Sunday 29 June 2014

Forgive me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick : a mini-review







On reading the description of this book, I wondered how Quick was going to handle the topic: a teenage boy plans to kill one of his classmates and then kill himself. Pretty depressing and hard to relate to stuff. But I had faith in Quick; he deals with tough topics and creates likeable characters with different problems and I loved The Silver Linings Playbook and to be honest, he doesn't disappoint with Forgive me, Leonard Peacock. 

From the outset, we are aware of the protagonist's plan to carry out murder-suicide: he is honest, clearly depressed and hurt by the world. However, I felt drawn to Leonard. Of course, there is no justifying his intended actions but his disdain and disappointment by the world resonate true. To be honest, a lot depends on whether you can relate to Leonard, I think this book would have been harder to get into if I thought he was an unrelatable character. But I liked him. I liked that he felt he could trust his history teacher and was drawn to one positive person in his otherwise bleak world. Leonard reminded me a lot of Holden in The Catcher In The Rye; they both struggle with the "fakeness" of the real/adult world. Leonard is perplexed that people go to jobs they hate, every day of their lives when it makes them so unhappy and then to essentially lie about it. Quick captures this disillusioned teenage voice well and places you in his shoes; slowly revealing his story and justifications for his actions. Leonard is clearly a very intelligent individual (as shown through his perspectives in his favourite Holocaust classes) and chooses to challenge adult life, but unfortunately twisting it a little, in the same way Holden does in TCITR. 

One aspect I loved about this book was how Quick uses and changes the language throughout the book. Most of the story is told from the first person perspective but on a number of occasions, he switches to stanzas instead of prose and this had a beautiful, poetic effect. One chapter is extremely powerful: he uses one word per page and although it may sound a bit arty and over the top, it was a perfect use of the layout at a crucial moment in the book - I held my breathe turning each page. 

I read this book on my Kindle and this provided me with my only grumble about the book. There is extensive use of footnotes and often the footnote is quite detailed and long, often offering further explanation from Leonard, like his Wikipedia searches or a backstory. I liked this extra detail but on the Kindle, I had to keep clicking to follow the link and going backwards and forwards, sometimes losing my page. It's not an actual complaint about the story and maybe it's different in a paper copy but I felt going through all the rigmarole on the Kindle really disrupted my reading and the flow of the story. 

Overall, I really liked this book. It deals with a difficult but all too real subject in the same thread as We Need To Talk About Kevin. For me, these events are all too frequent today and need to be dealt with and not shied away from. Quick does the subject justice, delving into a teenagers mind and trying to decipher the million feelings of loneliness, isolation and the layers that each indivual has; the human and monster in all of us. A thought provoking book that encourages us to keep fighting, against each adversity we face, and learning to live with the consequences of each event we have overcome. 



Friday 27 June 2014

Summer bucket list






I have seen a few of these posts around and I think they are such a great idea! I've decided to do mine a little later though, (most start in June and I'll still be completing my Mexico bucket list) and begin when I get home to the UK in July.

I'm focusing on the little things - I could easily write a whole list of foods I want to eat this summer, but since I will still be with gallbladder and gallstones, it probably won't be possible. I'm sure I'll keep adding to this list as the summer goes on; I hope I can get through them all. 

1. Take long walks around the countryside. 
I'm fortunate enough to live in the Suffolk countryside, surrounded by lots of lovely country walks. It's always so peaceful in the early evening so I hope to make the most of the beautiful surroundings this summer. 

2. Take Dena to the Harry Potter Studio Tour.
Dena is the biggest Harry Potter geek and I so want to take her to the Warner Brothers Studios, she would love it! And it means I get to go again too... ;-) 

3. Have afternoon tea. 
Afternoon tea is probably my favourite meal and I have it at any opportunity, so it's probably a little bit strange to put it on my bucket list. However, it's going to be a bit more challenging since I can't really eat much cake nor cream. I'm determined to give it a go. 

4. Visit a part of the UK I've never been to. 
I often neglect the UK when I think about travelling, so I want to explore more of my own country, I'd like to visit Cornwall, Stone Henge, Oxford, amongst many more.

5. Go blackberry picking. 
Mum and I often go blackberry picking around the fields where I live and we always have such a good time. As I've got older, I've really started to appreciate these free, but special moments. 

6. Try Mum's elderflower cordial.
My Mum is currently making loads of elderflower cordial and I hope there is some left when I get back! I adore flowery tasting foods and drinks (rose, lavender, elderflower, geranium) and elderflower has really become a summer favourite... It's even better when it is homemade! 

