It's early January which can only mean... No, not a New Years' blog post (although that's in production, my excuse is a single word: essays), instead it's a Christmas haul. The usual disclaimers apply: I'm not trying to boast or show off; this is something I do every year; this isn't intended to be a comprehensive haul but more of a feature of some of my favourite things I received this Christmas which I'd like to share with you.

Probably my favourite thing I got for Christmas is this book, The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anna-Marie Crowhurst. I started reading it a few days after Christmas and I'm about halfway through so far and I absolutely LOVE it! It's set in the late 1600s and it's totally bringing back my love of historical fiction which I'd lost over the last couple of years. The story itself is about a girl called Ursula growing up in a noble family in the countryside, and how she develops a passion for plays and acting despite being (at the point I've read up to) forced to marry a man her father's age when she's 15. It's narrated in such an interesting way with a lot of authentic language and words like 'yonder', 'ye', 'withal', 'for shame' and 'prate' but it's still easy to follow and work out what it means in context. Besides the story I'm obsessed with the cover, which is just stunning.

The X-Files Event Series DVDs

It's no secret how much I love The X-Files so I was so pleased to receive season 10 on DVD! I'm currently just about to start season 8 so I still have a while longer before I get round to watching it but I am ridiculously excited already.

I don't especially collect Funko Pops (I only have Audrey Horne, Dale Cooper and Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks) but I do think they're a nice thing to have for your favourite TV shows or films, which is why I really wanted a Mulder and Scully. Unfortunately they are no longer in stores but I believe my uncle (who is an eBay whizz) eventually managed to find them on there, which I am so happy about! I'm going to take them back to Brighton with me so they can sit alongside my Twin Peaks figures.

This one was from my best friend in Brighton who knows me oh so well and decided to go for a Brexit theme for my Christmas presents. I've worn this jumper a lot this Christmas and I can confirm it's not only hilarious and politically current, it's mega comfy and warm.

I've had my eye on this book by Yanko Tsvetkov for ages, having come across a few of his maps on various social medias and also perused the website intermittently. Basically he creates maps which depict various regional and global stereotypes, as well as a lot of '________ according to ________' type maps (e.g. Europe according to Donald Trump). As someone who loves maps, satire, humour and has a keen interest in politics this was practically made for me. There's also a decent amount of text preceding the different sections which aims to contextualise the maps somewhat, which is useful to help you follow the more obscure cartographical depictions.

Recently when I was in the UK I went into Waterstones and bought a few books that I thought I'd share with you. Usually I can't bring myself to spend upwards of £7 per book (instead I buy them used on Amazon or at secondhand sales) but this time was different as I had a book token that I received from my Dad as a graduation present. I'm generally perfectly happy to buy books that are slightly damaged or worn, but I have to admit it was extremely satisfying to pick out some brand new pristine titles complete with that amazing 'new book' smell. And I've still got over half of my book token value left! Here's what I got...

The Almighty Dollar by Dharshini David

I included this book in my 'Top Pop Geography Books' post recently so you can read a sort of mini review there. Honestly I was initially drawn to this book by the beautiful cover (just look at it!) but on reading it I've discovered it's actually incredibly interesting and well-pitched. I've still got a chapter to go in it but it's already been featured in two blog posts which must be some kind of record...

Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates

I've been following the Everyday Sexism handle on Twitter for years and the project actually cropped up in one of my modules this past year so I thought it was finally time to read Laura Bates' book. From what I've heard this is going to be a tough read as well as an eye-opener that manages to put into words a lot of the things I'm already aware of about how sexism operates in society - I just hope it doesn't fall into the trap of white feminism.

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

I've been seeing this book everywhere lately in some unlikely places so I decided to get it. I don't know a whole lot about it but I did a lot of academic reading around critical race theory in uni so I'm interested to take it further under my own steam and engage with some more popular writing on the topic.

The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam by Douglas Murray

Having read a couple of reviews I think I'm going to disagree with a lot (read: potentially all) of this book but that's mostly why I bought it, because I think often it's only when we read things which are strongly contrary to our opinions that we actually articulate and realise those opinions. Also, it's important to be challenged intellectually and basically know how the rest think.

