Extremely long post...

So, as I warned on Thursday, I have a very long post for you today....Seriously it's so long...
I just need to get everything done so I can post what I want, instead of having to pick from an existing list.
What to expect in this post:

+ Another Book Haul (oops...)

+ July Wrap Up (new!)

+ Liebster Award

+ Beautiful Blog Award

+ Sunshine Award

+ Winner of a Photo Challenge

Let's get started with the book haul! All of the blurbs are from Goodreads.

The first book is Four: A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth. Here's the blurb:

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation's faction leader did the same. Tobias's transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened "Four," he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future - and the future of the entire faction system.

Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps in the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.

Four contains four short stories from Tobias' point of view - The Transfer, The Initiate, The Son and The Traitor. It also includes three exclusive scenes from Divergent in Four's POV. I thoroughly enjoyed this book - it was really great to learn more about Tobias and the way he thinks. I'm so glad I picked this up. :)

The next books I bought are the entire Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. I won't put the blurbs here as I don't want to spoil you or myself, as I have only read the first two books. This series was an absolute bargain, though. I bought all six books for £15!

I have just finished the second book, Frostbite, and I loved it! You might remember me putting the first book, Vampire Academy, in a previous book haul - click here - so yes, I do now have two copies of the first book. But I'm giving one copy to Lauren when I see her on Friday because who doesn't love a free book?

I then took two books out of my library, the first one being the book I am currently reading, How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff:

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she's never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy

arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy. 

As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it's a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy's uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

I had the chance to buy this book and get it signed when I went on a trip with school to hear a few authors talk - Meg Rosoff being one of them - but I decided against it. I am seriously regretting that now. After watching one of my favourite BookTubers, Ariel Bissett, rave about this book while reading it in the BookTubeAThon, I saw it in my library and grabbed it. Reading it now, I really wish I'd bought it and had it signed by the author.... Bad choice, past-Bethan. Bad choice.

The second book was one I had seen the spine of on several BookTubers' shelves, and that is The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend:

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper knows she's not the hottest girl at school, but when school jock and resident moron Wesley casually refers to her as a DUFF - Designated Ugly Fat Friend - the gloves are off!

If there's a thin line between love and hate then Bianca has crossed it. She just never thought she was capable of breaking anyone's heart...

It just seems like quite a light-hearted book, something to read in a mourning period.

The last book I bought for 50p in a charity shop and it is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens:

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

I already have a cheap paperback copy of this book, but this is a beeeaauutiful copy! I mean, look at the spine!

And that's the end of my book haul! Part 2 - July Wrap Up.
This is a new thing I've decided to do at the end of every month. I saw Paige from The Joys of Being Paige do something like this, and a few BookTubers do something like it, so I've sort of combined them to make my own thing.
At the end of every month, I will show you all the books I have read in that month and give them a rating out of 5 stars and share few songs with you that I am really loving. That sound okay?

Bookshelf:

Every Day by David Levithan - 4 stars
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter - 4 stars
Half Bad by Sally Green - 3.5 stars
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness - 5 stars
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - 4 stars
172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad - 4 stars
Four: A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth - 5 stars

Playlist:

Ink // Coldplay
One // Ed Sheeran
Thinking Out Loud // Ed Sheeran
Riptide // Vance Joy

Part 3 - The Liebster Award.
Oh my goodness, 5 people have nominated me for the Liebster Award... Better get on with it then!

Rules:

- Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their blog.

- Provide 11 facts about yourself.

- Answer the 11 questions they have given you.

- Nominate 11 bloggers and notify them on their blog.

Thank you to Celia from Crazy. Crazy. Crazy., Jollygirl from Reflections of a Jollygirl, Mahnoor from MahnoorApple, Emily from Lynde Avenue and Hannah from In the Heart of Hannah.

Okay... 11 facts...

1. I am small compared to all of my friends, but I'm actually around average height. Which is annoying because it makes me feel smaller than I am. The fact that I'm super skinny also helps the image that I'm really small.

