Book Haul #5

BOOKS MENTIONED:
In Fact (compiled) by Tom Nuttall
Curiosities of Literature by John Sutherland
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill
First 2 in the Uglies Series (Uglies & Pretties) by Scott Westerfeld
Matched by Ally Condie
Across the Universe by Beth Revis (ARC)

Continue being lovely,
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

The Iron King (Iron Fey Series) by Julie Kagawa.

I'm afraid that this review isn't going to be at all good, so right now in advance, I want to apologise. I've begun reading other series' (what's the plural of series, question of the day for you readers out there) and so my memory isn't as brilliant as if could've been had I done it earlier (though that wasn't nearly possible due to my working most days). Ok, here we go:

I really did enjoy this series (or what of it that I've read thus far). It was magical in every sense and I just fell in love with it. The plot is in first person from the perspective of the main protagonist, Meghan Chase. Ultimately, it is a love story of sorts, but to be honest I got lost in the world that was Faeryland (or Never Never). Meghan Chase is sixteen and she finds out that her father is a faerie. Not any faerie, however, but Oberon, King of the Summer fey. There is a big quest in which in order for Meghan to find her brother and take him back to the mortal world, so that the changeling can disappear. Oh wow, the memory really is foggy, I'M SO SORRY.

So, characters. To be honest, I found Meghan a little annoying in The Iron King, but Kagawa really steps it up in The Iron Daughter, so all is forgiven. I love both Puck and Ash and it's really hard to choose whom I prefer more. Personally, I'm think perhaps the looks of Ash with the humour of Puck. The Never Never/ Faeryland is really quite reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. When I mean really reminiscent, I mean VERY reminiscent. So much so that they even have a Cheshire Cat of sorts (except he goes by the name Grimulken).

Overall, I found this series really enjoyable and enchanting. I can not wait for the final book in the trilogy (The Iron Queen) to come out next year.  :)

See, this was a really bad review. I'm sorry. Next time, it'll be better. PROMISE.
Continue being lovely,
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

HUZZAH! (An Extremely Long Blog)

This is my post of HUZZAH-iness because I'm celebrating my release from the gates of school (that's a dodgy metaphor). It is a little late, I'll admit that but I was busy being a homebody and loner. On Monday, I went out with friends and we had a 'finished school for the year' dinner and we talked and ate and everything was pure bliss. Some photos shall now appear magically:


Unfortunately, I couldn't find a picture of all of us together, because my friend who decided to take all the pictures decided to not put it up on Facebook (also, there were more of us).

Over the past couple of days, I have probably read more than I have in the past month (due to no more schoolwork and such). I've finished 'Beautiful Darkness' (by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl) and 'The Iron King' (by Julie Kagawa). I plan on writing a review of 'The Iron King' quite soon, though I'm not sure when exactly.

I've failed NaNoWriMo sadly. After the meter said I had to write about 4,000 words plus each day to win, I knew I was doomed. I believe this is because of the fact that I had to focus on my schoolwork and everything, though, had I the time, I would've been capable of producing a better written novel. However, I am still very pleased with myself, due to the fact that I have never written as many words as I had in this past month. I will continue to write (or attempt), but after scanning the text a little, there is much work to be done.

   One thing, for instance, is that my continuity is completely off, so I think I'll have to write a detailed outline and timeline once finished writing this first draft. There is many things that I learnt during this month and I won't regret them. As much as I do regret not winning NaNoWriMo, I still learnt a lot more about writing. Sadly, I won't actually be able to participate in NaNoWriMo for the next two years due to my mum wanting me to focus all my attention on school, which I can understand, it's just a little sad.

On a brighter note, last night my family and I put up the Christmas tree! It is, as per usual, overly dressed with tinsel (my brother has an obsessive love for it), but it's still got a lot of TLC that goes with it. My mum being a teacher gets presents from her students and as such, since we don't have presents as of yet to put under the Christmas tree, we are using her pressies from her students as an illusion that we really are a lot more organised than we actually are.