Strangely this is the only fiction book I bought but I just really loved the cover which is so pretty but also very dark and gothic. I've already read this and it was fairly good, kind of like a cross between The Woman in Black and The Woman in White (haha). It's set in the Victorian era and it's the story of a woman who is recently widowed and goes to live at her husband's crumbling family estate in the country. There she finds a group of painted wooden figures which seem to have a life of their own, while the local villagers have a history of active hostility towards the family. There are a couple of timelines going on at once, including the opening setting of a hospital where a kind doctor wants to help a mysteriously voiceless patient and a flashback to the Tudor period which is achieved through the discovery of a diary in the attic of the house in the primary timeline. As these various stories develop, the pieces of the story begin to be revealed and the plot draws together. Ultimately this is a well-told Victorian mystery novel but for some reason I wasn't completely convinced by the story - it was still an enjoyable read, though.

Last week I visited my friend on her year abroad in Seville (blog post on that coming soon!). We did some sightseeing at the weekend but it was extremely hot which made walking around a lot during the day quite uncomfortable and tiring and generally a very sweaty time. Hence why on the last couple of days we also did plenty of shopping as the stores were all beautifully air-conditioned and we were able to make our way down the main shopping street zig-zagging in and out of the shops - which of course meant I bought a few things.

First I got a few bits in Bershka, including this rainbow top with a tie front for €7.99. It's just really simple and easy to wear with denim shorts or jeans, I feel like a cool kid when I wear it. I've also christened it my 'Brighton top' because of the rainbow - I have a feeling I'll get plenty of opportunities to wear it when I move there for my Masters in September!

Also from Bershka I got this lip print top with the same tie front (also for €7.99) because I thought it was a really interesting print. I haven't seen anything else like it around and there's something about it that makes me think of high fashion??

I'm a sucker for anything gingham so I had to get this little black and white playsuit which was €14.99 (reduced from €22.99). This is an XS but the straps are still a bit too long so I'm planning to readjust them myself and I think it will be really pretty with some sandals and a brightly coloured bag.

In H&M I bought these patterned trousers for €3.99 (reduced from €9.99!). I'm a big fan of loose cotton-y trousers as I tend to just wear them casually around the house instead of leggings if I'm planning to stay at home all day. These ones are quite busy but will be nice with just a plain tank top or crop top.

Finally I got this simple black strappy top with a feather pattern, which was €4.99 (reduced from €9.99). I have a few of these H&M tops in different patterns which I wear all the time so whenever I'm there I check to see if they have any new colours or styles.

And that's everything I got!

Every year when exams roll around I find myself procrastinating revision by looking through various shopping websites where I inevitably end up buying myself things as either motivation to revise or a reward for having revised. This year my exams were fairly manageable as two of them were 'seen' (meaning we got the question in advance) but even so I did a little bit of what I call procrasti-buying on Amazon, so I thought I might as well do a quick haul.

The first thing I got was this DVD about David Lynch, aka the creative genius behind my favourite TV series of all time, Twin Peaks. This is a documentary about Lynch's early years and the events that shaped his career and is also narrated by Lynch himself. I've read his book Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity and it was really fascinating so I can't wait to watch this to get another glimpse into his mind.

I also got this book, A is for Arsenic: the Poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Markup. I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie's stories and I'm on a mission to collect all her books (I'm about halfway so far) so this is perfect for me. I also have quite a morbid mind so the idea of learning about poisons appealed quite a lot.

Next I got this book Tragedy Queens: Stories Inspired by Lana Del Rey and Sylvia Plath, which I've had my eye on for ages! I actually bought this the day of my dissertation submission, which was also the day it came out in the UK. It's an anthology of stories by various writers who were all inspired by Lana or Sylvia Plath, two of my absolute favourite artists of all time. I'm not sure how directly inspired the stories will be but I couldn't not get this. I'm also in love with the style of the cover, it's so cool!

I also got four (!) seasons of Mad Men, which I've been wanting to watch for a while. I already have at least three other boxsets which I need to get through but nope, I decided I needed this as well. To be fair, it was secondhand so it was only a couple of quid which is really excellent for four seasons. I'm excited to watch it!

