A Bit of Book Chatter | May

IT'S BOOK HAUL TIME. This makes for a very happy blogger as May has been a beautiful month book-wise!


























You're The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher

I have been waiting for this glorious delight since I fell deeply and unconditionally in love with Billy and Me, Giovanna Fletcher's first novel. I am well into this stunningly sweet and captivating book and I can't wait to get my review up! (I'm going to cheekily link it HERE when it is up!) The book that I would describe as a heart-warming sunset to read, is about three best friends, Rob, Ben and Maddy. An unbreakable bond between them could be weakened, though, by love.

Thirteen Weddings by Paige Toon

New Paige Toon books make me giddyishly (I personally think this should be a word) excited. She writes books that, to me, are the equivalent to eating many butterfly cakes in the sun with lemonade by my side. I can't wait to start this. Thirteen Weddings is about Bronte and the re-introduction to a short-lived romance, Alex. Named as a "bittersweet novel", I am feeling butterflies at the thoughts of Paige Toon making me fall in love with another fictional character.

Lolito by Ben Brooks

I am so very intrigued by this book. The wonderful Amanda from Adventures from the Bookshelf and I decided to read the same book and review it. After a gruelling contest of picking a genre and name out of an online decider, Lolito by Ben Brooks was the winner and I am more than excited to read it. It's about a young 15 year old boy that has a relationship with a middle-aged woman and I feel like it's going to teach me a lot.

Confetti & Bike Rides,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

A Memory

When I think about my childhood, I have many poignant memories and one of them always makes me feel some level of guilt.

It is a memory from when I was on holiday with my family. I can't tell you what age I was exactly but I would have been about three or four. I was sat up on a sunbed and although I can't be certain, I think it was a hot day. Most of my family were in the pool but I didn't want to go in and sat with my mum instead. My dad came up to the side of the pool and excitedly asked me to go in with him. Three or four year old me seemed to have replied with something along the lines of "no" in an angry tone, and seemingly for no reason. "Please," my dad would have continued to ask, still excited and grinning stupidly. I continued to be angry and rejected his offer even though he was seeming sad, both feigningly (whether this is a word or not, I cannot be sure, but I enjoy it) and legitimately too.

Whenever I think of this memory, I hear the phrase "cutting off your nose to spite your face."

I don't feel like my memory is lying when I remember saying "no" just because I wanted to and then becoming even more worked up when my dad protested, thereby making me want to prove a point: I supposedly didn't want to go in.

I wish I did go in.

Throughout my life, when situations - especially involving my dad - like this have occurred, I have thought of this memory and reminded myself that I might feel the regret that I still genuinely feel for not going into the pool after I have potentially said "no." Naturally, this wouldn't apply to situations that have the chance or will end badly for me or others, but with other situations, I can't help feel a feeling in my stomach - that I'm not sure has a name - when I may reject an offer that could mean me and someone bonding. I think it should be called "pre-regret." (Okay, I just searched it up in case it does exist and, well, it does: pre-emptive regret.)

I feel like my rejecting of making my dad smile happened because I couldn't bite my tongue and swallow my irritable mood and, because I regret it so much, in my head my dad was really sad (even though he probably was only momentarily sad) and this upsets me!

Naturally, sometimes I'll have other reasons for not taking up an offer (I might even just not want to or lack motivation) and this is okay, of course, but the moral of this memory is: I try not to cut off my nose to spite my face!

Does a memory of yours tell you something important?

This memory taught me a little lesson that I keep close to my heart.

Making Memories & Trips to the Pool,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

One Minute Past Nine

Scream internally. Scream eternally. She wishes she could scream externally.

Scrunching her hair up in her hands, her mind tormenting her every move, she whispers with complete conviction, "Please."

While her family are downstairs, happily naïve to her struggle, she dares to cry; sadness finally steals her composure. Over time, she realises the rain has stopped: The time has come. She hears her mother call, "We're going for a walk!"

"Okay!" her voice breaks. A whimper dares to escape and panic runs through her veins, fearing her mother heard. Hoping her mother heard.