2. I'm not entirely an introvert, but I'm not an extrovert either. I like to call myself an "Extroverted Introvert."

3. According to Pottermore, I am a Ravenclaw with a Hawthorn and Phoenix Feather, 12 and 1/2 inches, surprisingly swishy wand. I've always loved being a Ravenclaw. :)

4. I am terrible at thinking up facts about myself...

5. I bite my nails. The only time I will stop biting my nails is when I have a coloured nail polish on them - I have light purple on at the moment.

6. I play the piano and I have just passed my Grade 4 with a Merit. XD

7. I have two older brothers. Gareth (the oldest) and Huw. They may be annoying but I love them.

8. I have never flown on an plane.

9. I am going to London for the first time later in August and I'm so excited!

10. I have really pale skin, so I get sunburn really easily.

11. I am taking French, Art and History for my GCSEs, as well as the compulsory subjects.

Onto the questions! 55 questions....
First up - Celia's questions:

1. If you could meet one fictional character, who would you meet?
Already this is hard..... I can't choose! Will Herondale, so we can get married? Either him, Tessa Gray or Hermione Granger. Because those two girls are basically me, and we could have some nice conversations. But I think I'm going to stick with Will.

2. If you could meet one celebrity, who would you meet?
I'm not going to count authors, otherwise I would die. I think I'd choose Jennifer Lawrence? Just because she's so nice and she's so funny. Or Benedict Cumberbatch. Or David Tennant. One of those.

3. If you had one day to do whatever you wanted (ANYTHING), to have the best day ever, what would you do?
I would get up and it would be a beautiful day. I would go swimming and then get my completed story together (because in this world, I have a completed story) and I would get it published. Then I would meet all my favourite authors and talk to them about writing. And then I would meet all my internet buddies (that's you guys) and we'd meet in a giant book shop and we'd buy some books. Then I'd go home and be surrounded by my friends and family and read. Ta da!

4. Who is your favourite blogger? (if you need to, you can pick more than one)
Thank goodness for that bracket bit!
I'm too tired to write down everybody's names! All of my followers. There you are.

5. Would you rather write one really good best selling book and never write again OR be able to write as much as you want but you will never get anything published?
That's a tough one. That's really hard, because it's always been my dream to get published, but I'm going to have to go with the second option. Because I couldn't give up writing for one best-selling book.

6. Olaf or Sven?
Olaf. :) I love Sven but... Olaf.

7. Do you like the smell of cat food?
I don't own a cat, but I have smelt cat food before and no.

8. What are your two favourite colours?
Blue is my favourite. Second one... I don't know.. green maybe? Or a light purple.

9. Would you rather go bungee jumping or sky diving?
Neither..... I'm not scared of heights - I love Ferris Wheels and looking down - not at all, but with both of those things, there are too many things that could go wrong that would lead to my death... So neither. I'm sorry, I'm chickening out of this question.

10. Put together a frozen yoghurt! Pick three kinds of frozen yoghurt and as many toppings as you want!
Um, we don't really have fro-yo in UK. The only frozen yoghurt I've tried is vanilla.... I'll do it with ice cream instead. :)
Vanilla, Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough and Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
With.... hmm... Chocolate sauce and chocolate chips.
Now I want ice cream...

11. Favourite word?
Discombobulated is a good word.

Now for Jollygirl's questions:

1. What type of music do you listen to? (genre, artists, songs?)
I don't really have a genre, so I'll just list some of my favourite artists/bands.
I love Kodaline, Bastille, Imagine Dragons and Of Monsters and Men. I also love Gabrielle Aplin, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and Taylor Swift.

2. What usually cheers you up?
Chocolate.
Reading.
Talking to Lauren.
(This is what happens when I'm sad. In this order)

3. What makes you sad?
Being ignored by my friends.
When someone calls me horrible things.
But sometimes it's something completely different. It depends.

