Holiday hiatus

I know I haven't been around a lot, and I've definately lacked lately in visiting your guys blogs, but once I'm back from my holidays I'll catch up! I'm leaving saturday for a week to Meaux, France. I'm going camping with 4 of my friends, and I'm really excited for it. We're definately going to visit Paris for a day as we are really close by the city, and further...We're not sure yet, but we'll for sure have a blast. Talk to you all, soon!

Color Run @ Zwolle

You would say that summer holidays allow me to blog more, but I've found myself less behind my laptop than when I don't have holidays, for the very simple reason that I already spend so much time behind it for my studies. Anyway, I'm back with a little update on the Color Run in which I participated in the city of Zwolle on the 7th of July. For those who don't know the Color Run is a colourful running event for a good cause.

I have to say we had a very good time, even though it was about 30 degrees celcius, so it was a bit too warm to run the full 5k. Secretly, the most fun part was travelling back by train for nearly 4 hours, all covered in the bright coloured dust. The looks we got from bypassers....hihi. Below one of the promotion videos so you get an idea of what the day looked like!

Movie Review: Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me 2

I tried to look up a sypnosis for this movie, I'm not sure if there actually is one. Anyway, those who have seen the first movie or any of the trailers will probably no what it is about, or not, because most of the trailer just feature the awesome minions! The movie is about Gru this time trying to save the world, of course together with his minions.

The movie was in 3D and honestly I'm not that big of a fan of 3D but with animation movies it usually works. It definately worked for this movie as well. I saw the first one in 3D as well and it just as much worked for this one.

When me and two friends arrived at the cinema, we noticed we were a little older than the average age of visitors, ah well. We actually went as a last minute decision on our first day of holidays (the two friends I went with had their last exam two hours earlier) and it was a good call.

We laughed: A LOT. It was funny to see how some parts that are featured in so many commercials were actually there (like from commercials for Chiquita Bananas). I have a feeling this is not going to be a very extensive review, because all I want to say about this are: MINIONS. They are just awesome and are the very core of the movie, no matter that the kids of Gru are really cute too.

The part where we maybe laughed the loudest was the credits, weird huh? There you have these three minions "auditioning" for the movie, just all minion awesomeness in a few minutes.

Winner of the Angels for Positive Women give-a-way

Just popping in to announce the winner of the give-a-way for Positive Women. I hope to have a normal post up tomorrow again! Even though it is holidays for me (finally) I've been quite busy with a lot of nice things lately, so stay tuned!

The winner is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway Congrats Yasmine! For everyone who participated, thank you so much. If you are still interested, please have a look on the website to purchase your own for the charity, Angels for Positive Women.

Book Review #18: The Magicians' Guild

"We should expect this young woman to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician."

This year, like every other, the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move with no fear of the vagrants and miscreants who despise them and their work—until one enraged girl, barely more than a child, hurls a stone at the hated invaders... and effortlessly penetrates their magical shield.
What the Magicians' Guild has long dreaded has finally come to pass. There is someone outside their ranks who possesses a raw power beyond imagining, an untrained mage who must be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with a force she cannot yet control.

The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan is the first book in "The Black Magician Triology". However, there is a prequel to it, which is basically a history book. That book, The Magician's Apprentice, I reviewed last year here. As for The Magicians Guild, I would give it 4/5 Stars.

Angels for Positive Women (Including give-a-way)

I'm one of the million. Are you? 

Positive Women is a charity that supports the women and children of Swaziland. I've come to known the charity via their ambassador, Joseph Morgan as he happens to be my favourite actor. He has already put forward great work for the charity and raised a lot of money for it so far. When a little while back one of my best friends Annelie set up Angels for Positive Women I immediately joined the boat to raise money for Positive Women.

Perfect Clouds Blog Tour

Welcome to the 19th stop of the 'Perfect Clouds YA Virtual Book Tour', presenting Perfect Glass by Laura Anderson Kurk and Swimming Through Clouds by  Rajdeep Paulus. Be ready for a lot of epicness below. Of course I'll tell you what the books are about (and how amazingly awesome they are), you will also find the new post it and hidden letter for those who are collecting those for the final revel AND of course there is an awesome-tastic give-a-way at the end!

Perfect Glass by Laura Anderson Kurk

Things get messy when Meg Kavanagh gets involved—first with Jo Russell, the eccentric old artist, and then with Quinn O’Neill, the intriguing loner who can’t hide how he feels about Meg. Her senior year isn’t turning out like she planned it, but sometimes the best parts of life happen in the in-between moments. And Henry will be home soon, right?

He commits to one year in an orphanage that needs him more than he ever dreamed. Thousands of miles from Meg and the new punk who has fallen for her, and absent from the ranch that’s in his blood, Henry Whitmire finds out what it means to trust. When you’re so far from home, it’s terrifying to realize you’re not who you thought. But the perfect glass of calamity makes the best mirror.

