From Spain to Bristol

The last few weeks have been a little bit of a whirlwind as I've been dashing here, there and everywhere while seeing numerous people and enjoying the last remaining bit of the summer. Now that September has rolled in though, it's full steam ahead to sort out the house that five friends and myself are moving into in the next few weeks while fitting in time for IKEA and Wilkinsons trips and seeing my friends staying in London. It's all been a bit crazy!

Last week I came back from a short break with my parents and university friend to Spain where we soaked up the sun, swam a lot and ate probably five times the amount I normally eat. We were given a shock back to reality though when leaving the plane at Gatwick, however, and experiencing a chilly 15 degrees compared to the 37 degrees we had left behind. 

My friend was staying with us for a few more days before returning home which involved some relaxing but also an epic, long day in Central London. I experienced the Emirates Air Line for the first time, something we both have wanted to do since it was built in 2012. It goes from North Greenwich by the O2 to Royal Victoria by the Excel Centre in East London. I was amazed by how high it went actually across the Thames, giving brilliant and beautiful views of Greenwich, the City, the Thames Barrier and the surrounding area. It was quite surreal being high up and seeing such a built up, grey city on one side and then the rolling hills of the countryside in Essex on the other. I recommend it, just go on a clear and sunny day!

We met up with some of my friends from school and their university friends before sampling tea from a lovely little tea shop in Soho named Yumchaa and nattering about our opinions on the new Doctor Who, chopping boards and the ultimate revelation that Hello Kitty is not a cat, but apparently a schoolgirl living in the suburbs of London. 

Next, we had a wander through Regent's Park before finding ourselves in Camden to go to the penultimate 'Night Market' at Camden Lock - a massive market of freshly made food from different countries accompanied by a live band, exactly the kind of way I like to spend my evenings. It was a nice round off to the day and the food was delicious with a good 10 minutes before I could decide my choice of dinner. 

To round off last week, I then travelled to Bristol to visit my boyfriend who was house and cat sitting. Bristol is a city I've been told so much about but only visited once. I was shown some more sights such as Cabot Tower which gives beautiful views of the city and then, Bristol Museum. With every visit to Bristol, I'm increasingly liking the city more and more, wanting to discover more parts. 

Meant To Be - Lauren Morrill

Source: Own
Pages: 304
Publisher: Delacorte Books

Synopsis: Straight-A student and geek, Julia knows she is accident prone, she knows how to follow rules and being organised and prepared. She knows how to write essays and that she needs to have her pocket Shakespeare and pencil sharpener on her at all times. That's also why she knows Mark, her crush since childhood, is her MTB (Meant to Be).
However, everything Julia knows is about to be turned upside down on her spring break as she goes on a school trip to London where she is partnered by her personal tormentor and the class-clown, Jason. After Julia is dragged to a wild party, she keeps receiving texts from an unknown number. Jason promises to help find out the suitor if she agrees to live a little and break some rules along the way. Julia will find out the meaning of rules and true love all in the backdrop of the city of London.

Review: 
Although I may be bordering on the last six months of being a teenager as my 20th birthday looms closer and closer, I still love to slink back to the days in my mid-teens when I loved a good romance novel. While I'm far more cynical about them, I don't think any female can resist a dash of romance in their reading as long as its done right. MEANT TO BE was a book I got given about a year ago, mostly because Julia sounded like a version of myself but also, because it seemed like a fun, easy read.

Upon starting this novel, I could immediately see the conclusion and started to think maybe this book wouldn't be as good as I hoped. However, I struggled on and found myself suddenly really enjoying this book. The book becomes addictive with all these questions lying underneath that made me want to read and read to find out at the end. This is a cheesy romantic comedy for sure, but I was left with this appreciation for any love in my life at the time - be it for family or friends.

The main character, Jules, goes through London, seeing both the unknown places of the city and the tourist attractions we all know and love. It was brilliant seeing a modern perspective of the city, especially for myself as a Londoner, which isn't too rife in books. London isn't considered 'romantic' with that title calling to places like Paris or Rome, so it was good to have this setting instead of something more stereotypical.

Anyone that is a reader will appreciate Jules, a nerdy girl who follows the rules and consumes literature. I loved Jules mostly because it was like reading about myself and I entirely felt for her and related to her as she negotiated the confusing and exciting world of love.

MEANT TO BE is the perfect, summer easy read or even as a light break between books with the continual theme of death, war and grief (which is a lot of books these days). This is predictable and cheesy, but sometimes we all need a bit of that as a break. I liked this a lot, especially as it made me appreciate those around me and any book that has that kind of emotional response, well, the author's doing pretty well.

I give a 4 out of 5

Fallen Grace - Mary Hooper

Again, I was wandering through my local library looking for a book. Mary Hooper, who basically got me into teen fiction, especially historical once someone brought me my favourite book of hers, The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose. Which I fell in love with (and got signed!). So I knew that she had a new book out and seen it in the shops but was going to wait till it went on paperback. But I saw this on the shelf and picked it up :)

First Sentence: Grace, holding on tightly to her precious burden, found the station entrance without much difficulty.

It's set in London 1861. Grace Parkes, a fifteen year old girl, clutches a bundle with travelling on the train from Waterloo to Brookwood Cemetery to carry out a heart breaking duty. Every day afterwards, Grace and her simple minded older sister, Lily who acts like her younger have to find some way to survive But there is another danger linked to their pasts, long forgotten and a selfish, money loving undertaker family, the Unwins have caught the eye of Grace and will stop at nothing to claim what is rightfully Grace and Lily's...

I maybe slightly bias as I really like Mary Hooper's novels but from the comments I've seen on her Facebook page, lots of people love this book. Grace is a great character and you start to feel really sorry for her. Mary Hooper has also made it more true to by adding in some tragic events that would have happened that year if Grace was a real. She's shown what life would have been like if you were poor in London in Victorian times.  Once you start reading, you see that there is more to the plot than is made out but then, it's not to ruin it. There are so many twists and turns right down to the last page that make me sitting there, my mouth open in shock. If you read it, you'll know what I mean. I must admit though that I'd love to work at the Unwin's Mourning clothes shops on Oxford Street. Sounds a nice place to work to me. Though that maybe my love for fashion.
Anyway, I would recommend this book anyday. It is such a good book for anyone that likes a bit of everything and enjoys historical novels.

 To see the Fallen Grace trailer, click the bold bit :)
Author's Website: www.maryhooper.co.uk