21 things I have learned in 21 years

I was looking at other blogs to get inspiration for what to write this week, and I came up with this idea - to write 21 things that I have learned in 21 years. I express all my own opinions  in this post, so if you are offended I apologies. What I say is just what I think, you are not wrong if you disagree with me!

1) Your Parents never stop worrying about you, no matter how old you are

I had an idea in my head that once I moved out and had my own house and was living my own life that my parents would stop worrying about me, but oh boy was I wrong. I am into my second year of living on my own and still I get messages from my mum asking if I have remembered to go food shopping or if I am sure that I want to attend a job interview in London rather than in the town I am currently living it. I've experienced it with myself and I have seen it with my older siblings, our parents still like to check up on us to see how everything is going, and to be honest, it is nice to know that they still care! 

2) I suit having shoulder length hair

My hair was my identity when I was younger, I was known for having very long, very straight hair. All that changed one day when it snapped off after being in a pretty intense style for a show that I did. This lead me to cutting it all off, and I was left with shoulder length hair which I absolutely loved. I have kept my hair this way ever since (until now, I am currently growing it out to donate it).  I have learned that this is the way that I like my hair now.

3) Musicals are my life

Musicals were not something that I always liked. Believe it or not, one of my earliest memories was of me watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and skipping past all the parts where they sang. Then one day, my mum bought a DVD - The Phantom of the Opera - and my life has never been the same. From that moment onward, I knew that I wanted to be involved in musicals some how, and here I am today - studying a degree in Musical Theatre! I have had so much fun with my journey with musicals so far, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me! 

4) You can create your own work

People have been very quick to tell me that being an actress will get me no where in life and that I will never be able to stay employed. While this is true to some extent, people seem to fail to realise that in the entertainment industry you can create your own work. It is in no way an easy route to follow, but it is an alternative to the traditional way of getting into the entertainment industry. I am very interested in writing and directing my own shows in the future, but for now, I am going to focus on completing my degree!

5) Look after your mental health like you would your physical health

This is something I have never really understood till recent years, but it is so important to look after your mental health. I recently experienced a mental burnout like I have never had before because i didn't take my mental health seriously, I now know what to do if I ever feel like that again. 

6) You never know what life is going to throw at you

Things happen at the strangest of times. I never expected to be employed by the Walt Disney Company. There was also a time where I never thought I would see my 18th Birthday. Life is weird and strange things happen, sometimes nothing happens, sometimes everything happens at once. There is no way of knowing what is going to happen, but that is totally fine. 

7) Not everyone is going to like you

This is something I think people really struggle with understanding, but it is a fact of life. Naturally you are not going to get along with everyone; it may not be a bad thing. You just might not be the type of person that that particular person gets along with. That doesn't necessarily mean that they hate you! So much of my teenage years were spent trying to please everyone, life has been so much less stressful when I came to terms with this and stopped trying to please everyone and was comfortable being the person I am! 

8) Friendships are most important in qualities and not quantities

A constant worry of mine when I was younger was "I don't have enough friends, what am I doing wrong". I had two of the best friends I could ask for getting through secondary school - people I still speak to now - and I was worried that I only had two friends. I feel like this is a common thing in some people, especially teenagers, but I have begun to truly appreciated that those two good friends that I still talk to in my adult life mean so much more to me than potentially joining a group of 17 friends and not speaking to any of them now. Focus on the people who really matter in your life and don't waste your time with people who do not make an effort with you.

9) Voting is important

A thing that I am super passionate about - voting. There is nothing more annoying to me than hearing somebody say that they couldn't be bothered voting. I don't care who you vote for or your reasons for voting for them, please just express your opinion. So many people in the past have died to give you the privilege to vote for today - it really annoys me when it is women saying they couldn't vote since women died to get the vote only 100 years ago. Sure, 100 years is a long time, but when you consider how long the world has been here for, it isn't actually that long! It's scary to consider that we have only had the vote for 100 years. You have the opportunity to express your opinion, don't waste it!

