I may have bought more books....

Hello! I went to town on Saturday with my gorgeous best friend to spend some of my birthday money. I had three £10 book vouchers, so I bought a lot of books.... And here's a book haul!

Three of these books - If I Stay, The Night Circus and We Were Liars - have really vague blurbs, but trust me, I've heard enough times that it's better to go into these books knowing next to nothing. Just trust me on that one. :)

The first book I bought was If I Stay by Gayle Forman. Here's the blurb:

A cold February morning...
A snowy road...
And suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone.

Except one.

As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all.

 The only thing I'll add to that is that Mia is in a car crash and slips into a coma. She has to decide if she'll die or if she'll stay and wake up. I saw the film for my birthday and I really enjoyed it so now I'm looking forward to reading it!

I also bought the second book, Where She Went. I won't share the blurb because I don't want to spoil
those of you that don't know what happens in the first book.

The third book is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which I have wanted for ages! :

The circus arrives without warning.

No announcements precede it.

It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

That's all I'm going to give you, because that's all I know. I am going to read this book knowing nothing more than that blurb there, because I've been told that that is best.

Next, I bought The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey:

The 1st wave took out half a million people.

The 2nd wave put that number to shame.

The 3rd wave lasted a little longer, twelve weeks... four billion dead.

In the 4th wave, you can't trust that people are still people.

And the 5th wave? No one knows. But it's coming.

On a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs.
Runs from the beings that only look human, who have scattered Earth's last survivors.

To stay alone is to stay alive, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan may be her only hope.

Now Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death.

I have already read this book and I LOVE IT. It is such an amazing, epic sci-fi. I do have this book on kindle but...

I also bought the second book, The Infinite Sea (which I won't show the blurb for because spoilers) in
book form and it would have looked odd having just the second one on my shelf.

The last book I bought is We Were Liars by E. Lockhart:

We are liars.
We are beautiful and privileged.
We are cracked and broken
A tale of love and romance.
A tale of tragedy.

Which are lies?
Which is truth?
You decide.

Definitely go into this book knowing nothing. I'm currently reading this and am speeding through it - it's only around 225 pages and the short chapters make it easy to speed-read. I am really enjoying it so far and am very intrigued.

And that's my book haul! Yes, I did buy 6 books and carry them around town. I have a problem...

I finished the last Skulduggery Pleasant book. Oh my goodness, the battle was so intense! It was such an epic book. I know a lot of people haven't even heard of the Skulduggery Pleasant books, but they're very good. They're funny and awesome, a little bit dark and a lot violent but absolutely fantastic. :)

Thanks for reading guys! ♥

Load of tags smooshed together

Hello!
Now... I know I didn't post anything on Thursday. But I have so much homework and stuff and then on Thursday my brother was doing this sports coaching thing and the beach was quite close so parents just said "Let's go to the beach" So we did. I took quite a few pictures but I can't really be bothered to upload them today... Sowwy. I'm tired. What my plan is it to write my Monday/Tuesday post and my Creative Thursday post on the weekend and then all I'll have to do is open up blogger and click Publish instead of spending a while typing when I should be doing homework. I'm actually doing that now - today is Sunday. But when you read this, it'll be Monday. I especially need to do the writing ahead of time thing because my Thursday posts are going to be longer as I need to be writing my chapters for the C.C.C.WC. So that's just my plan.
Anyways! I've been tagged for a couple of cool new tags so I've (as you can see by the title) smooshed them all together to make this post. :) I'm just going to dive right in.

The first tag is the Tribute to Writers tag. The wonderful Kat from (Almost) Completely Mad tagged me in this. Thank you, you beautiful girl. ♥ Go check out her awesome blog!

{via}

Rules:
1. Answer all the questions
2. Put the button in your post and link it back to Jollygirl
3. Say what you love about writing. If you don't like writing, then there's no need for you to do this tag
4. Share one piece of your writing
5. Nominate 3 other writers/bloggers and make up 5 new questions for them to answer
6. Have fun!

Questions:

1. What is your favourite type of writing?
Novels/stories, poetry and those little paragraph things I do. (like Kat said) I don't know whether they're poetry or what, but yeah. Those types.

2. When did you start writing?
I actually can't remember. I don't remember learning to read or write stories or deciding my dream was to be an author. They've just always been part of me.

