Friday 5 April 2013

Fiction Friday: 'The Fault in our Stars' by John Green


(Book and bed = perfect combo... Maybe not for photos though!)

Blurb:
“Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.”

My Thoughts:
I read ‘Looking for Alaska’ by John Green after I saw a quote from it all over Tumblr. I fell in love with John Green’s writing style immediately and it quickly became one of my favourite books. I’d been meaning to read more of his stuff for a while but didn’t – probably because I have the biggest ‘to-read’ pile you could imagine, but also because I’m quite cheap when it comes to buying book.

You can imagine how happy I was when I saw ‘The Fault in our Stars’ as part of Asda’s 2 for £7 deal In fact, the last book I reviewed – 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' by Rachel Joyce – was the book I bought alongside this as part of the deal.

Along with my already declared love for John Green’s writing style, I knew a lot of people were raving about this book and saying it had brought them to tears so I was fairly certain that, even if it didn’t make me cry, I was going to like it. I was wrong. I love it.

The story follows the relationship the builds between Augustus and Hazel after they meet at a support group for children who have, or have had, cancer. The relationship that blossoms is incredibly special and perfectly written, as is the friendships between Isaac, Hazel, and Augustus. It’s touching beyond belief.

It’s nice to see a book that touches on cancer in teens without leaving the reader depressed – there’s always an uplifting, positive emotion sweeping through, regardless of what tragedies might happen.

It’s a tragic love story but there’s much more depth to it than your typical ‘boy meets girl, they fall in love, they fall apart’ story. There’s real hurt in the words, there’s humour that makes you chuckle inside, there’s anger at the harsh reality of life but, there’s also the sense that life is there to be lived, not dwelled on.

The ending made me sob like a baby; not because it was hopelessly sad but because it was a beautiful truth.

What’s your favourite tragic love story?

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Tuesday's Treats - The Beauty Parlour and MUA

Last week I went shopping with no intention of buying anything – I just wanted to browse the shops on my lunch break. To my delight, I found one of the nicest smelling body butters I’ve ever come across for £1.49! What an absolute bargain!



I don’t often look around Savers but I’m so glad I did. You get 300ml of product which I think, for the price, is a steal. It smells quite similar to some of the Soap and Glory products (the peachy scented ones). It’s not as strong as the Soap and Glory scent but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Some of the scents that are listed in the ingredients are: Shea Butter, Apricot, Orange, and Patchouli. I put this on after a bath and it leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturised and, more importantly, it leaves me smelling absolutely beautiful.


The texture is quite thick so a little bit of this product goes a long way. Usually my legs are incredibly dry and, therefore, itchy but The Beauty Parlour’s Body Butter helps no end!
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I also treated myself to an MUA nail varnish today in ‘Pistachio Ice Cream’ for just £1. I’ve been looking for a nice mint shade for my nails but I was never sure it would suit my skin tone. I figured for £1 it didn’t matter if I bought this one and didn’t like it.


MUA have recently changed the packaging (is that the right word?) of their nail varnishes and it’s definitely for the better. They’re easier to hold when painting your nails and they just look better in general.


It only took two coats to get an opaque colour and, although it looked fairly streaky after the first coat, it evens out in the second. So don’t panic if it looks a little iffy after one coat! It turns out that I love this shade on my nails and I’m glad I managed to find the perfect mint shade without having to spend a fortune. Thank God for MUA!

They currently have a sale on their website so check it out and get your own Tuesday Treat!

What would you recommend as next Tuesday’s treat?

Monday 1 April 2013

Music Monday: Imagine Dragons - It's Time


In case you don’t know who Imagine Dragons are, allow me to introduce you. They’re a 4-piece American indie rock band who are making quite the splash in the music world.


In 2012, “It’s Time” was nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA’s) for ‘Best Rock Video’ and it’s clear to see why! The video is incredible. I don’t often bother watching music videos because I’d rather just listen to the song but this one’s different, I like it!

(Front cover of their album)

“It’s Time” is taken from their album, “Night Visions”, which is such a great album. It proves that there’s so much more to them than just being an ‘indie rock’ band. The album is available from iTunes. There’s a deluxe version for £10.99 which features 21 tracks or a standard version for £7.99 which has 14 tracks on it.

Imagine Dragons are releasing the “It’s Time” EP on 21st April for £1.99 which features the track and a couple of remixes of it. I don’t tend to bother with remixes so I won’t be checking it out but if you like them, it might be worth checking it out!

The band are currently at 32 in the UK Top 40 chart with “Radioactive” after having spent 18 weeks in the chart so they’re clearly destined for great things. I have a lot of love for “Radioactive” but I prefer “It’s Time” – I literally can’t listen to it without singing along!

If you prefer acoustic versions, they have one on their VEVO which I’ll link below. It’s a great video that showcases their talent as musicians and singers. I can’t get enough of this single right now and I hope you enjoy it too!


What do you think of the track? Are you likely to check out the remixes?