Book Haul

I have bought several second hand books this month which I shouldn't really have done because I have so many already. So of course I thought I'd share what I got with you. All of these books were from charity shops and were really cheap.

First up is Paris For One And Other Stories by Jojo Moyes. I saw this in hardback in a charity shop and I could not resist getting it, short stories are so great for me when I get in a reading slump and I have heard nothing but great things about Jojo Moyes. It is full of stories about strong, relatable women so I'm really excited to read it. 

Then there's Perfect by Cecelia Ahern.This is the sequel to Flawed which I haven't actually read yet but when I saw this in hardback I had to get it. I'm really excited to reads these young adult books, I have collected a lot of Cecelia Ahern's books. Its about a girl who lives in a society that demands perfection and sounds right up my street.

Next is Lullaby and Wake by Amanda Hocking. I saw these two in a charity shop and its about three new girls in town who are not quite what they seem. I don't know much about this series but they seem really interesting.

Foretold and Forgiven are both books from The Demon Trappers series by Jana Oliver. What I didn't realise when I picked these up is that they are the 3rd and 4th books of a series. I got them because they sounded like the perfect kind of fantasy books I would love but now I have to hunt for the first 2 first.

I had to pick up A Dance With Dragons 2: After The Feast by George R.R. Martin because it was the only book of the Game Of Thrones series I didn't own. I got all but one of the books from the series from a charity shop.

Next is Ink And Bone by Rachel Caine. Rachel Caine is the author of the Morganville Vampires series which I have read a couple of books from (so far) so I knew I liked her writing. It is the first book of The Great Library series which I'm sure is going to be another fantasy series I will love.

Finally, The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney. It is about a girl who has powerful magic that she tries to hide until the dark exiles of Faerie come along and she has to make a choice. It is a typical fantasy with a strong female lead which is my weakness.

- Claire

Updates On My Life

Hey, so I haven't posted much lately and I wanted to tell you why and give you some quick updates on what's been going on in my life.

I guess I'll start with the negatives and get them out of the way first. So a couple of months back I went through a break up and that was really hard on me. I was with him for over a year and I didn't see it coming. But I am doing so much better now because of the way he ended things he made it really easy to move on from him.

I also had stuff going on with family being ill and my great uncle passing away. My mum was in hospital a few weeks back and may have to have an operation. My dog broke her toe and has been on so many trips to the vets about it and we are reaching the limit of the insurance so that's been pretty stressful.

I had an interview for a job but I didn't get it, although I'm not that mad because it wasn't set hours or days so it would have been really awkward.

Onto the good things. I met a guy and although its still early days I like him a lot. It has been nice to go out and see him and he's American so that's pretty cool too.

I have been out with my friends quite a bit over the past couple months which has been really nice. I even had my first night out in months on Friday and one of my friends is back from Uni and I'm really glad about it.

Everything in my life at the moment seems to be either going really well or really bad, its a bit of a rollercoaster.

- Claire

Wordy Wednesday

So I kind of want to start this new thing on my blog where I post something I've written, whether that be a poem or a short story, on a Wednesday. I've always loved writing, although I'm not great at it I thought I'd try out posting some on here just to see how it goes. A lot of it is utter rubbish to be honest but its a really good outlet and hobby for me. I may or may not continue these types of posts. Today's will be a badly written poem so enjoy.

How much am I worth?

I count my worth

In the number of guys who want to fuck me

In the number of people who like me

In the number of times I’ve had sex

I count my worth

In the number of people I’ve wronged

In the number of drinks I’ve had tonight

In the number of people who envy me

I count my worth

In the number of poems I write

In the number of things I’ve failed at

In the number of people I’ve hurt

I count my worth

In the number of scars on my thighs

In the number of times I’ve been rejected

In the number of people who actually care

- Claire

Birchbox March 2018

I recently decided to treat myself to a Birchbox since there was £5 off your first box. Its been a while since I made a post, I've had some personal things going on that has stopped me from posting recently. But I'm back and I hope you enjoy this post.

First up is a full size Rituals product, the Ritual of Sakura Foaming Shower Gel (RRP from £4.50). This shower gel is infused with cherry blossom and organic rice milk to sooth your skin. Its hydrating as well which is great for my dry skin. 

Next is a Spectrum Collections B04 Angled Blender Brush (RRP £5.99). The soft angle is perfect for blending eyeshadow into the outer corners of your eyes and along the crease. These brushes are so soft and also animal friendly. 

This is the Pro Blo Group MaskMe Hydrating Hair Mask, a Birchbox exclusive (RRP £8 for a pack of 4). It makes your hair shiny as if you've been to the salon and has protective antioxidants to protect your hair from heat damage.

