. His development seemed a little half- assed? It was obvious that he was just a filler. Trevor stuck by Emiline, and was there for her even though she hid her past from him. He didn't abandon her. However, I felt that he didn't seek to understand her. He seemed to take her at face value, rather than seeking an emotional connection with her. He definitely wasn't bothered about her writing. It felt like a relationship of convenience and made me uncomfortable. It began to appear as though Emi intended to stay by his side due to a sense of duty. I wanted her relationship with Jase to continue. But why? I should have been angry with his character for having abandoned her.

The past, and Jase's writing, definitely had more depth for me. The present seemed less emotional and I struggled to connect with Jase as a character. He seemed much more superficial outside the realms of his novel, and of their shared past. He seemed cocky and arrogant; irritating. Perhaps Emiline hadn't changed as much as Jase had and that's why I preferred her character in comparison.

However, I didn't enjoy the ending to Jase's novel. I did understand that it does have purpose to it though. It was written for the purpose of making Emiline see what she was missing, to warn her that she faced the possibility of a life full of regret. The ending of Carlino's novel wasn't particularly sharp or exciting, and it did feel a little bit rushed and predictable. But it was a happy ending, and it was nice and I wasn't unsatisfied. Emiline deserved a happy ending.

The element I appreciated the most in this novel was the character development. Not all of the characters were capable of change and of redemption. That her dad had changed, and reformed his character was more than enough for me. I didn't need her mother to have done the same, and neither did Emiline. It was very realistic of Carlino.

Overall, I gave the book four out of five stars. The sentiment that life is too short was really well presented by Carlino. Swear on This Life is easily the best book I've read this year, so far. This will be hard to beat.

My favorite piece of dialogue was:
'Jase: I hope it's everything you want it to be.
Emiline: What? [...]
Jase: The rest of your life.
Emiline: [...] Well, we won't really know until the very end, will we?'


Have a lovely day folks.

'Is Elizabeth a Bennet sister?' and other strange questions

So once again it is a Monday (actually twenty past midnight on Tuesday, but it was Monday afternoon when I started this!), and I've spent my day split between sitting on the landing at university and lectures. Today was a pretty good day, and it's been warm. I have seen the people of Wolverhampton wearing outfits constructed of jumpers, jeans and sandals. It is amazing what a couple degrees increase in temperature does. Even I wore shoes that weren't boots, or heeled.

Today I've planned a couple of essays and I am really pleased with them. But I started my day in bed, eating chocolate and reading a good book. I started The Empress of a Thousand Skies last night, and ended up finishing it this morning. Monday mornings are so very peaceful and relaxing; my only guaranteed morning off all week. As for the book, I rated it 4/5 stars. I found myself enjoying it, but felt as though the twist was very predictable. Everything seemed a bit too predictable. It seemed a bit obvious. Regardless, I'm praying that there is a sequel. There are so many unanswered questions.

Monday featured lectures on the world of Austen, and on The Death of a Salesman. The Austen lecture was awesome; there were lots of critics included and absolutely loads of context. Apart from when somebody asked if Elizabeth was one of the Bennet sisters...

An essay idea hit me whilst I was sat on the landing for my Austen essay, I've never been so excited to start writing an essay. Yes, I am a loser. But I've been so productive today and that needed celebrating.

So after uni I went for a drink at a friends house; a couple of glasses of wine might mean that I sleep better tonight. Sitting around singing along to The Script has made my evening.

I read a strange article on The Independent's website today; the headline was 'Spies are 'plotting' to take down president Trump, says former CIA operative'. Maybe I'm missing something but I thought spies implied secrecy? The article discusses the mistrust between President Trump and the intelligence community but this plotting is said to be going beyond their duty and interfering with American democracy. Additionally, a three hour debate took place today to decide whether or not Trump should be granted a state visit to the UK. On one hand, it is obvious to argue that Trump shouldn't be allowed to visit on the basis that he is a 'bully' and a 'bigot' according to a report on The Guardian. However, other politicians argue that we have allowed other tyrants into the UK on state visits before. Perhaps this should stop now? Perhaps we should stop extending the hand of friendship to bullies? But I can understand why this hand of friendship is so important to us. Trade is important to us, and peace is important. I can't help but wonder if to extend the hand of friendship is to be taken for a fool by Trump. More on this tomorrow, I think. It is an interesting debate.

Good night guys, I promise I will post something more substantial this week. Hell, just wait till I start packing up my room to move house. You'll be getting all kinds of crap then. Packing and unpacking books is my favourite. I always forget what I have and get tempted to reread so much.

I'm really saying goodnight now- happy Tuesday folks! I hope you've had equally an equally happy Monday!

February Fairyloot

So it is that time of the month again! My fairy loot box arrived yesterday morning at half past eight. It actually woke me up in the middle of a lie in after a late shift at work. The guy could not have banged on the door any harder. Anyway, once I got ahold of the parcel, I tried to leave it on the floor and curl up in bed again. However, excitement got the better of me and I opened it. As usual, I wasn't disappointed and it was totally worth a lack of sleep.

