Hey guys so today is another book review, this time on Far From You by Tess Sharpe. This was another book that I'd not heard mentioned in the book community and picked it up purely based on its intriguing blurb. This book follows a teenage girl called Sophie who is not only overcoming her drug abuse but coming to terms with the death of her best friend Mina.
I found the story line to this book really interesting as it unfolds like a murder mystery. Sophie has so much to deal with and prove not only to herself but her family.
One thing about this book is that it jumps back in forth between to time periods, so if this is something that you don't enjoy in a book or get confused by this is probably not the book for you. One set of chapters is set after Mina's death and follows Sophie through and getting out of rehab and trying to uncover Mina's murderer. The other half of the chapters are set before Mina's death and you really get to see what her and Sophie's relationship was like.
If you watch or have read Pretty Little Liars I feel you would enjoy this book however don't expect it to be anywhere near as good as PLL! Overall I did enjoy this book and gave it 3/5 stars however I probably wouldn't read it again.
Below is a more in depth review I filmed over on my YouTube Channel.
So seeing as I have so many books to review at the moment I thought I would combine them into one post. Stay tuned for the end for my corresponding video.
Pages:170
Rating: 5/5
So you may know the film or even the t.v. series 10 Things I Hate About you but did you know its based off of a book? 10 Things was originally written by David Levithan and is inspired by the Shakespeare novel "Taming Of The Shrew". 10 Things is my favourite film and I've been looking for ages for the book. Well recently I finally found it on the market place of Amazon and got it for around £4 used! I couldn't believe it! You can definitely tell its been read and pre owned however its still in really good shape all things considering. If you don't know the story its set in a high school and has a few main characters. Bianca and Kat are sisters and Bianca is set on being popular and dating Joey. Kat on the other hand is pretty much anti-everything including Joey. Cameron is new to Padua High School and instantly has a crush on Bianca however to get her to go on a date he needs to find a date for her sister Kat. This is where Mr. Patrick Verona comes into play to try and whoo Kat.
Its just a really funny typical teenage book and in my eyes a classic. I really could not recommend this book or the film enough!
Pages: 448
Rating: 3/5
This book is a true story based on the authors experiences and follows her from age 5 to around 18/19. Her story starts in Buczacz, Poland with her mother and 3 brothers. This book starts straight away by telling you who dies in Alicia's family and really sets the tone for the book. You know that it's not going to be easy for her to loose so many family members and that it will take a toll on the whole family. This book is quite different to other stories I've read of Jewish people during the war and Holocaust as they usually involve a camp of some sort or being held prisoner. Alicia's story was different as it was all about hiding and doing whatever she could to feed her family and hide from the authority's. One aspect of Alicia that stood out to me was how grown up she was for her age, understandably she probably had to grow up quicker than expected and naturally didn't have the typical childhood. I really liked how Alicia in the end set up an orphanage for other children who are in the same situation as her. I did enjoy this book and it was definitely different from other Holocaust books i've read however I did loose interest towards the end of the book.
Pages: 253
Rating: 3/5
I purchased this book about 4 years ago and shamefully have only just got around to reading it! I originally got this book at the Titanic museum in Tennessee and it just so happened that the author was there signing and selling his book. I'd never heard of the book before but was interested to read this mans book (and to get him to sign it). This book contains any information you would ever want or need to know about the ship, its voyage and the passengers who travelled on the liner. Overall I found this book quite interesting and would really recommend it if you are super interested in the Titanic. This book goes into extreme detail about how the ship was made and all the statistics about it. It can at times be a bit overwhelming and hard to picture its true size.
The facts I found most interesting were about the passengers themselves as I liked to find out about their backstories and wether they survived the tragic event. It was also fascinating to read about the passengers that had bought tickets but for various reasons ended up not going on the voyage and therefor saving their lives. One stand out story was about a man who survived the Titanic however a couple years later was hit by a cab in New York and died.
One thing you realise when reading this book is that the Titanic was bound to have an accident or crash. This is because they cut so many corners such as not giving it a long enough test drive just in case it pushed back the voyage date. There was a fire on board ship and things took longer than expected and were there for rushed. Another aspect I found really shocking was the amount of life boats on board. They had enough to please the standards regulation however there wasn't nearly enough to take the amount of people on board hence why so many lost their lives.
This is a thoroughly interesting book however there is a lot of statistics and numbers that really just went over my head.
I hope you enjoyed this mini review and below is my corresponding video.
So I recently recorded a video talking about my my experience with anxiety and panic attacks. I did this for those who don't want to sit and read my essay long post that I wrote earlier this year! I hope this video will reach out to those also suffering with anxiety/ panic attacks/ depression or any other mental health issue in hope of showing them that they are not alone. Below I will link my video as well as any anxiety related posts I have put on this blog.
I'm really excited to bring you this book review today as I gave this book 5/5 stars. Origin by Jessica Khoury is set in South America in the middle of the rain forest and follows Pia a 18 year old girl who has been bred for immortality and lives within a compound called "Little Cam" who's main aim is to breed an immortal race.