7. Try new recipes.
I love cooking and trying out new recipes. I find cooking really relaxing so I'm hoping to be able to devote more time to it over the summer.

8. Visit the War Rooms in London. 
I wanted to do this the summer before I came to Mexico but I ran out of time, so here's hoping for this year. I'm fascinated by war museums and this definitely appeals to my inner (who am I kidding? My outer) geek. 

9. Make a photo wall
I've been inspired by these on Pinterest so I hope to make my own! The only problem I find with digital cameras is we often take so many photos but never print them out, so I'm hoping a project like a photo wall will mean I can enjoy all my photos. 

10. Learn how to use my camera better! 
This seems to be an everlasting project but I really want to get to grips with all the different settings... My sieve memory will be the biggest problem.


Have you made a summer bucket list? 

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Disney Wordless Wednesday : Yee-ha!

It's Wednesday again... That can only mean one thing:  The Disney Wordless Wednesday bloghop! This weeks theme is the letters X, Y, and Z... I have gone for Y for Yee-ha!  My photos are from Frontierland in Magic Kingdom and Paris (once again, excuse my disposable camera photo!), my forever favourite Disney attraction, Big Thunder Mountain and the riverboat in Florida. 




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Sunday 22 June 2014

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart : a mini-review

                           






E Lockhart's novel; We Were Liars, is one that will challenge negative perceptions of the young adult genre. It is an intelligent, beautifully written story that twists and turns through young friendship, love and life.

It is written from our protagonist, Cadence Sinclair Eastman's point of view, detailing her family's lives and also their politics, over a series of summers spent on the outwardly perfect Sinclair family's holiday island. I don't want to give too much away - part of the magnificence of Lockhart's novel is the unravelling and up layering of the story. As far as I'm concerned, the less you know the better. Of course, all is revealed in due course, and although some may not be shocked or surprised, I think it's so perfectly executed that you will want to carry on turning each page until you discover the whole truth. 

One thing that struck me the most about this book was the dark and poetic language. Often, the prose switches to stanzas, and for me, this is very powerful; it causes you to take note of the words and absorb and appreciate the gravity of every single one of them. If I'm truly involved in a book, I devour every sentence quickly; sometimes not noticing small details or deliberate choice of words because I just want to know what happens. In We Were Liars, the change punctuates the story and causes you to linger upon each short line, having a very powerful effect.  The language itself is also dark, filled with angst and hurt. You can feel Cady's pain seep out of her and onto the page in vivid imagery, without the language being overly flowery or dramatic. 

The story and characters parallel a dark fairy tale; Cady rewrites fairy tales to reflect her life and her feelings towards her family. These fairy tales offer a kind of stream of consciousness and reveal to us her feelings towards her perfect family and also the pressure she feels with being the eldest daughter.  Throughout the story, Cady is filled with anger and disdain for her family and their pretence of perfection. We are able to relate to her and her cousins and friend, as they seem like typical teenagers growing up and starting to challenge the expectations of their parents and indeed, society. 

As I said, I don't want to spoil the book but Lockhart leaves little breadcrumbs along the way to help you guess and unravel the plot. Some of the clues are very subtle and I enjoyed looking for them, but this is a complex and detailed story; some readers will prefer just to go along with it all instead of trying to figure it all out. 

Other reviewers have said that this book is the perfect example of why adults enjoy reading young adult fiction, and I have to agree. It is not your usual, teenage angsty love story. It is an intelligent read, both in story and style of writing. You can feel the characters' emotions through the expressive language and written sentences; Lockhart doesn't spell everything out to you, she trusts her readers to be clever enough to understand the characters and their motives. We Were Liars is an impressive read and one that I would happily re-read and recommend to others. 





Wednesday 18 June 2014

Disney Wordless Wednesday : A different perspective

Hurrah for another Disney Wordless Wednesday!  This weeks theme is 'A different perspective'.  Although Disney is for everyone, of all ages, I have chosen to focus on the perspective of the parks from two twenty somethings point of view.  I first visited Disneyland Paris when I was a lot younger, but I have been fortunate enough to visit Paris, Anaheim and Orlando in the last year and I've found myself noticing different things and enjoying different things.  I suspect this will continue to change; families, married couples, groups of friends, etc all enjoy various aspects to the parks - for me, the fact there is something for everyone is a part of the magic!



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Show off your Disney side with the Disney Wordless Wednesday!  It's a wonderful, friendly blog hop hosted by Deb @ Focused on the magic.com :-)

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Sunday 15 June 2014

The Fault In Our Stars (2014) : a mini review.






