The Fun Questions Tag!

Hey all!

It's been a long time since I last posted and in the past week or so quite a lot has gone on, some good some a bit worse but overall I'm so happy with the way it's gone on and things have worked out for the best. Anyway, I thought I'd do a tag because I've not had much tim to write content in the last week or so because we got a new tutor at college who is less than good but I'm sure she'll sort herself out anyway I shall get on with the Fun Questions Tag! Enjoy dearies! 

1) When is your birthday? 

December 14th 1995 - I'm a winter baby!

2) What are 3 of your favorite colors?

Silver, Gold and red at the moment, although silver is my absolute favourite colour.

3) What are your 3 favorites quotes?

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass, it's learning to dance in the rain" - I'm not sure who said that I just have a picture of the quote stored in my phone. 

"If you're always trying to be normal you'll never know how amazing you can be" - Maya Angelou.

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me" - C. S. Lewis.

4) Are you addicted to YouTube?

Um... Maybe... Possibly. Yes. I have a problem! *sobs heartily*

5) What are 3 of your favorite shows on TV or YouTube or both?

Once Upon A Time, American Horror Story Doctor Who.

6) What are 3 qualities you like in a best friend?

Humour, loyalty and kindness.

7) Do you like your name? 

My full name is Katherine Hayley Jazz Savage Simpson but I'm known as Katy Simpson. I hate Katy Simpson but I love Katherine Hayley Jazz Savage, if that made any sense at all.

8) If you have the choice to pick your own name, what will it be?

Ruby Pleasant, because rubies are my favourite gems and I'm obsessed with the Skulduggery Pleasant series!

9) What is your fantasy dream?

For Skulduggery Pleasant to save me from some danger and I become his partner... that's not weird right? Right?

10) Do you wear makeup?

I do, not all the time but I wear it o college sometimes and when I'm off out or going to a party or something. 

11) If you could write a book, what would the title be and what would it be about?

I have no idea about the title but I do write a little and at the moment I'm writing a short horror novella type thing with possession and demons and stuff. I love scaring myself witless to be honest. 

12) What makes you cry?

I cry when I see my friends and family upset, anything to do with hurting animals or children, Disney movies... pretty much everything. 

13) What makes you angry?

Ignorance, when people talk about others behind their back in a malicious way, homo/bi/transphobia etc and discrimination for any reason... and politics.

14) What makes you happy?

Books, books and more books, days out with my best friends, cosy nights in, spending time with the family. 

15) What is "Fangirling?"

See the picture? That is what fangirls/fangirling is.

16) What are your 3 favorites snacks?

I really like shredded coconut, sliced almonds and strawberries.

17) What are your 3 favorite foods?

Pizza, my grandmas sunday dinner and stir fry are my all time favourite foods. 

18) What are your 3 favorite drinks?

Water, Milk (with or without tea) and Shlœr, yummy.

19) Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Well, I'm 19, I'm a plus size blogger, I live in the North East of England, I'm obsessed with Harry Potter and Skulduggery Pleasant. I can sing, play piano and clarinet. I'm pretty cool and I love rainy days.

20) What are 10 random facts about you?

- I'm a Slytherin on Pottermore

- I can sing in German, Polish, Russian and Mandarin.

- I can perfectly recite every single line of Mulan throughout the whole movie. 

- I used to want to be a stripper when I was younger...

- I got my Mam to buy me a 'make your own skeleton' type thing but stopped buying after the head purely cause I wanted to recite Shakespear.

- I'm an only child.

- I have no idea what I want to do with my life.

- I want to live in the Scottish or Irish countryside.

- I'm single although I have various celebrity and non-celebrity crushes at the moment. 

- I have over 150 different types of nail polish.

21) What are your 3 fun things to do?

Read, draw and cross stitch are my 3 favourite things to do. 

Thanks for reading all hopefully some of you will fancy doing this tag, let me know and I'll check it out. 

Love Katherine. X

All images for this post are  taken from Google. :)

What's on My Bookshelf?

Hi All!

DAY OFF COLLEGE! YEY! 

Today college is closed for a staff training day! Exciting times to say the least, and I am SO glad for it, I started my German course last night and to say it was a disappointment would be an understatement. Any who, the extra day off has given me some time to get down to writing some upcoming content which is a great relief and finally I've had the time to write about something I've been really looking forward to... What's on my bookshelf! I really hope you guys enjoy this post because I've loved writing it. Before I start I need to say that I have about 8 bookshelves worth of books but I obviously only have 1 bookshelf so unfortunately some books are being left out for now. Okay, so that's my bookcase to the left, it's the Gersby bookshelf from IKEA, only £17. It has 5 shelves and because I'm really quite OCD I've organised each section by book.