It was five minutes before she believes she is alone; the silence willing to confirm her confusion; begging her to hear the verdict. You always wear trousers. She hears a voice. You've never worn high heels. You've never wanted to. The cruel voice sneers and pokes and snipes and jabs. You always wear your hair up. "Yes, but," she responds. You never had any feelings for him. You did what everyone else was doing. "I liked him." She looks down at her hands; her blood-red hands.

A voice louder than her heart's persisted every day; a voice she's heard before; a voice that's defined by someone cynical, someone bigger than her. Someone bigger than everyone. And everyone seems to ultimately answer to it. It relentlessly presses on, focussing on every insecurity, every fear and what it believes is a lie.

Unjust, but today, spitefully truthful, she thinks.

She pledges no responsibility to the tears that tell her everything. She was, she wasn't. She doesn't care for the ignorant technicalities; she cares about the knowing. 

Helplessness defines her every breath. Like glass smashing, an invasion of shivers become the girl on the floor in the middle of her shadowed bedroom; the bedroom that feels like a cellar, despite its moments of freedom. In her head, sirens tell her there's no time.

Darkness finally completely surrenders with no fight left in it and she looks at the clock.

It was one minute past nine in the evening when "I'm gay" escaped Hollie's lips without trepidation.

~

It frustrates me so incredibly much that it's society's expectations that can trigger a person into wondering about their sexuality; it's not another person's decision. It also REALLY isn't down to the clothes people wear or how they behave. It frustrates me, too, that it can be a completely draining and unfairly emotional and isolated experience. I've watched a couple of people struggle so much and it's completely heart-breaking and unjust.

We can change it.

Hot Air Balloons & Picnics,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

The Story Behind the Book

In my world, reading is an experience that is more than just the pages I'm turning. The act of reading itself is one that can produce and accompany so many situations.

A book can make a bad situation less bad because time is being spent, alongside enduring a day full of rain, thinking about characters and stories and delving into their worlds. Equally, books will be my best friends in awesome times. They also carry me through lazy days or days without plans.

A few years ago I read The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. At that point in time some rubbish things were happening but with these events being accompanied by one of my favourite novels, I had something to look forward to and to completely savour when I could pick up the book again. It caused me to feel relief throughout the day- even when I wasn't reading. When I was going through those days, I could spend my time excited to read my book and the same when I was reading it. It made the days happier.

I've said that books are exquisite company when the sun is shining in my world. For example, last year, at the point in which I was reading Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher, I was having an awesome time and, thereby, I assign Sophie May and Billy Buskin's story with my positive story last year.

More recently, I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. At that point in time I was having a happy time mixed in with a lot of tiredness and stress but this wonderful story made my current story even brighter. I was completely entranced by the story (and still am!) and getting into bed to have a good ol' read really made my days!

Books really are my best friends.

Do you have any book memories that are attached to a certain book? Has a book ever made you feel more relaxed or more excited or more content?

Blossom & Butterflies,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

A Change on the Blog

This post will hurt my heart a lot but I feel like it has to be done... So it shall be done.

For at least throughout the whole of May, I will be posting only once or twice a week on a Friday for certain and a Wednesday when I write another one. Last week I thought I would be posting twice a week for sure but after a stressful couple of days, I feel like it would be better to be posting only once, and twice when I can. I know it's going to be gutting to not post three times a week, but I really feel like I should lessen the posts on my blog for just a while.

There are two reasons for this:

♡  I need to focus on my exams
♡  I don't want my blog to suffer

Exams are close now and I'm very nervous and they are vital in deciding what happens with me university-wise in September/October. Naturally that's slightly scary. It will hopefully be less scary if I post less, but it will equally make me feel like I have something to look forward to if I still am posting once or twice a week!

Posting once or twice a week rather than three times will hopefully ensure that my blog won't suffer quality-wise. One of my fears with blogging is creating content that I'm not as happy with as I could be. This has happened a couple of times this month and while I'm revising and sitting exams, it would suck if something I'm enjoying in between isn't up to the standard I would like it to be. I'm very busy with all sorts of things and I want my blog to be a happy place!

