Winter Reads

Hi,

I feel like winter is the perfect time to curl up in your room, with fairy lights, a candle burning on the side, with a hot chocolate next to you with a good book.

I did a similar post back in July about summer reads - if you missed this or are interested, it is here.

So, here are my favourite 5 books I would recommend at the moment!

1) The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins
I mentioned this in my 2015 favourites, so I won't ramble on about this too much, but I love this book so much! It is quite involved, with stories from several different perspectives, but is such a good read once you get into it.

2) Prisoner Of The Inquisition - Theresa Breslin
Admittedly, I haven't finished this book so I can't tell you about the full story, but that would spoil it anyway! A young girl lives in Spain with her father, with a seemingly idealistic life - she is spoilt for choice for men, and is free to do what she likes. However, suddenly things go downhill with her mother dying, her father marrying a woman she hates and after a bad decision, things go from bad to worse. I would recommend reading this 100% - this has plenty of plot twists and I am really enjoying it so far!

3) The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
I started to read this a couple of months ago after a friend recommended me to read it once I'd bought it in Berlin to help with my GCSE History course and although a tearjerker, it is so worth a read. Based in Nazi Germany in 1939, you really feel like you have been transported back in time. Without giving away the plot, there are 3 deaths in the book, each affecting this young girl in various ways and it really shows the trouble you can get into for adopting jews into the house at the time. For anyone it is amazing, however, if you are doing History at school/college/university, it makes everything seem much more real and sticks with facts in your head without reading a textbook!

4) ...and that's when it fell off in my hand - Louise Rennison
This book was given to me by my cousin when she had a clearout a year ago and I've recently re-read it and it definitely deserved a mention. This book is a laugh out loud sort of book - written in diary format, it shows a girls hilarious and awkward encounters with boys and love. It is so comical and well written, I read it in a day. If you need cheering up or love advice from another perspective, I would so buy this.

5) Noughts & Crosses - Book 1 - Malorie Blackman
The plotline of this book reminds me of the racial discrimination in Africa before Mandela, or the discrimination of Jews in Nazi Germany, but slightly different. A boy and a girl from different backgrounds and classes - one higher up the hierarchy than the other - fall in love with each other and break several laws to be together. It is such a beautiful book and leaves you on such a cliffhanger - I've asked for the other two following books for my birthday as I am obsessed with them!

I hope you've enjoyed this very chatty blog post and you consider buying some of these books that take your fancy. You can buy them from Waterstones, WHSmith or Amazon online or in store.

Have a nice week,
Katy x

2015 Favourites!

Hi,

I feel like 2015 has gone by so quickly! During 2015, I've found many new things I like, whether it be jewelry, makeup, books or clothing items. It was so hard to narrow it down to 6 favourite things, but if I did more, this post would go on forever!

2015 was the year I decided to try to put more time aside for myself and I definitely want to try to do this again in 2016! Once my GCSE's were done and dusted, and I'd settled into college, I decided to do some reading, which I personally find so relaxing. I picked up 'Girl On The Train' by Paula Hawkins. Although personally I found it took a while to get into, it is a really good thriller and I literally couldn't put it down! I would totally recommend this.

For my 16th birthday last January, my Mum treated me to a Pandora ring. This is the daisies ring with 3 daisies on it and I will say it's my baby - I love it so much and if you know me, you will know I wear this every day without a fail. I am hoping to expand my ring collection in the future 100% - I feel like they add a little touch to any outfit without being too over the top.

Going onto fragrance, I have found myself purchasing 'Mist Me Madly' by Soap & Glory multiple times during the year. It's a lovely delicate sense, with a bit of musk. I've received compliments multiple times and I absolutely love it. The packaging is also so pretty and it lasts quite a while for a small bottle.

I decided to hop on the Yankee Candle bandwagon at the beginning of last year and as a GCSE reward, finally persauded my Mum to buy me a large 'Salted Caramel' Yankee candle. This is my favourite thing, both to eat and smell, so this is like heaven for me in a jar! It has lasted me 4 months so far and it is so gorgeous, it's making me sad that it's now half way through! Furthermore, it leaves your room smelling amazing - an added bonus!

I have definitely experimented a lot more with makeup in 2015 - I've gone from having a very basic collection to a rather extensive collection which I'm now very chuffed with! The Soap & Glory Highlighter dusts the tops of your cheekbones with a lovely dusty pink perly highlight, which looks lovely! It is so worth the £11 you pay for it and it comes with a lovely compact mirror - perfect for last minute makeup application on the train or in the car on a long journey!

Lipsticks are probably my favourites - I have quite a few shades, from deep reds to neutral nudes. I decided to splurge in MAC one day and I do not regret it one bit! This is 'Velvet Teddy' - probably one of the most talked about lipsticks of the collection. I actually asked for a back up one for Christmas I love it that much! It leaves your lips with a lovely pink colour, without being too over the top - very helpful if you're wearing a bold outfit and need neutral make-up to balance it out.

Items mentioned:
Salted Caramel Yankee Candle
Triple Daisy Flower Pandora Ring
The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins (Book)
Soap & Glory Highlighter
MAC Lipstick - Velvet Teddy
Soap & Glory - Mist You Madly Body Spray

Thank you so much for reading!