An identity crisis, long distance love, new temptation, and growing pains teach Henry and Meg how to hang onto each other and to what really matters.

"Unspoken" Piano Composition

I pointed out before that I love piano music and that it can be so touching. I also love listening to piano music when writing stories. It is easier to get inspired by this kind of music than songs that have lyrics in them, for the simple reason that I start listening (and sometimes sing along) to the lyrics and get distracted from what I was actually doing.

I recently came by the composition below, "Unspoken". It is from a fellow writer whom I've gotten to know via Go Teen Writers. Leah is only 17 years old and composed and played this piece herself. The first time I heard it I was totally awed by it. Isn't it gorgeous? If you want to know more on the inspiration for this piece, have a look at her blog.

Book Review #17: Swimming Through Clouds

I live in the in between. Between what if and what is. It’s how I manage. It’s the only way I know. Everyone has their way. This is mine.

When high school, cell phone disruption forces a classroom ban, the words on a Post-it note spark a sticky romance between two unlikely friends. Transfer student Talia Vanderbilt has one goal at her new school: to blend in with the walls. Lagan Desai, basketball captain and mathlete, would do just about anything to befriend the new girl. One Post-it note at a time, Lagan persuades Talia to peel back her heart, slowly revealing her treasure chest of pain—an absent mother, a bedridden brother, and an abusive father. In a world where hurt is inevitable, the two teens search for a safe place to weather the storms of life. Together. 4/5 Stars 

Insurgence Germany

Click to enlarge // Photo credit: Annelie

For those who are quite done with me rambling about The Vampire Diaries, this is your time to run away ;) Like I mentioned before, last weekend I have spend the weekend in Germany with my two friend Yasmine and Annelie to visit 'Insurgence Germany' a Vampire Diaries conventions. As you can see above the guests were (from left to right) Sebastian Roché (aka Mikael Mikaelson), Nathaniel Buzolic (aka Kol Mikaelson), Matt Davis (aka Alaric Saltzman), Candice Accola (aka Caroline Forbes), Michael Trevino (aka Tyler Lockwood) and Kat Graham (aka Bonnie Bennet).

One way or the other I'm going to try and not write everything down here what I've written in my little notebook, because then I'm probably still writing by the time it's midnight. Anyway if anyone still has any questions or anything afterwards, sound off in the comments and I would love to tell you more. Also if you want to do me a favour and would love to see such a convention again in Germany, do please like like this page to show the organisation we are definately game for another one!

I was fairly busy beforehand, so when it was finally friday it hit me that I was leaving for Germany that day. I had a class in the morning and would catch the bus to Aachen straight after. Several busses, trains and 8 hours later I arrived in Bad Wildungen where the convention was held. Besides eating and catching up with Yasmine and Annelie, I didn't do much. There was a party that evening, but we were scattered from travelling and decided to call it a day early on.

Back home & The Philosophers trailer

Hi guys! I'm back from Germany from the Vampire Diaries convention. Alright I've been back since early monday morning, but I've been swamped with catching up with work ever since. I'll promise to write a blog about it soon, but it takes quite some time to compile that one, so bear with me. In the mean time, check out the trailer below of the movie The Philosophers. Seriously, this movie looks sooo good!

London: What to watch by night?

It's been a while since I wrote a London post (actually more than a month), but here is finally a new one. Of course there is clubbing, and going out for a musical or a bite at a restaurant at night in London, but that is not what I wanted to talk about actually during this blog. At one point during my internship one of my co-workers and I received free tickets for one of the bus tours and we did that at the end of the afternoon. We had planned to do it much earlier, but due to work circumstances it was late afternoon by the time we hopped on and that being in March, darkness set in quickly. What we saw wasn't what we had expected, as we had expected to see not much at all, but let me tell you this Westminster Pier by night is even more gorgeous than it already is by daytime. I get that it is a little more difficult to catch this sight now that it daylight is staying around longer, but if you get the chance to see it, definately do visit.

Merchandise: Potc amulet

This week I added a new piece of jewelry to my merchandise collection. This on top of the collection I already have. For those who hadn't recognized it yet, it's the medallion featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean. I bought it via Film Jewels in case anyone was wondering. The necklace is super light and that is definately a plus for me, cause I have a likewise necklace with an amulet on it, which is quite heavy and it isn' too nice to weary when it's warm weather therefore. So I'm definately happy with this new piece to my collection.

Oh and I've also connected the site finally to BlogLovin (see sidebar on the right for the follow button), since GFC appearantly is going to stop, please follow the blog through BlogLovin as well.

Urban Graphic

 

Aren't these awesome? Find more of them at Urban Graphic. What is your favourite on there? Got to love the "Few women admit their age. Few men act theirs" as well!

