September Favourites

Well, it's the final Sunday of September, so that means it's time for the first of my monthly favourites! My last post was very long, so I'll try to make this one a more reasonable length - let's just dive right in.

BOOKS:

The Power // Naomi Alderman

plot: All over the world women are discovering they have the power. With a flick of the fingers they can inflict terrible pain - even death. Suddenly, every man on the planet finds they've lost control. The day of the girls has arrived - but where will it end?

This book is insane. I'm loving the surge in feminist literature - stuff like The Handmaid's Tale TV show has really brought attention to this genre and it means so many incredible books are being written which call out systemic sexism or exaggerate issues women face to get the point across. For example, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood exaggerates the lack of say women have regarding their own reproductive rights. The Power shows how the world would be if the systemic sexism was flipped, and it's a fascinating read. I loved it.

Stories of You Life and Others // Ted Chiang

plot: What is men built a tower from Earth to Heaven - and broke through to Heaven's other side? What if we discovered that the fundamentals of mathematics were arbitrary and inconsistent? What if there were a science of naming things that calls life into being from inanimate matter? What if exposure to an alien language forever changed our perception of time? What if all the beliefs of fundamentalist Christianity were literally true, and the sight of sinners being swallowed into fiery pits were routine events on city streets? These are the kinds of outrageous questions posed by Ted Chiang. Stories of your life... and others.

I got these book for my birthday and loved it - it's a collection of amazing sci-fi short stories, one of which is the basis for the recent film Arrival, starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, which is why this was bought for me as a present (I love Arrival - please watch it if you haven't seen it). It was such an interesting collection of short stories, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a clever bit o' science fiction.

FILMS/TV SHOWS:

Orphan Black

plot: Sarah, a streetwise hustler on the run from a lifetime of bad decisions, witnesses the suicide of a stranger who looks just like her and adopts her identity.

I started this show towards the end of the summer and finished it a couple of weeks ago and now I'm in a seemingly endless mourning period because it's gone forever and I miss it. Tatiana Maslany is such an incredible actress, and the show's exploration of ethics and moral issues, as well as the strong family bond it creates between the characters over the seasons means this show is interesting and emotional and mind-blowing. I miss watching it for the first time.

IT

plot: A group of bullied kids band together when a shapeshifting demon, taking the appearance of a clown, begins hunting children.

You must have been living under a rock if you haven't heard of IT. Stephen King's classic novel is amazing enough, and I know the 1990 miniseries starring Tim Curry is meant to be amazing also, but this film was just so good. I'm not a fan of horror films, but IT is so much more than just a horror film. The cast is insanely talented as well - when did child actors become so good at acting?! Needless to say, I'm excited for the sequel

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

plot: When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, the Kingsman's journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organisation in the US. These two elite secret organisations must band together to defeat a common enemy.

I loved the first Kingsman film so much, so I was very excited for the sequel. It wasn't as good as the first film, of course, but it was so enjoyable and I laughed for the whole 2 hours 20 minutes.

MUSIC:

Too Good at Goodbyes // Sam Smith

I just love Sam Smith. That's about it, honestly. This song went straight on my 'Chill' playlist. It's really sad but I love it.

Alone // Jessie Ware

Jessie Ware is hugely underrated - I loved her first album so much (Say You Love Me and Champagne Kisses are such tunes) and this new single is just as good.

Praying // Kesha

I love Kesha. I know it's an odd thing to say but I'm so proud of her for getting through all she's had to deal with and releasing some incredible comeback music. If you don't know what she's been through, Google it so you can better appreciate her beautiful music and lyrics.

CLOTHES/MAKEUP:

Burt's Bees Strawberry Lip Balm

I don't know how I've never used this before but my goodness. It smells so good and my lips are actually a lot less chapped than usual.

~Autumnal~ Shirt

I love Autumn (or Fall if you're American) so so so so much. As soon as it's September, I'll whip out the jumpers and the dark colours and start wearing plaid 24/7. I recently bought this lovely shirt and I've been living in it for the past few weeks. It's so comfy.

Chokers

I've been incredibly reluctant to give into the choker trend, but I did and now I'm obsessed. They just make every outfit look a bit more put together, you know? Also the black velvet one has made many an outfit look a lot ~edgier~ than it actually is.

Ring

This beautiful ring was a birthday present from my brother's girlfriend, and it's become something I wear daily, along with the ring I was given for my 16th birthday. I just really like rings now, I don't know why. They make me feel fancy.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Macbook

I recently bought a new Macbook because my old one was on its last legs - before I had it, it had been my brother's for 6 years, so I was in need of a much faster, updated one that didn't run out of power after 2 minutes. My new one is so much lighter and faster, but mainly I love it because it has a touch-bar at the top which means I can turn up the volume or turn down the brightness or find emojis to type so much quicker than I used to. Also, it's just really cool to have a touch-bar. I feel like that's just something we can all accept.

Wireless Beats

When I bought my Macbook, there was a deal on for students (which I am) which meant my laptop was cheaper and I got some free wireless Beats headphones (what an amazing deal, right?!) Safe to say I am loving them - I use them all the time, and feel so cool when I wear them. Also, it is so much easier to paint while listening to music now, because I don't have wires dipping into my watercolours.

Planning Notebook

As you all know, I've been trying to be more organised with my blogging, so I bought this beautiful notebook for a few pounds and I've been using it to plan each of my blog posts as well as writing various to do lists. It's worked for this month, so hopefully I'll do as good a job for the month of October!

And that's everything! I hope you enjoyed this post - let me know if any of these things have been your favourite this month as well. I'll be back with a post on Friday letting you know all the things I have planned for October.