Moving blogs

I know I said I wouldn't do this but this is what makes me happier. I'm moving blogs.

The URL I'm moving to is:

Http://www.laurascorner98.wordpress.com

At that blog I'll be uploading all my previous blog posts plus that's where I'm uploading all my new posts.

I just have grown to prefer wordpress so that's where I'll be.

This blog will be up probably for another 1-2 weeks while I make sure all book reviews are prepared for the blog.

Bye guys

Book Wrap Up- March 2014

Hey guys, so this month I read a total of 3 books, which was really bad, but more than expected considering I had a busy month....
Anyway, let's get started!

Book Review- Allegiant (Divergent #3)

Name: Allegiant

Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Young-Adult, Dystopian
Publication Date: 22nd October 2013
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Synopsis: "The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered- fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties and painful memories. But Tris' new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths to comprehend the complexities of human nature- and of herself- while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice and love."

Some blog related Information

Hey guys.
So, I got bored and decided to try out 'Wordpress' again.
For those of you who don't know, I actually started blogging on wordpress, but quickly changed to blogger because I wanted a change.

I won't be deleting or abandoning this blog.
I want to try out wordpress for a bit, just to see how I do on there.
I'll mainly only be posting book reviews, but I may post wrap ups and other things on there that are almost identical to what is posted on this blog.
This blog is my priority, Wordpress is a test.
I want to see what blogging platform is better, and by knowing that, I need to have a blog on each that gets almost regular content.
The only post I have on there at this particular moment is a review for Divergent.
If you do look at that post, it is nearly IDENTICAL to the one on this blog. I think by using wordpress, I could see how my blog does when it's easier to get followers and search things by tags, if you get what I mean?

This blog is always going to be what I post my reviews, hauls, wrap ups and other stuff on first. That will never change. In all honesty, it's likely I just abandon the Wordpress blog again because I prefer blogger, but this blog is never getting abandoned.

If you want to see the blog, link is HERE

Bye guys

Just some information

Hey guys, I have some news for you.

Basically, blogging regularly will be difficult for a while for multiple reasons.

School is a big thing, I have many tests coming up which is affecting not only my reading but time to think of things. I only really get the weekend to relax and that is pretty much my reading time and social time. I have different tests coming up, some important, some not really that important but I still need to do well in them if I want to be able to stay in my current group or even move up back to my old group. I also have actual GCSE related exams and coursework to do, including a French writing exam which contributes to 60% of my GCSE in French and English Language and English Literature coursework involving analysing classics and recording conversations to study the way people talk around others and actually doing some creative writing. Year 10 is a busy year, you have to make sure most/all coursework is done to leave plenty of time for preparing for our actual GCSE's which will be at the end of year 11 (in just over a year). It's a stressful time and I'm going through my own personal things at the same time.

Another thing is, I find it difficult to think of what to post and make sure it's scheduled for Monday and Thursday. Book Reviews, Wrap Up's, Hauls and other sorts of reviews are all I really do, and I need to have new things and be able to read things for those to happen.

I'll try and post as often as I can but it won't be easy.
I hope you understand.

Have a great day guys.
Bye.

Book Review- Insurgent (Divergent #2)

Name: Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Young-Adult, Dystopian
Publication Date: 1st May 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Synopsis: "Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former ome and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future. Yet, if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever...because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead."

Book Review- Divergent (Divergent #1)

Name: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Young-Adult, Dystopian
Publication Date: 2nd February 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Synopsis: "In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the live she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves...or it light destroy her."

Unread Books- Kindle Edition

Hey guys!

So today I just want to go through all the books I have on my kindle that I haven't read. There are quite a lot here and I've only just realised.

It's too late to back out now!

Let's go!

Beauty Review- NYC Applelicious Lip Balm (#356- Big Red Apple)

Hey guys.
Today I'll be reviewing the NYC Appelicious Lip Balm in 'Big Red Apple' which is colour #356.

Book Wrap Up- February 2014

Hey guys! So February has been and gone and March is here!
This month I read 7 books, which is fantastic!
Soo, let's get started!

Wish List- Rings

Hey guys, I just decided to post a wish list of rings I really want to buy.
I guess this post is more for my own sake than for anyone else, but maybe some of you guys will like some of these rings too and might want to purchase them. (The links will be on the name of the website that it is on)

Well, here we go!

Book Haul- February 2014

Hey guys, February seems to have been the month where I have accumulated many books, more than usual I think.
For some reason I seemed to have more money than usual this month and no special occasions to buy gifts for, so I obviously was happy to have purchased more books.

I managed to somehow get 11 books. (wow, I did not know it was actually that many!)
I am seriously running out of space on my bookshelves. I'm having to double stack things and it's all messy and horrible but I'm going to have to deal with it for a while.

Book Review- Endless

Name: Endless

Author: Amanda Gray
Genre: Young-Adult, Science-fiction, Romance
Publication Date: 8th October 2013
Publisher: Month9Books
Synopsis: "Jenny Kramer knows she isn't normal. After all, not everyone can see the past lives of people around them. When she befriends Ben Daulton, resident new boy, the pair stumbles on an old music box with instructions for 'mesmerization' and discover they may have more in common than they thought. Like a past life. Using the instructions in the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that transports them to Romanov Russia and leads them to believe they have been there together before. But they weren't alone. Nikolai, the mysterious young man Jenny has been seeing in her own dreams was there, too. When Nikolai appears next door, Jenny is forced to acknowledge that he has traveled through time and space to find her. Doing so means he as defied the laws of time, and the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time, is determined to send him back. While Ben, Jenny and Nikolai race against the clock-and the Order-the trio discovers a link that joins them in life-and beyond death."

Collection- Gameboy (GB, GBC, GBA)

Hello everyone! I've decided to do another collection post for you all.

This time it's to do with the Nintendo Gameboy.

In this post I'll be showing you my collection of Gameboy games, Gameboy colour games and Gameboy advance games and the handhelds themselves. So, let's jump right in!

Beauty Review- Miss Sporty Lipstick (#37- I Like)

Hey guys.
Today I'll be reviewing a Miss Sporty Lipstick in the colour 'I Like' which is number #37.

Gaming Related Haul- February 2014

Hey guys, so here I have a little gaming related haul for you.
It really is little and one object isn't gaming related but I got it at the same time as everything else so I just wanted to include it. It's kinda cool anyway. :-)
This is all stuff that I got yesterday.

Beauty Review- MUA Lipstick (Shade 4)

Hey guys, so today I'm going to be reviewing a lipstick by MUA in shade 4.
I got this lipstick quite recently and thought I would do a review. This is the first MUA (Make-Up Academy) product I have ever purchased, and am very excited to share my thoughts with you, so let's get on with it!




Appearance:
This varies for whatever shade you get but the lipstick itself comes across as quite bright and scary but isn't actually that bad when applied. All of the colours looked beautiful though. The packaging is quite simple but it's something I honestly really like.

Application:
This lipstick goes on really nicely and is so creamy! It's not like some lipsticks that dry out your lips, this one is really moisturising, which suprised me!


Smell:
I'm not sure what I think of the smell of the lipstick, in my opinion it smells of a cross of vanilla and those lipstick crayon things you could get for children. I'm not keen on the smell but it goes away when actually applied.


Overall, I actually quite like this lipstick. It has more of a glossy texture but has a wonderful colour. And for the price of £1 you can't really go wrong here! If I had to give this lipstick a star rating, I would probably give it 4/5 stars, the one star missing because I honestly don't particularly like the smell that much.

I apologise for the camera quality, I'm still using my phone as a camera.

Bye guys!

Beauty Review- Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub

Hey guys, another beauty review for you.
Today I will be reviewing the bubblegum lip scrub from lush!

Reading Goals- 2014

I know I am a bit late with this but I'm here now!
Here are my reading goals for 2014!



I have set myself 3 goals, which I do actually intend on attempting to complete!

Book Review- The Summer I Gave Up Boys

Name: The Summer I Gave Up Boys

Author: Kassandra Kush
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Publication Date: 22nd October 2013
Publisher: Amazon (not much information given)
Synopsis: "A summer love novella. Kaliyah Simon just broke up with her cheating boyfriend, and now that summer break is here, all she wants is a quiet, boy-free summer. To focus on work, reading and her tan. But then she meets up with her old high school nemesis, Isaiah Winters, on the way home, and he seems more interested in being friends than enemies. Can Kaliyah lower her walls and get over seven years of pushing Isaiah away and find out what it would be like to actually be with him? With her best friend going boy-crazy, a twenty-first birthday looming over the horizon, Isaiah continually showing up on her doorstep, and an ex that seems to want her back, Kaliyah's summer promises to be anything but quiet.."

Book Review- A Dog Year

Name: A Dog Year

Author: Jon Katz
Genre: Non-Fiction, Animals
Publication Date: 3rd July 2008
Publisher: Ebury Press
Synopsis: "Jon and his wife live in a New Jersey suburb with two perfectly behaved Labradors. Then into the mix comes Devon, who creates havoc from the moment he arrives at the airport, when it takes Jon, two baggage handlers and three police officers to track him down after he escapes. Jon learns the hard way how to encourage Devon to behave. But amongst the difficulties in their first year together, Jon discovers his life is enlivened by a creature with so much mischievousness and joie de vivre. In fact, Jon finds that he is to change as much as Devon."

Warning: this review does contain spoilers of the book, if you want to read this non-fiction book, don't look at the review. If you're not bothered, carry on...

Book Review- More Than This

Name: More Than This

Author: Patrick Ness
Genre: Young-Adult, Science-Fiction
Publication Date: 5th September 2013
Publisher: Walker Books
Synopsis: "A boy called Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, staving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighbourhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust and completely abandoned. What's going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey into vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that there might be more than just this..."

Kindle Book Haul- 4th Feb 2014

Hey guys! Today I have another kindle book haul for you all today.
I got a total of about 24 ebooks today, all classics.
Some of you may be interested in this if you are interested in classics, but others may not be so interested but here we go!

Book Review- The Dark Inside

Name: The Dark Inside

Author: Rupert Wallis
Genre: Young-Adult
Publication Date: 30th January 2014
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
Synopsis: "The House on the Hill has been abandoned for as long as James can remember. So when he discovers Webster, a drifter, hiding there, he's instantly curious about the story behind the homeless man. What is he running from? Afflicted by a dark curse, Webster is no longer who he used to be. But there is said to be a cure and it might just be that by helping Webster, James will find some solace of his own. Together they embark on a journey, not knowing that what they will discover will impact them both in ways they never imagined..."

Book Wrap Up- January 2014

Hey guys! It's the first wrap up of 2014! I have posted this slightly early because I think I've completed all the books I can for the month. This month I read 5 books which is a complete shock considering I have had school! So let's get on with this.

Book Review- Warm Bodies

Name: Warm Bodies

Author: Isaac Marion
Genre: Young-Adult, Horror, Romance
Publication Date: 14th October 2010
Publisher: Vintage
Synopsis: "'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow dead. Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright ans very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins. This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight..."

10 Books I Must Read in 2014

So, there are a lot of books on my TBR and some I feel like I must read this year!
Some of these books are first in a series (and count as that series) and some aren't even out yet, but here we go! (It's in no particular order)

Book Review- Noble Conflict

Name: Noble Conflict

Author: Malorie Blackman
Genre: Young-Adult, Science Fiction
Publication Date: 6th June 2013
Publisher: Doubleday Childrens
Synopsis: "Years after a violent war destroyed much of the world, Kaspar has grown up in a society based on peace and harmony. But beyond the city walls, a vicious band of rebels are plotting to tear this peace apart. It is up to the Guardians - an elite peacekeeping force - to protect the city, without ever resorting to the brutal methods of their enemy. When Kaspar joins the Guardians, he has a chance encounter with a rebel - a beautiful girl named Rhea. Haunted from that moment on by strange visions and memories - memories that could only belong to Rhea - he realises he hasn't been told the truth about what the rebels really want, and what he's really fighting for."

Book Review- Model Misfit (Geek Girl #2)

Name: Model Misfit

Author: Holly Smale
Genre: Young-Adult, Contemporary
Publication Date: 26th September 2013
Publisher: Harper Collins
Synopsis: "My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek. Harriet knows that modelling won't transform you. She knows that being as uniquely odd as a polar bear isn't necessarily a bad thing (even in a rainforest). And that the average person eats a ton of food a year though her pregnant stepmother is doing her best to beat this. What Harriet doesn't know is where she's going to fit in once the new baby arrives. With summer plans ruined, modelling in Japan seems the perfect chance to get as far away from home as possible. But nothing can prepare Harriet for the craziness of Tokyo, her competitive model flatmates and her errant grandmother's 'chaperoning'. Or seeing gorgeous Nick everywhere she goes. But this time, Harriet knows what a broken heart feels like. Can geek girl find her place on the other side of the world, or is Harriet lost for good?"

My Favourite Books (from Goodreads)

To start off, if you don't know what Goodreads is, it is a website filled with books. It comes in handy for keeping track of your books (either read, currently reading or to read) and is a great place to make new friends and learn about new books!

I have a favourites list on goodreads, and according to goodreads I have 14 favourite books. So I'm just going to list them. My all time 2 favourite books will be first on the list of course! I'll say a little reason why it's my favourite too!

1. Before I Die- Jenny Downham

This book is my all time favourite book. It's so beautiful. I remember enjoying it so much!! Basically, I love it because the story is so sad and beautiful.

2. The Book Theif- Markus Zusak

All I have to say is, it's amazing and original and from a time period I really enjoy learning about because it's so interesting. It's surprisingly witty in areas too because of the narrator.

3. Anna Dressed in Blood- Kendare Blake

One of the first proper horror related books I read. I like it because Anna is such an amazing character and the story itself was just brilliant. I like a bit of scariness every now and then.

4. Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen

First Jane Austen book I read and it did not disappoint! The story is really good and I do like classics!

5. Boys Don't Cry- Malorie Blackman

Such a lovely story from an amazing writer. You really feel for the characters in this book, and it is quite a hard topic to write with, but it's done so well!

6. The Enemy- Charlie Higson

This represents the entire series so far. I love zombies so obviously this was going to be a favourite and I love the characters! The situation that they are in is scary to think about, and the characters emotions are so realistic, it's how quite a few people would feel if this was to actually happen!

7. My Life Next Door- Huntley Fitzpatrick

A beautiful romance novel. The families involved are so different and one particular family is just so loveable! The characters and plot are both lovely.

8. A Street Cat Named Bob- James Bowen

A non-fiction book here. This is about James, who is a recovering drug addict, who is having to beg on the streets for money, who found an injured cat in the streets and looks after it and they end up bonding. It is such a beautiful story. I would love to meet James and Bob.

9. The Diary of a Young Girl- Anne Frank

Everyone knows this book. Anne Frank's diary really helps us understand what life was like for a Jew in hiding. It's amazing to think that her father published this to help her achieve her dream, even in death. It must have been hard being a teenager in hiding. Not only do you worry about discovery, but about finding out who you really are. She had no independence because of the Nazis. I love reading her diary, I find it so interesting.

10. You Against Me- Jenny Downham

Another book by Jenny Downham. The way this book is just amazes me. The plot, the characters, the possible realism of it all. It's just brilliant. Jenny Downham is a brilliant writer.

11. Oliver Twist- Charles Dickens

I adore Charles Dickens! Oliver Twist has always been my favourite classic. It's just such a good story from such a good writer. I want to read everything by Charles Dickens one way. He is one of my favourite authors. What makes this even better is, I have an extremely old edition that I found in my local charity shop for £2!! It's so delicate and perfect, and I will cherish it for the rest of my life.

12. Life and Laughing: My Story- Michael McIntyre

I love Michael McIntyre, so obviously I was going to read this. Michael obviously had some struggles in his  life, with family and trying to become a successful comedian. It makes me appreciate him more and he still adds comedy into his auto biography.

13. Skellig- David Almond

In primary, we would be read this by my favourite teacher. I remember the voices he would do for each character, and I did end up loving the book and purchasing it myself. I love it! 

14. The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins

This represents the whole series and I don't really need to go into detail why it's a favorite series. It's good, everyone knows that!

Jesus that was long. So according to me and goodreads, those are my favourite books. Yep, that's right, and I even explained why. I made so much work for myself there! Goodness gracious.

If you stuck until the end to read that, thank you!

See you soon. Bye!!

Kindle eBook Haul

So, I thought I should do this since I've gotten a variety of Kindle eBooks recently.

I got 17 eBooks, these range from classics to random books (like romance or sci-fi or whatever)

First of all, let's get started with the classics.

- A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

- The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

- The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

- The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

- The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

- The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

- His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

- 1984 by George Orwell

- Animal Farm by George Orwell

And now onto the random books:

- Parallel by Claudia Lefeve

- Something About Her by Jeannie Ruesch

- Evolution by Kelly Carrero

- He Loves Me, He Loves You Not by Mychea

- Sky Hunter by Chris Reher

- Lovers At Heart by Melissa Foster

Now, I'd heard of all the classics and have read one of them, but decided to get the eBook format because I wanted to try reading it again but with bigger, better font. But, I had never heard of any of the other books. They were all free on Amazon, and I found out about them from a website called BookBub.

BookBub is a website that tells you about certain discounted or free eBooks for various formats (Kindle, Nook, Apple iBooks and others) and you can either sign up to their newsletters to be told about deals for genres of your choice or you can just visit the website and browse through. It tells you the price, where you can get it and what formats it's available on. It's a great site, I recommend it. The link is here.

Thank you all for visiting.

Bye guys!

Just A Warning

Alright, so today I'm back at school (I'm writing this in advance so it's out on time) and I don't know how much time I'll get to write posts. So here is the plan!

If I get time to write posts, I'll do them in advance and schedule them so they either come out on Mondays or Thursdays or even both.

School makes us busy, we all know that, we've all done it. And you can probably imagine how hectic it is trying to learn, do homework, do tests, be with family, be with friends and trying to write at least 1 or 2 posts a week all in 7 days. Not only that but family troubles come up every now and then, and I'm sure most families get their little ups and downs so it's necessary to support them through these times. 

I will try my hardest to write posts, but I guess you'll only occasionally get wrap ups, hauls and reviews. It's hard to do big reviews and big posts with so much going on. I'll be trying my best to prepare posts in advance, but I can't promise anything too big. 

Bye guys!

Book Review- Anatomy Of A Boyfriend (Anatomy #1)

Name: Anatomy of a Boyfriend
Author: Daria Snadowsky
Genre: Young-Adult, Contemporary
Publication Date: 23rd September 2008
Publisher: Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
Synopsis: "Before this all happened, the closest I'd been to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body. Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing–and touching–parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced lots of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love. And then came the fall."

Book Wrap Up- December 2013

Goodbye 2013, hello 2014! I am determined to make this a good year (academically) and reach some reading goals!

During December, I read 7 books! That's amazing for me!! So here we go!

(To start with, I was finishing off a series!!)

1. Diary of a Chav: Too Cool for School- Grace Dent

2. Diary of a Chav: The Ibizia Diaries- Grace Dent

3. Diary of a Chav: The Fame Diaries- Grace Dent

4. Diary of a Chav: Keeping it Real- Grace Dent

5. Candyfloss- Jacqueline Wilson

6. Anatomy of a Boyfriend- Daria Snadowsky

7. A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens

Thank you guys for reading. Bye!!

Happy 2014

Hello everyone!

So it's now 2014 in the UK!!

And I just thought I'd write a little post.

So, I'm not out celebrating. I'm actually in my bed, staying nice and warm! I don't really celebrate the new year until the morning because I'm a lazy girl and need sleep. I've most likely fallen asleep by the time this is properly up (writing in advance like a pro). I can't function without sleep, I turn into a zombie and I just want to read and eat for the majority of the day. If I don't get enough sleep, I also get ill, I end up feeling sick and dizzy the whole day which is weird! Does that happen to anyone else?

Anyway, I'm probably going to set myself a few goals.
Reading wise, my goal is to read 40 books this year (but more would be nice) at the least.
Life wise, my goals are to do better academically and try to be more positive about certain things. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a fully negative person but I do let things get me down, which is never good! I want to do better academically because in September I start possibly one of the most challenging school years of my life, I get ready to do my actual GCSE's. I've already started improving on my grades. For my December grade sheet, I got mainly B's, an A in history and a C in art & chemistry. It's a big step up from last year and I'm proud of myself. I want this pride in my grades and I want the good grades to continue.

In conclusion...

Happy New year everyone!
I hope 2014 is filled with love, happiness, health and all the good things in life!
It may not be brilliant all the time, but just look forward to the good moments, because there will be!

Bye guys