And last but not least, I got this little stuffed bee. Hear me out on this one, OK? My university library is called the Bill Bryson Library, which everyone shortens to 'Billy B'. As a result of this, the library mascot is a bee, which the library staff have called Billy Bee - they often post photos to the library social media of Billy Bee doing various things. I saw one of the pics and really wanted my own, so I found the exact same one on Amazon. It was smaller than I expected but I still love my Billy Bee, and since I already have a college stash teddy from my college I thought it would be cute to have a little cuddly memento of the library when I leave Durham.

And that's everything I got!

x

This year my Christmas was a bit different as we spent it at my grandparents' house in England, the first time I've had an 'English Christmas' since about 1998. It was odd not to be in my own home for the festive period but really nice to be spending it with my grandparents who I'm very close to and haven't seen much of this year. We did all our usual Christmas traditions - making a gingerbread house on Christmas Eve, watching Strictly and Doctor Who on Christmas Day, a Christmas Day walk, and a spread of cold meats (/vegetarian options) on Boxing day - but adapted them to their house and the luxury of being able to drive to M&S to pick up various Christmassy accompaniments!

Like last year I thought I'd share some of my the wonderful Christmas gifts I received from family and friends this year without doing a totally comprehensive haul. So here are my top five favourite presents in no particular order:

I'm mildly obsessed with Wes Anderson's films, my favourite by far being The Grand Budapest Hotel. I love the characters and most importantly the gorgeous pastel aesthetics, so this is idea. It's essentially a visual guide to his films, with artworks and photos interspersed with interviews with Anderson himself. I'm going to be honest, it weighs an absolute ton (so much so that it apparently fell out of the box and got lost on its way from Amazon so this one is actually a replacement!) so this isn't one I'll be able to take with me back to uni. It will, however, be an amazing coffee table book in the unlikely eventuality that I ever get myself a house with a coffee table.

The original Twin Peaks is basically my Favourite Thing of All Time and I spent most of the first half of 2017 eagerly anticipating the release of Series 3/The Return, the continuation of the show which was originally broadcast in 1990-91. It was broadcast on a Dutch channel that we get in Belgium so I managed to watch the first eight or so episodes that my Mum recorded between getting back from uni and heading off for my internship in June, but tragically the auto-record failed for the rest of the series so I have had to wait until now to watch all the episodes. Having had a taste of the pure unadulterated Lynchian drama that is The Return I am intrigued and can't wait to get stuck into this (although it might have to wait until I go back to uni as my Mum and I are currently knee-deep in series 4 of The X-Files).

I wasn't lying when I said it was my favourite thing... (other TP-related Christmas presents include two Funko pops, a book and a set of coasters). This vinyl is of the soundtrack to the original series in all its glory. The theme tune alone gives me shivers, but I think my favourite track has to be Laura Palmer's theme or possibly Audrey's Dance. I have been playing this non-stop on my record player since I got it and have only regretfully ruled out the possibility of lugging both of them back with me to uni in my suitcase.

This year I'll be going to Jerusalem for a university field trip as its a major part of one of modules, so my aunt and uncle got me this beautiful 'biography' of the city. It's what I call a weighty tome but the cover is absolutely stunning with the gold accents, I can't wait to learn more about the city and its history before I go in March!

In a departure from tradition here is a favourite Tech Item. This is the Rockbox cube from Fresh n  Rebel and its basically just a standard mini speaker that you can plug into your iPod or phone or whatever, but LOOK HOW ADORABLE IT IS. For scale it is about 6cm x 6cm. As a side note it matches the colour of my earphones exactly. I previously had a similar but much cheaper speaker, which I tend to use a lot because my iPod is only a nano (i.e. with no speakers of its own) and one side of the speakers on my laptop no longer work. So hopefully this will be a great new addition to my DVD watching (read: Twin Peaks marathon) set-up.

We Are Called to Rise is set in the context of an (as far as I can tell from the blurb) unspecified war, and follows the lives of a series of apparently unconnected people who are not actively part of the war in the battlefield/front line sense but whose lives go on in the background. Apparently it's about loss, courage and resilience, and the reviews are really positive so I think I'll enjoy this even if it is a bit of a random choice. I'm not quite sure why I picked it up but it's a pretty attractive book.

