New Year's Resolutions: A Poem

New Year's Resolutions

As we watch the fireworks and chime in the New Year

I wonder what poor soul is on the street tonight.

Some families have lost it all

While others make New Year's Resolutions 

To buy the new car they wanted. To diet. To exercise.

But what about all the lives lost? 

The fireworks light up the sky 

And for a moment everything is beginning.

But what about them? 

As we celebrate a New Year,

They just think "another day."

My New Year's Resolution

Is to be generous, thoughtful and kind.

End of Year Book Wrap Up

Hello Bibliophiles! Welcome to my end of the year book wrap up! I didn't do too well with my reading this year as I only managed to read 12 books including poetry (it's been a hell of a busy year). Regardless of the amount of books I have read, I will still give you an overview of them...

First up is...

If I Was Your Girl

This book was the first I read this year and is a heartwarming story about a trans teen who is trying to come to terms of how she fits into the world. It's a romantic, learn to love yourself book full of happy and sad tears. I rated this book 3/5 ☆ as it wasn't entirely plausible.

Amanda is keeping a secret from the kids at her school. And when they find out, there's only trouble lying ahead for her...


The Art of Being Normal

This book was a personal favourite of mine this year as it was raw, realistic and moving. There was true emotion within the pages that reminded me of Jacqueline Wilson's writing I used to love so much as a child. There are twists and turns as the main characters come to terms with their identities and family lives. It's a must read for anyone who wants to know more about the LGBT community and loves YA.

I rated this book 5/5 ☆ because it was a heart wrenching roller-coaster of emotion and realism. You can read my review here.

A Street Cat Named Bob

This biography was an eye opener for me about homelessness, drug addiction and companionship. This story is about a homeless man called James who befriends a troublesome cat called Bob and together they find their purpose in this sometimes cruel world. Together, they are unstoppable. I recommend this book highly as it is written by James himself. There are several other books about Bob for children and there's even a movie. 

All The Bright Places

Unfortunately this book was one of my least favourites of the year and you can read why here. It wasn't an easy read and maybe this was a trigger from my past or maybe it was just poorly written and thought out. I don't recommend this book and I gave it 2/5 ☆ Hopefully you enjoy it more than I did.

Some Assembly Required

This was also a biography I read this year about a transguy's journey through childhood into adulthood. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the logistics involved with taking testosterone and the amount of stress and depression involved with transition. You can read my review here.

Geekerella

This book transported me to my childhood and I absolutely loved it! It's a retelling of Cinderella where Danielle tries to win a contest but she goes through a journey of love and friendship before she reaches the beginning of her Happily Ever After. Poston's writing is quirky, fun and had me laughing out loud. I recommend to anyone who loves YA, Fantasy, romance, quirky and LGBT books. You can read my review here.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

I also didn't enjoy this book by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. Don't get me wrong, I thought the film was interesting and every YA addict's dream - but this book was a disaster from start to finish with the use of profanity on nearly every single page. It was like it was written by a typical boy and girl teenager. David's parts were fine but Rachel's just let the book down. I give this book 1/5 ☆ You can read my review here.


Sinner

Sinner was high on my To Be Read list this year and I managed to read it. Maggie Stiefvater's spin off frm the Shiver trilogy did not disappoint. Written from the perspective of Cole St Clair and Isabel Culpeper, it tells a story about their inevitable romance. And while it's nothing like Grace and Sam's relationsip in the series, it's a tale of forbidden love that needs to be told. I highly recommend reading the Shiver trilogy first. I gave this 4/5 ☆

The Light We Lost

Also one of my favourites this year, it is a story about soulmates, love, passion and life. It's raw and thought provoking, making me cry and laugh out loud. I recommend this book to anyone going through heartbreak, loss or anyone who wants to read a mature perspective about love and its consequences. I bought this book on a whim and I'm so glad I did. Ever since I read it I've recommended it to friends going through heartbreak and they've read it too. If I could give it a thousand stars I would. Definitely a must read. You can read my review here.

Everything Everything

I promise this is the last book I didn't like! Everything Everything was an easy read but also a boring one. The twist was the only exciting bit and even then it was too far fetched. I actually preferred watching the film on my way to New York instead of reading this whirlwind romance. You can find my review here. I gave this book 2/5 ☆

Poetry

Milk and Honey

I adored Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur. I thought it was a breath of fresh air and a new way of writing poetry. Since reading it I have taken up writing poems which I never thought I could do. It's an uplifting account of a woman's life and I recommend it to anyone - even if you aren't a fan of poetry, this is a important read. You can read my favourite poems of Kaur's here.


The Princess Saves Herself In This One

Like Milk and Honey, I devoured this book with hours of purchasing it. Both books are beautifully written and deserve to be read by anyone who will listen. The Princess Saves Herself In This One is a great read for anyone who is grieving, going through heartbreak, has found a new love or anyone who's trying to figure life out. Go out, buy this book and you won't be sorry. I can't wait to read The Witch Doesn't Burn In This One and Sunflowers by Rupi Kaur. You can read my review here.