So for the first section, the top and most important section I have some of my fandom related books, here I keep some of my favourites. As you can see I have organised them by size so I start with the biggest which is The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle which I got in 2013. I've read the whole book around 3 times and I love it. Next I start with the Harry Potter series going from 7-1, because of size. Obviously Harry Potter would be there somewhere, he's the boy who lived for heaven's sake! Next to all the Harry Potters I have The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy... such as nerd I know. I love that series because I tend to use reading as a means of escape if I'm stressed or something and the whole fantasy genre really just takes me away. Right, that's it for the books on the top shelf because I like to keep the Harry Potter and LOTR DVDs up there with the books too, so I won't lost them mainly. 

The second shelf is home to some of my favourite books and authors. This shelf I like to call my snuggle shelf, and I call it a snuggle shelf because I will always go there when I'm having a snuggly night in or I'm in a snuggly mood. On here I have books by Dawn French (a fabulous writer and a great actress!) I love her books because she writes with a funny but oddball view of the world and I always giggle when I'm reading them. I also have books by Danielle Steel and Pamela Evans, two of my absolute favourite writers both of these write really heartwarming and generally "happy ending" type books, the kind of books that would be chick flicks if they were movies. I love a good chick flick but there's nothing better than a god book like a chick flick. Here I also have books such as P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern and a few others by her, I adore her writing and my favourite of hers is definitely 'The Time of My Life'. I have 'Becoming a Midwife in the 21st Century on here too, mainly because I'm really interested in Midwifery and it's definitely a career option to consider. Finally, I have Lost Christmas by David Logan here which is a book I've read every single year for the past 3 years every Christmas. I adore it and I'm so glad it was bought for me as a present because its bloody wonderful. I highly recommend it to those of you who haven't read it. 

Now, although I said my bookshelf has 5 shelves I only use 3 because the last two are really too unstable for the weight of books so usually I'll put the odd DVD on there until it's fixed and I can put books there. So, this is the final section and it's my horror/classics section. I'm a bit of a horror nut too when it comes to books, I despise horror movies unless they're horror comedy types, but I love getting scared by a good book, as you can probably tell from the picture I am a sucker for a good Stephen King book, my all time favourite being 'Salem's Lot' (I had nightmares for a good while after reading that). Other books of King's I have include Misery, The Shining, Carrie and a collection of his short stories. I also have The Mall and The Ward by S.L. Grey, these are probably the most effed up books I've ever read but if you're looking for psychological type thriller/horror books definitely go for those because they are brilliant books. Here I have classic books too such as To Kill a Mockingbird, a favourite book of mine on one story that I really will treasure for the rest of my life; Frankenstein, complete world of Charles Dickens, Jayne Ayre and Dr, Jeckyl and Mr Hyde are also on my classic/horror section. I love a good classic. You can clearly see I have a few other books on there that I've just laid on top of others, I had no room left. These include The Fault in Our Stars, An Abundance of Katherines (hehe my name) both by John Green and I also have 'How to Be a Woman' by Catlin Moran, if it was appropriate I would push this book in everyone's face if you haven't read it because it's such a blunt and sarcastically funny view on the difficulties women (and sometimes in the book, men) face throughout their lives, I'd recommend this book to any body interested in Feminism because it's awesome. 
Well, there you have it, thats everything I've got on my bookshelf at the moment, hopefully I'll be able to do another similar post once I get the room decorated and I get myself few more bookshelves. I hope you all enjoyed that and let me know some of your favourite books in the comments!


Love Katherine. X

Comfy Nights In - How To

Sometimes we all just need to take a break, take some time out, relax, pamper and treat ourselves. For  those of you who can't afford luxury spa weekends or cottage holidays (me included) every now and then to escape from the world, there is nothing better than having a night in at home just having a bit of 'me time'. I'm doing exactly that come this weekend if I manage to get all of my assignment finished today or tomorrow, so I'm going to let you all know the best ways to have a cosy night in. 

Face Masks - When I'm having a comfy, cosy night in the firs thing I go for is definitely my face masks! Face masks are a great way to unwind a little before really getting cosy. My favourite brand of face mask is Montagne Jenuesse because they have such a wide range of face masks, I personally love their Fruit Smoothie mask because it smell delicious and makes my skin very smooth. While waiting for face masks to dry you can do some reading or run yourself a nice bath. 

Run a bath or have a hot shower - Baths or hot showers with some lovely Lush or other smellies is an absolute MUST on a cosy night in. Nothing unwinds and relaxes you like being surrounded by hot steamy bubbles and pretty colours and smells. I also like to take some advice from Sarah Millican and have a cup of tea while in the bath, it's lovely ladies try it! 

Onesies - I highly recommend getting yourself into your favourite onsie or pair of PJs, getting all snug is the best part of the night! And nothing feels better than soft PJs after a hot bath. 