I have become a little obsessed with quotes and if someone says a word that ticks something off in my brain, I state a quote aloud. Like yesterday, for instance, I was writing something with a keyboard and instead of writing 'wow', I accidentally wrote 'woe' instead. It made me think of the last line in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and I said aloud (to no one, as no one was in the house) 'And there never was such a story of woe, as of that of Juliet and her Romeo' (or something along those lines). I haven't looked at Romeo and Juliet in at least two months, and that still popped into my head. It confuses me profusely and when I asked a friend about it later that night, she stated me to be abnormal. Which is slightly cruel, but I'm not exactly normal so I didn't really take offence to it.

WOW, I'm kind of rambling now. I'll just stop writing this exceptionally long blog now and say 'farewell' until next I see you with a review. A thousand times goodnight/good day (depending where you are in the world)

Continue being lovely,

&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa.

Biology Can Go Die in a Hole.

So, I realise that right now, instead of blogging, I really should be doing my Biology assignment, but I just can't be bothered. It's my very last assignment for the year, before summer holidays (and then, if we really want to further the calender, grade 11), but I've worked my butt off for pretty much all of my subjects for the past 3 or 4 weeks. I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING. I got 100% on my Maths B exam. I think that, that sums it up. So, even though I know I should be doing classification work with Biology, my mind is wandering off into blogging land, and what's going to happen on Glee and Vampire Diaries tonight.

I've become a teensy bit obsessed with Vampire Diaries, and I realise that this isn't healthy, but, to be honest, I don't actually watch very much TV, if any at all. So, when I finally do find a TV show that I actually enjoy, I tend to watch it for, like, ever. Like, for instance, I've become completely obsessed with Castle. Other shows that have captured my attention include: Vampire Diaries (no duh), Merlin, Midsomer Murders, Doctor Who (big thumbs up for Doctor Who and Matt Smith), and Sherlock.

Speaking of TV, who here has seen Harry Potter? *raises hand awkwardly* And guess what? I'm seeing it again tomorrow! THAT is how much I think you should see it. One of my other friends has already seen it twice, and may quite possibly be going to see it a third time tomorrow as well. I'm re-reading the blog post and I'm kinda wondering how I got Harry Potter from TV, but oh well.

Since I'm such a good student, I'll probably go back to writing about classification and sea stars in about five minutes, but I'm still procrastinating, so shh! Now, I can't remember what I wrote in my last blog post about NaNoWriMo, but I haven't really written anything new. I'm still just over 23,000 words. Why? One can't help but wonder. Why? Because I've been busy with school work, BUT I plant on using my early time off wisely, and write the 10,000+ words within a matter of a couple of days, to catch up. I know, I'm a freak.

Reading my biology assignment, I can't help but question - does anybody else know how hard it is to write about supra littoral, littoral and sub littoral zones, as well as sea stars on one page. WITH pictures. I've had to minimise the font heaps. Probably not good.

Oh well, continue being lovely, lovelies!
&dftba. xox

p.s Who of you wants a new book review? And, if so, what book?
p.s.s. Oh, and you know what else? I've become pro at writing bibliographies recently. THAT IS LEGIT. ;)
BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Elixir by Hilary Duff.

See, originally, I wasn't going to do a review about Elixir, but then Cass from Words On Paper said that she couldn't wait, which then, half-heartily provoked me into doing a review (it's not your fault, Cass!). So here I am, writing a review on Elixir. Just before I begin this review, did I mention that I am nearly halfway through my book for NaNoWriMo? Yes, I wrote over 3,000 words today to catch up. But now, onto the review!

So, I first heard that Hilary Duff was going to release a book perhaps one or two months ago? I'm not too sure, but once I had heard it, my curiosity got the better of me. Within a matter of the week that it was released, I had put it on hold at the library. Now, I'd watched interviews on the book that Duff had taken and I was completely frazzled by the storyline. It just, honestly, didn't make any sense at all to me, so sorry right now if this summary bemuses you, but I tried my best. SCOUT'S HONOUR!

So the story is told from the perspective of Clea Raymond. She is the daughter of a politician and a renowned surgeon (naturally). Her father disappeared about six months ago (I think, I'm working on this through memory, so you're going to have to forgive me if a small detail or two isn't right) on a mission in South America and Clea is just trying to cope. She also dreams of being a photojournalist someday, and when one dude keeps popping up in her photos, it freaks her out. Because not only is this dude in her photos doing unnatural things (like *SPOILER* being captured on film in the air), but he also seems vaguely familiar to Clea. As part of an assignment, Clea is flown over to Brazil (at least, I'm pretty sure that's where it was), to where he father was last seen. And, oh, the plot thickens when....

