Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Netflix || The Investigator: A British Crime Story

Welcome to another post. This is a review on The Investigator: A British Crime Story on Netflix. It's been on my list for a while to watch, and I finally watched it. 

The Investigator follows the investigation on a missing person. It follows a former police officer who is looking into the disappearance of a wife and mother in 1985

What I liked about the program was that it really goes into detail about what happened to a curtain person who had gone missing and her husband in prison for her murder.

It all unfolds over four episodes.

The first series is really strange. Carole Packman just disappears, her husband reports her missing two months later, and six months after that someone claiming to be her says she's fine. Carole's family dynamics seem really strange before she disappeared.

After she disappeared her husband replaced her pretty quickly with the woman who moved into the house beofre she disappeared.


I found it strange that now after so long that her daughter Sam wants to find out what's happened to her mum because when she first disappeared all those years ago she didn't seem to care.

The woman who took Carole's place was a bit strange. But it's understandable that she didn't want to talk.

Throughout the episodes the Investigator had been writing back and forth with the person who is in jail for the murder  and with his lover. The whole series is completely different then what I have seen before.

Monday, February 27, 2017

February 2017 Wrap Up and Book Update


Welcome 
to February's wrap up, and a book Update. The way that I have done this Wrap Up is taken all the books that I put in my Feb TBR and just wrap it up, weather I've read it or not. Also I have finished two books that wasn't on my TBR for February.

I can't believe that February is almost over. It seems to be going really quick this year.




The Pact
- Ok so this was finished at the end of January but I didn't put it in my January wrap up or my February TBR as I wasn't sure if I would finish it in January, or have enough left for February TBR.
Review of  The Pact  HERE


- Belle De Jour
I started reading it in January, it's a pretty short book less then 300 pages but it's one of those books that really keeps you wanting more
Review of   Belle De Jour HERE


- Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
This was good for what I could understand of it. It was different layout then The Cursed Child
Review of  Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them HERE



- Life of Pi
Yeah I didn't even attempt to read it. I tried. But just couldn't do it.


- David Beckham my world.
While there is a few words it's mainly pictures.  It's a great book just to look at the pictures and if you are a massive fan of David Beckham like I am you love the pictures.


Book Update
This month I had a little book block this month, it's not because the books are bad or anything, I just didn't read that much and was flipping between the two books.

- Cinder
I am flitting in and out of Cinder. I don't think I will finish it in February.
I am enjoying it but because I am going in and out of it I don't think I'll be finishing it anytime soon




- Jane Eyre
Again I am in and out of the book. I am not a massive fan but I want to finish it. Again I don't think it wasn't in February hopefully in march.



So Cinder and Jane Eyre are being moved over to my March TBR.


Lauren
xoxo

Sunday, February 26, 2017

I Met a Celebrity || Storytime

Welcome back

today's ost is on  the time I meet Michael Caine



Sir Michael Caine is a British actor that's been around for years and years. He's been in movies such as Alfie, Batman and Austin Powers. My parents are fans of his.

So one day I was going to hang out with my friends like I normally did on my days off. I was on the bus in the town they lived in. (They lived in Hastings I lived in bexhill and they are pretty close that I'd just jump on the bus to Hastings.) it took about 40 minutes in the bus. I was almost at the stop where I'd get of when I saw a camera crew, and in Hastings you'd never see camera or that kind of thing on the scale like it was that day.

A few hours later and I'd already had met up with my friends and we'd spent most of the day walking around Hastings and we decided to go back to her house for a while. After that we decided to go to where we normally would end up on the hill that looked over the sea that was near Hastings castle.

On the way there we stoped at a grass area that was near a park where we had seen some friends. We were sat there talking to them when some security people came over and asked us to move. Well the nosy person that I am (also we had been drinking but I wasn't drunk or anything.) I asked why.  They told me they were filming a movie. So I asked if anyone famous was in the movie. That's when they said Michael Caine. So I freaked out. Michael walked over to us and started speaking to us. He wasn't mad or anything as far as I could tell. He was super nice, and kindly let me take a picture with him. I knew my mum would be super jealous that I had met him, and as I was leaving I looked at him and said that my mum loved him. He laughed and told us to have a good day. Just after we left my mum actually had texted me and asked when I would be home. It wasn't super late like 5/6pm. I told her I wouldn't be to much longer like an hour or two, and let her know that I'd meet Michael Caine. She obviously didn't believe me. A well known actor in a small sea side town like Hastings I totally understood why she didn't believe me. So a while later I went home. This time I got the train home. It's a lot quicker then the bus, and was about the same walking distance from the train station near my home as it was getting off the bus near my house and walking home from the nearest bus stop.