Get the Food in - You can either do this by ordering your favourite food in or you can make your favourite comfort food, personally if I'm ordering food it's either pizza or chinese for me, that's one way, however my favourite thing is to get some fruit and dipping chocolate and just take it from there. It's best to get a food you really like because it makes the night a little better.

Warm Drinks - Again warm drinks such as tea, coffee if you like or hot chocolate with all the trimmings. Warm drinks can make you feel sleepy and warm on the inside, so they give you that extra cosy, snuggly feeling especially on cold nights. 

Perfect lighting - Lighting is a really important aspect of comfy nights in I believe, it creates the right atmosphere and can make you feel really cosy and generally happy. Fairy lights  alone are great for these types of nights in, I don' usually recommend any brighter lights as it can overpower the smaller ones and that would be missing the point of having lighting. I really like scented candles for lighting as well as fairy lights because they don't just give the room a warmer and cosier feeling, they also make the room smell so nice, always a plus in my book. 

Music - Music is something lots of people find really comforting and if you pick the right music it can make a night great. Usually when picking music, if that's what you like to do on a cosy night in, I would probably say go for something relaxing or mellow. Personally, I have a few choices when it comes to night in music, one being Jack Johnson, another Taylor Swift or absolutely anything classical and relaxing. 

Tonight's book

Movie Marathon - Movie marathons are a really good and fun idea, particularly if you're having friends over or stuck for ideas. Even a TV show marathon would be fun, last time I had a night in I watched all of the Vicar of Dibley episodes and I regret nothing! I wouldn't recommend anything too scary because that can change the atmosphere of the night and nobody wants to be scared. 

Reading Time - This is my all time favourite thing to do on a night in, I love to chill out in bed or on the couch with blankets, tea and fruit with dippy chocolate, completing the night by sinking my teeth into a good book. 

Hopefully I've been able to give you guys some good ideas for next time you have a night in! Enjoy the rest of your weekend lovelies!


Love Katherine. X

Weekend Summary and Next Weeks Plans

Happy Sunday everyone!

I hope all is well with you all today? Yes? Awesome. This week has been an odd one to say the very least, jam packed with Valentines Day reminders and plans with friends. As per usual I started my week off my getting up at 6am everyday for college, as if 6am even exists it's far too early. Anyway, Monday my class did the CPR training session for people within the college and we managed to get around 140 people trained in hands only CPR, it was oodles of fun, some girls in the class dressed up in fancy dress, others were manning the free cake stalls, we had the Vinnie Jones 'Stayin' Alive' DVD clip playing on repeat on one stall and some music playing on another while me and 3 other girls were stationed each in front of an Anne doll (dolls used to simulate CPR) I was teaching child CPR. There was also a baby/infant CPR doll which was interesting to watch how it's done on a child. That was fun, also me and a good friend made extremely impromptu plans to go swimming on Monday night which was great, I absolutely love swimming and it was such fun to go; we also ended up going on Tuesday and Wednesday night too so I'm thinking that I'm going to add Monday and Wednesday nights to my exercise plan, as I'm still sticking to that resolution. 

Thursday I was back at work with the children which was as lovely as usual, I absolutely adore it there and I can honestly say I never expected that I'd love it as much as I do. That's got me thinking about having my own children at some point in the nearish future, but for now I'm quite happy looking after others' children. Friday I wasn't feeling my best so I stayed home and tried to get an assignment done that I've got to do over the half term, I had a mini-meltdown over that because I'm struggling to cut my work down and there's a 1,000 word limit on the report part and I always write far, far too much. NOTE TO SELF: Work on that. 

However, I've given up on that and I ended up reading Skulduggery Pleasant Death Bringer which i hope to finish tomorrow. Yesterday I went out for a meal with a friend to a restaurant in Durham called Sambuca which was lovely, me and my friend had a three course meal each (starter, main, dessert) a soft drink and a coffee all for £14 which was in my opinion really great for the quality. I'll definitely be going back there. Today I'm chilling again with my book and some Disney films later on.

Next week is pretty eventful, I've made plans to clean my filthy car tomorrow which is a pretty big job considering it hasn't been cleaned out since Christmas Eve 2014. I'm also going bowling on Tuesday with a friend from college and her boyfriend/his friends for her birthday which I'm really looking forward to, Wednesday I am going to start that assignment have to do and Thursday I'm at work then over to another friends house as it's his birthday and me and his fiancée are planning a little party with one of our friends to come up and have a house party type affair the next day. Friday is also a half day at work too which I'm looking forward to. Next Friday another friend is coming up to see me and two others for that house party which I'm extremely excited about as it's always a great laugh when we are all together. I swear I am doing nothing when it comes to the weekend though, I'll be exhausted after this week haha.