3. Your favourite author?
We've been over this. I have several. Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, Cassandra Clare, J.K.Rowling, John Green, Rick Riordan. Many others.

4. Have you ever finished a novel?
Nope. Never. I have always given up and thought it wasn't good enough. I got to one of the last chapters of one before, but then I stopped pursuing it. I really want to though.

5. On a scale of 1-10, what would you rate writing?
I can't rate writing because it is who I am. I am writing. Writing is me. I am incomplete without it and I cannot rate part of my soul with a number.

Why I like writing:
As I just said, writing is part of my soul. It's the only way I can express my feelings and thoughts without screaming and crying. I just let them flow out of me so that I don't explode.

A piece of my writing:

The sky is dark with grey clouds and I hear a faint rumbling coming from above. The rain will start soon. I need to get under cover. I re-adjust the bag strap on my shoulder, causing the satchel to bump against my thigh. It's heavy, filled with boxes of hair dye, different pairs of glasses, several sets of clothes and shoes, a variety of makeup and contact lenses for each eye colour. Everything in the bag is different. Different colours, different shapes and sizes, different styles.

The wind is cold today. It's harsh and cruel, unlike yesterday's light summer breeze that cooled my hot cheeks and brushed my hair away from my face in a gentle caress.

Yesterday, I was a petite girl, with straight blonde hair and blue eyes. I wore a colourful dress and shoes with bows. I had pink lips, rosy cheeks and gold eye shadow to bring out my eyes. My nails were long and fake, painted a pastel blue.

Today, I am tall, the heels inside my black trainers hidden. I have wavy brown hair and grey eyes, hidden behind huge glasses. I wear a minimal amount of makeup, a deep red lipstick and a smudge of eyeliner all that is noticeable. My nails are short and bitten, drumming a fast beat against my leg. I wear ripped jeans, a plain t-shirt and a dark jacket. I blend in to the grey setting, invisible, just like the girl I was yesterday - the same as every other girl walking on the beach,

The ruthless wind presses an escaped curl across my neck like a noose and pushes my hood down. I yank it back up and hold it around my face. I don't think anybody saw me. I quickly glance around before prying the strand of hair off my neck and pushing the fake glasses up my nose. They're a bit too big, but they're do for now. I just need something to make me look different until I get to the train station. The glasses, plus the dark lipstick, plus the brown hair, are all I need to blend in, to become someone else.

As long as I look nothing like the girl in the posters.

I tag:

Rose // Truly. Madly. Deeply.

Madeline // In the Wind

Lauren // Pretty Things and Polka Dots

Your Questions:

1. Your favourite author?

2. Would you like to write professionally?

3. Your favourite book?

4. What is your favourite type of writing?

5. When did you start writing?

Tag number 2! Tour Through Blogland. I was tagged by the absolutely amazing Eve from Eve of Womanhood. Check out her beautiful blog.

{via}

If you are tagged, answer the questions I answered:

1. What am I working on?

I am currently working on Celia's Writing Challenge. It's so much fun, but I'm just trying to find the time to write. I'm also working on several book reviews for Anna's new book review collab blog We Are The Readers which I am an author of.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I'm not really sure... I'm quite honest with you all. I tell you when I've had an awful day and I'll usually express that in writing. I tell you what's going on in my life and I'm quite friendly with you all. I like to think of you all as my buddies, so I treat you as such. XD

3. Why do I write/create what I do?

Because I love it. That's the simple answer. I love writing for you all, reading your lovely comments when I get home from a terrible day at school, talking to new people who share the same interests as me and making new friends. I blog because I love it.

4. How does your writing/creating process work?

Well, I'll try to think of a post idea, or in cases like these, I'll have something I need to do, like a load of tags or a book haul or a monthly wrap up. Then I'll type it up, add pictures if I need to and link to people's blogs that I've mentioned. I'll scan through it once more and then publish it. If I have writer's block, I'll just post a general life update.

I tag:

Rose // Truly. Madly. Deeply.

Madeline // In the Wind

Megan // The Life of Meg

Number 3! The 20 things tag. Thank you, Lizzie from Castle in the Air, for tagging me and answering a very sweet question with my name. :) You magnificent girl. :)

If you're tagged, just answer these questions:

1. How tall are you?

I think I'm around 5ft 2"

2. Do you have a hidden talent? If so what?

Um... no, I don't think so. I can touch my nose with my tongue?