4. Is there something you constantly misplace at your house or anywhere?
My phone at my house, all the time.

5. Do you have a favourite book? Why/Why not?
I do. I have several, but we've been through this before... *sigh* I'll type them out again.
The Hunger Games trilogy, the Divergent trilogy, The Mortal Instruments series, The Infernal Devices trilogy, Harry Potter, TFIOS, Percy Jackson series, Heroes of Olympus series.
Why? Because they're amazing!

6. What is the longest you have slept?
Um... I've slept in to 11:30 before, and I went to bed at 10. So... 13 hours and 30 mins.

7. Do you have anyone to go to for advice?
My mum and Lauren.

8. What is the one habit you are proud of breaking or want to break?
I want to break the habit of biting my nails. Really badly.

9. What do you usually order at a restaurant? What is your favourite restaurant?
My family and I don't really eat out a lot. My favourite restaurant is probably Red Hot Buffet because you have unlimited food. >.<

10. What is your favourite word? Least favourite?
Discombobulated is a good word, like I said in Celia's questions. I don't have a least favourite word though...

11. Describe something that happened to you for which there was no reasonable explanation?
Er..... Nothing really. I can't think or anything!

Mahnoor's questions now:

1. What would you do to someone who insulted your favourite celebrity?
Say nothing, because I hate confrontation, but in my head I would be shouting insults at them.

2. Would you rather get grounded for a month or get banned from reading books for two weeks?
Grounded is where you have to stay home, right? (that's never happened to me before) I'd go for the first one then, definitely. Because I don't go outside. I stay inside. And read books. And blog.

3. If you could take seven fictional characters out for dinner, who would they be and in what order would you seat them?
Will Herondale
Hermione Granger
The Doctor (Ten)
Tessa Gray
Simon Lewis
Annabeth Chase
Luna Lovegood
In this order:

Me, with Will and Hermione either side of me. Next to Hermione would be Tessa and next to Will would be Simon. Annabeth next to Tessa, Luna next to Simon and the Doctor inbetween  Annabeth and Luna. What a dinner.

4. Pancakes or crepes?

Don't like pancakes, never tried crepes.

5. Are you sleepy at this very moment?

No. But I will be later.

6. Blue or pink?

Blue.

7. You get full royalty treatment for a week? What will you do?

Read. Meet my favourite authors. Get all inventors working on a machine to make fictional characters real. Yup.

8. How much do you care about your book's spine being ruined?

Not a lot. Obviously it's a lot nicer to have a non-broken spine on your bookshelf, but several of my paperbacks have broken spines. I'm not that bothered.

9. Super slow WiFi but free or ultra expensive WiFi but wicked fast?

Probably the free one.... But I hate slow WiFi. :(

10. On a scale of 1-10, how awesome would you rate yourself?

A 6. 7 at most.

2 more left. I can do this. Emily's questions now!

1. When is your birthday and how tall are you?

My birthday is 10th September and I am 5ft 3"

2. Sunrise or sunset?

Sunset.

3. Gold or silver?

Silver.

4. Flats or heels?

Trainers! But out of those two, flats.

5. If you could choose another name for yourself, what would it be?

I've always loved the name Laurel. And I really like the name Grace as well.

6. Where do you see yourself in eight years?

Well, that would make me 22, so I would have just finished university, or could be nearing the end of university, depending on my course. I'd like to think with a job in a book shop. ^.^

7. Why are you proud of yourself?

I have a lovely family and amazing friends. And I have 62 followers on this blog.

8. If you could switch places with someone for a week, who would it be and why?

Nobody famous - I wouldn't like the attention. Probably one of my friends, just to see what it's like, being friends with me!

9. If you could go out with a fictional character, who would it be and why?

Okay, I know I go on about him way too much, bu Mr William Herondale! Because he is handsome, he loves reading, he's romantic, and he says such beautiful things.

'Life is a book and there are a thousand pages I have not yet read.'

'There's plenty of sense in nonsense sometimes, if you wish to look for it.'

'I am catastrophically in love with you.'

He also has an amazing sense of humour. *swoon*

10. What is your best subject at school?

I love English and Art.

