Celebrating Beatrix Potter video

Read-a-Thon Wrap Up!

I loved doing the Scones and Crackers read-a-thon last week. I hope that any of you that joined in enjoyed it as well. 

I plan on trying to do another one around the beginning of 2017. 

So keep that in mind and I will announce that sometime in December or January. 

I was able to get a lot of reading done last week! I picked quite a few shorter books that only took a couple hours to read so I was able to get done even more than I thought I could. 

I will briefly share what I read but I will go into more detail about each book in individual reviews to come! I will link each one to the reviews as they are posted.

I was able to mark off each of the challenges: 

1) A book by one of your favorite British authors: 

 

 

For this one I read Stancliffe's Hotel by Charlotte Bronte. 

 

2) A non-fiction book:

 

 

For my non-fiction category I read C. S. Lewis' autobiography, Surprised by Joy.

 

3) A book of poetry: 

I read The Golden Store, an illustrated selection of poetry by William Wordsworth. 

4) A play:

 

 

I read Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. 

 

5) A book that takes place in your favorite British location: 

 

 Towers in the Mist by Elizabeth Goudge takes place in Oxford which was one of my very favorite places we visited in England. 

 

6) Extras:  

 

I still had a couple of days left and so I was able to read two more books. 

 

First I read Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher. It was a bit longer but it was a really easy read so only took a couple of days. 

 

I had one more C.S. Lewis book and another Jane Austen book that I was hoping to get to but we ended up having a really busy weekend where I didn't get very much reading done. 

I had a little time on Saturday and Sunday so I grabbed Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen adapted into a graphic novel by Nancy Butler and Sunny Liew. 

Because it as a graphic novel it only took a couple of hours. 

 

  

Overall it was a great reading week. There weren't any that I hated and only two that I didn't love. 

More to come!

What did you read?

Let's talk about: On the Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher

"A love story like no other, this is the debut novel from Carrie Hope Fletcher, author of the Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller All I Know Now.

Evie Snow is eighty-two when she quietly passes away in her sleep, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. It's the way most people wish to leave the world but when Evie reaches the door of her own private heaven, she finds that she's become her twenty-seven-year-old self and the door won't open.

Evie's soul must be light enough to pass through so she needs to get rid of whatever is making her soul heavy. For Evie, this means unburdening herself of the three secrets that have weighed her down for over fifty years, so she must find a way to reveal them before it's too late. As Evie begins the journey of a lifetime, she learns more about life and love than she ever thought possible, and somehow , some way, she may also find her way back to her long lost love . . " (Goodreads)

I pre-ordered this book through Book Depository months ago so that I wouldn't have to wait for it to be released in the United States. 

As I have mentioned before, Carrie Hope Fletcher is one of my favorite YouTubers. She is adorable, talented, and seems like a very nice person. I read her non fiction book for teenagers, All I Know Now, last year and enjoyed it. You can read all of my thoughts on it here.

I wasn't sure what to expect from her debut fiction novel. 

First of all, the book is beautiful. The dust jacket is beautiful and the hard cover underneath it is just as pretty. I love a pretty book. 

I gave it four stars on Goodreads but really it was more of a 3.5 star review for me (when are they going to start having half stars!?) and there were moments in the book that would have only been three stars. But there were also four star (and more) moments for me as I found it to be very unique and engaging. I thought about it when I wasn't reading and I really enjoyed the story. 

It is strong on the magical realism which I didn't realize going in so that caught me off guard at first and there were times when I had a hard time with staying engaged through the "magical" elements. 

I compared it to Alice in Wonderland meets Somewhere in Time mainly because there were times when reading Alice that I asked myself, "What the?" and I did the same with this book. And there were things that reminded me of Somewhere in Time that I won't go into because... spoilers. 

If you are looking for diversity/ representation in a book this is a good one to go to. There are three characters that are LGBTQ+ (one bisexual, one pansexual, and one gay). 

I think that, just like her first book, this story will really appeal to her teenage and early twenties audience but it really is for all ages.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I think that Carrie is a strong writer and I think she will only improve over time. 

3.5 stars ***

Let's Talk About: Secrets of Chatsworth

After visiting Chatsworth in England I watched the documentary Secrets of Chatsworth on Netflix. 

I found it to be so interesting. 