Pia lives day to day learning about her immortality and training to one day become a scientist herself at Little Cam. However curiosity becomes the better of her when she finds a hole in the compounds fence and decides to venture out into the unknown jungle. Whilst looking around she meets a boy called Eio. Eio shows Pia what it's like to live so to speak in the "real world" and Pia starts to question her life in Little Cam.
I want instantly gripped by this book which is something that hasn't happened for a while. I was really intrigued by the setting and it makes you question wether places like this could possibly exist. I was really drawn to Pia as a character and how she had to grow up being the only child of her age and subsequently had to make friends with the animals to compensate for the lack of people.
Being in Little Cam Pia is very sheltered from the rest of the world and its vast amount of people, countries and technology. All the scientists have had to agree to not bring in or talk about anything to do with the outside world however when a new scientist called Harriet comes in she starts to bend the rules and expose Pia to life outside the compound.
This book really kept me engaged and I wanted to read on to find out more about the secrets that lied in the jungle and Little Cam. Overall I really enjoyed this book and seeing how Pia and Eio's relationship grew throughout the story. Looking on Goodreads this book does have many mixed reviews so it may not be for everyone however I certainly would recommend this book.
I've filmed a corresponding video over on my YouTube channel which you can see below.
So like most of my anxiety posts they're always written pretty spur of the moment when I feel like sharing my thoughts and experiences.
I've been holding off writing this post for a while as the subjects I'm going to talk about are very personal but I feel a shift in how I feel now and think its time to just get it out in the open.
I'll link my initial anxiety post here for if you want a bit of a back story to my anxiety and how it all started.
So the main subject I'm going to touch on in this post is about medication and what it can do for anxiety and my experience with taking it. I'll also briefly touch on my depression and how I feel it was linked to my anxiety.
So back in May I wrote a post about how I had done a series of hypnotherapy sessions which I will again link here. I mentioned that I think it helped to relax me however day to day I didn't feel it was that effective as I was still getting weekly sometimes daily panic attacks. I then said that I felt my next step was to go to the Doctor's and seek some medical help. Usually I'm someone who will hold off taking paracetamol or drugs when possible but for me this was a no brainer step and I felt that this was the right time to try some medication after trying so many different things already.
After having to wait a couple weeks for an appointment ( how ludicrous) I finally sat down with a doctor and told her about my panic attacks and what I'd already tried to help deal with it. She agreed with me that I hadn't rushed straight into taking pills and that I'd really chosen it as a last resort measure. From there she gave me a prescription for a pill to take once a day and advised to see me again in a months time. She did mention that this pill not only helped for anxiety but they also prescribe it for depression. Now I wont mention what pill I am taking as you really have to have the right one for you, plus its quite personal.
I'm now going to backtrack a little bit. Before, during and after my hypnotherapy sessions I was battling with some depression (that I feel was partly linked to my anxiety). For a while I kept it to myself and thought it would just pass and sometimes it did ... but it would always come back again. At the time I just thought i'd ride it out not tell anyone and hope it would just go away one day. I just didn't want to go to work and even found myself crying whilst driving or in the staff room before a shift, I love my job so I knew something wasn't right. I'd just be really down in the morning about going and would hide how bad I felt through joking about it. Previous to this year I have had spells of depression (especially during my brief time at university). One event that sticks out most to me is when my Dad and I went and saw Jersey Boys perform in the West End in London. I was really looking forward to seeing it and spending some time with my dad but during the show I just felt this wave come over me that prevented me from really enjoying the show and ultimately ruined the experience for me. At the time I just dealt with it by myself didn't tell anybody and I thought I could do the same again this time.
However one night I was having a particularly bad attack when I just broke down to my mum and confessed everything I was feeling. We agreed it was time to see the doctor.
So I'm about 2 months into taking these pills and I can honestly say that I feel so much better. To start with the panic attacks did get worse and I got one common side effect but that was all to be expected and completely normal. My Mum and other people around me have also said they can see a difference in me and the way Im acting, that I just seem happier. I feel like I can talk about this now because I'm in a different state of mind. I feel a lot more positive about life itself and don't see everything as being such doom and gloom. I'm much more willing to see friends and go out whereas before the pills I literally didn't want to go out or see anyone. I've had a huge amount of support from family and friends both new and old and I'm really grateful that I am able to talk to them about what I am going through.
Since taking my pills *touch wood* I havn't had a panic attack since and things that would usually trigger anxiety havn't been. I really feel positive now about my future and for it to be less about my anxiety and more about me!
I definitely wouldn't suggest going straight to pills if your suffering with anxiety or panic attacks but I do feel for me that its been the most effective and has been for other people I've talked to who also deal with it.
Theres such a stigma about mental health especially when taking pills is involved but really who are we to judge something someone can't help?! For me I don't care that I take them because at the end of the day they make me happier and control my anxiety.
As always if you have any questions or need someone to talk to about anxiety, depression or anything else I'd be more than happy to listen and talk about it.
So today is going to be a trilogy round up of Quarantine by Lex Thomas.
(Lex Thomas is the pen name that two authors write under).
Quarantine is a series about a high school on lockdown after a deadly virus is exposed to the teens and they are forced to live and be quarantined within the school. I will be reviewing each book and will notify when spoilers will be present.
