The Bedtime Tag : LIFE

Hello!

"A bedside table is not complete without a candle."

The YouTube "World" comes up with amazing tags, for example, the not-my-arms challenge, the accent tag and the best friend tag to name a few. This is another tag which originated from YouTube, more specifically from FleurDeForce (link to video here). Talking all things pyjama's is quite fun and this tag is one I could not pass up.

THE QUESTIONS:

1. What are you favourite pajamas?
If you follow me on instagram (self promo at it's finest), you'd know Snowy. Snowy is the snowman on my snowman pyjama bottoms. I do love those bottoms for the winter which I wear with a silk purply taupe-y button down top, but I must say, I reach for the plaid pyjamas a lot. Actually, those plaid pyjamas were mentioned in this post, and are probably my favourite!

2. Current bedtime reading?
J.K. Rowling books, other than Harry Potter, have drawn me in after reading The Cuckoo's Calling, review here, so I picked up the Casual Vacancy and have not been completely feeling it. Although it is my current read, I might not end up finishing it. However, it I do, you'll see a review. ;)

3. What is on your bedside table?
A bedside table is not complete without a candle. I also have a lamp, the book I'm reading and a magazine. Keeping it simple :)

4. Favourite sleepy scent?
I'm not fussy, whatever scent the candle gives off, I'm happy with. Generally, the candle is scented according to season - is my OCD showing? *makes action of hand over eyes monkey emoji*

5. What is your usual bedtime & wakeup time?
Bedtime is anywhere between 10-12pm and wakeup time is rarely ever after 10am. Probably around 8-9am is the usual for weekends. 

6. Top 3 bedtime products?
Lip balm is a must for before bedtime, as I often forget to apply it during the day, so I allow my lips can replenish during the night. Also a bit of hand cream and a notebook is in my top 3 bedtime products. It's always when you're supposed to be asleep that your mind thinks of wonderful things, and if you don't have a notebook on hand, those wonderful things could be gone forever. Yes, that was deep. 

7. Your most common sleeping position?
On my side, snuggling a pillow, of course!

8. Any strange bed time routines?
I don't really have strange routines... so nope!

9. Are you big spoon or little spoon?
Well, to my pillow: Big spoon, it wouldn't work the other way round!

A tag that was easily converted form YouTube to the Blogger world.
I tag YOU. Answer the questions listed below and be sure to let me know when you've done it! I can't wait to read your responses! 

THE QUESTIONS:
1. What are you favourite pajamas
2. Current bedtime reading
3. What is on your bedside table
4. Favourite sleepy scent
5. What is your usual bedtime & wakeup time
6. Top 3 bedtime products
7. Your most common sleeping position
8. Any strange bed time routines
9. Are you big spoon or little spoon?

Tell me, do you have a thing for candles too?

Autumn '14 Reading Wish List

Hello! 

'colder weather meaning we're less likely to go out.. so more time for reading? '

Although it may not be Autumn according to the calendar yet we all know September is basically Autumn! This means it's a new season with colder weather meaning we're less likely to go out.. so more time for reading? 

The last reading wish list was released and it's true to say I didn't read all the books, yet if I read at least one book of the wish list, I'm happy! Also, this way you can get ideas, too! 

"I hope you find some ideas for reading this Autumn"

So, to give you a bit of an idea of the books chosen, here's a summary of each:

The Husband's Secret
A lady whom is very successful and married found a letter that her husband wrote which was meant to be read after his death. The lady found it while he was alive - it contained his deepest, darkest secret and would change their lives forever...  see Good Reads version here.

#GIRLBOSS
This aspirational book doesn’t patronize young women the way many business experts do. Amoruso shows readers how to channel their passion and hard work, while keeping their insecurities from getting in the way. She offers straight talk about making your voice heard and doing meaningful work. see more here.

Freakonomics
Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, Levitt and Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives—how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they explore the hidden side of . . . well, everything. Link to Good Reads for more.

Thinking, Fast and Slow
(from Good Reads: ) In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. more here.


I hope you find some ideas for reading this Autumn, and tell me: your favourite book at the moment?

BerryReads: Book Wishlist #2

Hello!

Happy Monday! Considering the last few posts on Monday's have been either Mani Monday's or Motivational Mondays - which I love doing both of them by the way - maybe it was time to switch it up a bit. Considering the enthusiasm I have for books right now, it was the perfect time for a Wishlist post! Having done one of these before and only reading one of the three I had then been interested in, lets hope its more successful this time!

Gone Girl
You probably have heard of this book before! I definitely have but it had never caught my eye... until I read the blurb earlier today: 
' Who are you? What have we done to each other? These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? '

Tell me you're not intrigued! No wonder it's a bestseller - it's quite bad how I just judged the book by it's (almost) bland cover. Yet, I cannot wait to give this book a try!