I tried to look it up on there again and it looks like they have taken it off but you can watch it on YouTube. 

I highly recommend checking it out!

Canterbury Cathedral

This is a great video on the history of Canterbury Cathedral....

To read about my visit to this Cathedral go here.

On the fourth day of Christmas... John Lewis Christmas advert

I heard about John Lewis, a chain of department stores in Great Britain, through YouTube. 

I kept hearing about their Christmas adverts and how great they are. So I looked them up. 

They are so good. 

Here are some of my favorites so far: 

And this one goes unexpectedly sweet...

Remember, Rember, the 5th of November

With today being the 5th of November I feel like this is the most appropriate thing to post today: 

British Halloween beginnings

Anglophenia posted this new video this week. I think it is great and wanted to share it today!

Let's talk about: Jean at BookishThoughts

I have another YouTube recommendation for you today. 

I recently started watching Jean at Bookishthoughts and she has quickly become another favorite of mine to watch for book recommendations and fun bookish videos. 

Jean is adorable. She is a lot of fun to watch because she is very natural and down to earth and has an awesome Scottish accent. She actually reminds me a TON of Karen Gillan (Amy Pond on Doctor Who). 

On Twitter her description of herself is this:

 "Part time youtuber. Full time student. Wannabe scholar. Imaginary dragon. Lifetime nerd."

My favorite thing about watching her is that she is quite different from a lot of the booktubers her age that I watch. Her videos tend to have very different kinds of books than a lot of the other videos. 

She studies ancient Greek and Latin literature and so she has reviews for books in those genres that you really don't get anywhere else. At the same time, she loves Fantasy so there is a lot of that thrown in there as well. 

She was one of the booktubers chosen to be a reader for the Man Booker prize this year as well.  

Her videos are intelligent and fun and she really seems like someone you could just hang out and talk to for hours about books. 

Here are a few examples of her videos:

Underhyped Readathon To be Read:

An introduction to Ancient Poetry: 

Let's talk about: Deathly Hallows, part Two

As you all know we have been reading and watching Harry Potter all summer long. 

We recently finished them and were able to watch both Deathly Hallows movies. 

I was pretty excited to watch Deathly Hallows part 2 with Abi and Maddy for the first time. It is always fun to see what their reaction is to seeing the books on screen. 

*Spoilers*

I think this movie is done so well. 

Our trio of heroes continue to fulfill their quest. 

We follow them on their journey, finally ending at Hogwarts. 

My favorite parts of this movie are finally seeing the smaller characters that don't always get as much respect/attention rising to their potential. 

Especially Neville. 

I love how he is finally given the chance to shine and really do something important. 

I have always loved his character and I just love his story arc. 

Of course, this movie has a whole lot of heartbreak as well. 

We know, going into it that we are going to have to watch some of our beloved characters die. 

More tears were shed. I can say there was a bit of snuggling during the end of the movie because it is hard to watch your "friends" die on film. 

The main thing I can say about this film is that they have , through the years, compiled such an amazing cast. They have filled these movies with the settings and characters from our imaginations in such a wonderful way that it is so hard to see it end. 

I could continue to read about and watch Harry Potter forever. Really. If J.K Rowling wanted to keep writing books about this world for the rest of her life and they wanted to keep making the movies of them (as long as they were as good or better than these ones) I would happily continue to support them. 

Just like in the book, one of my favorite parts of the movie is when we finally see Snape's memories and find out more about his story. 

 His is such a tragic love story. 

His last moments with Lily remind me of this: 

 

I love the ending of the book and I am so glad they kept the movie so similar. 

I think it is so appropriate to end the movie with the three that have stuck by each other and been there since the start. 

 

I will conclude this with two videos that I love. 

Some people have put together some videos on YouTube with scenes from the movie and some really powerful songs. Watching these gives me all the feels (and goosebumps) so I wanted to share them with you on here in case you haven't seen them before. 

First my favorite... it always makes me tear up. 

Set to Adele singing "Sky Fall"

 

And then there is this one set to Imagine Dragons "Bleeding Out". 

 

And finally, the original trailer for the movie: 

*What are your thoughts on Deathly Hallows, part two?

*Were there any things they left out that you wished had been in the film? Or parts you didn't like? 

*What are your favorite scenes?

