Boston

As I mentioned in my previous post my family and I spent the week in Boston!  As is traditional for our family, a holiday involves squeezing in as many activities as possible. As you can imagine we are all very tired this weekend!  

Boston is such a historical and architecturally stunning city and although I took hundreds of photos it’s very difficult to capture the character of a place (at least for me!) through a camera lens.

Below are some of my Boston favorites.

The garden next to The House of Seven Gables in Salem (yes where the witch trials were held and no I didn't see anything remotely haunted looking haha.)

Whale Watchers- Although the trip was 3 hours long it was completely worth it to watch this mother and her calf surface for air.

Chocolate shop in Beacon Hill

Life Alive Restaurant- A must for me as all the dishes were vegetarian, my brother had the The Rebel which was a type of stir fry served with tofu and sesame ginger nama sauce, flax oil and served over quinoa and brown rice. And I quote "Some of the best food I have ever had". This coming from a self -professed carnivore! The drinks were all served out of mason jars too!  

And finally The Public Gardens. I couldn't believe this little wonderland was right in the centre of the city. Although not as evident in these pictures the park was buzzing with life. I was so sorry we didn't have a chance to ride in one of the swan boats! 

I hope I've inspired you to travel down to Boston. I had a wonderful time and hope to visit again soon!

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Once Upon a Time

One of my favorite summer traditions is curling up with a good book and spending the whole day outside basking in the sunshine. This has led to a few nasty sunburns and a whole collection of mushy romance novels haha. I try to make time to do this as much as possible during the summer months. The whole experience enables me to savor the freedom of summer while discovering new books. 

However between working and studying I’ve been neglecting my books recently. I decided to do some book shopping and restock my shelves with some new material. Hopefully I’ll be inspired to sit outdoors and relax soon.

 Below are some of my current favorites and as soon as I finish my newly purchased books I’ll be sure review them!

(Image credit impawards.com)

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

This book really made an impact on me. The story begins with the characters as children and details their life at boarding school. As they grow older the more they realize their lives are not as perfect as they seem. Their destinies have all ready been pre-determined before they were even born. 

I know this is an extremely vague summary but I don’t want to give anything away! I can say that this the book has really stuck with me. I fell in love with the characters and found it really hard to accept the ending! The story contains romance, humor and characters you can’t help but root for. The book was also named as TIME Magazine’s best novel of 2005. 

(Image credit puffin.co.uk)

Driftwood by Cathy Cassidy

I must have first read this book when I was about 9. Although it’s not appropriate if you’re looking for a more mature read this is certainly a summer favorite for me.  

For a children’s book it certainly deals with some dark issues such as depression, suicide, and homophobia. The story surrounding these topics is gripping and the scenes set at the beach make me desperately want to go to the seaside. That said, Cathy Cassidy has a very distinct style of writing, if you don’t like her approach then this book may not be for you. 

(Image credit amazon.com)

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Another heart breaking read over here. I’ve just realized how depressing my choice of books seems to be! The novel chronicles the life of Briony Tallis and the damage she causes after she misinterprets what she sees and accuses an innocent man of a terrible crime. The novel is set before, during and after WW2. The story sees her trying to attain atonement  (see what I did there) for the mistake she made as a child. 

Again a very captivating read. The characters seem so real I felt as though I was watching the action right in front of me. The movie is really worth watching too if only to drool over James McAvoy haha. 

Happy reading! 

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Potter Party

I feel like this generation is obsessed with fandoms. 

Fandoms ultimately stem from a desire of the fan to view further content. Especially if a series has finished a fandom allows for the fans to share their love of the content, discover more information about the background or characters they have grown to love. The TV show /movie/ book doesn't have to end.When fans re-watch the content they can have a completely new experience which allows the content to continue to remain impactful and enjoyable for these fans. 

Although I feel I am part of many fandoms my sister belongs to only one. Harry Potter. Those two words have started heartfelt debates, tears and endless marathons featuring all 8 movies. 

With her birthday coming round there was no question to whether harry should be involved or not. 

Pinterest was my best friend for this project. We based all the food, decor and activities around a massive board I created (over 300 pins total). Although some crafts didn’t work out (specifically snitches out of tin foil) I think we created a day my sister really enjoyed. A word for anyone who decides to go all out on a themed party, it takes much longer and costs much more than I expected! 

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