What are you all up to this week? Whatever it is I hope it's fabulous! 

Love Katherine. X

The TMI Tag!

Hey Everyone!

As you all know I really enjoy doing tags and seeing the reaction of some of you when I answer the questions, so I though I would do the TMI tag! TMI stands for Too Much Information and I will answer all of these questions as honestly as I can, I hope you all enjoy it!

1. Ever been in love? I have not but I look forward to being in love at some point in my life. 
2. Ever had a terrible break I've had one break up that upset me quite a lot but I don't let things like that keep me down. Also it was his loss because I'm awesome. 
3. How tall are you? 5 foot 4 I believe, I may be smaller.
4. How much do you weigh? Hand on heart I genuinely have no idea, I don't weigh myself nor do I get weighed at hospitals either. That's purely because I tend to dwell on things and from experience I'm more productive when I'm focusing on what I have to do rather than how much I weigh. 
5. Any tattoos? No. I wanted a tattoo up until a few weeks ago when I realised that it would be there forever... like FOREVER! I could never rub it off. Nah I'll stick to being plain thank you very much.
6. Any piercings? I have one set of earlobe piercings, I did have my nose pierced and the whole of my left ear pierced until I got bored of them all and took them out. 
7. OTP? Valduggery (Skulduggery and Valkyrie - non romantically) from the Skulduggery Pleasant series.
8. Favoutrite show? Family Guy at the moment although it does change.
9. Favourite bands? The Beatles, Queen and McFly are my all time favourite bands.
10. Favourite song? Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back in Town. No Question.
11. Something you miss? I miss my dog Dodger. He was knocked over on Demember 1st 2009.
12. How old are you? I'm 19 years and 2 months old exactly come tomorrow. 
13. Zodiac Sign? Sagittarius.
14. Quality you look for in a partner? Kindness is top.
15. Favourite quote? "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me" C.S. Lewis.
16. Favourite  actor? Benedict Cumberbatch, watching him in Hawking cemented my opinion of his skills. 
17. Favourite colour? Silver is my fave!
18. Loud music or soft? Soft mainly but I sometimes have it loud if I'm feeling particularly angry.
19. Where do you go when you're sad? Nowhere in particular but I like to get lost in a book.
20. How long does it take you to shower? 20 minutes usually, 30 if I'm not going anywhere. I love long showers. 
21. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? If my hair is wet 35 minutes, if not 15-20 usually. 
22. Ever been in a physical fight? No however I have accidentally broken my Mam's ribs and nose when I was a year and a half old, and I also broke 2 other people's nose accidentally when I was 14.
23. Turn on? When people smell really nice.
24. Turn off? Nastiness. 
25. Reason you started blogging? It was just a way to vent really, if I was stressed I'd write a blog post or two. 
26. Fears? Losing my family, being alone forever spiders and the sea. 
27. Last thing that made you cry? Today when I wasn't able to move a table, I get really sever muscle aches around "that time of the month" and I couldn't move a coffee table today because of the pain.
28. Last time you said you loved someone? My Mam earlier on tonight. 
29. Meaning behind your blog name? It's my name.
30. Last book you read? Pamela Evans - Close to Home.
31. Book you're currently reading? Skulduggery Pleasant Death Bringer.
32. Last show you watched? Family Guy season 13 - Farmer Guy.
33. Last person you talked to? My grandma.
34. Relationship between you and the last person you text? A good friend from college.
35. Favourite food? Stir fry FTW!
36. Place you want to visit? I'm desperate to go to Ireland at some point or the Scottish Highlands. 
37. Last place you visited? Does college count? I haven't visited anywhere in ages, the last proper trip I went on was in 2009 when I went to Edinburgh.
38. Do you have a crush? Yes, yes I do. I shall keep my mouth firmly closed on that one though. :)
39. Last time you kissed someone? My birthday last year so December 14th 2014. 
40. Last time you were insulted? Early December last year by a guy at college who thought he was clever but really looked like a donkey in a tracksuit. 
41. Favourite favour of sweet? Anything Lemon or Apple, like sour apple balls or lemon drops. 
42. What instruments do you play? I play piano at grade 8 but I've only done the grade 3 exams, clarinet, I sing so I guess vocals count and I can also play the spoons! Those are a recent addition to my skills and I love the spoons!
43. Favourite piece of jewellery? My gold and topaz ring I got for my 18th birthday tied with my charm bracelet that has got one charm for every year I've been alive on it. :)
44. Last sport you played? I don't really play sports although I went swimming on Tuesday.
45. Last song you sang? Carrie Underwood's All American Girl about 5 minutes ago.
46. Favourite chat up line? It doesn't technically count but I love "Why would I ever need to know about the solar system? My world revolves around you" I think that's so cute.
47. Have you ever used it? Absolutely not.
48. Last time you hung out with anyone? Wednesday I hung out with a friend from college... in college. 
49. Last movie you watched? Beauty and the Beast <3 DISNEY!
50. Who should answer these questions next? I'm not going to tag anyone so if you want answer the questions yourself then let me know your answers!