 

It's Raining Men

Last night I was going to watch some more of Poldark to write about today. 

And then I went on to PBS to watch it... and it said it was no longer available to watch online. 

That was disappointing. Hopefully I will find it on another source. 

In the place of the post I was planning, here is a little something to hopefully bring a smile to your face: 

Let's talk about: Back to School!

 I know I have posted this video before but I am going to post it again!

My 4th grader started school last week and my youngest just started Kindergarten today! 

I always loved Back to School time (am I a freak?) because it meant seeing friends and getting new school supplies which is one of my favorite things!

So in honor of back to school season I wanted to re-post this video explaining a little bit about the British school system. 

Enjoy!

Let's talk about: Jonny Vickers (I Read Books in Nightclubs)

Last week I found another YouTuber that has quickly become one of my very favorites!

His name is Jonny Vickers and his channel is called I Read Books in Nightclubs.

I first saw Jonny on a video with Carrie Hope Fletcher on It's Way Past My Bedtime. They were on tour together doing War of the Worlds. He is instantly likable but he didn't have a YouTube channel at the time. 

Recently he made another appearance on this video on her channel: 

Because of this video, I found out that he now has his own channel. 

They made a video together for his channel as well. I will link it at the bottom. 

I spent the week going back through all of his videos. He is awesome. 

He is in his late twenties, an avid reader, very funny, and silly. 

He is known for his cheebopping (playing music by hitting his cheeks), his glasses, sweater vests, and bow ties.  His videos usually feature a new enemy (something bothering him), a book recommendation, and random musings.

He just seems, like Carrie, to be someone that you could just hang out with in real life and have the time of your life. 

He is from Aberdeen, Scotland and now resides in London. 

 

Here are some of my favorite videos from his channel to give you an idea of his personality:

 

The TMI tag:

 

 

 7 Things you didn't know about Jonny Vickers:

All Hail the Mattress King:

Oddballs Unite: 

Housemates (his video with Carrie):

 

 

 I hope you will enjoy his videos as much as I do!

 

 *Do you have any favorite YouTubers?

Let's talk about: Anglophenia

One of my recent favorite channels on YouTube is Anglophenia. 

They post videos a few times a month. Usually the videos are about 4 minutes long. 

They cover everything from making tea the British way to how to insult like the British. 

I have watched two hosts doing the videos- both women that I find very likeable and funny. 

If you are interested in some fun, quick, humerous videos check them out on their channel here.

These are some of my favorite videos so far: 

British Animals not found in America-

Confusing Things About British Homes-

British Schools Explained-

And, How to Have a British Christmas-

You should check them out!

Let's talk about: Escape to the Country

Over the weekend I discovered a show I really love. 

I watch it on YouTube on the channel TheOloxxl.

It is called Escape to the Country. 

Escape to the Country is a BBC series in which a host helps people to house hunt for their perfect country home. 

So far I have watched episodes that have been in England, Wales, and Scotland. 

The prospective home buyers are shown three homes. 

The first two tend to line up with exactly what they want and have asked for. 

The third one that they call the Mystery House usually has some element to it that it is different from their list of wants (maybe it is just across a border into another county for example) but is usually really well suited to the buyers. 

I have seen at least four different hosts , all of whom I have liked, but so far my favorite is Jules Hudson. 

He is s an English archaeologist, television producer, and presenter. 

My favorite thing about him is how he responds to comments from the house buyers by saying "Isn't it just." It sounds so British. I love it. 

This show is very different from the typical American home buying show for many reasons. 

First, not only do they take the buyers around to the three homes, but they also have one to two segments about the history or culture from the particular area. 

Also, the buyers don't pick a house at the end. 

Sometimes it will have a follow up voice over at the end letting you know if anything came of the showings, but most of the time it doesn't. You usually know whether the buyers are going to pursue one particular house or not, but sometimes you don't even know that. 

I don't think it would do well in America for that reason because most of our shows seem to be motivated by "which one will the person pick". 

I kind of like that about the show. 

I always have my favorite house and ,to be honest, I am pretty sure I could happily live in about 80% of the houses I have seen on it so far. 

It is also interesting to see how different the British homes are from those in the United States. 

Our mindset here tends to be the bigger the better. 

The homes shown on this show seem to mostly be much smaller and they will go into a room that seems small to my eyes and exclaim over how spacious it is. 

I love that as well. 

I have really enjoyed every episode I have watched. I love seeing how each home is so different from the last and seeing the beautiful countryside of each place they visit. 

 

 If you enjoy property-type shows or just want to look at some cool homes I suggest watching some of these episodes! 

 There are a lot of episodes on TheOloxxl!

Check them out and let me know what you think!

 

Let's talk about: Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

As I have mentioned before, I have recently become kind of obsessed with watching YouTube videos. 

I especially like the "book-tubers" but I have found quite a few others that I like to watch the occasional video from as well. 

I found Zoe Sugg's YouTube channel quite by accident. 

I was watching packing videos and came across one that she did on her channel, Zoella.

I immediately liked her.

The way she talked reminded me of Hermione.

(Side note: She was actually an extra in Harry Potter in Potions class but you don't see her. She was also an extra in Cranford.)
 

She is cute and seems sweet. 

From there I watched a few more of her videos. They are mostly make-up, fashion, and doing tags with her friends, boyfriend, and brother who also all have you tube channels. 

I don't watch all of her videos because, to be honest, most of them don't apply to me but I think she is adorable and I can see why people like her so much. 

She has over 8 million subscribers on YouTube and has been called "the most famous woman in Britain that you have never heard of."

When I saw that she had published a book I decided I wanted to check it out. 

I put it on hold at the library and had to wait a few months before I got my turn with it. 

While waiting, I kept hearing about the controversy surrounding the book. 

Apparently it came out that she had a ghostwriter. 

Zoe has said that the characters and story are all hers but that she did have help with the book. 

Going on Goodreads I noticed there were a lot of one star reviews but I also noticed a disturbing pattern.
A lot of the people giving the one star reviews hadn't even read the book and were giving it because 1) they don't like that a lot of YouTubers are writing books and 2) they don't like the fact that she had help with the book.

First of all, I do not think any book should be given any amount of stars that affect the way people will perceive it unless you have at least tried to read it. 

I have rated books that I haven't finished but I am rating the parts of the book that I have read. 

If you haven't even read a chapter of it, you shouldn't be rating it. 

Having said that, I went into reading this book with really low expectations. 

And because of that I was pleasantly surprised. 

It is definitely not award winning writing.

But it was a fun, quick read. 

For the most part. 

It is basically about a girl that has really bad panic attacks and lacks self-confidence. 

She decides to start an anonymous blog under the name of Girl Online so that she has a safe place to talk about her feelings and be herself without the fear of other people getting to know the real her.

She gathers a huge following. 

She ends up going to New York City (from Brighton, England) over Christmas break to get away from some really horrible things that have happened and meets Noah and very quickly falls in "like very much". 

Noah has a secret too and this leads to the drama in the story. 

There were parts that were cringe-worthy and unrealistic in a book that is supposed to be believable. 

But I still think it is an okay book. 

I ended up giving it 3 stars even though some of the book would have been less for me. 

I understood while reading it that the demographic for this book is not a woman in her thirties but rather teenage girls. 

And I know that if I had read this book when I was fifteen I would have absolutely loved it. 

So I upped the stars based on that.

*Have you heard of Zoella?
*What do you think of rating a book you haven't read?
 

Happy birthday Shakespeare!

For a little shout out to Shakespeare on his birthday I am just going to leave this here. 

You can listen to it as many times as you want to. No judging here. 

Let's talk about: Carrie Hope Fletcher

I have recently discovered the world of you tubers.

That led to finding the world of British you tubers.

I have enjoyed watching videos of packing, makeup, store hauls, and book reviews. 

But my favorite find is Carrie Hope Fletcher. 

Her channel is called It's Way Past My Bedtime.

She is in her early twenties and yet I feel like we would be friends in real life. 

She is optimistic, funny, adorable, kind, and smart.
She is an actress, singer, and author. 

And she is currently starring as Eponine in London's West End production of Les Mis. 

She is extremely talented. 

I know I will share her videos on here occasionally but I thought today I would give a little introduction to her and post one that I watched yesterday. 

Her friend Pete has been told he looks like Flynn Rider from Tangled and people tell her all the time that she reminds them of Rapunzel so since they are both singers they decided to put together a video for a song from Tangled.

Enjoy!