Rating: 5/5Pages:
The first book is "The Loners" and starts of with there being "a drop" in the school playground that the kids are all anticipating. We don't know why or what has happened at this point. It then goes back in time to before this big event and we meet the two main protagonists. David and Will are brothers of which it is Will's first day at high school. They are walking the hallways when all of a sudden there is an explosion and the teachers start to throw up blood and instantly die ( If you think that's too gruesome this book probably isn't for you). The book then follows David and Will as they try to come to terms with the fact they are trapped within the school wondering how they will survive and get food especially since they aren't part of a group. The teens have taken it apon themselves to craft different groups such as "the pretty ones" or "the freaks". These are largely social status based but offer vital protection and food.
Let me start by saying the book is extremely violent and is probably not one for the younger readers(below 16?) There's scenes of swearing, sex, rape and acts of murder and it is just extremely brutal. Normally I would shy away from such violence however I really liked it in the book as it showed what lengths they went to to survive and how savage they had become. There was also a lot of thieving for food and people would trade whatever they owned just go get the basics.
We later find out that the virus only thrives in the bodies of teens and that it is deadly to anyone younger or older ( hence why the teachers died). We are also told that a teen who had the virus from an illegal experiment escaped and ran into the school in which the military then had to shoot at him and blew up part of the school.
In the foyer of the school is a scanner in which pupils go to on what is supposed to be their graduation day. Their grad day signifies the virus leaving their body and if the scanner recognises this then they are taking through a chamber and out of the school.
This book reminded me of The Hunger Games as it was very survival based and brutal but it also reminded me of The Maze Runner in which they had to learn to be self sufficient.
David ends up protecting a girl called Lucy and we find out that Will has had a huge crush on her however she likes David and we are faced with a love triangle storyline.
Overall this book really kept me gripped as it's very different from anything I've read before and again I actually really liked how gruesome and survival based it was.
The rest of the review contains events that happen late in the book and I suggest you don't read on unless you've read the first book. Below is a review I recoded over on my YouTube channel.
David is approached by some people called the scraps who do not belong to a group and ask him to be a leader for a group they want to be called " The Loners". David agrees and this is a natural progression for the book which I enjoyed reading about.
One day a student tries to escape during another students grad day and after that stint no more food is dropped into the quad. Things get really desperate for the teens especially for David as not only does he have a group to run but his graduation ay is approaching.
The day he's supposed to graduate the portal and scanner aren't working and David needs to find a way out to survive or risk death due to be surrounded by his friends.
Will, Lucy and the other Loners help David however we are left with a huge cliffhanger!
David find a tunnel to get out however the tunnel collapses on him and Lucy and we don't know if either of them have survived!
Finally a group of outsider teenagers manage to enter the school offering food and help. We are left not knowing who they are and if they are infected or not.
Needless to say I got straight to ordering the next two books and would highly recommend this trilogy!
Rating:5/5
Pages: 384
The second book starts off different from the first as we start to read from Will's and Lucy's perspective and are left to question what has happened to David. That being said it does pick up right where the first book left off with the group of kids called "The Saints" trying to free the quarantined students. Will and Lucy make a break for the exit and are so close to freedom when a school bus crashes into the side of the school and blocks their only way out. Faced with the reality that they are still trapped within the school the students turn to the Saints for answers about the outside world.
One of the ousiders tells them that other teens have been infected including the Saints and that family's were moving away from their children to protect themselves. The Army proceeded to shoot some of the infected teens and then put out a call for teens to hand themselves in however they didn't know that their fate would be a gas chamber. ( To me it sounded like a lot of what happened during the Holocaust and people handing themselves in not knowing what their future held for them.
Will and Lucy spot a outsider teen wearing an eyepatch that they instantly recognised as David's. When they approach the teen he tells them that he got it off a dead kid and this further backs up our thoughts that David is dead. For me I felt that his death was rather overlooked and didn't focus on it much however this did become apparent why at the end of the book.
Without David the group of Loners starts to disintegrate as they no longer have a leader to guide them. Members including Lucy reach out to new groups in hope of finding somewhere new to belong. Lucy decided to join the slut group and has to endure an initiation week... completely naked.
This leaves Will essentially on his own until Gates a member of the Saints asks him to become their leader. Will suddenly has to deal with this huge amount of power and pressure which I feel goes to his head a little.
It was really interesting to see the tables turn on Sam and to see him go from being the leader of the Varsity guys to being held hostage by the Saints and crumbling to nothing.
There became a point in the middle of the book where everyone seemed at peace with one another and their situation. They had all the supplies they wanted ( thanks to the help from the parents who visited them on the wall) and there seemed to be no major arguments between the groups.
I really liked that in this book you could read from Lucy's and Will's thoughts, experiences and perspectives. I especially liked getting to know Lucy more in the second book.
One overall point I want to make about this book is that it is just as brutal and violent as the first book which I actually really liked.
I'll stop there if you havn't read "The Saints" but if you have or want to see more of my thoughts on the end of the book then keep reading.
During Lucy and Will's time apart in separate groups they have an argument and from a reader's perspective you really want them to makeup and get together now that David's out of the picture and not complicating things. Surprise surprise not long after this point in the book they make up and even get down to... the deed... if you catch my drift.
