#BEDM Wrap Up

Last day of May and therefore last day of Blog Every Day in May. Yay, I managed to stay on track!! Delighted that I stuck to this and stayed on track, even if some days were a bit of a rush to get the post up. I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge and I’ve gained so much out of it. I enjoying using the prompts some of the days and writing about things I might not have thought to write about, such as the Museum Day one, so I’m going to keep an eye out in the future for things like that to write about. Here are some other things I’ve gained from doing BEDM.

-To stop slacking when it comes to writing posts. Seriously, I did so many things last year that I wanted to blog about and never got around to. This really resonated with me when I posted the recipe for the Tiramisu Bundt Cake that I made back in October 2012!

-Speaking of slacking, I’ve enjoyed doing all the bookish posts I’ve blogged about. I’ve actually got a list of ideas for future book blog posts and I’m really excited now to do these on a more regular basis.

-I’m hoping to be more organised when it comes to writing up posts and from planning my BEDM posts, I think I’m going to try and have a weekly plan in place for what I want to post.

-Helped me be more confident about my blog. I even started up a Facebook page!

-I’ve just loved the social aspect of this! I’m so glad I made a Twitter for the blog and using the BEDM hashtag has helped me find some amazing bloggers and given me the opportunity to chat to them on Twitter. I did my blog shout out post a few days ago which you can check out HERE to see some of the new blogs I’ve discovered.

And I’ve decided to do a round up of some of my favourite posts.

My Favourite Things About Being a Child

5 of My Favourite Blog Posts

Favourite Beauty Vloggers

My Favourite Museums for Museum Day

My Favourite Decade

20th Century Book Tag

Thank you so much to Elizabeth from Rosalilium for organising this, I had such fun and I’m looking forward to the next one!

Who is Tom Ditto? by Danny Wallace Book Review #BEDM

 Who is Tom Ditto? was a book I first mentioned on this blog in my 2014 Releases I’m looking forward to. I’m a huge fan of Danny Wallace’s work and have been for years. Yes Man is one of my favourite books (I got very excited about his cameo in the film adaptation!) and I enjoyed his first fiction book, Charlotte Street, back in 2012.

As with Charlotte Street, the book has a beginning that simply lures you in. Tom, an early morning radio news presenter, returns home one day to find a note from his girlfriend reading

                      ‘Tom,
                       I have not left you. But I am gone.
                                                                     Please carry on as normal.
                                                                     Love always,
                                                                      Hayley’.

This immediately intrigued me, as I was now really curious about what this meant and where Hayley was gone. Tom frantically tries to find any answers, ringing up Hayley’s old friends to find out if they knew where she was gone. In doing so, he discovers that she may not be all she thought she was. Tom finally comes across a phone message from a man called Andy, telling Hayley about a meeting at ‘the place’. Eventually Tom finds out that ‘the place’ is a meeting for a group called CC, or Carbon Copiers, who spend their lives following people in order to experience life through other people. Freaked out by this, Tom leaves, only to discover later he’s being followed himself. Enter Pia, a very kooky character who eventually becomes friends with Tom. Pia uses following to experience new things, which leads herself and Tom drinking in an exclusive members only club with Britain’s most famous actor, to getting a rickshaw to Chinawhite to tag along with a minor reality TV star to enjoying a cocktail on the balcony of the Oxo Tower. Pia helps Tom comes to terms with Hayley’s disappearance and to heal.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, I loved the characters. Pia definitely has a Manic Pixie Dream Girl thing going on but she’s really interesting and has her own story. I really enjoyed Tom’s work place scenes, especially with Cass as it was nice to see him grow in his workplace. I loved how the book flowed and Danny’s writing is so fun and conversational. I wasn’t hugely keen though on the few flashback scenes peppered throughout the book (flashing back to an interview with Ezra Cockroft, the man who invented following). This book is satisfying in that all the mysteries throughout get solved, so nothing leaves you frustrated! It definitely has a Danny Wallace vibe, it’s something I could see him doing. It’s got elements of Yes Man and Join Me and Are You Dave Gorman?, mixed with a bit of Gone Girl meets Nick Hornby and a dash of Charlotte Street! I really enjoyed it, even more so than Charlotte Street. If you’re looking for something fun, fast and funny to read this summer, I’d recommend picking up a copy of this book and giving it a whirl!

I got a copy of this from NetGalley to review. Readers who are approved for titles from NetGalley are under no obligation to post reviews. I chose this book to review, wasn’t asked to review it, and I definitely would have read it anyway (come on, it was on my 2014 releases list!). All opinions are my own, I think it’s important to be honest about items you review.

Wish List #BEDM

It’s been almost a year since I’ve done a wish list on here, to celebrate the launch of Frillseeker. I had planned to do this as a topic for BEDM anyway, so decided to wait until the same day as the topic prompt. Here we go!

Right let’s get the inevitable out of the way, the flamingo stuff! I’m a big flamingo fan as many of you know!

           

Liz McClaron Swimsuit; Tory Bruch Cosmetics Case; Bomber jacket H! by Henry Holland

And let’s not forget the cats! I just want all the Pusheen stuff really.

    

Pusheen keyring; Cat shoes by Vans; Pusheen notepad

 

I could probably do a whole post dedicated to what nail varnishes I want, but for now I picked 3!

    

No.7 Summer Collection; Zoya in Brigitte; Butter London in Bit Faker

 

Some more fashion and accessory items!

   

Donut necklace; What the Fluich t-shirt; T-Rex earrings

Some things for the home

   

Sorted knife set; My Little Pony mug; Pineapple cushion

Of course, I want ALL the books! I could even start to list them here but a good place to begin would be this list of books releases I’m looking forward to this year. But the pile is never ending!

What I REALLY want though is to get a job. That’s number one on my list, so I can start saving for a holiday and start feeling good about myself again. Things are looking up though in the job front so fingers crossed something happens!

Blog Shout Out #BEDM

This will be my second shout out during Blog Every Day in May, the first being the Beauty Vlogger post I did. This one I’m going to focus solely on bloggers I’ve discovered during BEDM, even though there are plenty more I love! Those other non BEDM ones can be found on my blog roll on the right.

Plastic Rosaries

This is the first BEDM blog I checked out. Beth mainly writes a lot of book reviews and literary blog posts (which, as you can guess, is something I love!) but there are other fun posts as well. I love how she has a list of reviews based on the authors country down the left side of the blog, I WILL be coming back for ideas on my Reading Resolution to read more diversely!

 

Bee Happy and Healthy

Clare writes a lifestyle blog that focuses on being happy and being healthy. There’s other posts and topics covered like crafts. Clare comes across as really fun and bubbly in her posts, they’re lovely to read and have put a smile on my face.

 

Everything But the Cabbage Stick

Emma lives on Jersey with her husband and two daughters and in this blog she documents their life together. There has been some beautiful pictures of Jersey in some of the posts, it’s really made me want to go. I know I can be put off by blogs that write a lot about children (so called ‘mommy blogs’) but this doesn’t have that vibe and that’s why I love it. It’s just a lovely account of family life, with extras added too.

 

Fluffy Owl’s Adventures

Amy is another bibliophile! I was very excited to find more book lovers during BEDM. She also posts crafty items and baking recipes as well as experiences of being a Brownie leader (hence the blog name!).

 

Twenties Chic

Twenties Chic is a lifestyle blog for 20-somethings who want to get their life into order! There’s loads of different posts from frugal living to being fit and healthy to following your ambitions to just things for fun!

 

And that’s it! There’s loads more I’ve enjoyed dipping in and out of during BEDM, this is just a handful I’ve regularly visited. I’ve really loved the BEDM has made me discover these blogs as well as helping me interact with some of the writers too on Twitter.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Banana Bread #BEDM

I love banana bread and the fact you can easily mix it up and make it something different. I was looking at some recipes on Pinterest and decided to mix two together to make a cinnamon chocolate chip banana bread. Sounds like there’s a lot going on, but trust me it all works! I snapped a picture of it for my Day in the Life post a week or so ago.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients

2 large or 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed up

1/3 cup melted butter

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 egg, beaten

1stp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1/2 – 1 cup chocolate chips (depending on how many you want)

2tbsp sugar and pinch of cinnamon, mixed together

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F

2. Butter and flour (or line) a loaf pan, I used an average sized one, not too small but not too big. Probably 9 x 5

3. Mix together the melted butter, mashed bananas, caster sugar, egg and vanilla extract.

4. Sift the baking soda and flour into the mixed ingredients and add salt. Then gently fold in dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix. Then add in the chocolate chips and stir gently.

5. Add 1/2 the mixture to the pan. Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of the sugar and cinnamon mix evenly over the batter. Add the remaining batter on top and then sprinkle with the rest of the sugar and cinnamon mix.

6. Bake for 50-60 mins. Keep an eye on it, if using a different sized pan it might take more or less time so adjusting accordingly.

7. Leave to cool on a wire rack before cutting in. I usually always try when it’s still a bit warm though!

Inside and Out Book Tag #BEDM

Another day, another book tag! I just love doing book posts. I saw this tag on Alley Hope’s blog, another BEDM blogger. I liked it so much I decided to do it myself.

Inside flap/back of the book summaries: too much information or not enough?

Usually it’s enough for me. I prefer the blurb to be on the back of the book instead of on the inside cover. Drives me nuts when there is no blurb, either on the back or the inside cover! Just seems to be inconvenient not to have one.

New book:  What form do you want it in? Be honest - audio book, e-book, paperback of hardcover?

Physical books are my preferences, first paperback than hardback. Then e-books and then audiobooks. I am trying to give audiobooks a better chance. I used to think audiobooks don’t count as reading properly but then I realised it takes a considerable amount of time to actually listen to an audiobook, sometimes more than reading it!

Scribble while you read?  Do you like to write in your books, taking notes, making comments, or do you keep your books clean?

No, I don’t generally write on books. I have, of course, written on textbooks for school and college. I can think of one novel off the top of my head I’ve written in was Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen, I got it free in J-17 magazine!

In your best voice, read for us your favourite first sentence from a book.

Well, seeing as this was originally a YouTube tag, this makes sense. But I don’t have a favourite first line. Well, I do, but I can’t remember what it was or what the name of the book is. I know it was something like ‘It all started the day we decided to kill our mother’. It wasn’t a dark book as far as I remember, it was YA. But I just remember reading that line and thinking ‘woah, what a first sentence!’.

Does it matter to you whether the author is male or female when you're deciding on a book?  What if you're unsure of the author's gender?

I don’t really take it into consideration. If I book sounds interesting to me, I’ll want to read it, regardless of who wrote it. I am a little bit more conscious these days though about wanting to read more diversely, not just white authors, to branch out of my comfort zone.

Ever read ahead?  Or have you read the last page before you get there?

No, never! Though if I’m in an exciting part of the book, I might skim it to get to the really exciting part!

 

Organised bookshelves or outrageous bookshelves?

Organised chaos. I like having my books on shelves, but I stack them on top of each other to make sure they all fit!

Under oath: Have you ever bought a book based on the cover alone?

Of course! Couldn’t tell you what book right now though, nothing stands out, but I do know covers interest me.

Take it outside to read or stay in?

Inside mostly, as I don’t like to go out much. But I’ll read when out and about. On trains and planes, in cars, in waiting rooms and sometimes just outside lying in the sun.

That was fun! I’d love to see you do the tag too if you’re interested, I’m mainly looking at you Behind Green Eyes, Nurse Fancy Pants and Cuti-CLUE-less!

My Favourite Things About Being a Child #BEDM

Another one of the Blog Every Day in May prompts. Today’s one is about the best things about being a child. So I decided to make a list of some of my favourite memories.

-Imagination. Being child, you have so much more imagination. I used to pretend to be a gymnast, doing cartwheels and balancing on things. And you the warning they used to have at the end of the TV show Gladiators? About not replicating anything at home? That message was totally for me as I used to pretend I was playing Gladiators. I used to have a playhouse out the back of my house and my friends and I would bring down all sorts of things, old telephones, books, blankets and play all sorts of games. Or sometimes we’d stay inside and do things like pretend to be hairdressers.

 

-Computer games. Yes, I LOVED computer games when I was a child. My Dad was given an old Amiga computer and a ton of games of floppy disks. I still have hankerings to play Zool, Rick Dangerous and Switchblade. Then we got a Super Nintendo, we had so many cool games but unfortunately we gave it away once we got a PlayStation. Still regret that as I want my own SNES!

 

-Christmas. Now, Christmas can be fun as an adult and you can certainly enjoy it but Christmas was so much more magical as a child. All that excitement!

 

-Taping songs off the radio. Ah, kids these days will never know the agony of radio presenters talking at the beginning and ending of songs and ruining your recording! A friend and I took it a step further and recorded our own radio shows on tapes! I really wish I still had a copy of that today.

 

-Smash Hits. I LOVED that magazine! So much so that a cousin and I made our own version called Mashed Bits.

 

-Jumble sales. In my neighbourhood, every now and again kids would decide to sell some of their toys and set up a jumble sale on the wall of their garden. There was always such excitement about nabbing a bargain! Also, once a year my school would do a big jumble sale, it was like the neighbourhood one times 100!

 

-Spending so much time outside. Nowadays I don’t like to spend that much time outside but as a child I could spend hours without going inside. Saying that though, I could also spending hours in my room reading as I was am a massive bookworm.

 

-Fat Frogs. Apple Jacks. Postman Pat sweets. Desperate Dan bars. Banana Bubbles cereal. When Freddos were originally Taz bars, Starburst were Opal Fruits and Smarties came in tubes with collectable tops.

 

-Henry Hippo money box

 

-Zig and Zag. And kids TV in general. Art Attack, Live and Kicking, Power Rangers, Animaniacs, TOP 30 HITS!

 

-Toys in cereal

 

-NOW That’s What I Call Music CDs. My first being NOW 36. I still have it!