Daily Shenanigans, 18/07/2014: Arriving in Llangollen!

Today turned out to be full of surprises!  First off, I got my post for Oh, The Books! sorted (I thought I had already sent it,  apparently not...) and it should be up at the beginning of October! I'm very excited about it. After that I finished packing and then rushed to Mat's house. We headed off for Wales at about 2 in the afternoon and didn't arrive till gone 8 because the traffic was quite frankly appalling. The weather however was glorious both on the way to and in Wales, we somehow missed the giant thunderstorms that have racked the country recently.  Upon arriving however was the biggest and best surprise of all. There is Wi-Fi! It's very slow and a bit temperamental but it means I'm not abandoning this blog completely over the next week! 

I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings but right now I'm tired and a bit iffy from the car journey!

Daily Shenanigans, 16/07/2014: Out and about!

Today actually turned out to be pretty busy for me. Mat came round pretty early this morning and we set about packing away our duplicate consoles, games, etc. to take into town and trade in. We actually ended up selling them for a pretty decent price which I was happy about! It was only after that that we realised just how much we had to do. We quickly drove to Mat's house to grab his Mini SD Card-Reader (my Mini SD Card is pretty knackered, which made me really sad) and a battery pack for one of the controllers (the one we gave in also turned out to be faulty). Then we drove to his friend George's house to sell a game, followed by another lady to sell another game, then back to town to hand in the aforementioned battery pack. After that, we went to the Designer Outlet to grab some lunch and do a spot of shopping for Hiking Boots in preparation for Wales, and something nice for Mat's Mum (it's her birthday tomorrow)!

After finishing all that, we could finally come home and relax. I continued reading while Mat played Devil May Cry on my PS3, and we both recovered from our pretty busy day. Tomorrow I have some bits and bobs to do (mostly packing), but I'll be posting my Life Of A Blogger post, reading 'Dragon's Curse' and doing a few blog bits and bobs too. For now though, sleep time.

Daily Shenanigans, 15/07/2014: Secret Unlimited Screening!

I've had quite a day today, starting off with a lovely lay-in because I was absolutely shattered after yesterday! When I finally got up about mid-morning, I got straight on with writing my Top Ten Tuesday post and browsing the others on my Bloglovin' feed. I feel like I've been neglecting commenting on other people's blogs recently, so have tried to do a bit of catching up. I've also been pretty busy job hunting, sorting out the consoles that Mat and I are going to sell tomorrow, and doing a bit of reading. I really need to get back into that, especially as I now don't have a work shift for a good week and a half!

The main highlight of the day however came when Mat and I went to the Unlimited Screening. We didn't know, until tonight, what the film would actually be. A few clues had been let slip on Twitter, but nothing definitive. When I found out it was 'Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes' I had a pretty mixed reaction. First there was the fact that I hadn't seen it's predecessor, so I was a little annoyed that they had decided to show a sequel for that reason. Secondly, the website advertised the secret screening as being shown 'well ahead of it's release date'. Is two days before it's released 'well ahead'? I think not. 

Nevertheless, despite feeling a bit negative to begin with, the film itself was phenomenal! I didn't need to have seen 'Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes' to understand it (though there were references) and I thought the animation was just fantastic. I really got into it a lot and regretted my initial annoyance, though I do still feel a little cheated. Anyone who was wondering whether it would be worth a watch, it is. For the CGI alone! The expressions on the apes were beautifully rendered, managing to look both human and convey emotion, while most definitely ape-like. I really bought into the story and the acting, and I loved the soundtrack.

Tomorrow I have to run a couple of errands and I'm seeing Mat for most of the day. I should get some reading done though and I really hope to finish 'The Silent History' and get onto 'Dragon's Curse'.

Daily Shenanigans, 14/07/2014: 'Richard III'.

If I could I would go to the theatre every day. I absolutely love it, and today's trip to see Trafalgar Transformed's adaption of Richard III was no exception to that rule. Mat arrived at mine about mid morning and we set about completing tasks before heading off to London. Firstly, Mat sorted out our consoles so that we could set about selling the ones we don't need anymore in preparation for our new flat. While he was doing that I decided to update my CV as it truly needed to be done. We had lunch then headed off to London. We actually spent most of our afternoon back and forth on the tube, travelling first to Stratford before returning to Central London. The intention was to spend the afternoon job hunting before having a nice evening and we were pretty productive. After getting lots done, we headed to a nearby Italian restaurant for some dinner.

After dinner we walked across the road to the Trafalgar Studios, picked up our tickets and then eagerly awaited the show. It was fantastic! I had a faint idea about the synopsis of the play though I actually had not ever seen it performed before or studied it. The first thing I noticed was the really cool set, which looked like something out of a 1970s war film. It was amazingly realistic, it even had lifts which I was so impressed by. The soundtrack was really attention grabbing, ever-present and adding plenty of atmosphere. I loved the costume designs too, it was a wonderful adaption of the play. Martin Freeman as the titular character was just phenomenal (and hilarious) I thought he did a great job at playing the villain. I was pretty impressed by the whole cast actually! 

I'm currently so tired, I'm having a lay in tomorrow before doing more jobs. 

Daily Shenanigans, 13/07/2014: Breaking the 'Book Buying Ban'!

Oops! I appear to, after three or four months of this ridiculous necessity to keep my shelves a bit clearer, have bought a couple of new books. Mat got them for me cheap at Tesco where he works and I'm very excited to read them. I bought Neil Gaiman's 'The Ocean At The End Of The Lane' and 'The Secrets Of Life And Death' by Rebecca Alexander. They both look like fantastic books and I can't wait to get into reading them at some point! Before I saw Mat this evening, I actually had work today. I ended up staying much longer than I was supposed to, so I was knackered when I got home. Mat had the car so he picked me up from the station and came round. I've been a little grumpy today so I won't make this post too long, as I want my bed.

Tomorrow is going to be so exciting because I'm off to watch Martin Freeman in Richard III with Mat, something that I never thought I'd get tickets for! We'll be in London for most of the day which I'm looking forward to.

Daily Shenanigans, 12/07/2014: My first ever Blog Tour Post and Giveaway!

Today marks a pretty special day for my blog guys. I took part in Vanessa Morton's Blog Tour for her debut novel, 'Moonfall'. I really enjoyed the book, so I've been looking forward to posting my review for it. As well as that, the post included my first Author Interview and first Giveaway too! That's a lot of firsts! It has been so much fun taking part, thank you to all those involved for letting me be part of the tour. If you're interested learning more (particularly about the Giveaway for a free book) then follow this link. After all that, I had work which was pretty stressful, but it went fairly quickly I suppose. Mat came over for an hour or so before heading to a friends, and he brought me a present of some chocolate-filled croissants because he knew I'd had a hectic day. It was such a nice gesture that it instantly made me feel ten times better.

Tomorrow I have work (again) and a Weekly Wishlist to upload. Hooray! For now though, time for bed.

Daily Shenanigans, 11/07/2014: Back on schedule.

Today has been pretty productive for me. I read Vanessa Morton's 'Moonfall'. I am waiting until tomorrow to post the review because it will be my first ever Blog Tour post but I'm so excited for you guys to see my thoughts on the book, I really enjoyed it! There'll also be an Author Q&A and a Giveaway so stay tuned! Other than that, I did a lot of chores around the house today and mostly started sorting out my upcoming blog posts and planned reads because it really needed to be done. I was so glad for my day off today, it let me catch up a bit. I'm back onto reading 'The Silent History', it's good to be back on schedule.

Tomorrow I'm working again but obviously my previously mentioned Blog Tour post will be up, and I have some other bits and bobs to be getting on with.

Daily Shenanigans, 10/07/2014: Holiday approaching!

My morning started off pretty well, even tough I had to get up early. I had work but it was a pretty short shift today and it went so quickly. Before work though, I finished 'Lord Of The Flies' and wrote my Life Of A Blogger post! I didn't have time to do the review until much later on in the day though. After work I came home, quickly got changed, then went straight back out to Mat's! We went with his family to get all the necessary food and supplies for our trip to Wales next week, which I'm so looking forward to! Last time I went to Wales, I visited a friend of mine in Cardiff and had a great time! Llangollen promises to be a little quieter but still looks so interesting and beautiful. Thank goodness for the new camera, just in time for a great holiday. After shopping, we went back to Mat's and had dinner and then I was a tad boring and fell asleep. I don't know what came over me, I just suddenly felt ridiculously tired. It was for those reasons that I ended up posting my review of 'Lord Of The Flies' much later!

Tomorrow, I have the day off. I will be doing a lot of reading, plenty of blog bits and generally catching up with myself a bit.

Daily Shenanigans, 09/07/2014: The beach again!

Today has been such a nice day off, I spent the whole of it with Mat which I don't feel like I've done properly in ages. We did quite a bit too, so it was a lot of fun! Firstly, I drove to his and we made our way to Tesco. I actually ended up buying a new camera today (as well as chocolate and doughnuts) so it was well worth the trip! After getting some fuel, we then went to mine for lunch, before heading to town to sort out some more bits and bobs. I ended up closing a really old bank account of mine and so I'm completely sorted now with my finance sorting. We had to pick up some more boxes of Mat's contact lenses and that marked the end of our town trip! This afternoon into early evening was spent at Hythe beach again. It was a little windy but really lovely. We had chips and I managed to read a little more of my book. I also tested out my new camera. It's great! After that, we then headed back to Mat's and spent the evening in playing Xbox Games and generally relaxing.

I'm pretty close to finishing 'Lord Of The Flies' so I should have a review up tomorrow, along with my Life Of A Blogger post for this week. I do also have work tomorrow, but my shift is not so long this time.

Daily Shenanigans, 08/07/2014: Emergency book shuffle!

The more observant of you might notice a change in the side bar. I was reading 'The Silent History' by Eli Horowitz and now I'm suddenly reading 'Lord Of The Flies'? Also, my next book on the list was 'Dragon's Curse' and is now 'Moonfall: Tales From The Levant'? I have an explanation. If you haven't read my Top Ten Tuesday that I posted today, the long and short of it is I've been a bit silly with my prioritising. I will return to those books as soon as I'm done with these, I promise! Apart from that, not a whole lot happened today. I went to work this afternoon and ended up staying there very late, which was ridiculous! My sister also finished her post with some pictures from the Festival at Hyde Park on Sunday if you want to take a look! Just follow this link to the post, the shots are really cool!

Tomorrow I'm off work again and I'm seeing Mat. We shall probably have to go into town again, and then perhaps we shall head to the beach too (weather permitting)!

Daily Shenanigans, 07/07/2014: I ache so much!

I've spent a fair bit of today having a well earned rest. After yesterday's antics, I woke up totally exhausted, with next to no voice and my muscles absolutely killing me. It was such a good day out but I'm really glad I got to relax today. So what did I do? Well a bit of London job hunting to start with, followed by playing The Sims 3 for a couple of hours and reading too. I didn't finish the book but I'm a lot closer now. I also posted a fun little challenge, just because I'd been planning to for a while. The questions were a lot of fun to answer!

Tomorrow I will post my next Top Ten Tuesday post, and continue with some reading before work. Yes that's right, back to reality! 

Daily Shenanigans, 04/07/2014: I cannot keep my eyes open!

I'm writing this post a little earlier tonight than usual guys, I seriously am struggling to keep my eyes open. It is really hot today and I suspect this has something to do with this overly drowsy feeling. I woke this morning actually feeling pretty refreshed, finished 'Divergent', spent half an hour getting over how good it was then had a bath. I had work this afternoon and so I had to get ready for that too. Work itself wasn't too bad, it was a really quiet day though. That meant that the shift went ultra slowly. I did finally get home though and haven't done an awful lot this evening other than watch some videos and be hit by a sudden tidal wave of sleepiness. My next read will be Eli Horowitz's 'The Silent History' and I'm looking forward to it! 

Tomorrow I have work again (another reason for an early night) but I do have a post that needs posting. Being the first Saturday, I'll be taking part in the Six Degrees Of Separation challenge again! Hooray! I hope to find time to make good progress with my next read, and I'll be seeing Mat too. What a busy day!

Daily Shenanigans, 03/07/2014: A trip to the beach!

I have had a pretty awesome day today guys! The first thing I did this morning was write my 'Life Of A Blogger' post on the topic of family which was a fun start to the day. Mat came round not long after and we chilled out and had lunch together before heading to town to sort a few bits out. The most exciting part of my day was this afternoon however, when we decided to go to the beach. The weather today was absolutely beautiful so we didn't want to waste the opportunity. It was such a lovely way to spend the afternoon, I got a little reading done and we bought ice cream! When we returned home I watched the last two episodes of Game Of Thrones Season 2 and I really want to get onto Season 3 because I'm still hooked! 

Tomorrow I should post a review of 'Divergent' because I'm very nearly done! I also have work which is less fun...

Daily Shenanigans, 30/06/2014: Sneaking in one more read!

Well I don't quite know how I managed it, but I finished and reviewed Stant Litore's 'No Lasting Burial' in time for my June Wrap-Up post! Hooray! I'm glad I did too because it was well worth the read, I can tell you. As well as that, it marked my last read for the target of 35 reads I set myself on the Goodreads 2014 reading challenge! I've had a fairly busy day today. Firstly I got up pretty early, then had to rush out of bed so that I could drive to Mat's house and pick him up. We drove back to mine and spent most of the day together! I watched a couple more episodes of Game Of Thrones (Season 2) and oh my goodness, things are getting tense! It's making me crave the next book! After Mat had gone, I got straight onto reading and finishing my book for review, and then typed up my June Wrap-Up post. I also got to see how well I had done with my Bookish Bingo challenge over the last few months. I was pretty pleased and can't wait to have ago at the Summer card (July-September). 

Tomorrow I have work again but I have a number of Blog Posts to type up too, as well as making a start on 'Divergent'. I am excited to be getting on with things though!

Daily Shenanigans, 28/06/2014: Darts night!

I literally just finished reading 'Paper Towns'. I'm afraid I'm far too tired to start the review now but first thing tomorrow it will be up! Today ended up being a pretty busy day. I had work from 11 till 4 and that went surprisingly quickly, though it took up a fair chunk of my day. After work I had dinner,  read a little then went to pick Mat up from work. We both went out with Mat's family this evening which was nice! We didn't get up and play any darts but did have fun watching and socialising. I then got home late but decided I really should finish reading the book before bed.

Tomorrow I have work again but I will post the review and the Weekly Wishlist! I'll also be starting on my next read! Hooray!

Daily Shenanigans, 27/06/2014: Picking up a parcel!

My day today has been pretty relaxing! I slept in a little, and felt a lot better than I did yesterday (thank goodness) so got myself some breakfast and had a nice bath. I then spent the rest of the morning reading a bit of John Green's 'Paper Towns'. My Dad finished work early so I had lunch with him, then made my way to town to pick up a few bits from Boots and collect a parcel from the Sorting Office! It was my latest Goodreads Giveaway win, 'The Vanishing Witch' by Karen Maitland. The book looks like a really exciting read which I'm looking forward to getting into. Talking of Giveaway wins, I received another email telling me I'd won a copy of R.J. Ellory's 'Carnival Of Shadows' which looks like a really cool read! I can't believe my luck! I saw Mat this evening after he had finished work and we looked into some things to do while we were in Wales, which I'm really excited about! Not too long to go!

Tomorrow I have work so my reading day is going to be a bit broken up. I hope to finish and get a review up for 'Paper Towns' though! I'm also off out with Mat in the evening to a Darts night, so that should be good fun!

Daily Shenanigans, 26/06/2014: A trip to Town!

Today was pretty productive in terms of blog stuff. I started the day off writing my 'Life Of A Blogger' post. Then later on in the day I finished and reviewed Neil Gaiman's 'The Graveyard Book' which was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Most of my day however has actually been spent with Mat, who came with me to the bank today as I need to upgrade my account. We did also get a McDonalds but I heavily regretted this afterwards as I'd been feeling strange that morning, and it made me feel so much worse. I felt so awful in fact that I missed out on a meal with work friends because my stomach felt awful. Mat went home earlier than usual and I rested and read for the rest of the evening. 

Tomorrow I'll be reading more of John Green's 'Paper Towns' as I've made a start. I also have to pick up a parcel from the sorting office so I hope I feel better. 

Daily Shenanigans, 25/06/2014: Stifling hot day!

The weather today was so warm, and I'm normally a fan of hot days. But today was just unbearable! It was not only stifling hot, but I suffer from terrible hay-fever and today was the worst I'd had it for a long time. I ended up grumpy, tired and feeling pretty ill. I did manage to get a good amount of Gaiman's book read though I'd hoped to finish and review it today! Nevertheless, I'm glad I managed to get anything done at all. Mat is staying with a friend at the moment so he's been pretty unresponsive to my messages. I don't mind, but it's left me feeling a bit lost and lonely this evening, I'm so happy I'm seeing him tomorrow! I did however start getting excited about my fast approaching holiday in Wales with Mat and his family. I am really looking forward to spending some time away from Ashford/Canterbury and actually getting a decent break. Hopefully the weather stays decent!

Tomorrow I'll be posting my Life Of A Blogger post and I should finish reading 'The Graveyard Book' so I'll be reviewing that too. I also have a few appointments in town and am, as I have said, seeing Mat! My day tomorrow will actually be pretty busy, a friend of mine  at work is taking us all out for dinner tomorrow evening. I hope I'm in a better mood!

Daily Shenanigans, 24/06/2014: Battling the Headache!

When I went to bed last night, I had such a good feeling about all the good things I would accomplish today. Then when I woke up this morning I had another of my headaches from hell. I only seem to get them when the air is particularly humid, as if it's about to storm, so I figure they're a result of weird air pressure. They're so painful though I was convinced I would get very little done. How wrong I was! Firstly, I completed my 'Top Ten Tuesday' post. Today's topic was so fun, I really love being involved in this meme! After that, I finished the last few chapters of 'The Bees' and my goodness, it was such a good book. I'm so glad I read it, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I got time to make a fairly decent start on my first ever Neil Gaiman read ('The Graveyard Book'), and I'm enjoying it a lot! It fits in with a couple of challenges, and it has been recommended to me a fair amount. I can't wait to work my way through it. 

Other than being extremely productive I haven't done an awful lot. I sent off my interview questions (first ever set) for an author, in preparation for a blog tour post in July! I'm just shocked I've managed to be so productive, despite feeling pretty wretched today. Tomorrow I'll hopefully have another review up (I am storming through books all of a sudden) but I also have work so we'll see how far I get. After 'The Graveyard Book', I'm reading 'Paper Towns', another John Green book which I'm really excited about.

Daily Shenanigans, 23/06/2014: Lots of reading progress!

I have had such a productive day. As you all know I finished 'One Hundred Years Of Solitude' yesterday and posted the review this morning. Well today I've read all but the last few chapters of 'The Bees' by Laline Paull and again, the review will be up tomorrow. I can't believe how much I've read today! It's not even as if I haven't had other things to do, as I spent a good majority of the day with Mat. We spent half the day at his house, and half at mine. The weather was really hot (almost stiflingly so) so it was good to get out of the house for a bit. I also took a break from reading after Mat had gone to play The Sims 3 for a few hours so I've definitely been doing other things today.

Tomorrow I would have been working, but I've swapped my shift to Wednesday and so instead, I'll be doing even more reading as well as posting my Top Ten Tuesday. I have plenty to be getting on with in terms of preparation for future posts too, so hopefully tomorrow will serve as a really productive blog day.