I walk in and showed my mum the picture and she freaked out more then I did. My dad had already moved to Canada by then and so rather then tell him over the phone we sent a copy of the picture to him. It was a really cool experience to meet someone who is such a big well known actor in England.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Amy Netflix Documentary

Amy
Netflix Documentary


I was looking for a documentary to watch. My dad had told me that it was good, but I completely forgot about it and started watching other shows. So when I came across it I decided to watch it.

It's a really good documentary of such a talent young woman, who got into a bad relationship not only with a man, who became her husband, but with drugs and alcohol.

It shows how she went from a normal as normal can be, to selling millions of records and ending up dead.

I was a fan of Amy's before she died. I remember when she got really big and liking her music before she got big. I remember getting the Frank album beofre she made it big and then Back to Black came out and she sky rocketed.

It was a documentary that shocked me.  I knew she was into drugs and all that and that her husband was a bit of a dick. Ok more then a bit of a dick. But I didn't realize just how bad the drugs were effecting her life.

It's such a good documentary, it shows her highs and lows and everything in between.


One part near the end and if you have ever seen the documentary you may know what I'm on about but she looked so sick and unhealthy.

Her dad I found to be a knob. Why would he take cameras out to a place where Amy was, while she was happy and to her clean.

She had sure a raw talent and was lived by so many and she had all these problems and people wanted too help her and it seemed as if she didn't want any help and she ended up dying.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Books That Get Me Out Reading Slump || Top 5 Wednesday || A Few Horus Late

Welcome

Back to this weeks Top 5 Wednesday. This is all about books that get you out of a reading slump.




- Marshmallows For Breakfast
I can't even explain how many times I have read Marshmallows for Breakfast since I've gotten it. It's one of those books that keeps me holding on and never wanting it to end.


- The Devil Wears Prada
Possibly my favourite stand alone book that was made into a movie. It's literally one of these books that always gets better with time





- Harry Potter
A) who doesn't love Harry Potter and B) is it just me or is it a book series that as you get older just gets better and better.



- Hate List
This is a new edition on my reading slump pile.  It's such a hard hitting yet brilliant book. It's on my list as one of my all time favourites and I can Related to some of the characters and it's one of those books that I can pick up and boom I'm out of the slump.




- My Best Friends Girl
Again it's one of those books that you can pick up and wonder what the fuss was about with the reading slump.


All these books are books that I know that I like and that will get me back into reading and out of the reading slump. Other books I like to read to get me out of it are small quick books, around 100 pages, or books that are less words such as band programs or that kind of thing.

Lauren
xoxo

Monday, February 20, 2017

Penningtons Haul



Welcome back

One of my Christmas gifts was a gift card to a clothing store. And for every $75 on the card you'd get a $50 savings coupon.  Which I got two off. So I went shopping. All together my total before the $100 savings was $240, but with  the $100 off I only paid $140 (with tax). I was super surprised with myself actually because normal would get a lot of black clothing which this time I didn't.

3 strap tops
Originally $38 each
I paid $21.03
Saved $16.97 per top
The tops are so comfy it's unbelievable just how comfy they actually are. They are great for summer.



2 oversized shirts
Originally $25
I paid $13.84
I saved $11.68 per top
They are so comfy. I haven't got any over sized shirts because I couldn't find any that I liked. They would also be great with a small belt. Also they are the perfect after a day at the beach because they are over sized and comfy.

Hole shirt
Originally $46
I paid $25.46
I saved $20.50
I have no idea what his shirt is called but because of the holes I call it the hole short. I love long tops and this is again perfect just to throw on after a day at the beach.

Sunglasses
Originally $14
I paid $7.76
I saved $6.24
What I like about the sunglasses is that they are so dark that when it gets more sunny it blocks out a lot of the harshness of the sun.


What I will say about the Penningtons I went into was that the customer service wasn't that great. I was in there almost two hours and not one employee came up to me and asked if they could help, or if I was looking for something in particular. Yes they were busy, but when everyone else got a hello, try this,  I think you should get a bigger size, you look like a 1 maybe a 2 x, and I just got a passing glance and nothing. Yeah that kinda annoyed me. I didn't expect or ever do expect people to be over compensating or anything but a simple hello, or can I help you with anything. Just acknowledge that I'm in the store or something. I don't want you to go all out and help me. But when I ask for help I don't expect attitude from the person I asked for help from.

