Quote of the Day

"Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think as much as you do, care about many of the same things that you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'"

-Kurt Vonnegut, Timequake

Book Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

It's been a fair while since I read any 'modern lit'- I seem to have convinced myself that in order to adequately prepare for university I need to devote all of my attention to classics -but my Granny lent me this book because she thought I would enjoy it as much as she did. Of course, she was completely right- this is without a doubt the loveliest book I have read in a long time, possibly since The Elegance of the Hedgehog or Never Let Me Go, both of which I read whilst on holiday last year.

There were times whilst reading this that I was worried it was going to descend into a repetitive account of the protagonist's walking, or at least I was worried at the beginning of the novel- but I must say, I was pretty wrong on that judgement. Joyce beautifully weaves Harold's thoughts into the narrative, despite her use of third person narration, in a way that reminded me a little of Woolf's use of stream of conscious narration in Mrs Dalloway- and it worked really well to convey his wandering mind as well as his wandering feet. Throughout the novel pieces of the jigsaw of Harold's memories are placed in one by one, rendering the book totally un-put-down-able, and it really reminded me of the way my own memories can surface without me even remembering registering them enough to become a memory. Another element I found particularly touching is the relationship between the protagonist and his wife, Maureen- as that too ventures on a journey as Harold's walk continues.

The most thought provoking part of the story I found was the weight put on the way other people can seem totally ordinary to you, but they could be hiding something- say, a memory or a questionable habit -inside of them, but passing in a street you would never know- unless, as Harold does, you allow people to stop and talk to you. 

I'm not saying that I now want to walk the country end to end, and discover all of the secrets of strangers, but I'm definitely going to try to be more aware of the idea that you never really know what people are going through. I'd also like to do a bit more walking. Maybe not in boat shoes, though.

Gallivanting...at Reading Festival

On Thursday, all packed up with a bag that was probably big enough to fit me in it, wellie-and-shorts-clad, I headed off to Reading Festival for the second year in a row- and I can honestly say that it totally topped last year's experience (and not just because of my age making it a hell of a lot easier to get a bit squiffy).
Before going I decided that I'd see the bands I wanted to see regardless of everyone else's plans- and I'm so glad that I did that. It did mean I spent a fair bit of time by myself wandering around and feeling a little bit awkward, but once the music started everything was forgotten and amazing. Stupidly, I didn't take my camera to the arena once so I only have a few campsite photos to offer BUT I was lucky enough to see some awesome music- although at times the crowds were a little bit too boisterous for it to be enjoyable (namely when I got a split lip during Foals- Inhaler and had to leave the crowd with bloody hands)!
My definite highlights included; Biffy Clyro- Biblical/Bubbles (and the whole damn set), Alt-j- Fitzpleasure, Tame Impala- Elephant (their set was possibly my favourite of the weekend), Disclosure- White Noise, White Lies- Farewell to the Fairground, the amazing noodles I had on the last day, and then of course making it home safe and sound to my bed.
I really did have the most amazing weekend ever- literally the only thing that could have made it better would be if Foo Fighters had been there like last year! Here's to more festivals- hopefully going to take advantage of living in Southampton next year and head to Isle of Wight or Bestival.

Campsite fun

Pre-Disclosure drinks

The very lovely Holls

I assure you we didn't spend the whole festival in these clothes- although some people possibly did -we just didn't bother taking any pictures until we were all looking a bit dishevelled on the last day! I'm so excited for seeing more live music in the near future, it made me so happy this weekend- I've already booked a ticket to see Frightened Rabbit at Southampton in November. Happy festivalling!

Quote of the Day

“I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.”

-Olivia Wilde

Book Review: Schindler's Ark

I've had my eye on this novel for sometime now, as I've always found information/literature surrounding the Holocaust really interesting- despite not knowing all that much about it! Admittedly, an additional reason for fancying Shindler's Ark is the 'hype' surrounding the film- everyone seems to rave about it as one of the greats, and as a general rule I try to read the novel before seeing the film.

