Paper Towns, John Green | BOOKS

Hello!

"almost as though the book is written with the idea that Cara will play Margo"

After hearing about Cara Delevingne getting into acting, I had to read this. Why does Cara have anything to do with Paper Towns by John Green? Well, she's going to be acting in the movie. I guess a model acting doesn't sound like anything new - anyone going to see Rosie Huntington-Whitely in Mad Max and the Fury Road? Yet, there's something about John Green and Cara colliding that made me feel as though something is not right... until I read the book.

"If I was reading it in public, I'd probably seem like a lunatic"

The minute (or should I say line) that Margo Roth Spiegelman popped up in the book, I knew it was going to be Cara's role. It's almost as though the book is written with the idea that Cara will play Margo. The fun, adventurous and super pretty but care-free girl - yep, that seems a lot like Cara. Although I (obviously) don't know her personally, it's what I'd expect her to be like.

"It's the ultimate movie-in-your-head"

The book is out-of-nowhere. By that, I mean it's a super random storyline, and it seems like things like that never happen in real life - i.e. breaking into Sea World? But it is super fun to read, and there are parts when I actually found myself laughing out loud and smiling. If I was reading it in public, I'd probably seem like a lunatic. Either way, if you're up for a super fun, enjoyable and want a book you can't put down, then this is the one.

"there's something about John Green and Cara colliding that made me feel as though something is not right... until I read the book"

It's the ultimate movie-in-your-head about an ordinary guy taken away on an adventure. "Margo Roth Spiegelman loved mysteries so much, she became one" - I think that sums up enough without giving too much away. Oh, and having just watched the trailer, it seems very much like the book - a lot of the lines are exactly the same as in the paper copy. It's also quite amusing to see how Cara pulls off the American accent! All in all, a great read, and after having read Abundance of Katherines by John Green a matter of weeks ago (which I did not finish by the way, so didn't review it for you), my expectations for this was low. Yet, it did not disappoint!

Here's the Trailer:



Have you read Paper Towns? What do you think of the trailer? 

The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling | Books

Hello!

You may have seen this picture somewhere (i.e. Instagram) which hugely hinted at this post coming your way. Since then, I have debated whether or not this should be written. Also since then, another book has been started being read. Let me tell you, it's completely different to the one pictured above!

Well, as we're mentioning all the things that have happened since I started reading The Casual Vacancy, I'll just throw in there that this book has been the inspiration of a new show on BBC called 'The Casual Vacancy'!

For the record, I watched the first episode of that show and was not a fan. It is completely different to how I imagined it would be. To be honest, when I was reading this, I did imagine it to be a bit like EastEnders. You know, with the whole 'peaking into people's lives all over the town and their lives all intertwine, and everyone knows each other' kind of thing, yet I thought it was more 'posh' than they portrayed it in the show. Let me just say: I don't like EastEnders and I didn't like this book.

The reason I picked it up? It's got J.K.Rowling as the author, and as much as I love Harry Potter books, it's the fact that I absolutely adored The Cuckoo's Calling that made me want to pick up this one. It is nowhere near the standard of The Cuckoo's Calling. I feel like it took forever to get the ball rolling in terms of the storyline itself, heck, the ball was never rolling! It was a totally stationary ball.

I do like J.K.Rowling's writing style, which again wasn't too bad in this book, but just when you're getting into a character, it changes and another character is the main story. There are a million characters and it's so difficult to get your head around it - especially if you're not into the (practically non-existent) story line. Maybe that's why it didn't grab my attention, as there was just too much going on.

Long story short, just when you think J.K.Rowling never disappoints (after reading this book by her), she disappoints!

Have you read any other books by J.K.Rowling that may redeem her in my eyes? 

Guilty Pleasure: Kourtney & Kim Take Miami

Hello!

source, source
 just a care-free kind of show. (It's not like I pretend I live in that amazing house of theirs, oh no!)

As I'm writing this, my current go-to show is playing in the background. Why? Because it's pretty much always on, which, by the way, I'm not complaining about. Which show? You guessed it, it's Kourtney & Kim Take Miami.

Trashy? I don't think so. To me, it seems like some things I actually feel, but don't really talk about with others because it may be something I don't feel comfortable sharing, they talk about it on the show. It's almost like girl-time and it's just a care-free kind of show. (It's not like I pretend I live in that amazing house of theirs, oh no!).

The Kardashian sisters are known to be a lot of things, and don't have all that of a good reputation but I think all in all, they're not that bad, and are actually quite funny! Plus, their clothes are quite nice!

I have no idea how far behind I am in terms of series, but now that I've finished K&K Take Miami, Khloe & Kourtney Take the Hamptons is up next. All in the name of good (guilty pleasure) TV!

So tell me, are you a viewer of the Kardashian shows? What do you think?

