Hello! // Maud

Hello y'all,

How have you all been? I finally got a new computer so now I can write again. WHOOP!
I have been doing okay. GCSEs have started for Emile and I so we are awfully busy and it is stressful to say the least (especially with all my out of school things). But I'm getting through.
Right now I have around 7 pieces of homework (2 due tomorrow) and I really need to get on with it.
I saw that Emile had posted and thought I should do the same.

I just got back from seeing Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children in the cinema :-)
I wasn't nearly as good as the book but the end was so funny and it was different to the end of the first book. Yes, it wasn't the best film I've ever seen but it was definitely a good one.

On October the 13th, my friend Harriet and I are going to an event at Waterstones in London to see Lucy Sutcliffe, Lisa Williamson and Non-Pratt speak about 'Finding Yourself'. Im super excited and am really happy we managed to get tickets. Our favourite youtubers (Saskia and Lily) are also going so we will hopefully bump into them.

I haven't read in what feels like months. I have had no time to do anything (or thats what it feels like anyway). I am reading Asking For It by Louise O'Neill but I can't even really remember whats happening so I think I'm going to start reading Library Of Souls and make sure that I make time to read. I am trying to start thinking about myself more and hoping to start living happier.
Remember, your health is more important than grades. 

QOTD: What is your favourite subject at school?
AOTD: History or Drama :-)

Happy Living,

Life Update // Maud

Hello everyone!

I have been gone for a few weeks and I'm not going to say I'm sorry because I really needed the break. My head is in a much better place than it was a few weeks ago.
To be honest, BEDIA made me start to really dislike blogging. I felt like all the content was really horrible and rushed. I am happy that I ended it when I did because I want to really put effort into my posts.

I have quite a few things happening right now. The main reason I stopped writing in August was because my great great aunt died and I went to the funeral and everything was a big kerfuffle. The following week I went to Norfolk and we had little to no wifi (However that turned out to be a very good thing as in the week away (in the space of 2 days) I read It Ends With Us, It by Alexa Chung and Girl Hearts Girl by Lucy Sutcliffe. They are all great books and I totally recommend).
Since getting back, I auditioned for a remake of Cabaret with a activist group called LGBTQ+ Against Islamophobia. The audition went really well and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.

I  going back to school on Wednesday. I am certainly not looking forward to it but lots of exiting things are happening so I suppose it's not the worst. I am going to write a few posts in preparation for the school year but I am going to try to manage my busy schedule lots better.

Thankyou for your patience,

Weird International Days in the next few weeks // Maud; BEDIA DAY 16

Guten Tag, 

Well I have 10 mins to write this post so it's gonna be really bad but... 

Emile did a post a bit like this in March and I thought I'd copy her and kind of update it for the next few weeks! These are a few of my faves :-)

August 17th - National Thrift Shop Day

August 20th - National Pecan Pie Day

August 25th - Kiss and Make Up Day

August 26th - Dog Appreciation Day

September 5th - Cheese Pizza Day

September 13th - Positive Thinking Day/ Roald Dahl Day

September 22nd - Hobbit Day

October 7th - World Smile Day

October 20th - International Sloth Day 

Happy reading, 

Maud Xxx

Currently Reading // Maud; BEDIA DAY 14

Hey yo,

This is my currently reading day! So that is what I'll do :-)

The thing with currently reading posts is that I'm not too sure what to write apart from the obvious. And that is like 2 sentences long. So they always turn into life updates aswell. But I don't have anything to update you on. So this post is going to be super short! 

I am around 50 pages into It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. I haven't read it for a few days but I know that it's written really well and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Yay! 

Actually, I am going to a dance week long workshop this week so that should be fun. I'm not sure if I'll get much time to write though. So if I don't, forgive me🙏🏻 

Happy Reading (and in my case, dancing), 

Maud Xxx

My favourite songs // Maud; BEDIA DAY 9

Aloha!
Over the next few days my posts are going to be less book related. If you only like our bookish posts then they will be back soon. And also Emile will will be posting them ;-)

Anyway, today's post is going to be about my favourite songs currently. Keep in mind that this changes quite often so this will be the list for probably only the next few weeks!
(By the way, my music taste is slightly weird so don't scorn me in the comments ;-/)

Song 1) Dead Fox by Courtney Barnett

I recently saw Courtney Barnett in concert and it was FABULOUS! She is a great performer a well as musician. I recommend you go and listen to all her albums (especially Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I just Sit).