As a whole, I didn't enjoy this quite as much as I thought I would. I think it's probably because I read a lot at work so was frequently interrupted by customers and it made it pretty difficult to properly get into it. Towards the end though, I did feel a lot more drawn in and found myself making more effort to indulge in reading sessions. The narrative is an amazing and impressive one, Schindler as a character (especially as it is based on true events) is heroic and invites the full trust of the reader, which was really nice whilst reading. I did however find that there were a few to many characters to form real emotional attachments to anyone other than the constant of Schindler, although maybe that's reflective of the fast paced moving of prisoners from camp to camp and the fragility of life (or something to that effect at least!).

Something I found most interesting about the novel was a question posed towards the conclusion of the novel- the question of whether the SS officers acted merely under duty, or under their own human nature. Quite possibly it's a mixture of the two, depending on who we are dealing with- but I found it quite thought provoking despite being a passing comment within the narrative. 

Overall, I did enjoy Schindler's Ark, and had I devoted more time to it I probably would have enjoyed it even more. If you are interested in historical happenings/the Holocaust/heroic tales, then I would definitely recommend this novel. Next up is something a little lighter in the form of Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry which I have heard lovely things about.

List V: Things to look forward to

Due to results/getting into uni, everything is a little bit exciting now and I have a lot to look forward to- and I have some lovely plans aside from university things too! Having things to look forward to is ace, especially as I feel I should be making the most of my time at home before I bugger off to Southampton. 

• Reading Festival

I went to Reading last year, and it was an amazing weekend. I can't wait to go again this year with two of my closest friends, and if anything, I think it could top last year! Recently I've been a bit rubbish at getting tickets for anything, so the last gig I went to was months ago- I can't wait to immerse myself in great music and hopefully discover some new stuff too.

• A stay with Granny

My Granny is possibly my favourite person in the world, and we've always gotten on amazingly well. At the beginning of September I'm going to stay with her for a couple of days, which will mean lovely walks on the beach with the dogs, exploring cute little shops, and hopefully lots of ice cream!

• My last shift at work

I really do enjoy my job, the people I work with and the people who come into the pub, but I'm looking forward to not having a job for a bit. However, I am working right up until the weekend before I go to Southampton so I'm sure celebrations will be in store!

• University

It goes without saying that I am ridiculously excited for going to university- it's something I've always wanted to do, and now it's properly set in stone it seems a bit surreal. I'm looking forward to new people, new surroundings, new reading, and new challenges. I'd honestly leave tomorrow if I could!

Okay, so this isn't an overly extensive list but I feel like I have a lot more to look forward to than just this! I'm sure I will keep updating/blogging about all things to come- especially Reading and Granny's. I really need to make the most of this next month before everything changes (yikes).

Quote of the Day

“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.”

—	Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thoughts on...results and university

As many of you probably know, today was A Level (and AS) results day, meaning the day a lot of us found out whether or not we had gotten into our chosen university. It's safe to say that last night was a pretty sleepless one- dozing off at 2, waking up at 4, dozing off, waking up at 6 to check Maths results (B, good), then snoozing until UCAS clearing went live at 7.30. I found out that I now have a place at Southampton University to study English and I am over the moon, because I really had my heart set on it- but I still had to face collecting my English and Media results that- despite getting my place- I was still pretty worried about. As it turns out, I had no reason to worry at all. My overall grades were an A* in English Lit, A* in Media, and Bs in Maths and Extended Project- and I really couldn't be happier. The funny thing was that the only person who was actually surprised with these results was myself, everyone around me had expected me to do as well as I did- which I guess points out my major flaw in being my own worst critic. Of course it would have been lovely to have done better in Maths, but I can't really complain and I'm so proud of myself because the hours of revision and tears and tantrums and stress actually paid off- and I think I got the grades I deserved. Collecting results was lovely, because all of my friends had also gotten into university and I am so proud of each and every one of them (even though I'm going to miss them horribly).

Now everything is very real. I will definitely be moving to Southampton on 21st September. I'm not going to come home until December. I will have to make new friends. I will have to get back into the swing of academia. I will have to work hard again. To be fair, it isn't the work I'm worried about. I'm more worried about making new friends and making good first impressions on people- and steering away from the temptation of embracing my introverted tendencies and hiding away in my room with a book. That said, I am really looking forward to going. I need new challenges, new surroundings, new people...and I think this will be good for me. Next steps will be finding out my accommodation, buying all the bits and bobs necessary for university, and then buggering off to have an ace time!