So, the theme for this months box was 'emperors and fugitives' and Fairyloot made use of quite a few YA novels this month. Their list of influences and inspirations included Guardians of the Galaxy, Rebel of the Sands, and Illuminae. I'll just state now that I have seen Guardians of the Galaxy once, and haven't read either of the novels. But in the spirit of adventure I decided to continue with my subscription and let the box be delivered.

I absolutely love opening the box and seeing it packed full of purple paper curls, with everything buried beneath them. The element of surprise with these boxes is wonderful. So, the first item that I unpackaged was a very pink and glittery bath bomb. It was called Celestial Gunpowder! I now have a small collection of bathbombs and I am so excited to use it! Okay, next we had a funko pop keyring resembling dancing Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. The best parts of that film were Chris Pratt, Groot and the soundtrack. I was so happy that they had included him. He'll be going on my keys, if I have any room.

Following this was a coaster that had a quote on, from Illuminae. It says 'she is a catalyst, she is chaos. I can see why he loves her'. It is beautiful and of a really good quality. I'm saving it for when I move house at the end of the month, though. Fairy loot included another quote item in this months box. It was a pouch featuring a quote from Rebel of the Sands, and reads 'the world makes things for each place'. I love the sentiment; the idea that everything is just as it is meant to be. I'm officially putting the novel on my to be read list because of this lovely pouch.

Other items in the February box included a space girl book mark, a signed letter from the author of this months book, and a beautiful double-sided print of Throne of Glass couple Manon and Dorian. My photos show the Manon side, but they're both amazing!

This brings us to my favourite item from this month. Fairy Loot included a full sized candle in a tin, called Kalusian Sunset. It is inspired by this months novel. The candle itself is purple and it smells so pretty. But the tin was my favourite part. It looks like a fantasy/science fiction sunset and I love it! It looks like something out of a fairy tale. Like the bath bombs, I'm growing a collection of bookish candles. I have several A Court of Thorns and Roses candles, and one inspired by Caraval. I can't see myself lighting them but they are pretty all the same. I really need somewhere to put them. I've included a picture of the Kalusian Sunset tin on the left. I apologise for my terrible attempt at photography.


Okay, this brings me to this months Fairy Loot book. We have Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza. Now I have heard nothing about this book, unlike Caraval from last month, I haven't googled it today or searched it on Goodreads and the blurb is really vague. So I know next to nothing about this novel but I'm planning to start this tonight, after finishing Wintersong, and I cannot wait.

I thought I'd include a picture of everything that came in this months box and the pretty cover of this book:

I finished work at half past three this afternoon and I have a to- do list as long as my arm! I have books to read for university and essay plans to do. Despite this, I am actually pretty happy that careers week is over and I have classes at university tomorrow.

I got quite a few recommendations after my request a couple of posts ago. Matt Haig's Reasons to Stay Alive was recommended and I seriously need to get around to finishing it. It is a book that made me feel anxious, all the way through. However, I loved it. Matt Haig has a wonderful style. A friend dropped round a couple of books to my house the other day. These were Forgive me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick and Swear on this Life by Renee Carlino and I am so excited to start them. They both sound great.

Another recommendation was Bridget Christie. Now I googled her, and found her quite interesting and I found this extract from her book A Book for Her on the Guardian's website. She is hilarious, and brilliant. Pay day is next week, and I know I'll end up ordering this book.

I hope you have a lovely week guys and I hope you enjoyed this unboxing!

See you soon!

Wintersong

Happy Saturday folks! I know it's been a couple of days but the late shifts at work have been killing me. After having a month of early nights, being at work until half past twelve hurts.

When I've not been at work, I have spent the past couple of days reading Pride and Prejudice again with the help of index tabs. Rereading it for an assignment only makes me realise how much I love it. I've bought more than a couple editions of this book this week, and will post pictures as soon as they arrive. I also found that amazon sells the Barnes and Noble cloth bound classics set of the complete works of Jane Austen, and they come in a sleeve! The set is officially at the top of my wishlist, and £65 is definitely a bargain for such a beautiful set of books.

Yesterday I finished Wintersong. It was one of the best things I've read this year but apparently it was based on the film Labrynth (which I will admit that I have not seen!). For me, it felt like a fairy tale. It was sorrowful and full of angst to begin with and though the angst was present throughout, the novel became more seductive and sexualised. The book could have been split in two halves, the tones are so different. The first half of the book feels like a game between our protagonist and the Goblin King. Whilst the second half is much more sexualised, emotional, and there is much more in the way of character development. The protagonist is Liesl and she is the 'ugly', underappreciated sister in possession of a great musical talent. I felt a bond form between Liesl and I. I felt her insecurities, her pain and I fell in love with the Goblin King's character at the same time as she did.

I loved this novel, and I was screaming by the time S. Jae- Jones ended it on a cliff hanger! But I am temporarily pacified with the news of an eventual sequel.

I hope you guys have had a wonderful week and are ready for another one. Why is February going so fast? I know it's a short month but this is ridiculous.

More soon folks!