So I didn't know what to post...

Hi, guys!
I have no idea what to post... But I felt bad not posting, so I'm posting anyways >.<

Have you seen the new extended TFiOS trailer? It's so beautiful, it makes me want to cry :( It's below in case you haven't seen it :}

I'm going to put a box of tissues in my bag when I go see it. Not joking, I am actually taking a tissue box. I'll need it...

In other news, it's my friend Olivia's birthday today, so happy birthday Liv!

{here's a little button thingy I made because I was bored}

It is also my dog Ruby's birthday today. She's four but she's still a giant puppy at heart :)

Isn't she adorable? ^.^

If you hadn't heard, Allegiant is now being split into two parts, which I don't really understand. I understand why Mockingjay was split into two parts, and why the Deathly Hallows was split in half, because both of those books have a lot of stuff going on in them and they just couldn't fit all of it in one film. But Allegiant...I don't understand. I feel like they just did it to make more money out of it, which I'm kind of annoyed about :/

City of Heavenly Fire has been moved back a day here in the UK because of a bank holiday or something? So, one more day to wait :( But I read an excerpt from the first chapter and it was amazing. I can't wait, but I'm also really scared...I don't want anybody to die and I don't want this series to end! I can't wait to meet Cassandra Clare on 24th May :)

I've read 15 books out of my target of 50 on Goodreads, which I'm pleased with and I'm currently writing a review on the book Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell for the Carnegie competition I mentioned a while ago - there's a link to the post here. I explain it right at the bottom.

I'm re-reading Cinder by Marissa Meyer, which is just as amazing as I remember. I can't wait to finish it and move on to Scarlet, the second one. The Lunar Chronicles are all re-tellings of fairy tales, but they're set in the future and the characters from one book appear in another. Cinder is about Cinderella, but she lives in New Beijing, there's a plague going around and Cinder is a cyborg. Scarlet is about Little Red Riding Hood, Cress is about Rapunzel and the new book coming out in February next year is called Winter, so I'm assuming it's about Snow White. Awesome, right?!

I'm having a bit of an off day. It's one of those ones where you want to scream and break down and cry and slide down the wall and curl into a ball, but you have no idea why. Hopefully it will stop soon. I doubt it.

I'm feeling really tired at the moment, but I need to practise piano and revise for a maths test. I want to read, but I get distracted by different jobs and things that need doing, and sometimes just the internet. I'm stressing because I start my GCSEs next year and it's the beginning of so many exams. I simultaneously want to be completely alone and want to have someone hug me and hold me and stroke my hair and tell me it's okay.

I want to write a book and finish it and be proud of it. I have ideas and scenes and characters sitting in my brain but I can't force them onto a page. I worry that my blog isn't good, that my posts are rubbish and that people read my writings and look at my blog and laugh. I'm scared that my friends secretly think I'm a horrible person because I'm a complicated, broken mess that must be really annoying to be around....

I'm worried I'm writing this blog for nothing.

I don't know. This was a weird post but I just needed to write everything down. Sorry for dumping my feelings on you.

I love you guys ♥
Whoever reads this. If anybody actually does.

xoxo,
Bethan

Creative Thursday: Six Word Story #3

{photo via}

I don't know where I'm going

+++

But I know I'm not stopping.

Thanks for reading ♥

xoxo,

Bethan

Side Note: My good friend Lauren has just started a blog. I would love if you could go and check it out. Click here, here, here or here to go check it out. Or here if you like. Bye guys.

I love spring tag

Hi, guys!
I hope you all had a lovely Easter yesterday :)

I thought today I would do the I Love Spring tag, because, ya know. It's Spring.

{photo via but I added the text myself, so no stealing!}

I saw Sasha from abookutopia on YouTube do this tag and since it's Spring and I have no idea what else to post, I thought I'd try it!

Question 1:

How is Spring where you live?

Spring is actually lovely here in the UK! It's been really sunny and warm, but not too warm. There's still been a cool breeze, but it's been really nice! We had a horrible day yesterday, though. The wind was horrible, and the rain was pouring, but overall, it's been warm and sunny.

Question 2:

What is your most anticipated book release this Spring?

Oooo, that's sooo hard (you can feel the sarcasm) CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE OF COURSE! I am so excited for this book, but I'm also dreading it. Six named characters are going to die. One is a boyfriend. And one couple will remain separated at the end of the book. I. Am. Not. Prepared. I'm actually meeting Cassandra Clare at a book festival on May 24th, 3 days before CoHF comes out, so I'm hoping she'll read an extract or something in her talk. I can't wait to meet her!

Question 3:

Show a book cover that makes you think of Spring.