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Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

Hello Bibliophiles! I hope you are all having a great week!

I recently finished Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater, the spin off from the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy.


Overview

In Sinner, Cole St Clair and Isabel Culpepper embark on their own journeys of self discovery. (Sam and Grace pop in to the book via telephone which is a nice touch, but it is very brief!) They are both selfish, heartless at times and totally in love with each other.

In the Mercy Falls trilogy, by the end we see them admit that they want each other after struggling to come to terms with their feelings throughout the series.

Review

Isabel wants to train to become a doctor while Cole came to Los Angeles to win her back and produce a new album. Throughout the book Cole struggles with his addictions to drugs and becoming the wolf.

On the other hand, Isabel struggles to be human as well, to feel emotion, to be kind. She is aware she's mean which lets the reader know she does genuinely have a heart under the icy exterior.

I personally adore Maggie's writing and the way she merges fantasy with reality. She has a way of making words flow easily and gripping the reader on; even though Cole and Isabel are very, very different from Sam and Grace, Maggie still has a way of making us care about such strange characters.

This book was more about the character's coming to terms with who they are instead of the wolf parts that were previously in the books. It's more about how Cole overcomes his urges; we all have a wild animal inside us but it's up to you if you let it take control.

I'm gong to rate this 4/5 ☆ because I adored it, but I was a little concerned with how quickly the ending was wrapped up and the fact I felt Baby, Cole's manager, was a little irrelevant at times.

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Return to New York

Hey guys!

So Oli and I went back to New York last month and although I hate planes (as I mentioned before), I couldn't wait to plant my feet on to the New York pavement. This time, Oli bought an explorer pass to visit five attractions in New York.

Day One

On the first day - after a good night's sleep - we wandered down to our favourite place. That's right, Dunkin' Donuts for the best hot chocolate in the world.

We had a bit of a lazy day and walked around the Highline. We've walked the Highline before when it had snowed, but it was such a nice day and they always have art displays on the overgrown tracks. They are really interesting to read and the sights over the Highline always puts a smile on my face. Last time, when we went, the Red Arrows were flying over. We were incredibly lucky to see them as they weren't in the US for very long.

We got back to the hotel and then I had a look on Instagram and saw that there was a Taylor Swift Pop Up. So Oli and I rushed on to the subway and queued for two hours to get in to what Oliver called "a shop" (rolls eyes). However, Oli was kind enough to buy me some Taylor Swift pins and I took some photos of the outfits and I even used the same phone that Taylor used in her Look What You Made Me Do music video.

It turned out that Taylor showed up at the Pop Up 20 minutes after we left so obviously I cried like a little baby. However, I did get two Taylor magazines exclusive to Target so I was rather happy. As you can tell, it was the perfect time to visit New York - a day after the release of her album.


Day Two

The second day was slightly more chaotic as we made our way to the Empire State building. It was a bit foggy so we couldn't see a lot but the view was breathtaking - you could see everything. We spent a lot of money on souvenirs this time and even bought some Empire State chocolate. We then went to Taylor's house once again and then to the 9/11 museum. It was very strange and eerie seeing pictures of everyone who tragically died. It's an amazing place to see though and I highly recommend going.

We then made our way to the Statue of Liberty and bought more souvenirs in the gift shop (a Statue of Liberty Panda and Penguin. Yes, we are daft). It's surprisingly smaller than I thought it was but it was still a great sight to behold.

We then got on the boat to Ellis Island and went around the museum but we were so tired we could barely walk. The museum is great if you enjoy reading - but for us, we had walked so much we just wanted to sit down! I highly recommend going if you're interested in the history of Ellis Island. It's phenomenal how many people came through its doors to live in New York.

Day Three

On our last day, we had Dunkin' Donuts again (can you tell we're obsessed?) and made our way to the Intrepid Air, Sea and Space museum where we saw a space shuttle and bought astronaut ice cream. The space shuttle was huge and took us by surprise, It's crazy to think that something that big has gone to space.

With our legs buckling and being too tired to stand, we made our way (long way) to the Natural History museum through Central Park. I was too hungry to enjoy myself and we kept getting lost. One thing they need more of? Sign posts. However, the museum was interesting and the displays were well put together. There's so much rich history. I was mostly interested in the animals/bird displays so we wandered around those for a while. There's a makeshift forest in the middle of the museum and it does feel rather scary! There's also a huge dining hall where you can pay to spend the evening under a ginormous whale statue.

We had to make our way to the airport for our overnight flight and the turbulence on the plane was the worst I've felt - but I did manage to sleep for a while. It was sad to come back to the UK again. We hope we can go back again one day and stay a bit longer. And maybe even live there one day.

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