Sorry, I can't reveal that next part without saying any spoilers, so no soup for you! *Anybody get the reference?* I was kind of iffy about whether or not this would be a good book, because, naturally, I get suspicious when actors try their hand at writing, but I'll admit that this was an ok book. It wasn't too 'WOW! THAT'S AMAZING', but it also wasn't too 'BOO! NEVER READ THAT EVER' *echoes ensue*. It was just ok. Very compelling read, though. The writing was actually surprisingly really good (mind you, she did have a ghost writer with her, so kudos to Elise Allen), and I found some of the characters quite lovable (like Clea's best friend, Rayna, whom I absolutely adored), whilst I found other characters just ok.

Even after finishing this book, and having moved on to about three other books, I'm still not entirely clear of what genre this is, nor what the basic storyline is. I think that if it were to be labelled into any genre at all, it would classically have to be romance. That's the one thing I suggest to Ms Duff, perhaps get the storyline cleared up a bit. I've heard she thinking about writing a sequel to this book. If that is the case, I will happily read it as leisure and entertainment (again, like Spells, not something I would get obsessed with, like perhaps Harry Potter).

Everything about this book is ok. It certainly isn't memorable (in my opinion, anyway), but it still is a nice, light read if you are in between books. Overall, I find it a very good, intriguing book for a first time writer such as Ms Duff.

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl.

p.s. remember this is just my personal opinion. Everybody has a different taste, so if you're into that sort of thing, I suggest you read it to form your own opinion.  :)

Bookcase Tour & Book Haul Splurging Thingy #4.

------
BOOKS MENTIONED:
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Elixir by Hilary Duff
Spells by Aprilynne Pike
Beautiful Creatures & Beautiful Darkness (both) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
The Iron King & The Iron Daughter (both) by Julie Kagawa
------

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
ALSO--- Nanowrimo UPDATE: JUST passed 20,000 words an hour or so ago.  :)

How's NaNoWriMo going?

Hello all,
just decided to write a quick update into my life whilst completing NaNoWriMo (this is also a new use of mine that I also call 'blogging when procrastinating', it works surprisingly well).
So, I've just passed 16, 000 words (I think, I can't exactly remember), and I'm very, VERY happy with that. I'm really proud of myself, but I'm seriously starting to expect that the novel will be far over 50, 000 words. Which, is good, because I shall have all Summer to draft it. WHICH IS EPIC.

As stated before, I'm currently using this as a procrastination tool as I'm very close to finishing my Modern History essay draft, and I quite literally have a pen hanging out of my mouth, but I just need a little time to chillax away from the stress of the NaNoWriMo and school.

Speaking of which, I figured out I have like six pieces of assessment/essays/exams due in the next two weeks. Oh, my life. It shall be worth it though, once I've finally finished school for the year!
Continue being lovely!
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl.

Spells by Aprilynne Pike.

Hello everybody!

I felt it was high time that I wrote another review and so I chose to do it on the Wings sequel, Spells. I'll admit that my memory wasn't very fresh of what had happened in Wings, due to the fact that I had read it over a year ago, but I was still curious. I found Wings silently lovely, and it was a good light read. Not something that I'd get attached to (like Harry Potter, or The Mortal Instruments, or anything like that), but a nice light read to enjoy on a Summer's day. I was hoping that Spells would do the same.

This, unfortunately is not the case. Frankly, I found it really quite boring when Laurel (whom I have serious issues with, and will probably rant about later) was in Avalon for the Summer. I understand that the premise was probably needed so that the reader's could better understand what would happen later in the story, but I feel that Ms Pike dragged it out for a bit too long. Then, when it finally did start getting interesting (just after the middle of the book), I began to get really frustrated with the characters, and in particular, the main female protagonist, Laurel.

