This book was almost like a re-living of Lauren Conrad's reality-star lifestyle on the show 'The Hills'. It centres around the lives of two girls, Jane and Scarlett, who move to Los angeles to start fresh and jump start their careers. Jane gets herself an internship for renowned event planner, Fiona Chen, whilst Scarlett muddles through her classes at USC deciding what to do with the rest of her life.
Whilst out at a club one night, Hollywood producer Trevor Lord approaches the pair and convinces them to come for an audition for his new show named 'L.A. Candy'. The girls impress at their auditions and interviews and the show begins with their every moves being filmed and re-staged. You really do get an insight into all the things reality TV shows try to hide, from the non-existent spontaneity aspect to the staged conversations.
This book very much reminded me of The Hills which is not always a good thing! The first thing I noticed was the over use f description, Lauren Conrad really went to town with describing every detail and at the very beginning of the book, this really did not make for a great read; it did seem like she got more into the swing of it though as the story progressed.
Another thing I noticed was that there is some serious name-dropping going on throughout. Whilst all the celebrities mentioned are fictional, the brands and businesses were dropped throughout the pages like fullstops. This book rally does have the typical 'Chick Lit' feel to it and is a really lighthearted easy read. I'm still undecided whether to read the rest in the series; yes/no?
Long time no book review; I'm sorry about that. I've been trying to juggle working and finishing books which is difficult when you get home and just want to do nothing haha. I did eventually finish divergent though and wow what a brilliant book!
One choice decides your friends, defines your beliefs and determines your loyalties...forever.
Divergent is a dystopian story set in the future of Chicago where society is divided into five factions all with one, different, specific trait - Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent), Dauntless (the brave) and Amity (the peaceful). Every year on a set date, al the sixteen-year-olds must take an aptitude test to steer them in a certain direction of choosing which faction to spend the rest of their lives in. For Beatrice, the choice is between two; she can stay with her born-to faction or leave her family and all she has known and go to the faction she really belongs to. Her choice surprises everyone including herself.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it's definitely a real page-turner, I found myself unable to put the book down all the way through (I did manage however, sleep did end up taking priority).The characters were so believable and we really got a sense of who each individual was and why they belonged with their chosen faction.
One thing I didn't like though was the ending. Without giving away any spoilers, the most enjoyable parts for me really focused on the characteristics of each faction, their members and the initiation process showing the rules, ranks etc etc. And most of the book does follow that route.
However, towards the end the book suddenly takes on a new direction and focuses on uprisings, military style wars and politics surrounding the factions. It almost felt like just as we were getting to know each faction, the book pulled them all apart, and far to soon in my opinion. I think this sort of thing would have best suited to the end of the series, rather than the end of the first book. I do still this this is a brilliant read and would highly recommend this book.
The ending aside, I found myself left with a real interesting question and discussion point: If you had to chose only one faction to live in for the rest of your life, which faction would you choose?
Abnegation - the faction that values selflessness.
Candor - the faction that values honesty.
Erudite - the faction who lives in pursuit of knowledge.
Dauntless - the faction who tests their bravery by attempting death defying tasks.
Amity - the faction who values peace.
or
The Factionless - the group of people who failed their initiation process and now live in poverty doing the jobs no one else wants to do.
I've been a bit slow on the reading front lately what with having a million essays to complete! Now that my first year is completely finished I should be able to make up some reading during the summer.
Anyway, I finished Tess Gerritsen's The Sinner at the weekend and to sum it up in a few words: an absolutely amazing book! I think this has to be my favourite book I've read so far, it was brilliant and had me completely gripped, so much so, that I read it in three days which for me is pretty quick!
This book confirmed that Tess Gerritsen is my favourite author. The way she writes is just so gripping and you literally find yourself involved in the book. At one point I was so involved that when my phone beeped I nearly fell off my bead haha.
This book is the third in the Rizzoli and Isles series (the first two are also great). It tells the story of a murder and an attempted murder of two nuns who live behind the walls of a convent. Dr Maura Isles is put on the case and during the autopsy of nun she discovers a shocking secret. Side by side to this is the murder of another woman whose killer has gone to the trouble of removing her face, hands and feet. Working alongside Detective Jane Rizzoli, they lead an investigation into the deaths of both women making a shocking discovery about the killer.
Thats basically the story in a nut shell, what I liked is that the book didn't just focus on one murder, and instead focused on two (three sometimes) which added weight to the book whilst still keeping each case relevant to one another. Also what made me like this book more than the first two was that we got a real insight into who Jane and Maura are as characters - more so Maura as this book mainly focuses on her - which was lacking in the first two. Maura has her personal life to balance with her work in the form of her ex-husband Victor who turns up unannounced and tries to get back in her life. It is them revealed he has more business in Boston than just seeing Maura.