One event that was quite unexpected and just reiterates how gruesome this book is was when Sam got killed by the pig that managed to get loose. It also showed once again how far Sam had fallen in such a short period of time. When I think of Sam being killed you would expect it to be in a fight probably shot or stabbed not mauled by a pig!
One character we start to get to know a lot in this book is Gates who is one of the Saints. Towards the start of the book we don't know that much about him but as the story progresses we not only find out about his past but I feel the school and the virus as made him go quite mad. Gates slowly starts to go crazy and hallucinate, he starts to believe that Will is his dead brother Colton ( who Gates actually killed).
The big twist at the end is when Will gets to graduate early, leaving Lucy truly on her own and we're left speculating what will happen to her and how will Will cope on the out side. When Will does get outside of the school who is he faced with but his brother! David's alive and thats where they leave it on a cliffhanger. Personally I really liked this ending as you are left with so many questions such as "How is David still alive?" " How's the rest of the state dealing with this virus?" and "How will the book end?". After reading this book I was really excited to see how the authors could possibly wrap up the trilogy and bring it all to a conclusion.
Don't read on if you havn't read the first two books.
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 272
The third book "The Burnouts" starts again exactly where book 2 left off which is a element I really like within this series. Book 3 is noticeably smaller than the first two books however I didn't feel as if there wasn't enough or too little content. After Lucy kills Gates in the first book she is kicked out of the sluts in the third book as their leader Violent also died in the same fight and the Sluts blame Lucy for her death.
One huge question left from the end of the second book is now that David's alive who is going to be in a relationship with Lucy?! We are back with the love triangle which is made even worse by the fact that Lucy is now pregnant with Will's baby! (This was a major unexpected twist).
One of the things David tells Will when he gets out is that there might be a cure for this virus and they begin to plan to find this cure. However when Will finds out Lucy is pregnant he is set on going back in to find her.
I'll stop there to save spoilers but if you want to find out more and get my review on the final book in the series then keep reading.
So Lucy is left pretty much on her own now that she is group less and stumbles across the "burnouts" who spend all their time making and taking any drug they can find in the school.(she also has a miscarriage, which we probably feel is for the best seeing what situation she is in). One twist to the story was how Hilary dies at the prom she puts on before her graduation. For me I felt like she had it coming to her and she finally got a taste of her own medicine.
David then helps the remaining kids escape the school and sees them reunited with their parents. Then the love triangle really comes to a head. Will gives Lucy an ultimatum to choose between him and David. When Lucy ultimately chooses David, Will flees town and is met by a group of people saying they have "the cure". Sadly this is not the case and the liquid they start to spray on the infected teen actually makes the start to throw up. When David,Will and Lucy start to see this they start to run but tragically Will gets shot in the head. As a reader we feel compassion for his loss but this seems not to be the case for David who essentially turns and leaves him showing very little affection. I also felt that Will's death was very abrupt in this book.
Now fast forward to the last chapter of the book. Lucy and David are reunited and the biggest plot twist of all is that Lucy is still pregnant! When she previously had her miscarriage she only lost of of 2 twins she was carrying! This was really unexpected and its sad that Will never got to know about this other child he had. This last chapter really left me hanging and I would of liked there to of been some kind of epilogue set in the future to see how they tried to get mack to normality.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this series as it really was a different read for me!
I would really recommend you start reading this series if it interest you and until next time,
I recently purchased two Anxiety related books off of Amazon and now after reading both I'd like to share my thoughts on them.
I've also filmed a review over on my YouTube channel which you can see below.
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 132
The first one is called "Making Friends With Anxiety" by Sarah Rayner.
Out of the two books this one was my favourite as I found it to be written on a very personal level and it was extremely relatable.
This book is broken up into 7 chapters each focusing on a letter of the word Anxiety. For example A is for Adrenaline and T is for Time. One thing Rayner really focused on was making this book easy to read when having a panic attack therefore its all broken up into small paragraphs and the most important info is highlighted in bold text. I can see this being really helpful as I like Sarah find it hard to focus during an attack.
This book starts off with acknowledging the signs of anxiety and learning about symptoms that come with it. For me this was something I already know about and wasn't that helpful however if you think you may have anxiety and don't know a lot it could help. She also goes through the types of anxiety which helped me to know which category I fit in (Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder).
One thing I liked that Sarah included was the medical reasons behind some of our symptoms for example "Blood is taken from areas of the body where it's not needed, such as the stomach, because in a life threatening situation, you're not going to stop for food. Thus when you're afraid, you may feel sick and unable to eat." This is reassuring to know the reason behind what you're feeling.
Sarah goes over some of the things you can do to help with your anxiety from Yoga to medication. I've tried a lot of different things and have just finished Hypnotherapy sessions. I found it helpful to know a little more on different types of medication as this may be the next option I take. Sarah includes a few breathing exercises which is good for those who havn't been to a doctor/counsellor or searched for some online and is one of the reasons why this is a good book for people who don't yet know a lot about their anxiety.
