December Favourites - 2019

We have made it! I have officially made a favourites post for every month of the year, and I am proud to get this far! Apologies that this is a rather short post, I have sort of made a summary of some of my favourites since I did not have time to write about each and every thing, but everything will hopefully be back to normal next month! Please find my other favourites posts listed below!

• January Favourites - Click Here
• February Favourites - Click Here
• March Favourites - Click Here
• April Favourites - Click Here
• May Favourites - Click Here
• June Favourites - Click Here
• July Favourites - Click Here
• August Favourites - Click Here
• September Favourites - Click Here
• October Favourites - Click Here
• November Favourites - Click Here

Games

Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Blue Lions Route) 

Photo Credit: @NintendoUK

Fire Emblem is one of my all time favourite game franchises, so when I head that they were creating a game for the Nintendo Switch I was very excited! I unfortunately did not have enough student loan to by the game at launch, and even if I did, December is the only month that it would have been possible to play this game due to how crazy life has been! The game has been likened to a Harry Potter meets Game of Thrones type story, with you becoming a professor at what seems to be a boarding school and having to pick a house to mentor. You can choose between the Blue Lions, Black Eagles and Golden Deers, all of which have a very colourful cast of characters that are full of life and not always what they seem! You follow these characters over the course of a year, and then skip to see what happens to them five years later (it is not a spoiler, they literally show one of the main battles in the second half of the game in the trailer!). 

For me, I chose the Blue Lions just due to being drawn to the characters in the house (Mercedes and Byleth is endgame!!!) and not only did it have great game play but it explored themes that are relevant to today; a huge one being grief and mental health. The house was lead by Dimitri - who is one of the best lords in the Fire Emblem Series - although he does not have great hair. We all know that if we were picking our house based on hairstyles, we would all pick the Golden Deer house - there's something about the side braid Claude is rocking... 

Anyway, I do not want to get to spoilery here, it is a great game and you should definitley play it! It took me about 45 hours to complete the Blue Lions Path and there are three additional paths to chose from, so it is definitley worth the money and also the time! I am currently on a play through of the Golden Deer Path so I will let you know what I think of that and I also intend to play the Black Eagles house when I do eventually get round to it!

Beauty

Harry Potter Dark Arts Collectables Tin

Photo Credit: @PopSugar

I was given the Harry Potter Dark Arts gift set for Christmas and I have fallen absolutely in love with it! Not only does it come in a really pretty tin, but it has so many amazing things inside it!

First of all, there are face masks inside that are decorated like the Death Eaters Masks, so you can sit there for 15 minuets with Lucius Malfoy's mask in your face. It is weird, but it is a small thing that I appreciate! It is a bit of fun, smells great and also has left my skin feeling lovely and soft! You do get tow of these in the pack, the other one you get is Barty Crouch Jr.

You are also given a black bathbomb which I absolutely loved! I have never had a completely black bath bomb before, but seeing videos on social media I have always wanted to try them! As expected, it turned my bath water completely black and you were not able to see the bottom of the bath tub! As much as I love my colourful Lush Bathbombs, this one was great for my inner goth. 

There were also two nail varnish colours that came with this - sticking to the theme of the gift set, the colours were a sparkly black and a sparkly green. Green is my favourite colour so I really appreciated this nail varnish. 

There is so much more in the gift set, but these were just the things that I appreciated about it and have used so far. 

Films

Little Women 

Photo Credit: @DailyMotion

I am a huge fan of the story of Little Women - and even just the character of Jo March in general. I think - for the time that this book was written - it is a revolutionary story and represents women as being more than just a barganing tool to bring money into the family, and that women want more to life than to wait hand and foot on her husband. 

I went to see the new movie that has came out and it was such a wholesome movie! Yes, there were the ups and downs in the story, and the film is no where near perfect, but I just came out of it feeling really happy and good about myself. The colours in this movie are stunning and the acting is fantastic. The one thing I will complain about is Emma Watson's american accent, but hey, the girl gave it a good go! 