I hope everyone got the results they wanted and is off to where they want to go. We did it- we beat A Levels! Well done to all.

An excitable me after very little sleep

Gallivanting...à Paris

 It was actually back in February 2012 that I last went to Paris, but I thought I'd grace you with a post about it anyway because I was thinking about the trip the other day. I went with the school for the second time, after already having gone in 2010, and again the trip was absolutely ace. You could pretty much name any tourist attraction in Paris (Arc de Triomph, Eiffel Tower, Pompidou, Notre Dame, Louvre, Sacre Coeur etc etc) and yes, we would have visited it- which resulted in a lot of tired, and sometimes moany, students. I understand that we had to make the most of our time there, and it was amazing having the opportunity to visit four museums in one day, but it really made me want to be there alone without the pressure of the clock and attempts to cram as much as possible into a fairly short space of time. The weather was also a bit of an issue, Paris in February is very, very chilly so I spent the majority of the time with around four layers on feeling a little bit snowman-esque. Nevertheless, both trips were wonderful and I am definitely going to get myself there again at some point in the near(ish) future!

View from atop the Eiffel Tower

Who doesn't need a free hug from time to time?

Evidence of snowman clobber

Pretty Parisian streets and Bekky being a tourist

"Lovers' Bridge" (or something to that effect)- couples put padlocks with initials onto the bridge to symbolise their love. Romantic, eh?

I love the narrow streets of Paris, and thought this bike looked pretty cute propped up in the corner

 I don't really have as many photos as I would like to because I stupidly didn't transfer them over from my old laptop when it gave up the ghost- but thought I'd go along with the post anyway! Next up: Schindler's Ark review (when I've finished it) as well as a results based post come Thursday if I'm happy!

List IV: Places I'd like to visit/explore

I've been thinking a lot recently about wanting to do exciting things and make the most of living/being young I guess- but unfortunately spontaneity is a little difficult when it comes to travelling to out of the way places. I'd love to say that one day I will just wake up, decide I want to go to Paris, and damn well go to Paris- but realistically, I can't just set off at the drop of a hat. To take a trip I'd have to plan with family, work, money, and a number of things that make swanning off (as appealing as that is) impossible. So, I thought I'd just put together a list of places I'd like to visit in the hope that one day I will actually get the opportunity to do them.

• Venice, Italy

I've never been to Italy, so really I would love to go anywhere there- but the idea of visiting Venice has always been really appealing. From pictures it looks so beautiful and inviting, and I'd love to get lost among the back alleys and canals and travel across the water in a boat. I'm not sure but I think there may be a possibility of doing a year abroad there with my degree, although I may be getting than confused with Kent's course.

• Amsterdam, Holland

Everyone seems to talk of going to Amsterdam in pursuit of, well, sex and drugs mostly (which I'm sure it is good fore). My motives lie elsewhere, I just think it looks like a pretty cool city that would be ace to wander around and get lost in!

• Paris, France

I have previously been to Paris twice (and am considering doing a blog post about my trips) but I would love to go by myself. Both times were with the school, and although you are given a fair bit of freedom I often felt as though we were rushing to fit anything and everything into a short space of time, rendering us completely exhausted and unable to appreciate everything as much as we would have liked to. It would also be nice to go during the Summer, I find it's always nicer to be outside when you aren't wrapped up like a snowman and suffering from numb extremities! 

• York, England

One a little bit closer to home, where it would actually be possible for me to visit on a day's notice! I've been to York a fair few times, having friends who live near Leeds, but I'd really like to go again. Maybe just for the day to wander around- first train up, last train home kinda thing. England really does have some lovely places and I feel like I should explore them more!

There are lots and lots of other places I'd like to visit- Canada, Australia, Kenya, Brazil, Sweden etc- and I really hope that one day I have the chance to visit them! In the meantime I may just have to stick to exploring England, perhaps venturing to Edinburgh at some point if I'm feeling really adventurous. One thing I've always really wanted to do is see the Northern Lights, so if anyone could take me somewhere to see them I think I'd be obliged to award you eternal love (or at least eternal like).