Sarah talks about not fighting your anxiety and to acknowledge that its there but at the end of the day it is just anxiety and it is just adrenaline causing it. This can be helpful however I sometimes find it useful to almost do the opposite and distract myself during a period of anxiety or when I'm having a panic attack. I'm not saying this is the correct thing to do but it's what I do to cope.
Sometimes when your enduring a long period of anxiety it can become second nature to expect to wake up and have an anxious day however this is not the case and Sarah has a tip for this. "When you wake up tomorrow, rather than think ' I'm going to have an anxious day and feel rubbish' you could venture to consider ' today might be ok after all'". Another tip Sarah gives is "If you are triggered, try to remember that the sense of panic will pass. Nothing in life in permanant including anxiety."
One quote that she included which really stuck with me was said by Frank Zappa "A mind is like a parachute, it doesn't work if it's not open". I like this quote as I feel you do have to be quite open minded with anxiety as you have to be able to try different coping methods and want to learn and analyse more about yourself and your anxiety.
Sarah talks and demonstrates what happens when you avoid a anxiety prone situation for example getting on the tube or going out with friends. For me it is key to try and not avoid the situation but to face it and prove to myself that I can do it. Yes I know this is easier said then done and I have struggled a lot of times with this but to just slowly push myself out of my comfort zone helps to not completely isolate myself.
One thing Sarah suggests and has been recommended to me numerous times is to talk to yourself during a period of anxiety how you would talk to your best friend. You're more likely to be reassuring and give yourself realistic facts.
Overall I really liked this book as it felt very personal and relatable. I would really recommend it to people who are just starting to be aware of their anxiety or have had a panic attack for the first time.
Pages: 128
Rating: 2/5
The second book is Anxiety: Panicking about panic by Joshua Fletcher. As you can see from the caption above I only rated this book 2/5 this was largely down to how scientific it felt and impersonal.
It felt that Joshua was talking to us as if we didn't know anything about anxiety or that he was trying to explain what its like to someone who's never experienced it before. For me it felt quite redundant reading a lot of the book but for someone who wants all the scientific facts this is the book for you.
Throughout the book it seemed that Josh was repeating a lot of the same information and it just seemed like we were going over the same thing just worded slightly differently.
This book is split up in four parts the first being about Anxiety and diagnosing if you have it ( chances are if you picked up the book you know you have it), the second being symptoms. In the third part Josh goes over how to cope with anxiety mentally and physically. Personally I feel the last part could be the most helpful, its an emergency panic attack help page. This is literally a couple of pages that are meant to help calm you down and reassure you during an attack and I can see this being very helpful.
I could relate to Josh with his symptoms and how he likes to distract himself during anxiety/panic attacks. However he made it seem at times that it was so easy to get over and deal with your anxiety and he just made it easier said than done.
Like I said if you don't know anything on anxiety and want some real scientific facts then this is the book to pick up.
I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope to do some more anxiety related posts soon.
I originally didn't want to write or vlog about this book as I really didn't enjoy it and only gave it 2/5 stars however I like to keep a record about all the books I read and felt I owed my readers my true opinion on the book.
This book is set in Brighton/London in the 1960's and follows a girl called Barbara/Sophie who wants to make people laugh like her inspiration Lucille Ball.
I was drawn to this book solely for the fact it mentioned Lucille and thought it would actually include more about her.
This book really didn't grab me in and I couldn't relate or bond with any of the characters. I felt by the end of the book I was just reading it to say that I actually finished it.
This book wasn't completely what I expected as I envisioned Sophie becoming some big comedic star however for most of the book she stays on the small screen like Lucille did with I Love Lucy.
The show Barbara (and Jim) reminded me very much of I Love Lucy and then when they progressed to Everyone Loves Sophie it reminded me of Here's Lucy.
I felt this book didn't just focus on Sophie but her colleagues around her and this was something I wasn't interested in and felt was somewhat unnecessary.
During the book Sophie had a very brief encounter with Lucy and I would of loved this scene to of been longer and for Sophie to of had a better experience meeting her.
I really skim read the last quarter of this book as I just didn't have much of an interest to the storyline and just wanted to see how it ended.
Below is my review over on YouTube.
A very short review this time and I hope to have a better rated book next time for you.
Hey Guys so today is going to be a Disney Pin post on some of this pins I've recently bought from various sources. I've been collecting Disney pins now for over 10 years and really bought some great pins this time around! If you have any pin related questions then leave me a comment below.
This first pin was bought on Ebay and shows Minnie Mouse dressed as Mary Poppins on her carousel horse. Mary Poppins is my favourite Disney film so I just had to have it. I'm now on the hunt for the matching Mickey as Bert pin.
These two pins above were also purchased on Ebay and are an open edition of two pins released at WDW. Again super cute for anyone who is a fan of Mary Poppins.
This next pin is a tribute to my childhood and is my first Disney Soda Fountain Marquee pin. High School Musical and its films were a huge part of my childhood and I just knew I needed this pin for my collection. I managed to put in a best offer for this pin so got it a bit cheaper than it was initially priced at.
The next 5 pins my dad managed to get for me at DTD whilst he was in Florida and this was one of the ones I asked him to get. It's a set of two pins and is part of the Best Friends Series and features Pooh and Tigger.
