June/July: Books I've Read

This month I decided to join June and July's post together just because in July I read the first book on the list with in two weeks but then ended up reading two books around the same time which carried on in to July so it just made more sense to collaborate both months.

From Notting Hill To New York Actually by Ali McNamara

My friend brought me the first and second book from this series for my birthday absolutely ages ago and after a few years I finally managed to read the first book last year and it was amazing so I'm not to sure why its taken me this long to read the second.

After finishing my May book I picked this one up on the bank holiday and plough through half the book in two days which was an achievement for me in its self. What I love about this series is the characters, the drama and how this one girl can manage to get up to the most craziest things without even meaning to. After every chapter ends you just want to start reading the next because you NEED to know what happens like how she becomes friends with Bradley Cooper like come on!

From Notting Hill With Four Weddings Actually by Ali McNamara

So it didn't take me that long to make a start on the third book in the series now did it? This time I decided I would actually just get on and get reading it as I just had to see what happened after the most romantic proposal in the last book.

After finishing the last book in the series I just had to know whether or not there were going to be any more and after tweeting Ali McNamara she said there was nothing in the pipe line at the moment which was gutting but least she didn't rule it out.

I would love to see a fourth book in this series as I'm dying to know what happens next and whether they do end up having a baby in the end and just what random things Scarlet manages to get herself in to now!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Screen Play - JK Rowling

Finally gotten around to reading this after having it on my bookshelf since Christmas even though I have seen the film so many times I just had to pick this up and get it read as I'm trying to read as many of my books before I get my Kindle. 

It was such a quick read as well because its not your typical book as its a script from the film rather than an actual story which I quiet like although its taken me a while to get used to the style. Even though like I said I've seen the movie so many times I've really loved reading the script and all the illustrations are really nice and the cover is beautiful.


So you may be wondering why this month I read one of my books on a Kindle? Well my mum kindly lent me hers so I could give it a test run and see if I got on with it ok because I have always said I preferred reading an actual book but actually after reading on the Kindle I really liked it as its exactly like reading a book and its a lot more light weight and easier to hold.

Another reason why I wanted to convert is because I have been running out of book space on my shelf as well as the Kindle versions actually being a lot cheaper than buying the actual book. Plus when you go on holiday you can take as many books away with you as you like without having to take up to much room.

My mum has actually offered to get me a Kindle for my birthday in September which is amazing and will be such a good present rather than just having money so I've got 12 books to try and read between now and September which I probably wont be able to do but I will give it a go!

May: Books I've Read

Found reading this month a real struggle again but I think this may have been because I wasn't really enjoying the book I had chosen to read to begin with which is a real surprise because she is my favourite Author.

Always The Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk

I barely used to read before until I was randomly looking at the book section in Tesco and stumbled across a book called "The Single Girls To Do List" by Lindsey and instantly fell in love before my best friend recommend her I Heart series which are now my favourite books of all time and got me back in to reading.

I was really surprised when I picked up this book and didn't instantly click with the characters and the story like I usually do with her other books which is why it's taken me a lot longer to read than usual. It wasn't really until half way through the story that I started to enjoy what I was reading and had the urge to keep on going.

I found the beginning of the book rather slow which is unusual for me but there was just something about it that I wasn't really enjoying until half way through and things started to pick up and the plot started to get interesting. But by the end of the book I couldn't put it down as I wanted to find out what happened with the wedding, the job and Will and Tom her love interests. I really loved the texts, emails and messages that were included at the end as it gave an extra insight in to what happened next.

Its meant to be a stand alone book so whether she will write a follow up book who knows but I really hope she does as I want to know what happens next!

I still have "We're on a break" to read which is her most recent novel which I think I'll read next because she is releasing another I Heart book in September which will be an instant read for me and I like to be up to date with all her books.

March/April: Books I've Read

So I may have missed my end of March book's I've read post and that is simply because I was naughty and didn't read a whole book last month I only read half of a book whoops. The month kind of ran away with me so I thought I would join March's and April's posts together instead.

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

So I originally started reading this back in March after I finished her quick read book. The reason I choose to read this was because its been sitting on my shelf for nearly 3 years since I moved in to the flat and there is already 2 sequels to the book out so thought I better get a move on.

I have to admit when I was reading the first chapter I wasn't 100% sure if I was actually going to like this book or not but as the story progressed and a few chapters in I began to find myself falling in love with Polly and the characters around her. There is one really sad part in this book that I totally didn't see coming at all but it did spice up the story and made things change for the characters.

Summer Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

After I read the first book in this series I just couldn't not start the next one after how it ended! I finished the first one and the next day I picked up the second book and read a good 8 chapters which is totally unlike me!

