Stay at Home Book Tag| Carenza Bramwell

I know I said that my last post was going to be my last one linked to the current situation, but I saw this tag floating around and I knew that I had to join in. For some more information on this tag, I saw BooksNest do this on her YouTube Channel, so click here to see that video. If you're a blogger and are looking for a tag to do, then I would recommend this one! 

Laying in Bed

A book you could/have read in a day

A book I've read in a day is Volumes 1-3 in the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman. Each time these books come out, I have to read them straight away. Each time I sit down and I digest these books straight away. They're some of my favourites and I have painfully excited for the fourth volume to come out.

Snacking

A guilty pleasure book

I really struggled to find an answer to this question, but the closest thing to a "guilty pleasure" would have to be In The Woods by Tana French. This is an Irish crime novel that I bought after seeing Emmmabooks recommend it back in 2018. It was so good I read it in about two days. I haven't read many crime books, in fact I unhauled most of the ones I owned as I had seen the film adaptations or I just didn't see myself reading them. I'm not sure what it was about In The Woods that hooked me, but I would love to read more from Tana French.

Netflix

A series you want to start

A series that is pretty high up my to watch list is The Good Place. I've seen a lot of good things about it online and it seems like it would be my type of TV show. I have a list as long as my arm of TV shows I need to watch.

Deep Clean

A book thats been on your TBR for ages Probably one of my longest standing TBR books would have to be If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo. I bought this back in 2017 when diversity bingo was a thing. I don't even remember what prompt it filled but I remember being excited to read it. It is one of only two unread contemporaries on my bookshelf and as I've been on a fantasy high since March, I will be reading it soon.

Animal Crossing

A book you recently bought because of hype

I would have to say Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. I saw nothing but good things about this book and as I was in a fantasy book, I just had to read it. I ended up giving it 3/5 stars, however I would consider reading it again at some point in the future.

Productivity

A book you learnt or had an impact on you

My answer, without a shadow of a doubt, is Beautiful Boy by David Sheff. I don't normally gravitate towards non-fiction but I picked this up after seeing the trailer for the movie adaptation (which I still haven't watched). It's about David Sheff's experience as a father of a drug addict. It's a very deep, hard hitting book, but one I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.

Facetime

A book you were gifted

The only book I can think that technically counts as being gifted is Blood of Elves, the third book in The Witcher series. I bought the first one and loved it, then my mum bought us the second and third books. I still need to read the third one but I didn't have the best experience with the second one.

Self Care

What is one thing you have done recently to look after yourself?

Recently, I've really gotten into colouring. I have loads of colouring books but I've never fully committed to colouring in. It's become really therapeutic and calming, so I've been colouring in a lot more than I normally would. I love either just colouring when I'm chilling with my family or sticking on a TV show I've seen before and colouring while it's on. 

BONUS

Name a book coming out soon

The next book that is coming out that I'm really excited to read is The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper. It's an LGBT own voices YA novel coming out in May. I know that the backdrop of this book is the NASA space program and that really interests me.

So that concludes this book tag, if you found it interesting, then you should try it yourself!

Carenza :) x

Feel Good Movies and TV Shows to Watch Right Now| Carenza Bramwell

Welcome to my final post on things to do during lockdown. I've decided to stop writing these posts for a few reasons. Firstly, I've found that they've become quite repetitive and are draining me creatively. They aren't what I'd usually write about. Secondly, I'd like my blog to be a safe space, free from the troubles happening in the world. I hope you've enjoyed the content I've been posting, but from now on my blog will be back to more bookish and creative content like it used to be. 

In today's post, I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite feel good movies and tv shows to watch at the moment. Recently, I've been getting more into films and tv shows to the point where I've watched more things than I've read books this year. These are my go to watches when I need a pick me up and want to feel good.

Movies

Many of the entries on these two lists will not come as a surprise to long time readers of mine as they are favourites of mine. Therefore, it is not a surprise that the first film on this list is my favourite film, Lady Bird. I have watched Lady Bird twice in 2020 and watched snippets multiple times. Set in 2003, it tells the story of seventeen year old Lady Bird and her need to escape her hometown of Sacramento, California. Watching it will make you feel fuzzy and fall in love with Greta Gerwig (writer/director) and lead actress Saoirse Ronan. 

You can never go wrong with a classic movie franchise such as Harry Potter when you need a feel good movie to watch. I recently rewatched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the first time in a few years. It just made me feel so happy to be back in this world again. Other franchises I would suggest are the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit and MCU. 

Recently added to Netflix in the UK, My Neighbour Totoro is one of my favourite films. There is also bunch of other Studio Ghibli films on there too. My Neighbour Totoro holds a special place in my heart as it was one of the first Studio Ghibli films I watched. This one has particular good feels as who wouldn't love for Totoro to visit, since he (I think it's a he?) is such a big fluff ball and he makes trees grow. 

