New year, new me.

At the start of the year I made a series of resolutions like read 52 books this year (success, read 107) and get 10 a*s (not success).

Everyone believes that with the new year brings around the opportunity to be a new person. I don't agree with changing yourself over a period of 24 hours because I don't believe it works; we slip back into old habits. When I stopped eating meat it was a process that took about a year. I just started cutting back gradually on meat until I stopped all together. People who I've known who stopped immediately now eat meat again.

I've changed a lot in this past year, more than ever. I am more confident, happier and I'd like to believe that I am stronger, braver, overall (if I dare say it) more gryffindor. I think we can make resolutions to make little decisions that over time changes us.

This year has been amazing. Last January I performed with my band in front of 250 people. I finally reached a pretty decent level of skiing. I moved house. I earned enough money for a new camera. I went from a C to an A in ad maths in a week. I managed to organise 3 weeks of work experience in the hardest field with no contacts through cold calling. I finally got diagnosed with a syndrome that helps me understand everything about my body and I've finally got help. I got really good gcses. I moved school. I passed my theory test. I performed in the school musical. I made a load of new friends. I started a blog. I'm doing well at school. I started reading again. And I am grateful for every little thing that's made me so happy this past year.

What do I want for 2014?

I want to do well academically.
I want to get interviews for medicine.
I want to start writing a novel.
I want to get well enough to go to South Africa with Biology.
I want to write more.
I want to write more reviews.
I want to blog more consistently.
I want to do more for my future.
I want to take more photos.
I want to keep my room tidy.
I want to be productive.
I want to stop being terrified of growing up.

I'm going to be 18 and that's mental.
The only difference between me now and me on September 27th is that people have to buy me more expensive presents and I'll actually be allowed to buy sparklers from Sainsburys.

If 2014 is as great as post gcse 2013 has been I am looking forward to it.

Happy new years

Sophie xxx

Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

I haven't done a book review since, what? march?, but I decided I wanted to do more book reviews and the like because reading is such a major part of my life and not writing about it doesn't really make sense.

I really wanted to read a fairytale retelling, preferably YA because I having such a YA phase at the moment, but had no idea where to start. The main recommendation on goodreads is Ella Enchanted but my sister told me it wasn't good and also I've heard it's more middle school than YA and this is far more complicated than I wanted it to be. I just wanted to read a modern fairytale retelling.

I decided to read Beastly by Alex Flynn which I knew had been made into an Vanessa Hudgens movie three years ago (which wasn't the thing that made me buy the book funnily enough).

Beastly is a YA modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in NYC about Kyle, a wealthy, spoilt, attractive guy who meets a witch in his English class. She curses him and turns him into a "beast," to quote Twisted, "a wolf-bear-thing" and he must make a girl fall in love with him, he must love her in return and they must kiss in two years in order to break the spell.

I really really liked this and it grew on me especially with the introduction of Kyle's blind tutor, Will, the rose garden and the overall mushy-ness of the later chapters. It was warm and fuzzy and I really liked that. The plot twists were well thought out and not obvious when often YA novels lack a good plot twist.

Beauty and the Beast has never been my all-time-favourite fairytale though Disney's Belle has always been the princess I am most like and as a result I feel very protective over the story. The story was very cleverly woven around the original tale. I also really liked the references to books. I loved the symbolism of the roses all the way through out the book and the relationship between good deeds and roses.

There were some niggles I had with the book though, the web chats between different fairytale creatures were a bit annoying and diverged from the plot more than I wanted it to. Also there was very little subtlety with the character development which is a shame because the character development was the main part of the plot and if the little comments could have been left out it would have felt like the author (or her publishing team) was not treating me like an idiot.

I would read this book even if you have seen the movie because I've read the movie plot synopsis (thanks, Wikipedia) and it's not as good as the book. I would also recommend just buying this because the cover is gorgeous.

I would highly recommend this as an introduction to modern day retellings but I would encourage you to know the original story, not just the Disney one (I'm sorry, Disney, I really really love you).

I gave this book four stars as it was really, really good but just not fantastic-excuse-me-the-world-needs-to-read-this-book-no-matter-what.


Film trailer

Late night ramblings

It's 11.30pm and the rain is hitting the roof of my room and it's really loud. That's not a bad thing. I love the sound of rain. It makes me feel safe and protected. Listening to the rain in the almost-dark makes me feel serene.

I help the boys read at the junior part of my school. I think they're 9ish. We were reading a bit of Michael Morpurgo and he came across the word serene and asked me what it meant. I knew what it meant but couldn't explain it. Well done Sophie.

