I'm back!

*dusts off cobwebs*

Helloooo!!

Goodness, it's been a while hasn't it? Just under a month? Wow.

It is, Bethan Downs, back from the dead. I'm am soooooooooooo sorry for not posting for so long. School and controlled assessments going towards my exams and homework and argh. It's been horrible, but it is half term at last. Well, it's nearly the end of half term, which is sad, but I needed to post. I hope you're all well. :)

As you can see, I have new social media icons over there ------------->
I made them myself, so they're too big and a bit higgledy-piggledy, but you now have a link to my (recently set up, new) Instagram. :) Yay! It's basically like my blog. It has quite a lot of books on there, some fandom-y news occassionally, but it has more of my personal life on there as well - my friends, and birthdays and such. So yeah, if you want to head on over and follow me, that would be great. I only have 80 followers. :(

HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN THE NEW MOCKINGJAY TRAILER. OH MY GOODNESS GOOSEBUMPS AND EXPLOSIONS AND PEETA AND SNOW AND COIN AND 13 AND DEATH AND FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS AND PROPOS AND KATNISS AND GOOSEBUMPS AAHHHHH!!!!

That bit with Peeta. :( :( :( :'(

How have you all been? I'm super tired at the moment - montages of monsters, psychopaths, fires trapping me in my burning house, etc, etc. have decided to play in my mind while I sleep... And because it's half term, I've been at home on my own quite a few times, which has ended several times with me clutching a heavy bookend until my parents come home. My house makes noises... I know, I know, I'm 15, and I thought my nightmares had gone away but recently I've become scared when I'm home alone. I guess because both of my brothers are gone - one at university, another at their new job - so I have less people to make me feel safe. I don't know, maybe I'm just being stupid.

I saw the play version of To Kill A Mockingbird on the weekend and it was absolutely incredible! I'm doing it this year in English, so I decided to go see it with my dad and it was just amazing. Had so much fun as well. :)
I also had my cousin over yesterday for a movie day and went to the Red Hot Buffet today for my friend's birthday party, which was really fun. My stomach hurt from eating too much and laughing too much. :D

What are you guys doing for Halloween? I didn't think I was doing anything, but I'm actually going over my best friend's house and we're going to do spooky makeup on each other, bake cupcakes and decorate them and carve a pumpkin. It's going to be really cool. :)

I accidentally bought more books as well..... Ooops. I bought Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan (signed, oh yeah) and finished it, like, 2 days later. It was absolutely fantastic. Sad about no Percy POV but you can't be picky. I also bought Unravel Me and Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi, the 2nd and 3rd books in the Shatter Me trilogy and The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. I'm planning to read the last three soon but I have so many other books to read.... I'll admit, that isn't a terrible problem to have!

Well, this was nice. Catching up, even though it was just me typing talking to you. I'm hoping to be more organised next term and be able to post regularly again. Fingers crossed!

Thank you all for being so patient with me. Love you guys so much. ♥

(Don't forget to follow me on Instagram - @bethan_downs *wink wink*)

UPDATE: I've just started a new book instagram account, as well as my personal, so if you want to see more books, go follow @fiction.and.tea  I've left a new social media link next to the Instagram button. It's a pile of books, and it goes straight to my profile. Ya see it? Okay, cool beans. :)

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! ♥

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! ♥

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 ♥

I'm back! - A tag, London haul & photos

Hello! I am back - for good now. I got back from London on Monday, but I was so tired then and on Tuesday that I just read and watched Torchwood (I cried at the season 2 finale. So emotional :( )
But I'm posting now! First I'll be doing a tag created by MorningTime4. My friend Megan tagged me so... I'm doing it. (congrats Bethan, stating the obvious there. Well done)
It's the Summer Rewind tag!