I felt Laurel was ok in Wings, and she didn't really concern me as the sort of girl who would annoy me, but in Spells all that unraveled. Laurel just became far too Bella-esqe for my taste, and you probably don't know this, but I have an aversion to anything Twilight because I find it absolutely horrible. Laurel toying with both of the boy's feelings, and the whole 'two-worlds' drama was far too copycat in my opinion.

The writing wasn't the best either. I just didn't enjoy it and it frustrated me to no end. The overall summary to Spells is that it is a version of Twilight, but with faeries. I'm not expecting myself to read the next book in the series, coming out next year, Illusions at all.

Continue being lovely!

&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

p.s how's nanowrimo going if you are participating?

NaNoWriMo.

HELLO ALL!
This, I promise, shall be a somewhat decent blog post. Why, you may ask? Because I have a somewhat semi-decent subject to blog about!

Who here, my fellow bloggers/reader, is doing NaNoWriMo? I am very much curious, so please let me know! Well, I'm doing it and I had a bit of a mini freakout a couple of days ago because I wasn't sure of anything, but all is well now! What is you novel going to be about, you may be asking. Well, I need to start a new paragraph to show you! (Also, it is a very basic outline, I honestly don't know what I'm doing for it for about two-thirds of the novel)

It's almost like a retelling of the poem 'The Lady of Shallott' (by Alfred, Lord Tennyson), but at the same time it's not. Here's the summary:
Charlotte Mayflower has lived her whole life in the tower. For nearly 500 years. She knows she should have never manipulated her admirer, Lance, into loving her, and now she has to pay. His mother, who just so happened to be a witch, cursed her into the tower and forbids her from leaving, otherwise death shall occur.

Arthur 'Artie' Pendra has just come to Camelot Academy escaping from the misery of losing his little brother. Family life isn't stable, and his house is just full of sadness. All he wants is to find his 'soulmate' (if there is such a thing) and live his life without misery.

But now Charlotte has been set from her curse and is able to leave the tower. On one condition, she kills the guy who she fell in love with and prevented her from marrying Lance. Now time is running out and Charlotte doesn't know what to do.

This is a very, VERY basic outline of my story, but anyways. Thoughts? And, ALSO, as I'm sure you are very much aware, I suck at figuring out titles. So this is where you, my lovely readers, come in. Might you give me title suggestions? I would love you far too much if you did!

continue being lovely!
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson.

p.s this is the link to my account if you wanna be writing buddies: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/619564

I Won an Award! (?)

I haven't been on for a while, so sorry!
I wasn't sure what to title this, so I just kinda copied An Abundance of Books , so sorry, if you don't like that! It wasn't intentional.  :s
Anyways, thank you An Abundance of Books for giving me this award, I hope I shall serve it justice.

What to do:
1.Thank and link back to the person that gave this award.
2.Answer the 10 survey questions.
3.Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic. (I'm only passing it on to 4 bloggers because I am quite bad at discovering new blogs and all. I know, I know. SORRY)
4.Contact the bloggers you’ve picked to let them know about the award.

Questions:

1. If you blog anonymously are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?  I don't think so. I think that if I were to have started blogging anonymously, it would have been fun, but at the same time, I enjoy not writing/blogging anonymously as then I can connect with my viewers easier. That's not saying that they don't know a lot about me, but it's just that bit easier to talk to them and not have to create such a mysterious face, when, let's face it, I don't think I'd be very good at it.
2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side:  When I'm debating with someone about something I feel strongly about. Or when I don't want to do something, or don't agree with it. I'm just generally a very stubborn person, so sorry about that.
3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror? I don't particularly like this question, I'll admit that. I find that it isn't an easy question to answer. I can't think of a straight or obligatory answer that would satisfy myself, let alone anyone else, because the nature of a human is so sporadic and different that you can't really expect to see the same thing in the mirror every single time you go into a bathroom. So the answer for this question, that is as clear as possible, is that I see different layers of me everytime I see myself in a mirror.
4. What is your favorite summer cold drink? Perhaps a smoothie, or a milkshake. And iced coffee.
5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do? I either write or read. Or film videos. Mainly write or read though.
6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it? I think it would be so amazing if I could publish a novel. That would be a my ultimate dream. I first need to actually finish a book first though. Cos, you know, that would help.
7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever , the shy person, or always ditching? Can I just say, I am still attending school so this isn't exactly right for me. But, at school, I think a lot of people just know me as the shy person, but I also have a deep suspicion that most people believe me to be a genius. I don't know whether this is because my mum is a teacher or because I get good grades at school. I still wonder...
8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment of your life what would you see?  To be honest, I have a lot of memorable memories (oh, how cheesy does that sound). I've done so much this year, let alone, the past 15 years (of which, about 3 or 4 i can't remember clearly). One reminiscence that has always really stuck it out with me was the day I left Canada to come back to Australia after a year over there. I was balling my eyes out. It was one of the saddest times of my life.
9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events? I think that it depends on my mood. To be honest, in reality, I do actually find it extremely difficult to open up to someone. Here, on the internet, though, I try to do both. I don't particularly like the idea of people knowing me better than I know myself (confused teenage hormones, remember?), but at the same time, it's nice to get my opinion across.
10. If you had the choice to sit down and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?This, my friends, is probably one of the easiest questions ever. In other words, sit down and read - ALL THE WAY. Why? Because I'm a weird anti-social person who personally prefers to interact with fictional characters, rather than actual people.