3. What's your biggest blog related pet-peeve?

When blogger changes the size of my text halfway through a post and it's either too small to read or too big so I have to type it up all over again... -_-

4. What's your biggest non-blog related pet-peeve?

When people say "It's more funnier than" or "It's more simpler". No. It's either more funny or more simple OR funnier or simpler. Pick one! Also when people mix up your/you're. I'm a grammar freak.... which is why I have a heart attack when I notice a typo in a blog post >.<

5. What's your favourite song?

I have three at the moment. It changes all the time. But at the moment, I'm loving:

Shake it off // Taylor Swift

Amnesia // 5sos

Say you love me // Jessie Ware

That last song is AMAZING. Check it out please. So good. But all of them are. :)

6. What's your favourite Etsy shop that isn't yours?

I don't have an Etsy shop and I don't really shop on Etsy because it's all American so it's pain to ship.

7. What's your favourite way to spend your free time when you're alone?

Reading. Reading. Blogging. Reading. Reading. Reading. Reading.

8. What's your favourite junk food?

I mean, I love popcorn. But definitely chocolate!

9. Do you have a pet or pets?

Yeeeesss, I have a super cute 4 year old golden retriever dog called Ruby. I've shown you her before. :)

10. What are your number one favourite non-fiction and fiction books?

Hmmm... I don't read a lot of non-fiction books. I love Anne Frank's diary. Or my Greek myths book. Does that count as non-fiction? As for fiction, we've been over this. Hunger Games, Divergent, TMI, TID, tfios, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson etc.

11. What's your favourite beauty product?

Um... I don't wear a lot of makeup. So, my concealer. lol.

12. When were you last embarrassed? What happened?

I can't remember as I'm embarrassed a lot... But when I met Peter Capaldi and Jenna Louise Coleman, I turned around and walked right into Peter Capaldi.... and I stepped on his foot..... Pretty sure my face was bright red. He still asked if I wanted my notebook signed though, sooo.....

13. If you could drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Hmmm.... I love smoothies. Or lemonade. Or Diet Coke.

14. What's your favourite movie?

Again, I have loads. I'll go with non book-to-movie adaptations. All the Marvel films. About Time. The Way Way Back. Prisoners. The Dead Poets Society, which I just watched today. Yeah, I'll go with those.

15. What were you in high school: prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep?

Well, I'm still in high school. Somewhere between a nerd and artist. But I'm just sort of normal really.

16. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Where I live now or Greece. :)

17. PC or Mac?

PC.

18. Last romantic gesture from a crush/date/boyfriend/girlfriend?

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

19. Favourite celebrity?

Benedict Cumberbatch. David Tennant. Jennifer Lawrence. Tom Hiddleston. Shailene Woodley. And others.

20. What blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?

Too many! But why does it have to be a secret? Rose. Kenzie. Madeline. Kat. And of course Lizzie.

I tag:

Rose // Truly. Madly. Deeply.

Madeline // In the Wind

Megan // The Life of Meg

And finally. The Chocolate Book tag! I was tagged by Eve again. The link to her blog is up by the Tour Through Blogland tag. I'm going to bed soon, so I won't be putting any blurbs, just a brief description of the book.

1. Dark Chocolate - A book that covers a dark topic

For this I chose The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks. Basically, this boy is kidnapped and is trapped in an old war bunker with five other people and they have to try and figure out a way to escape.

Really good. Really dark. Really creepy.

2. White Chocolate - Your favourite light-hearted, humorous read

Definitely Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Cath is one half of identical twins. She goes to college and her twin begins to pull away. She has to deal with a load of stuff but it is so funny and so relatable!

3. Milk Chocolate - A book that has lots of hype and that you are dying to read

Definitely the Throne of Glass trilogy by Sarah J Maas. The main character is an assassin. That just instantly sounds amazing

4. Chocolate with a caramel centre - A book that made you feel all gooey inside

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith. I don't own this book but I borrowed it from the library and LOVE IT! So cute and adorable. Hadley has just missed her flight to her dad's wedding, but Oliver is on her new flight and it's just super adorable!

5. Wafer-free Kit Kat - A book that surprised you

Hmm.... 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad. Such a brilliant sci-fi book - it would make an amazing film! I wasn't expecting a lot but boy was I surprised!

