Disaster Davis

It’s so incredibly important to look for the positives in life no matter how insignificant they may seem, all too often in our busy routines do we fail to notice so many beautiful things harbouring happiness. Too often are we caught up in the mundane and fail to stop and smell the roses, as the saying goes. You may have already read my previous posts “Don’t Fall out with Autumn” and “Mini Moments of Mirth”, today I’m sharing with you my last ‘Moments of Mirth’ post for a while. I’ll no doubt find another way to incorporate the hidden treasures of life into my blog, however. Now, sit back and enjoy the exploration into my mind and the little things which make me smile, I hope they too offer you some form of contentment, no matter how trivial that may be.

Pride in myself and others
The heading you just read may sound surprising and ridiculous, I may also be coming across as vain. It’s so important for everyone to become at peace with themselves though and proud of the things they have achieved. I think everyone who knows me well realises that I aren’t entirely fond of myself, though even I have to be thankful of the changes I have made so far this year and that I’ve been able to stick at them. There were a time when I’d fail to last at something for more than a few days but recently I have seen a new determination and will power within myself and that alone has been truly inspirational for me. Therefore this is in no means vain of me to say so, that I have offered myself happiness this year, due to changing some things I weren’t happy with. Remember, if there is something you don’t like, that isn’t working for you, that you don’t have to simply put up with it. It may seem easier said than done and there may be exceptions to this of course. Generally speaking, though, if you don’t like something and it isn’t serving a meaningful purpose in your life – then change it! I promise you it will be for the better and you will feel such a surge of pride within yourself for taking control. Concurrently making me smile is the pride in other’s, also. I recently found out a friend from an acting class I used to attend had been nominated for an award, I were so excited for her, willing for her to win. When she went on to doing just that I were utterly thrilled, I felt so proud on her behalf and it’s a wonderful feeling when you can feel that way for another person. Learn to gain happiness from the victories of everyone you care for and you’ll be unable to be unhappy for very long.

Taking a walk
Being alone and using a walk in order to help gather my thoughts and achieve some form of clarity is an activity I thoroughly enjoy embarking on. Getting out into the world and taking a short walk is something many people feel they don’t have the time to do or they simply forget, yet it’s so important to get some time alone, that either being a pamper session, reading a good book or getting outdoors. We all need a relaxing way in which to escape, an added bonus with walking is that when done in the daylight hours it’s a great way to throw in some vitamin D simultaneously. Evening hours are also amazing as they offer an added sense of peace as everyone is settling down for the night, additionally there’s the beauty of the stars to fascinate you.

Receiving a package via post
Another thing of which I delight in is getting things in the post. It doesn’t matter that I of course already know it’s coming due to being the person who has ordered it, I simply love the sensation of having something to open regardless. I feel as though I get twice the happiness from buying online, as I get excited when ordering the items then again when they’re delivered to me. It’s not always the big things, eh?

Tidiness and organisation
It’s incredible how much you feel your mind clearing out once the physical clutter is removed from your life. The less clutter in the home and workplace, the less mental clutter you will experience. Of course it’s not an instant cure all, but it sure helps.

Snow and rain
I love these two types of weather. Snow is so pretty, especially when it remains untouched. I love seeing it on the top of houses and fences. To me, it looks purely prepossessing and aren’t an animals paw prints just the cutest too? I also adore the rain. I like watching it rain as I find it helps me to collect my thoughts, I also enjoy the sound it makes bouncing off of my roof, listening to the rain as I’m trying to sleep is sure to help aid the provision of a peaceful slumber.

Flowers
The fact they die much sooner when picked is unfortunate, but I just love the odd bunch of flowers here and there to brighten up an otherwise dull room. Being the recipient of somebody else gifting you them is also a marvellous feeling. It’s a really nice change. Although a flowering plant is favoured as they don’t die after a few days, unless you’re equipped with the memory of a fish like myself, forgetting to water them.

Learning something new
This doesn’t need to be something huge such as a new language, it doesn’t matter how large or small, so long as you have learned something new in which you can feel a sense of achievement and satisfaction for. For five years I have hidden away from getting to know how the heating works in my house. I may sound insane as it’s something so trivial and ‘normal’. I finally let myself find out more about it this month and now, I am at one with the heating system. Although it’s such a small thing it still managed to please me.