The Cuckoo's Calling - J.K. Rowling under 'Robert Galbraith'

Hello!

"notice Strike's mind work in a million different ways, looking  at the faintest clues which (we) would disregard and think useless"

 You know those times when you're really into reading and read a million books in around 2 weeks? Well, I haven't had a time like that in a while, yet I did manage to finish reading this book in 3 weeks - I was up 3 hours past my 'bedtime' finishing it off last Tuesday, so you already know the ending is intriguing and a complete I-don't-want-to-put-this-down moment.

"I could see this story becoming a movie, and I hope one day, it does!"

The story is a murder mystery of a supermodel whom allegedly jumped off the balcony of her London apartment.  Former soldier, Oxford University student and now homeless private detective, Cormoran Strike (you better believe I had to sound out his first name every time it came up), has been asked to look into it further by no other that the supermodels brother.

Throughout the novel, you notice Strike's mind work in a million different ways, looking at the faintest clues which someone like me would generally disregard and think as useless. As a reader, you're curious to note why certain clues are so important to the detective, but worry not, it is amazing to see how it is all bought together in the final conclusion.

"a complete I-don't-want-to-put-this-down moment"

This is a novel which is read with a good flow, with the storyline vividly playing in your head like a movie, who needs the cinema, hey?! But seriously, I could see this story becoming a movie, and I hope one day, it does! It is fun to read and really grips you, although the ending creeped me out a little with the amount of detail J.K. Rowling (or should I say Robert Galbraith) went into, and the harsh 'reality' of the story.

Overall a good read! Definitely recommend it to you.
Are you a crime/mystery book fan or prefer another, less gory, genre?

New TV Series: The 100

Hello!

TGIF! Another Friday means another start to the weekend. Whether you're going out tonight or staying at home, at some point you may find the time to want to... I don't know, start watching a new TV series? Well if you do, here's why you may want to watch The 100:

"will there never be life on Earth for the humans"

I hadn't heard of 'The 100' by word of mouth, unlike Game of Thrones and The Vampire Diaries, but stumbled across it after searching on google for the perfect new show to watch. If you've been reading BBXO for a while, you'd know that Suits in an obsession - there's evidence of that here, oh and here. #sorryimnotsorry 

Reading those you'd know that I was looking for a new show for a while and nothing stood out as much as this one.

"those 100 are not the only ones on Earth - and the 100 are not wanted there.. "

The 100 is about people living in a spaceship thing (in space, obviously) as there was a nuclear explosion on Earth 97 years (3 generations of people) ago. They had finally decided to let 100 kids from prison down onto earth to see if it is safe for the rest of the population to return too. Unfortunately, some of these kids are rebellious and risk the fact that everyone on the spaceship, including their family and future generations, may die due to lack of rescources to live. 

However, they find that those 100 are not the only ones on Earth - and the 100 are not wanted there.. Will the 100 prove it's safe to be on earth, to save their waiting families on the ship, or will there never be life on Earth for the humans?

If you like the action behind the likes of Hunger Games and Divergent, you will like The 100!

Have you heard of 'The 100' and what do you think of the storyline?

Ins & Outs

Hello!

Happy Friday! If you didn't know, today marks the last day of my exams. At 3pm today, they said 'Stop writing and put your pens down.' That was the last of it... For this year, anyway! 

If you have noticed, BBXO doesn't do the 'monthly favourites' and although there is the 'BerryWeekly' series, there is nothing quite like the favourites of the month. Considering we are a couple of days into June and it's an a Friday, let's give the 'ins and outs' posts a try.

Okay, sorry for the long winded intro, BUT here are the Ins and Outs of this week :)

Ins:

Suits

You have heard way too much about this series from me, but you got to hear it again. I have been absolutely in LOVE with it. Finishing the first season in a couple of days - a record for me - and already almost half way through the second shows you just how much I love it.

Source

Lily Pebbles

Finding Lily Pebbles on YouTube has been so great. She has beauty videos and posts vlogs too. If you haven't seen her channel yet, I suggest you give it a watch! Her bedding is gorgeous too - so pretty! 

The Tig

AGAIN with Suits! Oh my gosh, you probably hate me now, but one of the actresses, Meghan Markle, has her own lifestyle blog which I literally found today and am already in LOVE with it. She's based it all around her love for Fashion & Beauty, travel and she's a real Foodie (like me! 😉).

Outs:

Exams

Boy, am I glad to have that on out! It's been a stressful couple of weeks, but honestly, I think revising wasn't too bad. The exams themselves were generally quite horrible. Though, the fact that we had study leave was bliss - taking breaks whenever I felt like and all was a good feeling. 