6. Snickers - A book that you're going nuts for

I have just finished the Vampire Academy series and oh my goodness they are amazing! I won't go into too much detail because I'll make them sound so cheesy, but just... just pick them up and read them right now! Rose has such great character development, it is unbelievable. I wasn't too fond of her in the first book - she was quite arrogant and annoyed me a little bit - but by the end of Last Sacrifice, she's a proper heroine.

7. Hot chocolate with cream and marshamllows - A book that you go to for a comfort read

Hmm.... The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It's not exactly calming and comforting, but it doesn't get any worse and it always hooks me and drags me away from this world and into that world. Which is good. I probably want to escape from this world if I'm seeking a comfort read.

(this is the original cover that I have :D )

8. A box of chocolates - Which series have you read that is great for everybody?

Either the Harry Potter series or the Percy Jackson series/Heroes of Olympus series. Because there's a good balance of male and female characters in both, so it's not strictly a male or female book. The humour is great, as are the plots, characters and action. They're just great for everybody, read them!

(These are the UK Harry Potter covers. And these are the US PJO and HOO covers because I couldn't find a picture of all of the UK covers together. I couldn't even find a picture of all the US covers together - this one misses out House of Hades)

I tag:

Meg // The Life of Meg

Madeline // In the Wind

Rose // Truly. Madly. Deeply.

And that is the end of this tag post! I hope you enjoyed it. I now really want chocolate.... mmmmm...

Thanks for reading. Love you all. ♥

Mockingjay: Part 1 Official Trailer Talk

Hey guys!
Oh my goooooooddnnnneeeesssss!!!! MOCKINGJAY TRAILER IS OUT FINALLY!!!!!!

I have goosebumps... I've already watched it.... *counts on fingers....and toes* 14 times. A lot of that was so I could analyse it but... actually, all of it was for funsies. But I was analysing as I watched.

*WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ MOCKINGJAY OR THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY, LEAVE NOW. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS*

~(•-•~)

Okay. So it starts off with a hovercraft flying over the woods with Katniss and the gang (wat) in it. I'm assuming this is taking off straight after Catching Fire, so this hovercraft is going to District 13 or, like the book, is taking Katniss to District 12 (I'm hoping it's this option). During this, Katniss is giving a monologue, or so we assume. It then turns out she's talking to Snow - like Skype. But cooler. Snow says something about "The things we love the most destroy us" ya da ya da. More weird Snow logic.

Then we get our first proper look at DISTRICT 13. And it is AMAZING! Boring and grey and run like a machine, just how I pictured it. We see Katniss going down in a lift and then she's trying out her awesome bow and arrow with Beetee, who is in his wheelchair. We also get our first look at District 13 Effie, pinning the Mockingjay badge on Katniss. I know Effie isn't in District 13 for a lot of Mockingjay, but I think she'll be a great add in, especially with the loss of Philip Seymour Hoffman. He missed some scenes, and I think some of his lines were given to Effie.

We get a look at Gale shooting his gun crossbow thing and blowing up some targets, and then Katniss in her mockingjay outfit with her awesome bow and arrow. There are some people charging through mist or water or something at peacekeepers who are firing guns. Seems like a district riot to me! 

It cuts to a scene in what I assume is the District 13 cafeteria. The TV is one and Peeta is speaking from the Capitol, telling everyone to lay down their weapons. (Peeta why?! *cries*) Haymitch talks to Katniss and tells her that Peeta is the Capitol's weapon, like Katniss is their's. We see Katniss talking to President Coin and Plutarch, telling them that they need to rescue Peeta as soon as possible or they can themselves another mockingjay. 

FINNICK.

Katniss picks up a white rose in a vase. This is obviously when she goes back to her house in the Victor's Village and finds the rose in her bedroom. I don't think this is her bedroom, but it's still her house. This bit creeped me out.

Then; Katniss in (I'm assuming) the District 8 'hospital' with everyone doing the three-fingered salute thing. 

Right, this next bit of them bungee jumping down a tunnel or something - is this a Peeta rescue mission? That's my theory, anyways.

We then see the bombing of District 13 - I think. Katniss and the gang are underground and dust is falling from the ceiling. Everybody looks a bit worried. So I'm assuming it's the bombing.