The Bookstore & Penelope
These two books are about girls who go to University - both in America in this case. These two were mentioned in 'Stylish' Magazine and the blurbs again caught my eye. These are not as well known as 'Gone Girl' but definitely seem interesting - more of a light read, if you may. I don't like to read too many "intense" books at a time, so maybe these will be nice breathers! (Is that really weird, or do you do the same? :P)

Insurgent
Having had a debate on whether Divergent is better than The Hunger Games on Friday, many of you said to read the books too! I didn't get around to finish reading Divergent, not sure whether it was because I wasn't 'in to' reading at the time or because I didn't like the book - but I loved the movie. Therefore, I'm going to give this a shot!

Have you read any of these books, and what's on your "wish list"? 

*picture from here, here, here

BerryReads: Wishlist

Hello! 

Reading is something I have not done in a while. Having redone my room, there are now a few more areas whereby I can relax and… well sit and read! Don't you just love having little areas to chill in?! Well, obviously that calls for more reading, right? Isn't that justice enough?! :)

Well, since a very young age I've been a reader yet I haven't read in a while. You may be like me: one that loves story lines such as those in movies, tv shows and even music videos! Well, books are like little movies in your head and you can direct them however you wish!

You may notice a slight theme in this BerryReads today: Movies. Well, not all of the books but 2 of the 3 are (soon to be) movies!

Wolf of Wall Street is currently a movie featuring Leonardo DiCaprio - it's about a guy who makes thousands of dollars per minute yet 'rinses' (spends) it all during the night on things such as drugs, alcohol and bad, bad stuff! I like that it's a different storyline based around greed and power. It intrigues me, and the fact that it's based in New York makes it even more interesting!
(GoodReads Rating: 3.6/5)

Cancer patients are being increasing by the minute in our day to day lives, The Fault In Our Stars is a love story about a cancer patient. You probably have heard of it, if not read it already! The first time  watching the trailer for TFIOS reminded me a bit of The Sisters Keeper in terms of the cancer idea - yet it still seems a must read before watching the movie!
(GR: 4.5/5)

GoodReads is a great place to find ratings of books and lists to choose books from. Looking at the 'Popular' list of what others are really enjoying, I came across Shatter Me. It is about a girl who has the power to kill someone at the touch of her fingertips. Sounds pretty gruesome, right? Actually, thats the part that repels me from the book! However, she wants to use her powers for good not evil (Frozen, anyone?) and it makes me wonder how she deals with it! Though, if it's too gruesome I won't continue reading it!
(GR: 4.09/5)

That's it, nothing too girly this time but quite a few to get my hands on!
What book is on your Reading Wishlist?

source: GoodReads, Image

BerryReads: Restoring Grace

Hello!

I've been reading like crazy recently, it's a good thing and a bad thing. The bad thing is that it means I tend to go to bed later than I would but the good thing is that it's very interesting and it really does make me feel happy!

When you read you get loads of inspiration and your imagination runs wild! It's good to feel your imagination stretching and expanding, do you feel the same way?

Anyway, so I picked this book out of a whim and cannot say that I would like to do that again anytime soon - and sometimes wish I knew what book I wanted before I picked it out, here's why:

Well, the book itself doesn't have a fixed storyline. There's no one thing that is focused on throughout the whole story. In one sense, I guess there is, as 3 girls become friends but the entire thing feels very loose and there're no fixed connections. All of it seems very unrealistic and I guess it's quite un-relatable.

I found myself constantly trying to find something that will make me feel relatable to the characters, so they can inspire and 'click' with my imagination but I guess that click never came.

The story is very slow paced. A lot of the things you know are going to happen but it takes far much longer than it should to get to the time when it actually does happen, and you're not surprised when it does because you were expecting it. If things took longer than it should have and something you did not expect to happen turns up then it would be worth the wait, but not in this case.

So many questions pop into your head when your reading a book, any book in this matter, however, in this particular book there are so many answers left untold. Again, in some cases this is good because it makes you think of it yourself, however, there just isn't enough information to do this - and then you're left disappointed because you're not satisfied.

On the contrary to all of this, I've left quite a few books hanging in my time, yet this wasn't one of them. This goes to show that the book is not so BORING that you don't want to pick it up. Yes, I agree that it's an okay storyline if the author expanded it and made it something bigger - this wasn't the case.

Overall, I recommend you do not read this, unless you're looking for a EXTREMELY light read with no surprises and very slow paced.
I give it a 4/10.

What book do you recommend I read next - one better than this, I hope?!

BerryReads: Remember Me? -Sophie Kinsella

Hello!

Being fellow bookworms, do you ever have those books/articles you read and you think to yourself "I will never be able to forget reading this!"?! Whether that be because you're head over heels for it or because it was absolutely horrendous, you're still never be able to forget it... well, for me, this was one of those books.

