Book bag Book bags

Want something fun and frivolous?! Look no further you little consumerist bookworm, you!! Look at these beautiful tote/book bags that are currently available at Waterstones!!  They’re £7-£10 each but if you want people that pass you in the street and know your reading preferences then look no further!!

      http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/gibbs+smith/i+love+books+bird+tote+bag/11430274/

      http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/gibbs+smith/darcy+heart+tote+bag/9473554/

     http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/gibbs+smith/mr+darcy+tote+bag/9473555/

    http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/littlelit+tote+future+author/11430266/

      http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/jennifer+adams/alison+oliver/pride+and+prejudice+tote/9768582/

   http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/alison+oliver/wuthering+heights+tote+bag/9515606/

I’ve so far collected 2,3 and 5 and they’re amazing for the overspill of stuff I have to lug to Uni each and every day. However, my desire for more is growing and the Wuthering Heights one is just a little bit too hard to resist. I also love the ‘future writer’ bag which for *ahem* a future, feature journalist, may hopefully act as inspiration!!

Have you managed to get a hold of them yet? Or have you seen them in store and, as me, been driven mad with lust!

Which one is your favourite?

 Lots of Love,

Rhian

xoxo

Book Haul / Merry Christmas Part 2

 I have this boyfriend and sometimes if I kiss him real good and pat his head real nice he’ll do nice things such as go book shopping with me and sometimes independent second hand book searching for me if I’m particularly poor (what can I say, he’s a keeper).

But this isn’t an “I’ve got a boyfriend” boast post… oh no, it’s a “look at the beautiful books I’ve just acquired” boast post. So the other day I went to an old stately home, Attingham Park which is quite possibly a Jane Austin/ Downton Abbey     fandom paradise with lovely lovely old people willing to help and give talks and wish you a Merry Christmas at every turn. Also, because it was Christmas, there was ceiling high Christmas Trees in every room and frost covered grounds which were rampant with deer, which, if you use your imagination could totally be reindeer.

And to top it off the stables had been converted into a second hand book shop

Therefore, books were purchased and go as follows:

Stephen King – Carrie

I’ve wanted to read King for a while but had no idea where to start, so many google searches such as “which King book to read first” or “which King book voted best” were made but many of the posts suggested “the Dark Tower” series as the best of King. This might be the case but I doubt it’s a first time, light reading recommendation. So when I saw Carrie I thought that might be the a good place to find my footing. I’m a whole 26 pages in at the moment (I know, impressive *hair swish*) and have only good things to say. Do I really have time to become obsessed by another author? No, but I don’t think that’ll stop me.

Angela Carter – Angela Carter’s Book of Fairy Tales

I’ve read Carter before and I LOVE the way she takes well known stories, adds a few ‘f’ words, a feminist aganda and somehow manages to change your entire perceptive of the tale and storytelling. She’s magical and one of the most talented writers of the 20^th century and I devour everything she put her clever little biro to. So when I saw this I nearly hit the floor and cried. Fairy Tales. Hard Back. Gorgeous Illustrations. A beloved author. Sale in Waterstones. The stars aligned and this angelic beauty became mine. The book is constructed of short folktales that take no longer than 15 minutes to read one which makes the reading light and extremely thought provoking. The tales have individual motives of intent on the reader; you’re meant to learn something. The select few I’ve read are also EXTREMELY dark (perhaps worrying if this was picked up as a last minute Christmas present for a niece/nephew and wasn’t properly examined) so aren’t for the light and frothy teen book reader out there.

J.R.R. Tolkien – The Silmarillion

I fucking love Lord of the Ring. I love it. I love the maps, I love the adventure, I love the race of beings and I love the mythology. I drink it up like nerd nectar. 

Shortly after watching this youtube video I became obsessed with trekking through the various lotr wiki pages to learn as much about the mythology and first age of middle earth and all the rest of it I could find. I have basically no idea what The Silmarillion is really about, from the blurb it sounds more like a narrative story more than an explanation of mythology but hey ho I’m up for anything. I’ve also been told that it is extremely complicated so have decided I’ll read it when I can dedicate an entire week to it. If this means I don’t get to read it till the summer so be it. 6 months is a mere blink in the life of an elf. I’m patient. I can wait*.  