11. What is your least favourite accessory?

I don't really wear accessories.... So, all of them?

Only one more. It's nearly over! But then I have two other awards to do.....

Hannah's questions:

1. Favourite day of the year?

Christmas. ;)

2. Hot chocolate or tea?

This is tough, because I looooove hot chocolate but I also looooovee Peppermint tea. I'll say hot chocolate, because when you say 'tea' you mean normal tea. So hot chocolate.

3. Lunch or dinner?

Hmmm... lunch, because that tends to be more snack-y.

4. Morning or evening?

Evening. I am not a morning person. Once I'm up, I'm up. But it's the getting up that I find hard.

5. Writing or reading?

I literally cannot choose. :( I don't know! I refuse to choose.

6. Blogging or noveling?

Again, I can't choose.

7. Strawberries or blueberries?

Strawberries. I love blueberries, but strawberries.

8. Skirts or shorts?

Shorts.

9. Dancing or sport?

I don't do sport, so dancing. I don't do that properly. I don't go to classes, or anything. But dancing - if waving my arms around and flailing counts as dancing, because I do that regularly.

10. Frozen or Tangled?

Tangled! Definitely. I love Frozen, but it's not as good as Tangled. Don't hate me. I just love Tangled.

11. Loose hair or ponytail?

Hmmm.... Loose hair. Because I rarely put my hair in a ponytail. Perks of having curly hair #67 - My little baby hairs are super curly and when my hair is in a ponytail, they stick up like little devil horns.

I have my hair in a braid usually, or down. Or in a messy bun.

I nominate anybody who wants to do this. Your questions are:

1. Favourite dessert?
2. Having your picture taken or taking the picture?
3. What do you love most about blogging?
4. Do you have a nickname?
5. Do you consider yourself graceful?
6. If you could go out with a fictional character, who would it be and why?
7. If you could take seven fictional characters out for dinner, who would they be and in what order would you seat them?
8. Are you left handed or right handed?
9. Favourite Disney princess?
10. What usually cheers you up?
11. What is a weird dream you had?

Yes! I am freeeee. Dobby is a freeeeee elf! (I'm sorry, it was right there.)

Now onto the Beautiful Blog Award. The wonderful Kat from (Almost) Completely Mad nominated me for this award.

Let's a-go! (bit of Mario)

Rules:

- Answer the questions given to you.

- Give some questions for the people you nominate.

- Tell the people you nominate that you have nominated them.

1. Traveling or staying at home?

Staying at home. We don't travel a lot, really. But I just love staying at home. I have everything I could want, and it's just comfortable.

2. Sport or dancing?

Dancing. Reasons why on question 9 of Hannah's questions. Up there.

3. Blueberries or strawberries?

Strawberries.

4. Favourite hide out?

I don't really have one. I suppose my room. When I was younger, Lauren, my good friend Rebeka and I would make dens out of branches and stuff by the Scout hut in their street. That was our hideout. But I don't really have one now.

5. Best memory?

I have so many amazing memories. Meeting Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman. Meeting Cassandra Clare. Meeting Rainbow Rowell. And then there are the normal, every day memories. Making daisy chains with Lauren. Laughing hysterically with my family. So many good memories.

6. Favourite blog designs?

I loooooveee Eve's and Tane's. They are both amazing designers. I also really liked Rose's one with the computer header thingy. There are so many beautiful blog designs though - I have yet to read a blog with a design I don't like.

7. Friends or family?
Family. I love my friends, but you can never beat family. Although I've been friends with this girl for so long, she's kind of like family.

8. Favourite outfit?
It really depends on the weather. In colder weather, I love wearing my dark jeans, lace-up boots, a comfy t-shirt with my navy hoodie and my grey-y green-y coat. In warm weather, I like wearing either my shorts with sandals and a floaty vest top thing that Lauren gave me, or an orange lace dress with sandals.

9. Buses or trucks?
Buses?

10. Birds or fish?
I love birds, but I could gaze and read about fish all day. I went through a phase of wanting to be a marine biologist when I was around 8. Once I realised I would need to take science A Level, I dropped that career hope, but the facts and love of marine life stuck. I could literally stand in an aquarium all day.