Also, one thing I didn't like was when I was checking out, the phone rang and the person who I had asked help from answered it. (She wasn't the cashier that was ringing my things through). She told the person who was ringing me out they had to do a camera check. Which I understand but the way she said it made me feel as if I had done something wrong.

Overall it's a bit of a different vibe in the Penningtons that I went to here in London (Canada before people freak out) then I would get in the one in Chatham. They do have great clothing for plus sized people. But like any store I think there should be more pants for shorter people.

Saturday, February 18, 2017

The Reality Of Being A Short Girl

Welcome

To my blog.

I laugh and joke about how short I am. I mean I am just over 5ft tall. It doesn't bother me at all that I am so short. Until that is I try and find trousers or jeans that fit me right. Not only am I short but I am plus size as well. While there are great plus size stores I still can't find any jeans or trouser that fit me being short because even the petite sizes are aimed for people between 5ft2 and 5ft5. Which at 5ft I am no where near.



So when I went into Penningtons I found a really nice pair of trousers. (I wish I'd taken a picture of them on the hanger. But I have found a picture of them.) They had rips in them and I really liked them, they were a perfect fit around my stomach which for me is also a problem area. The only problem with them was that they were a little to long. Not massively like most trousers are but enough for the rips in the legs not to even be seen.

In my whole life (my whole 27 years on this planet) I have only ever found two pairs of jeans that fit me perfectly. Leg and around the stomach.

As you can see in the pictures that the trousers look good, but in reality they are pulled up a bit and you can't see the actual rips in the trousers.

There was no way that I could justify $50 of my Christmas gift card money on something that just didn't look right on me. Which is such a shame because they were so cute and comfortable and the only pair of trousers in the whole store that I actually liked.  Thankfully I still have some money left on my gift card so if something comes out later then I'll get something then.

I have come to realize that my height will always be a massive problem in my life. While I like being short I personally think that petite ranges should carry for the shorter people (well people under the 5ft3 that most petite ranges start at)

Friday, February 17, 2017

Throwback Thursday

Welcome

To my first #ThrowbackThursday post (I'm not sure if it's the first one ever in my blog or the first one in a while)

This was taken in the summer of 2004, I was 15 years old. Friends of the family who I'd known since the age of about 4/5 christened and we went back to their house afterwards. We had moved to the same town as they lived about a year before.

My dress in this picture was from New Look and I loved it. The straps were removable. What I will say about the dress from what I remember and you can see from the picture is that you have to have boobs for them. And I didn't have boobs at all for it but still loved it.

Lauren
xoxo


Beauty and the Beast Tag

Welcome back to my blog. With the  release of the new Beauty and the Beast movie this year i thought I'd do the Beauty and the Beast Tag. I'm not a massive fan of Disney. #Controversial but I do like Emma Watson




-  'Tale as Old as Time’ – A popular theme, trope or setting you will never get bored of reading.
Harry Potter series. The first seven books. I am someone who likes the fact that there is all the extras that are coming out, but seriously it's a lot, but the actual books that started it all of will never get old for me. I will never get tired of reading them.



- Belle – A book you bought for it’s beautiful cover that’s just as beautiful inside too.
The UK editions of Marshmallows for Breakfast and My Best Friends Girl are just the most beautiful covers ever. I got them partly for the covers because they are so beautiful, soft, pastel covers. They are just so beautiful. (Also side note the uk and North American cover of The Ice Cream Girls is amazing as well. Totally different but so beautiful. I have the North American version of the book, but want the uk edition because i love it as well. Also another side note. I lent out my first copy of My Best Friends Girl and never got it back and got the North American copy for Christmas and that cover is just beautiful as well).



- Beast – A book you didn’t expect much from but pleasantly surprised you.
Hate List by Jennifer Brown. I thought not would have been ok, and nothing to rave about. In fact I had no idea what it was about. I kept gravitating towards in when I was in the book store and I just got it.


- Gaston – A book everyone loves but you don’t.
To all the boys I've loved before. I don't even wanna talk about it.



