Update - 100 Things this Summer 2.0 - #1

As this list took about a month to complete I have already done some of these things - sorry!

1) Run three times a week when possible

2) Watch the Fox and the Hound

3) Make (Vegan-ish) Nachos

4) Write 10,000 words of my book

5) Go to legoland

6) Drive on a motorway (3 months and still haven't done that)

7) Organise a summer party (not a "party" party). 

8) Go to the botanic gardens after school

9) Go to a concert

10) Finally meet Alexia Casale

11) Send Fanmail

12) Read a scientific book

13) Get an ARC

14) Go to Kew

15) Actually visit Notre Dame

16) Visit Shakespeare and Company

17) Read my books from the Strand

18) Finish PLL books

19) Make a birthday list

20) Post to Instagram regularly

21) Use my tripod

22) Run a mile

23) Avoid Parmesan

24) Get to level 10 on Dutch Duolingo

25) Go to Las Iguanas

26) Finish my 5000 word essay on PLP and TENS

27) Write a good personal statement

28) Go to the Harry Potter Studio Tour

29) Go to Birmingham

30) Take a friend to London

31) Go to South Africa

32) Go on a zip wire

33) Get my results

34) Be proud of my results whatever happens

35) Buy more Printics of my summer 

36) See some Shakespeare

37) Watch something at arts week

38) Reread a book

39) Have a picnic

40) Take more film

41) Camp

42) Go and visit UCL

43) Go to an author talk

44) Watch TFIOS

45) Go on a bookshop crawl

46) Do something brave

47) Read 20 books

48) See an exciting animal

49) Play my guitar

50) Go to the theatre 

51) Read a Shakespeare play

52) Blog all the books I read this summer
53) Go on a roller-coaster
54) Go to the funfair
55) Discover a new bookshop
56) Go to the underground silver markets

57) Go to a London six times

58) Buy new clothes

59) Clear out my wardrobe

60) Learn a new piano piece

61) Go to Foyles 107
62) Go to the sea
63) Write every day
64) Take photos
65) Wear my new topshop shorts
66) Wear my lbd
67) Fix my laptop
68) Read more books on my kindle
69) Learn Let It Go on the guitar
70) Watch a Disney film I haven't seen in years
71) Register to vote
72) Actually learn about politics
73) Buy a book I've never heard of
74) Do a read-a-thon
75) Get better at not having "writers block"
76) Swim
77) Sprint faster
78) Get new sandals
79) Send a letter in the post
80) Read a classic
81) Read mermaid books
82) Watch something at the cinema on a whim
83) Cut out chocolate
84) Pick blackberries
85) Wear something I haven't worn in a while
86) Save
87) Reorganise my bookshelf

88) Read an adult fiction book
89) Read a Mark Haddon book
90) Read an HG Wells book
91) Organise my birthday
92) Read a translated book
93) Have a clear out
94) Do nail art 

95) To not get scared of flying
96) Keep tidy

97) Go to a new foursqaure area
98) Go to a beach
99) Use my diary
100) Wear my Dorothy shoes

24% complete

100 Things This Summer - 2.0

I made this list last summer and I did 78 of them. I wasn't sure I was going to do this this year but I read Since You've Been Gone so I'm doing it.

1) Run three times a week when possible

2) Watch the Fox and the Hound

3) Make (Vegan-ish) Nachos

4) Write 10,000 words of my book

5) Go to legoland

6) Drive on a motorway (3 months and still haven't done that)

7) Organise a summer party (not a "party" party). 

8) Go to the botanic gardens after school

9) Go to a concert

10) Finally meet Alexia Casale

11) Send Fanmail

12) Read a scientific book

13) Get an ARC

14) Go to Kew

15) Actually visit Notre Dame

16) Visit Shakespeare and Company

17) Read my books from the Strand

18) Finish PLL books

19) Make a birthday list

20) Post to Instagram regularly

21) Use my tripod

22) Run a mile

23) Avoid Parmesan

24) Get to level 10 on Dutch Duolingo

25) Go to Las Iguanas

26) Finish my 5000 word essay on PLP and TENS

27) Write a good personal statement

28) Go to the Harry Potter Studio Tour

29) Go to Birmingham

30) Take a friend to London

31) Go to South Africa

32) Go on a zip wire

33) Get my results

34) Be proud of my results whatever happens

35) Buy more Printics of my summer 

36) See some Shakespeare

37) Watch something at arts week

38) Reread a book

39) Have a picnic

40) Take more film

41) Camp

42) Go and visit UCL

43) Go to an author talk

44) Watch TFIOS

45) Go on a bookshop crawl

46) Do something brave

47) Read 20 books

48) See an exciting animal

49) Play my guitar

50) Go to the theatre 

51) Read a Shakespeare play

52) Blog all the books I read this summer
53) Go on a roller-coaster
54) Go to the funfair
55) Discover a new bookshop
56) Go to the underground silver markets

57) Go to a London six times

58) Buy new clothes

59) Clear out my wardrobe

60) Learn a new piano piece

61) Go to Foyles 107
62) Go to the sea
63) Write every day
64) Take photos
65) Wear my new topshop shorts
66) Wear my lbd
67) Fix my laptop
68) Read more books on my kindle
69) Learn Let It Go on the guitar
70) Watch a Disney film I haven't seen in years
71) Register to vote
72) Actually learn about politics
73) Buy a book I've never heard of
74) Do a read-a-thon
75) Get better at not having "writers block"
76) Swim
77) Sprint faster
78) Get new sandals
79) Send a letter in the post
80) Read a classic
81) Read mermaid books
82) Watch something at the cinema on a whim
83) Cut out chocolate
84) Pick blackberries
85) Wear something I haven't worn in a while
86) Save
87) Reorganise my bookshelf

88) Read an adult fiction book
89) Read a Mark Haddon book
90) Read an HG Wells book
91) Organise my birthday
92) Read a translated book
93) Have a clear out
94) Do nail art 

95) To not get scared of flying
96) Keep tidy

97) Go to a new foursqaure area
98) Go to a beach
99) Use my diary
100) Wear my Dorothy shoes

Review #50 - The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Wouldn't it be fantastic if I actually kept on top of my reviews? I don't understand my own notes.

Anyway, to business.

The Outsiders is a 60's book about gang violence written by a 17 year old. It at first doesn't appear to have much of a plot but then an event happens that sparks everything off. It shows a really interesting ways of looking at people in gangs and their relationships.

This book, even though very simplistic, does have a large emotional effect on the reader. It hit me a lot harder than I expected it to even though I'd been spoiled by Fangirl. I think it's because the "gangsters" are portrayed at human and real and kind and not just people you cross over the street when you see them.

The dynamics between the characters were done well. Each relationship was different and interesting because every character was unique.

It challenges stereotypes and how everyone views people who aren't like them and how the reader judges different types of people in society. One of the gangsters likes poetry for example and the poetry is soft and gentle and he carries a knife. 

It did drift on a bit but I did whip through it in an evening and that really is my only critisism.

I would recommend this if:

You love West Side Story

You like mid-century fiction but some is a bit challenging

You want a quick book

I gave this five stars.

Buy it here

My July TBR

Stacking the Shelves #4 - June Haul

Stacking the shelves is a blogging meme from Tynga's Reviews which I stole from Lauren Hannah. Lauren Hannah's button is in the right hand bar.

Books I got from Foyles
I went on the last day of the old Foyles and bought some books

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
I was rereading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell because YALC and it mentions this book. I saw this is Foyles and decided to pick it up *spoilers - it's fabulous.*

The Future of us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
This is a book about two teens in the 90s who discover their 2011 facebook accounts. It's a bit cliché and a bit trashy but it's a quick read.

Books I got from The Book Depository

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Manning
Got a secret can you keep it swear this one you'll save, the books are different to the TV show taking this one to the grave. If you read it then I know you will be addicted cause two can keep a secret if one of them is reading.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Ok, the cover is so beautiful on this one but I'm not enjoying it. I bought this on an impulse - I have no books to read - buy but agh it's so boring and the french/english narrative is awful.

Everything Leads to You by Nina La Cour
This is a book on what it is like to be a set designer in Hollywood and also is sort-of a love story (which is LGBT by the way). I bought it as part of my beautiful-American-hardcovers-summer-extraveganza

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
This is another book as part of my beautiful-American-hardcovers-summer-extraveganza. It's amazing and wonderful and I really enjoyed reading it. I was so excited to read this the moment I read the first chapter on Barnes and Noble.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

This is another part of my beautiful-American-hardcovers-summer-extraveganza. It's so so pretty and I liked the romance. It was different.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
As this is one of my favourite books of all time and as I am going to YALC I really wanted a copy I could get signed and this makes me so so happy.

Adorkable by Sara Manning

This is a YA book I also bought for YALC as it is about blogging. I am trying to motivate myself to read this. Also, the cover is seriously mediocre.

Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes

I want to do Biomedical Sciences at uni and this is my summer reading (well like one part out of at least five books). It was recommended to me last December (?) by my biology teacher and it's about mitochondria and genetics.

A Book I got from Leena

Harry's last stand

Leena who works at Icon Books had some spare uncorrected proof copies of Harry's Last Stand and was giving them away and I am never one to refuse a free book. This is a memoir and manifesto of a northerner who lived through the great depression and WW2.

A Book I got from Shakespeare and Company

The Character Of Rain by Amélie Nothomb
Shakespeare and Company is a lovely lovely bookshop in Paris. Every time I go abroad I try and buy a book that has been translated into english from the language the country speaks and was written by a native of that country. This did confirm that I don't really like french literature but it was still interesting culturally. 

Review #49,#51,#55,#56 - Pretty Little Liars #1-4 by Sara Manning

I decided to read Pretty Little Liars as my Lucy Hale obsession was getting out of hand (cough sorority wars cough). This review will be a spoiler free review of the first four books.

The reason I wrote one giant review is because they do feel like one giant book and as a result the individual reviews would be very boring as they would say the same thing over and over.

Pretty Little Liars is about a group of five friends who live in a small town when one of them goes missing. The girls are upset but also a bit relieved as she knew secrets about all of them that they were ashamed by. Then, three years later, the girls get texts from A, an anonymous person who knows everything.

The suspense is great. It was definitely best in books one and four as book one sets everything up and the girls are very disconnected and book four ends the first story arc. The suspense is really what makes these books good and without it they would be very empty. The suspense isn't quite the same amount as the TV show as I can read these books at night but still good.

The first book is really creepy which sort of peeters out around book two and it does build back up but the event at the end of the first book sort of kills it. I don't think the author could have held onto that level of tension for multiple books but as a result Flawless (#2) wasn't as good.

I really enjoyed A's texts, especially in the early books when the plot is being set up. They were mysterious and made the story more exciting every time one arrived. They were really well done. My favourite of all time (spoiler free) was the one about Aria's pig puppet.


The books talk about fashion a lot, and I get it, it's a female audience, they're super popular but it did get a little tiring after a while. I didn't really care that much. I think the books would be better if some of the fashion was cut and they were made into fewer books.

The books are definitely addictive as the plot ends in places where you just want to read on (especially the third) .

I would recommend this if:
You want an addictive YA thriller
You want a girly thriller
You love the TV show

I gave Pretty Little Liars four stars, Flawless three stars, Perfect four stars and Unbelievable four stars.

Buy Pretty Little Liars here.
Buy the PLL 1-4 Boxset here.

June 2014 Wrap Up

1. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepherd (★★★★☆)
2. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (★★★★★)
3. Flawless (Pretty Little Liars, #2) by Sara Shepard (★★★☆☆)
4. Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson (★★★★★)
5. Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour (★★★★☆)
6. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (★★★☆☆)
7. Perfect (Pretty Little Liars, #3) by Sara Shepard (★★★★☆)
8. Unbelievable (Pretty Little Liars, #4) by Sara Shepard (★★★★☆)
9. Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas (★★★★★)
10. The Character Of Rain by Amélie Nothomb (★★★☆☆)

London Count: 1 (I let you down, I let the school down and I let myself down)

I've had a lot of blog views again this month. Both Sarah J Maas and Mark Haddon both read my blog and written lovely things about it which is a huge deal to me as both of them have written some of my favourite books of all time.

I've finally finished my AS Levels! Now, to UCAS and massive essay deadline.

1. I want to do well academically Agh I really hope I have
2. I want to get interviews for medicine  I'm actually thinking I want to do Biomedical now. Eek degrees
3. I want to start writing a novel  Ok, come on Sophie, you're free now. Write
4. I want to get well enough to go to South Africa with Biology.  SO CLOSE I'M SO EXCITED
5. I want to write more. myehhhhhh I'm sorry
6. I want to write more reviews. Dropped behind eugh
7. I want to blog more consistently. ditto
8. I want to do more for my future.  UCAS WOOOOOP
9. I want to take more photos.  I finished 100 happy days woop! Now, just to keep going.
10. I want to keep my room tidy. Ah.
11. I want to be more productive.  I AM ON PRODUCTIVITY FIRE
12. I want to stop being terrified of growing up. I AM SO EXCITED TO BE 18 3 MONTHS LEFT