Little Book Haul: July 2015

Hello there by lovelies, today I thought that it was about time I updated you all on my latest book purchases since it has been quite a while. After going a little crazy with the book buying earlier this year, I haven't felt the need to bulk buy any books since so there hasn't really been any need to make a blog post about it. However I feel as though I have collected together a decent enough amount of books to make a little post of all my recent purchases.

So at the beginning of the month I was given the title as Dux of my high school for the time that I've been there which is a pretty big deal apparently. Basically its the UK version of valedictorian. Along with this I was given a voucher for a UK book shop chain so lo and behold I decided against using the voucher sensibly and instead bought myself some books that I have been lusting over.

The first of these was Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. After reading Slammed and Hopeless earlier in the year (review can be found here) I have been desperate to try out this little beauty and finally got round to picking it up. I have heard nothing but praise for this book and I cannot wait to get around to reading it.

Next I got Court of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J Mass and to be perfectly honest I don't have much of an idea what this book is about other than the fact that it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I was basically sold as soon as I heard that, I mean its Sarah J Mass its going to be fabulous whatever it's about.

Following up from my absolute obsession with Wait For You by J Lynn as you can see in my review here, I picked up two other books in the companion series, Be With Me and Stay With Me. I can't work out how I feel about reading these books. On one hand I am excited at the prospect of finding another book I enjoyed as much as Wait For You, but I'm also scared that they just wont live up to my expectations. 

I also finally got around to picking up Outlander by Diana Gabaldon on the recommendation by Tashopolis on youtube and a friend from work. Both seems to sing the praises of this series, along with the tv show which I refuse to start watching until I at least finish the first book. 

And finally I also treated myself to One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon who is actually one of my favorite romance authors for the summer time. I am around 200 pages into this book and I have become slightly obsessed with the premise.

Sharing the love

As you will all undoubtedly know by this point, I am slightly (insanely) in love (obsessed) with Grey's Anatomy. I love the way in which the characters story's intertwine so flawlessly and that it is a show not centered around one or two people but instead a whole host of people and a wide array of problems are tackled. 

One of my favorite things about the show is that sometimes, usually a few times per episode, a character will say something that hits you so deep it makes you have to take a break and reevaluate things a little. At least it's that way for me, so I decided to share with you some of my personal favorite quotes from the show. 

The Grey's Anatomy Tag

So I have decided to undertake the seemingly massive task of doing the Grey's Anatomy tag. I'm going to keep my answers short and sweet as this is a long tag, so lets get going.

1. Favorite male character?

Mark Sloan

2. Favorite female character?

Oh gosh this one is hard, its a toss up between Cristina, Callie and Addison

3. Favorite friendship?

Hands down Meredith and Cristina

4. Favorite couple?

Lexie/Sloan

5. Least favorite male character?

George O'Malley

6. Least favorite female character?

Jane Doe/Rebecca Pope/Ava

7. Least favorite friendship?

Izzy and George

8. Least favorite couple?

Cristina and Burke

9. Favorite actor?

Patrick Dempsey

10. Favorite season?

Season 5 

11. Favorite actress?

Kate Walsh (Addison) 

12. Least favorite season?

Season 8

13. Favorite quote?

'We screw boys like whores on tequila, then either try to marry them or drown'

14. Favorite episode?

Either the one where Derek proposes, the one with the candle house, the post-it marriage or the one when Derek draws on his and Meredith's bedroom wall

15. Least favorite episode?

The one where Derek is shot and Meredith miscarries 

16. Favorite surgery?

The Judy Dolls

17. Favorite place in the hospital?

Nurses Station 

18. A scene that made you cry?

Denny dying, realising George is John Doe, Cristina operating on Derek after the shooting, Meredith drowning, George in his army uniform and Izzy in the prom dress, the singing episode when Callie is in the car crash, Lexie and Sloan dying, Cristina leaving, Cristina telling Meredith that she is the sun and Meredith almost dying during child birth.