There's a scene of a damn breaking and Katniss standing under rain or water or whatever. I have no idea what that's about

We see the attack on District 8, which is one of my favourite scenes in Mockingjay. It doesn't go in to too much detail. It just shows Gale and Katniss aiming their gun/bow and fire at Capitol hovercrafts and blow them up. Awesome!

And then I explode because it ends. Such. A. Good. Trailer.

Thanks for reading guys. Love you all ♥

Birthday book haul

Hey guys!
So yesterday was my birthday! Yup, I'm now 15.... How weird. Naturally, I got several books for my birthday. Here's a book haul! I was meant to post this yesterday but I went to the cinema with Charlotte to see If I Stay - really good. :) - and then I was super tired and just wanted to sleep. But it's here so. :)

First book was from my brother - thanks bro - and it is The Dying of the Light by Derek Landy. I am not going to type the blurb because it is the last book of the amazing, yet not well-known Skulduggery Pleasant series that I have loved since I was about 9-10. They're so funny but really dark and this is the final one and I'm not ready! Once I finish the VA series (I've nearly finished Spirit Bound but I'm reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee for English, so I haven't had time to finish it :( ) this will be the first book I read.

My second book is also from my brother and that is a really nice, 'vintage classic' copy of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee:

'They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'

Scout and her brother Jem can understand that idea of sin, but in the small American town where they live, evil comes in many shapes and they have to learn to recognise it, and understand how people behave. Their father's unpopularity when he fights for a black man in trouble reveals other mockingbirds.

 As I just mentioned, I am reading it for English and am loving it, so it's really nice to have a beautiful copy of my own to read instead of the rubbish, written on, torn apart, broken-spined English department copy.

The third book is Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas:

Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving her life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament - fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin's heart be melted?

I have wanted this book for so long, and as you saw in my London haul, I bought the second book Crown of Midnight and the book of novellas, The Assassin's Blade and I have just ordered the third book, Heir of Fire, using a £20 Amazon voucher my Aunt gave me (as well as pre-ordering the Blood of Olympus. I'm so excited!) So now I can marathon it!

Book number four is a beautiful copy of A Tale of Two Cities, from my good friend Elena. I'm not going to type the blurb because I'm sure you all know what it's about because 1) it's a very famous classic and 2) It's been in a book haul already as I already own a copy of this. But, Elena saw it and thought of me because it is mentioned a lot in the Infernal Devices series, which I love, so I don't care because it's gorgeous (as you can see)

The next three books were a boxset from my parents and it is a hardcover set of the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu. I'm only going to show you the blurb for the first book, Legend, as I don't want to spoil you or myself as I have only read Legend:

Once known as the western coast of the United States, the Republic is now a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors, the Colonies.
Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a military prodigy. Obedient, passionate, and committed to her country, she is being groomed for success in the Republic's highest circles.
Born into the slums of the Republic's Lake Sector, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered, and Day becomes the prime suspect. Now, caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June tries desperately to avenge Metias's death.
But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths to which their country will go to keep its secrets.

I got this out of the library 2-3 years ago and loved it. But then forgot about the second book coming out soon. So I'm really looking forward to another trilogy marathon, especially because these books are super fast-paced, well-written and action-packed!

I then got Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi from Charlotte. Here's the blurb:

No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time - and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever.

I can't wait to read this book. I want to get the other two books so I can, guess what, marathon it. >.<

The last book is also from Charlotte and that is Cinder by Marissa Meyer:

Cinder, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.
Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.

I have already read all the Lunar Chronicles - I borrowed them from my friend - but it is definitely a series I would like to own. They're all loosely based off fairytales - this is based off Cinderella, the second book Scarlet, is based off Little Red Riding Hood, the third book Cress, is based off Rapunzel, and the last book coming out next November, Winter, is based off Snow White. There is also going to be a spin off book coming out this January called Fairest, based off the Wicked Witch in Snow White.

And that's the end of my birthday book haul! I got so many other lovely things for my birthday, including a massive Guardians of the Galaxy poster which I adore.

Thanks for reading guys. Love you! ♥

And the winner is...

Hey guys! These are the results for my 50 followers Writing Challenge. I had so many beautiful entries, but sadly I had to choose. :( I have given a 3rd, 2nd and 1st place along with a few honourable mentions. Please know that, even if I haven't chosen your entry as a winner, I loved all of them. You are all extremely talented writers! I narrowed 1st, 2nd and 3rd down to a few entries and then used a random name picker to pick a name. I will be giving the names of the runners up to each position as well.