If you have not seen it yet, get yourself down to the cinema!

Fashion

Blue Jumper

I am a huge fan of oversized knitted jumpers, and my mum bought me this blue one for Christmas, which I have to say has quickly become a wardrobe favourite! Jumpers are a must in a winter wardrobe for me so I was very happy to add this to my knitted clothes collection.

Mickey Mouse Mini Skirt 

Another Christmas present! My mum also bought me this skirt and said it was for me to take with me to Orlando! Unfortunately I think that it is a bit too short for me to wear around in the sun but (with shorts or leggings underneath) it is great to wear around at home! It is such a cute skirt and I just appreciate that the Mickey's are embroidered on and not printed on.

Disney CEP 2020 Hoodie 

I found out that I would be on the Disney Cultural Exchange Program in the summer, so a group of us all ordered matching hoodies! I can't promise that I have not taken off this hoodie since I have bought it.... 

I love a hoodie anyway, there is just something so great about throwing on a hoodie with some leggings and lounging around the house! But yea, I really love my new Disney Hoodie and everything is now feeling more official!

Mary Poppins Pandora Charm 

Photo Credit: @Pandora

Anyone who knows me knows that one of my all time favourite movies is the original Mary Poppins, and if I could pick any Disney Park Character to play it would be her. I have had a Pandora Braclet since 2012, but since I only get charms for birthdays and Christmas (and since my birthday is right when the Christmas ranges get introduced) I have a very festive Pandora Bracelet. It is lovely, but means I can only really wear it December time. My sister has charms for each life event, so for graduation, wedding, getting a pet, and I really wanted to start something like this, so to start me off, my parents bought me this Mary Poppins charm for me getting the job at Walt Disney World. I absolutely love it and it is a great new addition to my bracelet!

Hogwarts Pandora Charm

Photo Credit: @Pandora

To go with the Mary Poppins Charm, my Nanna also bought me this Hogwarts Charm. There isn't a life event that really goes with this, I think it was just because the Harry Potter range came out when they were looking for my Christmas Presants, but it is a very pretty addition to my bracelet, and it isn't Christmassy!!

And that wraps it up for my 2019 favourites! Thank you so much for following and keep a look out for my favourites posts to continue in 2020!

Books of 2019

And back to wrapping up the end of the previous year with book related content! I regret to say that I really have not read as much as I would have liked to in 2019, but I have written plenty of book reviews! I have made a list of books that I have read for two years now, so here is the post for 2019! Please find my Books of 2017 list here and my Books of 2018 list here if they are of interest!

Playing a part

By Daria Wilke

I feel like this is a story that focuses more on the characters than story itself. I really enjoyed reading it, it was a little short and I do think there may have been a couple of errors in translation as some of the phrases sounded very strange, but it was a lovely read! It was very all over the place in terms of plot, but I do think this may have been to do with the length of the book, and had it been a little bit longer there may have been more time to expand on the story lines and character arcs.

Hunted

By Megan Spooner

I really enjoyed reading Hunted. I really liked how it was a retelling but tried to be different to the story that we already know. Yeva used to go hunting with her father in the wood as a child, but then when she grows up, she stops since it is something that a young lady shouldn't do. When their father is forced to sell his home and move to his hunting cottage with his three children, Yeva begins hunting again. Her father goes missing and Yeva goes into the forest to see what has happened to him, which is where she encountered the Beast. I liked how the relationship built up between Yeva and the Beast, but overall I was not a huge fan of the romance as I felt like that element of the relationship was very rushed into the story. It was great that you could see that they began to understand each other, and a sort of friendship formed between them. It was a fun book to read, not the best but every book has its flaws and I personally really enjoyed reading this book. It was a very easy to get through and took me three days to finish. I'd say if you were looking for a more romantic book or a book with intensive world building, then this book may not be for you since as mentioned before, the romance feels very rushed, and there is little to no world building in the book.

Click Here to read my Full Review!