Yes, I'm weird. Get over it.

I am passing this on to: 

The Blurb

Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm

Words on Paper

Steph Bowe's: Hey! Teenager of the Year

Book Buying Withdrawal.

Hi.
Can I just say that not buying books is getting bloody hard. I bought three books today whilst at work (none for me) and I was soo tempted to just go and buy 'Shiver' (by Maggie Stiefvater), it isn't funny. It seriously isn't.

I seriously suggest you never go on a book buying diet. Don't EVER try it.

On the bright side, though, I put two books on order, which I'm pretty happy about. They are 'The Heroes of Olympus: The Last Hero' (Rick Riordan) and 'Looking for Alaska' (John Green). Am back to re-reading A Great & Terrible Beauty again. I got distracted by my library books, but I'm on the straight and narrow now.

'Tis a long weekend this week. WOO! I've started writing again and am back on the writing wagon! (Wow, I'm doing a lot of personification today). On Tuesday, I also get the whole day off because I'm going to my school awards show rehearsal. Later that night I'll actually be going off to the awards night, because I'm getting an award. Pretty snazzy.

I also chose my subjects that I'm going to be taking part in for the next two years. They are: Maths B, English, Modern History, Geography, Biology and Music. Two of my friends (hi Georgia, Rachael!) have four of the same classes as I, which is a bit thrilling.

And, before you say anything, yes, I constantly do shout out to my friends (particularly Georgia) because I know they read this blog. Georgia is like the number one fangirl - but she's way cooler. ;)

Does anybody have any tips as to what I can do to stop this withdrawal? They are very much needed and appreciated. :D
Am considering putting another little bit of the writing project (STILL haven't figured out a title). Thoughts? Lemme know.  :)

Until next time lovelies,
&dftba. xox
BOOK CURRENTLY RE-READING: A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray.

New Video: Sport... & Other Stuff.

Juliet by Anne Fortier.

So another new review. I'm taking time out of my homework scheduale to write this, so hopefully it'll be decent.

Juliet is about Julie Jacobs, who, after her Aunt Rose dies, finds out she is not actually Julie Jacobs. She is actually Giulietta Tolomei and she is descended from the Juliet who inspired the most well known play of all time, Romeo and Juliet. She also is given a letter, telling her that her mother left her something in Siena (which is in Italy) and that she advises to go find it. This is where the story begins. Julie (or Giulietta, I suppose I should say) goes to Italy and meets Alessandro Santini and Eva Maria Salembeni. They speak of how Julie/Giullietta is a descendant of the real Juliet Capulet and how the curse - 'a plague on both your houses' - is still at work.

This novel is written in first person AND third person. It sounds a little tricky, but its actually not that hard to get your head around. Despite the fact that ever since ever, I've been told in English class that you shouldn't change the person, or tense it is set in. She does both.

Now, to understand the background story, Fortier writes in both present and past tense. The past being the original story of Romeo & Juliet, and the present is the storyline of Julie Jacobs/Giullietta Tolomei. It is an interesting read, and I was enthralled with it all the way through. It was exceptionally written, and Anne Fortier came across a extremely good plot line. She delved into the historic side of it really well, showing off impressive research.