10) Nobody has their sh*t together

This one took me way too long to actually realise, but nobody truly has their sh*t together. Life is so unpredictable that it is almost impossible to be. I always wondered how my mum seemed to know the exact time and temperature to cook chicken nuggets in the oven when I learned to realise in my adult life that its all about setting the oven to 180 degrees, leaving it in for 20 minuets and hoping for the best. This can be applied to more complex situations but that was the easiest example I could think of. I had absolutely no clue where I was going for my job interviews in London, but it surprised me that people moved out of the way for me to get past when I acted like I knew exactly where I wanted to be, whereas when I was looking at my map and double checking everything people seemed to stop around me or try to push me to the side. Fake it till you make it, that's all I have to say!

11) Having a double bed is life changing

This is probably one of the most first world things on this list, some people are jut lucky to have a bed after all. But I have become a huge fan of having a double bed. Starfishing is my favourite sleeping position now, it is so weird to go home and go back to my single bed. Any future partners take note - get your own bed! 

12) Priorities - there is not enough time to read / watch / listen to everything

I am so guilty of buying more books when I have 50 untouched books at home that have not been read. But in my defense, you may buy the book at the time and then when you actually want to read something you may loose interest in what that book is about! Maybe its just me. What is said is true though, you will never have enough time to do everything, so don't feel bad about missing stuff out! 

13) It is hard to maintain a career in any field, so you might as well as attempt to do what you want

People cringe when I tell them I am looking to start a career in the arts industry, and I have been told since the age of 13 that it is a hard field to get into. My argument is the same now as it was back then, getting a job in any field is hard so I may as well try and get a job that I actually want. That being said, I am not naive about what being an actress will be like - I know that the odds are pretty against me when it comes to blockbuster movies and Broadway shows, but as long as I am doing something I love I will be happy. I also understand that people within the arts industry have more than one job - this is something I am also prepared for as I have always had at least two jobs at a time since I was 18 years old. You do what makes you happy and don't let what other people say change your mind. 

14) Nobody is completely happy with how they look

This one hit me hard when I realised it, but my life changed for the better when I noticed it. Nobody is 100% happy with how they look and everyone has insecurities. Everyone is in the same boat, so it is best to try and be happy with what you have got, and remember, what you hate about yourself may be somebody's favourite part about you! 

15) You can choose where your home is

Not everybody is happy with the family that they are given in life, and people sometimes get caught up in the fact that they can't choose who their family is. Although you can't change blood family, you can decide where your home is and who you want to include in your own family. I am lucky that I love my family and they love me, but if you are not so lucky, take comfort in the fact that you can decide who you want and don't want in your life.

16) It is impossible to pick a favourite Disney Movie

A question I dread being asked - what is your favourite Disney Movie? There are so many different categories that I find it a very difficult question to answer - princess, pixar, classic, cgi, live action? What answer are you looking for specifically?  

17) Makeup is an art form

Many people ask me why I wear makeup every day and if I wear it to impress a boy that I like. They always miss a key thing - I'm not straight! Oh, and also I don't wear makeup to please other people, its more of a way to express myself. I have so much fun messing around with eye shadows and matching my lipstick to my outfit for that day! It takes skill to be able to do makeup well - hats off to anyone who has mastered the art of eye makeup! 

18) Live a little for the moment

It is always nice to have some plans and ideas for what you want to do in the future, but sometimes it is nice to take a step back and appreciate what you are doing in that moment. There was once a past version of yourself who desired to be where you are right now, so appreciate that you have reached that goal while you can before focusing on the future. I am not saying carelessly go out drinking because you might die tomorrow, but just admire where you are now. On the flip side...

19) Nothing Lasts Forever

Nothing lasts forever. All good things must come to an end. The same with difficult situations. You won't always be stuck with a group of bad friends, you failed one test but that doesn't mean you can't ace the next test ect. If you are in a bad situation, focus on the good in your life and try to make changes wherever you can. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

20) What is important to you now won't always be important to you

Sounds harsh but it is true. As a teenager I really cared about straightening my hair, now I don't really care for it so much. When I first started to perform in musicals I used to be desperate to get the main part, now I focus on what parts I believe I would play well - lead or not. While you might be getting upset about something now, in a few weeks or years even you'll laugh about why you let yourself get so upset about it.

And finally.....

21) Glee is a really problematic TV show

There. I said it....finally....