The Surface Breaks

By Louise O'Neil

A book that has been on my to read list for quite some time HAS FINALLY BEEN READ! This was definitely a 50% cover buy 50% book buy because the artwork on the cover of this book is beautiful! The story is a retelling of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson, and when reading a synopsis before purchasing the book it was clear that this would not be the sugar coated Disney tale that most people are familiar with. Having said that, the story was much darker than I expected it would be.

The store clearly sold this book as a feminist retelling, which is exactly what the story is, and is something that I have never come across before for the story of the Little Mermaid. The Story starts out when the youngest daughter of the Sea King turns fifteen years old. We are taught how the monarchy works underneath the surface and are introduced to all of his daughters. The royal family live in a rather sinister way and it is clear that there is definitely a corrupt side to the king. The Women are basically seen as pawns that are only good to be sold to a potential suitor. They have no voices of their own and are told to smile whenever it is necessary. Gaia is just a girl with her head in the clouds who is willing to risk everything. She is searching for someone who will adore her for who she is and not because of her looks and her royal status.

 This book definitely captures the dark essence of the original book. It brings into the play the question: is it truly love at first sight or is is lust at first sight? It is a tragic tale for Gaia, but it is understandable why she desires to leave home. This is one of the best fairy tale retelling stories that I have read. The author managed to capture the devastation and gruesome tale that we are familiar with, and added a modern twist to it which made it such a unique read. The feminism arc in this story is very important and it shows that women aren't as weak as men may perceive them to be, they have their own voices and demand to be heard.

Click Here to read my Full Review!

Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical

By Stacy Wolf

This is a book that I was originally going to skim for information to help with my essay, but I ended up reading the entire book. This book allows you to see the shows that you are familiar with and may even love through fresh eyes and explores how the role of women changed over the last few years. It is highly informative and explores the history of women in musical theatre.

A Problem Like Maria: Gender and Sexuality in the American Musical

By Stacy Wolf

 So I was given an essay to do at university on misogyny in musical theatre, and that lead me to reading the entire book. I found this book fascinating to read, I was only going to make some notes on what I needed but I found what it said very interesting. It explores how different women throughout periods of musical theatre were treated at the time and looks at many different characters and shows.

On The Other Side

By Carrie Hope Fletcher

This may be a little late to the party, but I finally read Carrie Hope Fletcher's first book! I really enjoyed this story, I thought that the concept was an original idea. Something I think that lets this book down is the names of some of the characters, like "Evie Snow" and "Vincent Winters". Not that there is anything particularly wrong with the names, I just feel like they sound like Carrie couldn't think of any other surname to give to her two main characters, and they took me out of the story sometimes by thinking "These names sound a bit silly". Nonetheless, the book is written very nicely, and it is a lovely feel good book. 

Click Here to read my Full Review!

Things A Bright Girl Can Do

By Sally Nicholls

I don't usually purchase books based on their covers alone, but this book was one of those exceptions. I first came across this book in February of this year, when I was looking for a mother's Day present for my mum. It's not the sort of book she would go far, but the title and the cover stayed in my mind and I was forever debating buying it from my love bookshop. Eventually I gave in a bought it as my holiday book, and I do not regret it!

The story is based in 1914 England and revolves around the character Nell, May and Evelyn.These girls encounter many struggles in their lives, such as having to fight to attend university, fighting for the right to vote for what they believed in and not being given a job because they were a girl. This is a struggle that many girls at this time went through and although this is a fictional story, their worldly encounters were very life like and true to facts. 

This story offers a historical snapshot of a society in turmoil, following strong themes of feminism, equality, social class, divisions and the massive impacts of World War One.

The novel is great for teaching readers about historical events and important issues, with the romance stopping it from becoming overly hard-hitting or political. It is a novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Click Here to read my Full Review!

Alex in Wonderland

By Simon James Green

A Sweet gay romance is how I would describe this book, and that definitely is not a bad thing! This is the story about 16 year old Alex, who is a helplessly awkward protagonist, who is joined by a diverse and three dimensional cast, with a bit of a mystery thrown in and lots of comedic moments. It is the perfect YA book to read during the summer!

