I’ll be back, thank you for understanding ❤
Category: Uncategorized
Meeting Katie Piper
This week I got to meet one of my idols. You may have heard of her, seen her books or watched one of her TV shows, the latest being Extraordinary Births for Channel 4, she also has her own charity for burns survivors. I add that last because there are a lot of things that Katie Piper is and she’s not defined by the fact that 7 years ago she was in an acid attack, she’s a survivor.
Katie’s from a few towns over from me, so when it happened, there was a section in the paper, although not identifying her. I’ve followed Katie’s story and work since the beginning. Meeting her is one of my dreams and it finally happened. She’s absolutely lovely and her talk was inspirational, I didn’t expect any less. I’ll admit that I almost cried but I felt so empowered, I felt like I could do what she had done and take my past and turn it into something positive.
My message from Katie
I was able to get some 1-1 time with Katie, she remembered tweeting me a while ago when my spine broke, we spoke about Basingstoke town centre (we’re both local). She’s so lovely and sweet, I told her if there was anything I could do for the Katie Piper Foundation then just to let me know. The book she gave me has been waiting since the KU Talent Awards when she was supposed to host but her esophagus burst.
It was a great evening and I don’t think I’ve ever been more inspired by someone, she is what I aspire to be and I will keep using the power of positive thinking and hopefully I’ll meet Katie again.
Book Review: All My Secrets- Sophie McKenzie
‘There’s a terrible secret. Mr Treeves shuffles from side to side, but I’m frozen to the spot.’
Let’s start by saying I read this in four hours. I hope this gives a good indication of how this review is going to go. Evie Brown is a normal teenager at the start of a long and boring summer waiting for her birthday. She doesn’t know that the next knock on the door is going to change her life. She is told that she has inherited £10 million, but at what cost? Soon Evie finds herself shipped off to Lightsea, an institute for troubled teens by those who love her most. Who can Evie turn to now?
I’m a big fan of Sophie McKenzie, after reading her adult thriller Close My Eyes last year, it was one of the best twists I’d read in a while and so when I heard that All My Secrets was for YA I was instantly drawn to it. As I said earlier I read this in a matter of hours and as with her earlier novel McKenzie allows you to think you have it all worked out before throwing a spanner into the works. The novel really waves in and out giving the reader clues throughout making you question yourself at the end as to why you didn’t figure it out.
I really liked the character of Evie and the journey she goes on through the novel, I didn’t see the first twist and now I find it brilliant. It is something that completely changes her world and how she see’s the people in it. While many would think, I’d take £10 million no matter what, I can assure you that this would make you think twice about it. As Evie delves more and more into the mysteries of Lightsea she has to consider who to trust or risk losing her life. I feel like Evie is very realistic in the way she handles the situation she is left in, she has her flaws and is not a seemingly perfect character.
One of the few things that I got bored of quickly in the novel is the love interest that Evie has during her time at Lightsea, I understand teenagers will be teenagers but I really wanted to know more about the other young people. There are such interesting and vibrant characters created by McKenzie and I really wanted to know more about them as well as the island itself, which has been well described throughout.
I’m going to give this 4 stars ****. This is the first of McKenzie’s YA novels that I’ve read and it was a great start. I love the fact that she has been able to seamlessly branch across genres. The reason I didn’t give this novel 5 stars is simply because I wanted to get to know the other characters better and see more of who they are and why they are also at Lightsea, their reasons are mentioned but quite quickly but not in detail.
Running my First Ride
Today I finally ran my first ride as President of the Horse Riding Society. I’ll be honest I’ve been dreading this day, I’ve really struggled with the idea of running the society since my accident. I just kept thinking, how was I going to enjoy something that I couldn’t do any more? Was I going to feel as down as I did at Fresher’s Fayre? I’ve been stressed, upset and just not feeling ok about it all. So I decided that I’d have one attempt at running the society, if I hated it then I’d consider resigning.