I'm so sorry for this being late - I know I said they would be posted on Thursday but I kept on putting it off because they were all amazing and I didn't want to pick!
Let's get started.

Okay, in 3rd place is.......

Ella!

Congratulations Ella. Here's her entry:

The air around me hung suspended, frozen. The tips of my fingers were unfeeling, crammed into my jacket pockets in hopes that the numbness would melt away. Winter pressed itself against me, squeezing the oxygen from my lungs and drawing tears that pricked like needles on my skin.

I could hear the trees murmuring to each other, great oaks whispering back and forth.

"Do you see her down there?"

"Yes. She's standing by my trunk."

"Where is she going?"

"Where do you think? The same place they all go, in the end."

A breath escaped between my lips, and a pearly mist materialized before me, melting away as quickly as it had come.

But why not? This was the place where nothing stayed.

I heard it before I saw it. The sputtering and grinding of the engine, the tires crunching on the hard-packed snow. The headlights illuminated my figure, huddled by the curb, eyes too dark even to reflect the light.

The bus rolled towards me, its rusty doors already squeaking open before it lurched to a stop.

"You coming?" The driver had gray eyes. Ancient hands clutched the wheel like the branches of a gnarled tree.

I nodded, and stepped gingerly aboard. The smell of grease and ashes overwhelmed me. But there was something else there, too. Something familiar.

Three people. Three others like me. Stationed in their hard plastic seats, bent over and staring at the floor, clutching a backpack and looking stonily ahead.

I slowly lowered myself down. I could feel the aching in my knees, stiff and rusted and begging for relief. My hands found each other, and managed to fold onto my lap. They were still numb.

The doors scraped closed. The engine groaned but obediently sputtered on. Outside the dirt-streaked window, the oak trees did their best to wave goodbye.

"So, where are you headed?" The voice from beside me, quiet, tired.

I looked over. Raven hair. Ivory skin. A stranger. I turned back to the window.

"Home."

Well done Ella. Check out her blog Simply Scribbles. Here's a little picture thing. :)

The runners up for 3rd place were:

Lauren - Pretty Things and Polka Dots

Tane - Fifth out of Ten

Check out Lauren's entry here and Tane's entry here. Here's a button for you two lovely girls. :)

In second place is.......

Kat!

Congratulations Kat. Here's her entry:

It's time to wake up. To see the world properly. You're getting older now. You can't keep living in your dream.

It's time to wake up. It's time to see the trouble that's going on around you. To notice that not everyone is as lucky as you.

It's time to wake up. It's time to take your life into your own hands. To stop relying on others.

It's time to wake up. To decide what you're going to do. To be serious. It's time to stop playing around, getting into trouble.

It's time to wake up. It's time to notice who you are and what you're doing on this planet.

Well done Kat. Check out her blog (Almost) Completely Mad. Here's your picture:

The runners up for second place were:

Beth - Thoughts of a Long-Winded Lady

Eve - Eve of Womanhood

Click here for Eve's entry. Beth emailed me her entry, so it's below:

We're all just jesters dancing on an empty stage

Miming on tiptoe, pretending the act isn't going to end

But when the curtain falls, we all start to weep

Because we knew they were never ours to keep

We still rehearse, but we'll never perform

We make desperate acts in an attempt to hold on

The prices we all pay to not be alone

Remind me of the good things when I cannot share the throne

And if one little white lie is exposed,

We find ourselves forever alone.

And if one tiny little piece comes tumbling down,

We find that our whole world has been spun around.

The flowers that were thrown have withered away,

Their petals falling on an empty stage

The final performance is nothing but motions

Since there were never any emotions

And if all it ever was was a lie

What’s the point in us even claiming we tried?

The stage is destroyed, wasn't it all an act?

Our hearts in our throats, we don’t know how to react

Subtlety shooting the pitch-black sky,

Who’s fault is it, we can never decide,

Always taking sides in a nonexistent war,

Our lives are never the same as before.

The perfect fairy tale had fallen out of place,

Its bitter flavor is fading away.

The lies it’s so clear that we've all told,

Are nothing but false dreams outlined in gold.

The games that we all so willingly played

Always ended with a blackened page

The whispers from the crowd are rumors and lies

Unwittingly, we've planned our own demise.

