Music Monthly: December

December 29, 2017


If you're anything like me then Demember has been a time of nostalgia and looking back on things that have happened this past year, for me this has been the most evident through the music that I have been listening to a lot this month. Everything feels nostalgic and reminds me of a feeling or a situation in the past year.



NEW FINDS

Spilt Milk Society's single She Tastes Like Summer is one of those songs that I could have on repeat for the rest of my life, it is so pretty and lovely. This indie/alt band are quickly becoming one of my absolute favourites.

My absolute favourite man Ryan Scott Graham's band Speak Low If You Speak Love have been releasing a few singles to build up the anticipation for their new album and I cannot get over how incredible it all is. My favourite of the two singles so far is for sure Contrasting Colours, purely because of the line 'I'm still waiting for something that you outgrew'.

Why did nobody tell me The Lumineers released an album earlier this year? Why did it take me until the end of the year to be blessed with this magic? Who knows, but I am so glad that I did manage to find it. Everything about this album is so beautiful, as well as the film that goes alongside it. My personal favourite songs from it are In The Light, White Lie and Angela.

Spotify suggested The Band CAMINO to me in one of their discover weekly playlists and I cannot get enough of them at this point, they've made their way into so many of my playlists and have so many absolute bangers. I personally love My Thoughts On You and 2 /14.

I've mentioned her before but Mahalia has released a new single and I couldn't not mention her again because of how insane it is. This woman has one of the most calming, wonderful voices and a heart of gold and the song is just as wonderful as her.

BROCKHAMPTON released their third (?) album of the year and I have only listened to this one (please don't kill me, I'm so late on the hype) but there are for sure some tracks on it that have really stood out for me and that I have fallen in love with. I'm also loving their EP All-American Trash, give CONTACTS and COTTON HOLLOW a listen.

Chase Huglin is an artist that I kept meaning to get around to listening to but like that terrible meme or ignoring things for other things I kept going back to old music I loved.



OLDIES BUT GOLDIES

Recently I re-downloaded Soundcloud and got right back into the remixes that I used to love, I found one of PCH by Jaden Smith and not only did it remind me of how good soundcloud remixes are but also how good that song is. Another Soundcloud favourite of mine from him is Fast.

This then leads me onto my next fave that I have revisited which is Halsey and Lido's take of Fast which was titled Slow. Honestly, sometimes I question whether I ghost wrote this it is such a fucking good song, the way they sampled Fast and then added their own twist to it too, just yes.

Your Graduation by Modern Baseball has been a prominent song this month that kind of summaries a lot of what I have been going through. The line 'bullshit you fucking miss me there I said it I guess I'll talk to you in a few months' actually hurts me to listen to these days because of how real it is to a situation that I have been going through.

December has been the month of gaining some sense of closure, it has come in some very strange ways. Taylor Swift has been there through it all, her music has genuinely been such a source of structure and consistency and her song Long Live really resonates with me at the moment.

Does anyone else remember Duffy or is it just me? Please say it isn't just me! I loveeed her music when I was growing up, I remember singing Warwick Avenue with my mum in the kitchen when I was a kid and recently my love her her has resurrected itself. Syrup and Honey will always be beautiful, as will Please Stay.

When I was about fourteen years old I used to love watching The Voice and fell in love with the contestant Conor Scott's voice and audition. He is probably one of my favourite smaller musicians (almost definitely because he is Irish in such a strong sense you can literally hear the twang in his voice when he sings).  He released an EP last year which I adore, and I have been listening to the track You're Not Hard To Love a heck of a lot.

Finally, I think I will mention Natasha Beddingfield and the single These Words. This is an complete bop and never ever fails to boot my mood - thanks to Lucy Moon for reintroducing me to it when she mentioned it in one of her videos.


As always, my December playlist is at the bottom of the page. Be sure to give it a listen and follow and also check out my other playlists. Thank you so much for all of your support this past year when it comes to my blogging, I have big plans for 2018 so keep your eyes peeled on my social medias for more updates on all of that.


Netflix Orignials To Binge | Blogmas Day 20

December 20, 2017




This is the point in the year where everyone is finally getting to wind down and head home for Christmas, some of you may already be there, some of you may be traveling there now, some may be soon. Whatever you're doing I thought I would give you some Netflix Original shows that I have loved binging recently and that I will be watching while waiting for Christmas to come and during the copious amount of time that will be spent at the airport while waiting for my various flights this holiday season.