- Lefou – A loyal sidekick you can’t help but love more than their counterpart.
Emily from The Devil Wears Prada. Love love love her. She's such a bitch to Andy but loves her job and I think she is just a brilliant character that makes the book that much more better and every time I read The Devil Wears Prada I love her even more. Plus I think Emily Blunt plays her so well.



- Mrs. Potts, Chip, Lumiér, and Cogsworth – A book that helped you through a difficult time or that taught you something valuable.

The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson taught me that holding on to something massive can and will lead to disaster.


- 'Something There’ – A book or a series that you weren’t into at first but picked up towards the end.
One Day by David Nichols. At first I didn't like the book, but as I got more into it I really enjoyed it a lot more. There is something about his writing style that keeps you hocked.


- 'Be Our Guest’ – A fictional character you’d love to have over for dinner.

I would say George Weasley. Then we can talk about our love for Fred. But I hate thinking of only having one so I would say the Weasley twins because I can't have just one or the other.


Lauren
xoxo

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Fantastic Beast and Where To Find Them Book Review

Book; Fantastic Beast and Where To Find Them
Author
Pages
Publisher
Started: 4th February 2017
Finished: 10th February 2017
Goodreads Rating: 4*



I wasn't a massive fan of the book, I am not used to script biased books like that. I have read the Cursed Child but there was something about Fantastic Beasts that I couldn't deal with reading it.

I like the cover of the book, even when you take the jacket of and the cover of the actual book is a denim looking cover. Through out the book is covered in little drawings that some how just really suit being there. The cover of the book is beautiful, I am just not a script kind of person, and it's just a lot more confusing to me some how then the Cursed Child. I think  of the way they are laied out differently is what got  me. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is more of a scrip for a movie.

It's not a bad book, but wasn't for me. It looks great on the bookshelf though.


Lauren
xoxo

Monday, February 13, 2017

Book Talk: Classics

Welcome
To Book Talk. I don't know how many I'll do. Book talk is basically an idea that I came up with where I talk about a book, my feelings on different kinds of books etc.

This one is on classic books.



Back in 2015, I wanted to start reading more classic books. So when I saw a big collection of classic books that were 3 for $10, I picked up three books. The Great Gatsby, Animal Farm and Dr Jeckall and Mr Hyde. I didn't read any of them right away, but since getting them I have read two out of the three and loved one more then the other. So when I went into the bookstore that is near me now a year after picking up those three books and saw that the classics were 3 for $10 again I picked up theee more books. Sense and sensibility, Jane Eyre and Great Expectations, I thought great I could get back into trying to read classics again, and ones that are older, and people have raved about. Yeah that didn't work out to well for me. I struggled with Animal Farm when I read it. I know I'm going to struggle through these books. And I did to an extent. Sense and Sensibility just got so complicated for me that I couldn't finish it. It hurt my brain to read.  I was so confused while I read what little I have read of it before putting it down. And at the moment I am reading Jane Eyre and struggling. I have no idea how I am going to finish it if I do ever finish it. I have come to the realization that it's on not to like books that everyone else likes no matter what genre they are because not everyone has the same taste in books. And that just because I don't like a book or a curtain genre doesn't make me a bad person. It means that I have a different opinion on that book.





For me personally I found it hard because of the language used in the books.

In sense and sensibility I found it confusing and I wasn't sure on who was who, and the storyline got me all muddled up.

I didn't enjoy Animal Farm either. It was the book that started it all off when I saw the 3 for $10, because it was hyped up by a YouTuber and it was so confusing.

The one book that I did enjoy was The Great Gatsby. And I think that's only because I have seen the movie and liked the movie.

With all that being said I wouldn't discount reading another classic, but I'll know for the future that it'll take me a while.

Lauren
xoxo

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Books That Deal With Hard Topics

Welcome

Back to my blog. This post is on books that deal with hard topics.






Marshmallows for breakfast
    - Alcoholism
    - Sexual assault
    - Single parenthood
The topics Dorothy Koomson dose in the books that I have read she does them so well. Marshmallows is one of those books that deals with the subjects so week. From alcoholism, to single parenthood, struggles with what had happened in their past,




The Pact
    - Suicide
    - Teen pregnancy
The Pact deals with topics that can effect so many different people. Weather it be the teen pregnancy or the suicide, but it also deals with the fact that both sides of the family are struggling to deal with what happened.