The book "Remember Me?" by Sophie Kinsella was one of those books. Sophie Kinsella is a very popular author, you may have heard of "Confessions of a Shopaholic" - the famous movie - she wrote that book. Did you know that originally it was called "The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic" and there are many other books in the series including one about the shopaholics sister and another about the shopaholics baby! Anyway, when I picked up the book, I hadn't even noticed the authors name - I felt I recognised it but didn't pay much attention. It wasn't until I opened the front cover that I noticed!

The story is about a girl called Lexi who doesn't have the best life... she didn't get a bonus she was hoping for, her un-cool boyfriend stood her up and her father just died. Lexi got involved in an accident and seemed to wake up in hospital as a girl living what seemed like a perfect life: she has a hot husband, an expensive house, a convertible mercedes and (my favourite) a designer wardrobe! Lexi has lost her memory of the last 3 years of her life and wakes up to this! However, not everything is as perfect as it seems (gosh, that sounds so clique!).

I love the way the author has written the book, it is a real page turner and I couldn't put it down. Sophie seems to express Lexi's feelings in such a way that when she's happy, we the readers are happy, when she's sad, we're sad and when she's excited, so are we! Even though the st
ory line is not that relatable, I still shared emotions with Lexi. You can tell that Sophie truly put her heart and soul into this book as our hearts and souls get attached to it too!

I haven't read a book this good in ages, I read "About A Girl" before this one which you can read about here, but I preferred this one. I actually looked forward to dimming my lights, snuggling under the duvet and opening this book to a new world opening up inside my head. Reading 'Remember Me?' felt like I was actually daydreaming or watching a movie in my head - it all seemed so realistic.

Also, the way Sophie Kinsella made it so easy to understand and very personal as it was written as first person, you could easily slip into the mind of Lexi Smart - a funny, clever and pretty lady!

This was one book I will not be able to forget, maybe I'll read the Confessions of a Shopaholic series soon - I think I picked it up once but got bored and didn't finish more than 2 chapters... or was that Legally Blonde? Not sure...
I do, however, want to read more of Sophie Kinsella's books - a list can be seen here.

What's your unforgettable book you recommend to read next? Leave a comment!

Weekly Roundup #5

Hello!

What a crazy week it's been. Is it just me or do you also get the feeling that on one hand this week has raced by but when you think about it, it's actually gone reeeaaaalll slow? Hmm, I don't know!

Anyway this week was the last of my summer so most of it was just spent relaxing. To be honest, having a holiday longer than 2 months with nothing to do is a drag. I prefer being busy. Okay, at first it felt like heaven: NOTHING to do is perfection, but then after about 3 weeks it really did just get too much! I guess it's right when they say that what's perceived is always greater than reality. We should just keep dreaming, then, hey? :D

Anyway so the first of my favourites was finishing reading my book. Favourite Past-time: Reading

Being it the holidays, and having nothing to do, you would expect there to be MORE time to read, right? Wrong. I found that by the time I went to bed I would be knackered and wouldn't have the energy to read! I usually read in my bed before going to sleep - but in order to finish this book, I took advantage of the beautiful weather in London and lay out in my garden with the book. Be sure to check out a BerryReads post on this soon! :D

Food Favourite: Tea

Well, this isn't really a food, more of a beverage, but on the way back from the beach on the day before Bank Holiday Monday I wanted to get a nice hot beverage. Earlier I had a vanilla coffee latte so I didn't want another coffee, also it was closer to bedtime so... yes. Saying that, it doesn't mean this tea was caffeine free, I think it was but I am not too sure. Anyway, this is a favourite this week because I love holding these cups when walking around, the tea itself? Meh, it was ok. haha! It wasn't my favourites but it wasn't terrible. To be honest, I couldn't taste a lot of it because I burnt my gum because I took a big sip of the boiling hot water, silly me!

Favourite thing to look at: My Flowers!

Well, I think I told you but I have flowers on my bathroom windowsill that I like to keep to brighten up the room (and add a little pink!) and for a while they didn't have the best blooms.  Oh, and you can probably tell I like blooms - BerryBLOOMxo, HELLO! haha! So, when they weren't blooming, I was wandering why. Maybe because I wasn't watering them enough. I decided to sod the 'you're going to overwater and kill it' thought in my mind and give the plant lots of water every so often. I used to be very strict and only water it like 2 times a week but now I just water it whenever I feel like it (sometimes 3 days straight) and it seems to be doing great. Even if it's got some water in the soil already, I like to give it more, and now they look lovely!

I guess this relates to life: water/ fill life with what it needs very often and you will bloom! Which relates to health as well, feed your body with the nutrition it needs and your health will be great! I should be listening to my own advice right now too!

Anyway I hope you had a great week and rock out, or relax, during the weekend!
What are your plans? Maybe buy some flowers to brighten up your room?