BLACK MIRROR


Charlie Brooker's talent lies within satire and his creation of Black Mirror shows everyone just how much so. Love or hate his opinions you cannot deny that this show is phenomenal. It blurs the lines between the lives we live and a the idea of a modern day utopia/dystopia. Each episode has it's own storyline and plot so you can pick up from wherever you want, I recommend this so much.

DEAR WHITE PEOPLE

I am angry that this didn't get the appreciation it deserved while 13 Reasons Why was so spoken about, this show is so important and explores so many issues. With an incredibly POC heavy cast it talks about being a black person in American society and I cannot express the importance enough, you have things like gun violence and police brutality explored as well as many other forms of racism. This show is so important.

JESSICA JONES













I studied this for my A-Level media as part of my case study and fell in love with it. Instead of just watching the two episodes I was supposed to I ended up binging the whole series in two days and writing one of the best essays I had done for that class on it. You have David Tennant as a villain and Krysten Ritter as the angsty PI Jessica Jones, this show can be rather dark at times but I cannot recommend it enough, especially for those who love the Marvel cinematic universe. 

STRANGER THINGS

If you aren't on the Stranger Thing hype yet then where have you been for the past year? This show is so so good! It is full of 80's vibes (duh, it is set in the 80's) and had such huge character development throughout the seasons, especially that of Steve but I will leave that for you to discover. Go give it a watch and if you've already watched it then why not rewatch it.

TREVOR NOAH: AFRAID OF THE DARK

I love love love Trevor Noah's comedy, he is one of those people that are able to turn hard hitting life issues into comedic value that still educates you. This is the first comedy special of his that I ever watched and just over a year on I have watched it so many times I am practically able to recite it, my sister gets angry at me for this fact but hey what can you do when a comedian is just that good?

THE INCREDIBLE JESSICA JAMES

Want a show with a strong independent black female lead that isn't Dear White People? This is the show for you. It follows the starving artist Jessica James as she struggles through heartbreak, life and managing to create something she is proud of. It also has that guy from the IT crowd (Chris O'Dowd) in which just made it even funnier for me.

THE SINNER

You really can't beat a good crime drama and this one will have you hooked, that I can promise you. It is essentially based off the fact that Cora, the protagonist of the series, has murdered someone yet she doesn't know why or what even caused her to do it. With the help of a deputy she delves back into her past and discovers what actually caused her to stab a man. This is so worth the watch.

AMANDA KNOX
Crime and conspiracy theories are my guilty pleasure and the Netflix documentary on Amanda Knox is yet another winner for me. Personally, I hadn't even heard of her beforehand but man this is some incredible stuff. There are so many layers to the story and it is so well documented, I'm honestly not sure whether I believe her or not even after watching this twice. I might just have to watch it again on the plane home.


ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

Much more lighthearted than some of my other suggestions is Arrested Development, man this show is bloody hilarious. I love Michael Cera and so this was a must watch for me, I think I managed to binge it all in about two weeks and it was so good. It focuses on how Michael takes over the family business after his father is arrested and how the rest of the family make the job practically impossible.

TO THE BONE

And we are back with another hard hitting film, this one is definitely possibly triggering so if you are triggered by anything eating disorder based then give it a miss, your health will always be more important than watching a film. In this Lily Collins plays the part of a teen artist who is struggling with her disordered eating and ends up being sent away to a rehab clinic of sorts, it is in her desperate attempt to find herself that she almost loses herself too. The fact that Collins herself has struggled with an ED makes this film so much more hard hitting, you can see how much this affects not only her character but her too. 

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CARING

Much more lighthearted than To The Bone but still sure to make you cry at some point or another is The Fundamentals of Caring, this stars Selena Gomez, Craig Roberts and Paul Rudd who are all incredible actors. Released last year this quickly found its way into the list of my favourite films, this is a comedy but it also follows an incredibly ill boy on his attempt of living. 

LOVESICK

I love me a good old British TV show and this is much like Fresh Meat and Skins which are two of my favourites. This is a comedy that follows the lead character Dylan's attempt to tell his ex partners that he has been diagnosed with an STI (it's funnier than that sounds, I promise).  I've also just discovered it is coming back for a third season in 2018 and my day has been made, that's how good it is.