Finally, after what seems like forever waiting, the adaptation of John Green's hugely successful novel The Fault In Our Stars hits the silver screen. And was it worth the wait? I think it was.

I am a huge fan of book-film adaptations; I choose to see them as two separate entities instead of picking up on every slight difference between the book and the film. I love books and I love films, so that seems like the best way to approach it. For me, the film was just as enjoyable as the book. 

From the outset, you know the film is going to be extremely sad - of course, it's a story of two teenagers with incurable cancer, you know it won't necessarily have a traditional happy ending with the two main protagonists riding off into the sunset. However, that doesn't mean that The Fault In Our Stars doesn't have some beautifully uplifting and touching moments and I think here is where the movie has it's strong point (along with it's amazing cast). 

I think what is amazing about John Green's writing is that he doesn't sugarcoat things and that is more or less reflected in the film. We see the awful effects of cancer both on the sufferer and also the family and friends - some of the most difficult scenes to watch were those with Hazel's parents (portrayed excellently by Laura Dern and Sam Trammel) and seeing them battle between giving Hazel everything she wants and keeping her as well as she can be. 

It seems that Shailene Woodley can do no wrong at the moment and she is well cast as Hazel. She is a likeable and charming lead, and once again, has effortless natural chemistry with Ansel Elgort who plays Gus and is also her co star in the Divergent series. Gus is really brought to life by Elgort; he plays the handsome rebel-like male lead during the upbeat scenes and pulls at your heart strings during the more tragic ones. 

Perhaps one of the only down points is that at times the script is a little bit clichéd and although the lines may be identical to the book, sometimes it doesn't translate as well to the big screen. It's all beautiful and romantic and live for the day, for me, the romantic lines are a little saccharine. Perhaps that is just my cold heart of stone though! 

I think the teen audience will be more than pleased with this adaptation. Gus is dreamily enough brought to life from the page and Hazel's quips and views on life provide a lot of food for thought for teens. It is a sad story but the romance behind it is enough to satisfy the demanding audience and in my opinion, remains loyal enough to the book (although omitting plenty of scenes and popular quotes). Enjoyable in the why-do-we-do-this-to-ourselves way...Don't forget the tissues! 




Friday 13 June 2014

Beauty products I can't live without in Mexico




In Mexico, my beauty needs are quite different to when I'm in the UK. I'm not particularly high maintenance when it comes to make up, but here, between the heat, pollution, and tiring life style that I have, I need products that I can rely on and that do their job well. So here are my tried and tested favourite products.

The sun is pretty strong here and my British skin burns super easily; Most days in Guadalajara the UV rating is 11, so I need to protect my skin from the harmful rays. Nothing says tourist more than lobster red sun burn too and I like to try and blend in as much as I can! I use Soltan factor 30 on a daily basis, even if I'm working at school, because I have found that even being in the sun sans sun cream for 20 minutes leads to sun burn. This cream is also great because it has a built in insect repellent....

Which leads me to me my Jungle Formula Maximum Protection. Mosquito bites are the bane of my life and I cannot stand itching all the time. Although this part of Mexico is malaria free, there is the risk of dengue fever which can make you very sick. The Jungle Formula spray is pretty potent but it provides up to ten hours protection and I have found it to be much more reliable than just citronella. 

Benefit's Erase Paste is my morning saviour! I am not a morning person at all and the Erase Paste is one of my go to beauty products to help give me that fresh faced glow. I love the coverage and blendability of this product; it provides a good coverage without being heavy and it's so easy to blend in. I don't wear foundation or even much concealer here as my skin feels suffocated in the heat, so this high lighting concealer gives me a little bit of brightness when I am tired. 

Another highlighting product I love is Benefit's High Beam. Again, it is one of the products I use to make me look fresh faced and awake when I feel anything but that! I blend a small amount of this beautiful pearly pink highlighter into my cheek bones and brow bones for an immediate pick me up. It gives a little shimmer to the skin without being too glittery. My bottle has lasted me forever too. Great value for money.

I only really wear a lip stick during the day to give my face a little pop of colour, and my favourite is MAC's Chatterbox. A beautiful creamy lipstick in a bright but pastel pink: it has good staying power and is subtle enough for day wear but with more of a punch than a nude shade. 

Living in Mexico's second biggest city means that there is a lot of air pollution and this can have a real dulling effect on skin.  My skin is also really sensitive to any kind of change and often has break outs, even though overall, it's quite dry. I love The Body Shop's sumptuous chamomile cleansing butter.  I use this in the evening to rid my skin of make up and daily dirt and grime. It's simply wonderful! It's a pleasure to apply and easy to wash off; I wash it off when I jump in the shower. Afterwards, my skin feels clean, looks bright and clear, and isn't tight at all. The Body Shop is easy to find here in Mexico too and is reasonably priced so it's a clear winner for me. 