Reading
This is my way of escaping myself and everything around me by indulging in another world. I could read books full time if that were an option, never doing anything else. I’m entirely ensnared by the literary world. This is my number one way to relax and something of which is exclusively for me, my own time. I could read anything, I’d turn into a book myself if that were possible.

Bargains
Everybody loves a good bargain, right? I’m not immune to this, it makes it that much better when it’s in the form of a book also, as we all probably know by now how captivated by reading I am. A head’s up if you haven’t seen my recent post “Bonkers for Books”, Asda actually sell a selection of books at the amazing price of £1 or less and there are some incredible works of genius included in this. The titles are switched around of course and I aren’t sure if this is done in every branch or selected stores, or for how long the deal will remain therefore it’s worth looking out for and keeping an eye on!

Alas the end is here for ‘Motivational Monday’, for the moment anyway and as of now normal service will resume. I do hope that you’ve all enjoyed the past four weeks however, if you have anything you’d like me to talk about another time then please don’t hold back from letting me know, I may feature your idea in a future post or ‘Motivational Monday’ theme.

With Love,
Disaster Davis x

(Original Post on WordPress)

It were seemingly millions of years ago that I last gave you a book review to devour. Okay maybe I’m exaggerating just a tiny smidge, it does seem awfully lengthy, though. Today I figured I’d put that notion right! I, as well as I’m sure millions more out there, find Danielle Steel to be a genius with words. Grab a cuppa and get cosy as I share with you my findings from my recent read.

Leap of Faith, a tale of love, friendship, neglect, greed, lies and pure evil combined. The heart breaking, shocking yet beautiful tale of a girl orphaned so young, always striving to find the happiness she once knew yet being dealt one shattering blow after another. I feel the blurb, pictured below, sums it up perfectly.

Judging by the cover of the book, this isn’t something which would instantly grab a reader’s attention, or at least not in my opinion. Written by Danielle Steel however and being the unbelieveable bargain of £1 in Asda, I would have certainly been a fool to have not picked this up. The blurb pictured above is extremely compelling and well written, it’s evident that there’s an intricate plot to be figured out full of secrets and lies, this alone is incredibly interesting.

Fast paced from the start, I were encapsulated in an idyllic fairy-tale setting only for it to be torn to pieces. An unthinkable tragedy dealt to a child so young, this would tug on anybody’s heartstrings. The story unfolds with heartbreak of a devastating magnitude, unfathomable changes and loss, shrouded in iniquity, then offers hope in the form of genuine love, care and friendship.

There are exceptional shocks, twists and turns entangled within these pages, constantly taking the reader on a journey providing limitless scenarios and situations alongside experiencing a multitude of emotions. Whilst encountering astonishingly worrying and sickening occurrences and peril, this tale is extraordinarily enchanting and heart warming, conjointly. A pure work of supremecy.

Have you had the pleasure of delighting in this? I’d love to hear your thoughts, why not leave them in the comments below? Is there anything you’d like me to review next? I’d be more than happy to oblige!

With Love,
Disaster Davis x

(Original Post on WordPress)

Today is a post that I’ve been really excited about doing. I haven’t done a book review in a while and due to being such a huge bookworm it’s something that I love doing as when I find a fantastic book I naturally want to tell people about it and recommend it due to the genius within it’s pages! Today is super exciting for me because it’s a double book review! I’m sure there are many of you who’ve already read Zoe Sugg’s books, however with Girl Online: On Tour still being recent, I felt it were an appropriate time to share my insights with you all on both books, Girl Online and Girl Online: On Tour!

First up, Girl Online. My first impressions of this book based on it’s general appearance and the blurb are that it’s very pretty and aesthetically pleasing whilst not being too ‘overly girly’ as some books can look. I’m going to take a wild guess that not many of the male population will choose to read it anyway, however due to both it’s lack of being ‘girled out’ and the fact the book is actually a pale blue it may prove to potentially not discourage male readers. The blurb does exactly as it should, it has just the right amount of information about the book without giving away too much and it has the key elements included which are a perfect hook for readers.

The blurb portrays the notion that this will be an easy and really enjoyable read for both teenagers and older readers alike – it holds it’s own form of magic yet clearly notes from the start that there are disasters waiting to happen. From the get go this makes you want to pick up the book and wrap yourself up in it’s pages. The fact this is based from a teenage girls blog gives it a very modern feel which then gives added points for relatability.

