January Favourites 2020

We are at it again. It has been a year since I posted my first favourites post, and here we are with the first favourites post of 2020. Since eventually half of the post is going to be links to my previous favourites post, I decided to make a page listing them all just to keep everything organized. Although saying that, I will keep listing my 2020 favourites links in other posts.

To see my 2019 favourites posts, click here.

Without further ado, here are my favourites for January 2020:

A Girl Called Shameless by Laura Steven

Photo Credit: @egmont

"It’s been two months since a leaked explicit photo got Izzy involved in a political sex scandal – and the aftershock is far from over. The Bitches Bite Back movement is gathering momentum as a forum for teenage feminists, and when a girl at another school has a sex tape shared online, once again Izzy leads the charge against the slut-shamer. This time she wants to change the state law on revenge porn.

Izzy and her best friend Ajita are as hilarious as ever, using comedy to fight back against whatever the world throws at them, but Izzy is still reeling from her slut-shaming ordeal, feeling angry beyond belief and wondering – can they really make a change?"

Izzy O'Neill returns in full force, with her ridiculous humour, inappropriate comments and fierce attitude. she is easily one of the best characters in the YA genre. She is put through hell in the first book, but she comes back stronger than she was before. In this book, we see her juggling mid terms, a job in the diner, breaking into te writing industry and also trying to make a huge political change which would make the world a better place. If that's not inspirational, I don't know what is.

I had such a fantastic time reading this book; I wrote a full review for it at the beginning of this month. If you would like to read the full review, Click Here.

Fire Emblem Three Houses - Golden Deer Path 

Photo Credit: @NintendoUK

After completing the Blue Lions path in December for the game Fire Emblem Three Houses, I decided I wanted to complete another path. With completing one side of the story, I could sort of understand what the Black Eagles Path would entail, but was curious about what the Golden Deer house story would be. This is why I chose to go with this house for my second play-through. 

I may have not had much of a Christmas break (since I'm not sure when I actually let go of my Nintendo Switch) but I definitely enjoyed this route. It had some parts of the story that improved upon what the Blue Lions left hanging, although saying that, there were parts of the Blue Lions story that were much better than the Golden Deer path. 

Both were definitley worth while playing through and I am looking forward to playing through the Black Eagles house routes. That probably won't be in the next favourites post though, I don't have another two weeks of my life to dedicate to Fire Emblem! But if you are hesitant about playing this game, know that I have 110 hours, which was on just two of the routes offered (and I am aware that some people have spent that amount of time on just one campaign), so considering the amount of content that you get in the game, it is so worth the price. Not to mention the new DLC that is coming out (probably has come out by the time this is posted).

Thomas Kinkade Disney Calendar 2020

Everybody has a calendar somewhere in their house, and each year it is very important for me to have a calendar to help me keep organized and up to date with everything going on! And also, the other important thing is that it looks pretty. Fitting what is seemingly going to be the theme of my life for the year of 2020, I purchased the Thomas Kinkade Disney 2020 calendar and I absolutely love it! Each month I get to look at a beautiful piece of Disney Art and it makes me so happy! Plus I think this is going to look absolutely fabulous in my room when I move to Walt Disney World in the Summer!

Five Year Diary

As some of you may know, I kept a bullet journal throughout 2019 and I absolutely loved it. The only issue is since now that my schedule is so busy, I do not have the time to dedicate myself to drawing out each design for every month, so I am not continuing with that for the time being.

However, I have bought myself a new diary, and it is something I have always wanted to do. I have bought a five year diary, which means I can keep adding notes to the same notebook across five years. Although not quite as extravagant as my bullet journal, it is exactly what I need right now, and i think it will be fantastic to look through it when I am 3-4 years into it and look back to see what I was doing in the previous years. I may continue my bullet journal across certain months if I find the time to, but I will definitley use it alongside this diary.


And that is it for my January Favourites. Let me know what your favourites were during the month of January! Thank you for reading, and I will see you in the next post!

