Book Review: The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets

Today, I thought I would do something a little different that I have only done once before, A book review! The book in question is "The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets" by Eva Rice, which was actually recommended to me by a very good friend a few years ago. 

Can we first talk about this amazing cover? I am guilty of always judging a book by it's cover. When I am in a book shop the thing that makes me turn over the book to read the blurb is the cover, and this particular copy also has pink edged pages which make it a little bit different and a great addition to any bookshelf. 

If you know me, you know I love anything to do with the 1950's, the fashion, the food, the style and of course who can forget the Rock and Roll! Therefore, it is no surprise that this book is on my list of my favorite books of all time. 

The book is set in 1950's London where the world is recovering from World War 2, rationing is becoming a thing of the past and everyone is getting excited about a little musical craze sweeping the world called Rock and Roll. 

Enter our protagonist and trusty 18 year old narrator Penelope. The book opens with her standing at a bus stop when suddenly she is asked by a complete stranger called Charlotte to hop in to her taxi and accompany her to tea with her aunt,strange I know but so is Charlotte's crazy yet absolutely fabulous Aunt Clare, her strange yet witty cousin Harry and the loaf of Bread Julian (another great reason to pick up this book). 

The story follows Penelope falling into the glamorous world of Post War London with Charlotte and getting caught up in other plot twists along the way. She, however welcomes the change in scenery compared to her crumbling stately home that she lives in with her mother Talitha and her music crazed brother Indigo.  

This is one of those books where the story line is hard to explain because it is spread over a vast amount of time and there is so much happening but a story worth reading. I especially love the colourful and deep characters, they all have their own intriguing personalities and personal traits, for example Harry's dry sense of humor and his lack of decorum. Eva Rice really paints a beautiful picture of 1950's London through Penelope's eyes and something worth checking out if your looking for something fun and fantastic.Who needs a time machine when you have Eva Rice?

Until next time 

Erin

Summer Playlist

Summer is fast approaching and I love nothing more than having 3 months of Sun, sand and fun after an entire year of working hard. 

One of my favourite things to do is update my I-pod every couple of months with the best new songs and summer tunes are my absolute favourites, they're always upbeat and just sound summery, perfect for blasting in the car or at the beach. 

I've really been branching out into different sounds over the past couple of months and these are the top tunes to be gracing my I-pod for this summer. So lets get started! 

I remember watching her for the first time on 'Wizards of Waverly Place' on Disney Channel years ago and when I saw she'd released a single I thought "Oh, she's probably going to have the same sort of child-friendly sound a lot of the Disney Channel stars have when they release music" Boy, was I wrong. Her sound is so full of beats and really catchy and just a perfect uplifting party tune and if I had never heard of her I would never of guessed she was from Disney Channel. 

I've never really been a huge fan of Calvin Harris or Ellie Goulding but after hearing 'Drinking From The Bottle' by Calvin Harris I've been more careful to keep an eye out for some other tracks by him and this collaboration with Ellie Goulding does not dissapoint. After this track I definitely love Ellie Goulding a lot more. What I love about this track is it reminds me of music festivals and summer in London ( Which is a weird combination but still). 

I've always loved Taylor Swift and feel all the abuse she gets in the media isn't very fair. Music is a form of personal expression and what she chooses to write about should not be slated by everyone even if they do think it's repetitive. This track is one of my favourite's by Taylor because it shows a different style than we're used to. It also gives me goose bumps because it's celebrating being young which is something that always makes me feel good. 

That's all my summer favourites! Leave a comment below telling me your go to summer tunes and you never know they might make it on to my I-pod. 

Until next time 

Erin

 

It's been a while

Hey... Yeah sorry it's been a long time! Over a year actually oops xD

It's currently 4:07 am and I haven't slept at all tonight, and morning really. See my friend recommended this youtube guru Superbeautynerd and i've been watching her non stop all night. She's really good you should check her out!

So at this point I haven't really established what this blog is going to be about really I'm not very good with these things but I was thinking about just displaying my interests, books, movies, fashion, drama you know. I was thinking of making a youtube channel because it looks like good fun actually, except i'd probably get like 0 viewers, subscribers etc. but it's for fun :D. I was thinking of people suggesting things I could discuss and do which would be kinda fun I like trying new things.

I think I should probably properly introduce myself. Hi, I'm Erin I'm 16 and live in Northern Ireland! Woo... I have blonde hair, green eyes! Most people do not know that Northern Ireland and Ireland are two different countries, I mean they're are plenty of differences. Too be fair though, it doesn't really matter I don't really care, I mean I think that the 30 years of violence and general horribleness is really not worth a single identity. Although, everyone's entitled to their own opinion and I did a school history coursework on it and frankly I thought the whole sha-bang was pretty pointless to be honest. However, there are plenty of differences. I will go through them so if anyone's confused or like me thinks it's completely stupid lets go over them.

First, Northern Ireland is part of the Britain, So therefore, we are ruled by the cute little queen (she is quite cute you have to admit) therefore we reap the benefits that England, Scotland and Wales get to enjoy. This includes using sterling, This is another thing I really don't get, to go off topic for just a moment, I mean why don't we just convert to the euro like the rest of Europe? It's so complicated, ANYWHO! Our health service is the NHS, Free health care woo! Whereas in Ireland you pay :(. GSCE'S, A levels, the 11 plus (R.I.P. old friend) and Ireland do completely different exams. Junior Certs, leaving certs etc. Ok enough about the whole country thing xD I love reading, films (old ones preferably) drama!, singing playing video games. I like fashion and make up and beauty too I just wish I had enough money to get all the stuff I'd like and what make-up gurus tell you to use in their videos.

So that's me I'll try and update more even though it's pointless as I'm like Shirley Valentine and might as well be talking to a brick wall

Erin