Ladybird Likes goodie bag appreciation

Zo at Ladybird Likes recently put together a jewellery goodie bag and a stationary goodie bag full of wonderful things for just £20- and after much deliberation I settled on the stationary one! (She had me at bunting really)

As you can see I received lots and lots of lovely things! I really like having pretty gift tags for my friends' presents, and the sparkly ones will be perfect for Christmas.

This Alice in Wonderland pocket mirror is perfectly timed after having just read the story, and it's one of my favourite items!

I've got a growing selection of Zo's brooches and have come to the decision that you can never have too many. This blue butterfly is lovely and will look great on my new denim jacket alongside my ampersand brooch.

My favourite part of this bunting is the beautiful velvet ribbon, and it looks really lovely by my clock and Gatsby poster.

I would strongly recommend you check out Zoe's blog/shop- just head over to ladybirdlikes.blogspot.com and all the information is there!

David's Books haul

I really love going to David's (a local independent bookshop that we are really lucky to have) and trawling through row upon row of second hand books to pick out some good finds. There's a Virginia Woolf quote that explains my love of old books better than I can:

"Second hand books are wild books, homeless books; they have come together in vast flocks of variegated feather, and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack"

and it's ace to have somewhere so close where second hand books (as well as records, DVDs and what not) are readily available! Anyway, I thought I'd do a haul post of the books I found- partially because I wanted to take pictures against the pretty material of a pouffe belonging to a friend (haha)- so here it is...

I recently read Aldous Huxley's Brave New World so thought I would invest £2 in the novel that supposedly established him as a writer- despite never having heard of it before! Nevertheless, I am quite looking forward to reading it if Brave New World is anything to go by.

I really love Virginia Woolf, especially Mrs Dalloway after studying it for my comparative coursework piece last year. I've always been interested in reading The Waves, and have heard good things about it- £.150 well spent.

I was talking to a man at the pub about Hardy after saying that I wanted to read Tess of the D'urbervilles, and he told me that anyone who knew Hardy well would be more impressed if I said I had read The Trumpet-Major as it is a less well-known text, so I thought I would buy it! (80p)

The Picture of Dorian Gray is probably one of the best books I've read recently(ish) and I've been looking forward to reading more of Wilde's work. This looks from the introduction like it'll be a little different in style to DG, but I'm looking forward to it all the same! (£2.99)

Fairly recently I bought my brother's tablet, and so attempted to read The Metamorphosis on the Kindle app- but I really didn't get on with reading off of a screen! Initially I was looking out for getting The Metamorphosis today but I didn't find it, but I'm hoping that this will also be worth reading. (80p)

Admittedly I've never heard of this novel before, but the person I was with recommended it based on recommendations by others and their recommendations tend to be pretty spot on so I went with it! Have had a look at the blurb/online and it does look as though it'll be a good read. (£2.50) 

After looking at a post somewhere about the hundred top reads I saw this, and quite fancied it so it caught my eye today! I'm looking forward to reading it, and I think I'd like to read Of Mice and Men at some point too. 

I'm really excited to read all of these, despite the fact that I already have a growing mountain of books in my 'to read' pile, but hey ho. I also bought a few second hand records, had a mint chocolate milkshake and had an all round ace day! Time (and money) definitely well spent.

A handful of favourite quotes

I decided I wanted to do some form of quote-related post, so I flicked through my quote book, selected a few, then chose to write them out and photograph them against a pretty background!

An extract from a longer quote: "Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed, you will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again." (apologies for misquoting in the above picture!)

I will use some of the written out quotes as bookmarks and such like, but these ones look lovely at the top of my mirror!

Book review: Alice in Wonderland

I've always loved the story of Alice in Wonderland, mostly from watching Disney's version of events (as well as later on, Tim Burton's adaptation) but it dawned on me recently that I had never read the original version! I found this beautiful copy on a bookshelf in the house, that Mum thinks is my Granny's, and couldn't resist having a read- especially as a nice break after having read more serious matter. The edition is perfect and complete with both colour and black and white illustrations, and it was really lovely to read- I sort of felt as though I was reverting back to childhood and got a little too swept away in Wonderland.