David Eddings – Castle of Wizardry

So if you didn’t know David Eddings is one of the best fantasy authors out there (obviously excluding Mr T ((not from the A team I meant Tolkien)) ), and if you enjoy that genre I recommend whole-heartedly The Belgariad series. My boyfriend’s mum swears by them and I decided to give them a go after seeing the cool maps in the front and my weakness to peer pressure. I’m two books into the series but I try and stock up on them in second hand book shops because they’re not so easily attained, so I have them all now except the elusive fifth. It follows the story of a young lad called Garion who discovers that his simple life is actually anything but, his aunt is actually a highly powerful sorceress and the old tramp is one of the most important wizards in the world… and his grandfather. Don’tcha hate it when that happens. Garion along with his aunt and grandfather and a rag tag team of misfits *oh cliché* are attempting to bring down the evil god Torak before he regains his power by attaining the Orb. Sounds good, huh?

So what about you? Did you receive any good reads for Christmas?   Of course you did I’m sure you were spoilt rotten! ;)

Lots of Love,

Rhian

Xoxo

*REFERENCEEEE!!!!!! 

Book Haul / Merry Christmas PART 1

So I constantly have a list of books that are in the pipeline of my future reading adventures, books that if only I had the time and money for, or perhaps will ask for for an upcoming gift giving opportunity... perhaps, oh I don't know, CHRISTMAS!!

Yes it's that time of year again and these are the books I've read to see me through those dark, lonely, nights waiting for Santa Claus to get up off his keister and pay his favourite girl a visit (me, I'm his favourite).

READ 

1) THE HOBBIT

"Oh my gawddd!! Like she's totally just jumped on the bangwagon. She's only reading it cause the film is out. She's not a real fannn!!1!!111"

Stop that. It's annoying. 

If a film makes you want to read a book that's not a bad thing everyone. Calm down. But in my case I am the biggest, oh my gawd Legolas and Aragorn should kiss, how could Sam marry that hobbit hussy over Frodo, fan you'll find outside the asylum. And when Christmas rolls around I can't think of a nicer, sweeter, 'read in front of the fire' story to read, and such, has become a bit of a seasonal tradition for me. A story about friendship and adventure, 12 dwarves trying desperately to regain their home, one hobbit trying to get back to his hobbit hole home (whats more Christmasy than home and home comforts huh?). With an almost childlike approach to the narration, Tolkien's Hobbit, is a much softer, less mythologically intense, than the older brother's in the LOTR trilogy, makes the reading pure pleasure. Plus I'm a hell of a lucky girl who has an Alan Lee illustration edition.

 "DAUUUMMM BRO!! Look at that Shire!!"

Quote- Barack Obama 

2) SENSE AND SENSEIBILITY

I don't know about you, but at this time of the year where you're desperately trying to jam in family obligations and and an immense amount of food, you want a book that's easy. Where not an awful lot happens. The plot and narrative are simple and enjoyable to follow. In my opinion Mrs Jane Austin is the supreme of this particular genre of '... meh, that was nice'. Pride and Prejudice is probably the best example for this idea of literacy comfort, I mean what really happens? A mother wants to marry her daughters off, a woman disagrees with a man, they fall in love after-all, even though we all know they would in the first place. Sense and Senseibility follows this same premise, daughters need to be married off. The only question is which of the eligible young men in the neighborhood should they choose? It's heartwarming and truly lovely to have a plot so familiar and comforting.


What have you been reading over Christmas? Anything you feel is your go-to Christmas story? 


*jingle jingle* ... Hey what was that?! SANTA?!?!!! 

Oh wait it was my laptops low battery notification, never mind :( that's perhaps a hint that it's time to say goodnight and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas 

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz - Review / Bookworm hibernation

You know that feeling when a book is sitting on your book self, looking at you, taunting, teasing.