Stacking my shelves

A book related update, to share the books I've lately received in paperback. These books are:

1. Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
2. The magician's guild by Trudi Canavan
3. Captives by Jill Williamson

The first two I received as birthday presents from friends, the latter I bough myself recently. Dreamless is the sequel to Starcrossed, a book that took a whole new point of view regarding the Greek mythodology, loved it. The Magician's guild is officially the first one in its series, but I've read the prequel to it already 'The Magician's apprentice'. The third book, Captives, is the first one in its series too and will be the first book I'm reading from Jill. Below you can find the descriptions on the three books, any of them you would like to read or have read already perhaps?

Can true love be forgotten?

As the only Scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies’ cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen’s sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos. 

Movie Review: The Great Gatsby

“The Great Gatsby” follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super-rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles. 

I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, like at all. I don't know what it is, but his acting has never been that phenomenal to me. However, his acting in his most recent movies was more appealing to me and since I really wanted to see 'The Great Gatsby' I decided to see it in cinema anyway, despite of the main role for Leonardo. And I was more than glad that I saw it in the cinema.

Blog Tour: The Rules for Dissapearing by Ashley Elston

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last. 

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself. 

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

Flashforward: Insurgence Germany

A few weeks back I did a blog post about the autographs I've collected so far (read here). I mentioned there that soon I will be attending another convention, namely Insurgence Germany (people use both names, it can be confusing now and then) and I thought to give you guys a little teaser of what is going to happen there. For those who get excited about it via this post, there are still (day)tickets available here.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm brabbling about, Insurgence Germany is a fan convetion for the TV serie 'The Vampire Diaries'. (Yes that serie again, sorry guys!) It is taking place in Bad Wildungen, Germany at the hotel Maritim Hotel Bad Wildungen and the dates are from the 7th until the 9th of June. Now that is said, let me tell you which amazing guests will all attend (subject to their work commitments):

Party Time!

21 years old is what I can call myself from this day and onwards. Talk to you all soon!

Book Review #16: The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet

I'm behind a little on reviews, but here's one at least again! This time The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill.

Ellie Sweet is a lot of things—good girl, novelist, silent adorer of the new boy at school, Palmer. But when “outcast” gets added to the list, she decides it’s time to take reality into her own hands … and tweak it as needed.
In the pages of her book, she’s Lady Gabrielle, favorite of the medieval Italian court. Her once-friends are reduced to catty ladies-in-waiting, and the too-charming Palmer—who in real life never spares her a second word—gets to be nothing more than a rake wracked by unrequited love for her. She even has a perfect real-life villain in the brooding Chase, who hails from the wrong side of town.
But just when she’s getting along great in her fictional world, the real one throws her a few curves. With Chase pursuing her, Palmer wanting to date her—but in secret—and the details of her manuscript going public, Ellie suddenly receives more attention than she ever really wanted. And when her former-friends discover what she’s been writing, they’re determined to teach Ellie a lesson about the severe consequences of using her pen as her sword.

Autograph Adventures

I've been planning to do this post for a long time already, but now it is finally here. A post where I show you guys my dear autographs that I've collected over the last few years from celebrities. I've collected them all in personal, which makes them so much more special for myself. The craziness started in 2011 when I visited my first premiere and first convention. (If you click on the pictures they'll enlarge. They are all photos from photos so some of the quality might have gone lost.)

My very first celebrity autograph and from no-one less than Helena Bonham-Carter. I got my notebook signed during the final London premiere of Harry Potter. I slept at Trafalgar Square for one night with friends in order to actually have a spot alongside the red carpet. We got pretty close to it, but me and a few friends stayed back at the fountains instead of mingeling amongst all the pushing people at 5 o'clock in the morning. I know a few people who actually managed to get about 10 autographs, but that wasn't worth it for me as I actually wanted to enjoy everything as well and we had an amazing view from where we stood.

Blog Tour: The Forgotten Ones

Welcome at todays stop for the blog tour of 'The Forgotten Ones' by Laura Howard, hosted by Itching for Books. The whole tour schedule can be found on the Itching for Books blog. I've got below for you the book blurb & author spotlight, as well as an e-ARC give-a-way (open internationally)! If the book sounds like your cup of tea, make sure to add it on Goodreads or purchase a copy on Amazon.

Allison O'Malley just graduated from college. Her life's plan is to get a job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She doesn't have room for friends or even Ethan, who clearly wants more. When Allison's long-lost father shows up, he claims he can bring her mother back from the dark place her mind has sent her. He reveals legends of a race of people long forgotten, the Tuatha de Danaan, along with the truth about why he abandoned her mother.