19. A scene that made you laugh?

Cristina dancing with Burke and the one where she sings Like A Virgin in the morgue

20. A scene that made you angry?

Basically the whole Ghost Denny and Izzy situation and when Teddy's husband died

21. Most epic Grey's Anatomy moment?

'Choose me. Pick me. Love me.'

22. Character you miss the most?

Cristina, Sloan and Addison

23. Favorite season finale?

Candle house. 100% the candle house.

24. Saddest death?

George's death was horrible but I didn't really like him that much, but seeing all the home videos of Sloan when he dies was brutal

Top Five Feel Good Films

Everyone has those days where you are feeling a little under the weather, overwhelmed by everything going on in your life or you just simply need some quite time to yourself. Personally, when I feel like this sometimes all that it takes to solve it is some pizza, blankets and a movie. Over the past few months I have come to realise that it is generally the same movies that I pick during a time like this so I decided to make a list of my top feel good movies.

Bridget Jones Diary

Pretty much self explanatory really isn't it? Everyone loves Bridget Jones for her awkward and flawed personality that all girls can relate to. Whenever I need to giggle at someone's slip ups and silly mistakes I like to pop on a bit of Bridget Jones and whip up some cookies to enjoy all snuggled up with a blanket and some lit candles. 

10 Things I Hate About You

Heath Ledger, old school romance and a girl who doesn't fall for the bad boys crap. This is my go to movie when I'm feeling angry at the world. It instantly betters my mood while making me realise that I'm not the only person who is sick of peoples s*$# sometimes.

Enchanted

Disney, princesses, singing and Patrick Dempsey. Seriously do I really need to explain this one more? 

The Wedding Date

This movie is just so cute, and I can't really explain why I like it so much but I just do. It's predictable and cheesy but sometimes you just need a good old dose of cheesy romance to make things seem ok.

Iron Man 3

And if those film's really aren't your thing then you really can't beat a bit of Marvel can you? I particularly love the third installment of the Iron Man movies as here we see Stark for being human and that being a hero has a price. I really do admire the way his anxiety attacks are portrayed in this movie and live to put it on if I'm having a particularly bad day with my anxiety as it just reaffirms that even the strongest of heroes can be affected with such things.

December Book Haul

This month I did pretty well in curbing my book buying crazyness, and only purchased 14 books which for me is pretty darn good. I've been having a slight new adult binge at the moment so the majority of these are new adult in an attempt to find something that I like as much as Beautiful Disaster so if you have any suggestions for me then please leave them in the comments. As usual I purchased a lot of books from Amazon this month, mostly because I got a voucher for christmas, with a few being from Play.com and Asda. I was also sent a book that I won in a giveaway for review.

Amazon:

1. Losing It by Cora Cormak
2. Wait For You by J. Lynn
3. Vendetta by Catherine Doyle
4. Knight's Mistress by CC Gibbs
5. Fall From India Place by Samantha Young
6. Sempre by J. M. Darhower
7. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
8. Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie Mcguire
9. How To Kill A Rockstar by Tiffanie DeBartolo

Play.com:

1. Lux: Beginnings by Jennifer L Armentrout
2. Reason To Breath by Rebecca Donovan
3. Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan

Asda:

1. Just One Day by Gayle Foreman
2. Percy Jackson and the Lightening Theif by Rick Riordan

I also was lucky enough to receive a beautiful signed copy of Cinema Lumière by Hattie Holden Edmonds from the author herself for review and I am really looking forward to getting stuck into that book.

December Wrap up and January tbr

It's the end of another month and with it brings a close to 2014. It's been a rollercoaster of a year and though I am eagerly anticipating the challenges and experiences that 2015 will bring I am somewhat upset that another year has been and gone.

This month has been pretty good in terms of reading, I have had some time off school for the holidays so have had a little more time to get through my ever-growing tbr pile along with read quite a few books for review.

So the first book I finished up this month was Frostbite by Richelle Mead, the second book in the Vampire Academy series that I am loving right now. The book picks up shortly after the end of the first novel and follows protagonist Rose Hathaway and her closest friend Lissa as attacks upon the Moroi ensue. A full review on the book can be found here.