This pin is part of the GenEARation D series and features Elliot the dragon from "Petes Dragon". I would really like to get the Ariel pin from this series.
This pin features Chip and Dale dress as nurses to celebrate Nurses Day.
This pin was the one I was most excited for and was the one I specifically asked my dad to get. It's part of the shield series and is the second to be released. It has Eric's crest and show Ariel and Eric in a boat during the kiss the girl scene.
This final pin that my dad got me is a Mother's Day pin as the USA were celebrating it around the time it was released. Its really pretty in person due to the glitter background.
This next pin I bought off of someone on Instagram and adds to my Disney Soda Fountain collection. I have a huge love for the fifties and was so excited to see this pin. It shows Jessica Rabbit dressed in a typcial 50's poodle skirt and stood in front of a jukebox. As you can see the back of DSF pins have little ice creams on them.
This pin I again bought off of someone on Instagram and was released also at the DSF store. It was one of four designs released but of course I had to get the Little Mermaid one. It features one of my favourite scenes at the end of the film.
This fortune cookie pin is the last one I purchased off of Instagram and is one of the chasers from the set. It features Mary Poppins and reads " Practically perfect in every way".
The next pin is my first jumbo pin and it's so pretty! I bought not only this pin but the next few Aristocats pins from a guy over on Facebook. This pin has it's own stand which I really like as it means I can display it not on a cork board. This pin is very similar to a standard size pin released on the Disney UK store however this one as more of a photo look rather than created with enamel.
Heres a size comparison of the Jumbo compared to a hidden mickey pin.
I previously owned the 3 kittens pin however when I saw he was selling the whole hidden Mickey set I knew I had to buy them!
This pin was a surprise Zap that he threw in! ( A Zap is a surprise gift or pin).
Below is my coordinating YouTube Video where you can see the pins more in depth.
I hope you enjoyed this pin post and I'll talk to you soon! Sophie x
I picked this book up last month on quite an impulse buy as I'd never heard about it before. But I was quite drawn to the cover and had a fair inkling as to what it would be about. I'm always looking for books that are slightly different from the normal teen romance or dystopian stories and also for those that are on subjects I don't know much about or have never read about before. Well this book ticks those boxes. This book features two protagonists and the chapters alternate between both of their perspectives.
The first protagonist is called David and his secret is that he wants to be a girl. Only he two best friends know this and David is preparing to break the news to his parents.
The second protagonist is called Leo and for circumstances that don't become apparent towards the end of the book he has to move schools which just happens to be the same school that David goes to.
Everyone has theories as to why Leo got kicked out of his previous school and see him as the moody scary one. However David is drawn to him especially when Leo decided to hit the bully that is picking on him.
This book follows the two as their friendship unexpectedly grows and how David is dealing with his secret.
I really enjoyed this book and gave it 5/5 stars on Goodreads. I felt that it was a very refreshing and eye opening to the subject of being transgender and it was like nothing i've read before.
Here is the video I recored on my YouTube page.
The rest of this post contains spoilers.
Throughout the book I knew there was something big behind why Leo left his previous school. And as the book went on I had my suspicions that Leo was also transgender or gay. Well my theories turned out to be right Leo used to be a girl and he had to leave his precious school due to a large amount of bullying that was putting his safety at risk. I was extremely relieved when David and Leo both shared their secrets with each other as it meant they could really relate as to what they were going through. Naturally I wanted David and Leo to get together however I understand that that wouldn't be the realistic outcome and I'm glad Leo was able to repair his friendship with Alicia.
It was also nice to see David's parents be so understanding about him being transgender and they acknowledged that it would take time to adjust and that they would face hurdles on the way.
I hope you enjoyed this review and might even read it yourself. So until next time, Sophie x
So my anxiety related posts always seem to be written in the spur of the moment and I guess I just have to be in the right place mentally to write them as just writing about my anxieties could trigger it.
Today I'm going to be talking mainly about my experience with hypnotherapy and where I'm currently at with my anxiety. If you havn't read my original anxiety post I suggest you read it to give you a bit of back story on my anxiety, you can read it here.
So back in February I decided to take the plunge and start hypnotherapy sessions. My uncle had previously had hypno to help him stop smoking and it's been really successful for him therefore I made contact with the same hypnotherapist. She was really nice and told me that hypno lends itself well to treating and coping with anxiety. I was really excited to start my sessions as at this point I was willing to try anything.
I really had no idea of what to expect from hypnotherapy and all I'd seen is the stereotypical stuff on t.v. where they have a swinging watch and use an activating word. Well let me tell you straight of the bat it's nothing like that! It's actually infuriating that that is people's perception of it and I almost wish it was like what you see on t.v. .
Overall I have to say it is one of the most relaxing things you can do! It can help in subjects such as having trouble sleeping to eating the wrong kinds of foods! So basically we started off going through what I know triggers my anxiety and what I want to get out of the sessions and from there she could tailor them.
During the sessions she put on really relaxing music and I sat in a very nice comfy chair. She then started to talk in a very soothing tone. What she talked about differed from session to session and often initially seemed to have nothing to do with my anxiety( but obviously it does link somehow). 90% of the time I just sat there and did nothing but focus on my breathing when instructed. When I came out of my first session I felt so relaxed and lets just say it's a good thing my mum could drive me home because I felt like I'd just had a nap on a cloud!