Here's a thing for you guys:

And the winner is...........

~(•-•)~

JOLLYGIRL!

Congratulations Jollygirl! Here is her beautiful entry:

You were always there

Until you were not

You disappeared

You were gone

Your realness hidden away

Lost in a circle of taunting fears

Of nonacceptance

Caged by the veil

You laid upon yourself

Concealing

You,

Your beautiful self

Your strong emotions,

Your deep thoughts.

I used to admire you

But how can I now

When you've changed everything about yourself?

Well done, Jollygirl. Check out her blog, Reflections of a Jollygirl.

It was so hard to choose a winner. The runners up were:

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

Madeline - In the Wind

Sammie - Sammie the Stargirl

Click here for MorningTime4's entry, here for Madeline's entry and here for Sammie's entry.

Here are everybody else's entries:

Paige - The Joys of Being Paige - Entry

Rachel - Writing Half Alive - Entry

Chloee - The Secret Ghost Caller - Entry

Yasmine - Cloudy Dreams - Entry

Nabeela - Ridawkward-and-Hyperbubbly - Entry

Janice - The Other Version of Me - Entry

Emily - Lynde Avenue - Entry

Livy - Little Livys - Entry

Go read them all because they're all amazing! 

Right, that's it for a post today. I'm going to be posting again on Wednesday with a birthday book haul/general haul thing - I'm so excited for my birthday! 1 more full day! - and something for Creative Thursday because you don't need 3 posts in the space of a few days!

Thanks for reading guys. And thank you all so much for entering my writing competition!

A bunch of stuff I want to say in one post...

Hi guys!
As you can tell by the title, bit of a lots-of-random-things post today. Shall we begin? (If any of you got that reference, and said it in Khan's voice, please comment below and tell me I'm not alone •-• )

So my school uniform has changed - it's now blazers, shirts and ties. Bleugh. - and I went out with my mum to get me some shirts. And then I somehow ended up buying five books..... I have a problem, okay? It's okay though, because I got them from charity shops, so they were all really cheap and the money went to a good cause. That's my excuse. :P So um.. Here's my book haul. Ooops.

I doubt I will read any of these books soon, but they're nice to have.

The first book is Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I'm sure you all know what Alice in Wonderland is about, but here's the blurb anyways:

When Alice follows the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole, she finds herself in an enchanted world, filled with creatures like the Mad Hatter, the disappearing Cheshire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts. Alice quickly finds out that nothing is as it seems in the wild world of Wonderland...

I saw it and thought it would be quite a nice thing to own. It isn't an illustrated copy - it's a Wordsworth Classic, so is the original story by Lewis Carroll - but it's still nice to own, as it is such a well known story and I'd like to read it.

The next book is Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick:

For Nora Grey, romance was never part of the plan. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgement.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora isn't sure if she can trust him. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and to know more about her than her closest friends. And when she tries to seek answers, she discovers she is right in the middle of a centuries-old battle between the immortal and the fallen... and it's time to take sides.

I know a lot of people say that this series just gets worse as it goes along, but I'd still like to read it so I can form my own opinion.

The third book is Perfect by Rachel Joyce. Le blurb:

Summer, 1972: In the claustrophobic heat, eleven-year-old Byron and his friend begin 'Operation Perfect', a hapless mission to rescue Byron's mother from impending crisis. 

Winter, present day: As frost creeps across the moor, Jim cleans tables in the local cafe, a solitary figure struggling with OCD. His job is a relief from the rituals that govern his nights.

Little would seem to connect them but two seconds can change everything. And if your world can be shattered in an instant, can time also put it right?

I picked this up because it has a really pretty cover. And then the blurb intrigued me. So I bought it.

Book number four is Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray. Blurby blurb thingy:

Kenny, Sim and Blake are about to embark on a remarkable journey. Stealing the urn that contains the ashes of their best friend Ross, they set out to travel 261 miles from Cleethorpes on the English east coast to the tiny hamlet of Ross in southern Scotland.

After a depressing and dispiriting funeral they feel that taking Ross to Ross will be a fitting memorial for a fifteen-year-old boy who changed all their lives through his friendship. Little do they realise just how much Ross can still affect life for them even though he's dead.

It sounds like a really sweet book and kind of John Green-esque. I am never opposed to a good contemporary.

