Summer To-Do List

Hey guys!

I have some exciting news...THE FAULT IN OUR STARS BOOK HAS ARRIVED. I can FINALLY read it and see what all the fuss is about!!!

 

                                                 The other books I got with TFIOS:

So anyway, I know it's nearly the end of the fifth week of the summer holidays (fifth out of sixteen!!!), but it's only my second week in London and I think it's about time I do a summer "to-do" list. Basically, it's a list of 10 things I want / need to do before I return to York.


1. Catch up with a few friends I haven't spoken to during the last few years.

I've already started this so I'm guess I'm halfway there...


2. See my best friend.

Of course. That is a must.


3. Get a haircut.

Got that done yesterday so can tick that one off the list.


4. Write at least 2 blog posts per week.

I think that is fairly easy, as long as I don't get writer's block and have access to Blogger.


5. Go on holiday.

Will hopefully be going to Italy at some point before uni resumes. Yay! :D


6. Go to the beach.

Let's go to the beach beach, let's go get away...Well, this is an obvious one. The summer holidays are not complete unless you go to the beach.



Ahhh, I wish...


7. Write at least 3 articles for Nouse.

That's the student newspaper for York, in case you were wondering.


8. Get a job.

Another one to tick off.


9. Get my laptop fixed.

Because, seriously, using a laptop that is over 3 years old and keeps freezing every FIVE minutes (okay, slight exaggeration) is NOT fun.


10. Go to a concert.

Hm, I should. Ahh I would LOVE to see the Kaiser Chiefs!

A little treat for all you lovely people since I'm in a happy mood right now (idek why).



Oh, yeah, before I forget, here are the pictures I took on my Boredom-Busting Walk Around Campus:

                                      

This reminds me off Narnia ^^

Hope you like my photos!

Hasta luego!

Serena

Why I Love Reading

Hey guys!


As you probably would have guessed, I love reading. I have ever since I can remember. I just enjoy sitting down with a good book and spending a few hours or so reading it. I find it relaxing to go somewhere quiet, for example my bedroom or a library, and escape into another world for a while.  I find it hard to believe that there are some people out there who do not read, even for pleasure. They are too consumed with their work or browsing the Internet, but surely they have some free time? People may complain that there are no books they are interested in, but remember the saying 'Don't judge a book by its cover'? Even if a book does not look very appealing, you might as well give it a chance. Who knows, it might be the best book ever!

As a child I was fascinated by books. I remember when my mother used to read to me every night. If it wasn't for her, I probably would not love books as much as I do. I used to be a fan of the Milly Molly Mandy series, and of course the tales of Peter Rabbit and his friends. I just loved the way they were written, how the authors drew you in. I also enjoyed the Eloise series, written by Kay Thompson. It made me long to live in a hotel, getting up to mischief all the time.

 

 

 

 

When I moved to my first primary school, I was still interested in books and stories. I started to read "bigger" books. I read most of Jacqueline Wilson's books, including The Story of Tracy Beaker, Double Act, Sleepovers, Secrets, Lola Rose, The Diamond Girls and Clean Break. I also enjoyed the 'classic' books for older children: Charlotte's Web, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and The Railway Children.

My passion of reading continued into secondary school. I used to spend a lot of time in the library, browsing the long rows of books. I took out several books at a time over the five years I was at secondary school. There were just so many books to get through! Since I was interested in historical fiction (and still am several years later), I spent a few months exploring Mary Hooper's novels. I particularly loved Petals in the Ashes, At the Sight of the Sugared Plum, and The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose. I found myself drawn to the realistic, vivid and gripping stories within the books. Other novels I was interested in as a teenager include I Capture the Castle, Noughts and Crosses, Twilight, House of Night, My Sister's Keeper, and Before I Die.

  

   

 

 

  

 

 

At the moment I am reading the final Hunger Games book. I know, I know, I should have read it ages ago but the film hasn't even come out yet and I only just recently purchased the novel. Since the end of my exams, which was around a month ago, I have read Gossip Girl (finally), The Book Thief, Elixir (by Hilary Duff), Delirium, The Lovely Bones, and The Moth Diaries.

Over the summer I intend to finish the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. It's pretty unlikely but I already have three of the books to read, with another one on its way from Amazon, so I guess it is possible. I also want to read Gone Girl (before the film comes out), The Maze Runner (ditto), If I Stay (ditto), Popular: A Memoir, The Other Boleyn Girl, Awakened (the eighth book in the House of Night series), The Pursuit of Love, City of Bones (can't believe I haven't read it yet), and Born Free. It is quite a lot to get through but I am a fast reader and I have a while before uni resumes.


So what are you reading at the moment? Let me know :)


Hasta pronto!


Serena

The Book Thief

Hey guys!

So, I was going to upload my photos today but my laptop is misbehaving. It will have to wait for another day. Instead, I am going to post my review on The Book Thief.

A while ago I was browsing through my parents' book collection, trying to see if there was anything that caught my eyes. I stumbled upon The Book Thief, hidden between my mother's Philippa Gregory and Agatha Christie collections. Having heard about the film adaptation, I decided to try the book first. As with my mother, I enjoy reading books set during the Second World War. However, I will have to admit that when I first started reading The Book Thief I found it a bit weird. I had never read a book that was narrated by death. I was almost about to put it down and find a book that was more optimistic and less...odd, though I thought I would give Marcus Zusak's debut novel another chance. I mean, if it has been made into a film, it can't be that bad...right?

Ignoring the fact that the narrator is death, I would have to say that The Book Thief is an extraordinary and unique book. It is also moving, given its context and the fact that the protagonist, Leisel Meminger, has been separated from her parents, who were sent to a concentration camp for being Communists. Leisel is forced to live on Himnel Street with her new foster parents, who will never be able to replace her real family, especially since her future mother is not very welcoming. Having also recently lost her beloved brother, Leisel arrives on the Huberman's doorstop in not exactly the best of moods. She minds solace in the only book she brought with her, namely 'The Gravedigger's Handbook'. Leisel's unusual fascination with the book, given its unappealing title and her inability to read well, sets off her cycle of thievery.

I will not forget to mention Leisel's new best friend in Himnel Street: Rudy Steiner. As with Leisel, Ruby also has an obsession. He is intent on being the next Jesse Owens, even though he is nowhere near as talented. Together, the two children embark on a range of adventures, finding new things to steal.

Even though The Book Thief takes a while to get into, I would recommend it to anyone wanting a change from the usual book. Yes, it is fairly unsettling in some places, but at the same time the layout has been described as ingenious, and it is very different to other young adult novels, which tend to be full of one-dimensional characters.



Have you read The Book Thief? What did you think of it? Let me know :)


Hasta luego!


Serena