A mysterious person is threatening Wonderland - the local arcade - and this is interesting enough to keep the story interesting, but it definitely does not overshadow the romantic aspects of the story - the pizza moment, the lake...need I go on? (keeping it vague so there's no actual spoilers involved!)

This book is a very funny book, and what is great about the humor is the fact that it is mostly British Humour! Many of the YA books I have read in my time have all had American style humor, so it was very refreshing to see someone try a different style, even though I love a lot of the YA books I have read. There is just something about British humour that Americans don't understand!

I absolutely loved this book, but I believe that it is perfect as a stand alone. Not saying that Simon James Green shouldn't ever write another book again, since I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would happily read any new material from him! It's just that I believe how it ended was perfect and that there's not really much more that you could add to the story. I would definitely read a sequel if one was written though! This book would also be fantastic as a TV adaption, I believe it would be a hybrid of Pretty Little Liars and Love Simon, and I would definitely watch it if Netflix decides to pick it up!

Click Here to read my Full Review!

A Good Girls Guide to Murder

By Holly Jackson

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is a straight A* student, good hearted and very intelligent with an inquisitive mind. Pippa chooses to study a closed murder case from 5 years ago for her EPQ project while she is in her final year at college, and she believes that now is the perfect time to investigate and find out the truth about what truly happened to ex-pupil Andie Bell; she is determined to prove that Andie's boyfriend, Sal Singh, was actually innocent. Unfortunately, it seemed as though Sal committed suicide a few days after the murder, with his final words being a text to his family saying that he killed her. But did he? Pip doesn't think so.

Pip soon realizes that her school project is slowly turning into her own investigation and notices that some of the people that she has known and loves are not as innocent as she has always seen them as.

Usually when I have read thrillers, I have an idea in my head of who the culprit is really early on, but Holly kept me guessing throughout the story with plot twists that sent me around in circles with me suspecting one person, but then finding out that it could have been a different person. Also, Pip is such an inspirational character, with a no nonsense attitude and out of the box thinking. Her characterisation and the format the book was written in made me wish I could go back to my EPQ Project and do it all differently. 

In my opinion, it was the characters that truly made this book great. They were the reason I became so invested in the story; I didn't just want to find out the truth about Andie Bell's disappearance, I needed it to be the truth so the characters I cared about could have a better life.

Click Here to read my Full Review!

All That She Can See 

By Carrie Hope Fletcher

It's no surprise that Carrie Hope Fletcher's genre of choice when writing books is magical realism, especially seeing that she is a devout fan of Disney, music and theatre. All That She Can See is Fletcher's second book after the success of On the Other Side. Set in Plymouth, the plot focuses on the lovable Cherry Redgrave and a very special gift she possesses...

Cherry has a hidden talent. She can see things other people can't and she decided a long time ago to use this skill to help others. According to the town, she is simply the kind-hearted young woman who runs a local bakery, but in private, she uses her gift to add something special to her cakes. This gift impacts the townspeople, and they start to feel better about their lives.

They don't know why they are drawn to Cherry's bakery - they just know that they're safe there and that's how Cherry likes it. No one will ever need to know the truth behind her gift; she can help them in secret. It turns out she's not the only one who can see what she sees, since everything starts to change when Chase arrives in town and threatens to undo all the good that Cherry has done...

All That She Can See has a whimsical yet grown up and contemporary fairy tale vibe, which has carried over from her debut novel On The Other Side. Carrie clearly has a fantastic imagination and a beautiful way with words, which results in a modern story that contains themes of morals, humanity and issues (such as mental health), but written in a reasonably simplified and easy to comprehend style. 

Click Here to read my Full Review!