Finally, as I said, the heat can have a real drying effect of the skin and it's important to keep it moisturised and hydrated. My current favourite is a Neutrogena body lotion: it was actually in the Hilton in Florida but we loved it so much we brought all the miniatures back to Mexico to use! It's a lightweight cream but hydrates the skin well. It also has a delicious fresh and clean smell. I really hope I can find it back in England! 

Sunday 8 June 2014

Paper Towns by John Green : a mini-review.


                             



Paper Towns is the third of John Green's books that I have read.  I started with the now hugely popular and well-known, The Fault In Our Stars, and then Looking For Alaska.  Green seems to have found his niche in young adult fiction; fiction that pulls on your heart strings and allows you to reflect on everything that is good, bad, easy and difficult about life.  I like this: Green doesn't talk down to his readers, he takes you on a sometimes painful or sad story, but you have time to figure the complex messages out for yourself instead of having it handed to you on a plate.   

Paper Towns is no different: the main protagonist Q goes on a literal and metaphorical journey as he is trying to figure out Margo. Q is forced to recognise his own flaws after he has called out other peoples', something that we are all guilty of at times, thinking our own beliefs are right and dismissing anyone who disagrees, or is careless or disrespectful of our opinion.  A highlight of Paper Towns is the diversity of the characters; we are introduced to a small group of friends in an American high school and Green portrays the complexity of each individual character, contrasting them, showing off their strengths and their weaknesses.  Green has no time for two dimensional cardboard characters, he also doesn't care if a character is particularly likable or not, and for me, he deserves great commendation for this. 

The main themes are, at times, quite brooding and sullen (suicide, disappearances) but don't let that put you off.  The text is witty, well-written and smart with some hilariously inappropriate moments and jokes (a group of teenage boys graduating from high school - what do you expect?) which perfectly balance out the sombre moments or ideas.  The novel is also a coming-of-age story, the characters finish high school, are going to college and Q sums up the feelings of 'doing something for the last time' perfectly; how hard it can be to end a certain chapter of your life.  The road trip the characters take is also a kind of rite of passage: they all have their own role on the trip and they are searching for something, hoping it will change, but of course, it's not always that easy.  

One particular theme that I liked a lot in Paper Towns was the idea that we create an idea of who people are.  Green argues that we tend to create this perfect idea of those we admire, look up to,or love. We think they do not go through the same pain and suffering that we do or we romanticise them.  Margo states that people love the idea of the 'paper girl', someone who is malleable, fold-able or unreal, yet these paper people can be broken and feel lost too, and sometimes the real them can get lost among what other people think they are.  In a world of idolising celebrities, this concept is really interesting.  

Green's talent for producing real, thought provoking stories for young adult (and older!) readers is a million miles away from the frothy romance of Twilight-esque books (nothing wrong if you like them, I have read and enjoyed them...). We encounter real life problems and situations that hurt us but restore our faith in humanity at the same time. Paper Towns is a wonderfully enjoyable book that charters the sometimes troubling waters of young love and growing up, with complex characters and the overriding message of how people are not always who we think they are. 






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Friday 6 June 2014

Life lately #3

L-R NARS Orgasm blush - Selfie! - Friday morning brunch on the terrace - Counting down the days!


I can't believe it's my third Life Lately post!  I've really enjoyed  blogging frequently, it's been a great outlet for my mind... sort of like a written pensieve!  

Eating : Friday morning brunch has become one of my favourite meals. We normally go for a full on continental style breakfast: juice, fresh fruit, cereal, bread, jam, yoghurt and coffee, all enjoyed in the sunshine on our terrace. 

Drinking : Mexican coffee is simply delicious and I've enjoyed having a cup every now and again. I'll admit I'm not usually a huge coffee drinker, but there have been a few mornings where I have had a cup of coffee instead of tea. I've also enjoyed exploring little coffee shops here in Guadalajara, they're often lovely places to while away an hour or two. 

Reading : I've been steadily working my way through a number of books this month: my goal on Goodreads is to read 25 books this year and as I've finished 19 so far, I think I might have to up my target. You can read my review for one of my May books, All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy here and look out for another book review this Sunday. 

Watching :  I've been really getting into Hart of Dixie recently; I'm getting my southern USA fix since Nashville has finished for the season, as well as seeing more of Rachel Bilson after binge watching the entire series of The OC!  I've also been to the cinema a lot this month... I have seen The Other Woman, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (for the second time!), Non-Stop, Godzilla, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Maleficent. 