[source]

Rules:

1. Thank the person(s) who tagged you.

2. Post five to eight things that you did over the summer or upcoming in your summer schedule. Pictures are optional.

3. Answer the ten summer/autumn (fall) questions given to you.

4. Tag 5 or more bloggers and tell them by commenting on their blog.

5. Ask ten new summer/autumn (fall) related questions.

7. The banner above must be in the post and you must credit the photo and the tag origin.

1. The first thing I did in the summer was go on holiday to Devon with my family. It was so relaxing and I really enjoyed going swimming twice a day, every day. Half way through our stay, my brother's friend, Jack came to stay with us and we had a little table tennis tournament. I didn't win any games until the last day where I beat Jack 11-9. I was so happy haha! 

2. I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy in the cinema and it was absolutely amazing! I love Chris Pratt. >.<

I also went into town early on Thursday morning with my brother and we got some autographs from the Dr Who cast as we were waiting around by the Dr Who premiere place. That was super fun.

3. I had a sleepover with this lovely girl. We went into town for a little bit of a shop and I bought an amazing Gryffindor t-shirt. We had a really nice picnic-y lunch in the grounds of Cardiff Castle - we bought a meal deal in Tesco (British equivalent of Walmart) and then used our visitor passes to get into the grounds for free. The sleepover was also really fun. Lauren melted some galaxy chocolate in the microwave and we dipped marshmallows into it while watching a film called Starter for Ten with James McAvoy (X-Men First Class) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) in it, as well as James Corden, Catherine Tate and Mark Gatiss. It was a really good film! We're definitely not being biased because of Benedict Cumberbatch.... Seriously, how does he still manage to look good when his character looks like this?

It is beyond me.

4. I met up with Charlotte for a little chat and she gave me some lovely presents that she got from Cyprus, where she went on holiday. I then went ice skating with her and my friend Olivia on Tuesday, which was really fun. I hadn't been ice skating for around 5 years, but I found it came relatively easily once I got into it. It was so much fun.

5. I stayed over my godmother's house with her two children, Daniel (7) and Oliver (4) I was actually staying there for Oliver's 4th birthday which was really nice. We went to loads of lovely places, including National Trust parks, the swimming pool and a little park area for Oliver's birthday where some of his family and friends came and we sat under a little gazebo with a picnic - it was really fun. :)

6. Once back, my cousin Alice came over and we watched Lilo & Stitch and Catching Fire as she hadn't seen either of those films. I then met up with my friend Ellie who had moved to Ireland in a few years ago and has since moved to England. I was there with Lauren, Megan and their friend Lucy. It was really nice to catch up with Ellie and to see the others. I had loads of fun. :)

7. And then I went to London! Oh my goodness, I did a lot! But more on London later on.

Questions

1. When did you get out of school?

I got out of school Friday 18th July.

2. When are you heading back to school?

Tuesday 2nd September - I don't want to go back!

3. Name three songs on your summer playlist.

Riptide - Vance Joy

Rude - Magic!

Don't - Ed Sheeran

4. Do you prefer beaches or swimming pools?

Swimming pools. I don't go to beaches often enough to say I love them. I mean, I do enjoy going to the beach. But I just don't go enough to love it. So, pools.

5. What's your favourite summer treat?

Ice lollies! Or popsicles for you Americans. They're so yummy and refreshing. :)

6. Does your skin tan or burn?

Burn! I have really pale skin so I need to coat it in SPF 50 before leaving the house...

7. Name a summer activity you love and one you despise.

I love love love swimming. That is my favourite summer activity. Hmm... I despise feeling hot and sticky. Not that we get that much in Britain... -_-

8. Something you discovered this summer?

Umm... how much I love my friends. I knew I loved them before but I never knew how much I loved and needed them.

9. If you can, post a picture of of your summer outfit.

I've used this photo so many times but I can't be bothered to take another one because I'm lazy...

10. Something you will miss from this summer?

Freedom. I'm going into year 10 - GCSE year - and I just know as soon as term starts I will be stressing and worrying about everything and will be working constantly so that I'm not the failure of the family. Year 10 is the beginning of endless exams and worry and work. And I'm not looking forward to that. I'll miss being free and not having to worry about anything too stressful.