Love Katherine. X

The Harry Potter Tag!

Hi All!

Again I'm pushed for time when posting this week and I usually find that tags are the quickest posts for me to do in this situation so I'm doing the Harry Potter Tag today. For those of you who've read my post "My Experience at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour" you'll know how much I love Harry Potter and how influential and supportive these books have been to me, I found this tag floating around and I can't remember where and it seemed like a fab post idea. So, let's get right down to it!

Favourite Movie?

My favourite movie is definitely Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the whole movie is a mess of emotions and I love it when Fred and George prematurely age, I find it hilarious. 

Favourite Book?

My favourite book has got to be Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It might be cliché but I love the first book because you get to experience everything along with Harry for the first time... even if you read it 100 times over!

Parts of the movie/books that made you cry?

Two words that apply to both books and movies... Dobby's death.

If you could hook up with any HP character, who would it be?

Definitely Fred or Georgr Weasley, I love a guy who can have a laugh. I also like men with ambition so definitely one of those two. Plus I'd want a Weasley jumper.

Favourite Character?

I've never thought about this for a long time before but this question made me think and I'd probably have to say Hermione Granger and I think that's because I relate so much to her. I've ran myself into the ground because of school work and I also have a thing for redheads, also I adore how passionate and driven Hermione is about so many things. I always thought her of a love/hate her kinda character.

What would you Patronus be?

A tiny little scottie dog. My nana adores scottie dogs and so do I and i'd love to have a weeny little dog protecting me from Dementors. 

If you could have the ressuraction stone, invisibility cloak or elder wand, which would you choose?

Easy, invisibility cloak. Predominately I want the cloak so I can put it over myself when I'm driving and really freak people out. I'd use it to sneak into libraries too and just sit there all day reading. 

What house would you be in?

On Pottermore I was given the household of Slytherin however, I personally think I'd suit Hufflepuff mainly because I'm so helpful, although I can be quite sly and cunning so maybe Slytherin would suit too. I'd like to be in Ravenclaw but I'm not clever enough ha.

If you could meet any member of the cast, who would it be?

I think Emma Watson is such an amazing role model and all round fabulous person so I would absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE IT if I could meet Emma Watson!

Have you played any of the video games?

I have played the first and second Play Station one games and I think they're so good! If I had a playstation one now I would definitely be playing it today. 

If you were on the Quidditch team, what position would you play?

Keeper because I'm fab when I'm in goal or in any sport where you need to stop the other team scoring. Definitely not seeker, my attention span and eyesight work against me when it comes to that. 

Were you happy with the ending?

Yes absolutely. I was so happy when I realised all was going to end in a very happy place, I couldn't imagine Harry Potter with a different ending. 

How much does Harry Potter mean to you?

This series means the world to me as I use this series as an escape, somewhere I can go to relax, have a break and experience magic and wonder all in my bedroom. I love Harry Potter so much!

Love Katherine. X

A Few of My Favourite Things! Tag

Hi All!I've decided to do do the Few of my Favourite Things Tag, I only stumbled across this today because I've had that song stuck in my head all day, you know the one "these are a few of my favourite things" I can't remember what movie that song is from but anyway, I started googling whether there was a tag like this and I found one! So, I took my chances and decided to do it, it's been pretty fun writing it so i hope you all like reading it!
Products/Things: Snape's wand I got from the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, Prada Candy perfume, my 62 year old teddy bear that's been passed to me from my grandma's generation, my books and my special mugs.Foods: Pizza, Sunday/Christmas dinners, Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli crisps, Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream! All at the same time of course ;)Places: Whitby, York, Edinburgh, London and Ireland, I've posted about these places previously and Ireland was included in my Travel Bucket List.
Things you'd miss if you didn't have them: My family, my friends, my iPod as I can't live without my music, my books obviously, my notebooks and finally my onesies, I adore my onesies and especially on cold days I'd miss them too much.
Things you do when you're bored: Read, play piano, sing, blog, watch my favourite box sets.
Things you do when it's sunny: Go to the beach, spend time with friends, go swimming or ice skating and do a bit of yoga.
Films: Rudolph the movie, Oliver and Company, The Book Thief, the Santa Clause movies, Brave, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland (with Johnny Depp), Pirates of the Caribbean.
Songs: Téir Abhail Riú by Celtic Woman, Galway Girl - Foster and Allen Ft. Shayne Ward, Boys are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy, Stand By Me - Ben E. King.
Brands: Prada, Kandee (love their shoes), Converse, Cath Kidston.
Outdoor things you like: Starry nights, dark nights, bright summer colours, dark rain cloud colours, snow, being caught in a storm, swimming in the sea.
Events: Christmas Eve/Day, Boxing day, my birthday, Halloween, Winter Solstice, Summer equinox, National Book Awards.
Cartoons: Family Guy, South Park, Simpsons, Rugrats, Recess.
Buildings: Edinburgh castle, Durham Cathedral, york cathedral, Whitby Abbey. Anything in everyday life: Children laughing, seeing my family happy, cups of tea, being warm, talking to friends and reading. 
Traits in a person: Humour, tolerance, kindness, maturity, family orientated, nurturing and generally upbeat/optimistic. 