Song 2) Werewolf by Cocorosie

This song was introduced to me by my dance teacher and I can't stop listening to it. *Warning: Explicit Content at the beginning*. I haven't actually listened to any of CocoRosie's other songs but I will get round to that hopefully in the near future ;-/

Song 3) Lord Knows by Sophie and the Giants 

Sophie is a family friend and I went to see her recently and fell in love with her music. They are a fairly small band so GO AND LISTEN! They are so goood and really recommend their music. I am so pumped for more of their songs :-)

Song 4) Swingin Party by Lorde 

I have loved Lorde for a while now. I went to see her in concert June 2014 in Brixton and it was utterly phenomenal and I really want to go and see her again! Lorde is also stunning ;-|)

Song 5) Is This It? by The Strokes  

 

I have grown up with bands like The Strokes, The White Stripes and Oasis. I never really listened (and still don't listen) to new/current music. This song just brings back lots of memories! 

Song 6) Slipping Through My Fingers (Mamma Mia playlist) by ABBA

I think everyone around my age watched Mamma Mia when they were younger. I recently watched Mamma Mia and realised how happy the songs make me feel. Soooo...I started listening to them again and now I'm sort of addicted. However, this song makes me cry :-/

Song 7) Hotel Yorba by The White Stripes

As I said before, I grew up with this music. Also, this is the signature sing of me and one of my friends and if it comes on...you really don't want to see our dancing!

I recommend you all go and listen to these amazing songs and comment your feedback and your favourite songs in the comments! X 

Happy Listening! 

YALC 2016 Wrap-up and Haul // Maud; BEDIA DAY 8

Hello!
On Sunday, Emile, A (from abookphilosophy), Harriet (from Lost In Words) and I went to YALC 2016 in Olympia, London. We had a great time and met some incredible authors and got a load of freebies.

At the start of the day we woke at around 7, we had made a very detailed plan about how to get there and this meant we would get to Olympia at around 10:15ish which is around 1 hour and 15mins after the con had started.
However, we completely misjudged the time it would get to take the tube so we ended up getting to Olympia at around 9:30. When we got there, we first signed up to the fanfiction workshop (run by Lucy Saxon) at 11:00 and then we went round all the stalls because they were giving out a whole load of freebies which we, more than happily, picked up! By around 10:30 we had our bags covered in badges and a bagful of leaflets.
We sat down in the 'reading corner' for a 5/10 mins and then realised that the Fanfiction workshop was soon, so we started making our way over to the corner/ workshop room to wait for it to begin.
The Fanfiction workshop was entertaining but not the best bit of the day. We all felt that it lacked a bit of interaction, it was more of a talk where we were instructed on how to write and the dos and don'ts of Fanfiction. It was advertised as a workshop so it was a bit of a let down :-(
Although, at the end, Lucy gave us cute little pouches full of slips of paper with fanfic ideas on them. This was a super idea!

After the fanfiction workshop, we walked back round the publisher stalls and found out from Twitter that V.E. Schwab was doing an unofficial signing at the Waterstones stall. We waited in her queue for about 10/15 mins which was not long at all. (Quick Tip- always have twitter on hand as authors and publishers tweet about random signings and giveaways that they are doing out of the blue).
This was the first author that we met and we were freaking out in the queue but then when we finally got to meet her she was really sweet and signed all of our books and tote bags :-)

Next (after relaxing for a while), Harriet saw that Holly Bourne was signing. I was going to go with her and get Am I Normal Yet? so that I could get it signed with her. But, on the way to Waterstones to get the book...I SAW ALWYN HAMILTON! So I changed my plans and just went to Alwyn Hamilton instead to get my Rebel of the Sands signed. (Side Note- the authors we met also signed our tote bags.)
Alwyn was super nice and we ended up just having a chat with her, it was really relaxed.