I am so glad that I decided to read this book next as I have completely fell in love with the characters and they're stories. Even though things get really tough again for Polly in this book and everything seems to be falling down around her. I am just so happy to see her pick herself back up and get it going again. Also I am so glad Neil was still in the story I love that little bird.

There is a 3rd book in this series but it's a Christmas story so therefore I am going to leave this until November time to read along with the next Rosie Hopkins sweet shop story. I cannot wait to see what happens next for both of them but it doesn't feel right reading a Christmas book in spring although saying that after the way this book has ended I really want to read the next one.
                                         

Harry Potter: Page to Screen 

"I checked this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading" is the quote that always comes to mind when ever I pick up this book because its huge and full of so much detail. Again another book that has been sat on myself for nearly 2 years. When I was given it for my birthday I was over the moon but it was just so much to read that I would often flick through it and read bits here or there.

I finally decided that this month I would take on the mamouth task that is reading this book and actually started from the beginning this time. The book its self is beautiful full of so many sections, interesting facts, photos and designs that made the film but it was difficult to read due to the size compared to normal books and the weight of it as well.

I haven't actually managed to finish it this month but I have made a dent in it so hopefully by the summer I will have finished it. So I shall keep you up to date on my progress each month.

I am actually so surprised this month that I managed to read two 400 page books as for me just reading at the best of times is a real struggle so to actually read two of them is a real achievement for me. I think it does really help if you get engrossed in the story.

February: Books I've Read

I have to say this month I have lacked on keeping up with my reading a book each month even though I have still managed to read one book but that was only because it was a quick read book which I spotted by my favourite author in Tesco otherwise I wouldn't have read one book this month.

I did mention in my January post that I was going to use this time to try and finish two books I already had started reading and out of the two I picked up 50 Shades of Grey and anyone who has read the book knows that its quite big and I am a very slow reader so hopefully I can get this one done in March so that I can start on some of my other books!

A Very Distant Shore by Jenny Colgan

I love reading any book by Jenny Colgan and I have so many on my book shelf that I have't even read yet and when I saw this one in Tesco for £1 under the quick reads section I had to get it. It wasn't until I got home that I noticed the little boats on the front were very similar to another one of Jenny's new books The Summer Seaside Kitchen which turns out is set in the same place and is a small spin off book.

I haven't read her new book yet or even brought it because I still have so many others to read but after reading the first few chapters of this book it has made me want to go and pick it up and it be my next book.

The book its self is 34 chapters and only 160 pages long which is great for a quick read and somebody who is a slow reader like myself. It did feel really weird reading like two pages and the chapter being over but the story its self was so good and I loved every moment of it.

The only issue is I have fallen in love with the two main characters and I am not 100% sure how much they are included in the main book. I know that Lorna will be because she is the main characters best friend but as for Saif I have no clue but that won't stop me reading.

So here we are going in to March already and time to start another new book or maybe finish 50 Shades who knows maybe I'll do both!

January: Books I've Read

So as I mentioned in my new years resolution post which you can read here. I said that I would try and read at least one book a month due to owning so many that I haven't got around to reading yet!

This month I actually managed to read books 3 altogether which I am really pleased about. Here are the books I managed to read this month/Finish off;

Christmas At Rosie Hopkins Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan:

I have been a massive lover of Jenny Colgan's book ever since I was introduced to her and read "The Cupcake Cafe" followed by "Christmas At The Cupcake Cafe" in which I then went on to look at what other books she had written and purchased "Welcome to Rosie Hopkins Sweet Shop" and this book is the follow on story set not long after the first book during Christmas time.

What I love about Jenny's books is when reading them you really feel like you can relate to the characters and that you know them on this different level. As I am a slow reader it did take me the whole month to read it.

I do have the next book in this series ready to read but I think because once again its another Christmas themed book I shall save it for December hehe.

The Disney Book:

I have actually had this book since April 2016 when it was first released and over a few months I managed to get through half of the book before I stopped reading it altogether so I decided that I would finally finish it off as I can't stand having half finished books.

Although a lot of the stuff in the book I already knew there were a few things that I didn't and learnt about which was great. This book included a copy of an original cell from the movie Brave and I am so happy with the cell I got as each book has a different one.

The Case of Beasts: Explore The Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them:

Ever since the movie has came out I have been obsessed with this everything relating to the film its like Harry Potter all over again.

This again was another book that I was given just before Christmas as a present and started reading. I really enjoyed reading this book as it went in to a lot of detail about how bits were filmed, cast costumes, creature design and how the cast felt about each others characters.

The book even included lots of different pouches that included maps, wanted posters, game cards and other bits from the film which were really cool. I am actually hoping to get the wanted posters framed to go in the living room.

So here we are going in to February and I have so many books to choose from right now and 2 that need to be finished! So I am thinking I might use this month to finish these off before starting something new!

Happy New Year 2017: My Resolutions

Happy New Year EVERYONE!