Finally, a film I used to watch a lot when I was younger is Juno. It's a classic teen comedy. Juno finds out she is pregnant after sleeping with her crush. It then tells the story as she goes through the process of finding adoptive parents for her unborn child. I don't know why I love this film so much, but it's so simple and sweet, you can't help but love it.  

TV

Again, long time readers of mine will not be surprised to see Brooklyn Nine-Nine on the top of this list as it might be my favourite TV show of all time. I have watched an unhealthy amount of Brooklyn Nine-Nine in the past few months. The episodes are twenty minutes long and I do really enjoy police/cop stories. Season five is and will always be my favourite season. I've just finished rewatching season one and I'm buzzing to start season two.

The next entry is actually the only one on this list that I haven't watched all of and that is Final Space. I've nearly finished the first season, but like B99, the episodes are twenty minutes long and it's a fun cartoon set in space. I can't wait to see how this story continues. 

A classic that never fails to liven my spirits is Miranda. I've watched this more times than I care to admit, but it is a classic and essential British comedy. The central character is so chaotic it's hard not to love her. 

Lastly, another favourite of mine, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency on Netflix. If you're looking for something a bit more fantastical with sci-fi elements, then I'd highly recommend this. It's hard to put into words what it's about, so I would suggest watching the trailer for it. I'm still gutted that it got cancelled before it could have a proper ending. 

 

So those are some of my go to feel good watches if you're needing a pick me up or something new to watch.

Carenza :) x

Books vs Movies Adaptations| Carenza Bramwell

This has been an idea that has been floating around in the back of my head for a few years now. As a big lover of both books and movies, it's always interesting when a new one comes out. Despite the old bookish mantra that the book is always better than the movie, there are a few cases where I personally believe it goes the other way.

Just a few quick disclaimers before we get into the bulk of this post. Firstly, when I say "movies", I am going to also include TV show adaptations. There are a couple of TV show adaptations that I've seen and have opinions on. Secondly, I am only going to be comparing on screen adaptations with books I've read. There are a few where I haven't read the books yet, which would make it unfair to compare the two. Thirdly, it is perfectly okay for you to disagree with me, but please remember these are my opinions. 

How Will I Be Rating Them?

The main way I judge if a book to on screen adaptation is something I like, is mostly how accurate it is. Accuracy is a key point in adaptation. You can't take an existing story and radically change it, unless it is loosely based on said story. Overall enjoyment is another key factor. It will also be taken into account whether or not I saw the film first or if I read the book first. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on some book to on screen adaptations. 

Books Over Movies

Let's start with a classic and that has the be the Harry Potter series. This is one of the first book vs movies I ever remember being involved with and caring about. In my household, we made it a rule that you couldn't see the movies until you had read the books. I only saw the last three movies in the cinema, even though at the time of seeing Half Blood Prince, I was reading Deathly Hallows for the first time. This is 100% a case where I prefer the books to the movies. It's not that the movie adaptations are bad, they're fairly solid. It's more a case that the movies will never beat the original text. I adore the books so much.

Another book that beats its movie adaptation is City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Although I do owe a lot to the movie, and I'm fairly certain that I watched the film then read the books, the movie adaptation is widely viewed as bad. It is still a film I watch every now and then for nostalgia purposes, but the book will always hold a special place in my heart. The movie did it very little justice and I haven't heard the best thing about the recent TV show adaptation. 

The Divergent series was one of the first YA series I remember reading when I properly got into books in my early teens. I remember going to see the film with a friend before either of us had ever read the books. Although they are not the most high brow books and the ending of the series was somewhat disappointing, they are superior to their movie adaptation. I never even finished watching the movies. I think I got halfway through the second one and I just couldn't do it. 

The final one on this list has to the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. The fact that it was written and directed by Tim Burton, made it a pretty good movie in it's own rights. However, the fact that they changed some of the key elements about the books and it's been almost four years since it came out and there has been no hint of a sequel, it just ended up being a bit of a flop. As a movie on it's own, if it was not adapted from a book, it would have been an incredible movie, but knowing the back story, it has to go on the books over movies list. 

Movies Over Books

My first entry on this list is actually where my idea for this post came from and that is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. Here, I watched the Netflix TV show adaptation first and fell head over heals in love with this world and these characters. However, when I read the book, it was nothing like the show and I was hugely let down. Douglas Adams is a phenomenal writer, but it was a book from the 80s and he didn't stop talking about iMacs throughout the whole thing. The original text just felt very dated to me, whereas the TV show was modern and exciting. I'm still bitter that they never finished it properly.  