London: Alternative Tours

Finally a new blog post about London. My last one was on coffee places in town, which can be found here. This time it's about Alternative Tours and like the name itself says, it's a bit different from those standard bus tours. Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to try them out myself as I only found out about it a week before I had to leave. However, the next time I'm in London I definately want to go on one of these tours, cause they sound fantastic and I've heard loads of good about it.

The Alternative London Walking Tour 
This is our original tour which was established to showcase East London's incredible creativity whilst giving insights into important historical and cultural events that have made the area what it is today. Even though this is much more than just a London street art tour, you are guaranteed to see a huge range of artwork from around forty artists per tour. Street art by nature constantly changes, which in turn means that our tours also change and evolve on a very regular basis. This guarantees that a tour with us will always feel fresh.

Blog Tour "Between These Lines" interview with Jennifer Murgia

Welcome to the very first day of the Blog Tour of 'Between These Lines', a book written by Jennifer Murgia. For the blog tour I got the chance to interview the wonderful Jennifer about this and her previous written books. Read on after the interview for a snippet out of the book and to enter the give-a-way! You can win the e-book of Between These Lines, the Sylvia Plath collected poems, an exclusive cover necklace and Evie's diary. Also, make sure to come back soon for my review of 'Between These Lines'.

Hi Jennifer. Thank you for being here today. The kick off of the ‘Between These Lines’ blog tour, great! For those who haven’t read the book yet, can you tell them a little about it?
BETWEEN THESE LINES is primarily about a class assignment that forces popular girl Evie Cunningham to befriend one of the school’s “invisible”, Chase Mitman, with deadly results. It’s an emotional story focusing on the social agenda of students at a preparatory high school and the impact it has on their lives. BETWEEN THESE LINES offers a haunting reminder that sometimes the person you think you know the most is the one you know the least—and sometimes, that person is yourself. 

Release day: It's Over by Laura L. Smith

I know I've been a little slow on blogs lately, but college life is screaming for attention lately. I do have some nice ideas laid out for upcoming blogs, so don't worry, I'll get to it. As for now I wanted to let you all know that the book It's Over by Laura L. Smith is released today. It's the next installment after It's Complicated, which I reviewed last week. If the book sounds like your cup of tea, make sure to add it to Goodreads (and buy a copy of course!)

When four college roommates lose pieces of their lives, the pain isolates and the tension rises. Emotions are hard to hide and even harder to tackle. How can the girls move forward, when there is so much pain in letting go? Together, Claire, Kat, Palmer and Hannah learn to lean on God and each other, and through it all they learn loss is a part of life.

Favourite Fanvideos: He is gone

As I watch a lot of fanvideos on Youtube all of the time, I thought it would be nice to now and then share some of my favourites with you guys. I have to warn you it has a major spoiler in there for Season 4 of The Vampire Diaries. Yes, I know again The Vampire Diaries, but this is such an emotional and beautiful video that I couldn't help but share it. Besides, Tina is also one of my favourite YT fanvidders out there.

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Characters: The Original family
Song: Brian Tyler - Dune Messiah
Artist: xXWhisperOfDreamsXx

Shuffle Saturday

Shuffle Saturday is a weekly theme hosted by Pretty In Fiction to share a random song from your Ipod. 

Tiffany Alvord - Titanium

A cover this time in my Shuffle Saturday. I think most of you will know the original song Titanium by David Guette ft. Sia. This cover by Tiffany Alvord is an accoustic version of the song and I've loved it since the first time I heard it. I liked the original song already, but this one feels so much more emotional and touching, which really fits with the lyrics.

Book Review #15: Glass Girl

When Meg Kavanagh finds herself in the unthinkable role of grieving sister, she discovers some harsh truths—parents aren’t perfect, life’s not always sweet, and the dead don’t write back. Worried she might have caused Wyatt’s death, Meg folds her heart into a box. Her famous mom grieves by slowly disappearing, and her dad copes by moving them to a small town in Wyoming.
What she finds in Wyoming blindsides her.
His name is Henry, and he’s a rancher’s son who pulls Meg into his larger-than-life world and shows her that being sensitive is not an excuse to sit this one out. Meg wants to be brave like Henry because the best things in life—like falling in love and finding mercy—require uncommon courage. And Henry has a secret that changes everything.

 Second book that I review regarding Playlist Fiction. The first one was It's Complicated by Laura L. Smith, now moving on to Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kurk. If the blurb of the book sounded interesting to you, make sure to check it out, because it is gorgeously written. 5/5 stars

NON-SPOILER REVIEW

Tag: 99 things

I came across the 99 things tag via the blog of AnneSolveig and had so much fun reading it, that I've published it here now as well. The things that are bold are the things I've actually done/visited/experienced. Feel free to copy the tag!