Listening :  I've loved Phillip Phillips, The Vamps, and the second volume of the Nashville soundtrack  this month. Thanks to the Nashville and Hart of Dixie sound tracks, I've really started getting into country music and discovering new artists. 

Planning : I'm planning my life back in England!  It's causing such a range of emotions:  I'm happy to go home but really sad at the same time.  We're also planning our last week here in Mexico; thinking of spending a final week in Mexico City, finishing my year in the same way we started!

Anticipating : Holiday! I'm so excited to see my parents and spend two weeks by the beach, relaxing!  

Buying : Shopping, shopping. I've splashed out a little bit this month and treated myself to goodies from The Body Shop as well as my first NARS blusher; needless to say, I love it. We have a Sephora here, in one of the shopping centres, so I might investigate on my favourite beauty blogs and see what else I can treat myself to. 


How's your month been? Happy June!


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Wednesday 4 June 2014

Disney Wordless Wednesday : June - Three Castles

Time for what is quickly becoming my favourite day of the week - Disney Wordless Wednesday!  I love any opportunity to look through my Disney photos. This week's theme is a calendar shot for June! I have cheated a little and gone for three shots of, in my opinion, one of the most spectacular aspects of the Disney Parks - the princess' castle!  


Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Paris (please excuse the AWFUL quality - I went old school and only took a disposable camera to DL in Paris!) - Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Anaheim - Cinderella's Castle in Orlando 

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Come join in the fun of Disney Wordless Wednesday blog hop, hosted by Deb at Focused on the magic.com :-)  Show off your Disney side!


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Sunday 1 June 2014

All The Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy - a mini-review







Although I had heard a lot about Cormac McCarthy's work before, I had never given any of his books a try; I thought they would be too dark and full of desperation for me, even though I do like a challenging, thought-provoking book to get my teeth into. I first came across All The Pretty Horses in one of Waterstones' recommendations, it was a book they suggested you read if you love Mexico and after three years of the book title floating around in my head, I decided to give it a go. 

Firstly, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a lot more than I thought I would. It tells the story of a 16 year old bilingual Texan who wants to work on ranches, but unfortunately for him, this trade is quickly dying in the United States in favour of a more lucritive business: oiling. Our protagonist, John Grady Cole decides to cross south of the border into Mexico in pursuit of his ideal life, and we see that it's not always that easy. 

Secondly, it seems that All The Pretty Horses isn't quite as dark as McCarthy's other pieces of work, but that's not to say that it's all roses. There are passages and ideas that are, frankly, quite depressing. But not depressing for the sake of making us, people, mankind, feel bad; they are honest commentaries on life and society, and one teenager's romanticised, idealised view of the cowboys' code of honour. It's also a very interesting restructuring of the "American dream": we are used to seeing people in search of the better life in the United States, but All The Pretty Horses presents Mexico as the country to fulfill this dream. 

Another interesting and challenging aspect of this book is McCarthy's writing style. McCarthy doesn't follow standard Westernised punctuation; there are long, flowing descriptions of the countryside that often require a reread. On numerous occasions, one sentence can be as long as a paragraph. However, it's worth taking the time to absorb these incredibly detailed and beautified descriptions of the Northern Mexican States, the desert, and the sierras. One chapter that was particularly special to me was when John Grady visited the city of Zacatecas, a city that I have visited, and the character stayed in the same hotel I stayed in. Reading the description of the colonial city, the winding roads and open plazas made me feel like I was there again, every detail was covered.

There is also extensive use of Spanish in the book; of course, it's largely set in Mexico. For me, I adored this, obviously speaking Spanish made it a lot easier to understand, but I would guess even if you had no knowledge of the language you would be able to understand either from the context or a later description. I loved this detail of the book, I have never read anything like it. Again, the story deals with cattling and the cowboy lifestyle so there are a lot of horse and cowboy related vocabulary but I wouldn't let this put you off, you quickly become savvy with the lingo -both in English and Spanish!

Finally, I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I would never normally pick up a book from the Western genre but it's so well written and distinctive from anything I have read recently. The story displays the strength of human spirit, in spite of belief breaking adversity and how we can hold on to whatever we desire, if we want it hard enough. All The Pretty Horses is part of a trilogy, but I believe the following books are not sequels as much as stories to run alongside this book. All in all, Waterstones was right: if you love or are interested in Mexico, it's definitely worth the read. I should have read it earlier. It's also worth a read if you like a book that challenges you linguistically and questions your ideas. 




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