The highlight of my day (and I think everyone else's day) was the #MorallyComplicatedYA panel. This panel was absolutely aammmmaaaaazzzzziiiiinnnnggggggggg! It touched upon loads of things that really need to be talked about (abuse, sex, censorship, feminism etc.) The authors on this panel were Manuela Salvi, Louise O'Neill, Emerald Fenell and Melvin Burgess. Theses are all seen as "contreversial" authors and they were great on the panel.

So, that panel was fantastic and am really happy that we chose to go to it. And would like to say thankyou to all the authors who were on it! (Not that any authors will read this). Also, after the panel, all the authors were doing signings so I got Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill signed (who had the longest queue by far ;-/) and got my tote bag signed by Emerald Fennel. They were both lovely and it was a pleasure meeting them. 

For the rest of the day we kind of just sat and relaxed and then went to the Harry Potter panel/ contest to support HUFFLEPUFF! 

At the end of the day, there were some really good deals for books (2 books for £5) so I also got Girl Hearts Girl by Lucy Sutcliffe and To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. 

Overall, I had a great day and am really excited for next year! 

Happy Reading, 

Currently Reading//Maud; 30.05.16

Hey guys!
So this is my currently reading that was meant to be posted yesterday. I did write it but this morning it changed so...

I was previously reading ACOMAF but this morning I decided to put it down. I am in a really big slump and it was really daunting. It actually made me feel really stressed and upset so I decided that I should put it down to lift a weight from my shoulders because you shouldn't feel obliged to read anything, reading s a fun thing that should be enjoyed!

I am now reading...We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. This book is only short and apparently it is absolutely outstanding so yeah! I am gonna read tonight :)

Happy Reading,
Maud X

Sexism and Tender// This is Life; Maud

Hey guys!
I was encouraged to write this post because today, around 30 students in my year (including me) had a workshop run by the company TENDER. Tender is a charity that do lots of things to raise awareness of subjects like domestic violence, rape and abuse etc to try to spot when it's happening to someone (whether it's yourself or someone you see/know) and help lower the rates of this around the UK and the world.
This is the link to their website is down below:
TENDER LINK

Anyway, at one point we were talking about how woman shouldn't have to dress so they don't distract men. I have strong views about this and I just wanted to rant.

So in lots of uniform codes, girls can't wear their skirts too short or have their legs, arms or bra straps showing and I'm not saying that is wrong in any way as it can be seen as unprofessional but what I don't agree with is that girls should be told to wear clothes that completely cover up as 'men and boys find it distracting'. This is just going along with the fact that women are seen as sex figures. Girls shouldn't have to be worried to go out in slightly revealing clothes and be scared that they are going to be raped or manipulated. You can't say that the girl was 'asking for it' by wearing those clothes as that's taking the blame off the rapist and putting it on the victim which is really unfair and wrong. I am not saying that we should go out in practically underwear but what I'm saying is that we shouldn't be scared to wear items of clothing because of the fear of being seen as a sex item.

And even if it may be 'distracting' to some, by saying that they are not only putting down men as a collective group of people who can't control themselves but they are also not putting into account the girls who are attracted to the same sex (lesbian, bi, pan etc peeps). They have to get dressed surrounded with girls in underwear for P.E. and they can control themselves and keep their eyes off so why should men be distracted by fully clothed women.

There is a really good campaign going on called #iammorethanadistration. I will tag the BuzzFeed post about it below as it will explain better than I could.
BUZZFEED ARTICLE

I think that girls should be able to be proud of their bodies and we shouldn't be seen as sex items or 'too distracting'.
Thankyou to Tender for today's workshop as I really appreciate it and found it really interesting. I also have another tomorrow so I am really looking forward to it!
It also felt like an open environment where things could be said that we wouldn't normally get to talk about in schools.

Happy Reading,

Currently Reading// Maud; 15.05.16

Hey guys!
Sorry this is up so late but all of today I have been reorganising by bedroom and now have a double bed!
Anyway, I am reading ACOMAF and I'm around 100ish pages in. I'm not loving it, I'm not going to lie but hopefully it will get better. I was thinking of maybe also reading Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief as I found it in Oxfam books yesterday and am so pumped to start it. I'm not totally sure yet though.