The Ice Cream Girls
    - Murder
    - Underage relationships
    - Illegal relationship
    - Prison
    - Divorce
    - Lies
    - Betrayal
The Ice Cream Girls is a fast past story about two women who knew each other as teenagers, they both fell in love with a teacher, who ended up being murdered. There is so many hard hitting topics in this book, yet Dorothy Koomson deals with it so amazingly. The amount of hardships that both Poppy and Serena go through is enough to put any one off having a crush on their teacher




- If I Stay
    - Death of a parent and/or sibling
    - Choices
If I stay is such an amazing book and deals with a death of someone's whole family, and the hard choice if they also want to die, or stay alive.




My Best Friends Girl
    - Adoption
    - Child abuse
    - Death
    - Cancer
    - Stereotypeing due to someone's colour/race
What I liked about this book is that it deals with a topic like someone's skin colour. It's only a quick and short section of the book, but it had a big impact just like the rest of the book. It also deaths with how hard it is to loose someone weather it be a friend, parent or partner. It deals with all three within the book.





Hate List
    - Murder
    - Bullying
    - Regret
Hate list is one one of my all time favourite books. I think it's so well written and really tugs at the heart strings. Most of the topics from the book start of with bullying and everything snowballs from that



- The Help
    - Racism
The Help is such a good book and covers probably one of the hardest subjects that any book could cover.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Book Trends You're Tired Of || Top 5 Wednesday

Welcome back to another Top 5 Wednesday. Today is Book Trends You're Tired Of. There are a lot of things I hate seeing in books when I see them but when I came to actually seeing it it was hard to think of.




- Adult colouring books.
 I like the idea of them, they seem great, but it's so over done now I am getting bored of seeing them.

- Vampire Related books. Those books are beginning to get on my nerves a bit.

- book covers that don't match. Thankfully I don't have many of them but still it annoys me.

- Stretching out a series. It happens quite a bit. A series that could have just stoped at one or two books but are stretched out to make a series.

- Adding extra at the end. Not all of the stuff at the end annoys me but some of it does.  I like discussion questions but I hate that they add snippets of the next book, or other books by the author annoys me. It makes me feel as if I have to get that book, and i don't need it.


Lauren
xoxo

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Get to Know Ya Book Tag

Welcome
Back to my blog. Today I have a tag for you all. It feels like forever since I've done a tag. I was inspired by Julie from Pages and Pens to do this tag.




What's your favourite book?
I don't have a overall general favorite book, but the books that I have read by Dorothy Koomson are among some of my favourites. 


What was your favourite book 5 years ago?
Marshmallows For Breakfast or My Best Friends Girl by Dorothy Koomson. I am a massive fan of Dorothy Koomson and I think she should be more well known around the world.




Favourite duology/trilogy/series?
Duology would be If I Stay by Gayle Forman or The Rules of Summer
For a trilogy I don't think I've read a good trilogy that I enjoyed
Series Harry Potter


What was the last book you read?
The last book that I fully read was The Pact. 





What was the last book of poetry you read?
I don't think I've ever read a book of poetry. I know shocker. Actually thinking about it I may have back when I was at school taking my GCSEs.  Yep that long ago. Way back in 2004/2005.


What book most influenced your life?
My Best Friends Girl. Adoption is close to my heart.



7) Book that made you ugly cry?
Hate List by Jennifer Brown. Damn that book made me laugh and cry and have all the feels. But seriously when I cried it wasn't pretty. 



8) Book that made you laugh?
David Jason's autobiography. Some parts of that book literally made me laugh so hard.




9) Character you'd like to be for the day?
Ginny Weasley. I have a lot of love for the Weasley family as a whole. Fred and George are my all time favorite characters and Ginny is also up there. She is definitely my favorite female character is Harry Potter. She's fun, cleaver, beautiful, and totally fearless. She can handle herself well in a family full of boys. She totally could have got lost and forgotten in the books but she didn't. She could have been lost in the fact she had so many older brothers but she stood her ground. 


10) A book that was so good you dreamt about it?
The Ice Cream Girls. It was the first one in ages that I have had a dream about. It was that good that even when I wasn't reading it I could picture myself in the situations.


11) Book you DNF'd?
Just One Year is the first one that came to mind. This year I decided not to put to much pressure on myself to finish a book that I am not enjoying. I really didn't enjoy Just One Year that I didn't finish it.


12) what book are you most excited to read?
Goodnight, Beautiful by Dorothy Koomson. Can you tell I am a fan of her work. It's not a new release or anything but it's been on my shelf for a while and I can't wait to read it.



Lauren
xoxo