10 Creatives I'd Have To Christmas Dinner | Blogmas Day 19

December 19, 2017





While discussing some ideas for blogmas with a friend, this idea was brought up and saw it as a really fun concept that I just had to add to my list of planned posts for the month. I'm going to talk about the people / creatives that I would like to have dinner if I could (dead or alive). Initially this was going to be celebrities, however I'm not sure if everyone is a celebrity  if that makes any sense, so I do not know what I do and what makes it easier for me haha!




1) Amy Winehouse


If you know me, you will be wholeheartedly aware of the special place this woman holds in my heart. There would be something great about sitting and sharing a meal with one of the most beautiful souls.




2) Kurt Cobain


I think I have something about inviting various members of the group, but I love Cobain and if anything I would have invited him purely to ask who murdered him; at least that way my crazy conspiracy theories would be understandable. It would also be cool to sit and talk to him about his world views as well as every article and interview I would like to talk about him. .



3) Bertie Gilbert


My favorite film maker and creator, I have admired his work for a long time and have a cool experience!



4) Dottie James


It's no secret by now that I adore this woman, she writes so beautifully and in such an articulated way. She is easily one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to the poetry and prose that I write and so being able to sit down with her and just talk for hours on end about writing and music and everything else in between would be so wonderful.


5) Taylor Swift


This lovely lady has been an older sister figure to me for years on end, everything she does for her fans and people who appreciate her work is so selfless and humbling. Her lyrics and songwriting style is something that is so unique, beautiful and captivating and to be able to have a conversation about the way her mind works, what she is working on and so much more would be so insanely amazing. If anything, this one goes out to my ten year old self who would sit at the home computer in the hallway of my house watching her few music videos for hours on end.


6) Tom Harlock


Honestly, if anything then for his self deprecating jokes and sense of humor.


7) Chris Martin

The frontman of my favourite band, the man who wrote some of the most influential songs that have shaped me into the person that I am today. It would be so so cool to just sit there and talk about his music and why he writes what he does and his experiences on tour and everything in between.



8) Savannah Brown


Another of my favourite poets/writers, she is so honest and wonderful in her writing and I cannot wait to read her book when it is released next year. Until then though, I guess having dinner with her would be a dream because again, she is one of those people who have completely influenced my writing style and inspired me to push my writing and work on self publishing so to be able to chat to her about the stressed and such would be very cool!


9) Orion Vanessa Carloto


Ahhhhhh this woman is one of a kind, truly. I have loved her for years on end, as I was going through a tough patch a year or so ago now she is the person whose work really inspired me to turn my pain into something wonderful which is now a mantra and thing that I believe in wholeheartedly. I would love to, again, speak to her about her creative process, moving to New York and everything else she has achieved recently.


10) Adam Elmakias


My favourite gig photographer to exist, his shots are so so wonderful to look at and honestly I just want to geek out with him about photography equipment, work and editing processes. One of my goals is to be able to work with him in some way or another, he is honestly probably one of my biggest - if not my biggest - inspiration in the music photography scene and if you don't know who he is then please please go give his work a look.

A Nostalgic Self Care | Blogmas Day 17 (Technically)

December 18, 2017






Tonight, I am feeling a strong sense of emptiness. Despite getting some wonderful news this morning the excitement from that seems to have long since fizzled out and I am left feeling nostalgic for things I can’t have, and a sense of longing for the things that never happened but could have happened. Maybe this is because I have spent the last hour scrolling through my exes social media before deciding enough was enough and completely unfollowing him; maybe it is because I am currently curled up like a burrito listening to Keaton Henson; maybe it is because I am incredibly homesick and hanging on to the idea that I get to go home for a few days on Friday. It is probably a combination of all of these things in reality.

I missed blogmas yesterday and so thought I would do a little personal post as a peace offering for the lack of what I feel is realness on my blog lately, I don’t really know what I’m creating and hope to get that fully sorted in the New Year but until then here is this and Blogmas will continue tomorrow, up until the 24th.

Self love is something that everyone seems to preach about online these days, even I did a blog post on self care tips just the other day (which I felt so fake posting while in the midst of a mental breakdown). I think the point I am trying to make is that it is almost forced upon us to care for ourselves and while, yes, it is so important there are also times when just feeling is vital. It is important to sometimes just sit and cry over a boy for a while, it is important to miss people, it is important to love and lose. Without these things you are unable to appreciate those things that are going well in your life - had I not had a terrible morning it is unlikely that the one email that cheered me up would have done so in such an immense manner otherwise. But once you are done feeling, it is then that you need to take the self care into action, it is then that your health and mental wellbeing need to become the first priority. 