I found the characters somewhat predictable at some points, but I still really enjoyed learning about them and watching them develop. My only downside to this book was that occasionally, I would get annoyed that the next chapter was a flashback. It's like I was really getting into the present situation, and then we had to do a chapter of going back to 1340 (when Julie/Giullietta's ancestor had the whole Romeo & Juliet scenario). I then got peeved when, once I was so entirely getting into that form of writing and really wondering what was going to happen next, I was left with the present century. It was a similar patten for me throughout, and it got on my nerves occasionally. I suppose you could think of it as a sort of cliffhanger, in some aspects. It doesn't mean that I liked it though.

Overall, I did enjoy the story. It was unique and different to what I have seen when it comes to Romeo & Juliet inspired novels. You not only enjoy the story, but you actually learn quite a bit of historical facts, and at the beginning of each chapter, there is a Romeo and Juliet quote.

If you're into love stories that have a bit of a twist, I suggest this one for you.
Until next time lovelies,
&dftba. xox

Late Post.

Ok, so I realise I haven't posted in like. EVER.
But I have a liable excuse. It was the first week back at school and I had to get back into my groove (yes, I just used the phrase 'groove')

I've also been working around time zones talking to friends worldwide. It's actually a lot harder than you think, when you want to have a conversation of about 5 people from 4 different time zones talking in the same conversation. I bet you to try it. TRY IT.

I've also given up on my laptop and am currently in the process of transferring all my material from my laptop to the home computer. I can't wait for graduation to come - the MacBook shall come to me! I haven't really read anything, but I've started a new book called 'Juliet' by Anne Fortier. It's actually pretty good so far.

I had work today, and it made me realise how much I miss buying books. And then, this morning mum told me I was doing something about my saving up wrong. It was pretty annoying. I really wanna read 'Beautiful Creatures' by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. I don't know why, but I do. It sounds really intriguing.

So school's alright. I haven't failed anything yet, which, you know, is pretty good, considering it's the first week and all. One week down, seven to go! WOO!

I've also decided I'd really like to try my hand at online shopping. So if you know any good online sites, lemme know in the comments. ^.^
And as you may or may not know, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this November. The problem is, though, that I'm so wrapped up in my other writing project, I've got absolutely no ideas as to what my NaNoWriMo novel can be.  Suggestions? Tips?

Have a lovely week, loverlies
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Juliet by Anne Fortier.

Last Day of Freedom.

Today was the last day of freedom before I school is back to the focus of my life. Oh, the joy. On the bright side though, it rained for the whole day and it was very lovely.  :)
I wrote about a page, which doesn't seem like a lot but I was really quite tired today so it was good for me.

Yesterday I had seven hours of work, and then I went straight to a play. It was called Betrayal and it was by Harold Pinter. It was actually really quite short, but I think it was good that it was short as it was sooo intense. If it had been any longer, if would have been quite the emotional strain. But, yes, it was brilliant. I loved it.

Then today, I spent a majority of it on the computer, talking to my YouTube friends Kelsey and Alexa. We have started up a project and it's a secret until we decide to tell you more, and until we plan more. We skyped for about two hours, then they had to get off because of the fact that they actually needed sleep, unlike me. DARN THOSE TIME ZONES! Then I got some good news and was tweeting and skyping away like mad to tell them. They told me to get on straight away, but unfortunately I was out with my mum, so I didn't get the message until too late. :(

I watched a Midsomer Murders episode and that was great. It was the last episode of the season, and the last with DCI Tom Barnaby. SO SAD!  :'(

I also attempted to upload my new YouTube videos about three times - it failed every time, so I was in an obviously rubbish mood for about 10 minutes, it was quite intriguing.

And you know what my brother said to me this morning? 'Jocie, you don't have brown eyes! You've got green eyes. Look at them now, they're green.' It made my heart leap for joy, but then I realised he was slightly wrong and I had to correct him, so I was like, 'No Nic (that's my brothers name), they are a dark hazel. Not a green.' In my head I added that I wished they were though.
Have a lovely time, loverlies
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams.

Clockwork Angel Review.