Jane's life is further explored more in the latter half of the book when Agent Gabriel Dean turns up and she is faced with confronting her feelings for him and her new 'situation'.
I can't express enough how much I enjoyed this book. Tess has a certain way of writing that just keeps to completely gripped without it being predictable at all like a lot of crime thrillers can be. A word of warning for people that get scared easily like myself, do not read this book at night in a quiet room...I jumped out of my skin several times haha.
As I have said, I would highly recommend this book, even if crime/thriller isn't your thing. I didn't think I'd enjoy reading these types of books but since have found I enjoy them more than any books in have ever read.
I finished the first Hunger Games book a while ago - read review here, then watched the movie (which was awesome by the way) and then thought it was about time I read the second book in the trilogy, Catching Fire. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and had real high expectations for the second after hearing so many positive things about it; I was actually rather disappointed though.
The first book was basically about Katniss Everdeen's journey volunteering and surviving The Hunger Games at the Capitol. It also followed her romance with Peeta, from District 12 like Katniss. After I finished this book I don't really know what I expected Catching Fire to be about but I just expected it to be as gripping as the first when in reality it fell short in that department and left me having to push myself to continue reading in parts. It started off as a very uninteresting read and only thoroughly engaged me towards the end during the Games themselves. From the beginning where I was reading one chapter at a time, to the final part where I couldn't put it down, it's definitely a mixed read for me.
One thing about the book I did like was the introduction of the previous victors and how we actually got to know some of them on a far more personal level than we did with the tributes in the first book. I particularly liked Finnick as he was a very witty and likeable character throughout the latter half of the book, I found myself being more involved with reading about him than some of the more prominent characters.
Overal I did enjoy this book, and on reflection, I think I enjoyed the Games portion more than I did in the first book. It was a lot less dragged out (mainly because it started late into the story), and it left me on the edge of my seat at the turn of every page. I just wish the rest of the book had been as gripping. I would recommend The Hunger Games series so far and I am truly looking forward to reading the final book of the trilogy after being left at such a cliff-hanger at the end of Catching Fire.
**I have since discovered that I have left the final book, Mockingjay, at home so I won't be reading that for a while :( **
It's been too long since I last finished a book from my list and the main reason for that is because I just didn't enjoy the book. I chose to read The Descendants because I had been desperate to watch the film - that never happened - and so I instead compensated for this by reading the book.
Much to my disappointment, the book was so so slow and I never really got a sense of who the characters were. The story is told through the voice of Matt King, a man whose wife is left in a coma after a boating accident. Matt is left in charge of their two daughters, and pretty much the while first half of the book is just various hospital scenes with Matt and his daughters. I know that these scenes are necessary for the story but they never really explored each character as an individual so I never got a strong image of who they are.
Matt discovers that his wife has been having an affair and then decide to uproot himself and his daughters to the road to find the man so he can say his last goodbyes. It is a very compelling story with some serious emotional twists but the author has tried to put a real comedy slant on it in the forms of the conversation between father and daughters. I think that the dramatic comedy mix didn't really work all that well and the tone of the book was completely altered.
I wish I had watched the movie before I had read the book - this will anger some people I know! Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this book as it was a very slow starter and it took me twice as long to read because of that.
Poor Little Bitch Girl is the first Jackie Collins book I have read and although I'd heard lots of great things about her books, I still wasn't quite sure what to expect. I bought this book on a whim after finding it in ASDA for only £2...£2 for a book nowadays is something you don't see often!
The title of the book refers to Annabelle Maestro, the daughter of two famous Hollywood movie stars who goes off on her own to New York to run a 'high-end' call girl service with her drug addict boyfriend Frankie. Annabelle is the character the title refers to but in the book she is only a piece of the puzzle, the main character is Denver Jones, an up-and-coming lawyer to the stars. These characters and the other high-flying individuals are all thrown together when Annabelle's mother is brutally murdered in her LA home.
The story is told through the eyes of Denver and she is supposed to be the character the readers can relate to most' being a working, confident and smart woman. I found it hard sometimes to really relate to her though, I feel her character was a little confused, in parts unsure of herself but in others very confident and opinionated. Whether this was Jackie Collins aim or not, I was left wanting more of a sense of who Denver actually is as a character.