I love the Blaq Peel Off Mask (RRP £14 for full size). I have used this product before, it helps unblock pores and purifies your skin. Its always really fun to peel off afterwards and lasts a long time even a small tube.

Finally, the Benefit BADgal Bang! Volumising Mascara (RRP £21.50 for full size). I am so excited for this product! Its is a thickening mascara that gives volume with a brush moulded to catch every lash. I'm a big lover of Benefit so I'm really excited to try this out.

Book Haul

This book haul is lots of books I've collected over the past couple of months but I hadn't posted about them yet so I thought I'd do that now. Its been snowing loads where I live so I've had some time to make this post.

First up is a book I picked up from a charity shop and that it The Book Of Lost Things by John Connolly. This book originally had a library binding cover on it but it was damaged so I removed it. I had heard of this book before which is the main reason I picked it up. As far as I can tell its about a young boy who reads a lot and finds the real world and the fantasy worlds beginning to meld together. My copy is quite damaged so I may have to replace it if I enjoy it a lot. 

The Dark Heroine by Abigail Gibbs was another charity shop find. I think the words "Dinner with a vampire" was what first drew me in. I am a sucker for fantasy book and I love a good vampire novel. It sounds like its about a girl who ends up being drawn into a world of vampires and it sounds like there will be some romance too so I'm excited to read it. 

Next, and the last of the charity shop finds, is White Teeth by Zadie Smith. I also saw her other popular book in the shop but this one appealed to me more. I actually know next to nothing about this book as there's no real blurb on the book but the reviews call it a "funny, generous, big-hearted novel" and I quite like not knowing much about it.

I got King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard which is the 3rd book in the Red Queen series from a shop called the works and it was so cheap for a new book. I recently read Red Queen and I loved it so much so I'm really glad I got this one. I wrote a bit about Red Queen in one of my recent posts so if you want to know more about that then check out that post.

I think I got Heartless by Marissa Meyer from amazon. As I recently finished the Lunar Chronicles I had to get this since I enjoyed her writing so much. It's a retelling about the Queen of Hearts which is all I really needed to know to pick it up as I love retellings. It's about before Alice and before all the Queen's evil ways so I'm really interested in finding out how she is portrayed in this book.

Next is One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. I got this because my friend Lish raved about it and made me really want to read it. On the back it says "Five students walk into detention. Only four leave alive." and the mystery has drawn me in. I am so excited to read this book, I love high school, murder and mystery so this is right up my street.

Obviously I got The Cruel Prince by Holly Black which I have read and I love it. It's a YA fantasy about a girl called Jude who ends up living amongst faeries along with her sisters. She's bullied by a prince called Cardan and she just wants to belong. This book is full of dark magic and plot twists and I highly recommend it. 

Next is Everless by Sara Holland. Its set in a world where your life is currency and a girl tries to save her father and herself from running out of time. It sounds so good and reminds me a lot of a film I watched. I really love the concept of this book and I cant wait to read it.

I also got The Language Of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo. I am actually currently reading a book by Leigh Bardugo called Shadow And Bone and I'm really loving it so I'm glad I got this book. Its a collection of six illustrated stories filled with "betrayals, romance and revenge" set in the Grishaverse which is to do with the series I am reading the first book of. I'd like to point out how pretty this book is and how excited I am to read it.

Next is Carve The Mark by Veronica Roth which is another YA fantasy. Its about two young people, Cyra and Akos, who grew up in enemy countries and Akos is kidnapped and forced to serve Cyra. Cyra has the ability to cause pain just with a touch and she's used as a weapon by her brother. Cyra and Akos hate each other but as Akos fights for his survival he discovers Cyra is also fighting for hers. I'm a huge sucker for YA fantasy so of course I got this.

I didn't know much about Scythe by Neal Shusterman when I bought it but the cover appealed to me a lot and so did the description once I read it. Its set in a world where the only way to die is to be gleaned by a professional scythe and Citra and Rowan become apprentices. They have to learn the art of killing and having the responsibility of choosing their victims. Then they are told that one of them will have to glean the other. It sounds right up my street and I'm really excited to read it.

I got Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings! Yes, the main reason I got this is because of Sasha, but it also sounds so amazing. Its another YA fantasy about a girl called Androma who is a powerful mercenary, but she's known to her friends aboard her starship as Andi. When a routine mission goes wrong the crew is tested when they are faced with a bounty hunter from Andi's past. Its got spaceships and a strong, badass female lead so I am super excited about it.