So like I said there was no specific word that would relax you but it was all about thinking up a relaxing place and getting into that peaceful mindset.
In total I had about 6 sessions and yes it was expensive. However if you struggle with anxiety you know that you are willing to do or try anything to help with it. So for me it was a no brainer to spend that every 2-3 weeks for a session. Personally I wouldn't say that I'm cured or that it's made a huge impact on my day to day life. However I havn't yet been on a plane since the sessions and that it what we focused most of our time on therefore I don't know how effective it would be. I have now finished my sessions and would probably go for a couple nearer the time of our holiday just to touch base and re focus.
I wouldn't not recommend hypnotherapy as every experience and individual problem is different however I don't think mine was as successful as maybe my uncles was.
So now whats next?
Well the main thing I've started doing just this past week is I saw a doctor to talk about starting some medication. Now I'm not ashamed to say that I'm now taking drugs for my anxiety because at the end of the day if it helps me live day to day then I'm all for it. We both agreed that I was sensible and went through counselling and hypno before resorting to medication and I just feel this was the natural next step to take. Since talking openly about my anxiety I have had many family friends tell me how they or someone they know has taken tablets for their anxiety or day to day battles. So far I can't really comment on my medication as it's too early on to say if it helps or not.
I also want to look int CBT or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help further change the way my mind thinks.
Leave me a comment or message me privately if you've ever gone through hypnotherapy or have taken medication for anxiety/panic attacks as I'd love to share experiences. As always if you need someone to talk about your anxiety or anything else going on in your life I'm more than happy to listen as I'm a big believer in getting things off of your chest and not letting it build up inside you.
I'm really excited to bring this book review to you today as it's one of the best book's I've read over the past couple of months. The book is "All I Know Now" by Carrie Hope Fletcher.
Now I know what you're thinking " Oh no not another YouTuber book!" but for some reason when I knew this book was being released I didn't see Carrie as a YouTuber but just a normal person wanting to share her experiences and help other like minded people of her age and younger who are maybe struggling with different aspects of their life.
For me All I Know Now is a cross between an autobiography and a survival guide as Carrie does throw in her anecdotes which makes the book very relatable.
From the get go I loved Carrie's writing style and could just imagine her reading it ( get on that audiobook girl!).
Carrie made the book so personal and you could really tell how well thought out it all way from the illustrations used to calling the chapters "acts". It made it feel like Carrie has the manuscript stored away for months/years waiting for an opportunity rather than having to make something up just because you've been offered a book deal.
Carrie talks about various subjects ranging from bullies to living out your dreams. Unlike the book Ask Elizabeth by
Elizabeth Berkley I feel I could relate to this book and use more of its advice now and in the future. Maybe it's because Carrie's younger than Elizabeth that I could relate to it more.
Carrie talks about her time at school and how she felt like she didn't fit in, just wanted to read and had a small circle of friends. I could really relate to this as I was also quite quiet and shy at school.
Carrie gives a little tip early on in the book for if you're stressed. She suggest's blowing on the end of your thumb, i've tried this and I can see why it would work to calm you down as it helps to regulate your breathing and help you concentrate on something.
Carrie talks about how you need to have a period of time in your life where you are just single but in a way date yourself. You need to get to know what you like and the hobbies you enjoy. Otherwise you're going from relationship to relationship and you won't really know what it's like to be just you. You'll always be seen as a couple rather than two individuals.
Towards the end of the book Carrie answers questions that her readers and subscribers were able to send in to her. Again this shows how much Carrie appreciates her fans and wanted them to be the centre of her book.
Finally at the end of the book Carrie includes a list of "props" which are website and helplines for some of the subjects she touches on such as food disorders or depression. However these aren't just useful for British people as she also recognises her fans from other countries such as Ireland and Australia.
This book really made me want to pick it up and read it and thats one of the reasons why I gave it 5 stars of Goodreads.
Below is my review over on my YouTube page on the book.
I hope you enjoyed this review and I'll talk to you soon! Sophie x
Last month I decided to read Marie Kondo's "The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying" with the intention to then carry out the "KonMari" method on my clothes, books, papers etc. I'd seen two of my favourite YouTubers, Jen from "OrganisedJen" and Gillian from "GillianAtHome", talk about this book and their experience with applying it to their lives. Well it looked really effective and I was in a complete spring cleaning mode when I bought the book.
Marie Kondo is a Japanese woman who specialises in organising and decluttering your life.
In this post I will not only be sharing my thoughts on the book but my entire experience with reorganising my stuff! In this post I will link 3 videos that are on my YouTube channel, the first being the book review and the other two being the whole process of sorting out my clothes and books.
So join this journey with me as I uncover the secrets on tidying your life.
This book is only 207 pages long and therefore I was able to read it within one afternoon/evening. I would encourage you if you can to do the same as it makes for a very fluid read and I was then able to start organising the next day.
At the start of the book I did feel like Marie was really hyping up the book to be some life changing event that is the cure to all you messy problems and for me this came across slightly pretentious as she's saying how she never get's repeat customers and she so quickly gets booked up for work. Because of this you expect the book to dramatically change your thought process on organising and anticipate getting rid of a lot of stuff.