Recently I have been making myself feel guilty for not feeling anything at all, whether it be happiness or love or sadness it all seems somewhat foreign to me at the moment. As though the rest of the time I am just kind of existing and not really taking the moments I am living in; I take a lot of things for advantage which is something that I noticed when I stopped being a tourist in my favourite city and became a resident. I stopped taking it all in and just accepted that these are my surroundings that this is what I see everyday. I stopped being fascinated by the canals and bikes, they became a part of my routine. They lost their foreign beauty and I am going to begin to challenge myself to fall in love with this city all over again (even if it means going to random places and forcing myself to take somewhat decent photos). 

I think for me, forcing myself to feel will be one of the biggest self care actions I can possibly carry out due to the enormity of it which is why it is something I am writing about within this post. Yes, I did just admit to feeling homesick and sad and then go on to say that I don’t really feel anything anymore but what I mean is that I need to force myself to fully understand why I am feeling what I am feeling. There is a difference between being hit by emotions and actually accepting that these are your feelings and this is what you are going through, by learning to do this I feel I will be much more able to then learn to care for myself in a way that is matching for the needs of my current state.

Basically what I’m saying is that I need to learn the difference between not having showered for three days and feeling a bit gross because I spent the day in bed, one of these is a self destruction of sorts and the other is basic human activity every now and then. Both however leave me feeling guilty, I need to stop reprimanding myself for doing these things and begin to take an understanding about why I do these things instead, thus will in itself be the biggest form of self care I can commit. Taking the time to learn how to better myself and develop as a person while also ensuring I am caring for myself.


If you take anything from this post it should be that you need to be able to feel, especially if you are a creative like me, but you also need to know when do draw the line and begin to care for yourself. We are all learning the arts of what is best for us day in day out, this is vital for our own personal growth but please remember to live in the moment too.
x

Albums of The Year | Blogmas Day 18



This year has been filled with so much good music and I thought I would take the time to reflect on the albums that are in my opinion the best to have come out of this year.



TELL ME YOU LOVE ME - DEMI LOVATO





I don't think I have really spoken about this much but I genuinely think this is Demi's best work yet, she has well and truly found the sound that she was progressing towards when she released Confident and it is so sexy and empowering. Having grown up listening to her music it has been such a cool experience realising that she has been growing with every album too, each one is more personal and powerful than the next and I love it.

Fave tracks include Daddy Issues and Ruin The Friendship.





PLACES - LEA MICHELE





My love for Lea, like most people's derives from the Glee days (which were much simpler days for us all). Her vocal ability is something that is unlike anything I have ever discovered and this album seems to prove to us that she is still as talented as ever. The lyrics are all very much romance based and it makes me so happy to realise that she has found happiness after the tragedy of her losing Cory.


Fave tracks include Proud and Hey You.






ABOUT U - MUNA  





I've loved this lovely girl group for most of the year and apparently so did Harry Styles considering he asked them on tour with him! This is some of the most beautiful and haunting music and gives me serious The Japanese House vibes.


Fave Tracks include Crying On The Bathroom Floor and About U.





THE PEACE AND THE PANIC - NECK DEEP 

 



While I have already spoken about this album in my August Music MonthlyI love supporting British bands and watching them succeed. Their lyrics in this album are so real and hard hitting considering two of the members lost their fathers in the process of making the album as well as losing a few of their good friends. Neck Deep turned their pain and grief into something wonderful and for that I will always be grateful.
 Faves tracks include In Bloom, Wish You Were Here, and 19 Seventy Sumthin’.


THE THRILL OF IT ALL - SAM SMITH  





Can someone please explain to me why every album I have loved seems to have a monochromatic style cover?? I don't know either. Sam Smith's new album is nothing short of phenomenal and if he doesn't win all the Grammys possible for it then I will be immensely disappointed to say the least.


Fave tracks include Midnight Train, Pray, and Scars.




CTRL - SZA  



Boy this is a very talented woman and has had an incredible year and has been nominated for numerous Grammys in the wake of this album. The entire concept of it is beautiful, featuring her music as well as voice notes/audio from a phone call with her mum you really feel as though you are feeling the pain she sings about.  Filled with empowering lyrics, incredible collaborations and strong as hell vocals this is an album I will listen to in the hopes of making my Monday mornings better.

Fave tracks include Love Galore, Drew Barrymore, Prom and 20 Something.



WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CAR - DECLAN MCKENNA 




I can genuinely feel my friend Em's pride about the fact all her shouting at me to listen to Declan worked and that he is now featured on my favourite albums of the year. His music is so chilled and the lyrics are so fab and have such cool meanings behind them that you just can't help but love him and his tunes. This lanky, socially awkward lad has made a proper good album here. 

Fave tracks include Paracetamol and Listen To Your Friends.




CALIFORNIA (DELUXE) - BLINK 182 


Though this was technically released as a normal album in summer 2016 Blink then released the deluxe edition this year which is complete with a whole new disks worth of tracks. Yes, I love old Blink and it can easily be argued they are dads trying to be cool but this album is awesome and the artwork is snazzy too.


Fave tracks include Hey I'm Sorry, Home Is Such A Lonely Place and Parking Lot.



HARRY STYLES - HARRY STYLES 



Easily the best album that has come out of any of the ex members of One Direction (yes, I will fight anyone who disagrees) this is full of absolute bangers. I adore this man and everything he stands for, he is so cool and charismatic and filled with passion for what he creates which really shows in his album. You can also watch a little documentary on his writing process of it on apple music which I think is an awesome personal touch!

Fave tracks include Kiwi, Ever Since New York and Two Ghosts.







Self Care Is Just as Important | Blogmas Day 16

December 16, 2017




One of the biggest struggles of this season is how dreary it is, and how this often affects people and their mental health. I have seen numerous people tweeting about how down they are feeling with dark mornings and dark evenings, it seems like your whole life is being blanketed in darkness. This is something that I struggle with vast amounts, and so I thought I would put together a list of five things that I tend to do in order to maintain a balance of self care which is so important when feeling down.

1)     Wash your face or do a face mask. Maybe even just splash some water from a tap onto your face if you don’t want to or don’t feel up to doing the other two options. I always find that being fresh faced and feeling somewhat clean helps me to feel better.

2)     While you’re at it, give your teeth a brush. If you aren’t up to that then chew on some gum, this won’t be as hygienic as the other option but it will make you feel cleaner.

3)     Get yourself a warm drink and write a realistic to-do list. Work your way through the list throughout the day but also don’t beat yourself up if you are only able to manage to complete a small amount of the tasks. It’s okay to have days like this.

4)     If you are struggling to reply to people and, like me, end up with a build up of messages, emails and various other notifications then draft out a simple but important text. Saying something like ‘Hi, I’m not ignoring you, I’m just not completely up for conversations at the moment. I will reply as soon as I can’. It allows people to know that you aren’t ignoring them and also removes the daunting task of replying to messages you really can’t face at the moment.


5)    Contrasting to my last point, call a friend and try to talk through whats going on in your mind. Be as honest as you can with them, but also remember to ask how they are, how their day is going, anything along those lines really. Friendship is a two way street and your mental health shouldn’t make you selfish when it comes to their time.

Book Wishlist | Blogmas Day 15

December 15, 2017



If you've been keeping up with my social media, you have fallen in love with reading again. Because of this I have been able to get through a book a week every week and this is something that I want to continue for the next year or so. (Though I am going to uni in September so this could prove to be a little harder than I intended for it to be). This post is going to be filled with books I want to read and why they are getting bad so badly in an attempt to justify my ever growing Waterstones wishlist (because if I can turn it into a blog post then it's okay, right?).



ORION CARLOTO - FLUX

As one of my biggest inspirations Orion's book is something that you will find in Europe. -ordered copy. 

"Flux  is a gloomy narrative, an ode to change, a collection of poetry and prose written from the many states of grief about a broken heart." Katie Roberts, Orion Carloto creates a dream world for the brokenhearted and painted whimsical picture around the themes of love, loss, solitude, depression, sex, nostalgia, and unrequited romance  Flux  takes readers through a raw and sorrowful journey of each and every bitter moment of heartbreak Forewarning,  Flux  is best read with a warm cup or coffee in hand. "

I have also put the trailer Orion released for the book below.






ELIZABETH COBBS - THE HAMILTON AFFAIR

Last year was the peak of my obsession with Hamilton and it has since dwindled out, however I am still in love with the story, lyrics and characters. Lin Manuel Miranda is a wonderful playwright and composer and Hamilton is the perfect evidence for that. Despite my love for the musical I still haven't read any books on it and feel this one would be so good to read as it is fictional but a fictional take on history. 