Hello all!

I thought to myself just then, 'I think it's about time I wrote another review', so TADA!
The following review is Clockwork Angel, which was written by Cassandra Clare.

The novel, Clockwork Angel is a prequel to The Mortal Instruments Series (also written by Ms Clare). It is based in Victorian England, in the year 1877. A young girl named Tessa Gray arrives in Southampton after receiving a mysterious ticket from her brother in New York. Her aunt has just passed away. So she arrives in England, awaiting her brother, when the mysterious Dark Sisters come and pick her up. Her brother is nowhere to be found. This is when Tessa is introduced into the Downworld. Filled with warlocks, vampires and other mythological creatures, Tessa is pushed into a world she has never known. She seeks refuge from Shadowhunters, and the story really evolves from there (sorry, I just don't want to give away too much for those of you who don't like spoilers).

One thing that I immediately picked up on, and liked, was the fact that the author managed to make it that you didn't have to have read The Mortal Instruments Series beforehand. I liked this as it does make it a separate novel from the other series, despite the fact that they are interconnected through the prequel thing.

I immediately liked the characters. Somehow, Ms Clare manages to create the most brilliant characters. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but she does it amazingly. There's the whole 'Team Will', 'Team Jem' thing going on, and instead of finding it annoying (like I did with that of the Twilight series), it actually just confuses me more. Jem and Will are both extremely well written characters and I personally had a hard time picking out who I prefered. It came down to humour though, and I had to give it to Will. And probably his charm. *throws arms in air* I don't know! I'll have to say this, though. Tessa and I? We'd get along like a candle on fire. I absolutely adore her sense of humour and her love of books. I feel that I can relate to her on so many different levels, from boy problems to her taste in novels, it's incredible.

Cassandra Clare wrote really REALLY well and had to leave us on a cliffhanger. I can not wait for Clockwork Prince to come out next year! It will be one of the highlights!

There's also been some debates going around about which is the better series: The Infernal Devices series, or The Mortal Instruments series. My thoughts? Infernal Devices. This is merely because I am a quixotic dreamer, who completely wishes that she lived in the 19th century.

Have a fun time reading loverlies!
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams.

The Dentist is my Nemesis.

I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday, but I had a good reason! Honest! I was working from 5 - 9 (it was late night shopping) and so I thought that I'd be able to write a blog post when I came home. I underestimated how tired I was.

Technically, though, in half of the countries of the world, it's still the 30th of September.

Anyways, I wrote about three pages of my novel. Still a work in progress. I spent a majority of the day actually reading and I managed to finish two books. I thought that was kinda impressive considering I started one that day as well. I'm starting to read Beatle Meets Destiny (Gabrielle Williams) now, and I'm looking forward to it.

I was going to see Despicable Me with the family as well, but we couldn't because it clashed with my hours at work. So, we are seeing it today instead, then we're going off to the dentist. That will be heaps of fun *please note sarcasm*.

I don't enjoy the dentist, they just kinda scare. And the idea of having razor sharp metal objects in my mouth, isn't at all comforting. They make me nervous. Plus, they always say to, "you have to brush your gums better,"  and I'm like, "you don't think I try? Do you know how hard it is to have braces on?" and I honestly do brush my teeth (and gums) really well. I just blame my braces. They tell me that exact thing every single freaking time I go to the dentist. I understand, they don't need to tell me once again. Oh, the frustrations.

To top it off, I've only got about three days left of holidays (including today). I have to spend two out and about doing things. Today, I'm going to see despicable me, and the dentist. And tomorrow, I've got to work a seven and a half hour shift. Oh, the joys. Sunday is the only day I have left that is full of freedom.

Anyways, I'm probably annoying you with my ranting, so I'll stop now
Have a lovely day, loverlies
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams.

p.s I don't hold any grudges to anyone who, is, in fact, a dentist. I just don't like them.

Glee + Rain = Pure Bliss.

So, I'm officially on a roll with the writing thing. I have it down pat. I ponder everyday (aka I write everyday) for about an hour. Once school starts back though, I shall, of course, devote most of my time to my studies, and once I'm done, only then shall I write. Remember, I'm a dork, these things are expected.