And the last book is Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke. I'm not going to give you the blurb because it will probably spoil the first two books. My mum found the first book, Inkheart, and the second book, Inkspell, when she was tidying her room and gave them to me. I remember reading Inkheart when I was younger and watching the film and I really enjoyed it. I never got round to the second and third
book, so I have decided to read them all and read them soon (when I say soon I mean 'sometime next year probably maybe') I was a bit disappointed that we didn't have Inkdeath to complete the series so when I saw it for 20p in a charity, I grabbed it.

And that's the end of my book haul. XD You can look forward to another one in a week or so because it's my birthday in 9 days! YAY! I'm so excited. :) And I'll get quite a few books for my birthday, so book haul! I'm not having a party because they're too much hassle and I feel bad when I don't invite someone, but I'm still excited. 15 years old. That's a really weird... 15 means GCSEs and responsibility and more work, less reading/blogging/fun.

Time for my August Wrap Up!

Bookshelf:

Frostbite by Richelle Mead - 5 stars
How I Live Now - 2.5 stars
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead - 5 stars
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead - 5 stars

Currently Reading:

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead - page 177

Playlist:

Rude // Magic!
I See Fire // Ed Sheeran
Nothing Stays the Same // Luke Sital-Singh
Greatest Lovers // Luke Sital-Singh
Everything is Making You // Luke Sital-Singh
We Don't Belong // Luke Sital-Singh

(Basically all of Luke Sital-Singh's album The Fire Inside. It is absolute perfection. I love it)

I'd just like to add, my 50 followers Writing Contest is closed. Thank you to everyone that decided to enter - I had 18 amazing entries. I will be revealing the winner on Thursday. I thought it would still be a good Creative Thursday, it just won't be written by me - you can read everyone else's brilliant writing. :) There will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and I will leave links to all entrants blogs and entries. If someone has emailed me there entry, I will write it out in the post. Obviously I couldn't do that for all the entries, or it would be a really, really, really long post.

Back to school tomorrow. (sarcastic) Yay! No, if I'm being honest, I really am looking forward to school. It'll be really nice to see my friends again, and to settle back into the routine of lessons. I really want to find out which teachers I have for my different subjects, and looking at my timetable, comparing it with my friends'. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. But I'm dreading the early morning...
I'm spending my last free day watching The Desolation of Smaug (I love Legolas. I just... I love him), eating custard creams, blogging and reading. I just finished watching Torchwood and I want there to be a Season 5 so bad but I know there won't be. Sad times.

It is officially Autumn! I'll miss Summer, but Autumn is my favourite season. I thought I would do a little poem thing like I did last year for my first Creative Thursday, when it changed from Autumn to Winter. You can read that here. So here you go. :)

{I made dis. >.< The pictures in the words are from Google.

No stealing. Please give me credit if you use it}

Goodbye, Summer.

Goodbye to long days and blue sky.

Hot sun and cool breezes.

Dresses and sandals.

Wavy hair and tanned skin.

Waves lapping against my legs

And sand in between my toes.

Reading outside and picnics

And carefree Summer days.

Hello, Autumn.

Hello to shorter days and grey sky.

Watery sunlight and harsh winds.

Jeans and warm coats.

Thick socks and comfy boots.

Hair whipping against my face

And leaves tossed around in the wind.

Hot drinks and big jumpers.

Rain pattering on my window

And reading inside, snuggled under a blanket.

Long walks and crisp air

And the crunch of leaves under my feet.

I hope you enjoyed that. :) That can be my Creative Thursday, and then actual Creative Thursday will be written by everyone that entered my challenge. :)

I have just joined a new blog! Anna, from Banana and Bear, has set up a joint book review blog called We Are The Readers. And I'm an author as well as a few other girls! There aren't any posts up yet, but there will be soon. So head over there by clicking here if you want to find some awesome books to read. :)

Guys, I just realised. This is my 100th post! I have thought of, written, edited and posted 100 posts on my blog. Wow! That's crazy!

One more thing; I am thinking of changing 'Creative Thursday' to 'Thursday's Writings' It makes a bit more sense, but please let me know which you prefer in the comments. I won't be able to make a decision on my own! So tell me in the comments below if you prefer Creative Thursday or Thursday's Writings (or some variation of that)

Thanks for reading guys. Love you ♥