Thank you so much for reading this weeks post and let me know what you would like to see in the next one!

How Covid-19 affects my Disney Program

So unfortunately the world is experiencing a bit of a problem at the moment, and people have been asking a lot of questions. I have posted this video, so people have been able to see it on YouTube already, but it only felt right to post it on here too, as I have been posting so much Disney Content on my blog the past couple of months.

As of filming this video, Disney released a statement saying that arrivals in the beginning of June would be cancelled. I was unsure if this would affect the Disney Cultural Exchange Program, but we received confirmation the day after filming that our Program had been cancelled.

As of writing this post, the Disney Cultural Exchange Program will not go ahead in 2020. Our group will receive refunds from Disney for the program fees we have paid, and should hopefully receive the money back that we paid for medical insurance. I am still unsure of what will happen next to us, whether we will be transferred straight to next years program or if we will need to complete the application process once again. As a whole group, we are still yet to receive any information from Yummy Jobs or Disney regarding this, but from what individuals have said when they have sent emails, it sounds as though Disney's priority at the moment is making sure the International Cast Members who are currently in the United States arrive home safely. The latest we should hear something by is the end of this summer, when applications for the 2021 Disney Cultural Exchange Program will be opening.

I will keep you all updated, but I hope you are staying safe where ever you are! To avoid any confusion, I do write all of my posts in advance (except in cases like this) and currently have blog posts planned up until the end of June. I will do my best to edit any mention of visiting Disney this summer, but I am only human, so I do apologise if there is anything that has been missed. If you do see something, it isn't the case of the program is back on, it has definitley been cancelled. Thank you so much for reading today; please follow the guidelines given and stay safe!

My Disneyland Bucket List

As many of you may know, I will be spending the summer working in Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida. After my contract ends, I am planning on having a trip to Anaheim California to visit the original Disneyland since that has been a dream of mine for so long. I have never been to Disneyland before, and I will only have a few days there so I have made a list of things that I would like to do whilst there to get the most o out my trip. This will be as well as going on as many rides as possible and meeting as many characters as I can, so don't panic if you don't see a must do Disneyland attraction on my list as will definitley be trying to do as many as possible! Without further ado, here is my Disneyland Bucket List:

Go for Rope Drop

I have never been to a Disney Park for Rope drop before, but with the limited time I have in Anaheim, I would like to try and have as much time in the parks as possible to get the most out of being in Disneyland. It would be amazing to do Rope Drop to Close on one of the days while I am there, but I will also probably be jet lagged so it will depend on how I am feeling.

Ride Jungle Cruise at Night

Jungle Cruise is one of my favourite attractions at Walt Disney World, and I am very excited to see the California version of the ride and to see how that differs from the ride at Magic Kingdom. I have never rode this attraction at night, but I just think it would be really interesting to see what it would be like!

Watch Fireworks

This is probably a staple for anyone visiting any Disney Resort, and it is no exception for my Disneyland Trip! I would love to see the fireworks in California!

Watch Fantasmic

Anyone who knows me knows that Fantasmic at Hollywood studios is my all time favourite Disney Show, and I would love to see the "original" version of this show (I am aware that there have been a few tweaks made to the show so it is not the original one but it is the place where the first version of this show happened). So many people have said that the Disneyland Version of this show is the ultimate version and that the other shows do not live up to it, so I would love to see Fantasmic for myself so I can make my own opinion.

Get a Photo in front of the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse Statue

One of the most iconic places in Disneyland, I would love to see this statue for myself. I feel like I owe Walt Disney so much the movies his studios have made have impacted my life more than anyone could imagine - so much that it was my childhood dream to be able to work for the company one day. It is such an iconic image and I would love to be able to show that I went to that spot myself.

Find a hidden Mickey without assistance in Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure and Downtown Disney

I have never went hunting for hidden Mickey's myself before, so I would like to find one in each of the parks in California. I fully intend on taking photos of the hidden Mickeys I do manage to find, so I can make a future blog post on the Hidden Mickey's I managed to find whilst in Disney Land!