1. Set up your own blog - Guess this one answers itself right?
2. Having slept under the starry sky
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii

5. Seen falling meteorites
6. Spend more on a good cause than you could actually afford
7. Visited Disneyland - 2x Disnelyland Paris

8. Climbed a mountain - No Hymalya or anything, but I did have my share of hiking through the Pyrenees.
9. Held a  grasshoper

Book Review #14: It's Complicated

There’s a reason Facebook has the relationship status, “It’s Complicated.” Follow four college roommates, Claire, Palmer, Hannah and Kat as they maneuver crushes, confusion, and the crisis when pushy boys go too far. Complicated as it is, these four friends will pull through, guided by the strength of their friendship and the power of God’s love. 

For fans of… The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series
Damaged by Melody Carlson
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

The first book to review from Playlist Fiction. It's complicated is a story about love, crisis in life and best friends forever. 3.5 out of 5 stars. NON-SPOILER REVIEW

Quote of the day

London: THE place to get coffee

Photos featured all made by me

My third post on my London series is here. I previous did one on Borough market, this time one on all the coffee places in London. I can't blame you that Starbucks might be the first place that comes to mind (especially with the above picture), but there are many more amazing coffee places to be found in London with sometimes even better coffee (or cheaper).

Besides Starbucks there are a couple of more chains that have more or less the same set up and concept like Costa Coffee and Caffè Nero. When I was in London for my internship I actually had both AND a Starbucks right around the corner, how lucky was I? I preferred mostly Caffè Nero and Costa Coffee over Starbucks as the prices are a little cheaper and the coffee was even nicer now and then. The only thing you would be missing would be the awesome cups with your name on it ;) But that was worth it for me. Though I have to be honest, the mocha lattes from Starbucks are delicious!

But when you really want a special cup of coffee once, pass the large chain stores and go on the look for a Monmouth Coffee shop. There are three all together in London and they have been awarded with best coffee already a couple of times. I have to warn you though, it can be a little busy sometimes...

Author interview: Sasha Summers

A little while back I reviewed Medusa, A Love Story by Sasha Summers. Today I bring you Sasha Summers once again, but now via an author interview. You guys have no idea how giddy I was about doing this interview, really. So sit back, relax and read more about her books and how she has to make some tough decisions.

What brought you on the idea to start writing books about the Greek mythology?
A dream – I know, that’s very Stephanie Meyers of me, but it’s true. I woke up, sweating and shaking and on the verge of tears. I just had to know why this man was running across a field, standing over a hole in the earth – full of fire – to catch this woman who was falling from the sky. I knew who she was. I knew who he was. I knew their story. I just had to write it. Medusa, A Love Story took me less than 6 months to write, I was completely obsessed! :) 

Movie Review: The Host

When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about, proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world.

I went into the movie without too much expectations, as besides one trailer and a few photos I hadn't seen much else. I had read the book though, but since it has been a fair amount of years back since I've read it, I couldn't exactly remember anymore what was about to happen, though I knew how the rough storyline was. And that might have been good thing. REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK.

Shuffle Saturday

Shuffle Saturday is a weekly theme hosted by Pretty In Fiction to share a random song from your Ipod.

Nailpin - This Coma

I came across Nailpin a couple of years back when Joyce recommended the band to me. It's a Belgian rock band for those who don't know them. I have to admit that their music isn't the first on my fanlist, but they do have a couple of song that I quite enjoy, of which 'This Coma' is one. 

Book Review #13: Angel Eyes

Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore 

Brielle’s a ballerina who went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake. Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption. Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.

Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore has been a book that has been on my to-be-read list for quite a while and finally managed to gotten around to read it. Rating wise I would give it 3***. Let me explain why.

Playlist Fiction: This or That with the authors

After introducing Playlist Fiction to you last week, I've got another post today concerning the awesome authors that are publishing under the label. I was really excited to this post and I'm glad they all agreed to participate, namely in a 'This or That' post. Keep reading on and find out what Laura, Stephanie, Jennifer Rajdeep and Laura prefer. 

1. Writing books or Reading books?
Laura Anderson Kurk: Wow. That’s impossible hard to answer. Um . . . writing, I guess. But I write books that I want to read.
Stephanie Morrill: Oh my goodness, this is so hard! I’m gonna have to say writing. As much as I adore reading, when my time gets squeezed, it’s writing that I miss the most.
Jennifer Murgia: Reading books. Sometimes I need an escape from the stories in my head.
Rajdeep Paulus: BOTH! OF course!
Laura L. Smith: Really? Give us the hardest question first? I am who I am because of the books that I've read. I come alive when I write--it defines me. I cannot choose.