I then continued on and read Shadowkiss by Richelle Mead, the third book in the series, and then the fourth book Blood Promise. Both of these books were also really good and I advise checking out the series if you haven't already. Click on the links for my full reviews.

I then went on to read Fatal Abduction by Julia Crane as I got an arc copy from the publishers to read for review. Fractured Abduction is a continuation of the life of Kaitlyn and her special abilities. The book follows Kaitlyn helping in a case about a serial killer. When Kaitlyn realizes that the serial killer is going after girls who look a lot like her, she just can't not help out. The ways that Julia has Kaitlyn using her special talents to help with this case is brilliant.

I read a couple more arc copies after this one, Rivulet by Jamie Mcgee which I adored and strongly advise you pick up as it was just brilliant, Rouges Wave by Jennifer Donnelly, Play of Light by Debora Doxer, Down From The Mountain by Elizabeth Fixmer, Sound of Sirens by Jen Minkman, Night School: Genesis by C J Daugherty,  A Firefighters Flame by Dani Heart, and finally Love Hurts which is a collection of short stories edited by Malorie Blackman., Phew, that's a lot of arcs. I really did enjoy most of these books and for individual reviews and ratings check out my goodreads page.

This month I also got around to reading Girl Online by Zoe Sugg, aka Zoella on youtube, and was pleasantly surprised by the book but it wont really be for everyone, just for those of you who are used to reading young adult romance. (full review)

I also got around to reading Losing It by Cora Cormack which although I did enjoy it didn't really do ti for me as it wasn't entirely what I was expecting from the book if I'm honest. I wanted a little more angst and sneaking around. 

I also tackled My True Love Gave To Me, a collection of short stories edited by Stephanie Perkins. I think I simply expeted too much from this book, I have problems with compilation books as I find them difficult to connect to due to the length of the stories so there were a few here that I had to skip but the Rainbow Rowell and Stephanie Perkins stories were really good.

Finally I picked up two Colleen Hoover books. I read Slammed and then Hopeless after hearing some pretty good things about Hoover's writing and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I posted a full review on these books which you can find here. 

Yeah so all in all I had a pretty good reading month in December, but don't expect this much reading every month as the only reason I managed this many books was because I had two weeks off from school. January is going to be a tricky month as I have mock exams in a weeks time that last for two weeks but as this year I only have 3 exams spread over 2 days I will have a bit of free time so I honestly have no idea how much I'm going to be reading. That added to the fact that I'm slightly obsessed with Grey's Anatomy at the moment I don't know how many books of my 30 book goal I'm going to get to. 

There are a few books that I hope to get to this month though:

1. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
2. Last Sacrafice by Richelle Mead
3. Vendetta by Catherine Doyle
4. Walking Disaster by Jamie Mcguire
5. Easy by Tamara Webber

There is a very high chance that I will in no way stick to that tbr though as we all know how that didn't work out last month.

December Favorites

This is never really a post that I ever considered making when I set up this blog but I really enjoy watching monthly favorite videos on youtube and there have been a few things that I have been slightly obsessed with this month and I am just dying to share them with people other than my close friends, who are sick to death of hearing about them now, so I decided to make a little blog post about it didn't I?

There are a few beauty bits and pieces that I have been using continually this month, the first being the Seventeen Define and Conquer Contour pallet from Boots. I have been after a really good contour kit for a while now and this one was a great little discovery as I didn't want to be forking out a lot for one as I was unsure as to how much I would use it. Turns out this little £5.99 pallet has become a firm staple in my makeup routine now as it is very easy to use. 

After purchasing the Revlon lipstick on Black Cherry back in September it has, again, become part of my everyday makeup. It is a perfect dark purple shade on the lips and can be put on strong or just dabbed into the lips for a hint of colour which is brilliant for things like going to work when you don't want such a strong lip. 

