All Thing's Books

Hiii lovelys, how are you all? Hope you're all well.

This is a different post but i've been OBSESSED with reading books lately. So i'm just going to talk about books i've been reading lately, I have more at home but I couldn't fit them in my bag to bring back to my uni house (literally the worst). If you have any book recommendations please do tell, as i'm going to be buying more books!!!

I actually have a kindle as well which I used to use all the time but lately i've preferred to read physical copy of books rather than off a screen.. anyone else? Idk it just feels cosier and different, i'm sure i'll probably go back of getting into a routine of reading the kindle but for now i'm loving 'actual books'.

SO my first book i'm going to mention is: The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher

Whenever I mention this to friends they're always like "isn't that a child's book?" But yeno what I LOVE IT (!!!!) I actually think it suits all ages and it fully gets you into the Christmas spirit.. I read this before Christmas but just finished it this week as I left it back at uni. I don't wanna do a pure review of these books, but it was just super sweet and think everyone should read it. 

The next book is: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them by JK Rowling

Most people have probably heard of this, at first I'm not gonna lie it was kinda slow so I was a bit disappointed but when you get through the first few 'Scenes' I couldn't put it down. I love how it's kinda linked to Harry Potter too where they mention Hogwarts, Dumbledore and Muggles it made me SO happy. I also saw the film and it was exactly like the book described, which I knew it would be because of her Harry Potter series and it's one I can see going back to for a long time. 

The next is: The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

My mum and friends have been trying to get me to read this for ages and I don't really know why i'm only just reading it now?? It's so different to what I thought it was going to be like though but again I was obsessed and I got through it in about 2 days! The ending was so unexpected and I was actually getting so scared reading it.. not the best story to read at 2am lol. When I finished it I just wanted to watch the film as i've heard mixed reviews on that too and would be disappointed if it was massively different. It kinda was different like the location and mixed up what was said where, but suppose that was to make the whole movie shorter I don't think it'll be one I'll watch again tbh. The book was deffo better but just my opinion.

The last book i'm going to mention then is: Girl Online, Going Solo by Zoe Sugg (Zoella)

I've loved the whole of her series, and they just get better each time if this is the last one i'll be so disappointed but it would be an amazing ending as well. How good would it be if there was a movie as well?! GOALS. At some points in the book however, I felt like it was so unrealistic I did so many eye rolls but just gotta get past that. Since Zoe suffers with anxiety as well i've always found it so inspiring that she wrote about a character with it as well, raising awareness to it and since the main character is a photographer and blogger I could properly relate to her.. besides her famous boyfriend. After reading this though it gave me SO much motivation to get back out there and producing photographs for my own uni work, so if you want some motivation go ahead and read this! 

So, that's all the ones i've read recently if you have any favourite books please do leave them in comments below i'd love to read them, or if you've read any that I have leave your own opinions. 

What I Got For Christmas | APOV Gift Swap

Sorry i'm (very) late posting this, all i've legit done this Christmas is work except for Christmas day and doing Uni work as well so i've kinda been abandoning my blog. 

BUT Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, hope you all had a lovely time whatever you got up to!!! 

I'm not going to name or show what I got off everyone because if it's not on here then i've probably already used it & I don't want this to be too long. I'm so so grateful for everything that everyone got me :) 

So first of all is what my Mum and Dad got me.. I didn't ask for anything this Christmas except for Slippers, and my 'main present' is Grease Live tickets for the tour cause thats my fav musical and my celeb crush Tom Parker is Danny so can't not go really can I ;) 

Every year we get Christmas Day pjs so that's no surprise and I got chocolates too but I eat them before taking these pics.. oops. The radio was such a surprise as wasn't expecting it but I proper love the look of it and it seems so vintage and cool, like not only is it a radio but you can play your own music through bluetooth or whilst charging it on the pull out dock and it has an alarm which is super useful cause I always sleep through mine. I can't wait to use it when I get my room all redecorated and have space to put it somewhere!! 

Moving on to what my Brother and Sister's got me.. my brother got me the 'Angry Mama' which if you haven't seen through Facebook is where you put it in the microwave and it cleans it. He said it was perfect for students, it's such a silly but useful present it made me laugh when I saw it on Facebook and i'm gonna be using it just for the banter tbh. 