Another TV show adaptation is the Poldark TV show vs the books. This was one where I watched the on screen adaptation first. I then read the books. I've read six out of the seven I own and it is a twelve book series. I think I prefer the show as these books, like Dirk Gently, are very dated. They were written in the fifties and sixties, and feel very cheesy. I love the world and characters but this has to be a case where the TV show is just easier to follow. It cut a lot of the minor plots out and gets straight to the heart of the action. 

The next one where I prefer the movie is the Lord of the Rings, however I can only say that after having read just the first book. It seems to be a reoccurring theme in this post, but the novel felt dated, mainly due to the language choice and attitudes. I grew up watching the film adaptations, so they will always have a special place in my heart. I do intend to read all of the books in the LotR series, but for now the movies will always be it for me.

Finally, I have the Scott Pilgram graphic novel series vs the movie adaptation. Once again, the common theme is that I saw the movie adaptation first. I just reread the summary for the graphic novels and realised how impressive it is that they turned a six book series into one movie. I like how fast paced and fun the movie is. 

On-Screen Adaptations I'd Love to See

Here is just a little list of books I'd love to see adapted for the screen:

• Serpent and Dove
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
• My Dark Vanessa
• Strange the Dreamer

So that concludes my post on books vs movie adaptations. What are your thoughts on book vs movie adaptations?

Carenza :) x  

Quarantine Corner- Things to Do When Things Get Bad| Carenza Bramwell

I know you're all probably fed up of everyone banging on about the current situation, but today I thought I'd make a post about things to do when you're not feeling your best mentally at the moment. We're all struggling with being inside all the time, and I know I'm not the only one who is desperately searching for things to fill the time and to take my mind off everything. I've come up with a list of things I like to do when I'm feeling bad at the moment. I've split it up into three categories- practical, moving and brain. 

Practical

When I say practical, I mean activities that you can do with your hands and require "practical" skills. Something I've been trying to do a bit more are activities that involve me using my practical skills. Here are a few things I enjoy doing at the moment:

• Painting
• Knitting
• Drawing
• Baking

The other weekend, over the bank holiday weekend in the UK, I set some time aside to dabble with painting. I am nowhere near as skilled as I liked to be, but this type of activity really took my mind off everything. It was because I had to fully focus on what I was "practically" doing in that moment. 

Once my deadlines for my degree are over, I want to start knitting again. I used to find knitting, with either an audiobook or some music in the background, really therapeutic. Again, I am fully focusing on what I am doing in that moment. There are so many practical activities you can try, I'd really recommend doing one to take your mind of everything and just focus on something else for a bit. 

Moving

It's quite tempting right now to spend every single second of every single day sitting down. This is something I am guilty of myself, but I am trying to implement more moving activities into my day. Here are some ways you can do the same:

• Dance party
• Go for a walk
• Run around your garden (if you have one)

Dance parties, without fail, always cheer me up when I'm having a bad day. I put on some music I know will make me dance, usually musical theatre songs or Come On Eileen. I let the music wash over me, as cheesy as that sounds, and I have a little dance. It gets my heart racing and instantly cheers me up. 

Something else I've been doing is trying to go for more walks. Obviously this bit depends on what your country is allowing you to do, but for now, here in the UK we are allowed to go for one walk a day. I've moved to a new neighbourhood and my family and I have been using this time to explore it. 

As we've just moved house, we have a nice back garden which we have been trying to spend time in. We found some of our old outdoor games and have been trying to play them. It's a fun, social activity, but it also gives you some exercise and gets you moving. 

Brain

This goes against what I've just said, but it is also important to keep your brain active as well. This is probably the area I've been excelling in, if I'm being honest. Here are some of the things I've been doing:

• reading
• watching films/tv shows
• writing

To be perfectly honest, these were all activities I did a lot before this whole situation kicked off and haven't made much difference to my life. But there are other ways you could keep your brain active. I know that a lot of online institutions are making some of their courses free. There are also still puzzles in newspapers and magazines. I've also been taking the time to pick up French again as I miss learning a language.

Those are some of the things you can do to keep the bad day blues at bay at the moment. I hope this helps you and that you are staying safe and well during this difficult time.

Carenza :) x 

The Beautiful by Renee Adhieh Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| Carenza Bramwell

Title- The Beautiful
Author- Renee Adhieh
Series - The Beautiful Duology
Published - 2019
Page Count- 448
Publishing House-  G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Rating- 3.5/5 

About the Author

"I live in North Carolina (Go Heels!) with my husband Victor and our dog Mushu. In my spare time, I like to cook, mess with makeup, and wreak havoc on the lives of my characters." 

Taken from Renee's website

Plot

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

Taken from Goodreads

Opinions

After reading Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare, I was in the mood for another historical urban fantasy novel. I had seen that The Beautiful was supposed to be the novel that was going to bring back the Vampire trend to YA. It was set in 1872 New Orleans, it had a badass female protagonist and it had supernatural elements. I was certain I was going to love it. I had never read a book by Renee before, but I knew she was a good author, having written some well known YA books such as The Wrath and The Dawn, which I bought when I was getting into YA and still haven't read. I decided to read it as it sounded right up my alley.