I am hoping that in June I will be posting twice a week for sure and then by the end of June, when exams and stress are over, I am planning on posting four times a week until after summer! This is so as I have so many ideas for posts but so little time and I'm really excited about them! As I have a stress-free summer ahead of me, posting even more throughout these couple of months will be exciting!

I just wanted to write this post so that I can document my little blogging happenings!

Boat Trips & Chilly Night Air,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

MCBUSTED!!!1!1!

*Spoilers about McBusted's tour.*

25th April 2014

I saw McBusted at the O2 on Friday and I cannot sprinkle this sentence with enough sparkly adjectives... It was incredible!



















































I'd never been to the O2 before Friday and I've fallen in love. The whole atmosphere was so exciting and paired with seeing McBusted, the night was perfect!

Firstly, before McBusted came on, there were three support acts (Young Brando, VIX and The 3 Dudes) and they built the anticipation wonderfully. I was so fangirl-y when it came to the incredibly talented Vicky Jones! Her voice was so awesome and powerful! It filled the arena gorgeously! You can hear her song Bang Bang HERE!

As soon as McBusted arrived on stage, my fangirl was in her element. The night was SO fun and nostalgic and with McFly's and Busted's hits and iconic songs making my ears and eyes smile in the most excited way paired with an arena full of ecstatic people, each of the guys' obvious happiness was mirrored in all of our expressions! I really adored watching the guys and their jokes and the members of the separate bands enjoying performing the other's songs! I did too!

The staging and extra bits and bobs were so incredibly awesome, and so... McBusted. With video clips that made me grin fangirl-ily and the props (like flux capacitors, UFOs and wedding dresses) that were hilarious, the show is one that would make everyone giggle and appreciate, as usual, the talent of the guys.

I was so happy to hear McFly's songs live and McFly look, like normal, in their element on stage, singing my favourite songs that I've been in love with for so many years. McBusted's cover of I Want You Back was truly fabulous and singing along (loudly) to Busted classics like What I Go to School For, Crashed the Wedding and Year 3000 was something that felt like a dream. It was mind-blowingly awesome and made me jump around like a six year old. They played so many of my absolute favourites and the moment when Sleeping With the Light On emotionified my night was simply lovely. I felt very teary as I looked around the O2 and saw all of the pretty sparkling lights of phones and then looked back at the stage... It was fabulous.

It was such an incredible night!

Flux capacitors & UFOs,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

P.S. My post about seeing McFly at the Royal Albert Hall!

A Bit of Book Chatter | April

I've enjoyed April and its burst of happy weather. I've also enjoyed the three books I've accumulated!

Stoner: A Novel by John Williams

The thought of Stoner has excited me for a long time. Every time I've been in a bookshop, I've picked it up and marvelled at the sound of its excellence. It appears to be a classic that has recently got the recognition it deserves. It tells the story of William Stoner and the way English Literature changed his life (this makes me VERY happy!).

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

After reading Stargirl, I felt a little lost. That book (you can read my review HERE) made me incredibly dumbfounded. For the whole day afterwards it was all I spoke about and after that, I had conversations over and over again in my head about the meaning to the story and the ending. Then I found out that there is another book to do with Stargirl and I ordered it straight away. *If you haven't read Stargirl and the smallest of things can be a spoiler (I'm one of those people), maybe skip the next sentence.* It's the story of Stargirl afterwards and is made up of letters to Leo from her. I am so excited to read this.

Meet Me at the Cupcake Café by Jenny Colgan

Everything about Jenny Colgan's books make my heart happy and after buying Christmas at the Cupcake Café last year, I thought it would be perfect to read this in preparation for the read. The book is about Issy and her love and talent of making cakes. After being made redundant, she decided The Cupcake Café was her answer. I can't wait to combine two of my favourite things: reading and cake!

Have you received or bought any books this month?

Cupcakes & Cafés,

The Girl in the Moonlight.