I am planning to do a massive book blog post at the end of this year as I'm really proud of how much I've read. I literally was reading a book and week at the start of the year and now look at me, 100 books later. I'm bracing myself as it's going to be a lot of photography but I'm looking forward to it.

I want to write more as part of my new years resolution.

Holy moly this year I'm turning 18. 18. I'm not mature enough to be an adult. Why are you letting me vote? Why are you letting me buy sparklers (confession: more excited about sparklers than alcohol)?

Oh, it must be nice to be normal.

Free Rice

It is currently the Project for Awesome, the annual internet charity event run by the Vlogbrothers (John and Hank Green).  It is the true measure of how wonderful the internet truly is, not all this doom and gloom and trolls that everyone thinks about.

I was browsing my subscriptions and came across NerdyandQuirky's video in which she discussed the website free rice. 

Free Rice is an online trivia multiple choice website where every answer you get 10 grains of rice will be donated to someone in a LEDC. The grains of rice are payed for by the adverts on the bottom of the game and very quickly you can pay for someones food who is less well off. Everybody wins. You become more educated (the Biology one is super hard and I do AS level Bio) and people all over the world are fed.

If you want to procrastinate why not go on free rice?

I have included the banner below and there is also a banner in my side bar of my blog. Both should take you to the website.

DFTBA

Teenage Vulnerability

I had a dream that all my teachers kept up with all my social media accounts.

According to dream dictionary dreaming of twitter means I want to be better connected. I don't really want the staff room to have daily discussions on my Frozen obsession in 140 characters or my preference for my apricot coloured cardie.

When we write to the internet, we do not write to the world, we write to ourselves. Of course you've heard this with the endless cyberbullying phse sessions and internet deportment lectures "do not put drunk pictures on your facebook" etc etc. But for the non-cyberbullyers among us who ignore those lectures and decide it would be a better use of our time to play with our nails it is still relevant,  but not in the way our school sees it.

We view our internet homes as private. Secluded. Not noticeable. We don't put drunk photos as our profile pictures or empathise with the "legalise cannabis party" on twitter. But we are personal. We let others in. I don't believe that my school year read this blog (if you do, hi. Yeah. This has suddenly got awkward.) and I am far less private on here than I am irl. But I like it here. I like my small amount of internet hits that are mainly from Russia.

And yes, I won't deny, I would be mortified if my teachers told me that they liked my blog post on "meeting people off the internet" and should I really be volunteering to teach the younger boys about internet safety?

It's because my blog is like my bedroom. It is the closest anyone will ever get to having a metaphysical version of my personality. That vulnerability that is specific to opening up to someone is very present on the internet.

I don't regret anything I've written on the Internet. I just am aware of how vulnerable I am on here. Not that I'll ever show it. I just like writing.

Rip Socially Awkward Sophie

If you visit my blog regularly (if so thank you) you'll notice a couple of teensy changes. One thing, I've changed the design. Also I changed the name and url of the blog.

Why?

I wanted a change, I guess. I like it more. It isn't as soft but I'm cool with that. I've also spent about half an hour trying to make it snow on the blog but no luck.

I've changed a lot in the last term. I went back to my old school on Thursday and I felt different. I am now described as "smiley" which has never been me and I feel more confident about my ability as a person. I sing on public transport, much to the annoyance of my fellow passengers of the 7.25am train. I walk differently (admittedly that might be to do with the intense physiotherapy I have but still). I feel infinitely happy most of the time and happiness is the most precious commodity. I'm so lucky with that.

I apologise for the lack of posts. School (can I call it college as it is a school but I'm in sixth form oh the conundrums of my life) has been mental, I got a week long migraine (which is pretty stressful), had three Biology practical exams, been in the school musical and had to keep up with AS levels. I've got mocks in January, help me, but I want to post more.

So I'm writing a list of things I want to do on the blog and hopefully I won't lose all my creativity with all maths and science a levels.

I want to write more about books, review books and talk about my hauls. I want to post pictures that I take and write about things I love and even just posts I'll post as revision but you can learn something too and I want to wrap up my reading year in style (who's looking forward to the masterpost?).

2014 is swiftly decending on us and that terrifies me because I'm going to be 18 and these AS levels will affect whether I get into medicine as this is my final shot (dear unis, if you're reading my blog, one) congratulations because it's pretty hard to find and two) I really really really want to be a doctor so please let me in, love Sophie). But 2014 should still be filled with things I love, London and reading and lie ins and walks and mince pie and brandy ice cream and greek food and Twisted and yes, I'll say it, school and my wonderful friends and Taylor Swift and nails inc.

This blog post is basically a stream of consciousness,  but I like to believe it is a well 

written stream of consciousness.

I've missed you blog.

See you asap.

Sophie xxx