2. Books or Music?
Laura Anderson Kurk: I couldn’t live without either. But if I HAD to choose, it would be books.
Stephanie Morrill: Okay, so far this is just torture! After much inner turmoil, I’m going to say books.
Jennifer Murgia: Books.
Rajdeep Paulus: Both again. Especially together!
Laura L. Smith: Another hard one. Gheesh! Give a girl a break. Alright, music also defines me, sets my mood, enhances it, gets me out of a rut, energizes and mesmerizes me. But if a gun was to my head - I pick books. 

Cover reveal Frostbite by Lynn Rush

Sorry for the lack of blogs, getting kinda crazy with college work and this dinner that we organise for the 1st of April. But here I'm again with a new blog and an exciting one, namely the cover reveal of Lynn Rush's "Frostbite".

Amanda gives a whole new meaning to cool…

Amanda Smith is sick of getting chased from town-to-town. So when she lands in tiny Trifle, Arizona, she hopes it’s her last move for a long time. Despite hating the smallness of the town, she settles in and finds a best friend, and even a boyfriend. Normality at its finest.

But for a girl who can shoot snow from her hands and lift a two-ton truck over her head like a bag of feathers—normal is not an option.

The scientists who murdered her mother come barreling into Amanda’s quiet life. She must decide if she’ll run again or stay and fight. The price of either choice might be her life or the lives of those she’s come to love

Shuffle Saturday

Shuffle Saturday is a weekly theme hosted by Pretty In Fiction to share a random song from your Ipod.

Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love

I'm pretty sure this song hardly needs any explanation right? It's a gorgeous song, that is played on my Ipod very, very often.

My writing: the story so far

Can I just say a huge thanks for the comments on the '10 questions on my writing' blog? They were heart warming, really. Why I am mentioning that in this particular post? Because I'm going to give you guys another peek into my writing. This time though in the projects that I did before I started writing that story 'The golden heart'.

I actually had a lot of fun browsing through my old stories. The first one that I came by that I actually have saved as a word document (before I did some drabbling in notebooks and though they for sure might have had some nice elements, I never turned them into actual sotries) was called 'Miss & Mister Dance'. I started the story in 2006 so that is quite a while ago. It was about a girl, fancy, rich, into ball room dancing, and a guy, always getting into trouble, and the typical street dancer. Boy meets girl, fall in love, dance together and well I guess the ending is fairly predictable here. I enjoyed writing it though a lot. It had some inspiration from 'Step Up', hence the usage of Gina Rene's U Must Be in the story. The total word count was 18.761 words. Not bad I would say. I wrote the story in Dutch in case anyone would like to read it, though I think some of you might have read it actually when I wrote it that long ago.

Favourite fanvideos: And you belong with me

As I watch a lot of fanvideos on Youtube all of the time, I thought it would be nice to now and then share some of my favourites with you guys.This time a fanvideo that I've had in my favourites of Youtube for a very, very long time already, but I still adore it to pieces.

Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Hermione/Ron
Song: Coldplay - Swallowed by the Sea
Artist: RestrictedBeauty

Let me introduce you: Playlist Fiction

Playlist Fiction is a new line of riveting, relevant young adult fiction by authors Laura Anderson Kurk, Stephanie Morrill, Jennifer Murgia, Rajdeep Paulus and Laura L. Smith. Playlist Fiction is backed by MacGregor Literary, Inc.
We're a collection of Contemporary Young Adult ebook titles that are full of life, laughter, tears and all that falls in between.
Are you ready to Download the Drama? We launch April 1st!

That says it all doesn't it? Playlist Ficion is a new line of books, which start to launch April the 1st. And guess what? I've been part (and well of course still am) of their awesome Street Team. This means I'm going to introduce you guys to all of the awesome authors & their books that are involved in the playlist. 

As mentioned above, the authors that are involved are Laura Anderson Kurk, Stephanie Morrill, Jennifer Murgia, Rajdeep Paulus and Laura L. Smith. Over the coming weeks I'll do seperate posts on each of the authors and the books they are going to release with in the Playlist Fiction. Excited already? Good!

Blog Hop: 10 questions on my writing

I got tagged for this lovely blog hop by Hannah. It is a blog hop about the book/story you are currently writing. So here we go, hope you guys will enjoy it! 

1: What is the working title of your book?

The current working title is 'The golden heart', though I'm not sure if that's the title I'll keep in the end.
 

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?
Fairly honest, I can't exactly remember anymore. I thought of something similar to this a long, long, long time ago. As in years and years ago. I never really started on writing it though, I'm not sure why. Only about a year ago I started to seriously jot down things about the story plot and the characters and well, right now I'm actually writing it.
 

3: What genre does your book come under?
Fantasy, that's one, as well as YA I think.
 

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Ouch, that's a hard one. My female main character would come closest to this photo of Nina Dobrev (only her hair colour would be slightly different) and my main male character to this photo of Joseph Morgan. There is a third main male character in the story, but I haven't found a right actor for it yet. 

