Friday 5 September 2014

the summer I went book crazy...

My love for reading has definitely increased a lot during summer and I'm not that sure why. I've always loved reading, but I think since watching the 'BookTube' communities videos on youtube and hearing hundreds of recommendations after a 'booktube binge' had an influence. Here are some books I have acquired this summer.





SOMETHING OLD: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. 
This edition of Wuthering Heights I have shown above isn't exactly pristine or one you'd find in a book shop today. This book was my mum's which she won in school for 'best effort'... and she has still kept it! As she went to throw it out in the middle of a clear out of the house I jumped up, grabbed it and took it as my own. I am yet to read this, but I have heard a lot of love for this classic piece of Gothic Fiction. Stay tuned.

SOMETHING NEW: The Dynamite Room By Jason Hewitt
I hadn't heard of this book but when I did my research I found out this book was only published this year and is Jason Hewitt's debut novel. I picked it up on a whim when my local bookshop had a '3 for £5' offer and I was unsure of what book to purchase. Again, I am yet to read this, but hopefully I will update soon.

SOMETHING BORROWED: It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
Okay, finally a book which I can actually tell you about as I HAVE ACTUALLY READ. This book is about a teenaged boy who due to the pressures of high school, friends and life falls into depression and this book embarks on his story to overcome it. Unlike many other tales of mental illness and depression, Vizzini uses a humour to portray a realistic view of what mental illness is like and crafts his words so carefully that anyone can relate to it. Thanks Sarah for recommending it to me!

SOMETHING BLUE: Although it's not pictured, I bought a beautiful edition of 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' by  Maya Angelou.

OTHER BOOKS I HAVE BOUGHT/READ THIS SUMMER: Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman, My Madder Fatter Diary by Rae Earl, Mary Poppins by PL Travers, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald, If You Find Me By Emily Murdoch, The Catcher In The Rye by JD Stalinger, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, You're The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher, We Were Liars by E Lockhart, An Abundance Of Katherines by John Green, Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.


Tuesday 2 September 2014

AUGUST PLAYLIST


So, summer is finally over and I'm going to be honest, this month has been a pretty good one for music. Some examples include the return of Jamie T at Reading and Leeds Festival  (and Gerard Way's debut solo performance), Beyonce's astounding VMA performance and the dropping of the highly anticipated debut album by Royal Blood. By default, some pretty amazing songs have been released this year. These are some of my favourites below: 

ARTIST FOCUS: Royal Blood. 
The amount of people talking about how this band were the highlight of Reading Festival made me check out this band only a week ago and I am in shock at how good they are. Heavy riffs come created from this heavy duo from Brighton with only a drum kit, bass and a few pedals inbetween. Even if commercial rock has became quite popular due to the success of Arctic Monkey's AM last year, this is definitely one of the heaviest albums to head straight to number one in the charts in a good 3 years. Good on them! Check out 'Little Monster' and 'Out of the Black' to find out what they're all about. 



SONGS:
Royal Blood- Little Monster
The Neighbourhood- Sweater Weather
Grimes- Go Feat Blood Diamonds
Ariana Grande- Break Free Feat Zedd
Troye Sivan- Happy Little Pill
Lorde x Disclosure- Royals Remix Reworked from The Brits
Taylor Swift- Shake it Off
Alt J- Every Other Freckle