I had to get Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout, which is the second book in the Dark Elements trilogy. I loved the first book in this series which I received as a gift from my friend Lish (look whos been mentioned twice in one post). I love the characters and any book with demons is a book for me. Its about a girl called Layla whos half demon half gargoyle who can kill someone with a kiss. After the way the first book ended I needed to get the next one and I know I'll be reading it soon.

Finally, A Love Like Blood by Marcus Sedgwick which I picked up new for just £2.99 in hardback! This was such a great find, its a dark, compelling thriller about a man whos life changes when he sees a man apparently drinking the blood of a murdered woman and he sets on his journey to discover the truth. I don't mind if its actually about vampires or just some creep who likes drinking blood, I love a good mystery and I found myself drawn to this book.

That is all for now, it was a fair amount of books. I am trying to cut back on how many I buy which is why these were from the past couple of months, not all bought in one go.

- Claire

Books I've Read Recently

I recently got out of my reading slump and I've read a few books over the past few weeks and I decided to do a post about all the books I've read recently rather than several separate posts. Although I'm still planning a separate post about the Lunar Chronicles but that is going to take some time to write.

First is Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard which I own in collectors edition and its so pretty. In this book the world is divided between Red and Silver. The Reds are normal humans who bleed red and the Silvers have abilities and bleed silver. The Reds are the commoners who do labour and hard work while the Silver elites live in luxury. Mare Barrow is a 17 year old Red girl who tries to find a way to get both herself and her best friend Kilron out of having to join the war which is fought by Reds. Whilst trying to find a way to help them escape their fate she ends up working in the Silver palace thanks to a mysterious stranger. Whilst at the palace she discovers she possesses a deadly power of her own. This book draws you in so easily and the storyline is like nothing I've ever read before, including a plot twist that I never saw coming. I loved this book and rate it 5/5.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is about a 17 year old girl called Jude who saw her parents get murdered when she was just 7 years old. Her and her two sisters were taken away to live in the High Court of Faerie and Jude is desperate to belong there. But because she is human she finds it hard to belong, especially when she has Prince Cardan constantly making her feel weak and powerless. She tries to defy him to win a place at the Court but in the process she ends up discovering things and risking her own life to save Faerie and her sisters. I really enjoyed this book, I loved reading a book with a strong female lead and lots of magic and darkness. I give this book 4/5.

Finally, White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout which was a gift from my friend Lish and I wish I had of read it sooner. Its about a 17 year old girl called Layla who is half demon and half gargoyle but she wishes to be normal because all it takes is a kiss for her to kill someone. The Wardens are a race of gargoyles who hunt demons and keep humanity safe. Layla was raised by Wardens and is secretly harbouring feelings for a Warden called Zayne who is off limits. Layla meets a demon called Roth who she knows she should stay away from but for some reason she cant. Through Roth she finds out why there's a violent demon uprising, but helping Roth could lead to her being a traitor to the Wardens. I am in love with this book so much I have already ordered the next one. The characters are so amazing, especially Roth, and because it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger you end up needing the next one. I rate this 5/5 for sure.

That's all for now, as I was writing this I realised all the main characters were 17 year old girls which made me laugh. A lot of the books I own are young adult, I'm trying to read them while I still can. 

- Claire

January Favourites

It is February now so I figured I'd do a January Favourites post since I haven't done one in a couple of months. There aren't as many beauty products in this post, I've done so many makeup posts lately so I included a couple of other things in this post.

First up is Cress by Marissa Meyer, its the 3rd book in The Lunar Chronicles. The whole series has been amazing so far and I'm currently reading the 4th and final book in the series. I finished the 3rd one last month and immediately picked up the last one and started reading it. It's a great YA fantasy series with cyborgs and royalty and a revolution. I will be writing a post about this whole series once I've finished it so keep an eye out for that.

You may have seen this in one of my recent posts. This is the I Heart Makeup Unicorns Heart highlighter. It is the prettiest highlighter ever, all the colours are lovely, and it's only £4.99 in Superdrug!

I struggled choosing which of my new palettes to put in this post but I went with the Makeup Revolution Flawless 4 palette because it has all the amazing warm shades, all the pinks and reds, which I love so much. I've used this quite a few times since I got it and the colours blend so well and there are so many different looks you can create because there are so many colours! 

Finally, a TV series. Grimm is an American TV show about a man called Nick who starts seeing people change and discovers he is a Grimm. That means he can see what some people really are, people who are not entirely human, and that means he can stop them from killing people. It helps that he is a detective because he can investigate cases that seem to be related to the beings he can see. The characters are so easy to fall in love with. Its a really good supernatural show, it only has 6 seasons even though I wish there was more. 

- Claire