Okay questions:

1. Does your skin tan or burn?

2. Dresses or shorts?

3. Swimming in the sea or sunbathing?

4. What is your favourite summer activity?

5. What is your favourite memory from this summer?

6. If you can, show a picture of your summer outfit.

7. When do you start back at school?

8. What are you most looking forward to about school and what are you dreading the most?

9. Name three songs on your summer playlist.

10. Something you will miss from this summer?

I tag:

Madeline // In the Wind

Rose // Truly. Madly. Deeply.

Elly // A Girl

Anna // Banana and Bear

Eve // Eve of Womanhood

Now, about London. :)

I went on the Friday and arrived at London Paddington at around 12:30. Had a little cup of Peppermint tea before heading off.

I did so much in London. Seriously, I cannot believe how much I did!

Day 1

Went to Oxford Circus and Picadilly Circus.

Went into giant Hamleys - bought a cola lolly (yum).

Saw Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

Went on the London Eye.

So I basically walked all. day.

Day 2

Climbed the O2 dome, which was absolutely amazing! The view was beautiful.

Went to Cafe Rouge for a nice brunch-y thing.

Travelled on the cable car.

Went back to Piccadilly Circus to go to Waterstones - Europe's largest bookshop!

Went to King's Cross Station to the Harry Potter shop at Platform 9 3/4 - it was so busy but I got the things I wanted!

Day 3

Went to this little restaurant place, The Haberdashery, for breakfast. So sweet.

Went to the Natural History Museum

Wondered around Stoke Newington, and their various independent bookshops

I was super busy! I bought quite a few things, so here's a little London Haul for you. :)

The first thing I bought was this cute little teddy at the O2 gift shop. I just couldn't leave him! I needed a souvenir from there, so I chose him!

I called him Otis. Because O2... Otis. Haha. Haha. I'm funny. >.<

I also bought a paintbrush pen from the Tate Modern. I love it - it's so cool!

As I said, we went to the Waterstones in Piccadilly Circus and it was buy one get one half price so....

 Oops...
My godmother Niki asked me to choose a book for her to buy me for my birthday. So I chose Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas as I have been wanting to read the series for ages. So when the second book, Crown of Midnight and the book of novellas, The Assassin's Blade, were buy on get one half price, naturally I had to buy them. The third book, Heir of Fire, comes out the day after my birthday, 11th September. Guess what I'll be spending my birthday money on...
I also bought a nice bookmark there. It's plain black faux leather (but it's really soft) with Waterstones stamped into it at the bottom.

At King's Cross Station, I bought a ticket from Platform 9 3/4 to Hogwarts.

I also bought a Ravenclaw keyring, as that is my Hogwarts house.

As you can she it's on my locker keys.... which have a lot of other keyrings on it. Maybe I'll show you guys one day. :)

After we went to the National History Museum, I saw a small independent bookshop and decided to have a look inside. They had quite a good YA section for an independent shop and I ended up buying Pandemonium and Requiem by Lauren Oliver.

I have Delirium and it has always annoyed me that I don't have the second and third book, despite having read the whole trilogy. So when I saw them for £3.99 each, I grabbed them!

My last buy is also a book. While wondering around Stoke Newington, I found a little secondhand bookshop and had a little look. I ended up finding Hexed by Michelle Krys, which is a book I have wanted to read for ages. And it was £2.50!

I love independent bookshops...

I did buy a few other things but they are presents so I can't show you in case the gift-receivers are reading.