Influences: My Mam and Grandma, Sarah Millican, J.K. Rowling, Acker Bilk, Derek Landy, all women in Celtic Woman. 

Drinks: Tea, honey and lemon tea, hot chocolate, Dr Pepper with ice on a hot day, Lemon water, did I mention tea? Shlœr and tea. 

Experiences: College, Warner Brothers Studio Tour, Haven Holiday 2012 with Aymie, passing my theory and practical driving tests. 

Things to watch: Documentaries, News, Debates, Music videos, tennis, swimming cooking shows etc. 

Youtubers: Rose and Rosie, Kaelyn and Lucy, Zoelle, Sprinkle of Glitter, Beauty Crush, Tess Christine, Ugly Face of Beauty, Bethany Mota. 

Bloggers: A Bloke's Eye View, Maddy Kake, Aymie Louise, Underland to Wonderland, Me Just Talking To You.

Books: Lord of the Rings series, Harry Potter series, Skulduggery Pleasant series, Sherlock Holmes series, literally any book by Danielle Steel or Pamela Evans. 

*NOTE: Ihave absolutely no idea what's happened the the writing on this post and I don't seem to be able to sort it out, I've rewritten it several times too, so sorry for the weird writing everyone!

Love Katherine. X

Maya Angelou 'Letter To My Daughter' Book Review

Hello everyone! 

Today's second post is going to be the first of many book reviews that I'm planning on writing on this blog, I'm extremely excited about these posts as I grab any chance I have to post about books. As I'm an avid reader I doubt I'll be running short of books to review, some of the books I'll be reviewing in the future will be rather old and some relatively new, this is because I believe that somewhere, someone will read my blog and might just want to read one of the books that have been reviewed and I honestly can't think of a better way to use this blog than giving someone a bloody good book to read! I'll be reviewing each and every one in my own words and not all of the books I'll be reviewing will be good or booth that I've really enjoyed. As this is my first book review post I'm doing it on a Tuesday because I'm so excited to get it out and finished, however, from now on I'll be posting these reviews either every Sunday or every other Sunday depending on how much time I get to read because of college. 

This week's book is by the late, very great Maya Angelou and it's her book 'Letter To My Daughter' that I'll be looking at this week. I received this book for Christmas from my Mam and I was overjoyed when I unwrapped it; Angelou is one of my favourite writers, one of which I've only recently gotten into, I've some of her other work and I find her writing truly mesmerising, and her writing style a joy to read. This book is a collection of brief essays in an autobiographical form in which Angelou recounts lessons she's learned throughout her life;  she addresses this book to her daughters. Angelou gave birth only once to a son but in her book entitled 'Letter To My Daughter' she speaks to the millions of women around the world, in her introduction she states this as follows "fat and thin, pretty and plain, gay and straight, educated and unlettered. I am talking to you all". Throughout the book Angelou provides each brief chapter or essay with her usual passion and delivers it with her usual, beautifully poetic style, in fact some chapters are pure poetry, literally.
When I was reading this book I was given the sense that I was being spoken to by a gentle and caring relative grandmother figure, if you will. Chapters addressing issues from rape, vulgarity and finding love at a mature age, each gives a fantastically powerful message to end with and it was truly a joy to read, some things in this book I believe I will kep with me for the rest of my life, for example, Angelou speaks of being charitable simply by giving others your smile, of turning your music down if it's overly loud and she speaks of being brutally honest when people ask "how are you?". I will cherish and treasure this book always, I'd highly recommend it to anyone.


Love Katherine. X

The Book Tag! A.K.A The Ultimate Book Tag!

Hi All!

I found this tag on books with bite and because, as many of you already know, I am a MASSIVE bookworm I jumped at the chance to have a go at this myself, I've always loved books and I adore blogging about books so I hope reading this post will be as fun for you as writing it was for me! 

Do you get sick while reading in the car?

No not at all, in fact if I'm not driving and I have even a short journey I will definitely take a book and read it for as long as I possibly can. That's one of the worst things about being able to drive yourself, you don't get the pleasure of reading in a car any more. 