I was pleasantly surprised, the riders all enjoyed themselves and it actually felt good to be around the horses again. I got to see Jemima, the horse I learnt on and Dublin the last horse I rode on. Laura told me that it was worth seeing people enjoy their rides and it is, it also helped to talk to the riders and staff. I’ve felt a little like I’m stupid or something because I get so down but they all completely understood. Jules, the lady who works there was really kind to me, she said if I wanted to go back when I was fully healed and that I could go back then to take my time, that it’s a huge thing to happen not to mention to impact on my body.
Me last year during my first ride
I’m definitely going to stay as President, it also helps that I have my amazing dream team with me, the three of us got through the session with success and I finally feel hopeful about this part of my life again, after all who doesn’t love cuddling up to some lovely horses…especially when they cuddle back 🙂
Isn’t Inside Out incredible?!
Tonight I finally caught up (you know, 4 months late) with the phenomenal Inside Out. I’ve had friends raving about it for months but I had really limited money over the summer so a trip to the cinema was out of the question. I absolutely love this movie, it’s absolutely fantastic and all the characters are just brilliantly written, I don’t know anyone would couldn’t relate to at least one of them.
For me I feel like there is a big battle between the Sadness and Joy in my head, especially when I’m stressed, oh and you know Anger and Disgust are best buds for me. Fear is around too. Now I bet you’re reading this and thinking she’s lost it, she’s finally lost it. While I don’t think there are little people in my brain controlling what I think, say and do, I’ve never seeing something that I just got so much. It’s a really sweet film and great for kids to learn and understand…although I’d definitely love to see a sequel when she’s a teenager. Because you know then all the emotions would just freak out and everyone who’s been through it would just nod along and remember the emotional freak out.
It might be a strange thing to write about but I have so much love for this movie and wish I’d seen it sooner. It was just what I needed after a slightly stressful evening 🙂
World Mental Health Day – 10th October 2015
I didn’t intend to write a post on mental health today, until I realised that World Mental Health Day had snuck up on me and I didn’t have anything planned. I think a lot about how much about mental health I should put onto my blog, am I putting too little in, am I putting too much in, will people just see me as an illness? It’s a big concern I have being so open about my issues and my life.
I’ve lived with issues since I was 11, I’d be extremely unhappy at school due to bullying. I’d say that the really awful depression started at around 15, so 6 years ago now. I’m in a much better place but I’m not ‘cured’ and I’ll probably live with this for the rest of my life, it’s just one part of me. It’s like my asthma or the weak knees I inherited, it’s just something that’s there which can make my life more difficult.
I’m fully aware that not everyone gets the help I now get and isn’t as open, and that’s fine! This is one of the most person illnesses you can have, if you don’t want to talk about it so be it! For a long time after my diagnoses although I felt some relief I couldn’t say it out loud I couldn’t say ‘I have depression’ because I was scared about what people would say, even now I have that and it’s sad. We need more education because at least one quarter of the population lives with a mental illness, so why is it still taboo?
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today, photo from the BBC
Love them (like me) or hate them, the royal family getting involved in mental health work and the fight against stigma can only be a good thing. I understand William’s public self helping with the cause due to his late mother, Princess Diana, who openly admit to struggling with Depression, Self-harm and Bulimia before she died. Catherine also has been strongly involved, particularly when it comes to young people, whether this is for personal reasons or not I cannot fault her. The fact that these young royals are being open and engaging will hopefully send a message to people or hope.
There’s also celebrities opening up more and more, I personally find inspiration in JK Rowling and Stephen Fry. When you see people in the public eye talking or just admitting that they also have a mental illness it makes you feel more normal, like you can achieve like they have and that you have someone to admire. I think it also makes them more human.
I thought a lot before writing this and I didn’t want it to be specifically about me, I just didn’t feel like exposing my emotions right now, partly because I’m in a bit of a werid headspace where my brain can’t work out of I’m on a high or a low…it’s really hard to explain. I did want to mention how interested people were at the open day today about the topic of mental health in my dissertation and going on in my PhD later hopefully. I wanted to mention how I came home and drew something to mark the day and try and get out how I was feeling whilst watching Stephen Fry’s ‘The Life of a Manic Depressive’ because I didn’t know what I wanted to write about. Like most people in his documentary said, my illness can make my life utter hell but at the same time I don’t know if I’d get rid of it.
My art piece ‘ out of my mind’
The Starlight Blogger Award!
I was pleasantly surprised this morning to receive a tweet from Michelle over at Petite Tea Lover about the Starlight Blogger Award!
The rules of this tag are as follows:
1. Thank the person that nominated you and link back to their blog.
2. Answer the 3 questions that are given to you.
3. Pass the award on to more bloggers of your choice!
So here we go, my answers to Michelle’s questions:
1. What are you most looking forward to about Autumn?
Breathing in the crisp air and hearing the leaves crunch under my feet I absolutely LOVE autumn.
2. What has been your best experience you’ve had since writing your blog?
I got to talk to Jodi Picoult and she told me I was a writer and it was honestly one of the next moments of my life.
3. Where is your favourite place to go for afternoon tea, and what tea would you have?
I’m not very adventurous I love having a cup of tea snuggled up in my duvet with an animal and a book…I’ve never been out for afternoon tea!
Who to tag?
- Caitlin @inthemindofcait
- Emmie @carpediememmie
- Alexandra @alexandralocked
My questions:
What is your favourite book and why?
Do you have any pets?
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Book Review: The Manifesto on How to be Interesting – Holly bourne
‘Apparently I’m boring. A nobody. But that’s all about to change.’
Meet Bree, she’s not popular, she’s not pretty and by the age of seventeen she’s already a failed novelist. Her school life bores her and it’s not like she has a great relationship with her parents either, she’s just too different. After being given some advice to be more open Bree has an idea, she’s going to conduct an experiment and find out how to be interesting and she’ll risk anything to find out.
How do I even begin to describe Holly Bourne’s incredible novel. I picked this up a few years ago, I’d never heard of Holly but saw her speaking at a Young Adult book fair. To say that I’m glad I picked this novel up would be an understatement, it’s a serious contender for one of my favourite YA novels ever. I mean ever. With it’s bright pink and black cover it screams out from the shelf but the idea of the novel jumped out at me to. I mean who hasn’t wanted to feel more interesting growing up?
The character of Bree felt intensely real to me, I understood her and I think that there are so many teenagers who will. It’s that feeling of not quite being comfortable with who you are and mocking things around you because you’re not quite there yet. I used to do this a lot when I was younger purely because I was so anxious all the time and it was a great way to cover it up. In that respect I think Holly hits the nail on the head with her relevant depictions of what teenagers are really like today.
I loved the relationship between Bree and Holdo, because it reminded me of a personal relationship I have. My oldest friend at university is a guy called Joe and through my first year we were so much like Bree and Holdo and I didn’t really ‘get’ the girl thing. I could really understand both characters and their feelings throughout the novel. I think this novel also looks at how relationships have to adapt as you get older and the kind of differences a male and female friendship have. I adored Holdo as a character and just wanted to hug him throughout.
If I had to try and explain the novel without spoiling it I’d say it’s kind of like a Cady Heron Mean Girls esque vibe meets the online world. It’s been very cleverly done and also has a way of reminding you what is important in life and just how damn hard it is to be a teenager sometimes. Holly’s books have this impossibly positive vibe to them and I absolutely love it. I wish her novels had been around when I was a teenager because they could have certainly taught me something.
Of course I am going to give this novel five stars *****! It’s an absolutely incredible piece of writing and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve personally met Holly and she is one of the nicest authors I’ve ever met as well as being insanely talented. The novel is refreshing because it’s one of the very few characters I felt like could have easily been me at points in my life. I’d definitely recommend picking this up the next time you’re in a book shop, I can guarantee it will not disappoint.
Review by Chloe Metzger
Date Night, Live Music, and the New York Times
Today and yesterday have been a whirlwind of crazy. A lot of exciting things have been happening in the past week as well as having to deal with a lot of stressful situations…I think today was just very weird.
Last night I got to finally take a trip to Bush Hall where Ali works part time as a Sound Engineer. I had no idea how special this place was on the walls there are pictures of Amy Winehouse, Courtney Love, Panic at the Disco, Paul Weller, Adele, Duffy, Ed Sheeran, Florence and the Machine, Lily Allen and The Killers to name just a few. It makes me incredibly proud that Ali works there. We got tickets to see a band called Little May, they are from Australia and I think they’re definitely one to watch, I also fell in love with a singer called Gordie, another one I’ll be watching closely.
I love spending time doing things with Ali, we both get so busy that when we’re back at the we just kind of fall into a chair and talk across the room, or just lay in bed and watch TV together. We have a lot planned together in the next month or so, it’s going to be great to actually do couples things. Which started with a trip to Nandos, as you do.
So that was the awesome part, now on to the weird. I received a tweet this morning saying that I’d been quoted in the New York Times… yep! I didn’t get contacted about it so it was a total surprise, you can read it here.
So it’s been a crazy few days! I have a lot planned for the rest of the week too, obviously Thursdays book review and my first society social, Friday I’m going to be at a show so I’ll be putting up another post, Saturday I’m working and then I might actually get to relax and rest on Sunday. Phew. As always thank you so much for reading and to my great followers!
10 Reasons to Keep Smiling
We all have days where we need a little pick me up, sometimes for no reason. I decided to write 10 reasons to keep smiling, even if it’s the last thing you feel like doing. The days are getting shorter and I for one know I have had a bit of rough time lately so I hope you enjoy!
1. Smile at others
This really does make you feel better! I usually like smiling at old people because you just see their whole face light up and it makes me feel good as well as them! Just one smile can change another persons whole day as well as yours!
2. Do something you love
We all have loves, hobbies or just little things we enjoy doing. Since I’ve had to give up horse riding (which is really, really hard but not worth the risk to my health) I’ve had to find other things to do to unwind. Now I’ve started to write and draw more.
3. Be around people who make you feel good
There is nothing worse than being around people who put you down or make you miserable. If your having an off day then staying away is a must! Stick around the people who make you smile just from their company and you’ll feel much better.
4. Write a list
Write a list of things you need to do, things you’ve done, anything! If your struggling breaking it down can make you go ‘oh okay that isn’t as bad’. If you’re feeling happy anyway why not write a list of things you enjoy, places you want to visit etc (my top tip write in funky colours!). If I’m really down I try and write down things to be grateful for.
5. Think of 5 things you are grateful you have
I used to do this on the way to school to cheer myself up, it would make me focus on the positives in my life and then the negatives didn’t seem so bad at all. There are really simple thing to be grateful for for me they’re things like having a family to love and support me, that I can make music, that I have my education and a strong and solid relationship.
6. Comfort food IS OK!!!!
I hate fad diets, if you want to eat then go eat. I can’t stand people talking to me about calories or trying to make me feel bad. Don’t let others dictate to you what you should eat if I want to go to McDonalds or get some chocolate I will, regardless of anyone else!
7. Turn the music up and dance like nobody can see you
This is great especially when your cleaning just dance around like your bonkers and make yourself laugh. I like doing this with my sister when we agree on music 🙂
8. Give someone a hug
Hugs are great, I love hugs.
9. Read a good book 🙂
Oh come on could I really leave this out?! Reading just takes me away to an entirely different place.
10. Laughter is really the best medicine
I will watch funny Youtube video, stand up comedy and movies. That or I’ll be around people I know I love to laugh with.
Laugh lots. Laugh while you love. Laugh while you live.
What are your reasons to keep smiling?
Chloe Metzger 