Lets Talk: Hello, 2016.

Last New Years Eve I wrote a letter to the readers of this blog in which I gave myself some resolutions that I more or less stuck to. (As a matter of fact, I'm actually sitting in the same bed sheets that I was in last New Years Eve too). Now, I don't have any resolutions this time around, mostly because I'm happy with the way that everything is going, and well, what will be will be. I just wanted to write this post to say Hello to 2016 and to welcome everyone reading this onto this new adventure.

Favourite Quotes of 2015

I love quotes, I adore them, half of the time I speak in quotes and confuse most of the people around me which only goes to cement my love for them even more. Anyway, I keep a note on my phone of all of my favourite quotes of the year (so far) and today I decided to share them with you.

Let's Talk: Vaginas!

So today I have a bit of a different post to share with you all and it comes from a very difficult experience that I and a lot of other women have to deal with each month and that is, you guessed it, periods.

Unpopular Opinions Tag.

So, Xan over at Twirling Pages actually tagged me to do this which is super cool because it's a really fun tag and I am so excited to get going on this one.

P.S. These are just my thoughts and opinions. I don't mean to offend anyone with my answers. (If you don't agree with something though, please feel free to yell at me in the comments because there's nothing more fun for me).

Things I've Been Loving: November Edition

This a little late, but late is better than never, as the old saying goes. November was a weird month for me, it sort of fluctuated between being a really great month and just desperation for December to come. I can't remember most of this month so we'll see what actually happens in this post.

Mini Reviews

Mini Reviews is a feature on this blog that allows me to review books even when I don't have a full post full of thoughts!

Natalie's Adventures: An Ode to Paris

Dear Paris,
You've left me confused. You see, I left London thinking that while I would encounter a beautiful city it would be just that and yet in the days that have passed since my return I have found myself dreaming of your architecture, your people, your autumn.

Things I've Been Loving: October Edition.

As I said in my previous post, I'm no longer doing the original Wrap Up's that I used to write because I found them dreary and I wanted to instead just celebrate the things that I've been loving. Sort of like a favourites, just better. Without further ado here are the things that I loved during October.

Lets Talk: Catching Up

It feels like I haven't updated you guys in a while on what's been going on and what I've been up to so I wanted to take time today to write a post that catches you guys up on what's been going on. I've also been feeling a lack of connection lately between me and the readers and my posts and the entire community in general so I want to use this post as a way to get some things off my chest, too. Like a cheap therapy session, except probably not as deep.

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next. And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time.But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong. Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air. Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.

Review:

Thoughts On The 'Fangirl' Culture

The word 'Fangirl' usually brings along with it a lot of negative connotations, for most people I'm sure they picture screaming, crying, hysterical girls ogling the new boy band on the scene but for me, the definition of 'Fangirl' or 'Fanboy' is very different. For me, Fan-whatever means someone who loves something and is not afraid or embarrassed to be excited about that thing. I just want to discuss this a little bit because it's something that has been playing on my mind a lot and I want to get it out.

Twenty Before Twenty

I'm a huge lover of Bucket Lists but I've never been one to stick to them and continue to cross things off or even make much of an effort to complete the things on said Bucket List. Hopefully, by putting my Twenty Goals Before Twenty list on this blog you guys will keep motivating me to complete this list and I won't just be someone at university who hasn't done anything that they've wanted to do. I might explain some of these just to give a little insight but I'm sure you'll get the gist of most of them.
I did make a Pinterest board for those who would rather see the list in picture form but some of the goals are not on the board.

Mini Reviews: Contemporary Edition

Mini Reviews is a feature that I post whenever I want to review some books for you guys but don't have the words or the feelings to flesh them out into a full review so instead I do a mini rave or a rant and let the powers that be do the rest of the work.

Books to Music - Halsey Edition.

My 'Books to Music' posts are usually just me sharing my bookish playlists but this time I was inspired by Alexandra's post 'A Bookish Ode to Badlands' and decided to share with you which books I think about when I listen to Halsey's music. I hope you enjoy because I had some serious fun making this list.

Yay or Nay: The Read More Button.