Crack-less Phone

To clarify, this means the beloved iPhone has a crack! If you're anything like me then you drop your phone a million times a day. Fortunately for me, it had never cracked - until this time. It was one drop too many, however, It's only a tiny crack so I guess you could call it luck...

A load of TV series... 

Due to the fact that I'm scared of running out of Suits episodes for me to watch, I'm trying to find another series which I could fall in love with... Suits is great because of its sophistication yet drama at the same time. I love the idea of working hard to get what you want and this show is exactly that - for the most part. All of this logical thinking behind the series is great and I have yet to find another series's like it. I've tried the trailers of many shows such as 'The White Collar', 'Hart of Dixie', 'Game of Thrones', 'Orange is the new Black', 'Drop Dead Diva', 'Intelligence' and a load more! But nothing come to standards with suits.... Your recommendations would be so helpful! 

Source: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

So, tell me: What do you recommend as a must-watch TV series? 

Suits - TV Show... Are you Suited?

Hello!

Happy Friday! Are you glad to hear that? The weather being not-so-good makes it feel like the week has dragged on... is it sunny where you are?

source

Anyway, so the point of the post today is Suits. No, not the clothing - although, it's a big part of it, I guess... but the TV Show! I have heard so much about it within the last week, it now seems a must-watch. Take a look at the Trailer:


It does seem a lot different to the Revenge and Pretty Little Liars which is what I usually watch so I will definitely check it out! Oh, and both of the shows are currently on a break at the moment so I totally have more room for Suits!

Have you heard of, or even watch, Suits? 

PS. a week from today my exams will be over - can we get a YAY? ;)

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

Easy way to Deep Clean your Technology

Hello!

Maybe it's the season, the sun shining and the spring cleaning 'bug' - but whatever it is, I felt the need to clean the thing I use most: My Laptop. Are you with me?!
Obviously, being the clean freak that I am, I have cleaned my laptop prior to using 'CyberClean' but it wasn't that effective.. read on to find out why!

Well, this product is totally handy for cleaning and screen - your TV screen, Computer Screen, Phone Screen and in this case, Laptop Screen! It comes with a little holder and a cleaning solution which is squirted out using the spray. After spraying you use the felt at the back to wipe the screen. 

I'm not sure if you can see the difference from the pictures but any finger print marks and dust disappeared and, in the after shot you can see how much clear the screen is! 

When I'd clean it before, I'd usually somehow still end up with dust on the screen or some inevitable random fluff - but with the felt on the spray, it really got everything and the shape of it was great for rounded corners too! 

In addition, Cyber Clean sell this compound that intrigued me - mainly due to the selling point of reaching the hard-to-reach areas of the keys. The compound is basically goo. It's actually quite fun to handle and smells citrus-y - very clean! Notice in the 'After' picture above, you can see the shape of the keys and some dirt on the compound gathered from cleaning.

It's super easy - and kind of fun - to clean the keyboard. I also cleaning the edges of the laptop and pretty much everywhere!

In addition, I cleaned my keyboard cover too - and it worked quite well! It reached around the keys too, and was left as good as new! 

I totally recommend the screen and keyboard set from CyberClean! It will make your cleaning so much easier, trust me, and if you're a bit of a clean freak like me, then I'm sure you'll be glad this came into your life! 

Here are the links to the website:

UK: https://www.cyberclean.uk.com 

International: http://www.cyberclean.net

Tell me, what is your one favourite cleaning product?!

*Product sent for PR purposes, it doesn't bias the review in any way. 

Purchase of the Week: Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance

Hello!

Is it really a Miracle?!

 This week has been filled with a lot of buying, although my wallet may not be so fond of it, I hope my hair is! Do you find that there are periods in your life that your hair is just not working for you? Well, I felt this is that period for me at the moment! I mean, I've tried different products to see what my hair likes, for example Almond Oil on damp hair, but something just doesn't feel right - so it was time to try something new.

Even the name on the bottle is telling you and I that this product is a miracle - let's just hope it lives up to it's name! I used it this morning and my hair does feel like frizzy already!

I previously have tried the Aussie 'Luscious Long Leave-In Conditioner' and remember being it love with it - but can't remember why I didn't buy it afterwards. That product had the most amazing smell. It lingered throughout the day too, and was definitely a mood lifter! I searched for about 10 minutes for that product but they didn't have it in store, so I just went with this one. I was hoping for the same/similar effect with this Aussie product but didn't find that this was the case - I wish it had been!

Overall, so far so good. Considering that I've only tried the product once so far, I don't think there is enough opinions about it to justify if I'd repurchase, but I shall keep you updated!

What is your miracle hair product?! 

BerryReads: Losing It by Cora Carmack

Hello!