50 things I want to do while working at Walt Disney World

If you are new to this blog, then you may not be aware that in June 2020 I will be working at Walt Disney World. This is a place that I have visited many times as a guest, but surprise, there is still so much there that I haven't done there! I do plan to make a video going more into depth about each of these items on the list, but for now here are 50 things I would like to try while working at Walt Disney World:

1. Eat (and Drink) around the world in Epcot
2. 4 parks, 1 day challenge (including 1 ride, 1 snack and 1 meet and greet in each park)
3. Get a photo in front of all the Disney Walls
4. Ride Space Mountain with the lights on 
5. Take a photo a the casting door (with traditions ears/name badge)
6. Get an extra name badge with my hometown on it
7. Attend an after hours event
8. Do the Keys to the Kingdom tour
9. Solo park day
10. Rope drop to close at every park
11. Do a Voluntears event
12. See all shows and parades
13. Go to a Backstage Cast Members event
14. Get my graduation photo with Minnie and Mickey
15. Send a postcard from the Mainstreet Postbox
16. Eat a Dole Whip
17. Eat a Mickey Pretzel
18. Eat a Mickey Bar
19. Have a picture on an empty Mainstreet
20. Complete World Showcase Passport
21. Ride the Monorail
22. Watch the Fireworks from the Grand Floridian
23. Get a Spirit Jersey
24. Have my Graduation Ears Embroidered 
25. Visit Cast Connections
26. Have an evening at Broadwalk
27. Get a photo with every Disney Princess (Original 11 and any others!)
28. Take a photo in my work costume
29. Get a pressed penny from every country in Epcot
30. Visit Blizzard Beach
31. Visit Typhoon Lagoon
32. Attend at least one Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
33. Ride all rides in Magic Kingdom in one day
34. Ride Disney's Character Flight in Disney Springs
35. Meet a Rare Character
36. Buy a Christmas Ornament 
37. Eat a Turkey Leg
38. Go to a housing event
39. Take a photo with Rapunzel's Lantern
40. Get a cupcake from the Sprinkles ATM
41. Take a Photo in front of all the Park Icons
42. Buy Photopass / Memory Maker
43. Ride every ride in Walt Disney World
44. Go to a Character Breakfast
45. Dedicate a full day to Character Hunting
46. Watch a Movie at the Outdoor Cinema
47. Meet the Fab Five in their original costume 
48. Get a Mainstreet Balloon Photo
49. Disneybound in each of the parks
50. Find at least 25 Hidden Mickeys

I did have some other things that I would like to do while in Walt Disney World that didn't make the top 50 things that I wanted to do, so here are some bonuses that I would be interested in doing whilst living in Disney World:

• Visit Every Resort
• See Kiss Goodbye at Magic Kingdom
• Visit Mickey's Retreat
• Get Afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian 
• Make a Wish in the Blue Fairy's book
• Become a wilderness explorer at Animal Kingdom
• Resort Hop
• Be one of the last people in Magic Kingdom
• Go to Chef Mickey's
• Play Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
• Wear an "I'm Celebrating" pin
• Eat a Mickey Shaped Waffle
• Celebrate 4th July

So there you have it, the top 50 things that I would like to do while working at Walt Disney World, with some added bonus things on the end! As you can tell, some of the things in this list are probably things I will only be able to do whle being a Cast Member, so I will take advantage of the 3 months I have working there and will try to do as much as I can! Thank you for reading today's post!

A Girl Called Shameless by Laura Steven - A Review

Here it is, the review of A Girl Called Shameless by Laura Steven, the first read of 2020! In case you didn't know, this is actually a sequel to The Exact Opposite of Okay, which I reviewed last week. If you would like to read that review click here.

Photo Credit: @egmont

"It’s been two months since a leaked explicit photo got Izzy involved in a political sex scandal – and the aftershock is far from over. The Bitches Bite Back movement is gathering momentum as a forum for teenage feminists, and when a girl at another school has a sex tape shared online, once again Izzy leads the charge against the slut-shamer. This time she wants to change the state law on revenge porn.

Izzy and her best friend Ajita are as hilarious as ever, using comedy to fight back against whatever the world throws at them, but Izzy is still reeling from her slut-shaming ordeal, feeling angry beyond belief and wondering – can they really make a change?"

Izzy O'Neill returns in full force, with her ridiculous humour, inappropriate comments and fierce attitude. she is easily one of the best characters in the YA genre. She is put through hell in the first book, but she comes back stronger than she was before. In this book, we see her juggling mid terms, a job in the diner, breaking into te writing industry and also trying to make a huge political change which would make the world a better place. If that's not inspirational, I don't know what is.

The story still deals with issues that Izzy encountered in the first book, but things were on a much grander scale as Izzy and her friends try to prevent other girls from going through the same thing. The book takes us right from the planning and it is full of heartfelt moments that will really get you thinking about injustice.