Poor Little Bitch Girl is written in chapters each titled as a character; Annabelle, Denver, Caroline, Bobby and Frankie, showing their connections to each other and to that of Annabelle's mother and her murder. I do really like how this book is written, I really got a sense of who Jackie Collins is as a writer which, having not read any of her books before, was really great for me. The book came across as very 'current' and almost as though it had been taken straight from a newspaper or magazine. There was clearly research done to give a sense of Hollywood and frequently I saw moments where names were dropped which made the book come across as more real and less fictional.
This book was certainly a page turner and from the first sentence 'Belle Svetlana surveyed her nude image in a full-length mirror, readying herself for a thirty-thousand-dollar-an-hour sexual encounter with the fifteen-year-old son of an Arab oil tycoon'; I knew I was in for an interesting and somewhat scandalous read. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love for all things Hollywood or anyone who likes a real page turner...or if you simply want a little more of a 'shocking' read about sex, money, power, murder, betrayal and love.
This is my first ever monthly favourites post and I'm definitely not an expert so just bear with me. Here are some of my favourite things from the month of January; I'll warn you now, there is a lot!
Hair
Tangle Teezer (bright pink) - This has been a part of my life since Christmas and all I can say is that it has saved me from many painful brushing experiences. Read my full review here.
Batiste Dry Shampoo 'Tropical' - I have a love hate relationship with this dry shampoo. I'll admit, it does refresh my hair like it claims and the smell is just amazing and lasts all day, BUT, and this is a big but, it leaves that typical dry shampoo grey tone to my hair which takes forever to brush out. I do still use this though because it does work, I just wish it didn't take so long to brush away.
Aussie Mega Shampoo and Conditioner - This shampoo and conditioner combo is amazing. I have never been able to find a shampoo and conditioner that I like until I found Aussie. Since using these, my hair has been so soft and has felt so thick and clean (not that my hair isn't usually clean haha). Also can I just mention the smell, I mean seriously, whoever thought to make a shampoo that smells like Calpol medicine is a genius! One thing I would say is the prices of these seem to fluctuate loads; one week they will be cheap and the next the price will have shot up - I saw in one store they were £6.99 each!!
Got2B 'Guardian Angel' Heat Protection Spray - After hearing so many good things about this product, I finally bit the bullet and end out and got some. After using it throughout the month I've actually noticed that my hair is looking in better condition and not so damaged from my hair straighteners. This has now definitely become a staple piece in my hair care products and at £3.09 from Wilkinsons it's quite inexpensive too!
Makeup
Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick #03 - This is a real everyday lipstick. It's matte, nude/pink and very very moisturising I've found. The wear is quite good and it lasts quite a while before reapplication is in order. This has been my everyday lipstick and I just love it! I think the packaging is very sleek and sturdy and Kate Moss' signature on the lid just adds to the sleek look.
My eye look using the NYC quartet
NYC 'The Best of Broadway' Metro Quartet Eyeshadow - I'm not a makeup expert and I certainly don't have all the top brands and what not, but for my everyday look through January I've found myself reaching for this little palette which has four warm brownish tones that I find look natural but still noticeable.
Collection 200 Lasting Perfection Concealer Shade Deep 4 - Pretty much every beauty blogger and YouTube guru raves about this concealer so I thought; why not give it a try. Well, all I can say is, why didn't I try this sooner! This concealer is thick and creamy in its consistency and it blends really well so it isn't even noticeable. It lasts all day usually, so no annoying touch-ups or anything. This has now taken over from my Rimmel Corrector Stick Concealer!
MISC.
Rimmel Pro 'Aqua Cool' and NYC 'Gramercy Glitz' - I love both of these nail polishes separately but together they just look so good! In all honestly the glitter polish looks good worn this way with any colour underneath but this is the colour I've loved most in January.
I'm also loving Rimmel Pro Super Wear top coat because it is just amazing! My mum gave it to me when I ran out of my old one and now I'm just shocked that I hadn't discovered it before. It makes your nails so shiny and it lasts for agessssss.
Sarah Jessica Parker 'NYC' Perfume - This perfume has a very floral scent and has been my go-to perfume for a few months now. The scent is just so wearable and it's by far my all-time favourite everyday fragrance - I say that because I have two which are also favourites but I try to limit my use (Chanel No5 and Boyfriend) because of the price and availability.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Burlesque - Both these movies have been favourites of mine both throughout December and January so I thought it only fair that I included them in my first ever favourites post. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is my favourite of the whole series of movies and I think Jack Sparrow is my all time favourite movie character! Burlesque is a current obsession of mine because I love Cher and I love musical movies (read my full Burlesque review here).