Wow here we are already in 2017 and I just cannot believe how quick 2016 has zoomed by and it has been an amazing year with a few ups and downs but overall its been a good year. With it being the new year I thought I would start my first post of the year telling you what my goals are which I hope to achieve after failing massively at 2016 haha.

So here they are;

1. Fit back in to my size 10 clothes

I have to say this is probably one that I mentioned last year haha but I failed at it and it just got to the point in the last month when clothes shopping I realised how unhappy I was with the weight gain and that its time to do something about it.

2. Get back in to my gym routine

I have been going to the gym for the last 4 and half years at least 4 to 5 times a week and in October I just hit this brick wall where I wasn't bothered anymore and wasn't enjoying myself. It hit December and I just stopped going and decided that I wanted a break which I really appreciated because I went a few times at the end of December and I really enjoyed it! Now to get back in to the 5:20am alarm call (groans).

3. Read at least one book a month

I have a habit of buying books by my favourite authors and then not reading them or taking months to finish them. So my aim is to read one book a month and then to do a blog post about it. So you can expect to see my first book blog post at the end of January hopefully ha.

4. Post another 100 posts on my blog through 2017

When I starting writing this I noticed that during 2016 I managed to post 100 times which is amazing considering the lack of posts through 2015 and 2014. I want to keep this up through the next year.

5. Drink more water and cut out fizzy drinks and unhealthy foods

I think it says it all really hehe. I drink far to many fizzy drinks and not enough water along with all the unhealthy food and food portions I have it's time to cut back and change my habits.

What are your resolutions or goals?

Disneyland Paris: Disney Princess Meet & Greet Wish List

It is a dream to meet a Disney Princess and it is hard to believe that in all my visits I have not met one! Of course I have seen them during the parades and during the Royal Christmas show but I haven't physically had the chance to meet one.

On my trip next year with my best friend Emma I hope this will change and we can both meet the Princesses of our dreams along with some of the others.

1. Punzie
Now good ole Punzie is my main meet and greet goal during any trip to DLP purely because she is one of my favourites and she always looks so cheerful and happy when parading around. She's also super cute and my plan is to hopefully meet her in the Pavilion or at ADC during my Princess Lunch on my birthday which would make it even more Magical.

Like this is the closet I have ever got :( and that was zoomed in as well!

2. Belle 

I have always liked Beauty and the Beast but over the last year I have fallen in love with it so much more its such a lovely story and it would be amazing to meet Belle let alone Belle and Gaston together seeing them recently wondering Disneyland Paris is making me want to meet them even more and would make Emma's day!

3. Tiana

I am loving all the Tiana meet and greet videos I have been seeing online over the last few months and I am so excited to finally have my chance to met here she seems so down to earth and a whole lot of fun. Plus her dress is amazing!

4. Cinderella

A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes ;)

5. Mulan

Your probably find this hard to believe but I HATED Mulan growing up and now I am not 100% why I did hate it tbh? After watching it again about 5 years ago I feel totally in love with it the story, the songs and the characters. Who doesn't love Mushu?

6. Merida

I love the movie Brave so much and some of the character interactions I've seen of hers are AMAZING she has so much sass and is so friendly plus the Scottish accent is amazing! 

7. Pocahontas

OK so before you even ask me why my FAVOURITE princess of all times is right at the bottom of my list there is a logical reason and this is because its NEVER going to happen at DLP now if we were talking Florida then yes she would be at the top but as for DLP she's at the bottom and I think I would actually breakdown if I ever met her!

How would be you favourite Princess to meet?

My 2016 Goals

I'm usually one of these people who make new years resolutions and break them over 30 seconds into the New Year so this year I am going to set myself some goals, goals that I would like to achieve or just improve on by this time in 2016.

Goal Number 1: To Apply for the RSPCA

I am a massive animal lover and a job roll that I have always wanted to peruse, I've grown up around animals maybe not dogs and cats but I have other types.

I always used to walk my neighbors dogs for years and would do this every weekend and some nights during the evening, it is a dream to hopefully own my own dog when the time is right so hopefully in the next few years this will happen.

I know at times that this job will be tough but at the same it will also be so rewarding, they only do so many recruitment drives a year so as soon as the next is available I will apply. There is 3 different stages before you are actually get accepted to go and study for 6 months to a year.

Goal Number 2: Be Accepted to be a dog walker for the RSPCA

As I mentioned above I love walking dogs and this is something I enjoyed doing as child and during my work experience at school and collage. I have been meaning to sign up now for a number of years but its slipped past so this year I must and it will also benefit me in my application for the RSPCA.

Goal Number 3: To become more Healthier 

I wouldn't say that my 3 main meals I have a day are exactly unhealthy its more the stuff I eat in between or in the evenings. I can safely say that 2015 has been a year of lots of chocolate, sweets, cakes and most definitely ice cream and that I have gained a stone this year or at lease 10 pound I'm not to sure.

