A Happy Sentence | Divergent by Veronica Roth

All of April I have been partaking (feels a little arrogant to "partake" in my own creation) in my challenge, A Happy Sentence (which you can read about HERE). For the third week I read Attachments by Rainbow Rowell and you can read that review HERE. Today I am reviewing Divergent by Veronica Roth, and chose to read it because I have wanted to for a very long time. This review should have been posted on Saturday but the last week of this challenge has not gone too well. I have been too busy to have long periods of time with Divergent. I am ridiculously gutted. However, I have made a lot of progress since Saturday so I am going to review it today!

I have been so excited to read this book. It's been a long time since I've started a series so I am excited to be very much so into one. I am also super duper excited to watch the film. Bonus!

Divergent is about Beatrice Potter and a decision that could change everything. Herself. Her family. Her life. Making a decision about where she belongs in a society sectioned into different factions that represent different values and lives, her choice is one even she doesn't understand. But she wants to.

Wrapped up in secrets and confusion, Tris has a lot to find out, to learn. About herself and about others. Battling with who she is and her secret, it is a tale of coming of age. And with coming of age, comes discovery.

This seems not to be a tale of teamwork. But is it?

Divergent is captivating like I expected. We learn about Tris alongside her. We learn about what values are important to different factions. What we think is important. We want Tris to make the right choices. We are understanding but completely in the dark. How could we understand such a society? And yet, of course, the foundations are realistic.

Even though I failed my challenge a little towards the end, it has been great fun. University got a bit hectic and it was just something that had to be prioritised. I will set myself a challenge at a better time next time! It's been a long time since I have properly completed a blogging challenge and I am determined to make the next one a 100% success! I need to stop making promises! Silly blogger.

Series & Cake,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

A Spring List

I think it can be really refreshing and affirming to write out or think of a list of things that we want to do or change- like a spring clean. So, on this quite Spring-like day, I will write my aims for spring. Aims I hope to carry with me into the rest of the seasons too!

♡ Take loads of photos!

I have been undergoing this aim for the last year and a bit and it has been going very well. It has been mainly focused on taking photos with my friends and family. This spring, though, I am hoping to take more pictures of my surroundings and such things as well. Photographs are a magical form of memories, after all.

♡ Uni work!

I am hoping to get myself organised and get university work done so the prospect of exams is less daunting. *Fingers crossed.*

♡ Food!

I want to be a little more pro-active with food. I want make more salads and different types of sandwiches. I want to learn how to cook proper dinners. I want to make cakes and fruits salads, and eat enough fruit and vegetables every day.

♡ Exercise!

I run often and it is one of my favourite hobbies. I am quite a bit of a walker, but I'm going to up this a little, whilst getting my bike out more often too. I'd like to try vary my exercise a bit more- maybe even play tennis with my brother. I am excited.

♡ Reading!

2015 has been a fabulous year for reading and I aim to carry this on. I have a selection of books I am very excited about reading these three weeks I'm off for Easter.

♡ My book!

Last but not least, I am going to get more organised with my book. I am writing a story and have been really unorganised with it recently. Last night I had a massive session of organising it and getting more and more excited. I love my characters and am immensely enjoying developing them and the story.

Eeeeee, I love a list!

Happy Spring!

Daffodils & Green Grass,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

A Slice of Un-Anonymous #1

I have always wanted have a bit more of my life on the blog, and find it a bit daunting and difficult to do so where I blog anonymously. So, every last Sunday of the month (for now), I will be posting some kind of post that will represent my life a little bit more. There will be a range of different kinds of posts. I am very excited about this.





















Today I want to start by talking about a few things I love and cherish to make The Girl in the Moonlight a bit more personal. In the photo above, the jumper that is under the "me" is also a personal touch- my dad bought it for me when I was younger and I can't let it go!

I adore candles. Yankee Candles are a weakness of mine. Although it has not been tested, I cannot imagine not loving any white Yankee Candle- they smell so gorgeous! I love sitting in my lounge, watching TV with a Yankee Candle glowing elegantly. Or reading a book with a candle as my company. Or having a candle to look at while I complete mundane tasks. 

