QOTD:8th March

So today is International Women's Day and so today I thought I'd share a couple of quotes about women that I like:

QOTD: 7th March 2012

QOTD: 6th March

I like this quote as I think too many people take the litthe things for granted when in fact as it says life is about the little things.

"The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it"

For those of you who weren’t already aware, today (1^st March) is World Book Day. As I am a bit of a reading fanatic (I love nothing more than snuggling up in bed with a good book and being transported to another world- whether it is London in the 1800s or some foreign land) I thought I would share with you some of my book like/dislikes along with some of my thoughts on books I am reading or have read

Current book I am reading:

The book I am currently reading is One Day by David Nicholls. I really wanted to see the film after I saw it advertised and a friend recommended reading the book. I have yet to see the film as I like to read the book first. I enjoy using my imagination to create the characters rather than be given someone else’s creation and trying to make them fit the character (I up to this day still think Emma Watson was not my Hermione in Harry Potter) I’m about halfway through the book now and so far am thoroughly impressed. I’ve struggled to put it down and find myself nearly missing my bus stop and staying up till the early hours reading it. I’d definitely recommend you reading it if you haven’t already.

The book I have just finished reading

The book I’ve just finished reading is Belle by Lesley Pearce. I’d never heard of this author before reading the book but I now really want to read more of her books and I have a few others on my shelf ready to read. Briefly the story is about Belle, a brothel owner’s daughter, witnessing the murder of one of the girls and being kidnapped in the process. It follows the story of what happens to Belle after her kidnapping.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it easy to relate to all the characters from the poor victim Belle to the torn Etienne. I don’t want to give too much away but all I would say is it is definitely worth a read.

My Favourite Children’s book

From a young age I’ve loved to read and one of my favourite childhood authors is Roald Dahl. Therefore I think my favourite childhood book was either Matilda or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I cannot pick between the two... I’ve tried many times. I love the way Roald Dahl writes, he uses some of the craziest ideas but makes them relatable. I think his style of writing helps to create a fanatical world that you want to be in (I know I wanted to go to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory and try some of his treats).

My favourite book

Another difficult choice for me and I did think long and hard for this one. I think one of my favourite books is the Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I must admit this was one film I saw before the book, only because I didn’t want to wait to have read the book to see the film however I do believe that the book is better than the film. Although it can at first seem disjointed and confusing as it jumps from time, I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I found the characters of Clare and Henry really relatable and could easily empathise with them both. Definitely a worthy read.

The Book I feel is overhyped

One book I feel is overhyped is The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I know most people go on about how amazing the book is and that it is one of the best books they’ve ever read, but I personally found the book overhyped. I found I couldn’t get into the book at all. Even after numerous attempts it wasn’t a book that I couldn’t put down and in fact at times I was reluctant to pick up. This probably explains why I gave up reading it halfway through in favour of something else.

My favourite autobiography

I think my favourite autobiography is Russell Brand’s My Booky Wook. I did read this book quite a while ago however I haven’t yet to find an autobiography that I found as funny but also wanted to read more of (saying that I have heard great things about James Corden’s book and really want to read that when I have a chance). I think Russell’s book will appeal more to people who do find his humour funny as I know a few people who read it and didn’t like the book as much as I did.

 What are your favourite books? I'd love some more reccomendations of books to add to my reading lists

QOTD: 23rd February

Watch out world!! I'm on the road!

So this week has been an exciting week for me, mainly due to one thing... I HAVE FINALLY PASSED MY DRIVING TEST

This was test number 3 for me and I was so nervous I honestly couldn't stop shaking. I'm really surprised I passed my test what with me stalling once, being in the wrong lane for a roundabout and trying a couple of times to pull away in 2nd or 3rd gear, in fact when the examiner said I'd passed my reaction was "You are kidding right?!"

Anyway now I have passed my test I now need to decide whether to spend some of my savings (which I am currently saving for the money for my postgraduate course) to buy a car myself a car and make a use of my new found freedom or to wait and save. I know that I'm hating having to get up early and get the bus to work now I know I can drive.


I guess I wish a new car and insurance wasn't so bloody expensive so I can justify dipping into a bit of my savings but at the moment I'll be eating into a large chunk of it... I guess at the moment I'll just have to bite the bullet and get back in the queue for the bus stop.

The Great iPhone Debate

So the time has come again...the time I've actually been waiting for for about 2 years now. The time I can upgrade my phone on my phone contract. I'm usually pretty good at upgrading my phone, already knowing which phone I want however this time I am stuck.

There is one thing for sure and that is that it is definitely time for my Blackberry to say goodbye and be banished to a place that's very far away. I'm sick of the dodgy signal, the internet that is slower than a snail and BBM which to be completely honest isn't all it's cracked up to be.
But then there is the dilemma, what phone shall replace my Blackberry and become the new object of obsession for me.

At the moment I have narrowed it down to either the iPhone 4S or the Samsung Galaxy SII but then that is as far as I have got. This is where the questions have started. Do I actually need an iPhone when I already own the iPod touch? Is it better to get the Samsung which seems to cost the same but is cheaper to insure? Does the Samsung Galaxy SII really match up to the iPhone?

So I turned to the internet...which proved fruitless...every comparison I found came to the same conclusion- We'll let you decide. I'm sorry but how is that supposed to help me?! I want a comparison that comes to a conclusion not some cop-out where they don't say which one will suit my needs.


Having made a temporary decision to go for the iPhone 4S I looked online to see if I could find a better deal than Orange were quoting me (600 mins, unlimited texts and unlimited internet for £36 a month as well as £100 for the phone itself). Anyway I found plenty of deals offering me to same but with the phone for free so I did the thing I usually do and phoned Orange to see if they can match it. What did I find?

Probably the most unhelpful bit of advice I could get. After telling them that I had found 10 deals online with the above offer of the phone for free on the Orange network but through a company willing to give me the phone for free, the reply I got was "no we can't match it". This I found quite unacceptable... not only did they not try to offer me anything different but when I asked why they gave me some excuse about how apparently it's a standard fee charged by Apple and Orange and that they are instead going to stop selling the iPhone as they cannot beat the online companies. This I could accept but then they were shocked that I wanted to cancel my contract...well you're not giving me the better deal so yes I will be cancelling.

Since then I have been plagued with missed calls from Orange operators probably trying to find out why I've cancelled my contract however as I work most days between the hours of 9-5 and that's the only time they ring I have yet to speak to them.

So I need some opinions...is the iPhone really worth the hassle? Should I just bite the bullet and pay the £100 to Orange? Should I get the iPhone from Orange even though they won't sell them anymore (as if anything goes wrong and they don't sell it they won't be able to replace it). Any opinions would be welcome.