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 
Caught up in her royal life, Aveline would have never thought it would be her destiny to reunite her people and restore the long-lost magic. 

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?
None of the above yet.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I'm currently still working on the first draft and well since I started last year, that would be at least a year so far. 

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 
That is such a hard one. The first two that actually came to mind was 'The Mortal Instruments' series of Cassandra Clare and Trudi Canavan's 'The Magician's apprentice', though I would hardly dare to compare my own story to fabulous stories like that.

 

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?
There are a lot of writers that I admire which goes from world famous writers such as J.K. Rowling to indie authors. Inspiration definately comes from authors like them. Though my best friend, Yasmine, is definately a source of insipartion as well as she reads along with what I write and now and then, when needed, urges me to keep going!

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It is my first story that I'm actually writing that is completly my own. Previous I used to write a lot of fanfiction, but this is really mine. Further? The story will have elements of magic, war and definately some love as well. Oh and definately let me know if you want to hear more about it and I'll do a couple of more posts on the story.

To pass on this blog hop, I'm tagging the following awesome people. If I haven't tagged you and still wish to answer the questions, feel free to do so!
Aidyl
Ikhlas
Emily

Quote of the day

I know that it's a quote that pops up everywhere and isn't very original anymore, but it's just simply true <3

Apfel-Cranberry Kekse

Photos featured are all made by me

I've made these cookies actually already a while back, but forgot to put the pictures onto my computer, oops! They are Apple cranberry cookies and were jummy. The downside of it is that I can't get you the recipe or get it for myself again, since, as you can see above, it was a bottle filled up with all the ingredients already. The only thing to be added were eggs and butter (easy peasy huh?). Though I've noticed that when you google for apple cranberry oatmeal cookies, you get recipes that seem to be alike. This one seems to come really close to the ones I made. Did anyone of you ever tried making apple cranberry oatmeal cookies, liked them?

Favourite Sitcoms

I love watching movies and TV-series, you must know by now, and sitcoms are no exception to that. One of the Dutch television channels always airs sitcoms during the weekdays from about 6 PM to 8:30 PM, absolutely lovely to me. The series change now and then which is nice as well. So let me below list my favourite sitcoms out there (even though not all of them are regularly on TV anymore or stopped making new episodes). Let me know what your guys favourites are!

F.R.I.E.N.D.S
The first season introduces the six main characters: Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross. Rachel arrives at Central Perk after running away from her wedding to her fiancé Barry and moves into her best friend from high school's (Monica’s) apartment with her. Ross, who had a crush on Rachel since high school, constantly tries to tell Rachel that he loves her, while his lesbian ex-wife, Carol, is expecting his baby. Joey is shown to be a bachelor and struggling actor, while Phoebe works as a masseuse. Chandler breaks up with girlfriend Janice who frequently returns in later seasons. 

London: Borough Market

 Photos featured all made by me

As I pointed out last week I'll be doing a couple of blogs on things to see and do in London (besides the obvious visiting of the Big Ben, Tower Bridge and so on). Now when you think about London, or the UK in general, fine and nice food might not be the first thing that comes to mind. At least, that is the case for me. However, I managed to find a little piece of food heaven in London: Borough Market.

Borough Market is more than a place to buy and sell food. It’s a unique corner of London that captures our rich culinary history. A source of quality British and international produce, we have a reputation as the country’s most renowned food market. It’s a place where people to come to discover the tastes, aromas, textures and colours that only fresh, seasonal food can offer.

Guest Post by Rachel Harris: Getting to know your characters

Thank you so much, Arlette, for inviting me here today. I love talking about the craft of writing. I love losing myself in topics like theme and plot and character. In fact, the pre-writing phase is always my favorite part of the entire process.

And getting to know my characters just makes me giddy.

They become real people to me. I never begin a manuscript without feeling as though I know my characters inside and out. I want to know how they will react to any situation I throw at them, what their brand of humor is, how they hold themselves, and how they see the world. To show this, I thought I’d give you a glimpse into how I got to know my characters for one of my first manuscripts, a YA Contemporary Romance coming out next year with Spencer Hill Contemporary.

This story is dual POV, so I had two main characters. I went the most in-depth with these two, and each of them probably had about ten pages of information. I used Noah Lukeman's The Plot Thickens, 8 Ways To Bring Fiction To Life, along with some of my own ideas, to create their backstory, motivations, likes and dislikes, etc. This is also where I described their friends and family, who make up my minor characters. At this point, I also gave those characters their own backstories, and decided things like hair and eye color, etc;

Shuffle Saturday

Shuffle Saturday is a weekly theme hosted by Pretty In Fiction to share a random song from your Ipod.

 Lana del Rey - Summertime Sadness

 I just love Lana del Rey. I secretly hope that more Lana del Rey songs come up in the shuffle of my Ipod for my saturday posts. This is one of my favourites though and listen to it quite a lot. I'm not a big fan though of the remixed version that came out a while ago, it just ruined the pureness of the song for me to be honest.