Ride Jingles (Julie Andrew's Horse) on the King Arthur's Carousel

Julie Andrews is one of my all time favourite actresses, and in 2008 Jingles (a horse on the carousel) was dedicated to her. That is the only reason why this is part of my bucket list. I just think that is is really cool that Julie Andrews has a horse dedicated to her on the carousel, and I really want to get a carouselfie with Jingles, obviously for the Instagram account!

Get a Turkey Leg

Turkey legs are a staple of Disney Parks (at least the two resorts I know of in America, I am not sure about the international parks) and as stated before, I have always wanted to try one on my trips to Orlando but never have. This year, I am making it a priority to try a Disney Turkey Leg in either of th resorts that I will get the chance to visit!

Walk Through Sleeping Beauty Castle

I'm not sure if you can still do this, but as far as I am aware the walk through in Sleeping Beauty Castle is still open and the history of this attraction is something I find fascinating! Although it has since been refurbished, I would love to be able to experience this attraction for myself!

Ride all four mountain attractions

Disneyland park has four mountain attractions - Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain and Matterhorn. For me, Matterhorn is at the top of my list as that is the only ride that doesn't have a counter part on the east coast (technically Expedition Everest is Walt Disney World's Matterhorn, but I have heard that the two attractions are quite different from eachother) but I think it would be really fun to try the four mountains in one day challenge.

Mainstreet Balloon Photos

The iconic Disneyland Picture, I love seeing these on people's Instagram accounts and I would love to be able to have my own version of this photo to add to my memory book.

Stop off at Avengers Campus (if it is open) 

Marvel is something that I love dearly, and I would love to be able to see all the new attractions based on some of my favourite characters if this side of the park is open when I am there.

Try a Cocktail in Downtown Disney

I would just like to try a Disney Cocktail, so when I am in Downtown Disney I want to take the opportunity while I am there to see what they are like and if they are any different to a normal cocktail.

Instagram Posts

There are so many photo opportunities in Disneyland, and I really want to get photos at some of the most famous spots that people have posted in Disneyland. These include: It's a Small World wall, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Haunted Mansion, outside Club 33 ect.


There is so much more that I hope to do while I am out in Anaheim California, not to mention that I will also be doing the Walt Disney tour on one of the days which I am very excited for! These are just a few of the many things that I want to get up to, be sure to check back to see what I get up to in LA! Thank you for reading today's post and I will see you in next weeks post!

February Favourites - 2020

I haven't really done much over the month of February to create a full favourites list, but I have created two fantastic new designs for mouse ears, so here they are! To see my other favourites lists, see the links below:

January Favourites 2020 - Click Here
Other Favourites Posts - Click Here

Peter Pan Mouse Ears

This month I received a request to make a pair of mouse ears themed around Peter Pan, which I was very happy to do! I had been waiting for a while for a request for Peter Pan, so I had the exact fabric in mind for creating them. This is my favourite pair of ears that I have made so far and I was very excited when I received this request. To keep updated with my Mouse Ears Business, you can follow on our social media accounts:

Twitter - @WishingUponANat

Instagram - @Wishing_Upon_A_Natalie

Mulan Mouse Ears

Also related to WishingUponANatalie, I made a pair of Mulan inspired Mouse ears! Mulan has always been one of my favourite Disney Movies, and when I came across this fabric I decided that I had to make a pair of Mouse Ears with that design! I cannot wait to take these with me to Walt Disney World!

Thank you for reading today's post, and keep an eye out for the next update!

An Update: 30 before 30

In February 2019, I made a post called "30 before 30", which was basically me listing 30 things that I wanted to do before my 30th Birthday. I have been thinking about this post a lot and I really wanted to do a bit of an update post on it, since it has been over a year since I initially posted it now.  I have sorted them all into 6 categories - Personal Goals, Career Goals, Financial Goals, Home Goals, Fun Goals and Travel Goals. They can probably all fit into more than one category, but this is just how I have organised them. I will not be going into detail about each thing here since I did that last year - you can read the original post here. I have also completed certain goals, so those will be written in italics. Without further ado, here are the updates:

Personal Goals:

• Dye my hair a fun color
• Grow out my hair and get it cut to donate to charity
• Spend a week of my life without internet
• Manage to read 50 books in a year
• Read Les Miserables
• Go to a Book Singing
• Get better at Eye Makeup
• Go to a Gay Bar

Career Goals:

• Be on TV
• Be in a professional Production of a show
• Work a Summer in Disney 
• Get a Masters Degree
• Write a Book

Financial Goals:

• Start my own Business

Home Goals:

• Adopt a Dog
• Get a decent gaming PC

Fun Goals:

• Meet a Celebrity
• Get a selfie with an alpaca
• Make my own Halloween Costume and wear it
• Go on a night out and stay out later than 12am 
• Go Sky Diving
• Have a non-stop Harry Potter Marathon
• Go Horse Riding
• Play all of the Legend of Zelda Games

Travel Goals:

• Visit at least two other Disney Parks
• Go to New York City
• See a Broadway Show
• Go to Japan
• Live in another country for a year

What do I want to change this year?

This year has been very challenging for me in many different ways - but I have managed to get through the first year in my twenties! There have been difficulties that could have been avoided, and some that were completely out of my control, and I would like to be better prepared so I can avoid things happening in the future, or so that when I do encounter difficulties that come my way they do not affect me as much at the things that happened in the last year affected me. 

The year ahead of me is definitley looking to be a successful one, with me working at my dream job! I want to focus on being happy with what I am doing and appreciate what I am doing in the moment. The issues with having a bucket list like this is that I think people can get too caught up in "I need to cross this off my list to I can achieve everything", when they just need to step back and appreciate what they are doing in the moment. A focus for this year is that I want to make the most of my situation now; it is nice to know what will happen in the future, but there was always a point in time where I really wanted to be where I am today. 

Where am I living?

The majority of the time I will be living in my University accommodation, and I will only be visiting my hometown fro a total of four weeks this year. This is absolutely terrifying to me, but it is a sacrifice that has to be made due to career commitments this year. This will probably make communicating and seeing my family very difficult. 

I will also be living in Walt Disney World for 3 months which is very exciting, but again, scary as it is another country. It will be a chance to experience a whole new culture and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity!

What steps do I need to make for Financial Security?

For the first time since I was 16 years old, I am unemployed. I worked as a Disney Character back at home for 4 years, but due to other commitments and the fact that I will be in the North East for 4 weeks this year, it was not possible to stay employed with this company, especially when I will not be able to take on any work over the summer period. I did leave my position with the company, but be assured it was all on very good terms and I was advised if I am ever in need of work I can let them know and they will be happy to hire me again. 

So, with that out of the way, I do not have a job now, meaning that I am solely relying on my student loan. The way I worked this last year is that I budgeted with my student loan for each week and money I earned from work was put into a savings account. To make sure that I don't die, I need to continue budgeting, and I may need to make cuts as I do like having some savings there just in case. 

Also, if you were paying attention to what was written above, I now run my own business. It is not as good financially as having a 9-5 job, but I can choose my hours and still get a bit of money from it. I need to organise how much money I make is going to go back into the business funds and how much I am going to keep putting into my savings account.

How do I want to better myself this year?

A huge flaw in my personality is that I focus on making other people happy way too much. This year, to make sure I can stay happy and healthy, I should probably be a little bit more selfish and focus on me more. I went out of my way to help so many people last year and none of it really worked in my favour. Although it is nice to be nice sometimes, I shouldn't be tearing myself apart to please other people. 

Something that I want to do this year

I have been to Walt Disney World so many times in my life, and I really want to find something that I have never done before and do that while I am working there in the Summer!

And there you have it, this is an update to my 30 before 30 post, I hope that you enjoyed reading my updates! Thank you for reading and I will see you in the next post!

The Harry Potter Spells Book Tag

March seems to be turning into the month for book tags, so here is another one, The Harry Potter Spells Book Tag! It is another tag that I have never heard of before but thought would be interesting to include on my blog. So without further ado, lets get started.

Flagrate (Writing Charm)

A book that you found interesting but would like to rewrite

Photo Credit: @LorraineAmbers

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

The world and politics in this story was something that really interested me when reading this book, and it had a set of fantastic characters and a twist that I was not expecting. However, I felt like it was poorly written, and that there would have been a better way of writing this story. It sort of felt like I was reading a draft and not a finalized version of a book. It really is a shame, because I did enjoy elements of the story, but the writing really put me off reading the rest of the books in the series. Or maybe it was just meant for a younger audience than me. Either way, if given the chance there are certainly things I would change about the writing in this story. 