I will say that I did really enjoy the first half of this book. I loved Celine as a character. I'm all for a feisty female character, and Celine certainly fit the bill. I loved the inserts from the "vampires" perspective. I felt absorbed into this world. But, then the second half ended up being really anti-climatic. I had quite a few problems with it, mainly that the vampire element ended up being very minimal. I was here for vampires and they hardly featured. 

Something else I had a problem was why it was set in 1872. To me, it seemed as though it had no reason to be a historical fiction, other than it was an interesting backdrop. I was really interested in reading about New Orleans in the 1800s and it just fell a bit flat for me. Compared to similar novels (TID and Chain of Gold), both use their historical settings really well and it adds layers to the story. However, The Beautiful, barely acknowledged the historical setting. I loved that Celine was a strong, female character, however she felt too modern at times. It just ended up being really disappointing that the setting ended up providing such little to the story overall. 

Another thing that I ended up not liking as much was the romance between Celine and Bastien. It felt as though it came out of nowhere and I just didn't see them being a couple. To me, it came across very early 2010s YA romance. I really didn't care for them being a couple. Normally, I am all for a good YA couple, but I had no interest in them at all.

Overall, I loved the first half of this novel but ended up being severely let down by the second half. I am aware that the sequel is coming out this June, and am somewhat interested in continuing, but if it is anything like the first book, I know that I will walk away wishing I hadn't read it.  

What did you think of The Beautiful?

Carenza :) x 

How I've Adapted to Life in Lockdown| Carenza Bramwell

With the world still in lockdown and no end date in site, it can feel a bit bleak and hopeless at the moment. Normal life is on pause and we are all having to change our lives to make this situation work. Today, I thought I'd share with you how I've been adapting my life to living in lockdown and my plan going forward. 

I wanted to take a moment to just say that wherever you are in the world, I hope you are staying safe and well. I know that it seems a bit dreary at the moment, but things will get better and we're all in this together. 

Monthly Plans

One of the first things I did once it was announced we were going into lockdown in the UK, was sit down and make a series of monthly plans. For me, up until mid-May, my life is all about completing my deadlines and continuing with my uni work. So, like I said, I sat down and made some plans. I drew out handmade calendars for the remaining months I had in uni (the remainder of March and all of April and May). I wrote down when my deadlines were and worked backwards for what work needed to be done.

My monthly plan for April

I've found doing this has given my days some structure as it means I have a set task for each day. One thing I will say about my approach is that I feel I have spread myself too thin and not given myself enough to do each day. I often only have one uni related task to complete a day and that can be done in anywhere from 45 mins to 2 hours. When there are so many hours free in a day, it can feel as though I have an excuse not to do work and wait until the last minute to do this.

My tip for you would be to try and find multiple tasks to complete in a day. Even if they are only a series of small tasks, it will feel that you have achieved more in a day than just having one big task. Going forward, once my deadlines are over, I am going to continue to make these monthly calendars. It has brought structure to my day and once I've made them, I write the tasks in my planner so I can physically tick them off. 

Building a Routine

Something I have been missing is having a routine and one day when I was having an exceptionally bad day, I decided I would make myself a routine for while I still have uni commitments. At the time of publishing this post, I haven't started it, but my plan is to gradually introduce it to my life and see if it actually works for me.

When I was in university, I was actually pretty good at getting up, getting on with my day and using my time wisely. Since coming home, that has completely gone out of the window. I haven't been going to sleep until anywhere between 10:45 and 12, which is late for me and has been having knock on effects with my days. I've been struggling to wake up, meaning I don't start my day until the afternoon and then I feel that I don't want to do work. I am fully aware this is a bad habit and one I need to break, so I have decided to start having a stricter routine.

My routine is hopefully going to look something like this:

• 8am- wake up
• 8-9am- wake up, breakfast, reading
• 9am-12pm- work (mostly university, but some creative projects)
• 12-1pm- lunch with my family
• 1-4pm- work
• 4-5pm- stop work for the day
• 5-7pm- chill, go for a walk, make tea
• 7-10pm- TV, chill with my family
• 10-11pm- reading and bed

I am aware that this is quite an ambitious change from my sluggish lifestyle up until now, but by adding some more structure in my day I feel I will be more motivated to get out of bed in the morning and get work done.

Good vs Bad

Something I feel is very important at the moment is to discuss openly when we're having bad days. I think it's very easy to say that we're going to make the most of this time and do so many amazing things, when in reality we're all struggling and living through a fairly traumatic event. 