Which Authors writing styles completely unique to you and why?

Regardless of the fact that I adore the series I do have to say Derek Landy, there is something about his writing that can build up tension exactly when it's needed, he can make me cry and laugh out loud no matter how many times I've read his books. I've literally been in public and laughed out loud at the sarcastic witticism his characters come out with. Plus his characters are utterly loveable, even the villains have something appealing about them. 

Harry Potter series or Twilight Saga? Give three Points to support your answer!

Harry Potter series... Always. 

1) J.K. Rowling is really detailed with her descriptions so I can see everything really clearly in my mind's eye.

2) Peeves! 

3) Snape and Lilly, need I say more?

Do you carry a book bag, if so what's in it? Excluding books

Currently my book bag is a cream canvas book bag that says 'I bloody love books' which is so true! It currently has in it the books I'm reading, those being Skulduggery Pleasant Kingdom of the Wicked, my headphones and iPod, some feminine necessities, my inhaler and my purse. That's about it, I only take what I absolutely need in my bags.

Do you smell your books?

Of course! One of my favourite smells in the world is a book, old or new the smell is just so comforting and homely and I love it. That and Prada candy perfume are my two favourite smells. 

Books with or without little illustrations?

I can read books with or without little illustrations but I tend to think if they do have little illustrations that they give the book a bit more character. I like the illustrations and revel in them when I find a book that has them in. 

What book did you love while reading but later discovered it wasn't quality writing?

For me it had to be Fifty Shades of Grey, I read all three books within 5 days and honestly whilst I was reading them I thought "wow yeah! That's some quality writing, the plot is great!"... That was when the first books came out, since then I've read many other books such as The Fault in Our Stars (John Green), The Mall (S.L. Grey and Letter To My Daughter (Maya Angelou) and I've realised how wrong I was, the writing is shoddy, tacky and the whole plot seems like a bored housewife's boring daydream. Sometimes I think I could have written a better book with more passion and fire that that and as I've mentioned before I'm not a good writer. 

Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood?

I don't have any funny stories from my childhood although about 6 months ago I went into Waterstones in Durham city and bought a few books including a couple of Stephen King books and John Green books and a cute guy commented on my good purchases and I ended up attempting to flirt outrageously with him until I dropped all my books on my toe and swore rather loudly, thankfully he flashed me a gorgeous grin and helped pick up the books he was only a couple years older than me but I swear my heart skipped a beat once I'd gotten over the initial mortification. 

What is the thinnest book on your shelf?

The thinnest book on my chef by far is Maya Angelou's Letters To My Daughter, this book is absolutely wonderful and warms my heart every time I read it. 

What is the thickest book on your shelf?

The thickest book on my shelf is probably The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. I only read these books in 2014 and I've never gotten into book so quickly as I got into those, Doyle was a fab writer with an eye for deduction and logic. 

Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself as being an author in the future?

I would LOVE to be a writer but I'm honestly not very good at it, I'm quite good at writing short stories and I do that occasionally but I'm much more of a reader than a writer, there's nothing better than getting lost in a good book. 

When did you get into reading?

When I was round about 3 I started to read fluently, I remember when I was at nursery I hated reading because I got so upset that everyone else was reading but I felt like I was getting nowhere so I came home one day and just cried to my grandma because I couldn't read and I really wanted to. I was such a cute child. Who am I kidding, I'm still cute. :)

What is your favourite classic book?

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of my absolute favourites without a doubt! I first read this in year 10 and usually when I'm told to read a book, like for a book report or something, I struggle to get into it as I like to find my own books to read but this book just grabbed me right away. I have no idea why as it was't particularly fast paced or action packed but it's a very good book that I'd recommend to anyone. 

In school was your best subject English?

English wasn't actually, I hated English language but that's all we id up until year 10 when we finally started English literature which obviously I loved! We were made to read To Kill a Mockingbird, Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde and another book I can't remember, it was a really good lesson. 

If you were given a book as a gift that you'd read and hated what would you do?

Personally I always believe that if I'm given a book I don't like there will always be someone out there who will appreciate it or enjoy it therefore I will give them to whomever I think the book suits. 

What's a lesser known series that you know of that's similar to Harry Potter/Hunger Games?

The only series I can think of is the Percy Jackson series! I adore those and I've even gotten my mother into reading them to ha! I love anything like Harry Potter although I have to admit I simply can't get into the Hunger Games, maybe I'll try again later this year.

Are you a nerd, dork or dweeb?
All of the above... or so I've been called numerous times. I like to think of myself as a nerd. 

What's your favourite word?

Scintillating. I love that word and I have no idea why, it's just fun to say and fun to read. I will provide you with scintillating conversation... most times anyway.