I am also reading Frankenstein with my class in English which I'm not really enjoying too much at the moment and I actually need to read about 50 pages of it for tomorrow but I'm so tired that it'll be a close call to whether it gets done.

This has been a short post but...
Happy Reading,

Book M.A.S.H //Maud

Hey guys!

This is a special post for the 1 Year Anniversary of this blog! Woohoo!

Emile has done this tag and I've wanted to do it for ages so I thought that this would be the perfect time ;-) *Aristotle and Dante spoilers*

The categories are:

-Where will I live?

-Partner

-Where did we meet?

-Where did we get married?

-Best Friend

-Mansion, Apartment, House or Shack?

-Occupation

-Mode of Transport

-Pets

-Patronus

-How many children?

Where will I live?

1. The Wizarding World

2. Rifthold

3. Prythian

4. 1940 (Miss Peregrine's)

5. Agloe

6. Regular World :(

Partner

1. Hermione Granger

2. Rhysand

3. Chaol

4. Sam (TPOBAW)

5. Voldemort

6. Emma Watson (I'm sorry but it's necessary) 

Where did we meet?

1. At the Pride Parade

2. At Hogwarts

3. In tesco while I was buying tampons

4. At the hospital

5. Online 

6. At Aristotle and Dante's wedding

Where did we get married?

1. The Great Hall

2. Whitby Pier

3. The Golden Gate Bridge

4. Disney Land

5. Alcatraz 

6. In the sewer

Best Friend

1. Dante

2. Celaena 

3. Charlie (TPOBAW)

4. Spencer (PLL)

5. Feyre

6. No-one

Mansion, Apartment, Shack or House?

1. Mansion

2. Apartment 

3. Shack 

4. House

Occupation

1. Herbology professor

2. Kennel keeper

3. Rifthold Soldier

4. Teacher at Rosewood HighSchool

5. Death Eater

6. Minister of Magic

Mode of Transport

1. Horse and Cart

2. Broomstick

3. Car

4. Swegway

5. Camel ride

6. Walk

Pets

1. Nagini 

2. Owl

3. Hippogriff

4. Mockingjay

5. Dementor

6. Phoenix

Patronus

1. Otter

2. Eagle

3. Sloth

4. Griffin

5. Slug

6. Phoenix

How many kids do I have?

1. 4

2. 4 billion

3. None

4. 1

5. 60

6. 990,000

I now need to go and spiral some paper...I got..4!

So let count.

OK. So that went...kind of ok, I suppose. 

I am going to live in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter married to Hermione Granger, who I met at the the Pride Parade! We will get married in the Great Hall. My bestfriend will be Charlie. I will live in a house and will be a Rifthold Soldier :( I will travel via Camel and will have a pet mockingjay. 

My patronus will be a slug and I will have four kids!

I hope you enjoyed this and leave what you get in the comments!

Happy Reading, 

Currently Reading; Maud//08.05.16

Hey guys,
It's Maud here with a long awaited Currently Reading post :/
Recently I've been really busy with exams and things along those lines so I have had limited time to read (which was especially horrible because Throne of Glass was so gripping and I had to keep putting it down when I really wanted to carry on).

Anyway, last night I finally finished Throne of Glass. It was spectacular and I'm super desperate to read Crown of Midnight but over the past few weeks I have accumulated lots of books so I think I need a break from buying books.

I am currently reading A COURT OF MIST AND FURY BY SARAH J. MAAS!
It's been so long awaited and I'm so excited to read it. I'm on about page 15/624 so I have a long way but hope I will be getting through it quickly as exams will hopefully die down in the next few weeks.

May, June and July are pretty great months for me. This month I am finding out which GCSE options I got and which subjects I will be studying next year. For my choices I picked Drama, Art, History and Spanish (First reserve: Geography and Second Reserve: BTEC Health and Social). So hopefully I get the ones I wanted although I won't be hugely fussed if I don't.
June is my birthday month and I am also going to the London Pride Parade with my two bestfriends :)
July is the last month of term and I am going to a concert, a school end of year trip, a contemporary performance with my company and we may be attending a Book Convention!
Also, I can't wait for summer because there is so much reading time.