Being totally honest, I would say that I have more bad days than I do good. When this first started and I had just moved home, I was so sure that I was going to make the most of my days and get all my work done. I thought I was going to still live my normal life, just in a different building with different people. For the first full week I was home, I was happily getting everything done. However, since then, I have been struggling a lot. I feel exhausted all the time and I just don't want to do my university work, no matter how important it is. I haven't been starting work until the afternoon and even then, I only do it because I told myself I would. I love my uni course, but I am struggling to find a reason why I should continue. 

Each night before I go to bed, I write in my journal and allow all my feelings to pour onto the page. 90% of what I write is just me whinging and being selfish, but it is cathartic to get it all out of my system. I wake up and although I don't feel quite like my old self, I don't feel as miserable as I did the previous day. I'm trying to have more good days, but it's hard and I think acknowledging that is an important step to feeling better.

So that was a quick overview of how I've been adapting to my life in lockdown. I feel that is important to share our experiences so that others can see how we're doing and we can all help each other to feel better during this difficult time.

Carenza :) x     

My Book Rating System| Carenza Bramwell

Over the years, since I joined the bookish community back in 2016, I have developed a system for how I rate books. For me as a reader, it is important to have a set way of rating books so I can know which books I liked, which I didn't and this helps me with which books I should keep. In today's post I will be explaining my book rating system, why I no longer use Goodreads (sort of) anymore and how my system has developed over the years. 

My Book Rating System

My book rating system is fairly self-explanatory. Like Goodreads, I use 1-5 stars. I very rarely use half stars anymore, which is something I'll explain later in this post. I'll give you a quick run down of what each star means:

• 1 star- I absolutely hated this book, there were no redeeming qualities 
• 2 stars- I disliked this book, but there were elements I could see why people liked
• 3 stars- this book was okay, I liked bits of it but there were more things I didn't like overall
• 4 stars- I really liked this books, but there were a few things that I didn't like but the good outweighs the bad
• 5 stars- I adored this book, it was perfection, I would die for this book and it is consuming my life in an unhealthy way

In all honesty, my book rating system is fairly simple. I've been using this specific system since late 2018 and I've found that I have a consistent rating system. The reason my system has changed a lot is because since I've started studying creative writing at university, I've spotted that I am much more critical of other writers work. I do miss just reading for fun, but now when I love a book, I really love it.  

I mentioned earlier that I have stopped (mostly) giving half stars since using this system and that is because I think it is easier to see which category a book fits into. However, there are a couple of books that sometimes fit in between certain categories. This category falls in the middle of 3 and 4 stars. Sometimes a book is good, but it isn't good enough to be a 4 star book. An example of a recent book that falls into this category is Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed. On my goodreads account, I've rated this book 4 stars, however in my reading log it is a 3.5 stars. This is because, while I enjoyed it a lot, I found it predictable. It was a fun, fluffy contemporary and there is nothing wrong with it. It just didn't wow me. 

My Reading Stats

Yes, I am a total nerd and spent way too long working out my bookish statistics. As of publishing this post, I have read 336 books on Goodreads. 48 of those books I read for either school, college or university. 

I then had a super nerdy moment and I made a pie chart with my star ratings, for anyone else that's super nerdy about this sort of thing here are the stats for that pie chart:

8 books have no rating (2.4%)

2 books have 1 star (0.6%)

21 books have 2 stars (6.25%)

88 books have 3 stars (26.2%)

126 books have 4 stars (37.5%)

90 books have 5 stars (26.6%)

48 books read for uni/school (14.3%)

The following stats are my average ratings according to Goodreads for the last four reading challenges I took part in:

2019- 3.7

2018- 4.0

2017- 3.9

2016- 4.0 

Why I No Longer Use Goodreads

Like many readers, I have moved away from Goodreads to some extent. From 2018 all through 2019, I posted reviews on every single book I read on Goodreads as a way of tracking what I had read and my thoughts on it. I have since stopped doing that because I found it a bit too much and because I wanted to keep my thoughts to myself. Often, at the time of finishing a book I will have a lot of thoughts on it, but looking back at some of the books I've read over the years, I doubt I would feel the same way about them now. I keep a track of my thoughts and ratings in my creative journal now, and I've found this method works for me.

How I've Developed My System

The main reason I've developed this system is because as a reader, I've matured a lot. I no longer give 5 stars to every book like I used to in 2016. It takes a lot to give a book five stars. So far in 2020, I have read 19 books and I've only given two of them 5 stars. I've developed this system to be a more consistent book rater. 

To me, this system means I can make sure there is a clear indication of my feelings towards it. As I've already mentioned, my thoughts will change over times, but these ratings are meant to indicate how I felt at the time of reading it. I wanted to make it harder for a book to get a five star rating for me as it felt that I used give out a lot of five stars. Now, when I give a book five stars, it does genuinely mean that I loved it and it has become one of my all time favourite books. 

So, that concludes my post on how I rate books and how I developed this system. How do you rate books? Do you have a criteria for giving a book a certain rating?

Carenza :) x

My Lockdown "Lit" List| Carenza Bramwell

With everything that's going on in the world, it has become a common trend for creatives to adapt their content to be relevant to the situation. I was torn whether or not this was something I wanted to do for my blog, but then I decided it's actually a good thing. Creatives are banding together to help each other and the world during this difficult time. 

There is no end-date in site for this catastrophe, and still the clocks keep on ticking, and I don't know about you guys, but the past three weeks have been the longest three weeks of my life. I have so much to do, and yet it feels like time means nothing and the days are getting incredibly long. So, one day I sat down, and made a "lockdown lit" list. On this list is all the creative content I want to try and catch up with. Normally, I'm a busy student, but right now I'm a less busy student, so I want to fill that extra time with catching up on all the things I've missed. In this list I'll be talking about films, tv shows, books and podcasts I want to catch up with during this lockdown. We may be stuck inside, but that doesn't mean I can't make this lockdown "lit".

Books

In an ideal world, I would read every single unread book on my bookshelves during this lockdown, however, even with all the extra time in the world, I still won't make it through my entire TBR. I thought I'd share with you some of my top books I'm hoping to get to. I'm also going to be including some books I want to reread. 

Let's start with the books I haven't read. First on my list, is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Having seen the most recent adaptation and falling in love with the story, I knew I wanted to read the book. I've had a copy for almost 4 years and I still haven't read it. It is quite a hefty book, but I have both a physical copy and a digital copy. 

Next on my list is another hefty book and that is Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I remember watching the TV show when it first aired maybe four or five years ago, and really loving it. My dad very kindly bought me the book, but it is 1006 pages long, making it the longest book I would have ever read. I am planning on reading it for the O.W.L.s readathon hosted by bookroast on YouTube. Hopefully by the end of this month, I will have read it and finally ticked it off my TBR.

Finally on my "not-read" section are the second and third books in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor. Daughter of Smoke and Bone was the first ever Laini Taylor book I read, and I've spoken about my love for the Strange the Dreamer duology. I would have to reread the first book in this series as it's been about two years since I read it and I have forgotten what happens. Laini has such a beautiful writing style, I really can't wait to read more of her books. 

For books I want to reread, I have just reread the first book in the Noughts and Crosses series by Malorie Blackman. I decided to pick up this series after watching the TV adaptation. I loved this series when I was younger, but I now want to read it as an adult. I gave the first book 4/5 stars and am excited to continue with this series. 

With everyone banding together to try and make this time as bearable as possible, a bookstagrammer called amysbookshelf is hosting a Harry Potter Quarantine readathon, so naturally I decided to join in. I haven't read the Harry Potter books in almost two years and now more than ever, do I need a bit of magic in my life. Each book gets two weeks, with the readathon for the first one having started on March 28th. The readathon for the second book starts on April 11th. 

It will probably come as no surprise, but after reading the latest book in the Shadowhunter chronicles, I am desperate to read The Infernal Devices. To this day, it remains my favourite series in the Shadowhunter chronicles. I just love Victorian era London and add some fantasy elements, and I am truly in love. I last read TID back in 2018 when preparing for the release of Queen of Air and Darkness. 

Finally on this list is a book I want to give a second chance to. That book is the Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. When I first heard of this, it sounded epic. Set in 1880s Paris, it follows a group of people trying to pull of the ultimate heist. I was expecting to love it, however, it just fell really flat for me. I was so confused by what was happening, mainly due to the multiple perspectives. It is currently on my "to donate" pile, so I want to give it a second chance before I get rid off it. 

Films

I've made a list of twelve films that I want to catch up on, however, in this post I will be sharing my top five.

Booksmart is the first film on my list. I missed seeing this in the cinema at the time of its release. I am a sucker for a coming of age movie, plus it has Beanie Feldstein in it, who also stared in Lady Bird (aka my favourite movie ever). I've heard lots of good things about it, and right now I need a light and fluffy movie. 

Next, is Brooklyn, staring Saoirse Ronan. She is quite possibly my favourite actress and this was one of her Oscar nominated performances. I've been meaning to watch it for a few years, and while it's still on Amazon Prime, I will 100% try and watching it during lockdown.

It seems that all the movies I have chosen begin with the letter B, because the next film on my list is Beautiful Boy. I read the book after seeing trailers for it and it is one of my favourite books. It is about a fathers journey through his sons drug addiction. I started watching it, but I just wasn't in the mood, so I will be continuing with it soon.

Yet another movie that begins with the letter B is Brokeback Mountain. I am a sucker for LGBT books and movies, and Brokeback Mountain is a classic. I am aware that it is slightly problematic as neither of the leads are a part of the LGBT community. However, I still really want to watch this movie.

The final film on my list is the only one that doesn't begin with B and that is Inglorious Bastards. Having watched my first Tarantino film this year, I figured it's time to watch more as he is a well celebrated writer and director. My parents both particularly liked this one, so I added it to my list and I believe it's on Netflix in the UK. 

TV Shows

Since lockdown began, I have been keeping myself sane by watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine over and over and I am in desperate need of a new TV show. I have picked three shows that I really want to watch, one of which I have watched a lot of already. 

Final Space is the first on my list and the only one I have watched multiple episodes of. Several friends recommended it before Christmas and I watched all but one of season one. I love that each episodes is about 10-20 mins, making it really easy to binge. It is the lighter, fluffier option on my list today.

A show I am ashamed that I've only seen the first episode of is Peaky Blinders. Again, friends have been recommending it to me. I am sucker for historical fiction shows and the soundtrack for this one is so good. It's about time that I finally watched it.

Lastly on my list is another show I'm ashamed I haven't seen any episodes of and that is Black Mirror. I've heard lots of good things about it, so again it's about time I finally watched it and saw what all the hype was about.

Podcasts

Something I'm trying to get into it Podcasts. There are so many great ones, but again, I've picked the ones I am the most interested in listening to for this little list. 

The first podcast on my list is Scriptnotes, in particular, the episode with Greta Gerwig, who is my favourite writer-director. I found out about this episode through Twitter. I am going to listen to it and try and find other episodes with creators that I know of. As someone aspiring to work in film and tv once I finish my degree, I think this is a vital podcast to listen to. 

Another podcast for the film-lover in me is Kermode on Film, hosted by Mark Kermode and Jack Howard. I have been watched the BBC film review for as long as I can remember, which Mark Kermode also hosts. He is a well known British film critic and I think I can learn some interesting things about films from him. 

Finally, I have a more fictitious entry and that is Welcome to Nightvale. From what I know about this podcast, it is about a fictional place and tells the story of this place. I know there is also a spinoff novel linked to it, which sounds really interesting.  

Other

This is a bit of an odd category, but I wanted to mention that I am going to be trying to catch up on some back issues of some magazines I have. For a while I had a subscription to the New Yorker and I never read a single issue, so it's time I caught up on it. I also have some back issues of the Empire to read. 

So that concludes my very long list of Lockdown "Lit" to catch up on. What are you hoping to catch up on during Lockdown? I hope wherever you are in the world that you are staying safe and well. 

Carenza :) x 

What I've Been Watching Recently- Winter Edition| Carenza Bramwell

With everything that's been going on in my life and with recent events across the globe, it's safe to say that I've been watching a lot of TV in 2020. Today, I thought I'd share with you the TV shows and films I've watched so far in 2020. At the end of the post, I'll be sharing my favourites of the year so far.

From Google Images

TV

Doctor Who

One of the first series I watched in 2020, was the latest series of Doctor Who. I've been watching the series as it's been airing. The only episode I haven't watched is the last one. My favourite episodes have been the first one and the Mary Shelley one. Apart from that, this series hasn't been as strong as other series. I love Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor, but her series have been my favourite.

Dracula

Something I was originally very excited for was Dracula by Stephen Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Their adaptation of Sherlock is one of my favourite TV shows. However, I really didn't vibe with this show. I'm also in the minority of thinking that the final episode was the best one out of the three. 

  

Miranda

Miranda was a re-watch for me. I've always been a huge fan of Miranda and with the ten year anniversary special, I decided to watch the series again. It's just as funny and fluffy as when I first watched it. It will always be a go-to funny show for me.

The Witcher

After seeing everyone talking about The Witcher, I finally caved and watched The Witcher. The first couple of episodes were a bit difficult to get into, but after that I was hooked. Jaskier is a precious little bean and Toss a Coin is a bop. I'm excited for the next season and there better be plenty of Jaskier in it.

Dublin Murders

I actually watched about half of this in 2019, but I finally finished it this year. It's an adaptation of the first two books in the Dublin Murder series by Tana French. It was a solid adaptation and I'll be continuing with it if they make more series in the future. 

Back to Life
Following my re-watch of Miranda, I was looking for a new female led comedy and I stumbled across Back to Life. It's a British comedy about Miri, a woman in her 30s, returning to her normal life after spending most of her life in prison. It's also a mystery about what actually happened and why Miri went to prison. I think they're making a second season, which I would definitely watch. 

Sex Education Season 2

If you've been following my blog for a while, then you'll know that Sex Education is one of my favourite shows, so I was super excited. I have to admit that it wasn't as good as the first one, but I still enjoyed it enough to watch it three times this year. I'm looking forward to season three and I can't wait to see what they do with this show.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 3

Another show I was super excited for, was the third season of CAOS. I'd really enjoyed the first two seasons, however this season was a huge flop in my opinion. It was too dramatic for my personal taste and I have a feeling that I will most likely not be continuing with this show after this season. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I finally finished Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I had spent most of 2019 watching the first six and a half seasons, so I made it my mission to finish season seven this year. It has become a staple show for me and I'm hoping to finish the spin-off show, Angel, this year.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency  
Again, Dirk Gently is one of my favourite shows and I just felt like rewatching it. It never fails to put a smile on my face and I live for the soundtrack playlist that someone made on Spotify.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

With season 6 dropping on Netflix, it was a natural decision that I had to watch all five seasons of B99 to be prepared for the newest season. I had watched it last summer when it was airing weekly on E4, but I hadn't enjoyed it as much as I thought I would. However, now that I've binged it a few times, I love it and am happily making my way through season 7. B99 is one of the few things keeping me sane at the moment.

Noughts&Crosses

The final entry on my TV section is Noughts&Crosses. I had read the books many years ago, so I was really excited for the TV show. I have to say that they've made a lot of changes for the TV show, some of them are good, some of them don't make sense. I'm interested in where they take this show if they make another season. 

Films

Bohemian Rhapsody 

The first film I watched in 2020 was Bohemian Rhapsody. I had been meaning to watch this for a while, but when my mum got it on DVD for Christmas, we decided we had no excuse but to watch it. It was a good, fun film, the music was really good and there were some solid performances. 

Toy Story 4

I was the only person in my family to go see Toy Story 4 in the cinema, so we got it on DVD and decided to watch it as a family. It isn't my favourite Toy Story film, but it still made me tear up, especially as I was having to go through my toys and decide which ones I was keeping after moving house. 

Spiderman Far From Home

Spiderman is one of my favourite super hero movies and I had been really excited to see it, however the only cinema near me that was showing it, was charing £14 a ticket (which in my opinion is too much money for one ticket) so I waited for it on DVD. I really like Tom Holland as Spider-Man, it was light-hearted fun.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Despite the fact that I want to become a writer, I had never seen a Tarantino movie before and I had been really excited for OUATIH. I really enjoyed it, even thought it was three hours long. I definitely want to see more Tarantino movies in the future. 

Little Women

One of my most anticipated movies of the year (even though it technically came out in 2019) was Little Women by Greta Gerwig. Lady Bird is my all time favourite movie, so I was really excited for Little Women. It was everything I wanted it to be. I cannot wait for it to come out on DVD so I can watch it over and over again. 

Lady Bird

Obviously, after watching Little Women, I had to watch Lady Bird. I may have watched it twice this year. I watched it by myself and then with my family. This is my favourite movie and I will love it until I die. 

Lego Movie

My housemates and I decided to watch the Lego Movie after we'd all had a particularly bad day. I'd already seen it and it still stands up as being a solid movie. Not as good as the Lego Batman movie. 

Lego Movie 2

Following us watching the Lego Movie, we decided to watch the second one. It wasn't as good, but still fun and fluffy.

1917

Another movie I was desperate to see this year, was 1917. It was a film I knew I had to see on the big screen. It was one of the most tense movies I have ever watched, there were several times when I gasped out loud. It's another film that I cannot wait to come out on DVD so I can watch it again.

The World's End

If you saw my favourite movies post a while back, then you'll know that I'm a fan of the Cornetto trilogy. With everything that's going on in the world, I was weirdly in the mood for an apocalyptic movie, so I watched one of my favourites. I watched it after I'd had a bad day and it cheered me right up. 

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

The day before my housemates birthday, we decided to watch her favourite movie, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. I hadn't seen it before, and to be honest, I don't remember the last time I watched the first one. I know a lot of fans love both movies. I think at some point I'll have to watch both back to back. 

Hotel Transylvania

I have a confession to make about why I watched this movie. I only watched it because Andy Samberg voices one of the character and because I love B99, I had to watch it. It was another fun, fluffy movie and I'm kinda interested in watching the rest.

Wonder Women

A movie I was excited to watch and fully expected to love was Wonder Woman. I'm aware that I'm a few years late to the trend with this one. However, I didn't end up enjoying it that much. I just felt that there wasn't much character development and they overused the slow-mo effect. I also worked out who the villain was really early on. 

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

I had seen a trailer for this before a YouTube video, so me and my family decided to watch it. It's a French historical fiction about a pair of women who fall in love. It was a beautiful story, however it could have been a little shorter. 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 
I hadn't watched a Harry Potter movie in ages and PoA is my favourite, so I decided to watch it. It cheered me up as I was feeling a bit down in the dumps because of the current situation. 

Favourites

As there were 27 things on this list, I thought I would pick my favourites and share them with you:

• The Witcher
• Little Women
• 1917
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine

So that concludes all the TV I've watched so far in 2020, what have you been watching recently?

Carenza :) x