Let me tell you guys a story. There I was, sitting at my desk, about to reply to some comments when I realise that my posts layout is seriously messed up. There were huge gaps between my pictures and the text and it just didn't look good at all. I'm not even going to talk about the fact that this has since given me serious nightmares about how each of my blog posts look (I promise you, if anything is wrong or out of order, I will find it and I will fix it) because that should be pretty clear. But after this fiasco of a post I realised that another thing was messing up the overall look of my posts and that is the 'read more' button.

The Cinderella Book Tag

I wasn't tagged by anyone to do this but I saw Chiara do this and I knew that it was a tag I wanted to do. Tag was created by Tiffany!

Dark Room by Tom Becker

Dark Room by Tom Becker

When Darla and her feckless dad, Hopper, move to Saffron Hills, Darla hopes it'll be a new start for the both of them. But she stands no chance of fitting in with the image-obsesed in-crowd at her new school. Then one of her classmates is brutally killed when taking a photo of herself. A murder Darla herself predicted in a bloody vision. When more teens die in a similar fashion it appears that a serial killer is on the loose - the 'Selfie Slayer'. Darla aone is convinced that the murderer might not be flesh and blood...

Review:

The City's Ours Until The Fall - Halsey 2015: Natalie's Adventures

This instalment of 'Natalie's Adventures' is a very special and exciting one for me because it is my Halsey Adventure. A few of you may know that I have been a huge fan of Halsey for a while now and she recently came to London to perform her very first two shows here and I had the absolute pleasure of attending both of these shows and let's just say it was very...interesting.

One by Sarah Crossan

One by Sarah Crossan

Grace and Tippi are twins – conjoined twins. And their lives are about to change. No longer able to afford homeschooling, they must venture into the world – a world of stares, sneers and cruelty. Will they find more than that at school? Can they find real friends? And what about love? But what neither Grace or Tippi realises is that a heart-wrenching decision lies ahead. A decision that could tear them apart. One that will change their lives even more than they ever imagined…

I was provided One via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my review.

Review:

A Few Fave Blogs

I love reading blogs almost as much as I love writing one and I definitely have my favourites. There is just something about seeing your most loved blogs have posted something new and then immediately reading them. Catching up on Feedly is either the first thing I do when I wake up or the last thing I do before I sleep. Here are some of my 'must-reads'.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

When nineteen-year-old hunter Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin - one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world. As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it...or doom Tamlin - and his world - forever.

Review:

Happy Birthday, Flowers In My Books

Yeah, you heard correctly. Today, on the 2nd September, Flowers In My Books turns One. I must admit, there were times I didn't think we'd make it here. Blogging is a lot harder than I expected, but I don't regret a single thing. Here are some of the stats and highlights of this long, first year.

Reading Slump 101

Reading Slumps are something that we all, as readers, have come across at some point in our reading lives. I get them all too often lately and in fact it's rare that I actually sit down and allocate a day to reading any more which makes me incredibly sad. I thought, instead of laying down and wallowing in self pity, I will instead turn it into an idea for the blog. This is that idea (It's not very original, sorry).

Mini Reviews

Reviewing is my downfall. That is something I've said many a time. Let's get down to business to defeat! the huns!

If You're Happy And You Know It

I've seen a few people on the blogosphere and elsewhere say that they haven't been feeling top notch recently which made me want to cheer everyone up and give them all massive hugs but unfortunately that's not possible so instead I'll do the next best thing: share things that make me happy in the hopes that it inspires you to make a similar post or share the things that make you happy too. You're all wonderful people and you all deserve to be the happiest you can be.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parent's attention and - lately - concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behaviour culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident? Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlour, play bluegrass on the weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

Review:

The 'Find Me' Tag

I've seen a few people doing this tag on the blogosphere and I've never been tagged but it looked like fun so I thought that I would join in and see what all the fuss is about. Unfortunately, these photos aren't the best I've ever taken and I was hoping to go outside to get some nice shots but the weather hasn't been book friendly as of late so you'll have to stick with a white blanket.

The Rules:

1. Find books that fit the category, and you can choose to use the covers or take pictures.
2. Tag as many people as you want but they are not obligated to do it.
3. Link back to Novel Ink, the creators of the tag.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I'm allergic to the outside world. I don't leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mum and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black - black t-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. Maybe we can't predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It's almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Review:

Let It Go.