But in 2016 I want to try and eat more fruit and veg especially veg as this is something I don't eat much of at all I am more of a fruit lover on and off than a veg lover. I also want to cut down my food portions as I eat far too much than I really should along with all the additional sugary items I eat.

So my overall aim is to eat smaller meals, more fruit and veg and to limit myself to one day where I can treat myself.

Goal Number 4: Swimming/Gym

I already exercise quiet a lot as it is cycling or walking to work and then going to the gym 3 mornings a week and once on the weekend but I feel I need to put more effort in to my sessions and maybe add some variety to my routine.

I am thinking about getting a personal trainer but they aren't cheap at all, so maybe one every month even if I can afford that. I am going to start swimming as this is very good exercise for you but also because if I want to join the RSPCA i have to be able to swim 50 meters clothed in 2 and a half minuets so this is something I want to spend time improving.


So these are my goals for 2016 lets see how many of these I can achieve by this time next year! What are your goals?
Immy xoxox

Bucket List

Hey Guys!

After my last post I thought I might share my bucket list with you all J 

   

Bucket List:

01. Get married 

02. Have at least 2 children 

03. Own my own home

04. Own a mini 

05. Travel America

06. Travel Japan

07. Visit all the Disney Theme parks all over the world

08. Have my very own pug well pugs' (I want one that is brown and one that is black)

09. Visit New York at Christmas

10. Visit Disneyland at Christmas (Actually doing this one this year!)

11. See the Northern Lights

12. See Pompeii 

13. See a Super Bowl (NY Giants)

14. Do a colour run 

15. Visit the Hobbit huts in New Zealand

16. Visit the original Cake Boss shop

17. Ride a Gondola in Venice

18. Meet Katy Perry

19. See Selena Gomez in concert

20. Live in a different country for a year (New York, maybe Berlin)

21. Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

22. Visit the city of Love with my one and only

23. Learn Japanese

24. Go on a Disney Cruise

25. Hot Air Balloon trip

26. Take a photo every day for a whole year

27. Walk the Great Wall of China

28. Walk through Japans tunnel of lights

29. Ride a camel

30. Add a lock to love lock bridge

31. Eat Macaroons from Laduree

So far I have 31 things on my list, some of which will be done by the end of this year hopefully :D and so far I've managed to complete 19 of my original list of 50!

Completed Bucket List Items:

01. Visit New York

02. Visit Central Park Zoo

03. Ice Skate in Central Park

04. Visit Disneyland Paris

05. Visit Berlin

06. Eat Currywurst 

07. Learn to Drive

08. Move out

09. Find the love of my life

10. Spend New Years in London

11. Pass my driving test

12. Visit Times Square

13. Ride the London Eye

14. Travel to the top of the Empire State Building

15. Visit Ellen's Stardust Diner

16. Visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour

17. See Katy Perry in concert (3 times)

18. See Miley in concert

19. Meet Jenson Button 

Here are a few photos of my completed tasks :)

 

Whats on your Bucket List? xoxox

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and New Years!

Can't believe its 2015 already and in a few days my blog would have been up and running a year which is quite crazy when you think about it and I haven't really written on here as much as I wanted or thought I would.

This year I've decided I'm not going to set my self resolutions as to be honest they get broken within the first 24 hours of the new year so instead I'm setting myself some goals.

Goals:

No.1: Train Hard & Eat Clean

I love going to the gym and exercising as I use this time to reflect but what my problem is I use this as an excuse to just eat rubbish food still which I really don't want to be the case anymore. Nothing wrong with a treat at the end of the week on a Friday but not all the time.

No.2: Loose A Stone Of My Current Weight

I'm not over weight and I am happy with my body but I've gained a few pounds over the last few months so would really like to loose it and then try and maintain my weight.

No.3: Try Not To Let Little Things Annoy Me

Any one who knows me knows I like to moan a lot which is something I do try to do less but never really get anywhere but I really need to start getting less annoyed at things that I shouldn't be. Probably wont last long ha.

I have to say 2014 has been an amazing year and I've accomplished so many things;

2014 Review:

• Celebrated NYE's in London
• 3 years together with the boyf
• First trip to Disney 
• Went to Northern Ireland to meet the In Laws
• Saw Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Russell Howard, Miranda, Lee Evans and The Vamps live
•  Passed my driving test
• Moved in to my own place with the boyfriend
• Went to Berlin

Things to Come 2015:

• Seeing Sam Smith, Jimmy Carr and The Vamps live
• 4 years with the boyf
• Hopefully going to Disneyland in December
• Another trip to Northern Ireland

Who knows what else 2015 will throw at me but either way I am looking forward to finding out whats in store. 

Wishing you all the best for the new year over and out :)