Body of Proof and Once Upon a Time - Body of Proof is on its second season now and I'll admit, at first, I wasn't really that much of a fan. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed watching it but it didn't really come high in my priorities but lately I have started being way more excited for each new episode and Dana Delany is a brilliant actress! Once Upon a Time however is a new show and immediately I knew I loved it! My favourite character is Rumplestiltskin (hence why I chose that poster) but I do think the whole cast rate brilliant (read a full review here).
Tess Gerritsen's The Apprentice - I finished this book on the 1st of January so that counts right? Anyway, Tess Gerritsen is an amazing writer and this book just had me hooked from the very beginning. These books are where the television series Rizzoli and Isles came from and if you love them you will love these books - even if you don't, these books are brilliant!
Well that's all for my January Favourites; sorry it was such a long post but this month I've found so many things I love, and I felt the start of the year needed a long post!
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one more book I can tick off my list meaning I'm one step closer to my 25 book challenge! The Hunger Games is basically about a live television show - set in an unspecified time in the future - that is held each year where a boy and a girl from each of the twelve districts is randomly chosen to compete in a gladiator-style contest which is held in the central city called the Capitol. The winner of the games is the last child left alive. The book follows the point of view of Katniss Everdeen, the tribute representing district 12 after volunteering herself instead of her sister. She is skilled at hunting and her strongest weapon is her use of a bow and arrow. As much as she doesn't want to kill; she also doesn't want to be killed.
I became aware of this book after seeing the trailer for the upcoming movie which really made me want to get the book read before the movie release in March. A friend of mine also read the book and she had nothing but great things to say about it so I thought, taking these both into account, I'd give it a go.
I will start by saying that I really did enjoy the book as a whole but I found it very very slow. Part one of the book was slow moving and I found that I just couldn't get into it - it took me forever to finish part one. I understand that the background and build-up to the games is needed but I think more drama or life could have been injected into the first part to make it a more gripping read. However, parts two and three of the book were really great and I found myself engrossed in the action and survival of the characters.
Part two went into much more detail and really showed how the characters were developing as the games went on and part three was the ending of the games and the final ceremony which rounded off the first book nicely and left a good follow-on into the next books. I found myself completely and utterly engaged in the story; especially nearing the penultimate end which left me thinking up possible outcomes leading to the surprise end to the games.
One thing that did surprise me was that this book is aimed at young adults even though some of the scenes in the book are quite violently detailed like the scene where one of the tributes is violently attacked by human/wolf mutations - although the main characters are young adults themselves which is relatable. This type of action however, would be something I'd expect from a more mature and adult targeted book rather than one for young adults. I personally found this book an exciting read and the description was beyond what I'd expected.
I would definitely recommend The Hunger Games to anyone who doesn't mind a slow starter or a bit of violence. Honestly, just give it a go, I was a bit dubious after reading the first few chapters and finding myself bored but after getting part part one I'm so glad I read this book and it might even be one of my all time favourite books - which doesn't really say much seeing as I've read maybe five books all together haha.
One more thing, this book is part of a trilogy but I am really unsure as to if I am going to read the other two books. Although I found myself enjoying The Hunger Games towards the end, I don't know I can endure two more possibly slow starting books and also, I honestly cannot see where the author will take the story from here.
I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have read all three books, or even just your thoughts on the first book and if you agree or disagree with what I've said.
I finished another book; I'm on a roll with this whole reading thing, I think it's because I'm off at the moment and so have nothing else to do haha. Hopefully when I'm back at university I can still keep up with the reading! Anyway, I finished reading 'Many Lives' which is Stephanie Beacham's Autobiography.
For those of you who don't know who Stephanie is; she's a British actress who has done TV shows, movies and theatre. She's probably most well known for being on the ITV series Connie and the ABC series The Colbys. However, my favourite of her roles is when she played Phyllida Oswyn in the series Bad Girls.
Now onto the book; Stephanie really gives you an insight into her whole life from her childhood to her current life by the beach in Santa Monica. I actually really enjoyed getting an insight into Stephanie's life and seeing just how much she has done. I didn't quite realise how much theatre work she has done and how much actually goes into each performance. I also found out that she is a very spiritual person - not religious - just spiritual and she really does believe in such things like higher powers, god and fate.
