July Favourites

Skincare Favourites:

LUSH Magnaminty - I first got this face mask as a sample to help get rid of spots for prom however I was surprised how well it worked. So after using it as a sample at the beginning of July I have been using the one I brought once a week. It is also self-preservative so you don't have to keep in fridge and lasts longer than the Fresh Face Masks and smells deliciously of peppermint, which is there to help freshen your face. I recommend you ask for a sample first but then the face mask is £5.25 for 125 g or £9.25 for 315g. Although it does cost a fair bit I really do recommend it especially for spot prone skin and it has been a must have for July!! You can find it here

Makeup Favourites:

Tanya Burr Lips and Nails Lipgloss in 'Picnic in the Park.' It is a gorgeous colour perfect for summer! You can find it on superdrug here! It also smells beautifully like strawberry so is fresh for summer.

Nail Polish Favourites:

This month I have had two gel manicures, one for prom and one for holiday, so have loved that, I. It last ages although the first time it did unfortunately start to peel off rather quickly.

Book Favourites:
If you have read my last post you will know that I have been on a mission to read the whole of Harry Potter and then the films, I am virtually finished. It is an absolutely amazing series so will not be just a monthly favourite but a forever favourite I think.

Film Favourites:

This definitley has to be 'The Book Thief.' After reading the book I had been waiting for the DVD, but I am not going to talk about it as I have already done and indepth review of it here. 

Music Favourites:

My main music favourite was going to Hyde Park on 6th July with one of my friends. We saw McBusted, Back Street Boys, Diversity, The Vamps and Scouting for Girls. It was such an eventful day, were nearly caught in the middle of a fight; got drenched; saw a rainbow during 'Five Colours in her Hair' the Mcfly song (how apt); The Vamps Brad got a nose bleed but continued playing and McBusted even played Air Hostess twice! However unfortunately Lawson and Five were also meant to be playing but got cut last minute due to stage difficulties, but I still had an amazing day. I have some photos, from my instagram to show some highlights and the merchandise! 

Random Favourites:

This month was my Year 11 prom and, though it means it will be the last time I see some people, I had an absolutely amazing time. Me and two of my friends even got our hair and makeup done professionally, with one of them even getting a spray tan!

This was how I had my hair done for prom night!

I have also been really happy that I got my first ever job, I have now been doing it for just over a month! This is one of my top favourites of this month as it is a new experience and I am now earning. I have also taken my mum and dad out for a meal, from my first ever pay packet!

*I am going on holiday to Rhodes, Greece on the 29th July so I won't be posting. I can't wait and I am sure it will be one of my August Favourites.

Sam x

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Top Summer Reads!

These are some amazing, varied and cleverly written summer books. They are not written in order as I recommend them all as they all vary in genres. All contain different concoctions of love, hate, mystery, secrecy, humour and general brilliance. ALL are MUST reads. I also have recommendations of many series and other books, however I will do them in another post showing my top series to read.

1. Husband's Secret by Liane Moriaty

Husbands Secret is about a women - Cecilia Fitzpatrick - who is successful, a great mother and a great wife. Until she discovers one day her husband wrote a letter for her containing a deep secret. It is this day that her life begins to get interesting.
This is a great book for a summer read as it contains mystery within it but also details how that even the most perfect family can have its problems. It is an amazing book and, with the hint of mystery, makes for an entertaining, relaxing and interesting read (perfect for summer)!

2. Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

Zoe has a secret! A secret of which she can only share to a criminal on death row by sending him letters. Through these letters, similar to that of diary entries, you learn about her past; her love and her secret. 

In my summary I didn't want to give anything away, but trust me it's a great read. It may seem that I have an obsession with secrets due to my first recommendation also being about secrecy but, though both contain a secret, this is more about a teenager dealing with growing up and making right choices. It is a read of romance, adolescence and a spurs the reader to read more and more. Hence it would be a great read for summer.

3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Cath and Wren are twins, who have been through a lot together: from family problems to being obsessive Simon Snow fans. However Wren, the feistier of the two, wants to become more individual. So when they both go college Cath is left alone. Can she do it? Whilst being in college Cath deals with more family problems, reluctantly makes friends and begins to fall in love. All of this whilst writing fan fiction.

So, fangirl is a brilliant summer read and unlike the other recommendations it is more of a rom-com. I have read it recently and couldn't put it down so you should definitely recommend it.

4. Stolen: A Letter to my Captor  by Lucy Christopher 

Gemma has been stolen. She is taken from the airport into the Australian outback by Ty. Ty is unlike stereotypical captors, being incredibly handsome and quite charming. But why her? And can she be forced into loving him back? We find out in the letter from Gemma to Ty!

Stolen is a slightly darker read than the previous recommendations making it an interesting and surprising summer read. It contains obsession, danger and adventure all in the realistically described outback. It is utterly amazingly written and has secrets (yep more secrets) being unveiled on the way. Definitely read this - I couldn't put down!

5. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Amy Dunne has disappeared. She disappeared on her fifth wedding anniversary, leaving husband Nick to deal with the consequences. With weird telephone calls, clues and an incriminating Amy's diary - could Nick be her killer?
Admittedly this is a darker book than the others however of all of them it is the most brilliant. I have lent this to so many people. As I said to them - it is a book which really gets you to think, it is a definite mystery book and, refreshingly, you end up HATING every character. However there is a warning - it is for older readers but also I found it took my around 100 pages to get into it but it ends up with  pure brilliance, making you want to re-read it again. It is seriously an incredible book and it is a different kind of summer read that I completely recommend! It is SOOO good that it is being made into a film in Autumn, meaning you should read it in the Summer in time for the film, if for no other reason. Here is the trailer below:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=esGn-xKFZdU

My Summer Reads

This summer I have read Picture Perfect by Holly Smale. This isn't my usual type of book, I like mystery, thriller and dystopian normally, however I loved the series. The first two I read at age 14/15  and the main character was also 15 which was perfect. Now I read this at 16 the main character 'Harriet', was also 16 therefore I enjoy the book as I can relate to parts of it, for instance finding GCSE results and beginning Sixth Form. This was a great summer read as it slightly prepared me for finding my results this August!

I have also made it my mission to read all the Harry Potter books this summer and I am currently on book 5 which is the Order of the Phoenix by J.K.Rowling. I have never read them before, which may come as a shock as a book lover, but I never used to be into books when they came out but now I am loving them. I am then hoping to have a movie marathon, of which I haven't watched yet either (I know disappointing) before I go back for Sixth Form.

In addition, I am considering doing English Literature as an A-Level. We have been given some summer reading to do, then book reviews. So I will be posting them on here aswell!

Hope your well

Sam x

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The Book Thief

The Book Thief is written by Marcus Zusak, who is an Australian author.

It is written from the viewpoint of death. This is one of the many things which makes the book extraordinary as it is original and gives the reader an alternative viewpoint of life (and with it death.)

It is set in Germany during World War Two and, though it is narrated by death itself, the book is about the child Leisel Meminger. When she can no longer be cared for by her mother she gets sent off to live with a German couple. During her enticing journey of living with them she learns to read, befriends a Jew and copes with the struggles and hardship of living in Germany in WW2.

This books gives the fresh view of  the war and shows that there is power contained in words and as 'everybody die's', we are all ultimately the same. This provides the message of equality within the book, along with family, love and heartbreak. This supports the time of which it is written in as instead of discriminating it shows some outbreaks of togetherness

The book got me hooked and, though the topic was difficult to digest at times, it was an easy and flowing read. I even got so absorbed into reading that, during the difficult points, I may even have let out a tear or two (which is very unlike me.)

Due to the book being unlike any I have read before, it is one of my favourites. Therefore, without a doubt, I strongly recommend it (in fact I am currently lending it to a friend and have recommended it to many others including my Dad.) This just shows it is a great read for numerous ages as it is written in such an amazing way. However for those of a younger age it may not be that suitable as it does contain emotional distress.

So, it is not a light-hearted read although it does contain snippets of humour. It will make you smile, cry and worry but more importantly engage you into reading more. If I could rate it out of 10 it would be a definite 10.

Please read - it could change your viewpoint of life!


The Movie:

Due to it being and international best selling book, of which it is worthy, it has also been made into a film. It is due to watching this film today that I have written this review. All I can say is it too made me shed a few tears as it was magical representation of the amazing book. Therefore I also recommend.

However, as it was an adaptation, some important scenes from the book had been reordered or completley left out (slightly disappointing me). For this reason if you are thinking of both reading the book and watching the film, I definitely recommend reading it first. However as I said it was still magical as I don't think any film (not even The Fault in our Stars) has made me cry. The actors were amazing and they portrayed the characters brilliantly. Their is Sophie Nélisse (Leisel), Geffrey Rush (Papa), Emily Watson (Mama), Ben Schnetzer (Max) and Nico Liersch (Rudy.)

Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=92EBSmxinus

Please Watch

Sam x

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What is bloglovin?

Bloglovin is a website/app which allows you to follow you favourite bloggers seeing there updates and what they are liking. You can comment and save your favourite posts for further reading, like to keep recipes and remember what books you may next like.

Here is my link to allow this account on bloglovin which will allow you to follow me and keep updated:

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12562591/?claim=d53rkeenmmp">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

My links:

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Sam x

New Beginnings - My First Post

So hi,

Here I am starting my first ever blog!

It has taken me a while to start as I have been wondering : 'What will I post?', 'What things do I enjoy?', 'Should I do it?' and other common questions. But here I am starting 'booksandbeautifulthings' which, as you may have guessed, will evolve around books and other beautiful things that I enjoy, hence the name. This will include favourites from the moment,  book reviews, updates, recipes, hauls and even more to look forward too (I can't wait.)

So, now that you know what the blog will be about, I hope you are willing to come along the journey with me to see how I progress as a first time blogger. To do this though I am aware you may want to know a few things about me so here we go:

My name is Samantha (or Sam if you prefer)
I am 16 years old
My favourite things include shopping, reading, going on the internet, watching youtube, listening to music, baking and hanging out with friends and family (the typical things a teenager enjoys.)

A few more of my favourites:

Favourite books -

• 'Lorien Legacies' series by Pittacus Lore (I love the series so much so I am sure there will soon be a post on it.)
• 'Divergent' series by Veronica Roth (again this could easily be another post)
• 'Ketchup Clouds' by Annabel Pitcher
• 'Stolen' by Lucy Christopher
• 'Darcy Lock' Series by Julia Golding
• 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn
• 'Harry Potter' series by J.K.Rowling which I have finally gotten around to reading!

Favourite artists-

• Mcfly (or now McBusted) who I was lucky enough to see at Hyde Park on 6th July!!
• Bastille
• Mika
• Scouting for Girls (also at Hyde Park!!)
• One Republic
• Stereophonics
• Imagine Dragons

Well that's everything for now!

I am so happy I have started this account and I can't wait until I can finally post some more!

You can also find me here:
Instagram