My eldest sister got me the sweetest present which is a table top photo of my cat, which is double sided so I have two photos of her and is even personalised with her name. I love my cat so much and definitely miss her whilst i'm at uni, so it was such a sweet present for me to take back to uni with me :) she also got me a set of lip glosses, she said that I probably won't use them because I have loads of Kylie's lip kits instead (lol), but I don't actually own many lip glosses and they're all such pretty colours so I can't wait to try them all out!! 

My next sister got me a Topshop gift card as it's my fave ever shop, and of course i've already used it in the sales. She also got me the teddy which looks like Mr.Bean, growing up we always watched that together and it was one of our fav shows. It was such a lovely gift off her and i'll keep it forever and probably talk to it like Mr.Bean did ahaha no shame.

The next presents I received was off one of my closest friends, she knows me so well and gets the best gifts ever. I actually asked for books because I wanted to read more and always love other people's book recommendations, sequels are also my favourite type of books and I loved the film Me Before You and she has none stop been going on about this book so I hope its as good as she makes out :) She also kindly got me a 'little black book', which she suggested would be good for me to plan out my blogs so I'll for sure be using that as I really do need to plan more and think of more ideas. 

In work as well, we did a Secret Santa I was shocked to see that I had even been put into it as I haven't been there really since Summer due to being away for Uni so that was super sweet. The limit was £5-10 so when I got home I bought my gift for who I was secret santa for and we all gave out our gifts whilst in work on Christmas Eve.. can you feel any more christmassy?? This was such a lovely set of gifts off my Secret Santa, I don't really speak to the person who had me as she doesn't work the late shifts but she seemed to have found me the perfect gifts nonetheless. Heroes are just the best box of chocolates to get me because it's the only ones I actually get to eat all of them ahaha, and since i'm home and actually have a bath I get to proper spoil myself with all the bath goodies, she also got me a bath bomb too but i'd already used that. 

Next, is the #APOVGIFTSWAP which was organised in October. I loved being apart of this, we were partnered up over email with another blogger and started to get to know each other over Twitter and she was so lovely, i'm so happy I got paired with her. Her gifts are just amazing I couldn't have asked for anything better, I literally live in these fluffy socks and i'm always cold so the hot water bottle is a life saver. The candle smells divine even my cat liked it (I was obv gonna mention her at some point aha) so of course i've already lit it.. probably should be more organised with my photos shouldn't I. But yeno thats what my blogs all about being realistic, and at least yeno i'm telling the truth about loving it ;) I really hope there's another Gift Swap this year because I loved it so much. 

Hope this wasn't too long for y'all, I'm so happy with my gifts. Leave below your favourite present this year and whether you'd join a blogger gift swap. 

The Christmas Tag

I was tagged to take part in the Christmas Tag by the lovely Courteney

I LOVE doing tags especially Christmas Ones!! 

1. Whats your favourite Christmas movie?

Arthur Christmas for sure. 

2. What are your favourite Christmas colours?

Whenever I think of Christmas I just think of Red & Gold, so just gonna say them.

3. Do you like to stay in your PJ's or dress up for Christmas?

Well I normally go out for Christmas to my Grandad's and you've ALWAYS gotta buy new Christmas clothes.

4. If you could buy only one person a Christmas present this year, who would it be?

Nah I can't pick between my Mum & Dad i'd have to get both they do so much for me!! 

5. Do you open your presents Christmas eve or Christmas morning?

Eh who does Christmas Eve?? Gotta be Christmas morning we have a ritual where we all wait at top of stairs and go down together otherwise I get a proper strop on lol.

6. Have you ever built a ginger bread house?

Yes, last year in Uni we had to make a 'Set design' so we built one.. 

7. What do you like to do on your Christmas break?

Ooh mainly just going Christmas Markets and Christmas Shopping, as well as meeting up with friends I haven't seen in a while.

8. Any Christmas wishes?

To not be working Christmas Day :))) 

9. Favourite Christmas smells?

The smell of the Roast Dinner cooking, MMM love it!!!

10. Favourite Christmas meal or treat?

The Pigs in Blankets and my Grandma's stuffing omg no ones will ever compare. We don't really have a proper treat tradition that I can think of except that my dad always makes Trifle but I don't like Trifle. 

I now tag:

Katie - katiemarielennon.blogspot.co.uk

Katherine - millennialrants.co.uk

Abi - ramblingsofablonde.co.uk

Alex - crutchesoflife.wordpress.com

Leah - leahhprescott.wordpress.com

Soph - planetwhispers.blogspot.co.uk

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas 

xoxox

Throwback to Paris | Paris Attack

So, it’s been a year since I went to Paris with my Uni Photography course (sob). 

I'm just going to write basically what I was doing whilst in Paris at that time and my feelings towards it. Obviously, I was safe in a Hostel with my course mates and was no where as in danger as people being held hostage, but it was still such a terrifying experience being 10 minutes away from it all.

Friday 13th November 

Now, this has always been an unlucky date but like my Mum & Dad got married on Friday 13th so i’m always like omg stop being so superstitious. Nah not anymore. 

It all started AMAZING just like the other days cause I WAS IN PARIS!!! We went to Paris Photo which is a massive Photo exhibition and everything there was so good and was giving me such inspiration, my goal is to have my photo’s hanging in there one day. A gal can dream can’t she. 

After we spent like 3 hours in there IT WAS MASSIVE. Me and some friends went off to the German Markets and up the Arc De Triomphe I highly recommend going up there too, it was free for students so you just have to really dont you. The stairs though, they’re all worth it. I have a fear of walking down stairs as I always feel like i’m going to fall, and there was about 1,000 if not more so I was walking proper slow and people behind me were getting proper aggy but soz aba me.

After our long day out we went back to the Hostel to get ready for the night as our Tutor had booked us at a restaurant for a meal, as a proper cute photography social how cute is that?? If he hadn’t booked this me and my friends would probably have gone Disneyland which we had booked for the Saturday instead. 

ANYWAY, once we’d finished we were walking back to the Hostel and we saw police cars and was just like ohhh whats kicking off?.. We soon realised when we got to the Hostel. 

People’s phones were going crazy off their parents saying that there had been bombings not even 10 minutes away from us, even saying there last goodbyes incase something happened to us. I never want to relive anything like this again. 

Some of our course mates had stayed back in the restaurant so our tutor ran back to get them and they all came running back in. The hostel wasn’t even aware of what was going on until we told him about our messages from home, they were just as frightened getting extra security and before we knew it the hostel was on lock down. It all seemed so real, I just wanted to be home. 

So that's when my Paris trip got cut short, instead of going to Disneyland on the Saturday we were getting the train home instead. We were so lucky to have been going home though, I don’t know how I would have coped having to stay there any longer than necessary with all this going on?! 

I can only thank my tutor for taking us out for that meal on the Friday as if we hadn’t gone then, our course would’ve been totally separated and god knows what could’ve happened to any of us. It’s so heartbreaking for the people who were held hostage by ISIS too and all the families who have lost loved ones and had to go through this. My thoughts and prayers are forever with them, you should never feel afraid when going to a gig or meal it’s where you’re meant to feel your happiest. 

So all I can say is, never take anything for granted because you never know when a moment could be the last. This seriously put life into perspective for me.

Christmas Blogger Swap

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Instagram: vanesswalker
Twitter: webloglifeprobs

As I said on my last blog post, Christmas is my favourite Celebration. I just love everything to do with christmas. I came across the ‘Christmas Blogger Gift Swap’ on A Piece of Viola’s blog. It seems like such a lovely idea and will be lovely to communicate with other Bloggers and spread a little christmas spirit! 

The christmas blogger swift swap is where you get given a partner and establish a budget or could be theme, challenge. You would then send each other gifts and have a new blogger friend for life. Sounds amazing right?! 

The best part is that you can be from anywhere (as long as its in the UK) and it doesn't matter how big or small you blog is, everyone can take part in it! It's such a great event for the blogging community. 

How To Join In

I will just link you to Viola’s blog post about it as she explains it better. You pretty much just fill in a google form that she has created, then you will get sent an email telling you that you’ve been confirmed. You will then have to write a blog post about it in the next 5 days of getting the email. We can then get as many bloggers as possible involved and make lovely new blogger friends,  and get into the proper christmas spirit. You can then start sending gifts to your chosen blogger, it’s all very simple really. 

Post your gifts on twitter/instagram and share them by adding the hashtag #apovgiftswap so everyone else can see all the different gift ideas and new friendships. 

It sounds amazing and I can’t wait to start it, I hope you join in too. There’s no excuse why not to really. Can’t wait to meet my new blogger partner and choose something for them that they’ll hopefully love!