Must see movie release this month: The Host

A parasitic alien soul is injected into the body of Melanie Stryder. Instead of carrying out her race's mission of taking over the Earth, "Wanda" (as she comes to be called) forms a bond with her host and sets out to aid other free humans. 

Cover reveal: A Tale of Two Centuries

I'm so excited to tell you that I'm going to reveal the coer of 'A Tale of Two Centuries' by Rachel Harris in this post. It is the sequal to 'My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century'. If you do not know this great book, check out my review here. Now you guys might be wondering, what is the book about? And of course what will the cover look like? Let's move on to it! (Oh did I tell you a printed copy and an e-arc will be given away? AND there's a small peek into the book as well!)

Tag: First Time

I came across this tag via Annelie and decided to have a go at it myself. Anyone who feels like filling out the tag, of course feel free to take it. So let's start and maybe you learn something new about me.

First thing you do when you wake up in the morning.
Turn my alarm off and slid out of bed, I happen to wake up rather easy in the morning, lucky me I know. I mostly quickly check my phone to see if I have any new messages and so on and then have breakfast.

First thing you do when you go to the gym.
Fill up my water bottle and then I'll start with cardio first. It varies what kind of cardio I do first, but most of the time you will find me first on the stepping machines.

First thing you do when you return from school or work.Grab something to drink and sit down for a while watching TV or read a book, though when I return late from school the first thing I'll do is making dinner ;).

London: let's look up closer!

I've done a couple of "Cities I've visited blogs", the latest to be found here, and I was planning on doing one for today on London, but then I realised I would never be able to put all of the city's awesomeness into one post.

Some of you might know that I've visited London twice: One time visiting for a week with my best friend Yasmine and one time when I did my internship there, which was a visit of 5 months in total. I've fallen in love with this city a lot and couldn't just let it gone by in one post on my blog. Therefore, I will do a couple of blogs on London, all of them zooming in on a different part of London or a different activity and so on. I know for a fact that two of my readers are currently in London, so girls maybe some things will come by that you will want to visit.

Movie Review: Pitch Perfect

Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school's all-girls singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition.

Shuffle Saturday

Shuffle Saturday is a weekly theme hosted by Pretty In Fiction to share a random song from your Ipod.

Within Temptation - Shot In The Dark

One of my all time favourite songs by Within Temptation. The first time I heard Within Temptation was a Dutch band (don't worry that was a long time ago) I was absolutely flabbergasted. For a long time their music wasn't really my thing besides some songs now and then, but their album 'The Unforgiving' is absolutely amazing. This song, 'Shot In The Dark', is also from that album.

Quote of the Day

Favourite Fanvideos: People Help The People

As I watch a lot of fanvideos on Youtube all of the time, I thought it would be nice to now and then share some of my favourites with you guys. I'll try and vary them a little, but I have to admit quite a big deal will be Vampire Diaries related I guess.

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Characters: All
Song: Birdy - People Help The People
Artist: KatLoveStory

Those things you get to know because of celebrities: Part #3

Part 1 on 'Show me your Mumu' - Candice Accola, can be found here.
Part 2 on 'Your Zen Life' - Phoebe Tonkin, can be found here.

Photo Credit: Annelie
 Rouge In Love

Come out and play with Lancôme’s gorgeously hydrating lipstick, Rouge in Love.
Combine vibrant colour with a feather-light texture that lasts up to 6 hours. Choose from 24 colours to achieve a look you love – from natural to sophisticated. Let your lipcolour show your mood.

Shuffle Saturday

Shuffle Saturday is a weekly theme hosted by Pretty In Fiction to share a random song from your Ipod.

Natalie Merchant - My Skin

I was actually glad that this song came up as the first song in my shuffle list to share with you guys. It such a beautiful and touching song. Did any of you know it?

Book Review #12: Medusa, A love story

It's said love can change a person. Medusa wasn't always a monster...

Medusa is ruled by duty, to her Titan father and the Goddess Athena. She's no room for the tenderness her warrior guard, Ariston, stirs. When Olympus frees her from service, her heart leads her into the arms of the guard she loves... and curses her as the creature with serpent locks.

Ariston goes to war with a full heart... and dreadful foreboding. He learns too late of the danger Medusa faces, alone, and a Persian blade sends him into the Underworld. But death, curses, nor the wrath of the Gods will keep him from returning to her.

Poseidon will use Greece's war to get what he wants: Medusa. He does not care that she belongs to another. He does not care that she will be damned. He is a God, an Olympian, and she will be his.  

For everyone who love the Greek myths: Make sure to read on, it will get you hooked! (And the review is spoiler-free)