"Born a bastard and raised an orphan in the stifling heat of the Caribbean, Alexander Hamilton must prove his worth on the bloody battlefields of the American Revolution. A wealthy child of privilege, Elizabeth Schuyler has never wanted for anything, yet she longs for a life of so much more. When fate brings them together, a passionate, life-long love affair begins. But to Alexander, burdened by his tragic origins, matters of honour can never be forgotten. As he risks everything for the future of his bold new country, this extraordinary marriage will be tested like no other - and become forever immortalised in hearts and minds."


KAZUO ISHIGURO - NEVER LET ME GO


I came across this book over a year ago now when creating my English A Level coursework but due to the heaps of reading I was already having to do for it this slipped my mind until recently. I am such a sucker for a good dystopian novel and according to everything I have heard about it this is just that. 

"In one of the most memorable novels of recent years, Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewered version of contemporary England.  Narrated by Kathy, now 31, Never Let Me Go hauntingly dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School, and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world. A story of love, friendship and memory, Never Let Me Go is charged throughout with a sense of the fragility of life."



JOHN GREEN - TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN

Thirteen year old Meg was John Green's self proclaimed biggest fan and so his latest release has to be on my reading list. This is supposed to be such a real take on anxiety and mental health from Green's own personal experiences and so I am so excited to read it. 

Meet Aza Holmes. She’s a teenager, bright but hemmed in by troubles: introverted, obsessed by bacteria and the transmission of disease, her every thought is edged by doubt and reflection.  Daisy, however, is her Best and Most Fearless Friend, and Daisy has a plan. A plan involving a missing billionaire and the promise of a hundred thousand dollar reward, money that could be theirs if only they could figure out where he has gone. That’s where Russell comes in, and that’s where things start to get really interesting.




MATT HAIG - HOW TO STOP TIME

The author of the only 'self help' book I have ever read (and will forever swear by) has released his newest novel. The general premise of it sounds so interesting and I am so excited to give this a read as soon as I can get my hands on it (and have time to read it).

"I am old. That is the first thing to tell you. The thing you are least likely to believe. If you saw me you would probably think I was about forty, but you would be very wrong. Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he's been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz-Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen a lot, and now craves an ordinary life. It’s a life he once had, long-since buried but buried secrets have a habit of catching up with you and nobody can outrun their own past.  Always changing his identity to stay alive, Tom has the perfect cover - working as a history teacher at a London comprehensive. Here he can teach the kids about wars and witch hunts as if he'd never witness them first-hand. He can try to tame the past that is fast catching up with him. The only thing Tom must not do is fall in love. "


RAY BRADBURY - FAHRENHEIT 451 

This is one of those books that  I feel every book fan should read at some point and I'm still yet to read, I've been making my way through a heap of 'classic' books as this is neck on the top of my list of reads. This inspired one of my favourite novels 1984 and so I am incredibly eager to read it.

'It was a pleasure to burn.  it was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books.'




NED VIZZINI - IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY

I watched the film of this before I realised it was a book which is something I actually resent doing as I always prefer reading the book first, however I am dying to see how different the two are from each other. Young Adult Fiction is always something I come back to as a comfort and find myself tearing through (for example I read Everything Everything in one single sitting)!

'Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life-which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job-Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That's when things start to get crazy. At his new school, Craig realizes that he isn't brilliant compared to the other kids; he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping-until, one night, he nearly kills himself.  Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.' 



ADAM SILVERA - THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END

Every trip I take to Waterstones when I'm in the city leaves me dying to buy this but I always seem to also buy another book instead. It is in the Amazon wishlist I sent my mum though so hopefully I will be the owner of it soon!

'On September 5th, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: they're going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they're both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: there's an app for that. It's called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure - to live a lifetime in a single day. '



PATRICK NESS - MORE THAN THIS

I've heard so many good things about this book and I am definitely looking forward to reading this one because of them, even John Green seemed to love it!

'A boy called Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he is here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighbourhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust and completely abandoned. What's going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this...'

CAROLINE SMAILES - THE DROWNING OF ARTHUR BRAXTON

If you watch Luke Cutforth's YouTube videos you will know that a few years ago he gained the rights to make this book into a wonderful movie. He has been working tirelessly on it and recently he has been hinting that it is almost done, that all of the suspense of waiting is almost over. I've had a few years to read this in preparation for the release of the film but I keep finding other things to do, however I am determined to read it before the release of the film.


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