10 Books I Love

Hi guys, sorry that my posts are quite irregular but with college work and trying to think of what to actually write it's hard to stick to a schedule. I've done a post with my favourite films so I decided to do one about my favourite books...

(disclaimer: I don't own all these books so not all the pictures are my own)

1.Harry Potter - JK Rowling

Okay so I LOVE the whole series (I'm such a Harry Potter geek) but my favourite one has to be The Prisoner of Azkaban, mainly because of Sirius, Lupin and the background we get about the Marauders. I could talk about Harry Potter literally all day (maybe that'll have to be another post) so I'll try not to ramble. I think JK Rowling really develops the characters and backgrounds and the whole world seems so believable, the way it's written really helps you fall in love with (or hate) the characters and I think that is one of the best parts of the series.

2.Significance - Shelly Crane

This is (again) another series I love. My friend told me about it and I did take a while to get into it but I'm now hooked! It has ups and downs and it's so cute! The cliffhangers will annoy you but it's worth it. I love the characters and I'm really looking forward to the end of the month when the next one in the series comes out.

3.  Divergent 

  

So thanks to purelyloved's recommendation I read Divergent and I LOVE IT!!! This book is just so so so good!! I am yet to read the rest in the series but I cannot wait to read them and I am so excited to. I have actually fallen in love with the characters and I love the storyline and plot and just everything. Totally recommend and fans of the Hunger Games and Harry Potter you should read it because you are bound to love it.

UPDATE: I have now read all the books in this series and I still love them but certain parts will anger you...

4.Paper Towns - John Green

I love John Green novels and I'm so excited for the Paper Towns movie because the book is great. I love how it focuses on the mystery of Margo and the clues she has left. One of my favourite parts is the road trip they take because it focuses on the friendships more than the romance. It's great, I love it.

5.Looking for Alaska - John Green

There is a theme here... Anyway I love Looking for Alaska and I'm so happy that it's becoming a film as well. Like Paper Towns I love the mystery element of it, when I read it the first time I (stupidly) read the end first because I wanted to know what the event was (DON'T DO THIS, IT WILL RUIN THE BOOK) so I was reading it with the knowledge of what happened. However I still found it really gripping and I really like it.

6.The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Love them. I fell in love with characters and I think they were really well written. I was all over the place when I read them for the first time because I had no idea what the characters were really thinking and I had to re-read sections to make sense of it but I think it's really great.

7.Where Rainbows End - Cecilia Ahern

This is the book that Love, Rosie is based on. It's a really great story told through emails and texts and letters ect. It's so cute and kinda sad at times. I do get kinda annoyed when reading it because you just want to tell the characters to get it together (sorry that's vague but I really don't want to spoil it for you) It's quite a long book but I so recommend it. 

8.The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E Smith

This is quite an easy read and is great to read to take a break. I think it's really cute! It's the sort of book you will read and think, that could totally happen to me and why hasn't it yet. I don't have the book but writing this post has made me want to get it out of the library again.

9. Private Peaceful - Michael Morpurgo

This is my favourite Michael Morpurgo book and I don't really know why because it makes me feel really sad. It's so well written and really makes you feel for the characters, part of the reason it's so sad. 

10. The Pianist - Wladysaw Szpilman

This is a true story of a Polish Jew in WWII and I think it's really good. I like this book because it makes you realise what actually happened and it does seem surprising how much humans can endure and survive. I do recommend this book, especially if you like history or are studying the world wars.

Thanks for reading, what are your feelings on the books above? Or what books do you love that you recommend?

-AnEnglishRose xx

My Current Top 10 Films

Hi guys, I figured I'd write a post about some of my favourite films. I'm constantly changing my mind about which movies are my fav's so it was quite tricky to come up with just ten. But these are the films I'm currently loving and with the stress of A-levels it's nice to have a break and stick on a movie.

1. 10 Things I Hate About You

This is one of my all time favourites! It is based on Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew' but has a modern twist which makes it easy to follow. Some of the comedy reminds me slightly of Mean Girls and it is almost as though the Mean Girls producers were inspired by it. Heath Ledger stars in it (loveeeee him) and if you haven't already seen it I so recommend that you do.

2. Love, Rosie

It only came out on DVD a few days ago but I LOVE this film. When it came out me and my friend made sure we went to see it asap and it was so good! Sam Claflin (can I just say, whatta babe) and Lily Collins have so much chemistry, they are Alex and Rosie (the two main characters) I won't give much away but for a cute rom-com Love, Rosie is a perfect choice!


3. What If

Again, this is a new release. I'd wanted to go see it in the cinema but I never got round to it, so when I saw that it was out on DVD I made sure to buy it. The awkward comedy makes it light hearted and Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan are a great casting choice. The storyline is cute and it has the perfect mix of serious/comedy. It's easy enough to follow that if you don't have much time free you can just pop it on in the background while doing work (that's what I did)

4. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

Okay, so I'm a bit of a Harry Potter geek but if I had to pick, the Philosophers Stone is my favourite of the film series. I think it captures the magic of Hogwarts and the wizarding world perfectly and the stunning scenery and clever filming make it a great introduction to the HP films. If you haven't watched the films for a while, or (dare I say it) ever, then make it your first priority!

5. Titanic

This is a very long film so if that essay has to be done by tomorrow I don't recommend it, but for serious procrastination* it's great. It is sad, but I do love it. The plot, the characters, the actors (Leo DiCaprio though, O.M.G.!) If you're feeling a bit sorry for yourself and want a weepy film to put on this is the film for you. Also Jack could have totally fitted on the piece of wood.
(*please don't actually follow my 'advice' and watch it to procrastinate)

6. Mean Girls

I think this has to be a teen classic! If you haven't seen it then go now and watch it because you are missing out, it's so great! Instantly quotable and great characters/plot/script, it is a great film and deffo one of my all time favs!

7. Ps I Love You

Another tear jerker, I was a MESS when I saw this for the first time. Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank are the perfect casting choices for this film. I don't want to say too much and ruin the plot if you haven't seen it before, so go and watch it! (but keep the tissues handy)

8. Love Actually

I had been meaning to watch this for a while and I finally got round to it a few weeks ago. I so wish I had watched it sooner! I love how all the storyline's intermingle and the cast was brilliant. I do like the soppy stuff and I did find it really cute. I found myself really hoping certain things would happen and others wouldn't (sorry that that's a bit vague but I'm trying really hard to not spoil it for anyone who hasn't watched it)

9. Letters to Juliet

I find this film really really cute. It tells the story of old and new romance and it stems from the letters in Juliet Capulet's Courtyard, an courtyard in Italy where people have left letters for loved ones. It's quite a simple, light hearted rom-com and Amanda Seyfried is perfect as 'Sophie'. A lovely film and is definitely one to watch if you're feeling a bit down.

10. Rush

Now this isn't a chick flick or rom-com so it's a bit of an anomaly in that respect. Any f1 fanatic is sure to love it though! Great camera work, fast paced, full of action, and excellent actors it shows the real life story of the intense rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. There are sex scenes and naked people in so maybe not one to watch with the parents and if you're a bit squeamish (like me) there is a scene later on in the film that you might have to look away for. It's not for everyone but if you like drama, excitement and cars it's one to watch.

So there you have it, 10 of my favourite films. Sorry this post was longer than normal and thank you if you stayed reading until the end.
Let me know if you'd like to see more of these list style posts in the future and your fav films and/or opinions on these ones. Also if I've persuaded you to watch one you haven't seen before let me know your thoughts :)

-AnEnglishRose xx