Vampires or fairies? Why?
As a main character I like vampires, mainly because I find they're more versatile characters to work with and read about but in general I like fairies... because they're cute.

Shapeshifters or angles? Why?
I think shapeshifters are really cool and in a book my attention is immediately grabbed by a shapeshifter, one example of that is the aminagi in the Harry Potter books. Not sure if I've spelled that correctly but whatever. 

Spirits or werewolves? Why?
Werewolves definitely. I've always been intrigued by werewolves, they're pretty damn cool.

Zombies or vampires?
I like zombies, I love zombie books and I'll always go for a zombie movie or book if I'm looking for a scare, mainly because I have a terrible and irrational fear of zombies...

Love triangle or forbidden love?

Never forbidden love for me, usually with forbidden love I find that the books are very brooding or sullen and I can't stand reading books like that, I'm not keen on love triangles but as long as there is a happy ending or there is romance of some sort in a book, even if that love never comes to fruition, that's a good romance story for me. 

Full on romance books or action packed with a few love scenes mixed in?
Personally I like a mix, if a book has too much romance going on it can take away from the initial plot line itself but if a writer is leaving their readers hanging when they want to see some romance going on their readers can get frustrated with too much action. I think you've got to find a book with the right balance and it's important to note that just because there isn't romance in a book doesn't mean it can't be jam packed with love.

A few books I got for Christmas

Love Katherine. X

Weekend Summary and Next Weeks Plans!

This week has been pretty difficult for me what with having flu so unfortunately I had to put my plans for this weekend on hold and I'm hoping that I will get out to go shopping with friends next weekend. I'm planning a shopping trip with my Mam and Grandma next Friday or Thursday. The day depends mainly on whether the rather incompetent placement officer at my college finally manages to sort out my placement or not, if so I'll be in college from Monday to Wednesday next week and in placement on Thursday. 

Next week is going to be a pretty busy week because I lost all last week of college because of this stupid flu but still, I've managed to catch up and get my assignment nearly finished, I've spent some of this weekend doing that.

 So far since Friday I've had a lovely weekend that's actually been really stress free, other than trying to do my assignment I've been sat in bed snuggled up with endless cups of tea in my favourite mug that has my favourite quote on it "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me" C.S. Lewis. I've also Managed to work my way through my new season of Family Guy and all three series of Miranda and American Horror Story; it's really rare that I ever get to relax like this so I love making the most of it. I've managed to get a few good posts up on the blog this week too, I'm most proud of my Advice To My Younger Self Post; finally I'm happy to say I got quite a lot of reading done this week, finishing two more books in the Skulduggery Pleasant series and moving on to the 7th book later today. Nothing in the world can make me happier than sitting down with a cup of tea and a good book, except maybe when it snows. So, there's my weekend in a nutshell. 

My plans for next week/weekend are pretty straightforward, I have college from 9am to 4pm on Monday, 9am to 2pm Tuesday and 9am to 12pm Wednesday, possibly at work on Thursday if not I believe I'm shopping with the family then on Friday if I'm free (and healthy) I'll be popping over to a friends for a chat or we'll be going out for a coffee maybe. Saturday Aymie will be coming over and we shall be doing bait of shopping hopefully and a beauty/pampering collab post. Finally I'm hoping to get my first draft of my personal statement finished by the end of next week too.

Thanks very much for reading today and I hope you all enjoy my blog. Please feel free to leave comments.

Love Katherine. X

52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge!

Hi All!

Today's post is just going to be really quick and concise because I'm still feeling under the weather and  what with being off college I have episodes of Family Guy to watch and relax with. Anyway, I've been wanting to do a few more "challenge" type posts so I decided to do a little research last night and found something that suits me down to the ground. 

The 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge!

Basically, this is a challenge in which you've got to set yourself a goal of reading at the very least one book per week, which for me should be a doodle. Also I will be recording all of the books that I've read on here and reviewing that as I finish each one, this isn't a necessary part of the challenge however I think it'll be a good way to hold myself accountable and also to keep up with a my weekly book review post that I've been aiming to do for quite a while now. 

I'm extremely excited about doing this challenge and writing up my book reviews, I've mentioned before that I love to read so it should be a lot of fun. 

Just before New Year I started re-reading my Skulduggery Pleasant series, this week so far I've managed to get through the 4th and 5th book and I'm going to start the 6th book - Skulduggery Pleasant Death Bringer. However, I will not be reviewing these books now as I have a Skulduggery Pleasant series book review coming up later on in the week which should be really, really fun to write about considering how much I love those books. 

Anywa, thank you all very much for reading and I hope you'll be looking forward to seeing some of the boo reviews. Let me know if you're getting involved with this challenge, I'd love to see what everyone else has been reading. 

Love Katherine. X