So that's the end of my London haul. :) Now for a photo dump. Yay! Enjoy. :)

Paddington Station

 Trafalgar Square

 Trafalgar Square

 Trafalgar Square fountain

 Trafalgar Square lion

 I don't know what this is called, but it's beautiful

 The Mall

 Buckingham Palace

 Buckingham Palace: the Victoria Memorial

 Buckingham Palace: the Victoria Memorial

View of the lake in St. James' Park 

 Houses of Parliament

 Big Ben

 The London Eye

 View from the London Eye

 View from the London Eye

 London Eye and Big Ben

 Peppermint tea in Cafe Rouge

 The cable car

 The Shard

 The Shard and Southwark Cathedral

 Brownie and Coke in Southwark Cathedral (dedicated to my bro ;) )

 Awesome 'book bench' depicting Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

 Another angle of the book bench

 The back of the book bench

 Bridge (I don't know what it's called...)

 Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

 View of St Paul's Cathedral from the Tate Modern

 I love these so much! They are love locks. Couple will put a lock on a bridge, lock it and throw the key into the river. I love this one especially that says Forever and Always which I found on the Millennium Bridge :)

 St Paul's Cathedral

 St Paul's Cathedral

 Platform 9 3/4. There was a lady there with the four house scarves around her neck and you could choose which house scarf you wanted, wear the Harry Potter glasses and hold a wand while hanging on to the handle of the trolley and have your picture taken. Unfortunately, there was a massive queue, so I skipped it.

 The front of the Platform 9 3/4 Harry Potter shop

 King's Cross Station

 Peppermint tea at the Haberdashery (as you can probably tell, I love Peppermint tea...)

 My breakfast at the Haberdashery

 The Haberdashery. How. Cute. They had a stack of Penguin classics on the shelves which you could borrow in the restaurant, toy cars with the prices on and mismatched cutlery and crockery. Everything had a home-made feel to it.

 A gravestone in Abney Park

 A sleeping lion in Abney Park

 Another gravestone. When someone died young, the top of their mast gravestone was cut off to symbolise a life cut short.

 Part of a (very scary-looking) gravestone

 Part of a grave that a tree has grown around

 The front of the Natural History Museum

 The entrance hall in the museum

 Stained glass window in the museum

 Stairway in the entrance hall

 Monkeys carved onto the pillars in the museum

 Another monkey :)

 The mammals section

 The Baker Street stop on the Underground: Bakerloo line

My hot chocolate at Paddington Station before I boarded. I made a heart out of the white frothy milk on the top. :)

But wait, there's more! The rest of these photos are pictures my dad took - most are of me with some of the tourist attractions I saw. Enjoy. :)

 This is me outside Buckingham Palace

 The O2 arena

 The climbing trail on the O2 dome

 This is moi on the top of the O2

 Pointing to a You Are Here sign on the top of the O2

 Me, having a little sleep on a book bench outside St Paul's Cathedral

 These are the cars with the prices in the Haberdashery

This is me with ma buddy Charles Darwin, We're besties, as you can tell. ;)

So yeah, there we go! The London photo dump is done. :)

As a lot of you may know, there's this thing going around called the Ice Bucket Challenge. It was created to raise awareness for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) a disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Loads of people have donated to the ALS Association thanks to the ice bucket challenge.

I am now one of them.

^ This is me having ice water dumped on me. My mum enjoyed it far too much...

And yes, that is my dog in the background. She was loving it...

It was far from enjoyable, but I feel good having done it and donated to the ALS Association. Any of you that haven't done it, I really encourage you to. You don't even have to pour cold water over your head - you can just donate.

Thanks for reading guys ♥

UPDATE: You now have 3 days to enter my 50 followers writing competition. 3 DAYS. So if you are planning on entering, get your entries in. Either post it on your blog and leave me a link in the comments or email it to me at bethan{dot}thinkreadwritedream{at}gmail{dot}com

Also, I will not be posting a Creative Thursday tomorrow as I will be busy! So sorry about that, but I just won't have time. There will also be no Words post, as I will also be busy then - nothing exciting Thursday or Sunday, I just won't have the time. But I will be posting Monday. Love you guys ♥

UPDATE 2: You have all of today and all of tomorrow to enter my writing contest. It ends Sunday 31st August, midnight, YOUR TIME. If you are wanting to enter, do so quickly and within that time period.