11. Favourite dessert?
I love all desserts. :) But I especially love Eton Mess. It's meringue with different berries and whipped cream. I love it in summer!

12. Mum or dad?
I can't choose, I love them both equally and infinitely.

13. Frozen or Tangled?
Tangled.

I tag:

Lauren // Pretty Things and Polka Dots

Rose // Truly. Madly. Deeply.

Madeline // In the Wind

Eve // Eve of Womanhood

Tane // Fifth out of Ten

Here are my questions:

1. Favourite dessert?

2. Having your picture taken or taking the picture?

3. What do you love most about blogging?

4. Do you have a nickname?

5. Do you consider yourself graceful?

6. If you could go out with a fictional character, who would it be and why?

7. If you could take seven fictional characters out for dinner, who would they be and in what order would you seat them?

8. Are you left handed or right handed?

9. Favourite Disney princess?

10. What usually cheers you up?

11. What is a weird dream you had?

12. How do you usually wear your hair?

13. How often do you read?

Have fun!

I was also nominated for the Sunshine Award. Thank you Elly! Check out her blog, A Girl.

Rules:

- Thank the person who nominated you.

- Answer the questions given to you.

- Nominate a bunch of other bloggers.

- Write some questions for the people you nominate.

- Notify the bloggers you nominated.

- Put the award button in the post.

1. Which would you choose; to be invisible when you wanted to be or be able to fly when you wanted?
As cool as being invisible whenever I wanted to be would be, I have to go with the flying one because I would love to fly.

2. Favourite book character?
I can't choose, there are too many amazing characters!

3. Favourite book genre?
I'm going to say YA fiction, because my favourite genre varies. I love fantasy, dystopian and sci-fi, but I do read quite a lot of contemporary as well.

4. Taking pictures or being in a picture?
Definitely taking pictures. I am really insecure, so I don't really like being in pictures. Unless it's with a friend/friends and we're all pulling funny faces!

5. What hairstyle is your hair in right now?
It's in a braid right now - it was braided now my back but it's gradually fallen over my left shoulder....

6. What are you wearing right now?
Dark jeans, a grey t-shirt with NYC written in a red velvet-y fabric and sleeves down to just above my elbows, bare feet, and light purple nails. Comfy. :)

7. Where are you right now?
I am in my living room on the armchair in the corner.

8. Favourite smell?
I loooooovvee the smell of books - old and new. Vanilla is also amazing, and I love the smell of freshly cut grass - which isn't so great as I have hay fever... But my favourite smell is definitely the smell of book.

9. What is a dream you once had?
Um.... I had a dream a while ago that I was in bed and I suddenly jumped out and was wearing a floaty blue dress and I started dancing. Then I went to school and somebody had taken my bag, so I was wondering around in this dress - nobody asking me why I wasn't in uniform - trying to find my bag, and I started crying because I couldn't find it...
Weird dreams....

10. Favourite colour?
Blue. :)

I nominate anybody who wants to do this award!

Here are your questions:

1. Favourite dessert?
2. Having your picture taken or taking the picture?
3. What do you love most about blogging?
4. Do you have a nickname?
5. Do you consider yourself graceful?
6. If you could go out with a fictional character, who would it be and why?
7. If you could take seven fictional characters out for dinner, who would they be and in what order would you seat them?
8. Are you left handed or right handed?
9. Favourite Disney princess?
10. What usually cheers you up?
11. What is a weird dream you had?
12. How do you usually wear your hair?
13. How often do you read?

And lastly.... I won overall best photo in Anna's photo challenge! Check out her awesome blog, Banana and Bear.

   
Yay! Party. XD I won with this photo.

I have now done all the posts I need to do. I can tell you now, I won't be doing anymore awards for a while.....
I am so sorry for the long posts, but I can post what I like now! Next Monday - life update. :D

Thank you so much if you got this far!
Thanks for reading. ♥