The Margaret Atwood novel is one of those things I've been on the lookout for in charity shops recently, basically because I want to read some of her stuff. I didn't look too closely at it before picking it up, but it's a historical fiction about some real-life murders that happened in 1843 and one of the servants convicted of the crime. I love crime and historical fiction so hopefully this will be ideal! 

The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany

Deafening by Frances Itani

The Yacoubian Building is set in Cairo, specifically in a building where a mixture of people of different social classes live, inhabiting every floor from grand apartments to the rooftops. From the blurb I get the impression that it's a realistically-written novel, about the contradictions between modern life and tradition and generally concerning the lives of the building's inhabitants. I love books like this where the characters and places are vividly drawn and seem to leap off the pages...

Just LOOK at this book - isn't it utterly gorgeous? Deafening is set on the eve of the First World War and tells the story of a relationship between a young deaf woman and a man who is sent to the front and how they survive the separation. I don't think I've ever read anything where the main character has a disability like this so it should be interesting to see how the author writes it.

Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick

Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

I had a sneaking feeling that I already owned Blood Red Snow White but I've had a good look and haven't come across it on my shelves so I can only conclude I must have *nearly* bought it in previous years. Anyway. As far as I can tell, it's set in the Russian revolution of 1917 and follows an Englishman abroad in Russia and his relationship with the country and his homeland. The blurb describes it as a mixture of 'fairy tale, spy thriller and love story' which sounds promising!

Elizabeth is Missing is one of those books I seem to have been hearing about for ages, so I finally bit the bullet and picked it up (I say that like it was a traumatic decision, it really wasn't lol). The main character is Maud, an elderly woman with dementia who is convinced that her best friend Elizabeth is missing, although everyone around her dismisses this notion as the confusion of an old lady. I think it's a really interesting premise and I'm excited to see how it pans out.

Fear not, I haven't suddenly developed a love of eastern European agricultural vehicles - this is merely the amusing title of a novel, A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian. If I'm honest I picked it up because of the title and couldn't quite bear to part with it even though the story isn't my usual kind of thing: it's about two estranged sisters whose widowed father marries a glamorous blonde Ukrainian divorcee and their joint efforts to oust her from the family. But it definitely has potential for a quick, light-hearted read so I thought I'd add it to the stack of books I was carrying around.

And that's everything I got!

Last week two of my uni friends came to stay with me in Belgium, one from Friday to Sunday and the other from Sunday to Thursday! It was so nice to see them and catch up, especially as one is on her year abroad currently and won't be in Durham when I go back in a month or so. I was determined to show both of them as much as possible in a short space of time, so it was a pretty hectic week to say the least and I saw more of Brussels in six days than I have in years, especially now I don't live here permanently. It was great to have an excuse to get out and about and go places I wouldn't usually bother to go!

One of those places was actually a secondhand record shop around the Grand Place area, which I'd spotted on Google maps when planning our daily itinerary and really wanted to visit. I have a vinyl player that I got for Christmas a couple of years ago, but I have very few records (just some of my favourite modern albums) so I've been wanting to build up more of a collection including some vintage items and this was the perfect opportunity.

We actually went to two shops in the end and I got two LPs in each. They were all about €7 each  - or maybe slightly more, I can't remember cos I've taken the prices off now - which I think is more or less average for secondhand records.

I actually really like the sound of rock and roll but I don't know much about it so I thought something like this 'Rock and Roll party' record was ideal for me to just get to know the genre a bit more. It just has a collection of hits and even some French songs I think, although I haven't listened to both sides all the way through yet. I also love the cover art, it's so bright and fun and garish and seventies.

It was only after I'd left the shop that I realised the Grease record is actually Grease 2 and not the original which is kind of annoying, as although it's not my favourite thing I do at least know some of the songs from Grease, but I realised that I'm not really that bothered. I've never seen Grease 2 but who knows, maybe I'll find something I like on this one.

OK so if I'm honest, I bought both of these mostly for the cover aesthetic and only partly for the contents. The one on the left is a compilation of 'silver screen favourites' from old movies which seems like the kind of thing one ought to own on vinyl, and from what Google tells me the Marilyn Monroe one is actually a modern release of her singing some tracks from movies. Which is cool. But also just loooook at the cover, I love it. I definitely can imagine both of these playing atmospherically in the background on a rainy night, with a slight crackly fuzz from the record player adding to the ambiance...