"If only you had time for me. You've seen my amazing reviews. I know you desire me. I know how much you want to tear open my book spine and ravish me"

....Only me? Okay then.

But wanting to read a book but, unfortunately, having those annoying pre-commitment otherwise known as 'having a life', is a universal feeling. For me, it was a mixture university reading, writing for the school paper and Modern Family DVDs (aka laziness).

However, the day came, where I was finally able to give into my inner bookworm and read 3 books for my choice in a week. Among these was the pretty bloody amazing Aristotle and Dante Discover the Universe. Now, unless you've been living in the hills of the Himalayas or otherwise living without internet connect, you've probably heard about this book, being the popular choice on Tumblr and Instagram.

As the cover shows, it’s won a shit load of awards, and it’s not hard to see why, it's definitely above the standard of most teen fiction/literature.

 The book, set in El Paso, Texas in the summertime 1980's, follows the first person narrative of Aristotle (or Ari as he's nicknamed himself) who is possibly the most angst ridden character in history. Think Harry Potter in the Order of the Phoenix x10. He's fifthteen. He's confused. He's confused about what he's confused about. His family are closed off and distant, his father traumatized by his experience in the war, his mother haunted by his older brother's incarceration. He wants answers but is too afraid to ask.

Then the friendless Ari meets Dante. An offer to teach Ari how to swim turns into a friendship of joint exploration of self-discovery and sexuality. Ari’s not sure why he befriends the strange Dante. Maybe it’s the similarly bizarre name, or perhaps he’s unlike any other fifthteen year-olds, or perhaps its Dante’s laugh. The boy’s relationship is honest and heartwarming and beautifully written, you believe in their friendship and feel for them both when they’re in pain.  

The book predominantly focuses on a teenager’s journey of self-discovery, what it means to be happy, to accept who you are, and most importantly, be happy when you realize that who you are isn’t necessarily what is accepted by others.

Without giving away too much, the story Ari’s growing alienation and hostility towards, well everybody, is developed to the point of explosion. Answers to why are only hinted at and only explained on the last two pages with a huge…. BOOM!!! This makes the books narrative hella thrilling and (I know, I know it’s a cliché) but you won’t be able to put it down. The chapters are only about two pages long which I LOVE; makes you zoom through the book without realizing that 4 hours have pasted and you haven’t fed the cat yet. I managed to finish it two days all in all which, for me, is pretty bloody brilliant. 

Rating

4/5

I AM AN INTROVERT....

There I said it okay?! A big stinking, introvert. Whilst being at the wildest, craziest party with friends, I count down the minutes till I'm sitting in my room, alone, watching LOTR, fantasizing about my elvish existence. While I understand people have a very different idea of "fun", this is in fact, what makes me happy. Alone time. Time to recharge and read and daydream and nap and listen to music and look at squished faced cats on instagram*. Alone. It is complexing to me, however, that people in what I see as a fairly progressive world, where people are allowed to express themselves as they wish, are sometimes forced to or made to feel guilty about their introverted ways by the extroverts in life. Simply, perhaps, because they cannot understand the pleasures of being alone.

And, I understand, that my friends only mean the best when they beg me to join them on a night out. YOLO right?! No. My YOLO is a quiet night in reading about gender theory, drinking peppermint tea. But if I can understand that you enjoy something I don’t, shouldn’t it work the same way round? “Fucking unbelievable” was the response I had off a friend a few weeks ago when I said was wasn’t joining them on a night out, which you can understanding was incredibly insulting, that my form of happiness is not justifiable in their eyes. Can’t I and my fellow introverted brethren be allowed to be left in peace? It isn’t rudeness. I doesn’t mean I do not like you. IT IS NOT AN ILLNESS.

 Extroverts may seem that their fun is ‘funer’ but maybe only because theirs is a louder, more extravagant form of fun. Our fun is a much more calming, soothing type of fun, spent with a small collection of close friends. One day I hope to feel comfortable to say “No, I won’t be attending that huge techno, paint, foam party at the underground bunker. Hope you have fun though” and not be left feeling guilty. 