Another week, another Friday and another Book Review! Before last week I could have easily said I haven't read a book in ages. You know the feeling: it's like you want to read but somehow can't find the time and excuses excuses.... Yet I thought it was time to jump back on the bandwagon as reading is a nice sense of escapism and puts our imagination to good use. At the right time and the right place, this book stepped into my life, due to spontaneously downloadng the book after reading a book review (here) - and am I glad I did!

Losing it is about a girl in college in Texas experiencing the joys of college life, but there one thing she hasn't done.

Blurb: Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier. 

So I guess it seems like quite a typical story line, think PLL Ezria - but it's not all about that it may seem. The book is packed with humour, awkwardness and friendship. What I liked about it is that it is not all perfection on the girls behalf, it's more realistic. I like the way you can clearly imagine everything, from the location of the apartments to the actions of her best friends. The book is very well written and the storyline is fun!

If you're looking for a rom com, chick flick kind of book - this is for you. It's filled with humour, girl problems and all the components of a chick flick! 

Having read this in about a week, when I normally take about 3, it's definitely a book you will not want to put down.

I am literally on the last 20 pages of the book and have loved every moment of it so far, hence why I'll be reading the other books in the series!

Have you read any RomComs books that you recommend? 

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?!

Moisturising Skin Oil - Vaseline Review

Hello!

Harsh wind makes skin especially dry in the winter time - getting rid of the healthy glow that we accumulated in the summer time and instead replacing it with dull, dry and sometimes itchy skin!

I had purchased this Vitalising Oil from Vaseline about a year ago, then I forgot about it and recently rediscovered it, and yesterday I bought my second bottle!

I apply this beauty after my night time shower. This makes it so my skin can moisturise during the night so I wake up to soft, silky skin! All I do is dry myself after I get out of my shower (brush my teeth etc.) and apply the oil all over my body.

Yes, as it's an oil you can imagine this is not a sink-staight-into-your-skin type of moisturiser. It is slightly sticky when you first apply it, but it does leave a nice sheen. If you're going on a special day out and want your skin to glow, you can apply it 2-3 hours prior and you'll look good!

It is very cheap and can cure dry skin very well. It also smells AMAZING and I love bath and body products, especially if they smell good! The first bottle smelt amazing, exactly like cocoa butter - the rich smell like the well-known Palmers Cocoa Butter, however, the second/newer bottle smells more like chocolate to me? It's not bad - believe me - but I did REALLY prefer the first and am kind of disappointed.

This is the second time I've bought it, and I remember that I stopped using it the first time because it was not good for my morning showers as it would not sink in my skin quickly, hence making everything 10x more difficult in the morning (when I'm half asleep!).. so fit this into your night time routine if you can!

Oils are great for your skin - you may have heard many using coconut oil on their body - which I've never tried but have baked with.

For your skin saviour this winter, give this a try!
It's also on sale in superdrug at the moment at half price, although the product is available in many stores! With a price of under £3 - what is there to lose?

What is your winter skin saviour?! 

BerryReads: Me Before You

Hello!

I'm catching up with our little Book Club with another Book Review! I actually have read another book after this one and was debating on which of the two to do a review on and to be honest with you, this one won hands down! The other one was good but this, this was life changing. I'm not joking.

It's basically about a girl, who is the narrator throughout the book as it is in first person, whom worked in a Café for about 7 years. That café shut down - you know recession and all these days, no I'm only joking, it was because another café kind of took over, it was to do with money problems - ANYWAY, that's beside the point. So, as she was one of the few sources of income in her home, she needed to find another job. The job that she found was as a carer in a wealthy family. She was told she would just have to talk to the man in the wheelchair. At first, the idea of a man in a wheelchair makes you think of an elderly man who has lived his life and age had gotten the better of him, but no. This was completely different.

The man in the wheelchair used to be a CEO of a huge company in the city of London, but an unfortunate accident got the better of him, and he was left with no motion from the neck down. EVERYTHING has to be done for him. He was left helpless. 

The carer, Louise, was given the job to help him out of depression. Being someone who was so high up in the ladder and living a great life to someone who cannot use the toilet must have been a HUGE jump, and I don't blame him for going into depression. Louise, who was living a simple life in a small town finally realised that she needed to break out of her shell. The man in the wheelchair, Will Traynor, has a very strong mind and opens up a window in Louise's mind that she needs to EXPAND her Horizons. She needs to get out there and get herself out of the small town she was in.

This book is written so well and I wish I could meet Will Traynor. He is so inspiring (even if he is only a character in a book!).
Honestly, when I was reading this book, the face of Daniel Grayson from Revenge was who I thought Will Traynor would be like. They seem so similar to me in my head - and my god is Daniel Grayson hot!

Louise has a mission in this book: to save a life. Did she do it? Read the book and find out!

Honestly, I cannot recommend this enough! I also told you about this book which I also recommended, but I've got to say 'Me Before You' has taken it to a whole new level.

What book should we discuss next?