One thing I've learnt is that you put in what you get out, if you go in half assed then your not going to get the best results then if you 100% follow Marie's rules.
Marie says that the one thing we're not taught at school or generally in life is how to tidy yet we're just expected to do it as children. I found this an interesting point as being organised can have a huge effect on how we live. One thing I relate to Marie on is that we both like to get rid of a lot at once rather than little amounts in stages, this is something Marie feels is key to a tidying success.
Another point Marie makes is about the use of storage solutions and how they prevent us from actually getting rid of stuff we don't need. She says "Putting things away creates the illusion that the clutter problem has been solved. " " This is why tidying must start with discarding." I must say I have been a victim to this,
Marie has created the "KonMari" method which is her process for organising and discarding. She starts of by telling us to tidy by category and not location. By this she means don't tidy room to room but for example take all your clothes from each room and bring them together to one space to then sort out. By doing this it helps to see everything that you have and often brings a shock factor to it.
Naturally before I clean my room I always tidy it first by putting clothes away and putting anything back to its rightful place, I also discard things if I no longer need them. This usually helps to clear surfaces and give a more minimal feel (even if thats not what your going for). By naturally doing this it really set me up for a KonMari experience.
Marie says this process should be quite quick and should take about 6 months! I'm sorry but that is not quick! For me I did it in a day and maybe because of that my outcome from the process isn't as drastic. The KonMari method is set up in stages that have been well thought out by Marie. The order she has chosen to sort things out is based on what she feels it the easiest to let go of first and then the hardest last. This is what she suggests: Clothes - Books - Papers - Miscellaneous - Sentimental
I did stick with this order however I havn't yet tackled sentimental items as I know this will take the longest. I found that each category brought up hurdles as I will later talk about but I did find Books easier to sort out than clothes.
If you take one thing from this book it to always ask yourself "Does this spark joy?" This is a phrase that Marie really emphasises and I agree is extremely helpful especially when sorting through clothes. When you hold up a top or a pair of shoes you should get that tingly feeling or want to wear that item everyday if you could, that to me is what that phrase means. This is something I since apply now when I'm out buying clothes.
Another game changing point Marie makes is to change the way you fold your clothes. Again if you take anything away from this book this is one of those points. For me I struggle for space despite some might saying I have a lot. But I just wasn't using my dresser to its fullest. Well the KonMari way of folding has really helped and you can see this in the picture below. Before I stacked all my T-shirts and jumpers however now I fold them into rectangles and store vertically and am now able to see everything I own. I will point out that it can be a little difficult to put T-shirts back in once the method is in place and if the width of the draw in filled they tend to slide down.
One thing I didn't agree on with Marie and that was her opinion of what you should wear around the house. She says you should dress up and wear feminine clothes even if your not setting foot outside. Well I say wear what you want! I'll let you into a little secret, as i'm writing this I'm currently in sweats and a Jersey Boys t-shirt, no shame there.
Overall I liked the book and gave it 4/5 on Goodreads, after reading it I was really excited to start clearing and I'll share that experience with you now.
To see my book review on YouTube click below.
Clothes
Overall I found sorting out my clothes fairly easy however despite getting rid of a lot I expected to be able to get rid of more. I feel I probably kept more than I should of especially if it was something I was undecided on and I just kept it rather than getting rid of it. Like I said the folding method has given me a tone more space however it can be difficult at times to put your clothes back in place after washing them. As the day went on I did pluck a few pieces off of my to get rid of pile and cheekily put them back in my wardrobe, again I shouldn't of done this and once somethings in the pile it should stay there. But hey no ones going to shoot me over it!
Overall I found basics, hoodies, cardies and tops easy to sort through however jeans and shorts brought up issues. For me jeans last a while therefore I have some pairs that I once used to love but my style has since changed and I don't wear as much. I had to make the decision to let go on some brighter coloured jeans despite once really loving them. Shorts also were an issue as I'm not currently wearing them due to the weather and therefore havn't worn any in months, I think I only got rid of 1 pair out of 10... oops.
Marie also has an order to which clothes you sort out first however I didn't really stick to this and just went with what I felt like.
Shoes were quite an Issue as I have quite a few pairs of Dr.Martens which to me are an investment and I don't want to currently get rid of them as my shoes styles change.
One thing I continuously try to do with my wardrobe which
Marie mentions to do is to keep certain items together for example all dresses together all trousers together etc. This really helps to know exactly where things are and make dressing quicker in the mornings.
To see the process in full check out my video below.
Books
Going into this section I thought it would be very hard as I love collecting books however it was the complete opposite! I found it quite easy to get rid of a lot of books and think I could even get rid of more. I had a lot of books that I knew I wouldn't read again and were just keeping for the sake of adding to my collection. I got rid of a few that were on my TBR shelf as the moment of wanting to read that book had long passed. In this section I also sorted through coffee table books and photography books which you can see in the video below.
I still need to tackle magazines and personal items however for now I'm happy with the progress I have made.
Be sure to check out the videos linked to see the entire process and I will also leave a video below in which I vlogged my process.