A great thing about both books in this series is the emotion that Laura invokes through them. Both have moments where you laugh, smile, feel angry and moments where you even cry. She has made a character that young people can look up to, but also someone who is real. It is not only a work of fiction, as so many women go through what Izzy has been through. It isn't just women who have had their nudes shared between groups of people who they may know, celebrities also go through the same type of thing. The situation Izzy goes through can truly affect anyone.  People can learn so much about feminism (real feminism I have to say, not the extreme things that the media portrays as feminism) from this series. It is really refreshing to read about Izzys experiences and to feel empowered, justified and vindicated.

I should also mention that the central cast of characters in this book are socio-economically, racially, sexually and ably diverse.  It doesn't feel unnatural or forced, and there are certainly no token gay, black or any other token character trait you may think of. Other YA authors need to take note!

A Girl Called Shameless was everything I could have hoped for from a sequel to The Exact Opposite of Okay, and more. I was grateful that the first book was recapped in the first couple of chapters, but it didn't feel like a summary, it really worked with the story. 

The Exact Opposite Of Okay by Laura Steven - A Review

I read this book back in 2018, but never officially made a review! This year, I read the sequel - A Girl Called Shameless - so I decided that now was the best time to go back and write a review for the first book before releasing my thoughts on its sequel! Hope you enjoy!

Photo Credit: @RaeNovels&Notions

I read this book back in 2018, but never officially made a review! This year, I read the sequel - A Girl Called Shameless - so I decided that now was the best time to go back and write a review for the first book before releasing my thoughts on its sequel! Hope you enjoy!

‘Look, you probably bought this book because you read the blurb about how I’m an impoverished orphan and also at the heart of a national slut-shaming scandal, and you thought, oh great, this is just the kind of hart-wrenching tale I need to feel better about my own life, but seriously, you have to relax. I’m not some pitiful Oliver-Twist-meets-Kim-Kardashian-type figure. If you’re seeking a nice cathartic cry, I’m not your girl.’

Izzy O'Neill has a pretty sweet life, even though she has been raised by her Grandmother due to loosing her parents at the age of five. She won't be able to afford to go to college, but she does have two of her best friends - Ajita and Danny - to get her through it, as well as her love for comedy. 

Izzy doesn't think anything of sleeping with two guys at a party. It was her choice and she doesn't regret it. Until someone creates a website titled, "Izzy O'Neill: World Class Whore", featuring tales of her sexploits. Details which nobody should know. An a picture of her having sex on a bench with the senator's son...

Oh no...

If there was an award for the Most Quotable Book Ever Published, The Exact Opposite of Okay would easily win it! There are so many brilliant quotes in this book, and Laura Steven's writing style is utterly relatable! It could also win an award for Most Relatable Book Ever Published, since there were moments where the story really strikes you and you feel deeply connected to Izzy. 

Izzy O'Neill is a fantastic protagonist in the story. She is not your typical Mary Sue, she is far from a perfect character. There are even times when you feel like screaming "No Izzy! Don't do that!" at your book. But despite her flaws, anything she does that turns out badly isn't done with malicious intentions in my opinion.

The Exact Opposite of Okay is set in an American State where revenge porn is still legal; this book couldn't have come out at a more appropriate time. It is fantastic that there is a book out there targeting a YA Audience covering this taboo topic, and it is something probably everyone can relate to. Everyone can probably think of a girl in their life who went through what Izzy O'Neill went through, and it is awful but it is the reality of the world that we are in! Books that cover topics like this is how conversations happen, and then that can eventually lead to people wanting to do something about it. Hopefully there will be a day where we do not need this book, not because it is bad by any means, but because we will live in a world where revenge porn is no longer legalised and we will read the story knowing that the culprit would face consequences for their actions.

A fantastic thing about this book is that Steven emphasises that Izzy is not to blame for what happens to her! This is crucial for people to know. When nude photos leak, people say it is the victims fault for taking those photos, but this is absolutely wrong! They are sending those photos to somebody they trusted and it is a violation of that trust. If this sort of thing ever happens to you, know that it is not your fault. And if this happens to a friend or somebody you know, support them! It is easy to pass judgement on somebody, but it is not right! 

This book is a story that everyone should read, teenagers, young adults, parents, anyone. I read it when I was 19 (I was just a little slow writing the review, leave me alone okay) and it was such a good age to read a book like this. As well as tackling slut shaming and revenge pron, it also debunks the myth that you need to know what you are doing with your life at such a young age. Although I am somebody who has planned ahead and knows exactly where I want to be in life, I have a lot of friends who have no idea what they want  to do, and that is completely okay. As long as you are doing things that you enjoy and keep your friends close, that is all that matters.  

And that is it for this review, what did you think of The Exact Opposite of Okay? Let me know, and keep your eyes out for the next book review!