15 May 2019

A Staycation in St Ives.



The week before Easter we headed down south for a wedding in Plymouth. We thought since we were going all that way, we'd make the most out of it and drive to St Ives the day after. We booked an apartment with Aspects Holidays who have a wide range of properties all over Cornwall.



The apartment was perfect for the two of us (38 Carrack Widden if you're interested!) and was only a ten minute walk to the harbour and main stretch of restaurants. It did imvolve a steep uphill walk everytime we came back though, which I was cursing by the end of the week!



We had a gorgeous view of Portminster beach from the living room window but our go to beach while there was Porthmeor beach. The beach cafe there was amazing and even the takeaway options were great too.


Me being me, I'd obviously researched places to eat before we'd even finished paying for the holiday! Our favourites from the week were Beer & BirdHarbour Fish & ChipsThe Loft Restaurant & Terrace and Peppers Pasta & Pizzeria

We had an amazing week and some beautiful weather to go with it. Neither of us had been to St Ives before but we fell in love with it. We'll definitely be using Aspects Holidays again next year for another visit.

Have you visited St Ives before?

Danni
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10 May 2019

What I've Been Reading: April 2019.



I've been slacking lately when it comes to posting and even the April edition of What I've Been Reading is late. Anyone else get these slumps when it comes to blogging?! April was a standard month when it came to reading, I finished a total of six which is about my average for a whole month.



Nina Is Not OK
Shappi Khorsandi
Current kindle price: £4.99


"Nina does not have a drinking problem. She likes a drink, sure. But what 17-year-old doesn't?

Nina's mum isn't so sure. But she's busy with her new husband and five year old Katie. And Nina's almost an adult after all.

And if Nina sometimes wakes up with little memory of what happened the night before, then her friends are all too happy to fill in the blanks. Nina's drunken exploits are the stuff of college legend.

But then one dark Sunday morning, even her friends can't help piece together Saturday night. All Nina feels is a deep sense of shame, that something very bad has happened to her..."


Well, this was a brilliant read. I could hardly put it down. It has everything, funny moments and angsty moments plus characters you grow to care about. At times I was horrified by some of Nina's drunken decisions but the book comes full circle to the night in the first chapter, making this an important story not just about addiction, but also consent.




Some Boys
Patty Blount
Current Kindle price: £4.91


"Some girls say no. Some boys don't listen.

When Grace meets Ian, she's afraid. Afraid he'll reject her like the rest of the school, like her own family. After she accuses Zac, the town golden boy, of rape, everyone turns against her. Ian wouldn't be the first to call her a slut and a liar.

Except Ian doesn't reject her. He's the one person who looks past the taunts and the names and the tough-girl act to see the real Grace. He's the one who gives her the courage to fight back.

He's also Zac's best friend."


I'd never read anything by Patty Blount before but after this, the majority of her books have been added to my to read list! It reminded me alot of All The Rage by Courtney Summers that I read the month before and while I did prefer that, this was still great. Ian and Grace's story continues One Girl but I haven't read that yet.




The Impossible Vastness of Us
Samantha Young
Current Kindle price: £2.99


"India Maxwell hasn't just moved across the country- she's plummeted to the bottom rung of the social ladder. It's taken years to cover the mess of her home life with a veneer of popularity. Now she's living in one of Boston's wealthiest neighborhoods with her mom's fiance and his daughter, Eloise. 

Thanks to her soon-to-be stepsister's clique of friends, including Eloise's gorgeous, arrogant boyfriend, Finn, India feels like the one thing she hoped never to be seen as again: trash.

But India's not alone in struggling to control the secrets of her past. Eloise and Finn, the school's golden couple, aren't all they seem to be. In fact, everyone's life is infinitely more complex than it first appears.

And as India grows closer to Finn and befriends Eloise, threatening the facades that hold them together, what's left are truths that are brutal, beautiful and big enough to change them forever."


I loved this! It was amazingly well written and the storyline intertwined the three main characters perfectly. Some parts were a little predictable, I'd guessed what Eloise's secret was before it was revealed but it didn't make me love the story itself any less. A definite recommend.




The Magpies
Mark Edwards
Current Kindle price: £1.99 or free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.


"When Jamie and Kirsty move into their first home together, they are full of optimism. The future, in which they plan to get married and start a family, is bright. The other residents of their building seem friendly too, including the Newtons, a married couple who welcome them to the building with open arms.

But then strange things start to happen. Dead rats are left on their doorstep. They hear disturbing noises, and much worse, in the night. After Jamie's best friend is injured in a horrific accident, Jamie and Kirsty find themselves targeted by a campaign of terror.

As they are driven to the edge of despair, Jamie vows to fight back- but he has no idea what he is really up against..."


Well, as someone who is in a couple saving for our first home, I can safely say a flat is crossed off that list! This was a disturbing read, especially when it is partially based off the author's own experiences. This is one of my favourite psychological thrillers I've read so far this year.




Things We Know By Heart
Jessi Kirby
Current Kindle price: £4.49


"After Quinn's boyfriend, Trent, dies in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the fragments of her now-unrecognizable life. But whoever received Trent's heart has chosen to remain silent. The essence of a person, Quinn has always believed, is in the heart, If she finds Trent's, then in a way, she will still have a piece of him.

Risking everything to get closure once and for all, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas, whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into something more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it- especially since he has no idea how they're connected- but the time Quinn spends with Colton makes her feel alive again. No matter how hard she's falling for Colton though, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she's lost... and all that remains at stake."


This was a sad but cute read. It didn't blow me away or anything but was it was well written. The story is a little predictable but if you're into this sort of thing, you'll probably enjoy it.




Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
Current Kindle price: £4.99


"Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime and corruption. She's traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.

Now it's spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is no simple missing person's case; the house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica in plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica's past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined."


The season 4 revival of Veronica Mars comes out this summer and articles online stated that events in these books, which take place after the film, are canon to the series. So I obviously had to read it! The second book isn't available as an ebook, which is annoying but the first one is. My verdict? It's fab, the dialogue is fitting to all the characters we've grown to know already, especially Veronica's and Dick's. I could practically hear Ryan Hansen saying "Handies only" as I was reading. And if you haven't watched the series yet? Well, I'm biased as it's one of my favourite shows but where have you been?! It has a highly dedicated fanbase for a reason so give it a try, you'll most likely love it!


What were you reading in April? Have you read any of these before?

You can read previous posts of What I've Been Reading here.

Danni
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