I didn't have a very big day. I went to the library and borrow books out, because, of course, I'm banned from buying books. I then made a video about it (which is inserted below)


BOOKS MENTIONED IN VIDEO:
~ Juliet by Anne Fortier
~ Girl Saves Boy by Steph Bowe
~ Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams
~ Loathing Lola by William Kostakis
~ House Rules by Jodi Picoult

And, unfortunately for all you readers out there, this blog post will be more crappy than usual. Why? Because Glee is on in 9 minutes, and I can't miss out! I know how shallow I sound, but I promise I have more depth to my character than that.

It's raining now! YAYY! You must be thinking of what a lunatic I am. I can't help but agree though, because I switch from topic to topic so quickly. Mind you, I also drank two cups of tea today. That may have something to do with it. Tomorrow is the last day of my Blog Everyday for the Rest of September, but I may continue doing it till school starts back up. It's raining really heavily now. What pure loveliness and bliss  :)

Have a lovely day, loverlies
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Loathing Lola by William Kostakis

Cheshire Cat Smile.

Today I discovered that I write better when it's raining. Which is yet another reason as to why I need to move to England. I also finished watching 'Easy Virtue', watched 'The Blind Side', and tonight, I plan on watching The Picture of Dorian Gray (with Ben Barnes in it, *having a cheesy maniac smile on face*).

I wrote about six or seven pages today. I wrote for about an hour. That's really good for me. My will power is prevailing! YAY! The storyline is really developing and that's extra good, because I started feeling like it was a little boring. This has been my strategy so far: intriguing, slightly mysterious, boring, more boring, ACTION PACKED! (I haven't in fact written the ACTION PACKED part yet, but that's the next part I'm going to do, which is tomorrow's work). It's pretty intense.

I also got my fringe cut today. It feels nice to have a short fringe again  :)
I read a bit whilst I was at the hairdressers.

I practiced piano as well. I didn't have a huge day today. It was mainly just lounging around, doing nothing. I was also secretly waiting, for, generally the whole day, for the rain to start. It finally did, and my smile was like the Cheshire Cat's - not kidding.

I had two cups of tea today. It was a tad bit weird, because now I'm really alert which means getting to sleep won't be easy tonight.
So this blog post is a bit smaller than my usual ones, but oh well,
have a lovely day, loverlies
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY (RE-)READING: A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

The Day of Epic.

Hello all,

'Twas a fine day today. I begun with waking up at 5:30 (this is good for me, just letting you know). I wrote for a tad bit, but didn't make a lot of progress, which was extremely annoying. I then made apple and cinnamon muffins for breakie and had some tea! Whilst doing this I began to watch 'Easy Virtue'. I was practically drooling over Ben Barnes for some it. After, I felt I had watched too much eye candy, and I went into my room. I read a little, and watched YouTube videos. That was quite fun. I then, somehow, managed to find out that Cassandra Clare was doing a chat, so I joined in on that and that kept me occupied for an hour. After that was finished, I decided I was going to film, and that I did. This next video is book related (just warning you in advance). 'Twas after that, that I watched more YouTube videos and such. I then did something very vague, that musn't have been very important if I can't remember it. I played piano for a bit, watched 'Death at a Funeral' (gotta love British films), and continued playing a bit of piano. I'm now here, in front of my stupid ass laptop (oh, how I wish I had a MacBook. GEORGIA, I'm jealous!) typing about my day. Quite the little adventure I had at home, is that not right?

I had a stunning revelation today. I can't remember quite what it was, but it was huge. Ginormous. Epic. Considering writing a review on Clockwork Angel, but I'm not sure. Opinions?

I had several brilliant ideas to blog about, but they have just withered away and they're just gone from me now. How very disappointing. Oh, right, I have just remembered. I saw the Doctor Who Christmas Special trailer, and I. Can't. Wait. It shall be of epic proportions, and I need to find a new word, other than that of 'epic'.

I'm afraid that I may have overused the word. Not cool. I still need to find a bookcase.  :(

I'm pretty sure that's all I can think of at present. I'm sure the next blog posting will be a tad bit more interesting. :)
Have a lovely day, loverlies
&dftba. xox

BOOK CURRENTLY (RE-)READING: A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray.