Have I Read These Popular Books?

As a book blogger, I think there’s an idea that I’ve read a LOT of books. To be fair, I have but the books I’ve read seem to not be the most popular. This got me thinking, what popular books have I read? I asked you to send me some popular book titles over on my Twitter so thank you to everyone who replied!

The Grishaverse Novels

I’ve read Six of Crows but I didn’t really like it. I know I wasn’t in the best headspace at that time and as a mood reader, I know it probably affected my reading experience. I’m definitely planning to reread it again now that my overall mood is better.

The Bone Season

No, but I have heard GREAT things about this book series. It’s definitely on my list to read in the future.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

No, but again, I’ve heard only good things about this book!! I need to put this on a list of books to get in the future.

The Time Traveler’s Wife

I read this book a couple of years ago in a book swap and I really enjoyed it. The plot is right up my street. I think I was a bit unsure about the ending but overall, it was a great read.

Other Books By J.K. Rowling

No, I haven’t. I haven’t really explored the ‘adult’ genre of books. They do sound quite interesting though so I might look into them sometime in the future.

Percy Jacksons And The Olympians

No, I feel ashamed! I watched the first Percy Jackson film and I didn’t really like it and I know the books are better but I just haven’t got around to reading them yet. With a TV series being announced to, maybe I should try and read them .

A Court of Thorn and Roses

I have and I really like it. The first book is definitely my favourite out of all the series, the other one’s are okay, just not my favourite.

Throne of Glass Series

No, but it has been on my TBR list for YEARS. One day I will definitely get around to it.

The Hunger Games

I read them when the films were coming out but I don’t remember much about them as I’ve only read them once. I did like the Hunger Games but it didn’t speak to me on the same level as most people. I know there’s a prequel that’s very recently come out but it just hasn’t got my attention.

Twilight

I read the first book years ago and then didn’t read the rest. With the new one coming out though, I’m thinking I should take the plunge and read them.

Matched Series

No, I haven’t but I love the look of the all the covers and they’ve caught my interest but I don’t know what they’re about.

Me Before You

I’ve heard of the film, I didn’t even know there was a book version!

Harry Potter

Yes, of course, I have! The book series is great but it takes such a long time to read when it comes to the bigger books. When it comes to Harry Potter I do find it’s a lot easier just to watch the films.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

I’ve read the first two books in the series but I’m yet to read the last book in the series. I do really like the series though and I’m very excited to read the last edition when I can get my hands on a copy.

The Shadowhunter Series

Yes I have. The Infernal Devices series is definitely my favourite out of all the three. I’m yet to read ‘Queen of Air and Darkness’ yet (although it is on my bookshelves) and Chain of Gold (which I’m looking forward to reading a lot).

How many of these popular books have you read?

Did you enjoy this blog post? If you did, why not have a read of these similar posts:

• My Favourite Book Quotes
• April 2020 Reading Wrap Up

 

My Favourite Book Quotes

Books really are amazing. They can comfort you, reflect your very soul or just let you escape into a new world. I love a lot of quotes from books and today, I thought I’d share some of my favourite quotes from books. I’ve divided the quotes by book so you can easily find them yourselves if you’d like to.

Clockwork Princess – Cassandra Clare

• Life is a book and there are a thousand pages I have not read

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll

• It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely – Brigid Kemmerer

• I’m always surprised to discover that when the world seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light
• Failure isn’t absolute
• The choices we face may not be the choices we want, but they are choices nonetheless

Becoming – Michelle Obama

• Do we settle for the world as it is, or do we work for the world as it should be
• Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own
• Failure is a feeling long before it becomes an actual result

Radio Silence – Alice Oseman

• I wonder – if nobody is listening to my voice, am I making any sound at all?
• I’m platonically in love with you

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – Jenny Han

• I don’t have to be so afraid of good-bye, because good-bye doesn’t have to be forever
• You’ve just gotta hold your head up and act like you don’t give a shit
• Looking on the bright side of life never killed anybody

Carry On – Rainbow Rowell

• You were the centre of my universe and everything else spun around you
• I just wanted to tell you that I’m going to carry on. As I am

A Thousand Perfect Notes – C.G. Drews

• You are worth more than a thousand perfect notes
• Music is nothing unless it fills your soul with colour and passion and dreams

Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda – Becky Albertalli

• Sometimes it seems like everyone knows who I am except me
• I don’t even know. I’m just so sick of straight people who can’t get their shit together
• There’s something about you that makes me want to open up, and that’s slightly terrifying to me

The School for Good and Evil – Soman Chainani

• Only once you destroy who you think you are can you embrace who you truly are
• It doesn’t matter what we are, it matters what we do

Harry Potter – J. K. Rowling

• It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live
• It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be
• Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery
• Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light

Clockwork Angel – Cassandra Clare

• You’ve always known what you are. That’s not new. What you’ll get used to is knowing it

Clockwork Prince – Cassandra Clare

• It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone
• It’s always better to live the truth than to live a lie

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue – Mackenzi Lee

• God bless the book people for their boundless knowledge absorbed from having words instead of friends

Vicious – V. E. Schwab

• The world resists, when you break its rules
• Everything starts with belief, with faith

Did you enjoy this blog post? If you did, why not have a read of these similar posts:

• Have I Read These Popular Books?
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April 2020 Reading Wrap Up

I’ve never written a reading wrap up before but I want to write more book blog posts and I felt this was a fun way to do just that. I don’t read that many books in a month so hopefully, it won’t be that long. Let me know what you read in April, maybe we read something the same.

So, in April I read 4 books altogether and the average rating was 4.5 stars.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Cover Sourced From Goodreads

 

Author:

J.K. Rowling

Synopsis:

Ever since Harry Potter had come home for the summer, the Dursleys had been so mean and hideous that all Harry wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange impish creature who says that if Harry returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls’ bathroom. But then the real trouble begins – someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects… Harry Potter himself!

Rating given on Goodreads:

4 stars out of 5 stars.

Overall Thoughts:

I love the story of the Chamber of Secrets and all the new characters that are introduced into the wizarding world. However, I found myself taking a long time to read this book and it felt more like a chore than for enjoyment. Perhaps, I wasn’t in the right mood or maybe it’s because I know the story so well.

Ruby Redfort: Look Into My Eyes

Cover Sourced From Goodreads

Author:

Lauren Child

Synopsis:

Ruby Redfort is a genius code-cracker, a daring detective, and a gadget-laden special agent who just happens to be a 13-year-old girl. She and her slick side-kick butler, Hitch, foil crimes and get into loads of scrapes with evil villains, but they’re always ice-cool in a crisis.

Rating given on Goodreads:

5 stars out of 5 stars

Overall Thoughts:

I wasn’t feeling the Harry Potter books after the first one so I decided to reread the Ruby Redfort series which I absolutely loved when I was younger but I haven’t read them since finishing the last book in the series. Luckily, this book is just as good as I remember. It’s weird as when I first read this, I was younger than Ruby the main character but now I’m five years older but she’s still such a relatable character. If you were to read any book from this list, please give this one a go.

Ruby Redfort: Take Your Last Breath

Cover Sourced From Goodreads

Author:

Lauren Child

Synopsis:

Crack open Ruby Redfort’s second adventure — and you will literally be on the edge of your wits.

Everyone’s favourite girl detective is back for a second mind-blowing instalment, packed with all the off-the-wall humour, action, and friendship of the first book. This time, though, it’s an adventure on the wide-open ocean, and Ruby is all at sea. . . . Can she crack the case of the Twinford pirates while evading the clutches of a vile sea monster as well as the evil Count von Viscount? Well, you wouldn’t want to bet against her.

Rating given on Goodreads:

5 stars out of 5 stars

Overall Thoughts:

Although I didn’t enjoy it as much as the last one, this book is still definitely a 5-star read. The plot just keeps you gripped and the characters just become even more developed. The relationships between characters are definitely a lot better established and you can’t help become more and more in love with them.

Ruby Redfort: Catch Your Death

Cover Sourced From Goodreads

Author:

Lauren Child

Synopsis:

This time, tigers are roaming the streets of Twinford, and it looks like someone has deliberately released some very rare and very dangerous animals. Things are going to get wild – and Ruby is going to get badly lost in the wilderness. The question is: will she ever make it out alive? Well, as always, you wouldn′t want to bet against her…

Rating on Goodreads:

4 stars out of 5 stars

Overall Thoughts:

Before going into this, I knew this book was my least favourite out of all the books in the series. The plot is good, I don’t know, I just found myself wanting to get past all the Ruby storyline and stick with Clancy. It’s still really good, don’t get my wrong but it’s just not a stand out for me.

Did you enjoy this blog post? If you did, why not have a read of these similar posts:

• Have I Read These Popular Books?
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How I’m Keeping Busy In Lockdown

In the UK, we’ve been in lockdown for a while now and on social media, I’ve seen a lot of people saying how bored they are. In all honestly, my routine hasn’t changed that much during this period as I’m on a gap year but I thought it would be fun to share what I’m up to keep busy to try and help any of you suffering from boredom.

Blogging

I haven’t been blogging as much as I used to before the lockdown but I am still doing some of it. In fact, I’m spending more time on the social media linked to my blog such as my Bookstagram which I’m starting to use more. I’m hoping to still get out a blog post every Sunday though.

Writing

In case you didn’t know, I’m writing a book! It’s a fantasy YA and I’m currently on my second draft/ first “proper” draft. It’s actually going really well and I’m really falling in love with all the characters I’m creating.

Animal Crossing

I think a LOT of people are playing Animal Crossing during this period. I’ve always played the Animal Crossing games so I was going to play it anyway. I’m not time travelling so my progress is slow compared to others but this week I managed to get K.K. Slider to perform which is great!

Art

Having taken Art for GCSE, I thought my love for Art had been killed off but over the last few weeks I’ve started doing digital art again and I’m loving it! I’m slowly starting to understand digital art more as my whole life I’ve been doing more pencil based/watercolour art but I really think I prefer the digital way.

Planning Secret Projects

I can’t tell you what I’m planning here but it’s actually what I’m doing the most at the moment. I’ll just tell you that it’s going very well so far.

Studying

I’m planning on starting a degree in October so I’m starting to do some free online courses to get my mind back into studying. At the moment I’ve only completed one on the Shakespeare play ‘As You Like It’ but there’s a lot I’m interested in doing.

Musicals

Recently I have become OBSESSED with musicals. I’m spending a lot of my time listening and singing to musicals and it really does boost my mood. I’m also watching a lot of musicals too like The Phantom of The Opera which I absolutely loved.

Relaxing

Although I can be busy, this is the perfect time to relax. When the weather is nice, I’ve been spending time just being out In my garden. I’m also starting to do a little bit of yoga daily which is really relaxing and helping my muscles although I wouldn’t know it at the moment.

Did you enjoy this blog post? If you did, why not have a read of these similar posts:

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The Liar And His Lover Review

*This blog post contains spoilers for the Korean Drama ‘The Liar and His Lover’*

It’s time for a Korean Drama review. I watched this drama in February so it’s been a while and since then, I have watched a lot more. So if my knowledge around it isn’t that exact it’s because it’s been over two months since I watched it.

The drama’s focus is on the music industry which is a change to the kind of the Dramas I normally love. Kang Hyun-gul (played by Lee Hyun-woo)was part of the boy band ‘Crude Play’ before dropping out to solely be their producer. On the other hand, Yoon So-rim (played by Joy) wants to make it big in the music industry, despite being a high school student. It’s a really lovely drama with lots of twist and turns and lots of love triangles.

The Main Characters

Kang Hyun-gul

The main male character. I really don’t know what I make of ‘K’. A part of me really liked him but the other half just felt like there wasn’t a lot to him The story of his relationship with Crude Play was good though and of course his relationship with Yoon So-rim was fun to watch.

Yoon So-rim

Sometimes I don’t really like the main female leads in a drama but I did quite like Yoon So-rim. The fact that she stood by her friends when she could have gone solo was great. Also, I love her voice, let me just definitely put that out there.

Choi Jin-hyuk

I really don’t remember much about this character except that he was the manager. I obviously didn’t feel like he was a character worth remembering (sorry!). I do remember him being very manipulative and sly and then redeeming himself at the end though.

Seo Chan-young

Just making it clear here that I now about what the actor did so whenever I’m talking about this character, I’m JUST talking about the character. Okay, I really loved this character. I really loved his story and his development.

Chae Yu-na

Like the manager, I really don’t remember much about Chae Yu-na. I guess she was considered a female rival. I’m sorry but I really don’t remember anything so this bit is quite empty. Oops.

 

The Plot

I did like the overall plot storyline of Mush & Co trying to get big in the music industry. I think this was probably my favourite storyline out of all the music ones. Of course, I also liked the romantic love triangle storyline. That is normally my favourite part of a drama so of course, this comes as no surprise.

The Music

The standout part of the drama for me is the music. I absolutely love the soundtrack. I listen to the Mush & Co song ‘Shiny Boy’ a lot and I love to sing along to it. I also love the song ‘Butterfly’ that Yoon So-rim sings but unfortunately, that song isn’t on Spotify which is a shame.

Overall

I do really like this drama. It’s definitely not in my top five or ten of all time but it was still enjoyable. I will probably watch it again because it was such a lovely easy-going watch.

Did you enjoy this blog post? If you did, why not have a read of these similar posts:

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Listening To Beetlejuice The Musical

Welcome to a new series on my blog! If you don’t know, my new obsession at the moment is musicals and I’ve realised that I haven’t actually listened to a lot of them. So, in this series, I’ll be listening to musical soundtracks for the first time and letting you know what I think.

I wasn’t sure whether to do my first one on Beetlejuice the Musical or not as it is the only musical that I have listened to the whole soundtrack but then I thought you would then know my thoughts and that I’ve already listened to it for when you suggest me which musicals to listen to next. So yes, I have listened to this album already and although they aren’t my first thoughts, there are my opinions there still.

(For this I’m trying to make sense of the messy notes in my notebook so please bear with me if somethings don’t make that much sense)

1. Prologue: Invisible

Immediately at the start, I could recognise Day-O which is of course from the movie soundtrack. This song obviously plays from the start of the play which I think is really cool. It provides context but in a great way. I loved the backing instrumentals, especially the violins. I also really liked how it led to the next song seamlessly.

2. The Whole “Being Dead” Thing

I love that Betelgeuse is introduced this way and how much he breaks the fourth wall. It really makes his character more real. I also really like the part where there’s the contrast between the happy ukelele and the rock moment, I think it really helps demonstrate the feel of the whole play.

3. Ready Set, Not Yet

“Look at these jugs!” Like the last two, this song links on which I think is really cool. I definitely found myself dancing along to this a little bit. This song really helps to show how unsure Barbara and Adam are. Also, the procrastination bit at the end is very relatable.

4. The Whole “Being Dead” Thing Part 2

Like I said I have listened to this album before and out of all the songs from the musical, this is the one that gets stuck in my head a lot. I love how jolly it is despite the situation. I think I actually prefer this to part 1.

5. Dead Mom

This is my favourite song from the musical. This is the front song from the musical that I listened to and I loved it so much that I had to listen to the rest of it. I think this song does really good at portraying Lydia’s feelings.

6. Fright of Their Lives

This is the point where I made even fewer notes so please bear with me whilst I try and make something out from them. I liked the 80s feel of the synth sound of this track. My favourite part was Beetlegeuse’s

7. Ready Set – Reprise

I like the reprise better than the original. I do like the contrast between the original song being about them not being ready and this one is them actually being ready to do something. It really does show their character development, even in a short amount of time.

8. No Reason

This is one of my favourite songs from the musical. I think the song is really good at showing the conflict between Lydia and Delia. It does a good job of showing Delia’s backstory that wasn’t explored in the movie.

9. Invisible (Reprise)/ On the Roof

I do feel kind of empathetic towards Betelguese in a weird way. Also, the reference to the original song in the Prologue is done really well, it shows how similar Betelgeuse and Lydia really are.

10. Say My Name

I really like this song. This is one that I’ve definitely heard a lot on TikTok. I really like how Lydia manipulates the situation. The possession of Adam and Barbara is done really well – I can hear what is happening. I really like the change in the end.

11. Day- O (The Banana Boat Song) – Act 1 Finale

I know this classic song from the film and I really like how they have brought it over to the musical. The pig part sounds so funny, I would love to see what happens on the stage at this point. I love that the song links to the end of the Act just like the Invisible linked to the start of the film.

12. Girl Scout

It’s a lovely change to the previous songs but there’s this sense that she’s going to die. It really does highlight that the show is about death which could kind of be forgotten amid this jolly song.  In the UK we don’t have Girl Scouts so I don’t know how any of that works but from what is told in this song does link to what I’ve seen from American films.

13. That Beautiful Sound

It leads on from the last song really well with the scream of the Girl Scout. I do like how they’ve included this song to show the similarities and the new closeness between Betelgeuse and Lydia.  I love just hearing them both scaring lots of people., I feel like it would be really fun to watch.  I like the dance break too and how they’ve kept it in the soundtrack.

14. Barbara 2.0

I like the introduction of the new Barbara told through this song. It’s really interesting how they’re looking back on their life and realising that in some way they really have got tons of stuff that is pointless to them now.  I do like the integration of ‘ready set’ as well which seems to be THE song of Barbara and Adam.

15. What I Know Now

This is definitely my least favourite song from the Musical. I really don’t know why because it is an alright song but I guess it just doesn’t gel with me. I can see it’s important from a plot standpoint as I imagine it helps convince Lydia to go back home.

16. Home

It’s my second favourite song from the musical. It shows the progression of Lydia’s thoughts and how she really dismissing her mum but realises that she needs to make the most of life. It’s just a hauntingly beautiful song full of raw emotions and Sophia Caruso does sing it beautifully.

17. Creepy Old Guy

I do think it’s good that the show is highlighting the weird way that Betelgeuse (who is significantly older) wants to marry Lydia. They do really well to highlight that this is still a thing that happens in some cultures. From an audience standpoint, you can tell that the others are putting an act to lure Betelgeuse.

18. Jump in the Line

I can not think of a better song to end this musical with. It’s the song that closes the original film and I think it’s definitely the right thing to do. Plus the addition of Lydia’s lines really helps her character finish her journey and realise that she can move forward.

My Overall Thoughts

I really love this album. Although there are some songs I don’t really like, it’s still such a great album. I’d definitely love to see the show sometime (if they ever bring it over to the UK).

My Favourite Song: Dead Mom

My Least Favourite Song: What I Know Now

Have you listened to this musical? What is your favourite song?

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Book Characters I’d Love To Come To Life

When you read a book, sometimes you form a connection with a character. Sometimes you just know that if you knew them in real life, you would get along. So today, I’m going to e sharing some book characters which I’d love to come to life. Looking at my bookshelves for some characters, I realised that I really don’t remember that many characters from books so the list isn’t that long. Perhaps if you all enjoy this post, I’ll make a Part 2.

Ruby Redfort

When I was younger the Ruby Redfort series was one of my favourites and I absolutely adored the main character, Ruby. She’s smart but also seems to be fun to be around. I feel like we would go on a lot of adventures together, with me being the one to warn her not to do something and ultimately doing it anyway.

Hermoine Granger

The book character I’ve most often been told I’m like is Hermoine. To me that’s fine – she was always my favourite character in the series. We both have frizzy curly hair, like learning and stick by the rules, although we do sometimes bend them. I feel like we would be well suited.

Luna Lovegood

Luna was always another favourite character of mine from the Harry Potter series. I always felt that Luna and I would go exploring the more mysterious sides of the wizarding world. I feel like we would make a good team and be weird together.

Newt Scamander

I’m classing Newt as a book character although, I can see that some people would say he’s more of a film character. Anyway, Newt and I would definitely get on well. Not only are we both Hufflepuffs but we both love animals. I’m not sure about travelling around the world though but perhaps it would be easier if I had magic.

Sophie

Sophie is one of the main characters in the School For Good and Evil series (a.k.a my favourite series of ALL time). Although you could say that it would be weird as she’s evil, I don’t think she’s that evil, just misunderstood. I really feel like we would have fun together and out of all the characters mentioned here, she’s probably the or I’ve thought about coming to life the most.

Agatha

The other main character from The School For Good and Evil series. Agatha and I would be a fantastic team, honestly. I do feel like there would be some third-wheeling though, as Tedros is her boyfriend. However, could it turn into Tedros being the third wheel, if we got on very well?

Magnus Bane

This one kind of took me by surprise when I was coming up with this list but the more I think about it, the more I realise how great it would be. Magnus is definitely one of my favourite characters in the Shadowhunter universe – at least in the Mortal Instruments series. He would just be a great person to be friends with and if you’ve read the books, you’d know why.

Tessa Gray

Tessa is definitely my favourite character from The Shadowhunter universe. I think in Year 9, I even did a presentation about her, although I can’t remember what exactly it was about. We are very similar in the fact that we love books. She would be a great person to get book recommendations from, in my opinion anyway.

What book characters would you want to come to life?

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Strong Woman Do Bong Soon Review

* This blog post contains spoilers for the Korean Drama ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’*

It’s time for another Korean Drama review, this time for the show ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’. I rewatched this drama recently and it still remains a favourite.

The show follows the story of Do Bong Soon (played by Park Bo-young) who has the ability of super strength. She becomes a bodyguard to Ahn Min-hyuk (played by Park Hyung-Sik) who is the CEO of a video game company. The show is a comedy so of course, there are some crazy antics but there’s also a dark kidnapping plot that I really like. If any of that interests you and you might want to watch it, I would definitely do some more research and maybe watch the first episode as there will be big spoilers ahead.

The Main Characters

Do Bong Soon

For once, I think my favourite character is, in fact, the main character. I love how we see Do Bong follow her dream to make her own video game. I really like that she is a strong female but she’s still very feminine. She uses her power only when necessary and always to help people. She really is great and actually a fantastic role model for a lot of girls who watch this drama.

Ahn Min-hyuk

The CEO of the gaming company. I think he’s a great character. I love his relationship with Do Bong-soon and although at times he loves her, he never treats her as a damsel in distress which is great. He likes to joke around but can be serious when he needs to be.

In Guk-doo

A local police detective but also the childhood friend and crush of Do Bong-soon I think we have the second male lead problem here. I absolutely love the old friends to lovers trope so whenever there’s a hint of that happening, I want it to. Aside from the romantic plot, I also love seeing him on the detective side of the plot. He’s headstrong and in the end, helps to crack the case.

Do Bong-ki

Brother to Do Bong Soon. Although he’s not really one of the main characters he is still an important part of the drama. I would have loved to see him in more scenes and take on an even bigger part in the drama.

Na Kyung-shim

Do Bong Soon’s best friend. Again, I would have loved to see her in more scenes. I feel like I wanted her to be built up more. She went through a lot of tough moments and I would have liked to see that have more of an effect on her. I felt it was kind of brushed under the carpet. She definitely would have been psychologically more effected than it appeared.

Jo Hee-Ji

Starts off as In Guk-doo’s girlfriend but in the end, becomes the girlfriend of Do Bong-ki. I felt like this character kind of appeared out of nowhere. She seemed like she had a lot to give to the drama but she didn’t really do anything. To me personally, she just acted as a character to progress the story rather than being a full 3D character.

Secretary Gong

I really liked his character. He was definitely more of a comedic relief character but I enjoyed it. He was a background character but I definitely felt like he stole the scenes he was in, especially the chicken fight scene.

Baek Soo-tak

Gang leader. I really liked the edition of the gang and the leader was just amazing! I loved all the scenes he was in and he provided a much needed comedic relief in between the darker scenes. His character was well thought and really went on a personal journey which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Kim Jang-Hyun

Main villain. I think Kim Jang-Hyun could be one of my favourite villains that I’ve seen in a Korean Drama. Thinking about it, I think he’s my second favourite. He’s just so dark and I love how he is so full of himself and keeps coming back, even when they think he’s dead. We need more villains like this in Korean Dramas.

The Plot Itself

This is one of my favourite Korean Dramas and it’s down to the amazing plot. It has a great mixture of romance, thriller, mystery and comedy. It’s not too dark but it’s the amount of dark that I love but it’s not overwhelmingly dark. I love the comedic relief and the romance that just makes it a good mix.

The dark/mystery/detective plot is definitely my favourite but I love a mystery plot – if a drama has that kind of plot it’s always my favourite so it’s not a surprise to me in the slightest. Overall though, there wasn’t a plot  I didn’t enjoy – I think the monk one potentially is the one I liked the least but it was still very funny.

My Overall Thoughts

This was the second time that I watched this drama and it was just as good the second time around. Do Bong-soon really has become my favourite female character in all the dramas I’ve seen. I really do need to rewatch it again as it’s just amazing but I’ll need to rewatch some others first.

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Why I’m Learning Korean

If you follow me on my studygram, you will know that at the beginning of this year I decided to learn Korean. Every day up until recently (I’ve started a creative writing course as well so I’m now juggling both) I’ve been slowly building up my Korean knowledge. Today’s blog post, I’m giving you my reasons for starting this new learning journey.

I Loved Language Learning At School

When I joined secondary school, I was put into one of the ‘extension’ classes (meaning I was in the top class) and so I had to learn both Spanish and French for three years, before picking my GCSEs. It could be quite confusing learning the two languages simultaneously, especially as I think in Year 8, I had Spanish followed by French.

Despite this, I didn’t end up taking a language for my GCSEs and not taking French has been a little regret of mine. I really enjoyed learning the different languages and I seemed to be naturally talented at it so I couldn’t wait to start learning something completely new.

One Of The Hardest Languages To Learn

I don’t know whether it’s true but I’ve been hearing a lot that Korean is one of the hardest languages to learn if your native speech is English. From what I’ve studied so far, this does look to be the case but it’s definitely not an impossible language to learn. I know for many people, Korean is a hard language would make them not want to learn it but for me, it’s the opposite. I wanted a challenge and learning Korean allowed that to happen.

I Love Watching Korean Dramas

This is no secret to any of you. I don’t really listen to K-pop any more but I still love watching Korean Dramas. I also watch with subtitles but even then, some phrases aren’t translated. At those moments, I always found myself wishing that I knew what they said and to do this, I needed to learn Korean.

Getting Back Into Studying

I’ve mentioned this a lot but in October, I’m hoping to start my degree in English Literature and Creative writing. After leaving Sixth Form, I haven’t done any learning and I knew it would be a huge jump to go from nothing to a degree so I knew I needed to get back into studying. Learning Korean was something I wanted to do for a while. It was something I genuinely wanted to learn instead of forcing myself to learn something I wasn’t excited about.

Are you learning a language?

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• Year 12

Imagining A Day At Hogwarts

Like all Harry Potter fans, when I turned 11, there was a part of me that longed for my Hogwarts letter (I’m still waiting). Although I’ve now left school, I thought it would be fun to imagine what I’d be up to if I went to Hogwarts. In the book series, we don’t really get a clear view of what a ‘normal’ day at Hogwarts would be like but I’m going to try my best.

My House

As you probably all know, I am a Hufflepuff (*cough* the best house *cough*) and so I would start my day in the dorm room of the Hufflepuff common room. The common room is by the kitchens and it feels like such a cosy common room. On a ‘school day,’ I would, of course, be wearing my school uniform (complete with my yellow and black tie) but on a normal day, I would definitely be wearing some cosy, comfy clothes.

Classes

In the first two years of Hogwarts, you have to take compulsory classes but once you get to the third year, you get to pick your classes! I’ve done some thinking, and here are some classes I’d be interested in learning.

Herbology

You can’t get more Hufflepuff than wanting to study Herbology. The Herbology side of Hogwarts isn’t explored that much in the book series but I think it looks so cool. I love that all the plants are alive and have different magical properties. I think it would be so interesting to learn and care for all of them.

Charms

Of course, I want to learn all the magic spells! The best part about having magic is being able to use it. My favourite parts of the Harry Potter series are the bits where they use magic. Some of the charms, are a little strange and I’m not sure what context I would need to be able to use them but I think it would still be a really fun thing to learn regardless.

Care For Magical Creatures

I have always loved magical creatures (over the years, I have had a lot of books on fantasy creatures) but imagine being able to actually care for them. I would have to be a lot more brave though when it comes to things like feeding some of the creatures and if they are anything to do with fire but I’m sure they’ll all be super cute.

Potions

I wasn’t sure whether I would actually like to take the Potions class. I feel like out of all of these, this would be the one I would drop. I do think it would be fun to create potions but at the same time, for me, it doesn’t have the same pull as the other subjects.

Astronomy

I nearly forgot about Astronomy as I think it’s only mentioned once in the books and that’s it. I was always a bit upset that I never had the opportunity to learn astronomy when I was at school but I would definitely be up to learning it at Hogwarts.

For a while now, I’ve been trying to decide whether I’d want to take Defence Against the Dark Arts or not. I think if I had a spare space I’d put it down but that’s really it. I don’t really want to learn anything to do with that as there are a lot of other subjects I’d love to take instead.

Outside of lessons

The main thing I would be doing out of lessons would be homework. You’d probably find me in the library or in the common room working on something. Although I wouldn’t be a rule-breaker, I’d still want to explore the castle as much as possible. I’d be wanting to learn all about it and try and find all the secret passages. I think I’d also quite enjoy watching the Quidditch and cheering on Hufflepuff.

In the third year, you also get the chance to Hogsmede and I’d definitely go there. Hogsmede always looks so beautiful and picturesque so I imagine it would be an amazing place to visit.

Let me know what you’d be up to if you went to Hogwarts! Would we be sharing any classes?

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