Thanks for listening for my oh so long winded rant, living in a house with 4 extroverts can sometimes be incredibly stressful. This made me slightly more chilled. 

*have some these two as prime example and to cheer this post up a little 

The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion / That awkward first post

So..... Blog. 

Bloggy, blog, blog....

Feels like I've had a baby. Or to a less dramatic extent a goldfish.

I suppose I should start filling you, huh. Filling you will cool little perspectives on life and jazzy witticisms about modern day literature. Not fair to leave you hanging round cyber space naked and bare with all the other neglected blogs. 

So no making fun of me, I'm new. 

The Rosie Project by Aussie Graeme Simsions was released last year in good ol' 2013 (remember that year? He was kinda a dick) and won a poo ton of publishing and writing awards, and to be honest, its not hard to see why. Its hilarious* without making fun, sad without being pitiful but still manages to be hella romantic. 

Lets first lay out what this makes this book so flipping great. Our main character is a University Professor of genetic engineering , Don Tillman, a extremely efficient chef, avid cyclist, all round hunk but unfortunately: painfully single. Don also has Asperger's Syndrome, a fact that neither occurs to him, nor is even necessarily stated in the book (which I personally think is a pure lightening bolt strike of genius by Simsion). His condition DOES, however, lead to some really amazingly funny incidences in social interactions. Think Sheldon Cooper meets the matchmaker and you've basically got this 295 pages of awesomeness. 

So Don decides he wants a woman in his life. The perfect woman. Nothing wrong with that, most men, after all do. Don, however takes the word 'perfect' in its most literal meaning when he beings 'The Wife Project' in form of a questionnaire. Lets run through an example shall we?:

"'Question 35: Do you eat kidneys? Correct answer is (c) occasionally. Testing for food problems. If you ask directly about food preferences, they say "I eat anything" and then you discover they're a vegetarian'"  

Dons dates vary in success.

Then he meets Rosie. Beautiful, wild, outspoken, who probably eats kidneys (a) extremely often. She's not perfect. But then again she is.  

But do you know what I love most about this book? The things that's made it stick in my head for over a year, when all other summer books of 2013 have been long forgotten? The perspective it gives to how different minds work, that Simision couldn't have achieved if he had written in anything other than first person. During the character description of Don, I found myself typing, "who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome", but during the narrative Don in no way suffers from his differences! Suffering after all is such a nasty, extreme term. Don has grown up to be a extremely successful adult with a damn fine job with close friends, who finds no hindrance with his 'disability'. After all, Don's somewhat obsessive qualities are, one more than a handful of times, able to get him out of some pretty sticky situations. And i'm talking hot wax on hairy legs, sticky. 

Rating 

5/5 - Dogs Bollocks 

* When i say hilarious I mean, laugh out loud like a dunce scare the cat kinda hilarious.

My New Blog....

*cough* *cough* Is this thing on? It is? Can you guys hear me at the back? Okay, I'll begin....

So the beginnings of this blog are as humble as possible, and go as so:

Me: I'm so bored. Seriously I'm so bored. My life has no direction. I'm spiralling into a pit of emptiness, the things that once filled me with happiness simply leave me in a chasm of my own doom and depression!! I need a talent, a direction... a hobby, perhaps!! Something into which a humble girl, such as myself, can escape and grow! One cannot simply spend her life watching Buffy and dreaming about squished faced cats!!* No! There must be more to life beyond this grotty student flat, (where someone, not naming names, hasn't washed up their shit from Tuesday), I WANT TO LIVE!!!!!**

Boyfriend: Why don't you start a blog?

Me: Meh, okay....

So this is my Blog. I'll be writing things mostly about books I've read, what I thought, how they made me feel etc. With maybe a few lifestyle posts here and there. A sprinkling of cat pics. And maybe.... just maybe the odd cliche Starbucks shot. And in return feel free to make as many dad jokes and truly appalling puns as your heart desires. I love them. Seriously.

All spelling mistakes are intentional except where unintentional. 


*Though if you wish to pursue this particular lifestyle path I have nothing but admiration

**Aspects of this dialogue may have been exaggerated for dramatic purposes