QOTD: What is the most exciting thing happening in the next few months for you guys?

Happy Reading,

The Colleen Hoover Book Tag // Maud

Hey guys,

This is a tag made by our friend A over at abookphilosophy!
I actually haven't read any Colleen Hoover books but am planning on reading on picking up a few in future. Let's get started!

1. "Just finish Miles"- Ugly Love
A book you couldn't put down. 
For this I pick Me, Earl and the Dying Girl. I know that I am not a fan of this book but I finished it really quickly and it was a really fast and easy read so I read it in like only a few sittings. I didn't love this book tho :(

2. "I'll love you, even when I can't"- Confess
An old favourite.
Goodnight Mr Tom :)This is such an easy choice, I still love this book so much. I read it a few years ago and it was my favourite book for a while!

3. "There will never be a 'maybe someday'"-Maybe Someday
A book you can't wait for.
A Court of Mist and Fury. Luckily by the time this post is up, ACOMAF will be out! It is also our may BOTM for an Infinite Philosophy so I will might actually reading this right now. PLEASE SAY RHYSAND IS A THING!

4. "You keep your ocean, I'll take the Lake"- Slammed 
A book to which you prefer the sequel.
Hollow City. I love Miss Peregrine's Home For Children was amazing but I preferred the actual story of the second book. I have not yet read Library of Souls but I love the series so far!

5. "I need a chapter break"- Hopeless
A book you had to put down to compose yourself.
For this one I am going to pick All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. If you have read it then you will know why... :( I literally was in floods of tears and my parents were probably really confused but oh well.

6."If we're going to kiss it has to be bookworthy"- November 9th
Your favourite OTP/Book Couple
*ARISTOTLE AND DANTE SPOILERS*
This is close between Rhysand and Dantistotle but I think Dantistotle will beat it by a tiny bit. They are just so cute and quirky. I SHIP THEM SO HARD!

This is really great tag and I tag Emile here on An Infinite Bookshelf. I hope you enjoyed this and comment your favourite Colleen Hoover book!
P.S. Sorry for lack of currently reading posts because I have 2 Maths and 1 English end-of-year exam so I'm STILL on Throne of Glass. I have one today so I'm gonna hopefully binge read after school but then I have to start revsing again as there is another two exams on Tuesday :(
Happy reading!

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl review and the May BOTM reveal // An Infinite Philosophy

Hello everybody!
This is the book talk for the April Book of The Month (Me, Earl and the Dying Girl)!
Maud and A successfully completely it but Emile found it too hard to finish as she was so bored. As you might guess, this is going to be a negative review from all parties.

But first we will announce the May Book of the Month.
*drumroll please*

Have a great month reading this highly anticipated sequel and we'll see you at the end of the month for the book talk!

Anyway, onto Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (warning: this review is not meaning to offend it's just our opinions so enjoy :))

Maud
I got through this book within the space of about 24 hours as I didn't mind it at most parts.
I just really hate how Greg keeps saying that the book is so lame and stupid and that we shouldn't keep reading. I just really want him to get onto it. 
I really didn't like any of the characters and couldn't at all relate which made it extra hard to get into it. I especially dislikes Greg and Earl. Ear was really violent and although he was sad about Rachel, he told Greg that he wasn't loved etc and it was really horrible. The character building was really poor. The storyline of this book was pretty generic and quite like TFIOS but just with a really lame protagonist. I liked some bits of the book like the idea of making Rachel a movie but the way it was written was very disappointing :/ 
Overall, I think that the idea of what happens is nice but it was portrayed in a very uninteresting way.



A
I, as usual, was the first to read it, and at first I thought it was great, but slowly it got worse in my eyes. I was disappointed in the overall arc of the story, it started well but half way through seemed to just collapse. It irritated me, much like Maud, how he went on about how we shouldn't read the book, it inadvertently put me off it. Some of the humour did hit home, for instance at the beginning with the introduction to Greg's school. The dynamics between each of the families felt very unrealistic, the situation with Earl's family almost surreal. Though a lot of people say it's like TFIOS, to me it was like the opposite, if anything it felt like Paper Towns to me.
Finally, I feel the whole Rachel situation was so underwhelming, Greg left the hospital and became very self centred for a few chapters, then we find out she's dead. I'm just like; What!
So, overall, brilliant beginning, crappy ending.


Emile

I am not a big fan of this book. My main issue with it is the protagonist, Greg. He is meant to relatable because he is chubby and apparently not very good looking and hates his life. Personally for me this is not relatable. Greg spent the entire book basically trying to persuade us not to read the book by repeatedly saying that it's "stupid" or "inane". When even the protagonist is telling you that the book is bad, it doesn't make you want to read it.

I found that there wasn't much character dynamic and I didn't really like any of the characters. Greg got on my nerves, Earl is a bit of an idiot and we don't even find out much about Rachel. His Dad was my favourite character because he's a bit of a nutter. I found the humour really weird in this book. It wasn't funny, or even so stupid it was funny, it just wasn't funny. When Greg starts explaining that his lunch looks like alien barf, or when he gets high because one of his teachers puts weed in his pho, I didn't laugh. I just wanted to hit my head against the wall. I didn't finish this book. Honestly there is nothing about it that I really enjoyed, but I didn't really really hate it either. It just isn't for me. I didn't finish it.

Tell us what you thought of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl down below and we will be sure to read and reply :)
See you next month,
Maud, Emile and A xxx

Sweets Book Tag // Maud

Hey guys!

This is the Book Candy Tag! This is already a thing but I thought I'd change the questions because I liked the ones I thought of! I hope you enjoy! If you do this be sure to inform me and send me the link on Instagram. I will be sure to check out all of them :)

1. Toxic Waste: a book that was hard to get into but then ended sweet.

I chose... Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling.
I wouldn't say that this was extremely hard to get into just that every beginning to the Harry Potters is at the Dursleys and that's not nearly as good as Hogwarts.

2. Liquorice: A book that you like that everyone else doesn't like.
 My answer to this would probably be Paper Towns.
This book is hugely divided. Some love it, some hate it. Personally, I really liked the ending of this book because it wasn't cliché.

3. Blue bon-bons: A book that will stay with you for a long time.
 My answer is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
This book is unforgettable, a life-changing read.

4. Chocolate: A book that you often crave...at least once a month.
I would say Harry Potter. Not necessarily reading them as I am not a fan of re-reading but I crave the story so yeah I suppose that counts.

5. Pick'n'mix: A book that you didn't expect the plot twist- you didn't know what you were going to get. 
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children for sure...If you have read the first book then you know.

It wasn't many questions but in all honesty I couldn't think of any more so I hope you enjoyed and I'm also sorry this is late but you know...revision...school...homework...life!
Happy Reading!

Hamilton Book Tag// Maud

Hey guys!

Ever since visiting Em a week or so ago, I have been addicted to listening to the soundtrack of Hamilton the musical so as I am listening to it right now, I thought I would do it. (spoilers for Harry Potter, Noughts and Crosses, ACOTAR and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children to follow)

1. The Room Where It Happens- A book world you would live in.

Like Emile, I would love to live in the Wizarding Worlds it's an absolute no-brainer. It is the dream of all potterheads. 

2. The Schuyler Sisters- An underated female character

I was unsure about this one and the only character I could think of was Ginny Weasley. She wasn't exactly underrated but she was seen a lot as mainly the love interest more than the fighter who helped defeat Voldemort. I still love her character though. 

3. My shot- A character that goes after what they want

 and doesn't let anything stop them. 

I'm not sure about this one. I would say Celaena Sardothian. I have only read around 100 pages of TofG but I can already tell that she is a determined, strong willed character. 

Apology for Lady Midnight and April BOTM reveal; Maud

Hello everyone!

We are so sorry but Emile has not finished Lady Midnight yet :/
I was not going to read it anyway as I've not read the Mortal Instruments series. Emile will be uploading a review once she's finished it :)
Again, we are so sorry but this month has been really busy as well as Lady Midnight being a long book.

Anyway, on to the exciting bit...the March Book of the Month!
*drumroll please*

Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews :)

Personally, I am super excited as this is one of the highest on my TBR list!

Happy Reading,