I've been having a hard time recently. That's a hard thing for me to say. My friends will tell you that I'm an open book, which is true, there aren't many things that I won't say out loud, I have a desire to seem mysterious but realistically that's the furthest from what I am. Anyway, I digress. The past few months haven't been my best months, I'm the happiest that I've been in a long time and yet these past few months I just haven't been feeling like myself and I think part of the reason is because I find it incredibly hard to let go.

Captain Thorne Appreciation Post

Captain Thorne, Cadet Thorne, Carswell Thorne, Thorne, or as I call him - My Future Husband. Whatever name you know him by, you know that he needs some appreciation. Appreciation and love. I'm gladly going to give it to him. So here you go Carswell, bathe in your glory.

20 Thoughts While Reading Ruin & Rising by Leigh Bardugo

This book has proved to be a huge point of difficulty for me when coming to decide which type of review I should write for it. Mini, Normal, Bullet Points? But nothing seemed worthy of Ruin and Rising and I wanted to write a review for it that I actually enjoyed.

Ruin and Rising caused a huge conflict in my emotions. I was torn between absolutely loving the ending, given that Alina ended up happy and with everything that she had wanted since the first book, but also being kind of disappointed. I was hoping for a much 'bigger' ending, so to speak. Explosions, death, grief, anger etc etc. Instead it was all happy days and I just wasn't comfortable with that. It felt like a trick. Anyway, here are some thoughts I had while reading it. The good, the bad and the ugly.

July Wrap Up

There isn't much to wrap up this month. It's pretty much just been filled with binge watching TV shows, The Lunar Chronicles and lounging in the sun with said Lunar Chronicles (ok, one Lunar Chronicle).

20 Thoughts While Reading End of Days by Susan Ee

I knew when I was halfway through reading this that I just wouldn't be able to write a full review. There was something about End of Days that I both hated and loved at the same time. On one hand it felt like I was reading a completely different book with a completely different Raffe and on the other hand it felt like I had already read multiple of these scenes throughout the first two books. I can see why so many people have mixed emotions towards the last instalment in the Angelfall trilogy. It was truly bittersweet.

but we keep on fighting. - Books and Music #5

Penryn & The End of Days Trilogy - A Fanmix

//No One's Here To Sleep - Bastille ft Naughty Boy//Old Scars/Future Hearts - All Time Low//Novocaine - Fall Out Boy//Just One Yesterday - Fall Out Boy//Glory and Gore - Lorde//Trouble - Halsey//Devil May Cry - The Weeknd//Stay - Lewis Watson//Sinners - Lauren Aquilina//Unsteady - X Ambassadors//Carry Her Home - Saint Raymond//Sleep Baby Sleep - Broods//

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Lara Jean didn't expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren't. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever. When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean's feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

Review:

I Adore You..

I wanted to do a 'Book Tropes I Don't Like' post but I'm not in a negative mood today so I'll give you all positive vibes instead. Here are some tropes I just can't get enough of.

'89 Walls by Katie Pierson

89 Walls by Katie Pierson

College is not in the cards for Seth. He spends his minimum wage on groceries and fakes happiness to distract his mum from the MS they both know will kill her. It's agony to carry around a frayed love note for a girl who's both out of his league and beneath his dignity. Quinn's finishing high school on top. But that cynical, liberal guy in her social studies class makes her doubt her old assumptions. Challenging the rules now, though, would a) squander her last summer at home, b) antagonize her conservative dad, and c) make her a hypocrite. Seth and Quinn's passionate new romance takes them both by surprise. They keep it a secret: it's too early to make plans and too late not to care. But it's 1989. As politics suddenly gets personal, they find themselves fighting bare-fisted for their beliefs - and each other - in the clear light of day.

Review:

June Wrap Up

You might have noticed that I didn't do a Wrap Up for May and that's simply because I couldn't be bothered. I was lazy. I hate doing Wrap Ups almost as much as I hate doing reviews and I just didn't want to subject myself to that pain. I'm here now though, don't panic. I'm going to shove the books I read in May into this Wrap Up so that I don't get confused. Let's get this show on the road.