I were instantly drawn into the book with Penny’s first blog post before the first chapter had even started, it gets straight into the heart of it, showing Penny’s personality through her writing whilst instantly connecting with teenage readers due to the identification of every young girls typical annoyances and irritations with teenage life. Penny’s natural flow with words and the language she uses in order to engage with her blog readers helps to naturally engage the reader sparking interest and instantly making you thirsty for more, this is apparent throughout the rest of the book and keeps the readers interest high.

The book is written in first person and has a mixture of first person narrative, blog posts and personal texts, this gives the book authenticity also individuality from many others on the market, another surefire way to maintain the readers interest. Penny is an easily relatable character and it were impossible for me to not become caught up in her life and the daily dramas included, from the very first pages you find yourself utterly immersed and are compelled to continue reading. I found myself feeling different emotions throughout, this were dependent on which direction the story were taking me at particular times. Due to the main characters and much of the plot being so completely relatable it really does take you on a thorough journey throughout the experiences of Penny Porter’s life, you see her world through your own eyes and are left at moments feeling inspired whilst also dipping into plot points of which prove to be incredibly thought provoking.

There are hidden little lessons within which contain both helpful guidance and messages of positivity for the reader. In correlation with this is the phenomenal message contained of which to think first and be nice to other’s at all times, if you have nothing nice to say then don’t say it. This is a lesson I feel everybody absolutely MUST learn to accept and put into practice at all times. Whilst reading this it fits perfectly with the fact that Zoe were given such a huge amount of abuse and negativity after this book were published due to the fact she had been ghost written, whilst on this topic I would like to say something. Does anybody who isn’t a writer know just how much time and effort is put into this type of work? When you think about how much time she will spend working on her blog, YouTube and other many endeavours it’s hard to imagine she would have much time left at all for such a thing as a personal life and to be writing a book also. It’s a given, to me at least, that she would have a ghost writer. Zoe has celebrity status, how many celebrities who aren’t full time writers will have a book published without a ghost writer? More to the point, just because you are ghost written does not mean that the plot and characters are not your own, it means you have had help, yes. What’s wrong with a little help though? Everyone involved will have been paid for the job they have done and with books come a huge editing team anyway! Unless of course you opt to self publish and don’t get your work edited – but the majority of self published writers will STILL get an editing team to work on their product before it’s finished and is the smart thing to do, too! Fresh eyes and perspectives working together achieves greatness and who on earth cares how and who this book has been written by at the end of the day, as long as it’s an enjoyable read?

To conclude with a few final points, Girl Online tells a magical story making it feel as though you have just stepped into a fairy tale for the large part, it’s simply impossible to not be sucked in and lifted along with the happiness and positive vibes it creates. Everything slots into place seamlessly to make for a very well planned, easy and enjoyable read. It’s beautiful and leaves you wanting more. At the end of the book there are the first two chapters included from the sequel, ‘Girl Online: On Tour’, I feel this is a really generous amount and undoubtedly ensures you’re then hooked to the second book as much as the first, speaking of which we will now move onto.

Lets jump straight in with my initial thoughts, shall we? The aesthetics of the second book, ‘Girl Online: On Tour’ feel as though it’s all a little more girly compared to the first book although it’s been done in a very tasteful and mature feeling way, if that makes much sense. It’s kind of hard to describe but what I’m trying to say is basically that it doesn’t feel tacky or overdone. A bookmark is included in this book and is located at the back, with corrugated edges making it easy for removal. I think this is a really nice addition and something that isn’t often done, personally I’ve chosen to leave my bookmark inside the book however as I don’t want to feel as though I’m spoiling my copy of the book in some way. It all comes down to personal preference but it’s a lovely little inclusion none the less!

Again the blurb of this book hops straight in. You’re presented with what feels to be an almost perfect situation yet it’s tinged with what if’s and the potential for ruin! This makes the reader excited to get straight in as you’re interested to learn more and are worried about the implications the scenario will have on the truly magical romance!

Like with Girl Online it’s remained very relevant, modern and up to date. This again will instantly engage readers, especially the young, as it includes many of today’s typical social networking influences and other such things of which are ‘down with the kids’. Penny is still as she were before, captivating the reader with honest descriptions of which resonate with typical teenage life. She explores the thoughts and feelings we will likely have all felt at some point in our teenage years, some of which are larger issues that feel so daunting such as not knowing which direction we want to take with our lives. Instantly you find yourself back in step with Penny’s life with it’s humorous and uplifting story line and character depictions. Just like Girl Online, On Tour is a very easy and enjoyable read. It gets fired up and into the good stuff very quickly, leaving no time to become bored or agitated waiting for the story to get going. This book instantly enraptures the reader in magic.

