emma watson

emma watson is such an inspiration, she carried on with her education, graduated from university and is a strong female role model, who doesn't sell her body for money but is a classy, sophisticated and down to earth young woman who I really look up to. 

also

      -she is so pretty and I'm in love with her jumper I need it I need it I need it

books my future children must read

matilda

    - a classic 

the hunger games 

    - be grateful for the things you have, many people have it worse. also, my precious daughter, don't let any man tell you he's better than you

my sister jodie

    - as much as your siblings annoy you, they love you and will do anything to protect you

I was jane austen's best friend 

    - brilliant book about family and one of the greatest women in history

mary poppins 

    - a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine of down

toms midnight garden 

    - keep their imagination alight

war horse 

    - history is written by the winners and remember, human tradgedies aren't the only ones that effect our world

harry potter's

    - every single one of them because friendship, loyalty and courage are the most important things in life, even when everything else fails 

and also because hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home 

currently reading:

an abundance of katherines 

poem tuesday

I know it's a day late, but here's my poem tuesday, love this one

the moon by emily dickinson

the moon was but a chin of gold

a night or two ago

and now she turns her perfect face

upon the world below

poem tuesday

today's poem is the jabberwocky by lewis carroll, one of my most favourite writers. 

'twas brillig and the slithy toves 

did gyre and gimble in the wabe; 

all mimsy were the borogoves, 

and the mome raths outgrabe.

'beware the jabberwock, my son! 

the jaws that bite, the claws that catch

beware the jubjub bird, and shun 

the fruminous bandersnatch!'

he took his vorpal sword in hand:

long time the manxome foe he sought- 

so rested he by the tumtum tree

and sat a while in thought. 

and as in uffish thought he stood,

the jabberwock, with eyes of flame, 

came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

and burbled as it came!

one, two! one, two! and through and through

the vorpal blade went snicker-snack! 

he left it dead and with its head

he went galumphing back. 

'and has thou slain the jabberwock?

come to my arms my beamish boy!

o frabjous day! callooh! callay!'

he chortled in his joy

'twas brillig and the slithy toves

did gyre and gimble in the wabe; 

all mimsy were the borogoves, 

and the mome raths outgrabe. 

in love

what does it feel like to be in love?

I never want to leave you. I feel this overbearing emptiness when you're not with me, it's like hunger if the heart. my hunger and longing for your sweet words to echo round my head. it makes me want to laugh and cry and dance all at the same time. you affect my every thought, I see you wherever I go. I love you. I find it hard to comprehend what life was like before I knew you. 

but I know our love can't last, it will end soon, as it always does. it feels as if my strength is draining, my happiness going with it, I can't let you go. but I must. I will have to close the book soon and carry on with my real existence without you. but don't worry my dear, I will rekindle our love, a few months down the line, when I open your cover and flick to page one again. 

yes, I love you, fictional character, but I must go now; until next time x

powers of a cup of coffee

all my best ideas come when I'm sipping coffee from my favourite mug and writing in my black book of ideas.. 

how do you guys get your best ideas? walking the dog? people watching at work? on the bus? let me know:-) 

my feminist idol

I love caitlin moran. I can honestly say I feel a deep emotional connection to her. Well to her writing. And the part of her I know through her writing. I devour her column in the the times sunday magazine every week and have posters of her and clippings of her writing plastered all over my bedroom. Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration but caitlin's face does have the honour of being on the wall next to my bed and her article 'my posthumous advice for my daughter' framed along side it. 

for those of you who don't know who caitlin moran is (do you live under a rock or something or are you just anti-humorous, strikingly feminist, legendary writing?), she's a journalist, author and broadcaster who writes the most hilarious and relatable articles ever known. 

here's a list as to why you lot who have never heard of her should be ashamed: 

• she's eye-wateringly, belly-achingly hilarious 

• she wrote about real things that real women care about - no I don't give a hot rats if 'katie price is married AGAIN' or if west life are starting a reunion tour, but I do care about 'why female genital mutilation must end' and if you do too I suggest you look at some of her work (it's unbelievably witty and charming)

• she's a feminist 

• her book 'how to be a woman' is so honest, I felt like we was sitting on the end of my bed explaining all this, whilst we painted our nails black and talked about why the suppression of women needs to stop now before we explode 

• she's gorgeous - what more reason do you need?

back to the reasoning of my post; I wanted to share my feelings in her article 'my posthumous advice to my daughter'. 

my mother, a long time smoker, often jokes about how I couldn't survive with out her - which is entirely true. And as I read caitlin's article in the times Sunday magazine in way back in July, I was convinced my mum and her had worked together on this piece: the words appeared in my head as if they were coming from my mums mouth! 

 

my favourite line from this historic article?

'never ever start smoking. it's like buying a fun baby dragon that will grow and eventually burn down your f***ing house.'

can't express enough how much you guys need to read the rest of this article. just go. 

~happy reading~ 

poem tuesday

the soldier by rupert brooke

if I should die, think only this of me:

that there's some corner of a foreign field

that is for ever england. there shall be

in that rich earth a richer dust concealed; 

a dust whom england bore, shaped, made aware,

gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,

a body of england's, breathing english air,

washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. 

and think, this heart, all evil shed away,

a pulse in the eternal mind, no less

gives somewhere back the thoughts by england 

             given; 

her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;

and laughter learnt of friends; and gentleness, 

in hearts at peace, under an english heaven. 

why books are better than films

recently I've been inundated with people asking me why I read books when there are films of those books..is this the most ridiculous question ever or what? I mean don't get me wrong I love watching films and the harry potter films are my favourite films, but books are just so much more individual to each person!

another thing about books is you can use your imagination!! No one decides what you're experiencing: there are no limits to the ways you interpret a book! Whereas in a film it's the directors interpretation seen on the screen and as interesting and unique that is, every person who watches sees and experiences the same things. 

reading also enhances your vocabulary and can help with your writing. As much as films can be visual inspiration to write, books are the actual physical form of the written word and allows the reader to learn from the author new techniques and ways to describe things. 

who else has fallen in love with a book and then gone to watch to film adaption but been sorely disappointed? Did the director leave bits out? This is my biggest annoyance about films - they ALWAYS leave something out. And yes I know you can't fit a 500 page book into a two hour film AND include everything but it frustrates me nonetheless. 

in books you get to know the character better and you know every thought and feeling they're experiencing, which otherwise would not happen in a film even with a particularly good actor. I find it easier to fall in love with a book character than a film character and I connect more to them. 

books are far more portable and practical - ever tried to carry around a dvd player and dvd and tv? Not easy. Whereas a book slips into a bag or even a coat pocket with ease and you can take it anywhere. Limitless.  

which do you guys prefer, books or films? leave a comment below and let me know:-)