Hmmm.... my copy of Delirium makes me think of Spring. I'm not sure why. I think it's the pink spine and the blurred purple flowers in the background. Oooo, my copy of Anne of Green Gables! That makes me think of Spring :)

Question 4:

Where are you going to read this Spring?

In my bed. In the living room. Maybe outside if the weather is really nice. But mostly inside. Nothing special!

Question 5:

Find a book cover with the sun on it.

Ermmm..... Ooo, I found one! It is my rather battered movie copy of City of Bones. One of my friends gave this to me for my birthday and introduced me to The Mortal Instruments. I then bought the entire series (including City of Bones) for £10. So yes, I have two copies of City of Bones :) 

Question 6:

What are you favourite Spring reads?

I don't really have any particular books. Just anything on my To-Be Read list, because it's quite a big list....

Question 7:

Find a book with many different colours on it.

Ermm...the thing is, there aren't many colourful books in the dystopian/fantasy/action/adventurous/YA genre.... I managed to find a sort of colourful one though! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has lots of different colours on it, so yeah. Deathly Hallows.

Question 8:

Who do you tag?

Anybody who wants to do this tag!

I hope you all have a lovely Spring! I'll post something soon :)

Thanks for reading ♥

xoxo,

Bethan

Mackenzie's Blog Party :)

Hi guys!
Sorry, no Creative Thursday this week - I'm not really in the mood, but there should be something next week!
Instead of Creative Thursday, I'm going to be participating in the amazing Mackenzie's blog party. Her blog has just turned one, so she's holding a party - here's a link to the post, which will explain everything.
Well, let's get this par-tay started! \(•-•)/  -(•-•)-  ~(•-•~)  (~•-•)~  ~(•-•)~ (do you like my dancing? ;} )

Question 1:
What do you like most about my blog?

Everything :) I love your blog soooooo much. It was actually your blog (and Rose's) that inspired me to start this blog. So, thank you Kenz! I love your writings, your random posts. I love your design. Ah, just everything! It's beautiful ^.^

Question 2:
What are some tips/advice I could use to help improve my blog?

Your blog is perfect as it is ♥

Question 3:
What is your favourite flower? (Because it's Spring)

Hmmm....I love daises. The simplicity of them. They look so innocent and pure. But I also love bluebells, snowdrops. I really like lupins as well (not just because he's one of my favourite Harry Potter characters, although that does have an impact...) They're just really pretty :)

Well, that's it. Please take part in Mackenzie's blog party! She is so wonderful and perfect and ahhhh *fangirls* She's just a lovely person who deserves all of our support >.<

Thanks for reading! Go party over at Mackenzie's blog Think. Eat. Write. Read.

xoxo,
Bethan

tfios "It's a metaphor" Clip

Hey guys!
So I know I literally just posted....like 15 minutes ago, but I completely forgot about the new TFIOS clip that was shown at the MTV movie awards and I have to share it with you! So you're getting two posts today guys! Make sure to check out my book haul as well ;)
It's so beautiful and I love it and I'm going to cry at this film. It's going to destroy me. Help.

I love Hazel's reaction and Gus' reaction to Hazel's reaction and ahhhh everything is perfect ♥
I. Cannot. Wait. For. June 20th.

Thanks for reading this short post - I just had to share this clip with you :]

xoxo,
Bethan

Book Haul

Hi!
So I may or may not have bought more books...... *coughs* I have a problem... I'm sowwy >.<
Don't worry, I didn't spend too much money because my mum bought me one and all but two are from charity shops where they were 20p and £1, so it wasn't too bad this time! But still...a lot of books. I need to stop but that's never going to happen.
Anyways, the first book is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Here's the blurb:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? 
{blurb via}

I have been waiting to read this book for so. long. I feel like it's going to be so relatable! So excited to read this - I really want to read Eleanor & Park as well, because everybody says that it is amazing.

The second book is another book for the Carnegie competition thingy that my school does - for an explanation of that, click here (or here if you really want to. Or here if you're a little rebel ;] ) to check out my previous book haul where I explain everything at the end. It is Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell. Le blurb:

Everyone thinks that Sophie is an orphan. True, there were no other recorded female survivors from the shipwreck which left baby Sophie floating in the English Channel in a cello case, but Sophie remembers seeing her mother wave for help. Her guardian tells her it is almost impossible that her mother is still alive, but that means still possible. You should never ignore a possible. So when the Welfare Agency writes to her guardian threatening to send Sophie to an orphanage, she takes matters into her own hands and flees to Paris to look for her mother, starting with the only clue she has - the address of the cello maker. Evading the French authorities, she meets Matteo and his network of rooftoppers - urchins who live in the sky. Together they scour the city for Sophie's mother before she is caught and sent back to London, and most importantly before she loses hope.
{blurb via}

I have just finished reading this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I don't read a lot of these types of books but I loved this book. I will definitely be reviewing this one for Carnegie!

We're now onto the books that I have bought from charity shops. One book was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Blurby:

 In picturesque nineteenth-century New England, tomboyish Jo, beautiful Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy come of age while their father is off to war.
{blurb via}

My mum bought me this book because I haven't read it and she thought I should. So now I have it. And I will read it. At some point. I have so many books to read though....

I also picked up a copy of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Blubby blurb:

Wuthering Heights is a story about the love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by Catherine's father. After Mr. Earnshaw's death, Heathcliff is bullied and humiliated by Catherine's brother Hindley and wrongly believing that his love for Catherine is not reciprocated, leaves Wuthering Heights, only to return years later as a wealthy and polished man. He proceeds to exact a terrible revenge for his former miseries.
{blurb via}

I think we have a copy of this somewhere but I wanted my own copy and it was only 20p - and that 20p goes to charity, so why not?!

Now, if any of you have read the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, you know that there are a lot of references to A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Blurby blubby thing (I have run out of things to call a blurb. Help!):

After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the ageing Doctor Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There the lives of two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become enmeshed through their love for Lucie Manette. From the tranquil roads of London, they are drawn against their will to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror, and they soon fall under the lethal shadow of La Guillotine.
{blurb via}

 I have been wanting to get a copy of this book for a while now. We already have a copy of it but it is a beautiful leather bound, gold leaf-patterned copy which is part of a Charles Dickens set, all of which are leather bound and gold leafed with two Charles Dickens story in each book. This set belonged to my dad's grandmother. So, very old, very beautiful books that I don't want to be taking to school. Now I have a 20p, paperback copy to get bashed around in my bag. Can't wait to read this!

Those books were all from the same charity shop that I went to on Friday after I got my hair cut. I then went to some more charity shops today after I got my eyes tested (I don't need glasses. I'm relieved but sad, because I suit glasses....) I got two books, one of which is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Here's the blurb:

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? 
{blurb via}

This was more of an impulse buy. I don't know if I'll like it but it's money to charity. If I read it and don't like it, I can always give it to another charity shop as a donation!

And the last book is Close my Eyes by Sophie McKenzie. Der Klappentext (that's 'the blurb' in German. Thank you Google Translate) :

When Geniver Loxley lost her daughter at birth eight years ago, her world stopped… and never fully started again. Mothers with strollers still make her flinch; her love of writing has turned into a half-hearted teaching career; and she and her husband, Art, have slipped into the kind of rut that seems inescapable.

But then a stranger shows up on their doorstep, telling Gen the very thing she’s always wanted to hear: that her daughter Beth was not stillborn, but was taken away as a healthy infant and is still out there, somewhere, waiting to be found. It’s insane, unbelievable. But why would anyone make that up? A fissure suddenly opens up in Gen’s carefully reconstructed life, letting in a flood of unanswerable questions. Where is Beth now? Why is Art so reluctant to get involved? To save his wife from further hurt? Or is it something more sinister? And who can she trust to help her?

Ignoring the warnings of her husband and friends, Gen begins to delve into the dark corners of her past, hopeful she’ll find a clue to her daughter’s whereabouts. But hope quickly turns into fear and paranoia, as she realizes that finding the answers might open the door to something even worse than not knowing. A truth that could steal everything she holds close – even her own life.
{blurb via}

This was also an impulse buy and again will probably read this and then donate it to another charity shop. But I thought for £1, which goes to charity, it was worth a try. Who knows, I might really enjoy it. But if not, no harm done!

And that concludes today's book haul! I hope you enjoyed it :)
Thanks for reading ♥

xoxo,
Bethan

Creative Thursday: Six Word Story #2

(And) just this once, I was happy.

Thanks for reading ♥

xoxo,

Bethan

P.S. Fangirl came, can't wait to read it. In other news, I'm seeing Cassandra Clare at a book festival and I'm so excited! Now comes the hard part of deciding which books to take, because apparently I can't take all of the TMI books and the three TID books......

My Life in Books tag

Bonjour! It's another tag post today - I had no idea what to post today, and I remembered seeing Ariel from arielbissett and Christine from polandbananasbooks on YouTube do this tag. It looked really fun, so I thought I'd do it instead of not posting.

Question 1:
Find a book that has a title beginning with the same letter as each of your initials.

Okay, so my full name is Bethan Mary Downs. For B, I struggled - there are no books beginning with B! But I finally found one - Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. For M, I picked Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. And lastly, for D, I picked Divergent by Veronica Roth, which I don't have at the moment because I let my friend borrow it, so I have Delirium by Lauren Oliver as a back up.

I didn't love Beautiful Creatures, I'll be honest. I felt like all the books could have been half the length and found them confusing. Mockingjay I loved. Wasn't my favourite out of the three books, but I still enjoyed it. I love Divergent and I enjoyed Delirium. I've just finished the second book, Pandemonium, which I really liked. Quite a nice bunch of books in this question!

Question 2:
Count your age along your bookshelf and see which book you are.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,......... I don't know whether this is left to right or right to left, so I did it both ways. Either way, I'm really pleased with this! Left to right I got Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J K Rowling and right to left I got The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I love both of these books. Harry Potter was my childhood and this series means so much to me. It started my fandom life, in a way. And The Hunger Games is my favourite trilogy - well, one of. Joint with Divergent I think. Happy with both of these!

Question 3:
Find a book set in your city/state/country.

Well, as I don't live in America, I don't live in a state, so that's ruled out. I was looking for a book set in either the UK, or Wales. Hmmm......Does Clockwork Princess count? They go to Wales at the end and during it..does that count? But it isn't set in Wales....Oooh, I know one! It just so happens that I have taken Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children out of the library - see my book haul -  which is set on an island on the coast of Wales. But I don't own it.....Okay, just in case you have to own the book, I have Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J K Rowling as a back up because it is set in London. I love Clockwork Princess - the epilogue killed me. I haven't read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children yet, but I'm looking forward to it. And as I've said, I love Harry Potter.













Question 4:
Find a book set in a location that you want to travel to.

I have two books for this. I chose Heroes of Olympus: House of Hades by Rick Riordan, not because I want to go to hell! I really desperately want to visit Italy - Venice and Bologna and Rome, as well as other places in Italy. I also really, really want to visit Greece and visit all the ancient temples to the Gods and see the Parthenon. I love Greek Mythology so that would be amazing! I also chose The Fault in Our Stars by John Green because I really want to go to America. Really badly! I also really want to go to Amsterdam! I really enjoyed House of Hades and I love TFiOS!

Question 5:
Find a book that is your favourite colour.

Blue is my favourite colour, so again I picked The Fault in Our Stars by John Green because that is such a pretty colour! I also love the blue on the cover of Wonder by R J Palacio, which is a beautiful book - here's the blurb on Goodreads - which is a slightly calmer shade of blue. The cover of Fangirl is beautiful as well, but I don't own that - I've ordered it though....I have a problem, I need to stop! I have too many books to read already.... Loved both of these books and can't wait to read Fangirl! I feel like it's going to be so relatable.

You'll be with me soon my precious..... --------------->







Question 6:
Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

I think this would have to be Harry Potter. I read this book series in primary school and through these books I became closer friends with four amazing people. We created our own little group called MERBL - I made it up from each of our initials. So proud ;) - we called each other by the names of a Harry Potter character that we picked and I was so happy once I found these friends. I haven't stayed in contact with all of them but I love remembering the times we had together and those memories make me happy.
I could have gone with The Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton, which was the first proper book I read when I was 6/7 (I think...) but I'm going with Harry Potter on this one.

Question 7:
Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

Hmmm....Probably Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, which is the second Beautiful Creatures book. It just kept on going and I found it really confusing and a bit boring and I just found it really difficult to finish it. I did finish the series but it was a drag trying to finish them!

And finally,
Question 8:
Which book on your To-Be Read shelf will give you the biggest sense of accomplishment to finish?

Not a book, but books and that is the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Seen the films and loved them, read the Hobbit when I was 9 or 10 (I think....I really want to re-read it!) but I have never got around to reading the books - guess what my summer is going to be? That's right. LoTR trilogy reading marathon ;) Because I have a social
life.....ha ha....ha....ha.....*coughs* ahem......

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post guys! I certainly enjoyed writing it :)
If any of you reading this want to try this, go ahead! I tag anybody who hasn't tried this and wants to.

Thanks reading guys ♥

xoxo,
Bethan

P.S. I saw Divergent on Friday. It was amazing!


Ahhh, what a beautiful book pile that is. I can't tell you how precarious it was. It was wobbling the entire time I was focusing and as soon as I took the picture, it collapsed! But it was a beautiful book pile while it was standing >.<

Creative Thursday: Six Word Story #1

"Mistakes make me who I am"

So, I may or may not have stolen this idea from the beautiful Rose and the gorgeous Mackenzie..... :/ But I just had to try this!

Thanks for reading ♥

xoxo,

Bethan