Of course not everything can be all smiles and rainbows. Like any good book it includes it’s fair share of turbulence within the plot, each situation of which does just as much to make you continue reading, because the characters are all so vivid within your imagination and realistic you feel as though you actually know them, that they aren’t only simple fiction. You simply have to keep reading to find out if everything turns out well for them, it’s as if along the journey throughout the two books they have become your friends or sometimes you will feel as though you’re Penny yourself. This ties in well with the fact that you feel throughout as though you’re experiencing her emotions with her, at many points I found myself feeling anxious on Penny’s behalf or really happy about a fantastic opportunity or event unfolding. There are of course some very unrealistic events to that of what the majority of us have or will ever experience but isn’t that the case for most fiction, it’s our chance to escape into what we’re reading, fundamentally it remains real throughout due to different driving forces behind the main event, infused with typical every day teenage drama all the while making it easily relatable. This book is packed with hidden twists and turns, some things may seem predictable but then there will be totally unexpected moments lurking where you least expect them, whilst everything ties together seemingly effortlessly.

Just like the first book, GO:OT contains more important life lessons within it’s pages and although this book is merely fiction many of the situations Penny sees through and has to overcome will resonate with the reader so naturally and on a personal level that it will inspire them, to do what is personal to the individual but this book will demand action and a life evaluation. It’s hard to keep the same story alive for so long and will often be hard for a person to create a successful series especially if the characters have already seen so much and been taken so far. I can see potential for the continuation of Girl Online, however. I aren’t aware if this is something that Zoe is planning on or likewise, not planning to do – the option to do more is there in any case due to the books being written so well with easily relatable and likable characters. Girl Online: On Tour were a real roller coaster of a book but incredibly enjoyable throughout.

To summarise, I really enjoyed both books. I can see why they’re so popular and will continue to be, there’s definitely potential for more and I’d recommend these to fellow bookworms. I already read Girl Online a second time for the purpose of this book review and I could see myself re-reading both books in the future. There is plenty available to ponder and to aid the evaluation of our own lives due to different parts in both books. they prove to shine a light on many important everyday issues.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed the books and the following write up of my thoughts on both. I’ve been pondering creating a list of different books I own in order to provide the allowance of requests for future reviews. If that’s something you’d be interested in me doing then please don’t hesitate to let me know! Likewise, if you have a great recommendation for me then I’d love to hear it.

With Love,
Disaster Davis x

(Original Post on WordPress)

The Fault In Our Stars, a 313 page book of genius written by award-winning John Green and published by Penguin, now a major motion picture. In these deeply thought-provoking and heart wrenching pages of unarguable brilliance, we meet a group of young people living with cancer, some curable and some terminal. Hazel is content enough to spend her time watching TV shows and staying in, whilst her mother requires that she attends a weekly support group with the hope Hazel will explore life, making the most of what she has left. Through attending this support group, however exceedingly tedious, Hazel gets more than she ever bargained for.

The Fault In Our Stars takes the reader through an abundance of various emotions, captivating from the off. The story of a terminal girl of which you can’t help but to feel for. Despite the despondent perspective of which is expected, this unparalleled story takes the reader through great sorrow, frustration, anger and loss; alongside joy, hope and love with added amusement.

I were recommended to read this book by my niece and I were glad that I had, I have read nothing like it before and believe me I am an absolute bookworm. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this pure excellence and implore everybody else, all of you, to pick this up for yourselves! I have to say that I definitely preferred the book over the film, which isn’t surprising as I usually prefer books to films anyway. Seriously – If you haven’t already then read this, it’s a definite thought-provoking piece of great magnitude. Expect tears!

As I have stated previously, this blog will often have posts other than that of beauty and fashion related, I will cover a wide spectrum of topics. Today I brought this book review to the table! I’m aware both the book and film have been out for a while now, regardless I felt the need to slot in my own thoughts on this highly popular work. There are often times people who are late to read or view a new piece, this is backed up by the fact I own ‘Grey’ but am yet to have read it due to my monster collection of books all screaming at me to read them, therefore I hope that this review has been enjoyed by somebody or even proven helpful in some way! If you’ve already read ‘TFIOS’, let me know in the comments below! I’d love to chat with you all.

With Love,
Disaster Davis x

(Original Post on Wordpress)