Book Reviews feat. Kurt Vonnegut

Hello! Thanks for all your comments on part one of my January book reviews. It would seem you all have a lot to say about Peter Pan! Disclaimer: I apologise for the quality of these photographs. It was dark. It was late. I was achey and tired. I'm a terrible person, I know. 

I've so far managed to read a total of 11 books this month which I think is pretty good. I'm also part the way through my 12th book so hopefully I'll finish that before the month is out because even numbers are a lot nicer, right?! If you'd like to keep up with my reading, you can do so via my Goodreads, my 2014 reads page and my hashtags on Instagram: #beesreads and #bees52books.  Feel free to leave your thoughts below. Here's part two of my January book reviews:



LOOKING FOR ALASKA BY JOHN GREEN (2005)
DATE FINISHED: 11/01/14 | ISBN: 0007523165 | PAGES: 272

Book Reviews feat. Shane Jones

We all love book recommendations, right?! I thought it'd be a clever idea to post monthly book reviews for you guys instead of being so sporadic about them. Neat, huh?! It's a pretty good way for me to take stock of my reading in 2014 and, hopefully, recommend some awesome books to you lovely lot. January was a really good reading month for me because I was full of new year enthusiasm! I read some classic children's literature, a translation, some YA and a few books I've been meaning to read for ages. If you want to keep up to date with my reads each month you can do so in a number of ways. You can  follow me on Goodreads or follow #beesreads and #bees52books on Instagram! Feel free to start a little discussion in the comments below. It'd be great to use these book posts as little bits of the internet where we can recommend reads for one another. I've had to split this month's reviews into two posts because there were too many! Part two will be up in a few days but, for now, here's part one! 

peter pan by j. m. barrie (1904)

date finished: 01/01/14 | isbn: 0147508657 | pages: 224

How To Make A TBR Jar

I own a few books that I have yet to read. I also make pretty bloody huge understatements regularly. I have, therefore, decided to create a TBR jar.

A lot of you express your horror to me with regards to the amount of books you have still yet to read, so I'm suggesting that we all follow my lead and make jars....mainly so I don't feel so terrible about all those unread books but still...

How do you make this mystical, and totally imaginative, jar you may ask! It's simple really! Get some coloured paper and pop it into your printer. Compile a list of all the books on your shelves that you have yet to read or, alternatively, compile a list of the books you want to buy yourself as a treat every now and again. Print these book titles out onto the coloured paper. Spend a while cutting the books out individually before folding them twice and popping them into your jar. Scroll down for one I made earlier. I was hoping to find a fancy jar in a charity shop but I think this baby Kilner is actually quite cute so I'm sticking with it! 

Once you've created your jar, the idea is to pop your hand in and fish out a scrap of paper every time you're stuck in a bit of a reading rut or simply wish to surprise yourself with a new read. It's revolutionary thinking, I know.  I've got a bit of everything in my jar, from Albert Camus to Zadie Smith. Of course, you don't have to use your jar in only one way! Heavens, no! You could also: 

+ make one for a friend

Got a friend who always asks you for book recommendations? Create a fancy jar full of book recommendations for them as a nice gesture! Whenever they're looking for a new read, they can have a gander in the jar and find inspiration!

+ add it to a bookish hamper

Fill your hamper with books or a book / e-book token,  a book light, a couple of bookmarks or nostalgic tickets to use in place of a bookmark and a TBR jar of the books you've bought them to get them started. You will win massive brownie points with your bookish pals! Trust me!

+ use it for occasional treats

Treat it like a physical Amazon wishlist! Fill the jar with books you want to read then the next time you find yourself deserving of a treat, pick a scrap of paper out! Alternatively, pick out about ten and buy all the books before wallowing in guilt but not for very long because BOOKS!!!!!

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If you'd like to scroll through all of my advice posts then you can do so.

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Winter Pastels & Brag Vintage

It's good to step out of your comfort zone and do things that absolutely terrify you, right?! 'Cause posting this outfit makes me more than a little scared but I wanted to show you guys my vintage skirt and make a point about stuff. Yeah, I'm being super eloquent today! Before we scroll, can we just appreciate that I absolutely froze my tits off trying to get these photographs?! Thanks!

Please ignore the crinkles in my skirt. It turns out it's not too easy to transport clothing to the village! I probably should have ironed it. Amateur hour. I would usually pair this outfit with a beanie, a big cosy knit and a long dangly necklace but I managed to forget them when packing my weekend bag (probably should've consulted my packing checklist - whoops!). I would also wear the grey top with the neckline a little higher. 

14 Books I Want To Read in 2014

Thanks to a few crazed charity shop sprees and a weird devotion to the written word, I own quite a few books. Books that I have yet to read. Books that I have picked up and put back down. Books that I probably should have read ages ago but haven't out of fear or lethargy or being busy or BECAUSE I LIKE TO WATCH BACK TO BACK EPISODES OF CATFISH, OKAY?! If you read my new year's resolutions the other day, you'll know that I was planning on setting myself a book challenge for the year. After much deliberation, I decided to set myself the challenge of reading 52 books in 2014. I'm hoping that this challenge will encourage me to use my spare time more wisely, and to embrace texts that I've either been frightened of or have been putting off for a while. If you'd like to keep up with my progress, you can follow me on Goodreads. Inspired by some of the booktube videos I've been watching lately, I thought I'd pick out 14 unread books on my bookshelf to show you that I definitely want to have read by the time 2015 rears its futuristic head. Let me know in the comments below what books you want to read in 2014 so we can have a little natter and everyone can find lots of recommendations!