Hairspray is one of my "happy" things. The day is instantly brightened when I watch the film or listen to the soundtrack. Hairspray brings back happy memories of my brother and I watching it constantly or my mum and I "performing" (as we believe we do) the songs.




















This album means a lot to me. X by Ed Sheeran is my "2014 summer album"- my "listen and feel so in love" album. Everything about it replays last summer and the awesome memories made. I cannot wait to play it when summer becomes our friend again- it's going to make it all the more special.


















I miss reading The Hunger Games series so much. I am very excited to plan reading them again. I read this series in a very Spring and bright month and the books accompanied me very well.

Curly hair and collar days are good days- and are most of my days! I really love clothes, and shirts are items I am very drawn to. Maybe too drawn to!

I am very excited to write another post for this series. I like reading about other people's loves and important things and other more personal things. I really want to slightly sew this into my blog.

I hope you have a very lovely Sunday. I am off to go for a walk with a friend, read Divergent and get some university work done. Easter is already wonderful!

What brings back happy memories?

Books & CDs,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

The Easier Days

I hear people my age talk about wishing they could go back to the days of crayons and midnight feasts; non-school uniform days and cartoons in the evening: the easier days. However, when I'm with those I've grown up with (and I think these easier days are my every day), I'm back to the "easier" years within a split second.

Despite the responsibilities in my life, "the easier days" are still, for me, now. And why shouldn't they be? I still buy Milk Pops when I'm with my friends. I still sing and dance to the whole Grease soundtrack with them too. I still have completely childish sessions with my best friends. I still run around without worries. I'm still that kid.

My life has got older- as ours all do. This year particularly, I have been thrown (although with my permission) into a more adult world. I look after myself. I earn for myself. I learn for myself. I progress because I want to. Not because I'm told do- although, I think that's how it's been all along. I have learnt the difficulty of moving away from my friends and family. And I've learnt how great it is to come back to them- because they're still there when I'm away.

Tomorrow marks the start of my Easter. My three weeks away from lectures and seminars- while they are still three weeks for revising and working. But, oh my, am I excited for my three weeks with my best friends and family. Today, the sun is shining, and I am so ready for my break.

Ahead of me are a lot of memories. In the next three weeks, I see memories painted by car journeys with mine and my best friend's favourite songs; I see film nights with popcorn; days with melodies that reflect the sea's song; I anticipate the evenings with my friends and dinners with my family; I hear everything I want my Easter to be.

I am thankful for so much, and I am very thankful for the easier days I am still experiencing.

Picnics & Sunshine,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

Along the Way

Life is a thing I would never attempt to define. However, it is something I like to contribute ideas about, especially on my blog. Today, I want to consider the "along the way" idea that comes with life.

For me, life is not (unless it comes to deadlines and appointments) written in stone and unable to rub out (except for certain circumstances, of course). Other than general appointments to do with education and things relating, my life is not one that is planned. Of course, it will fluctuate between being more planned and less planned, but ultimately, a lot of coincidence comes into play.

We lose things "along the way"; relationships and habbits; things and priorities. We also pick up a lot "along the way"; memories and knowledge and ambitions. And of course, people. Although not exclusively (as, of course, there are many other contributors that will also change from person to person), I have found that the simple idea of "things falling into place" (but, of course, these things aren't always good things") makes up life. We meet people we want to see all the time, people we like working with and those who aren't as fab to us as the people first mentioned.

For example, when I moved to college I made friends with other people making the same move. We didn't plan to become friends before we made this move, but we fell into this "along the way" thing by talking and building our friendships as life carried on. Along this particular college path, I carried on being friends with most people but fell out of touch - either a lot or a little - with others.

Opportunities have come up in my life because of my effort but coincidence and "along the way"-ness has come into play. It's a weird one to think about- sometimes I'm thankful for it, sometimes I'm not. But, it's just an aspect of life! A narrative we can't write. It makes me thankful for all of the happiness though!