And those are the books that I read and reviewed in 2019! Apologies that it is not a lot, I have been incredibly busy the past year and things won't be slowing down for quite some time (which I am not complaining about!). I will try my best to read much more in 2020, but with all the exciting things going on I am again unsure of how many books I will realistically read. Unlike previous years, I have not set a personal goal for myself this year as anything over 5 books will probably be unrealistic for me! Thank you for reading and please check back for future updates!

November Favourites - 2019

Apologies for the delay with my November 2019 Favourites post; you will be glad to hear that it is finally here! I have been working on this alongside Disney December, but decided since I was doing 30 days of Disney Posts I would prioritise that over this post. But now my schedule has returned to normal, I have managed to finish my November Favourites! If you have missed any of my previous favourites lists, you can find them here:

• January Favourites - Click Here
• February Favourites - Click Here
• March Favourites - Click Here
• April Favourites - Click Here
• May Favourites - Click Here
• June Favourites - Click Here
• July Favourites - Click Here
• August Favourites - Click Here
• September Favourites - Click Here
• October Favourites - Click Here

I can't believe that this is one of the last 2019 favourites posts I will be making! I hope you have enjoyed these monthly updates and I do plan to keep posting a favourites post every month throughout 2020 too!

Shows

Black Friday: The Musical by Team Starkid

Photo Caption: @TeamStarkid

 I absolutely love any show written and performed by Team Starkid, so it was inevitable that this show would end up on my favourite list at some point. I have been super hyped for Black Friday to come out ever since it was announced. However, unfortunately I cannot afford to fly over to America to watch this in person.

Luckily, Team Starkid are fabulous enough to film the show and sell a digital ticket to audiences. This is one of the only ways that they make money as a company, since the majority of their shows are posted onto Youtube for free (support small artists!). I decided to treat myself one day and buy the digital ticket and it was so worth it! The music in this show is flawless, and do I need to say anything about the choreography. As usual, Team Starkid have impressed and set their bar high! I do not want to speak too much about spoilers, but I will say that Lauren Lopez was definitley my favourite!

Beauty

American Cream Conditioner Bar - Lush

Photo Credit: @OhMyLush

If you have been keeping up with my Favourites of 2019 series, you will know that I have tried out the bottled version of this conditioner. I loved this and it has become my favourite conditioner, not only has it really helped my hair look healthy but it also leaves it smeeling delightful for atleast the day after washing my hair! I found out that they offered a plastic free conditioner bar and I just had to buy it! I actually bought this when I was in London for my Disney Pre-Screen Interview, but I only managed to start using it in November and it is just as good as the bottled version, possibly even better as it lasts longer!

Films

Frozen 2

Photo Credit: @WaltDisneyAnimationStudios

It feels like I have been waiting forever to see this movie, but finally it came out in November and I saw it in its opening week! The first movie came out at a rather important time in my life, and I feel the same with this movie - it came out at the right time in my life. It is such a fantastic movie and is definitley one of the better Disney Sequels out there! It is not as good at the original movie, but I will argue that the music is much better in the second movie!

Other

The Theatre Cafe

This month, I found myself in London once again for another interview with Disney, and I was there for a full day (this was for an interview that would last an hour), so to kill some time I did something that I have always wanted to do but have never done in London - go to the Theatre Cafe. I had such an amazing time there, I visited myself and bought a Katherine Howard flavoured Milkshake (that sounds so weird out of context! Basically, they sell milkshakes that are themed around the musical Six and they are different colours for each queen and I bought the pink one (which was the Katherine Howard Milkshake). I believe they are all vanilla flavoured, but I really enjoyed it!) They have all sorts of other drinks themed to different shows and theatre puns, so I strongly recommend visiting if you find yourself in the area!

The Disney Office (Hammersmith, London)

As mentioned above, I got to visit the official Disney Office in Hammersmith for an interview, and honestly it was like a hidden Disneyland in the middle of London. I am not sure how much I can say about it here, but lets just say that I saw a Cinema room and many movie posters when being taken to the interview room. It is such an exciting place and I wish I could have taken more photos!