 I was lucky enough to get a set of the Real Techniques brushes as a gift this month and ever since I have used them every single time I have applied makeup. They are simply fabulous. I've been a firm lover of this brand of brushes for a while now but this set just take them to a whole new level.

There are also a few skincare/pamper products that I have been loving this month, the first being the Lush bath bomb Cinders. It is my all time favorite lush product and is unfortunately one of their winter collection so this is the only time of the year that I can get this beauty so I obviously take every chance to stock up.

Another Lush product had made it up there this month and that is the King Of Skin body butter bar. It took me a while to get to grips with this little thing but oh my the smell is just amazing. The product itself is just divine and leaves your skin so soft too. 

Being a firm tea lover, after hearing that Twinings had a mint tea out that tasted like mint sweets I just needed to try it out, and as it turns out I now have a new favorite tea. Intensely Buttermint by Twinings is just perfect for when you are craving something sweet or for after a big meal.

And what is winter without candles? The Yankee Candle Christmas candles this year have just been brilliant, especially Holiday Baking which is one of the ones that you can get in asda. It smells like cinnamon, what more can I say. 

And my favorite discovery of the month, and no doubt something that literally everyone has been watching for years is Grey's Anatomy. My friend has been watching it for a while now and I finally caved and watched a few episodes. Next thing you know and I had ordered the first 4 seasons off amazon. It's just brilliant and I have been hooked for weeks now.

Christmas Cracker Book Tag

Oh what's this? Another festive book tag? What a shock! Today I'm going to be doing the Christmas Cracker book tag by Lucy. I have tried to vary my answers here as a few questions are similar to that of other book tags I have done recently, so I will be trying to think up some different books for you here.

Pick a Book With a Wintry Cover

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for a pretty cover (My True Love Gave To Me anyone?), and when it's a pretty WINTRY cover, then I have no hope of exiting the bookstore without taking that pretty little sucker back home with me. I really like the cover of When I Fall In Love by Miranda Dickinson. Spending Christmas in Paris, or even travelling to Paris in the winter is a great dream of mine so this cover is just so perfect.

Pick a Book You're Likely to Buy as a Present

I have bought way to many books as gifts this year, which just goes to show how many good books I have read this year that I want other people to read. For this question I'm going to answer with a book that I actually have bought as a present as I know that the recipient won't see this, and that is I Can Resist Everything Except Temptation: The Wicked Wit Of Oscar Wilde by Maria Leach. I have a good friend who adores Oscar Wild so this was an obvious choice for her.

Pick A Festive Themed Book

Again, for this one I'm going to pick a book I haven't mentioned in previous tags and that is Breakfast At Darcy's by Ali McNamara. Not so much festive based but defiantly a good winter read for the run up to Christmas. 

Pick a Book You Can Curl up With by the Fireplace

There is nothing I like better than curling up with blankets, tea and a good book this time of year. I love a bit of romance or new adult when having a good old cozy read, and I would choose Beautiful Disaster as you all know how much I love that book, but as I've been mentioning it quiteeeee a lot recently I decided to go with  Will Greyson, Will Greyson by John Green and David Levithan. I personally find The Fault In Our Stars and Looking For Alaska, while brilliant, a little overrated and I don't think this book gets the praise it deserves. 

Pick a Book You Want to Read Over the Festive Season

Not in any way a festive book, but I really want to pick up a Colleen Hoover novel. I have both Hopeless and Slammed sitting patiently in my tbr pile, along with a host of other new adult books as a result of my love for broken and damaged characters, and I aim to get to at least one over the school holidays.

Pick a Book so Good it Gives You Chills

For this one I'm going to pick a book that I recently read for review and that is Play Of Light by Debra Doxer, a beautifully sweet new adult romance about love that finally had a chance to blossom.

Pick a Book That's on Your Wishlist

As mentioned in previous tags I don't tend to add books to my Christmas list as if I want a book I will just go out and buy it, but a book that's up quite high on my wishlist that I plan to purchase soon is A Constellation Of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra.