Paige's Photo Challenge: Category 5

Hey guys!
Really quick post just to enter my photo for category 5. It's for Paige's Photo Challenge (check out her blog it's 1. Beautiful and 2. Amaaaaazing)
Category 5 was Black and White, so here's my photo!

What do you think? Do you like it? I'm really proud of it. :)

Okay. That's all. If you want to see my proper weekly post, click here. I did a Mockingjay Teaser Trailer Talk (alliteration ;] ) It does contain spoilers if you haven't read Mockingjay, so, you've been warned!

Thanks for reading! ♥

Mockingjay Pt 1 Teaser Trailer Talk

Bonjour!
So, we finally have an official teaser trailer for Mockingjay Part 1. AAAAHHHHHHH, I am so excited!
Here it is below:

It's so good! Ahhhh, it's so epic.

***THIS IS A WARNING - IF YOU HAVE NOT READ MOCKINGJAY, DO NOT READ THIS POST AS THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. ***

Okay, so we see Plutarch Heavensbee and President Coin talking about Katniss, and her walking through a crowded warehouse, which I'm assuming is the "hospital" in District 8 - I think it's District 8. And she has the cool arrows on her back, the explosive ones and stuff, with the cool colour coding.

And we see Cressida! I loooove all the casting choices for Mockingjay. I think Juliannr Moore as Coin is perfect - exactly how I pictured her in the book. And Natalie Dormer, from Game Of Thrones, as Cressida is amazing. I love Cressida's shaved side of her head with the really cool swirly tattoo.

Then President Snow like "All Mockingjay symbols are banned" with a cool, almost crop circle thingy, in the background but it's a mockingjay cut into the grass. Which is AWESOME.

There's a really cool shot of people running down a triangle staircase, which I'm wondering, maybe that's the part where the Capitol is bombing District 13 and they're going down to the basement area? You know what I'm talking about.

Oh my gosh, and the tiny snippet of a war, battle thingy sequence, with people climbing up trees, and charging. Side Note - the hovercraft at the beginning is so cool! Then that boy in the warehouse where Katniss is - "Are you fighting, Katniss? Are you here to fight with us?"
"I am. I will."
*screams and flailing* *rolls around on the floor*
Goosebumps.

I am so excited for this film, oh my goodness. I am planning on re-reading the book soon, probably in late October so I can go into the film remembering everything.

I don't think this is my favourite trailer that I've seen for Mockingjay. I think the second teaser "Unity" is, where Beetee interrupts and says "The Mockingjay lives." which I posted here. I'll leave it at the end of this post anyway. ;) This is still a fantastic trailer - I really think the film producers and directors know what they're doing with these trailers. They are all absolutely incredible and are making me even more excited for Mockingjay, if that is even possible!

Let me know in the comments below what you think of this trailer, and which one is your favourite.

Thank you all so much for reading! ♥

UPDATE REGARDING THE WRITING CHALLENGE: You may email me your entry if that makes you more comfortable! :)

Think. Read. Write. Dream. writing challenge information

Hey guys!
So as I mentioned in this post I have reached 50 followers (I still can't believe it. I'm still speechless. Thank you!) and I have decided to have a writing challenge!
This is just a little post to give any of you considering entering some information about it.

Your entry can be a poem, a paragraph, a scene from a story, a chapter, a letter, or a short story. It can be something completely new, or it can be something you have already written. All content must be original - no stealing from anybody else, unless you are using a quote. If you do decide to quote someone, please say who the quote originates from (or which book if you are using a Bible quote.)

If you are participating, please let me know in the comments below. To participate, simple put the button below on your blog's sidebar, post your entry and leave me a link in the comments below, so I can find the entries easily. You may also email them to me if you feel more comfortable that way.

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thinkreadwritedream.blogspot.co.uk/" title="Think. Read. Write. Dream."><img src="http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w510/fflcgirl/writingchallenge_zps6363892b.jpg" alt="Think. Read. Write. Dream." style="border:none;" /></a></div>

All entries must be posted by midnight, your time, on August 31st. Please make your entries family friendly - no swear words!

If you have any questions, ask me in the comments below or email me at:
bethan{dot}thinkreadwritedream{at}gmail{dot}com
Same thing goes for if you think I've missed something out.

There won't be a prize because of shipping cost and such, but I will do a post announcing the winner, along with a 2nd and 3rd place, and possibly an honourable mention. And if you want to, you can do a guest post on this blog, but if you'd rather not, then that part isn't necessary. :)

Thanks for reading. I hope you decide to enter! ♥

Quick post + Six Word Story #7

Hi, guys. :]
I just thought I'd do a really small, quick post to say sorry for the lack of Creative Thursday. And that I'm currently working on Chapter 6 for Celia's Writing Challenge, but it's going quite slowly as I'm spending a lot of time outside - swimming, playing table tennis, reading - instead of sitting on my laptop. But I am leaving Devon and going back home tomorrow - :( - so, I'll have more time to write - I only have four sentences so far.... yeah...
Basically, I will be posting Chapter 6 very soon - next Thursday probably, but it could be earlier.

......I feel bad! I love all you guys, I don't want to not post properly....

*intense thinking*

Okay, fine! I have decided to quickly write a six word story. So, there you go. Even if you were looking forward to a week without my writing, which is probably the majority, here is a six word story.

via

Home can be wherever you want.
Home can be whoever you want.
Home can be whatever you want.

~~~

There you go. :)

Thanks for reading. I love you all! ♥

A very long post...

Hey guys!
It is officially the Summer Holidays! Yay! :) Yes, here in the UK, we have only just finished school.
As the title says, this is going to be a very long post because I have so many things I need to post but I don't want to space them out as I know more things will keep on piling up. So, I'm shoving them all together in one big post. Here's a brief summary of what is to be found in this post:

+ A Book Haul

+ A Tag

+ A Photo Challenge entry

+ An encounter with an author
+ BookTubeAThon wrap up

+ And some big news

Let's get started! *turns on music* *dances* ~(•-•)~

First, a book haul. There are quite a few books in this one....

Okay, first book. Um.... *goes through book pile* .... Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead! Here's the blurb:

St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school - it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's - the very place where they're most in danger....

Rose and Lissa become emmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and the unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi - the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires - make Lissa one of them forever.

{blurb via}

As I think I've previously mentioned, I bought this book for my friend Jee for her birthday and decided to get myself a copy quite a while ago. I am currently reading it and am loving it so far - despite only being on chapter 2!

The second book is The Maze Runner by James Dashner (from my library):

"If you ain't scared, you ain't human."

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers - boys whose memories are also gone.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out - and no one's ever made it through alive.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

{blurb via}

I got to about half-way chapter 2 before putting this book down and starting VA. I just.. wasn't grabbed by it. And the slang was really irritating me. Really irritating. Every time somebody spoke, there would be at least 3 slang words in there and I had no idea what they meant. Example:

" Which Keeper's he gonna get?" someone shouted from the back of the crowd. 

" I told ya, shuck-face," a shrill voice responded. "He's a klunk, so he'll be a Slopper - no doubt about it."

What does that mean?! I'm sure I will pick this up again once I've finished the rest of the books I've brought on holiday with me.

My third book is 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad, which I am sooooo excited to read:

Three teenagers are going on the trip of a lifetime. Only one is coming back.

It's been more than forty years since NASA sent the first men to the moon, and to grab some much-needed funding and attention, they decide to launch an historic international lottery in which three lucky teenagers can win a week-long trip to moon base DARLAH 2 - a place that no one but the top government officials even knew existed until now. The three winners, Antoine, Midori and Mia, come from all over the world.

But just before the scheduled launch, the teenagers each experience strange, inexplicable events. Little do they know that there was a reason NASA never sent anyone back there until now - a sinister reason. But the countdown as already begun...

{blurb via}

Oh. My. Goodness. It sounds absolutely amazing! I love sci-fi so naturally, I am super excited to read this! Aaaahhhh!

Book number 4 - Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell:

Two misfits.

One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough... Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises... Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds - smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

{blurb via}

I got this signed by Rainbow Rowell and I am really excited to read it! More on meeting Rainbow Rowell later on in this post.

Number five is The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Here's the blurb:

It's just a small story really, about, among other things, a girl, some worfs, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist: books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbours during bombing raids - as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

{blurb via}

I have started this book but then the BookTubeAThon came around so I had to stop. I bought it on my Kindle as I didn't want to take our massive hardcover on holiday, so I'm really looking forward to continuing it soon.

And the last book! (it's a bit of a mouthful) The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (wow):

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn't then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

{blurb via}

This is from my school library. I wouldn't normally have picked this up but my friend Olivia had read it and said she loved it and that is was a fantastic fantasy book. So I took it out, along with the second book, The Girl who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, but I'm not going to show you the blurb, as I expect it is pretty spoiler-y for the first book. Also, they have really pretty covers. :) 

Phew, book haul, done! Okay, now, part 2 of this incredibly long post - the TMI tag!

The lovely Yasmine from Cloudy Dreams tagged me in this, so yeah. I'm doing it now.

I have done this tag before but it was back when I had no followers so, I'm doing it again!

1. What are you wearing?

Um... I am wearing shorts and a white baggy vest top with a graphic print of LA on it, with my swimming costume underneath as I am going swimming after I post this.

2. Have you ever been in love?

With several fictional characters, yes. In real life, no.

3. Ever had a terrible breakup?

I have never had a boyfriend, which is not surprising, given my appearance.

4. How tall are you?

I think I'm around 5 ft 3"

5. How much do you weigh?

This is kind of embarrassing but I weigh 5.5 stone. *coughs* I'm super skinny...

6. Any tattoos?

No!

7. Any piercings?

No, but I do want my ears pierced.

8. OTP?

I have several. Everlark, Fourtris, Wessa, Jessa, Clace, Malec, Sizzy, Ten/Rose, Sherlolly, Hazel/Gus, Percabeth. And myself and Mr William Herondale (I'm waiting)

9. Favourite show?

Sherlock and Dr Who! I also love Modern Family and some crime dramas - Bones, Motive. I loved Broadchurch when it was on, and the Escape Artist, which was super creepy (can you see a pattern... anything David Tennant is in...)

10. Favourite bands?

Kodaline, Bastille and Imagine Dragons. I also love Of Monsters and Men and The 1975.

11. Something you miss?

Um... being in Primary school and being friends with everybody in my class. Just generally the innocence of being younger and not having to worry about exams and school work and being sad all the time.

12. Favourite song?
Hmm... it varies. Depends on my mood, the weather. I really can't choose. I'm loving the Ed Sheeran album, at the moment - Thinking out Loud, Tenerife Sea and Don't are my favourites. And I'm a Mess. But I have so many other favourite songs. I can't choose just one.

13. When is your birthday?
September 10th 1999. So actually quite soon. I have a list of books I want, which I am constantly adding to... So I'll be giving that to my parents. ;)

14. Zodiac sign?
I am a Virgo. "Sensitive, creative, gentle, kind, loyal, hardworking and a perfectionist. Likes animals, books and nature and doesn't like taking center stage or asking for help." Apparently.

15. Quality you look for in a partner?
Kind, caring, likes reading, and has a good sense of humour.

16. What is your favourite quote?
I have many, many favourite quotes. Here is one that is written by the genius that is John Green: "If you don't imagine, nothing ever happens at all."

17. Favourite actor/actress?
Look at question 3 on this post.

18. Favourite colour?
Blue. :)

19. Loud music or soft?
Soft! But it depends on my mood, but usually soft.

20. Where do you go when you're sad?
My room. It's quiet and private, so I can cry in peace.

21. How long does it take you to shower?
10-15 minutes. Although, my shower is broken at the moment, so it's been baths for a while now. But in Devon, we have a shower, so that's been nice. :) I've been taking more like 20 minutes...

22. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
Weekday - 10 minutes (uniform, hair, concealer, teeth, done)
Weekend, staying in - 10 minutes (clothes, messy hair, teeth, done)
Weekend, going out - 15 minutes (clothes, nice hair, teeth, bit more makeup, done)

23. Ever been in a physical fight?
Hahahahaahahahahha.

24. Turn on?
A guy who reads.

25. Turn off?
Guys who are really rude and inconsiderate.

26. The reason you started your blog?
I guess I was bored one day and thought, 'Hey, why not start a blog?' I liked the idea of sharing my thoughts, feelings and writings with people, and making new friends through blogging.

27. Fears?
*whispers* Oblivion (tehe)
Okay, in this order, worst at the top.
1. Losing my loved ones
2. Being alone or isolated
3. Being crowded with people
4. Bugs
I know 2 and 3 kind of contradict each other but I would hate to be completely alone but I don't like being crowded by people either. A few friends, and some alone time is perfect for me.

28. Last thing that made you cry?
The last day of school because my lovely form tutor, Miss Fryzer, was leaving. And we had all pitched in with £1 and my friend Elena had bought her a few things, and I had made her a card and got everybody to sign it. And as she was reading said card, she began to cry. So we all had pictures with her, and when the bell went to signify the end of form, I said goodbye and gave her a hug, and we both started crying. It was really sad. :(

29. Last time you said you loved someone?
I just told my mum I loved her, because I do.

30. Meaning behind your blog name?
Well, this blog is where I share my thoughts, what I'm reading, some of my writings and my dreams and goals. So there you go.

31. Last book you read?
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Fantastic book.

32. The book you're currently reading?
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.

33. Last show you watched?
Modern Family.

34. Last person you talked to?
My brother. I asked him if he'd come swimming with me and he said yes.

35. The relationship between you and the person you last texted?
As there is no signal here, the last person I texted was a while ago and it was Lauren. And our relationship is best friends. For a long time.

36. Favourite food?
I don't really have one. I suppose chocolate.

37. Place you want to visit?
GREECE! And America. :)

38. Last place you were?
Um.... The room I'm sleeping in here.

39. Do you have a crush?
Nope. Not in real life, anyway...

40. Last time you kissed someone?
I have no idea... My mum, probably.

41. Last time you were insulted?
My dog burped in my face when I tried to hug her.

42. Favourite flavour of sweet?
The purple ones?

43. What instrument(s) do you play?
I have just passed my Grace 4 Piano exam with a Merit. :)

44. Favourite piece of jewellery?
A Loom band my friend Olivia made me, and my friendship bracelet with Charlotte.

45. Last sport you played?
Swimming.

46. Last song you sang?
'Belle' from Beauty and the Beast.

47. Favourite chat up line?
*reading* Guy: Hey, I love that book you're reading! *drops book* Guy: Oh, let me get that for you!
Someone uses that on me, we're getting married.

48. Have you ever used it?
Nooooo... waiting for someone to use it on me.

49. Last time you hung out with anyone?
Except my family, I guess it would be Friday at school.

50. Who should answer these questions next?
Anybody that wants to!

Part 2, complete!

Onto part 3, my photo challenge entry!
This is for Paige's Photo Challenge: Category 4 - A Refreshing Drink. Here is my entry!

Part 4 - Meeting Rainbow Rowell!

So I waited in line for 3 hours to get my books signed. The line was absolutely massive! My dad brought me and my mum an iced smoothie and food but my legs were so tired by the end of it. Finally, I met her! And she was soooooo nice! She said thanks for waiting for so long and signed my books then had a nice photo with me and we chatted for a while. And now I have my books signed. :)

Part 5 - BookTubeAThon
I wasn't overly successful in this readathon. I only read 2 books. :( BUT, I have a reason. I was in school all of last week, and packing for a few nights. I did complete a few challenges though.
I read Half Bad by Sally Green and A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.
Half Bad completed the challenge read a book with red on the cover and read a book of a genre that you have read the least of this year. And A Monster Calls completed the read a book with pictures challenge.
I think 2 books is okay, especially since I was in school and packing for Devon. So... Bit of a failure, but oh well.

And finally, part 6, my favourite part, The Big News. 

I HAVE REACHED 50 FOLLOWERS!!!!! WHAT?!
How?! How have 50 people decided they like my blog and clicked follow? I just... thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, you wonderful, brilliant, magnificent, beautiful people. I love you all. ♥

To celebrate: I am having a writing challenge!
I will be doing a post explaining the rules and such very soon - probably Wednesday or Friday. :)

Love you all ♥

Creative Thursday: Tane's writing challenge + Paige's Photo Challenge: Category 3

Hi guys!
Sorry this is late, but last night I was packing for my holiday. :) I'm going to Devon with my family for all of next week, which is going to be really fun. I'm taking so many books to read!
Anyways, this is my entry for Tane's writing challenge - I really hope you like it!

*** 

I've been thinking. And I've realised I'm like a little flower. I'm fragile and oh-so delicate. You can crush me with your smallest finger and toss me aside like I'm nothing. And I am. Nothing, that is. I'm lively and bright and colourful with my armour, my petals. Pluck my petals - my jokes, my smiles, my laughter, my "I'm fine"s - and you see what I truly am. A tiny stump of a thing with nothing to hide behind, nothing for me to use as a shield. An ugly thing to be thrown away and forgotten about after no time at all. I really try to stay strong. But it's so hard. So, so, so hard when you have people staring at you, shouting at you, pointing out your flaws a million times over and moving on without you as if you're nothing. Which you are. I am nothing. Nothing. I just want to be loved and cared for and seen for who I truly am without being judged and tossed aside in disgust. I am hurting and I don't know how to stop it.

***

So there you go. I wrote that last week when I was a bit.... upset. As you can probably tell. *coughs*

Well, I hope you liked it.

You can join Tane's challenge too! Click here to go over to her BEAUTIFUL blog. :)

And now for Paige's Photo Challenge - Category 3! The 3rd category was Nature. I took this photo when I went to Bristol Zoo with my school yesterday, in the Butterfly Forest area.

Bristol Zoo was amazing. :) The penguins and seals were so cute!

Love you guys!

Thanks for reading. ♥

The Liebster Award

Hi guys! I'm going to be writing this post quite quickly, as the BookTubeAThon has begun and I need to get back to reading, so I'm really sorry for any spelling mistakes!
I met Rainbow Rowell yesterday at a book signing in Waterstones (a book shop) and she was so lovely! I will be doing a post about meeting her soon, maybe Wednesday - it depends on a few things. :)
On with the post!

I was nominated by the lovely Christina from Fairy Skeletons (awesome blog name!) and the beautiful, talented, flawless Rosie from Truly. Madly. Deeply. Thank you both, you wonderful people. ♥

RULES:
- Post eleven facts about yourself.
- Answer the eleven questions provided by the person who nominated you and then create an eleven-question set for the next group of nominees.
- Choose eleven people to nominate and link them in the post.
- Let your nominees know they've been tagged - and no tag-backs!

Christina's Questions:

1. What's your favourite breakfast?
Oh gosh, they're hard already! Um.... I normally just have cereal but my favourite breakfast has to be... ooo, yeah, Croissants! I luuuuuurve croissants. Mmmmm.

2. What 'unattainable' person (i.e. celebrity, fictional character etc.) do you have a crush on?
*takes a deep breath*
Will Herondale (my husband), Peeta Mellark, Tobias Eaton, Jem Carstairs, Jace Wayland (and all his other surnames), Simon Lewis, Augustus Waters, Prince Kai, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant, Danisnotonfire, AmazingPhil.
So yeah......

3. What's a movie (an adaptation, an original movie, whatever!) that you really want to see made, and who would be in the cast?
Oooo, um..... All of my favourite books have been made into movies! Some of them not very good movies, but movies nonetheless. Maybe Cinder by Marissa Meyer? Or Every Day by David Levithan, or maybe The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (I think that would be a great movie) Or maybe one of my favourite sci-fi books, 0.4 by Mike Lancaster. And I have no idea about the cast....

4. If you could collaborate on a book with any author, who would it be?
Hmm.... Veronica Roth, John Green (I think both of those would be really fun to write with and I could convince them not to kill off their main characters. I'm not naming any names but....) Cassandra Clare is really cool and really nice so, maybe her as well. :) And I think Rick Riordan or Rainbow Rowell (lots of Rs) would be fun as well! And of course the beautiful Rosie >.< She counts as an author. And she's my favourite so... :) Love you, Rose! ♥

5. If you could live in any time in history, where would you go? (Or would you stay in the twenty-first century?)
Um.... I think I'd stay in the 21st century. I mean, I have a wonderful family, lots of friends, and I have so many blessings - plus, lots of books. And the internet! So I'm staying here. :)

6. Do you have a nickname? If you don't, is there a nickname you wish people would call you by?
I have many weird nicknames. Befon. Bet-han Down-es. Bear-than. Becan. As I said, weird. I think Befon is the one I'm called most, though. Feel free to call me another nickname, if you wish!

7. Describe yourself in a haiku.
I wrote two, to cover both sides of me - the sad and the happy.

She dances in the

Light of words and hopes and love

Smiling at her dreams.

She smiles while her heart
Breaks into sharp, fragile shards.
She smiles as she cries.

8. Do you have any strange skills that not many people know about?
I have the weirdest thoughts - is that a skill? When I was waiting in line for Rainbow Rowell, I thought "If I suddenly die now, I hope my mum still gets my books signed for me." .....Probably shouldn't have shared that.... ..... *everybody unfollows my blog*

9. How good are you at keeping secrets?
Very good. Extremely good. I keep stuff from myself, so I am very good at keeping other people's secrets.

10. What's the most valuable thing you've ever learned from a book?
To always be myself (although I don't use that in real life as much as I should) and that all of my flaws don't matter, because if I was a fictional character, people would love me because of my flaws.

11. Who is your favourite fictional villain?
Hmmmm.... I love Moriaty. And President Snow is really cool as well. OOOOOO and Valentine and Jonathan Morgenstern.

Well, those were fun!

And now Rose's Questions:

1. If a man in a sombrero walked up to you and stated his poncho was missing, would you help him look for it?
Yes. Yes I would.

2. Would you rather write without editing (you have the ability to conjure up the right words in the right order) or edit without writing (you don't have to think of any words, you just have to fix the ones that are already written)?
Write without editing, definitely! I love writing too much to not be the one writing.

3. What colour is your hair?
No colour! ..... I'm joking, it's brown.

4. If you could take six bloggers out to dinner, who would you choose and where would you go?
Oh no this is far too hard.... :( I'm really sorry whoever I don't pick. I love you all!

Rosie
Kenzie
Madeline
Hannah
Anna
Celia

But back ups are Tane, Eve, Rachel, Bekah and Elly. And all of my followers! Let's all go to dinner, guys. XD And we would go to.... Hmm... Red Hot Buffet. Because it's all you can eat. ;)

5. Do you prefer typing on electronics or writing on paper?
Personally, I prefer typing because it's faster and a lot easier to edit. But I do love writing on paper.

6. How many kidneys do you have?
Well....Two. I have two kidneys. Is that the right answer?

7. Do you like warmer weather or cooler weather better?
Well, I do love warm weather, but I don't like it really hot. I suppose cooler weather, because I don't mind when it's really cold? I don't know...

8. Do you have a favourite author?
*takes a deep breath*
Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, Cassandra Clare, John Green, J. K. Rowling and Rainbow Rowell. (and Rose).

9. Would you consider yourself graceful?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. I am so clumsy it's unreal. Definitely not graceful.

10. Are you left-handed or right-handed?
I'm right-handed. :)

11. What's your opinion on cheese?
I like cheese. :D

Well that was also very fun. Some weird, random questions in their, but I like weird and random!

Okay, facts about moi.... I'm really not an interesting person so.. sowwy. >.<

1. I am obsessed with Greek mythology - I just... AH! It's so cool! I love thinking about it when I read the stories, because these myths are just humans trying to make sense of the world - I think it's great. :)

2. I am going on holiday to Devon on Saturday 19th to Saturday 26th and I'm trying to decide if I should take my laptop with me. The cottage has wifi, which is a plus because I couldn't do a week with wifi, but I'm not sure if I should take a quick, week long break from blogging/social media/the internet. But I don't know... Would you guys miss me if I took a break? Or would you thank the heavens that I've gone? Please let me know in the comments, although I suspect it's the latter...

3. I have a 4 year old golden retriever called Ruby and she is absolutely gorgeous. Look at her face!

I love her so much. :) She was so muddy after her walk when I took this picture!

4. I love writing - absolutely adore it - but my ideas are always terrible. I would love to be published but my stories are never good enough. I want to be an author but nobody would publish me. Do you see my problems?

5. I'm in a constant state of sadness. Sometimes I am genuinely happy and the sadness goes right to the back of my mind. That does happen, frequently. But it's always there, nevertheless. I just hide it under a sunny blanket of laughter and smiles a lot of the time. But sometimes I crack and drop the blanket and scare my friends away with silence and tears. *coughs* anyway...

6. I am currently reading Half Bad by Sally Green and I'm enjoying it so far. :) Before that I was reading The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, which I had to stop for the readathon, but I will continue it once BookTubeAThon finishes - I was loving it so far! And before that I read The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter. And before that I was reading Looking for Alaska by John Green (that book. I just.... I was in shock after I finished it. And I still sort of am).

7. I love rain, but only when I'm inside. I hate going out in the rain - unless it's very light. Then I love going out and walking in it and feeling the cool drops against my skin. But I hate rain when it's warm. Because when it rains, I want to curl up in a big jumper and leggings, huddle under a blanket and read a book with a hot cup of tea. I don't want to be wearing shorts and a t-shirt because it's too hot for blankets and tea. It's raining right now, actually. It's the rain I like.

8. I own 97 books. Now I need to buy 3 more so that it's a rounded number...

9. I am extremely neat in school - I will have my books in size order in my bag, have everything in size order on my desk in a pile, largest on the bottom, smallest on the top, then pencil case. I will even tidy up other people's desks and make their's look like mine - but at home, my room is a mess. Absolute mess. Clothes piled on the desk chair, school books stacked on my desk, books piled on my bookshelf because it's too full, rug wrinkled, water bottles placed in a neat row on my floor. It's terrible. When I do tidy it, it's at 10pm when I'm getting ready for bed, because I have got physically disgusted with myself and the state my room is in.

10. When I met Rainbow Rowell yesterday, I bought Eleanor & Park which I'm SO excited to read. And I got a canvas bag with the Fangirl cover in a circle but on Cath's laptop, it's says 'I'm a' and then Fangirl. That was a really bad description... here's a photo!

See? 'I'm a Fangirl'. Isn't it pretty? I wuv it. XD

11. My birthday is September 10th 1999 and I already have a list of several books that I am asking for.

And that is the Liebster Award. Thanks again Christina and Rosie! Now for tagging 11 people:

Elly from A Girl

Paige from The Joys of Being Paige

Hannah from In the Heart of Hannah/In Hannah's Mind

MorningTime4 from The Ups and Downs of my Not-So-Average Life

Lizzie from Castle in the Air

Brooke from Pineapples & Daisies

Sarah from Sarah, Plain and Average

Bekah from Found and Cherished

Joy from Another Enchanted Land

Laurel from My Memories

and

Amy from The Blog Hermit

And my questions:

1. What colour are your eyes and what colour is your hair?

2. Which author would you like to collaborate on a book with?

3. Who is your fictional boyfriend?

4. Do you like floral print?

5. If you could have dinner with 10 fictional characters (films, TV shows, books, any fictional character) who would you choose?

6. What is one of your favourite songs at the moment?

7. Are you going on holiday this summer? If you are, where are you going?

8. Which social media site do you use the most?

9. What are your hopes and dreams?

10. Would you rather read inside or outside?

11. What book have you read that had a really great message? What was the message?

So there you go, the Liebster Award! I hope you enjoyed this post.

Please let me know in the comments below if you would like me to take a break for a week or not - I'd like to know what you want!

I love you all! Thanks for reading ♥

BookTubeAThon 2014 and Paige's Photo Challenge: Category 2

Hey, guys!
And my mood is down again. *sigh* Joy of joys. It wasn't a bad day - in fact, it was a very good day. I'm just tired and school's nearly finished but that means GCSEs and I miss this girl far too much - more than she misses me, I'm sure. She's moved on, while I'm still clinging - and I have the overwhelming desire to go home, but I am home. But it feels like I'm not. I want somebody to hug me and say 'I understand' and really mean it. I just want somebody to understand and to hold me while I sob. So yeah. Down again.
I have so many posts I need to do. I had to do Creative Thursday yesterday, but I have to do this post as well. I also have to upload my second entry for Paige's Photo Challenge, and do my Words post on Sunday and the lovely Christina nominated me for the Liebster Award, so I couldn't do this post on Monday. Also, the read-a-thon starts on Monday, so really, I needed to get it done before then. So yeah, lots of posts!

I'll be uploading my 2nd entry for the Photo Challenge in this post as well (as you can see in the title) so, despite having loads of posts to do, I have it organised, don't worry. ;)

Anyways, the post. This year, I will be doing the BookTubeAThon! Yay! Basically, the BookTubeAThon is something created by Ariel Bissett (who is a wonderful YouTuber I watch) and a few other BookTubers and it is reading marathon. It starts on Monday July 14th at midnight your time and ends on Sunday 20th July at midnight your time. Basically, it lasts for all of next week.

The read-a-thon is a great way to motivate you to read, which is why I'm doing it - my TBR pile is more like the Empire Estate building x100,000,000 and that isn't even half of it. Ariel has created 7 challenges for everybody taking part to try to complete in the BookTubeAThon week. I thought I would tell you which books I would be attempting to read for each challenge and give you some more information about the BookTubeAThon.

Challenges:

1. Read a book with pictures.
For this challenge, I am going to be re-reading (my signed copy of) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. I love this book and it has these beautiful illustrations in it, as you can see in the pictures below. Click here for the blurb.

2. Start and finish a series.
This is the challenge I don't think I will finish. I decided on another re-read for this one and chose The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Reading this will also double-up with Challenge 6. Click the links for the different blurbs (although if you don't know what The Hunger Games trilogy is about, I... I don't understand where you've been living); The Hunger Games - Catching Fire - Mockingjay.

3. Read a book with red on the cover.
I will be reading Half Bad by Sally Green, which is a book I took out of my school library as I have heard of it before and it sounds interesting and like it would be a good read. And it has a lot of red on the cover! It has this really cool flip cover thing. So the front cover is black (the 1st picture) but the back isn't the blurb, it's the same cover but white (the 2nd picture). Click here for the blurb.

4. Read a book that somebody else has chosen for you.
For this, I gave my good friend (and Parabatai - all you TMI lovers out there will know what I'm on about) Jee a list of 5 books for her to pick from. I had a strong suspicion she would choose this book for me, as I had just bought it for myself and a copy for her, for her birthday. And that book is Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I know, cheesy title, but these books are meant to be absolutely amazing! So, yeah. I'm really excited to read this. Click here for the blurb.

5. Read a book in the genre that you have read the least of this year.
I haven't read any classics this year, so I will be reading a classic I have been meaning to get to for a while, and as it is quite a short one, I thought it would be perfect. I will be reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is something like 115 pages long, so should take me an afternoon. Click here for the blurb.

6. Read a book-to-movie adaptation.
As I said for Challenge 2, The Hunger Games trilogy will work for this as well, as I could watch either The Hunger Games or Catching Fire. However, if I don't get to Challenge 2, so therefore would not be doing this challenge, I will be reading The Maze Runner by James Dashner, as it is coming out as a film quite soon. I don't know if you have to watch the movie adaptation as well as read the book, but a few of the Youtubers I have seen do a video like this have chosen to read a book that has a movie not yet out on DVD or not yet out. So yeah. Click here for the blurb.

7. Read 7 books.
If I read all of these books, I will have read 7 books, so I will have completed this challenge. So hopefully I will read them all, but I doubt I will start and finish THG trilogy.

There you go, those are all the books I will be reading for the 2014 BookTubeAThon! Yaaaaayyy!

If you will be participating in the BookTubeAThon, please let me know in the comments and tell me which books you will be reading.
If you are thinking about participating but are not sure about a few things, head over to the official BookTubeAThon channel by clicking this sentence.

Ariel and a few of her friends will also be holding reading sprints on Twitter, so follow @BookTubeAThon if you're interested.

ALSO! Also also also also also, Ariel and some other BookTubers I watch have created a page on The Book Depository of 100 books they love. If you want to buy any of them, add them to your basket and at the checkout, enter the code BookTubeAThon into the 'coupon code' box and you will get 10% off your total cost. I bought 172 Hours on the Moon (click on the name for the blurb) there for £2.90 (that's $4.96 for you Americans) which ya know. Is not bad for a book! If you're interested click this link here to go to Ariel's video about what she's reading for BookTubeAThon, and in the description box below, click on the '100 Books Discount' link and have a little browse. Just thought I'd let you know!

The Great Gatsby and The Maze Runner are both on my Kindle, so that's why that's on the pile (do you like my case? OWLS!)












And finally, my entry to Paige's Photo Challenge: Category 2! Category 2 was Handwriting. Here it is!

It's really not very good but I didn't know what else to do. I thought I'd share this with you. I wrote it a few days ago. I don't know if you can read it. If you can't, don't worry because I'm thinking of typing it up and posting it on here, maybe for Creative Thursday, maybe just mid-week.

Anyways.
Thanks for reading. Love you. ♥

Creative Thursday: Six Word Story #6 and Mockingjay Teaser Trailer 2

Hey, guys!
Creative Thursday.... on time?!
One of the Teacher Unions are having a strike today, so I have the day off school *PARTIES* Haha, I didn't have a party, I'm joking. C'mon guys, it's me we're talking about. I slept in late and have been reading all day.
So here you go. Bit of a short one as I want to get back to reading - I've just started The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak and it's amazing! - so it's just a few six word stories for you.

{photo via Pinterest. Isn't it just adorable? So cute.}

For the first time, I'm happy.

And it feels amazing. Absolutely amazing.

The darkness is still there, hidden.

But I can pretend it isn't.

Just for this moment, I'm happy.

*****

As you can probably tell, I'm feeling a lot happier now. But I can feel the pile building again. *sigh* the circle is never-ending.

ALSO, have you guys seen the second Mockingjay teaser trailer? If you follow me on Pinterest, you've probably seen me pinning everything to do with it....

AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! Johanna. :( And... and Beetee!
'The Mockingjay lives'
*faints*
I'm so excited for this film, you have no idea! I love the two teaser trailers we have had so far. I did a post about the first one here.

Thanks for reading ♥

The Sunshine Award

Hey, guys!
Feeling a lot better today - what happened yesterday has all gone away now, so it was a lot better - so I decided to post because I hate letting you all down.

{photo via but I added the text. If you would like to use this button, that's fine, just give me credit}

I was nominated 

by the beautiful Amy. Please check out her blog here (or click on her name.)

Le rules:

- Thank the person who nominated you.

- Answer the questions the person who nominated you asked.

- Nominate a few other bloggers.

- Write the same amount of questions for the bloggers you nominated.

- Notify the bloggers you nominated on their blog.

- Put the award button on your blog (I made my own...I hope that's okay!)

So, on with Amy's questions!

1. Which is the best season? *cough* fall *cough*

Fall is Autumn, right? *Googles it* Yes it is. Then I agree with you Amy! I love all of the seasons, but Spring and Autumn are my favourite - Spring because it isn't too hot but it isn't too cold and Autumn for the same reason and my birthday is in Autumn! September 10th (make a note of it... I'm joking! Joking, guys!)

2. What's your opinion on the band Kodaline?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! One of my favourite bands, along with Imagine Dragons and Bastille. I love them so much ♥ I haven't heard anybody else say they love them other than a few of my friends who I introduced to Kodaline. Love. Love. Love. Kodaline.

3. Chocolate cake or vanilla sponge?

Hmmm, this is a tricky on- CHOCOLATE CAKE! Dauntless cake :) For you Divergent fans ;) Love vanilla sponge, but chocolate cake, all the way!

4. Acoustic or electric guitar?

Acoustic, definitely!

5. Have you seen The Fault in our Stars or read the book? What is your opinion on either or both of them?

I have read The Fault in our Stars - I read it early last year - and I loved it and I still love it. It is one of my favourite books. And the film....So. Good. I started crying at "I lit up like a Christmas tree" and I didn't really stop until the end, where it was just a room of teenage girls sobbing into tissues. Absolutely brilliant, both of them. Obviously, the book is better than the film, as is always the case. But the film is still fantastic. So excited about the Looking for Alaska film in a few years and the Paper Towns movie next year!

6. If you could change to be any nationality, e.g. Japanese, what would you be?

Um.... I actually have no idea? French? I love the French language. Or maybe Greek? Because I could visit all the temples to the Gods and such. I really don't know. One of those two!

7. Ever heard of Swedish hiphop?

Vaguely. Mostly from tfios - the Swedish rap song Van Houten tells Lidewij to play is on the soundtrack - track 11, I believe. So yes, but only vaguely.

8. Matching or odd socks?

Matching. I wouldn't mind wearing odd socks, but I always wear matching. I'm tidy and organised like that. Actually, I'm organised in school but my room is messy a lot...

9. Out of the following, which is the superior hair colour; blonde, brunette, black or ginger?

I personally love all hair colours. I love having brown hair - I wouldn't want any other colour hair. I would never dye my hair either! So I don't have a favourite out of those, and I don't think any is superior. I love all of them as they are all beautiful. I personally love having brown hair but it doesn't mean that's my favourite - I just wouldn't suit the other colours!

Well, that was fun! I tag:

Madeline from In the Wind

Celia from Crazy. Crazy. Crazy.

Elly from A Girl

Paige from The Joys of Being Paige

Eve from Eve of Womanhood

Hannah from In the Heart of Hannah/In Hannah's Mind

MorningTime4 from The Ups and Downs of my Not-So-Average Life

Lizzie from Castle in the Air

Brooke from Pineapples & Daisies

and

Sarah from Sarah, Plain and Average

Wow, I went on a bit of a tagging spree!

Here are my questions:

1. When is your birthday (you don't have to say the year)?

2. Why did you start blogging?

3. What is on the top of your To Be Read pile?

4. How are you today? :)

5. If you could be room mates with one fictional character, who would it be and why?

6. If you could be one fictional character, who would it be and why?

7. If you could push one fictional character off a cliff, who would it be and why?

8. What is your favourite book genre e.g classic, fantasy, sci-fi?

9. Dogs or cats?

10. Would you rather read or write?

I just realised that last one is really hard... I didn't mean to, I'm sorry! Sowwy guys... >.<

Thanks for reading ♥

P.S. Thank you Rose for re-doing my footer and my labels (look how pretty the share this post font is...)
Which is why my post titles and sidebar titles are a bit craaaazy right now. Rose is trying to change the font to the font used for 'share this post' so that everybody can see the font. So yeah, bear with me!

Paige's Summer Photo Challenge: Category 1

Hi.
So I just realised I still hadn't submitted my entry for Category 1 of Paige's Summer photo challenge.
Category 1 was 'Something beginning with S'

Here's my entry - Sandals. :)

Just a short post - I felt really bad not posting at all for you guys, so here's a short one.

Sorry for the last post - bad day.
I love you all. I do. I really do. ♥

Sorry.

Hi guys.
Just a tiny post to say I won't be posting today - it's kind of a paradox because I am posting... But what I mean is I won't be doing a long, normal post, like a tag or a life update or a book haul.
I had another bad day. Yup, another one. And it was even worse. Because it was just one thing, but it was big. BIG.
It was a terrible, terrible day.
So, I'm really not in the mood to post.

I love you all.
I'm just going to go cry now.

Creative Thursday....Late again....

Hey guys. I am so sorry for always being late. But I have a valid reason this time! I came in yesterday after a bit of a rough day, did some homework, had dinner.....and fell asleep. That's right. I thought I fell asleep for 10 minutes, maybe 15. No. Oh no. I was informed afterwards that I fell asleep for 2 hours. 2 hours! So yeah.. That happened. But here it is anyway because I love you guys and hate to disappoint (not that you're waiting for me to post, looking forward to reading my writing - I know that isn't happening...)

*****

Little things, making chips in the dam that holds back all my feelings, all my emotions. The thing that holds back my tears, that stops me from breaking, is started to crack. Tiny things, things that shouldn't matter, are building up. At first, they're chipping away at the wall. But as they build and build and build, they begin to slam against the wall, large cracks spreading across the dam, joining together, forming jagged constellations.

And then it's breaking, crumbling, and I'm breaking and crumbling with it. The tears come, the feelings release, I let go, finally.
I need to be alone. Right. Now.
I'm panicking, I can feel the emotions surging and crashing over me.
I need to be alone.

I run. I run away and hide and cry. I can't run away from my thoughts, though.

'Nobody likes you, Bethan.'

'Everybody thinks you're weird, Bethan.'

'Your friends wish you'd leave them alone, Bethan.'

'You're not good enough, Bethan.'

The feelings are crashing over me like a wave and I'm drowning. 

I can't breathe. 

I can't breathe. 

I can't breathe.

And then I'm forced out of hiding, but I'm not ready yet. So I'm forced to re-build the wall, shove the wave back. Until the next time I shatter. It's a vicious cycle, and I can never win. Because the feelings are always there, but I can never express them. I hold them back. I break. I shove them away. I hold them back. I crumble. I shove them away. Over and over again.

How long can I do this?

I don't think I can stand this much longer.

*****

Sorry this is a bit depressing. As I said, rough day yesterday. It's how I'm feeling right now. This is the truth, though. This is me. Me and the vicious cycle.

Not that you care.