TTT #15 - Top Ten Books I've Read So Far In 2015.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish, is all about the Top Ten books we've read so far in 2015. So, buckle your seatbelts and take a drink of water, it's about to get interesting.

The Selection Trilogy Q&A Review W/ AlejandrasMusings

In April the lovely Alejandra @ Alejandras Musings and I did a buddy read of The Selection Trilogy together and it was a wonderful experience. We wanted to do a Q&A review so we set about asking each other questions about the trilogy. Head over to Ales blog and see which questions she answered about the books.

Warning: may contain spoilers for the trilogy.

15 Post-Its In World After by Susan Ee

(I literally finished World After about 10 minutes ago and I'm rushing to write this post so I can move onto End of Days as soon as I possibly can.)

I wanted to write just your standard review for the whole of the Angelfall trilogy, but then I finished World After and I realised that there wasn't much more than I could say that wasn't in the first review I did for Angelfall. Instead, since I can't seem to stop tabbing things in this damn series, I'd show you a glimpse into some of my favourite parts of the book (aka 15 of 60 things that I couldn't help but Post-It note when reading World After).

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee

It's been six weeks since the angels of apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain. Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back...

Review:

Natalie's Adventures - I Hate 5SOS aka ROWYSO Tour

Sometimes, I hate 5SOS. Sometimes, I love them. Sometimes it's both at the same time.

TTT #13 - Top Ten Books On My TBR For The Summer.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is held over at The Broke and the Bookish. The topic of this week is 'Top Ten Books on my Summer TBR' and I'm excited for this one. It's gonna be hard.

Winger by Andrew Smith + Boarding School Recs. (W/ The Runaway Reader)

Annie @ The Runaway Reader and I decided in March that we would do a Winger buddy read in April. Please ignore the fact that this post is only getting to you in June. Between the two of us, we don't have very good time management skills.

Stay tuned to the end of the review to get a look at a few of my favourite boarding school reads and if you love to read about sports go over to Annie's blog to see her recommendations! Hope you enjoy our thoughts. *Contains small spoilers*

Highlights - To All The Boys I've Loved Before

I'll admit it - I'm a highlighter. In my eyes, there is no feeling more satisfying that when you highlight a quote in a book.

TTT #12 - Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases.

Top Ten Tuesday, as usual, is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is our Ten Most Anticipated Releases for 2015 - I couldn't think of ten so I'm going to cheat a little bit.

More Things That Make My Feminist Heart Beat A Little Faster.

I said that I'd be back with a Part Two to my first 'Things That Make My Feminist Heart Beat A Little Faster' post and here it is. I hope you're as excited as I am.

Mini Reviews: Old Edition.

All the 'Old Edition' of this really means is that I'm trying to review more books that I read and not many of you see these reviews on GoodReads so I'm posting them on here. I'm going back through my GR account and seeing which reviews have never seen the light of day. Enjoy - I know I wont.

TTT #11 - Top Ten Books I'd Love To See As Movies/TV Shows.

Today's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish) is all about which books we'd love to see as Movies or TV shows. Get ready for this - it's going to be a wild ride.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

You can't blend in when you were born to stand out. My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside. But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?Narrated by Auggie and the people around him whose lives he touches forever, Wonder is a funny, frank, astonishingly moving debut to read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page.

Birthday Book Haul

As a tradition in my family, when someone turns 18 my dad gives them their savings account, I may have spent some of this money on books. Maybe. There is 17 books here (and though my friend told me to get an extra one so that I could say I got 18 books for my 18th birthday I just couldn't bring myself to do it) so let's get cracking.

TTT #10 - Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag.

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This a week that I'm really excited about - Which books are going to be in my Beach Bag. You want to know what my ideal beach read is? Contemporaries. HELL YEAH. Let's do it.

Meeting The Queen (and The Asshole): Natalie's Adventures.

So I'm kicking this new feature off with an exciting post - I met Sarah J Maas. I mean, I met Sandra @ Tea Between Books on the same day too, so all in all, it was an incredible day.