Alohamora (Unlocking Charm)

A first book in a series that got you hooked

Photo Credit: @TwoBookTheives

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

I did not realise that I would be hooked on a series of eight books when I first picked up Throne of Glass, but there we go. I was truly hooked on the series, finishing the first two books in the space of a week. I first began the series when Empire of Storms came out, so I had to wait for Tower of Dawn and Kingdom of Ash, and wow it was painful to wait and see what happened after the end of Empire of Storms. I binged through all the books in the series when I first read the series, and I binged the last two when they came out. It is a series I wish I could go back and read again without knowing anything, because there are just so many twists that you do not expect. Although it is great to reread and realise what characters are going to become. 

Accio (Summoning Charm)

A book that you wish you could have right now

Photo Credit: @TheBookReviewer

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson 

I am a lover of a good murder mystery; this book was a delightful read. I loved the formatting of the story, and that between chapters we got to read through Pippa's work for her EPQ Project only adding to the world and making it truly feel like we were watching an 18 year old solve a mystery, not an experienced "child genius" flawless character that can be seen sometimes in stories like this. 

Avada Kerdava (Killing Curse)

A Killer Book

Photo Credit: @BookBookOwl

The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill

Ever wanted a new version of the Little Mermaid that was closer to being like the original Hans Christian Anderson Tale and not sugar coated like the Disney Movie? This is the book for you! The Surface Breaks was a hard book to read, and not because of it being overly complicated, but because of what we watch our main character go through. I really enjoyed this book, and there were moments where I thought "Surely not, surely it can't go wrong now". It was such a good read and I highly recommend it to anyone who isn't necessarily looking for a cheery read. 

Confundus (Confusion Charm)

A book that you found confusing

Photo Credit: @GreaterManchesterFringe

The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter

Technically this is a play and not a book, but I read it so I am including it! I am not really one to get confused by stories, but the ending of this play really confused me. I don't really want to go into it as spoilers (and it is quite a good read if you get the chance to read it), but I was told to read it at the beginning of the academic year for university and when I went to class the next week I was not the only one who didn't really understand what had happened. One of the (slightly) annoying things about it is that the ending is open, so you ultimately decide what happens and there's no right or wrong answer, but it's just how we got there. It is such a good read, and if you are not studying a performance subject you should definitley check it out!

Expecto Partonum (Guarding Spell)

A Childhood book connected to good memories

Photo Credit: @HettyFeatherPhotos

Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson

The only answer to go here would have been a Jacqueline Wilson Book, I feel like they shaped the childhoods of many British Children. The challenge was trying to think which one in particular do I have the fondest memories of, and then I remembered when I got Hetty Feather. I was going on a school trip, it was going to be for a week and I would not have any contact with my family. Sounds like and easy thing to do now, but I was eleven when I went on this trip, and there was no texting of Facebook to keep in touch with them so it was hard. It was one of the worst weeks of my life, going with no friends and pretty much being at my teacher's side the entire time, but my mum bought me this book to read while I was there and I was hooked. I finished it within the week - which was an achievement then since I did not read a lot. I fully blame this book for my obsession with history now. Although that trip was not the nicest thing to remember, I found a lot of happiness in reading this book, and the original trilogy remains to be one of my favourite book series of all time (I have not read any of the other books in the series so I can't say what they are like).  

Sectumsempra (Dark Curse)

A Dark Twisted Book

Photo Credit: @Gramho

I am not one for reading dark stories, but I will say one of the most messed up concepts I have read is the first book in the Uglies series. Waiting until your 16th birthday, then you are given a makeover which involves a lot of plastic surgery to make you beautiful. The thought of this happening is absolutely terrifying, and although I am yet to finish the series the thought of this happening in real life is messed up!

