The Night Circus

I recently read this book that immediately caught my eye. My school librarian ordered it in for me and I read it in a matter of days. I was obsessed. The story at times followed a unique 2nd person narrative that allowed the reader to become immersed in the circus, like a character of the story. You can become a 'reveur'. The main plot follows a magical competition with a venue set in a whimsical night time circus. The mysterious circus plays host to multiple plot lines, each with interlinking themes, carefully interwoven to create suspense and wonder.

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

It was one of the best books I've ever read and I'd thoroughly recommend it whole heartedly. I never wanted it to end, and luckily, there had been talk of a sequel. David Heyman (producer of Harry Potter films) has bought the rights to the books film rights so fingers crossed the film will bring the deserved hype and wider audience to the stellar novel. 

Please read it if you get a chance, I implore you. 

Going Gluten Free

I've done it before but it's difficult. You'd be surprised how many food substances have gluten in them, and some of them really unexpected. This very restrictive diet proved effective for me because it cuts out a lot of of unhealthy food such as bread and pasta and I paired it with dairy free so NO CHOCOLATE, but it's so hard to keep to it. There are certain gluten free products but they're expensive.

It's mostly a diet of basmati rice for me but here are 8 gluten free healthy snacks

1. Kelkin Gluten Free Jaffa Cakes 150g 

2. Dietary Specials Light Crispbread

3.Sainsbury's Freefrom Shortcake 

4.Genius Gluten Free Crumpets 

5. Eat Natural Gluten Free Bars, Almonds Apricots and Yogurt Coating 

6. Mrs Crimbles Cheese Crackers 

7. Swedish Glace Vanilla Non Dairy Frozen Dessert 

8. Nairns Herb and Seeded Oatcakes, Gluten Free 

Good luck if you wish to attempt it with me.

Harry Potter Studios Take 4 (yes, honestly)

Being a huge Potterhead, I am naturally drawn to Leavesden Studios, Watford, to tour the magical film sets of Harry Potter. I went in late December 2013 to see Hogwarts in the Snow, with Callum, my best friend. We had a tiresome journey as we had a short journey into London to then catch a train to Watford then the bus to the studios.

Once there, it was if I'd never left. I was still short of breath and just as desperately excited as those previous 3 times. In the great hall, they'd decorated it all festively with a Christmas feast laid out on the long tables.

The rest of the tour was as amazing as ever, especially the snow covered replica Hogwarts. I had an amazing time (as usual) and would recommend it wholly to any Harry Potter fan.

What Have I Been Up To?

The answer is quite a lot. Time moves fast and you can easily get swept up in the fast flowing current. I've recently been studying for my A Levels which is hard work but I've been enjoying it, especially English currently. Along side my studies I've also been doing some great things. I recently got back from Egypt for some winter sun.

The day before I went to one of the best concerts of my life so far, Foals at Alexandra Palace. I'm in this picture;

Also, I went to Paradise Wildlife Park last weekend. It was so much fun and there was lots to see. It was absolutely lovely weather so I had my sunglasses on and walked around eating an ice cream like it was the height of summer but alas, that weather seems very distant at the moment.

Skins

I'm sorry it's been so long BlogSpot. Truth is...I've just been busy doing nothing. But my laptop is broken so that's kind of my excuse. I've also been heavily absorbed in the old series of Skins. Skins is a show about Bristolian youths drinking, having sex and doing drugs. It doesn't sound so great from that synopsis but it can teach teenagers a lot.

There have been 3 generations, with no more to follow as the last ever British episode aired last night (snivels) and each have stand out characters and interlinking plot lines. Each series follows a year at Roundview college.

 

 Each main character has their own episode where you learn more about them, their home life and their troubles. Generation one was great and featured Cassie who's story was continued in the last series.

 

Generation two was my favourite. They seemed to have the most troubles and I thought JJ Jones was adorable.

 

Generation 3 was so-so but I enjoyed it. My favourite character was Rich the metalhead who learns that you can love someone who is extremely different from yourself.

 

And finally, series 7. The end of the road for all the characters. I was extremely dissapointed with this series. In Effy's from generation 2, we see 2 other characters from the series, without a mention of her murdered boyfriend. In Cassie's, there's no mention of anyone and the whole thing seems pointless. In Cook's there's one reveal but little else. I wanted to know how JJ was but nevermind.

I'd recommend Skins to anyone, but make sure you have free time.

Film Review: Never Let Me Go

What on Earth was going on in this film? I don't think I've ever seen a dystopian science fiction drama film and I have to say, it was a weird experience. It was an emotive film but at times I felt it was tedious and hard to follow and often found myself on its Wikipedia page to follow somethings I found unclear.

It has a great cast, including Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightly and led by Carey Mulligan (who was good in this but I thought she was average in The Great Gatsby). The tainted love triangle keeps the viewers yearning, although it's nothing new.

In the film, it's revealed that the main characters are clones, being reared to donate organs. It's a novice idea to me so it was slightly more interesting. It also raised an important question of why are some people more important, which I thought was cool.

Would I recommend it? Possibly if sci-fi romances are your thing. It was a nice film with pretty good acting and I wouldn't call it a waste of time.

Quaint Card Shops in Hertford

I live in Hertfordshire and the town of Hertford is adorable. My parents took me for lunch at Pizza Express and while we were there, I popped into a few little card shops quickly. A lot of the shop fronts in Hertford are classic and look a bit like they belong in Diagon Alley. It's really quite cute.

Another was called The Decorated Room;

 

Basically I wish I could just spend my money in little adorable shops.