Mary Poppins Ears

I made my own Disney ears this month, and decided to use Mary Poppins themed fabric. I am very proud with how they look and have made many more since!

There you go, that was my favourites post for the month of November; I hope that it was worth the wait! Thank you so much for reading and stick around for more exciting posts! I update every Monday and bonus posts are uploaded on a Friday!

The New Years Resolution Book Tag: 2020

Welcome back to my blog and the first post of 2020! It feels like only yesterday I was writing up the 2019 tag and apologising for the lack of posts in 2018...seems like I'm doing just fine in 2019!! Here are my goals for previous years:

• The New Years Resolution Book Tag: 2018 - Click Here
• The New Years Resolution Book Tag: 2019 - Click Here

Without further ado, here is the New Years Resolution Book Tag 2020!

1) An author you’d like to read (that you’ve never read before) 

Photo Credit: @Amazon

I'd like to read George R R Martin! I have attempted reading the first Game of Thrones book and failed miserably in 2019, but I am very willing to give it another go! However, 2020 will be an extremely busy year, so we will have to wait and see if I am able to fit it in at some point!

2) A book you’d like to read

Photo Credit: @GoodReads

I would really like to read Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan. It is a book that I received for Christmas, and I am quite intrigued. From what I have read about it, it seems to be under similar categories as Alex in Wonderland and Geekarella, but we shall see when I read it. 

3) A classic you’d like to read

Photo Credit: @AlmaBooks

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is still very much on my to read list I am afraid to say! I will get round to it eventually!

4) A book you’d like to re-read

Photo Credit: @AndersenPress

I would love to reread Things a bright girl can do by Sally Nichols. It is a story that I read in 2019 and really enjoyed, and I would love to be able to read it again! I absolutely love Historical Fiction, and definitely want to read more, so if you have any recommendations for me please let me know!

5) A book you’ve had for ages and want to read

Photo Credit: @WhatWrenReads

Girls made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust.  I mean, this is if Christmas 2018 is something you can define as "Ages". 

6) A big book you’d like to read

Photo Credit: MelToTheAny

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab because yes, it has been two years and I still haven't finished the A Darker Shade of Magic series. 

7) An author you’ve previously read and want to read more of

Photo Credit: @MyRockyDances

 I would love to read more of Louise O'Neill! I adored The Surface Breaks when I read it last year and I would be interested to read more of her work!

8) A book you got for Christmas and would like to read

Photo Credit: @LuchiaHoughton

A Girl Called Shameless by Laura Steven. I loved the first book in the series, The Exact Opposie of Okay, and have waited so long for the sequel! (Okay, it wasn't that long between reading the first book and the second book being released, but leave me alone I am a poor student and I cannot afford to splurge on books anymore!

9) A series you want to read (start and finish)

Photo Credit: @Deskgram

I have only read the first book in the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, and that was when I was 14. I have all of the books in the series but I have just neglected to read them. Maybe 2020 will be the year that I finally read the whole series!

10) A series you want to finish (that you’ve already started)

Photo Credit: @Picuki

I read the first book in the Lunar Chronicles series and have been dying to read more, but I have only been able to find the first and last book in the series. I can't remember how I got Scarlet, weather it was a 2018 Christmas present or if I just bought it, but I was given Cress in Christmas 2019 and I can always find Winter in my local bookshop, so maybe I can finally read them all!

11) Do you set reading goals? If so, how many books do you want to read in 2019?

This is going to be a very busy year for me, with me being in my first musical production with a professional Director, Choreographer and Music Director, working for Disney and also starting my third year in university, so I don't think I can set any realistic goals this year. I will just see how I go and read when I get the opportunity!

12) Any other reading goals?

I really need to start reading books that I own and haven't read yet, so I am thinking of telling myself I will not buy myself any books this year, but that gets difficult when it gets to books in a series that I do not own. We will see what happens.

There you have it, the New Years Resolution Book Tag for 2020. Stick around to see other book related posts that I have planned out this year and thank you very much for reading the first post for 2020!