Expelliarmus (Disarming Spell)

A book that took you by surpise

Photo Credit: @HappyPiranha

I read the Hunger Games Trilogy as part of a reading project my school was doing in 2011 (wow before the first movie came out!) and as a whole the trilogy surprised me and encouraged me to read more books in the YA category. I was very unprepared for the ending of the second book however, and it still remains to be my favourite book in the series to this day. The first book was brilliant, don't get me wrong, but the second book builds so much on the world and characters that we have already met. Mockingjay was a disappointing follow up, but that does not take away from Catching Fire being one of my all time favourite books. 

Prior Incantato (Reverse Spell)

The Last Book you Read 

Photo Credit: @LunasLittleLibrary

By the time this is posted on my blog, it is probably a different book, but as of writing this the last book that I read was A Girl Called Shameless by Laura Steven (sequel to The Exact Opposite of Okay). This is a series that I love very much, and I have written a review of both books in the series. You can catch my review for A Girl Called Shameless here. 

Sonorus (Amplifying Charm)

A book you think everybody should know about

Photo Credit: @The_Book_Aesthetic

A Book that I always bring up that I think is truly underrated - Of Fire and Stars. A fantasy story where two princesses fall in love. I absolutely love the world and the characters in this story, not to mention the fact that there is a Lesbian Romance! Some representation for us Lesbian Princesses out there! I have not yet read the sequel, but this was one of my favourite reads of 2018!

Obliviate (Memory Charm)

A book or spoiler you would like to forget having read

Photo Credit: @MelToTheAny

The Wicked Deep was a book that I really enjoyed, and I really did not see the twist in the third act of the story coming. When I read it I wondered why I didn't think of it sooner (it is hard to talk about without saying what it is so apologies in advance!) and I imagine reading it a second time with that thought in mind would make the story very interesting. But I would like to experience reading it again for the first time!

Imperio (Controlling Curse)

A book you had to read for school

Photo Credit: @ObjectLiberty

I almost put Of Mice and Men here, but since nearly every person who has done a GCSE in English has looked at that book, I decided to pick To Kill A Mockingbird instead. Our school decided to give our class this book to look at rather than Of Mice and Men since we had been studying that book since year 8 and by the time we got to Year 11 we wanted to read something different. Hence To Kill A Mockingbird made its way onto my bookshelf. It was a truly refreshing read, and we even got to go and see the show on tour in a local theatre before our exam which was amazing! Most people never want tto thin about their GCSE exams again after completing them, but my English Literature exam was a paper that I was fond of, and I am still proud of my A* to this day!

Crucio (Torture Curse)

A book that was painful to read

Photo Credit: @BloggedByHope

The Divergent Series is a bit of a bad book series anyway, but a book that I absolutely despise is the second book in the series - Insurgent. I actually wish this book didn't exist. I really did not like it and it made me want to discontinue the series. It took a while for me to pick up Allegiant after finishing Insurgent. 

And that is is for The Harry Potter Spells Book Tag! Thank you so much for reading, and check back next week for another blog post!

The Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag

I came across this book tag and was intregued by the title. The Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag - What is that, I thought, but when I actually read a couple of posts and thought I really wanted to give it a go! So here we go, this is my version of The Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag. First things first, here is what you need to do:

1.  Pick Five Books
2. Turn to a Random Page
3. The First Name you see gets to be on your Zombie Survival Team 
4. Apply the characters to the 10 Situations and types of people in order that you got them 
5. Fret over how doomed you are. 

Here we go. The Five books I picked are:

• Let It Go: A Twisted Frozen Tale by Jen Calonita
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• Cinder by Merissa Meyer
• The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
• HotDog Girl by Jennifer Dugan 

And now the results:

Let It Go: A Twisted Frozen Tale by Jen Calonita

1) The First Person to Die: Anna

I am so sorry, probably shouldn't have picked a Disney Book for this tag but there we go! 

2) The Person you trip to get away from the Zombies: Kristoff

Oh dear, I have just killed off the main couple in the Frozen Franchise...Sorry Disney!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

3) The First Person to turn into a Zombie: Cath

I am so sorry Cath, all you wanted to do was to read the final book in your favourite series! Maybe that is something you can do in the afterlife!

4) The Person that trips YOU to get away from the Zombies: Wren 

Well, she ditched Cath when they moved to university together, so I can't say it is not expected that she would trip me to save herself.