Some of the book did go on a lot about spiritual references and so on which at first I didn't mind reading about but after a while it got a little repetitive and I did find myself skimming it just a little. This aside, the book did thoroughly entertain me and had me gripped from the start; when it ended I was quite disappointed and wanted to read more! I really like how the book is not only split into named chapters, but also sections which has some pretty good titles like; 'Being Humbly Arrogant', 'Think Ahead and Eat That Chocolate' and 'Hollywood'. Some of the titles are quite obvious like 'Hollywood' being about her introduction into Hollywood and others are a bit more intriguing like 'The Harsh Reality' which could imply almost anything!
Overall I really enjoyed this book, it took me a little while to get into but after a chapter or so I was hooked and as I said previously, I didn't want it to end. I would recommend this book to anyone really; even if you don't know who Stephanie Beacham is, you will after reading this! I didn't know half of the things she's done in her life but I still enjoyed reading about it. Stephanie seems like a really humble and down-to-earth person which is hard to find in the celebrity world; she talks about her movie and theatre career like it's just any other job. I don't think there's much more I can say about this book; al' I'd say is give it a go!
'It's been a long journey' and I very much enjoyed reading about it.
Today I went to my Grandma's house and sadly my Grandad is in the hospital at the moment so we then went there to visit him. While we were walking round I spotted signs for all the different departments and the first one we came across was 'Ante Natal and Gynaecology' and of course I immediately thought of Addison Montgomery (Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice reference!). Then I casually walked past an operating room and the Surgical Unit which fascinated me for a while and then I found none other than the Cardio Unit and the Orthopaedic Unit (more Grey's Anatomy references - Teddy and Callie!).
One thing I discovered today was that television shows like Grey's Anatomy really do give you a false sense of what hospitals are really like. For starters I saw no McDreamy's or McSteamy's, and then I discovered that doctors don't wear scrubs and lab coats, but instead just ordinary suits and ties - not very doctor-like if you ask me. Also, On Grey's Anatomy the doctors are always around or if they aren't then the nurses are; at real hospitals it's hard to spot a nurse or a doctor in sight! I wish hospitals were like they are on the television, I think patients would have a better time if they were.
Also today I went to the Trafford Centre for a nosey round and to pick up a few things. I absolutely love the Trafford Centre, anyone in the UK who hasn't been needs to get themselves there immediately! Anyway, enough of my ordering you around, whilst I was there I did end up picking up a few things from LUSH, Superdrug and Accessorize/Monsoon...
From LUSH I got the much raved about Honey I Washed The Kids Soap which actually smells amazing; I don't know why I haven't bought it sooner! I also got the Bubblegum Lip Scrub which I'm so excited about; it smells like Snow Fairy and it's bright pink so who wouldn't love it! I've heard such good things about both of these so I just had to try them for myself...
From Superdrug I got four things from the MUA brand; lipstick, lipgloss, eyeshadow and mascara. This brand was extremely cheap but I've heard a lot of people saying it's great so thought I'd give it a go...I don't wear a lot of make-up anyway so it'll be alright for me I'm sure. The lipstick is in shade 5 and is a pale shimmery pink colour - it is very very sheer, the lipgloss is also a shade 5 pale pink and shimmery colour and it smells really nice - I don't know if it's supposed to smell good or not haha. The eyeshadow is shade 7 and is a pearl green colour (I wanted something other than brown, but I'm not brave enough to wear blues or pinks) and the mascara is just the extreme volume black mascara.
From Accessorize I finally got a collar type necklace in silver! I have wanted one of these for a while now to wear with jumper and things like that. Then through to Monsoon I found a small floral address book for £2.40 (yes only £2.40!!!!!) so I had to have it; I mean who can say no to an address book that cheap...
My next perfume wish is Vera Wang Princess Night;I sprayed a sample and oh my gosh it's such a beautiful smell and the bottle is just so glittery and purple and heart-shaped and everything that is amazing in the world...
Last night I finally used my LUSH Twilight bath ballistic and wow....I was in awe for about ten minutes just staring at it....I think I took about fifty photographs hahaha...
This is my all time favourite bath ballistic, it just about beats the Abominaball :)....it left me - and the whole bathroom - smelling amazing!
Also I got a new book in the mail the other day which I'm so excited to read after I've finished Stephanie Beacham's autobiography...
I've actually never been this excited to read a book in all my life...Tyra Banks 'Modelland' just looks so fun and insightful at the same time....
Last thing, I have been listening to this Glee song non-stop for about a week now...it's just so so so so good! Naya Rivera is quickly becoming my favourite Glee character; she has a brilliant voice!
Ummm so I think that's everything....I'm now off to watch The Lying Game, then I'll read and then sleep. I'm just so tired today....must have yawned about 20 times! :S