Mid-March & Early June,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

L-O-V-E

I recently re-watched Aladdin for the millionth time and it struck me how invested - as invested as I assume I was the first time I watched it - I was (and am) in the relationship of Aladdin and Jasmine. I stared at my screen like I imagine toddler me would have, my eyes completely in a trance with the Disney gorgeousness. As a blogger who claims to be a hopeless romantic, it shouldn't be a surprise that I fall in love with love on the screen- not forgetting the love I adore in the books I read.

We're raised to believe in love, and to trust it- to love it. And for good reason, I think. We are humans who should be awesome to the best of our abilities and (I aim for awesomeness simply for my own happiness and so I believe my own accepting of myself is one of the most gorgeous things but) we deserve to share this people- and we do so through our families, our friendships and our relationships.

The reason I have always been a hopeless romantic is because these romantic situations our eyes grow wide at and our hearts go gooey at, are based around admirable characteristics such as sincerity, thoughtfull-ness, humbleness, modest charm and sweet motives. We adore it because we seek to find people and be people who are happy and full of characteristics that are pure and positive.

In turn, I adore that L-O-V-E that Nat King Cole sings about because love should bring out my best qualities too. We want and hope to be and hope we are sincere, thoughtful, humble, perform modest charm and have sweet motives. All of my life, I have wanted to be the best person I could be by knowing I can do it on my own. And I can. In a completely inspirational, independent kind of speech, I would say: I don't need love to prove my self worth. But, for this post, I am hoping we can put aside this, but not ignore it. It's a different idea that can play at the same time- if we want it.

Back to the idea of love bringing out awesome qualities in us. When we have something we're proud of (which we all should have!) - our bright personality; our humour; our natural way of being genuine - it shines in everything we do. With someone to love us - to cherish these qualities we have - they should shine, right? They should make us feel brighter or funnier or more genuine. (Again: we can do this by ourselves too, and I think I do!)

I love watching Jasmine and Aladdin's love because it's sweet and humble and sincere. (Spoilers!) Jasmine falls in love with the Aladdin who is the "street rat", because that's not what she sees. Because her motives are not harsh. And Aladdin falls in love with Jasmine, wanting her to believe he is the best person she wants him to be. Only he doesn't need to try like he thinks. That's something about love: Love should love who we really are.

Love is something, ay.

Shirts & Shorts,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

A Happy Sentence | Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

As a part of my "A Happy Sentence" March series (that you can read more about HERE), I have read Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. The reason I chose this novel was because Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is one of my for ever favourites and I wanted to read another one of her works. Last week I read We Were Liars and you can read that review HERE.


Attachments is about Lincoln and his job of monitoring emails from employees in a company to observe whether they are using it in a way the company would approve. During this process Lincoln becomes intrigued by Beth and Jennifer, two best friends who email about their lives. Finding himself charmed by their exchanges, he finds that he can't report them, and instead becomes more and more captivated by their friendship. Before long, he is very attached.

Lincoln lives with his mother and feels as if he has no direction, while being oblivious to the high opinions of him that surround his personality. He is modest, caring and polite and attached to both future, the past and the present, Lincoln begins to work out what is is he wants.

Jennifer and Beth are a charming set of best friends. They both have their own fears and worries, but both know the kind of life they want. They gain comfort and happiness from telling stories and worries to each other and their friendship is one of my favourites I have ever read about. The pair of them are honest and caring, and their humours bounce off each other in a witty and best friend-ly kind of way. I adore their friendship and everything it stands for.

Through the exchanges between Jennifer and Beth, we learn a lot about their worries related to commitment and marriage, babies and work. Their easy way of talking charms both us and Lincoln, and through the attachment Lincoln has to the exchanges and the characters, we route for him all the more while he cherishes Beth's (in particular) endearment.

Attachments is really sweet, and I am so glad I picked it for this challenge. We become invested in Lincoln's want to read more of Jennifer and Beth's emails because we want to read them too. Attachments is about finding out what we want in life, who we want it with and the journey in between.

Emails & Jokes,

The Girl in the Moonlight.