Cinder by Merissa Meyer

5) The Idiot of the Team: Prince Kai 

Sounds about right to me, sorry Kai. 

6) The "Brains" of the Team: Cinder

I mean, I guess it could have been a lot worse, and she helped herself get out of a lot of sticky situations so maybe we are not in as much trouble as we initially thought?

The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde

7) The Team's Medic: Dorian 

We could be in trouble. 

8) The Weapons Expert: Basil

Not what I expected, but okay....

HotDog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

9) The Brawler: Lou

This could be a problem. Lou does not seem to be the most confrontational person in the world and she is extremely awkward, so I don't see her being great at fighting Zombies. She will probably apologise to them for biting her. 

10) The Team Captain: Nick

He seems to know what he is doing, so it may not be the worst choice for team leader...

Well, everything could have been a lot worse, but it could have been a lot better too so, maybe I have a 40% of surviving the Zombie Apocalypse with this team? I really enjoyed doing this tag, and if you have any other fun book tags to do please let me know! Thank you so much for reading! 

My Life In Books Tag

I came across this tag when looking for some writing inspiration and it was a tag that I have never came across before, so I thought it would be something very interesting to write about this week. So here we go, this is the My life in Books Tag!

Pick a Book for each of your Initials

N - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Photo Credit: @SamanthaReads

A -  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Photo Credit: @PaperFury

T - Things a Bright Girl can do by Sally Nicholls

Photo Credit: @bookaddict24-7

A - Alex in Wonderland by Simon James Green

Photo Credit: @SimonJamesGreen

L - Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Photo Credit: @LoveCharlieW

I - I, Eliza Hamilton by Susan Holloway Scott

Photo Credit: @stjernfallbooks

E - Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

Photo Credit: @WeeReaderBlog

Count your age along your bookshelf, what book is it?

Photo Credit: @BNTeen

I don't even have enough books at my university accommodation to do this properly, I have 20 books on my bookshelf, so I guess book 21 will be the one I am currently reading -  HotDog Girl by Jennifer Dugan.

Pick a book set in your city/country 

Photo Credit:@TheUncorkedLibrarian

I don't think my hometown is exciting enough to be the setting of a book, all I could find when looking was information about the steel industry which was not very exciting, so I have picked possibly the most famous british book for this part of the post - Harry Potter. Technically Hogwarts is in Scotland which is about an hour away from where I live so it is still pretty close!

Pick a Book that represents a Destination you would love to travel to 

Photo Credit: @CarollinaRuiz

I would absolutely love to visit New York City one day, and the first book I can think of set there is They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera. Not the happiest of books to choose from, but still a story that I really loved! 

Pick a Book that's your Favourite Colour

Photo Credit: @Pinterest

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli. I absolutely love the colour of this book! 

Which Book do you have the fondest memories of?

Photo Credit: @TheHonestBookClub

Sounds strange, but I would probably say the Hunger Games Series since they were my gateway into reading new things and looking for other books that I may not have picked up to read previously. Also, I read them while I was still in school which was a weird time in my life and I got a lot of happiness from reading! 

Which Book did you have the most difficulty reading?

Photo Credit: @OliviaCatastrophe

I would probably say Twelfth Night or anything else by Shakespeare just due to the Old English Language that they use. I do have a children's book filled with simplified versions of Shakespeare's Plays, so usually I flick between that and the play when reading something to help me fully understand what is going on at that moment. 

Which Book in your TBR pile will give you the biggest accomplishment when you finish it?

Photo Credit: @AWonderingReader

Has to be The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien. I have had the trilogy on my bookshelf for years and even attempted to get through The Fellowship of the Ring when I was 14. However, I think a massive issue with this series is just finding the time to sit down and read it. My Scheduel has always been pretty full, so it has been hard to dedicate time to myself for reading a hardcore fantasy series. I would absolutely love to, but this might be one that I need an audio book to help me get through, since I will be able to listen to it while doing everyday things, rather than focus all my energy into reading. I do know that I will be so satisfied when I do finish The Lord of the Rings though!

And that is it for the My Life In Books Tag. Thank you so much for reading and check back for next weeks post! If you want to see more of my book related blog posts, click here. 

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!