My favourite illustration of the book- Alice and the Cheshire Cat

Essentially, Alice in Wonderland is a children's tale of nonsense and strange lands, but Lewis Carroll's careful crafting of word play, as well as an incorporation of themes surrounding growing up, death and danger, raises it to something that I think anyone could enjoy! Of course it is possible to simply read it at face value, as I pretty much have done, but I'm really interested to read a bit more into it as I've seen a lot of psychoanalysis of the tale online. Overall reading this reminded me a little of the magic of childhood and imagination, and filled me with nostalgia- especially as I'm at a time where I'm going to have to grow up pretty quickly! This is definitely worth reading, even just for a bit of fun- and I would like to read Through the Looking Glass too.

Next up on my reading list: Thomas Keneally's Schindler's Ark

List III: Things that make me happy

This is probably going to be a hideously cheesy post, but sometimes I think it's pretty important to think about things that make you happy- especially if you have a case of the blues.

1. Summer evenings spent with friends

I recently had a barbecue with some of my closest friends on a lovely warm day, and I remembered/realised how bloody lucky I am to have the friends that I do- people who I can talk to about anything and have a great laugh with, and just generally enjoy being around. I think it's important to surround yourself with people like that, and yeah, I'm just generally really lucky!

2. Productive days

I'm rarely happier than I am after having a productive day (same as I'm rarely more irritable and unhappy following an unproductive one), and am a firm believer that keeping active is really important to maintaining a good state of mind.

3. Getting into a good book

I love that point when reading where you find yourself totally lost in a narrative, and growing attached to the characters- it's part of the reason why I'm so drawn to English as a subject and can't wait to study it next year.

4. Being alone in a new place

After my adventures in London the other day, I realised that I really do like being alone in unknown territory. Some people see wanting to be alone as a negative trait, but I think it's important to be able to enjoy your own company (though not to the point where you avoid all society!) and to be able to feel comfortable in new surroundings just wandering around.

5. Giving good advice

Although advice is generally a selfless act, there is always a really nice feeling in knowing you have helped to make someone feel better in a time of need, and it's really lovely being able to be a source of help for someone.

6. Animals

I no longer have any pets, but I had a dog named Georgie for 11 years, and coming home from school to her wagging her tail was always a lovely feeling (even when she was old and smelly). Animals just seem to make things feel better, I love it when my Granny brings her dogs to see us, and whenever there are dogs around at work it's always nice to have a break to fuss them- it really can improve an evening!

7. Live music

I stand by that one of the best nights of my life to date was seeing Foo Fighters supported by Biffy Clyro, Deathcab for Cutie, and Tame Impala at Milton Keynes Bowl. The fact that particular songs- namely Best of You- brought tears to my eyes was wonderful, and I felt so happy in that particular moment. This is one of the reasons I am so looking forward to Reading Festival at the end of this month!

There are many other little things that make me happy too, from listening to an awesome song to eating a really nice cake, and sometimes you just need to sit back and appreciate stuff like that! But yes, that is a small list of things that have the power to make me pretty damn chipper.

Book review: Wuthering Heights

Due to hopefully becoming an English Lit student come September, I had half planned to read as many classics as possible over the course of the Summer- but I've inevitably ended up reading this and that which I fancy. I did however finally get around to reading Wuthering Heights, which I've always quite fancied reading. 

As the desolate setting of the moors would suggest, as a whole, Wuthering Heights is extremely bleak- certainly in respect to setting and mood. It is the characters of the novel that I found to be most enjoyable and compelling, particularly Heathcliff- who, despite his cruelty, I found to be a character I was never totally devoid of sympathy for (which might be a result of my comparing him to the creature in Shelley's Frankenstein). I enjoyed the way Bronte chose to convey the majority of the plot through Nelly's viewpoint, allowing her to serve as a form of narrator for the most part of the novel. The plot of the novel is fairly melodramatic, as is common within Gothic literature, but the complex structure- encompassing shifts between narrative viewpoint to allow a rounded version of events- made for a fairly interesting read, although admittedly I didn't give it the attention that it perhaps deserved, and was in a bit of a hurry to finish it. If you like a tragic love story, and/or Gothic literature, you may well enjoy this novel, and perhaps I will have a chance to study it in greater detail at some point!

Next up on my reading list: Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland