Last Week's Shenanigans (9th February - 15th February)...

This week has been quite hectic compared to previous weeks for a variety of reasons. I began the week at my parents house because I had a dentist appointment that day, and ended up being rather productive. Mat and I packed up a lot more of my stuff that was still in my house, and it felt like I was moving out all over again. It was quite sad, but a big relief at the same time. Work too was a lot better this week. It was quiet, but I ended up speaking to this lovely lady who gave me a ton of book suggestions! It turned out she was a huge Historical Fiction fan and gave me some really intriguing suggestions. I can't wait to check them out!

I had a lovely Valentines day weekend too. On Saturday, I didn't go to work (I took holiday off) and I spent the morning having a nice lay-in before getting ready for my afternoon and evening out with Mat. He still had to work so unfortunately we didn't get to spend the day together, but it was still lovely! When he got home, we went out to Leicester Square and had a look round some shops before going out to dinner at Bella Italia. The food was lovely (though it was so busy that things kept going wrong, but it was all part of the fun). After dinner, we headed back to the cinema near our flat and watched 'Kingsman: The Secret Service'! All I can say is it was an amazing film and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone thinking of going. Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson are amazing in it and I was impressed too with Taron Egerton. Fantastic performances from the cast and it would make a great series of films, I would love to see a sequel!

Sunday ended up being one of the laziest days I've had in history, but it was nice (despite a few chores) not to have to worry about getting up or going out anywhere, especially after the day before had so much of it!

I Reviewed:

Memes:

Top Ten Tuesday: Things I Like/Dislike In Romance
Life Of A Blogger: Favourite Websites

I Posted:

The 'Bookish Couples' Awards, In Celebration Of Valentines Day!

The 'Bookish Couples' Awards, In Celebration Of Valentines Day!

Seeing as it's Valentines Day, and I spent my last Top Ten Tuesday post dissing Romance as a genre, I thought I would take some time to celebrate things that I do enjoy about romance and it's sub-plots in fiction. So I've compiled a list of categories and chosen winners (as well as notable mentions) for each one.

Best Non-Romantic Duo:

Sam & Patrick (WINNER)
'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower'; Stephen Chbosky.

These two were my absolute favourites from the moment I met them as characters in the book. They were so funny and instantly accepting, and I would love them to be my best friends! Of course they were my winners, no one could ever beat them.

Cinder & Captain Thorne
'Scarlet'; Marissa Meyer.

I picked these two because they managed to be really funny and good together, but without making me want them to be together. Not once did I get annoyed at their developing relationship or think "What about Kai?" because I knew they were just going to be friends!

Bronn & Tyrion 
'A Game Of Thrones'; George R.R. Martin.

I just had to with these guys. They are SO funny! I love their constant banter throughout the entire book, and I always smiled when I read their conversations. They are an amazing duo in the books (and they are really good in the TV Series too).

Funniest Couple:

Cecile & Tristan (WINNER)
'Stolen Songbird'; Danielle L. Jensen.

These two win hands down. Their constant banter is some of the funniest I have ever read, and it was really endearing to read their constant hateful and sarcastic comments towards each other, and know that they are totally falling in love.

Howl & Sophie
'Howl's Moving Castle'; Diana Wynne Jones.

There isn't a huge amount of romance between these two until right at the very end, but before that they are hilarious! Howl is such a dramatic, selfish, insulting man and Sophie's constant remarks and comments on his awful behaviour are really funny.

Irene & Andras
'Thereafter'; Terri Bruce.

I was rooting for these two for the entirety of this book but it was so funny to see their conversations. Andras is a God-fearing, chivalrous, Spanish knight and Irene is a sassy, modern, stubborn woman who has an argument for everything. I enjoyed watching these two develop.

Most Badass Couple:

Katniss & Peeta (WINNER)
'The Hunger Games'; Suzanne Collins.

I just love these two! They are such a good team when they join together in order to win the Games, and I love the bond that they develop. They both have really cool skills that means that both contribute to their survival.

Tris & Four
'Divergent'; Veronica Roth.

Similarly, Tris & Four are an awesome couple. They definitely come under the badass section during the final section of the book, when the two of them work together to foil Erudite's plans. I loved reading about them fighting and dealing with the problem and they both displayed some pretty impressive skills along the way!

Scarlet & Wolf
'Scarlet'; Marissa Meyer.

What an awesome pairing! He's strong, tough and a good fighter, while she's intelligent, quick thinking and stubborn. Together they were totally badass! I loved the way that they changed each other too, it made for really cool reading.

Most Tragic Love Story:

Severus & Lily (WINNER)
'Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows'; J.K. Rowling.

Unrequited love is one of the sweetest things to read in a book, and this was one of the most poignant and unexpected plot twists that I have ever read. But above all, it was so sad. 

Hazel & Gus
'The Fault In Our Stars'; John Green.

Everyone who has read the book or seen the movie (and most that haven't too) know why this couple are worth a mention. We all knew it would be a sad ending, and yet when it is, it still made me cry!

Rudy & Liesel
'The Book Thief'; Markus Zusak.

For similar reasons (though rather different in context) this romance was absolutely heart-breaking. It was so innocent and sweet, and then the end just shattered my heart into a million pieces and tore my soul up.

Best Non-Lead Couple:

Zuzana & Mik (WINNER)
'Daughter Of Smoke & Bone'; Laini Taylor.

These two are the cutest. From the moment they got together I was a huge fan and even shipped them a little bit more than Karou and Akiva, the main love plot! Their relationship only gets cuter as the books go on and is one of the few redeeming features of the last in the series, for me.

Radar & Angela
'Paper Towns'; John Green.

These two seemed pretty cool when I read them, and I would love to read more about them. I was a bit upset that there wasn't more of them in the book, not even when the gang went on their road trip! What little amount that I got, I liked though!

Will & Christina
'Divergent'; Veronica Roth.

I totally didn't see these two coming. But when they did get together I was pretty happy! Things were left a little unclear about what will happen next but I'm intrigued to see how this will go.

Paranormal Pairing:

Helen & James (WINNER)
'A Certain Slant Of Light'; Laura Whitcomb.

These two ghosts are my favourite Paranormal couple of the books that I have read so far. Their story was original and an interesting outlook on the afterlife. I loved their relationship too, it was so well-written and I loved them as a couple!

Matthew & Diana
'A Discovery Of Witches'; Deborah Harkness.

I have to admit, Diana was not my favourite romantic lead to begin with. But I did really like Matthew, and when they became a couple, they were so cool to read! They definitely fit under the Paranormal category too because Diana is a witch and Matthew is a vampire! 

Shannon & Gnaw
'Dragon's Curse'; H.L. Burke.

I read this book quite a while back and it had a really nice Beauty & The Beast feel to it that I really enjoyed. Gnaw the Dragon and Shannon the Witch had a really nice, complex relationship that was sweet to read as it developed. I can't wait to finally get round to the next book in the series!

The Interfering Third Party Award:

Lucia (WINNER)
'Deep Blue'; Jennifer Donnelly.

This woman. Seriously she was the obvious choice for this category, I got so angry every time she spoke and I loved the way Serafina handled her. Having just read the second book of the series, her recent actions definitely place her firmly at the top of this category.

Anaïs
'Stolen Songbird'; Danielle L. Jensen.

I hated this character so much at first for being the obvious jealous third party in the love aspect of the story. I was pleased to see her character improve by the end, but she still falls into the category. 

Mary Elizabeth
'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower'; Stephen Chbosky.

This one doesn't fully count because Mary Elizabeth was actually an unwitting, unknowing interfering third party. She didn't go out of her way to be like the two previous candidates. However, her constant chasing of Charlie coupled with her annoying personality earned her a place.

Favourite Couple Overall:

Aristotle & Dante (WINNER)
'Aristotle & Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe'; Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

I adored this book and completely loved this couple. It was so beautifully written and the characters (and their relationship) were ultra complex and interesting! I loved watching them develop individually and together and I would love to reread this one.

Yelena & Valek
'Poison Study'; Maria V. Snyder.

This is one of my favourite couples, a very close second. Their relationship is of a very different nature, but it was so satisfying to see the tension between them simmer before they finally got together! I want to read more of them!

Nicholas & Clara
'Winterspell'; Claire Legrand.

So many people didn't enjoy this book, but I thought it was great! The relationship between these two started off a little dark and twisted sounding, but I've definitely read weirder and I found him to be a very respectful, sweet romantic lead. Clara was likeable too so they just had to be on this list!

Well that was a lot of fun, and all that's left to say is:

Daily Shenanigans, 14/02/2014: Happy Valentines day!

Well, it is finally here! Happy Valentines day everyone, I hope you have all had a wonderful day. Mine started off a bit slow, Mat wasn't getting back from Uni until mid-afternoon so I had a lot of waiting around to do. As today's lecture was cancelled, it meant a nice lay in this morning, followed by a whole lot of nothing. I took my Dad back to the garage so that he could pick up the car, and then when I was back home, I made an attempt to go through my Goodreads account and give small reviews to the books I've read. I entered a few more giveaways but that was about it! Nothing exciting really to report this morning, other than the horrendous weather.

Finally, the time to pick Mat up came and my Valentines day actually begun. Firstly, he gave me the presents that he had bought and I have to say that I was blown back by how thoughtful they were. They comprised of the two things I love most in the world: (other than him, I can get away with soppy words like that today, right?) chocolate and books! I got a lovely gift package from Hotel Chocolat which I am very much looking forward to tucking into! As for the books, they are such a sweet thoughtful choice and I almost cried when I saw them! They are 'Get started In Creative Writing' by Stephen May, which has received good reviews for being packed full of all sorts of useful advice for an aspiring author (like myself). In all honesty I needed something like this so that I can read up on the sort of processes involved in this profession. On a similar thread, he also got me 'The Elements Of Eloquence: How To Turn The Perfect English Phrase' by Mark Forsyth. This book is so beautiful. It is a gorgeous green hardback (my favourite colour) and I cannot wait to read it through, most likely over and over!

So what did I get him? I couldn't post about it before because obviously he reads my blog posts and the surprise would be ruined, but my presents for him were as follows: McFly's 'Greatest Hits' CD (as a reminder that we are going to watch McBusted in April), 'The Phantom Of The Opera' by Gaston Leroux (we watched it together recently), 'Les Misérables' by Victor Hugo (we are going to watch that in March), a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck (oh yes I did) and a box of Lindt (an unhealthy tradition). He seemed to really like them and I'm glad that the organisation and thought that went into those presents was appreciated (I am so proud that I managed to get my act together that much in advance)! We went out for a lovely meal in a local Indian restaurant that we always go to on Valentines day. I had a chicken korma, peas pilau rice and honey naan bread! Don't knock it until you have tried it, it's absolutely delicious!

After our meal we snuggled up for the evening at mine and watched Disney's Hercules! A perfect end to a wonderful day, I have all of the songs stuck in my head now! That about sums up my day really, Mat remembered to bring 'If On A Winter's Night A Traveller' with him so that at the moment is my priority read as I have a week to finish it. Also, I found out that this year's Musical will be 'Jesus Christ Superstar' at Uni. I am seriously so excited about this news and I think I am going to audition, just to see how far I get! In other news, Elizabeth Yarnold won the gold in the ladies Skeleton at the Olympics! The weather is just getting worse and worse, and the lights have flickered ominously a couple of times tonight so I think I had better quit while I'm ahead.

Valentines Day and Masterclass Week

My apologies, dear readers. I have been very ill over the last few days and so couldn't post. Therefore I have a lot of catching up to do!

Firstly, Valentines Day. It can only be described as perfect. I understand that many feel Valentines Day to be overrated (they are normally single) and in a sense I agree, it is very commercialised. However, those who actually tell couples off for being happy on Valentines Day are ridiculous. Many people put a lot of thought into their Valentines Gifts for their loved ones and can't wait to GIVE them. Surely such positive, thoughtless feelings are to be encouraged. I received a beautiful bunch of roses and a box of chocolates (yes I know, I know) which I was very grateful for. As cliche as they are, I've never had flowers for valentines day before and I imagine they were very expensive! But as well as this, I got my favourite present, a cuddly Simba and Nala from the Disney Store! It reminded me that Valentines Day is not just about buying the most romantic present you can find, but buying a present that you KNOW the other will love. It was also a dutiful reminder that I'm going to see The Lion King Musical for my birthday (AHHHSO EXCITED).

Now moving on from Valentines Day. This week has been Masterclass Week for my Performing Arts course at Uni (a sort of half term with optional classes) and I have attended a couple. The first was Puppetry with Steve Allen, who has worked with the Muppets and more notably in my opinion, created the prototype for Ludo in Labyrinth! (Ludo!) His class was fascinating and gave us an insight into how much hard work puppeteering can be (it absolutely kills the arms). We even had a go at making puppets from our hands (again like in Labyrinth, or the Adult Education advert).

The other class I attended this week was a Make-Up/Special Effects class and this on I was very excited about. I was not disappointed! The class focused on Wounds/Cuts/Bruises and was fascinating! You would be surprised how much you can do with a Snazaroo Kit, though I expect you can do a whole lot more with professional equipment. Here are a couple of examples of the wounds we created:

Gruesome huh? I certainly can't wait to do more of this kind of stuff!

As for the rest of my week, obviously I've been ill. But I have been able to finish 'ToraDora!' and watch a movie that I brought a while back and never got round to watching, 'Origin: Spirit Of The Past'. I'll talk more about those next post.