I'm currently doing an internship with a planning company in the UK and while I admittedly have a lot of clothes, surprisingly little of it could be described as 'business attire'. After a rigorous assessment of my wardrobe I managed to pick out some suitable dresses and tops but I still needed some basic essentials to get me through the whole 8 weeks so I went out and ended up buying a few more dresses, a suit jacket, skirt and trousers and some tops. Luckily my workplace turned out to be more on the casual end of things (as in cardigans instead of blazers and flats instead of heels) but even so after the first week I decided I was in need of a few more items to avoid having to do washing every few days. The first weekend I was here I took full advantage of living less than 5 minutes from the shops and shopped till I dropped (and then came home for lunch and went back out again in the afternoon), and the following weekend I went to stay with my grandparents and did some shopping there. Basically I bought some stuff over the last couple of weeks and here it is, minus the first set of work stuff because most of it is in the wash. (Also there is a lot of non-work stuff here oops.)

Tops from Primark

I love this tropical print top (£6) - tropical prints are everywhere this summer, along with flamingos and parrots I've noticed, so this is just a really fun piece to wear. I also love dark florals so I'll definitely wear this in winter even when it's a bit off-season. The black top is exactly the same cut but a different print, I picked it up in the sale for £3 which I think is an excellent buy especially as I'll be able to wear both of these to work with some plain black trousers or a skirt.


Beauty and the Beast has been one of my favourite Disney stories since I was little as I always identified with Belle's bookishness, and I really enjoyed the recent live action film when I saw it in the cinema. I like how this top isn't obviously Disney or brightly-coloured with the characters plastered all over it, it's a lot more subtle but still has that reference if you know the story. The other top is just a simple strappy top and I always pick up one of these when I'm in Primark because they're so versatile and I wear them a lot.

Skirt from Primark & Top from New Look

Top and dress from H&M, top from New Look

This top (£5 in the sale) is just a simple cami but I have two others exactly like this in a tropical and dark floral print (do you sense a theme here?) that I've had for ages and wear constantly, so I know I'll get a lot of use out of it. Also its black and white which means it's formal enough to wear to the office if we get any more 30 degree heat over the rest of the summer. I also got this dress (£9.99), which is perhaps the most basic H&M-looking thing I own but hey, again it's black and white so I plan to wear this to the office and maybe to a formal at uni next year.

I also got some really cool pyjamas (which remind me of The X-Files) and a photo frame from New Look, and a red corduroy skirt and some jewellery storage boxes from Primark - not pictured because I bought them while I was at my grandparents' and left them there for my mum to take home next time she comes.

So that's everything I bought!

Also, just a quick note to say that I totally missed my 4 year blogiversary on 5th July - so happy 4th birthday to the blog!

x

 

 

Although the Christmas period is well and truly over I'm one of those nosy people who love finding out what other people got for Christmas, so I thought I'd follow the trend and show you some of the presents I received this year. Rather than including every single thing I've decided to be selective and instead choose my top five presents to show you in no particular order - these aren't necessarily the 'biggest' or most expensive ones, just my favourites that I'd like to share!

I really love history and learning about the past so when I saw this in a bookshop a few months ago I knew I had to add it to my Christmas wishlist! It reminds me a lot of a similar book I had when I was little but this is much more orientated at adults and teenagers in terms of the topics and writing. The cover is stunning with really beautiful gold lettering, and it has great page spreads that are really engaging and dynamic with a good balance of text and photos to keep things interesting. It's absolutely massive too and weighs at least a couple of kilos, which is the only downside because it makes it quite hard to manouevre - the past couple of times I've been reading it in bed I've ended up pinned under it! Definitely one for the coffee table I think.

I've been wanting this for so so long and I'm so happy to have received it! I just love the bottle, I think it's so luxurious and obviously it smells gorgeous too. But as is always the way with expensive perfumes, I'm finding myself reluctant to spritz it and wanting to save it for special occasions! 

This is the latest addition to my little vinyl collection which so far just consists of my favourite albums in vinyl form. Electra Heart is one of my favourite albums of all time so I've wanted it on vinyl for ages and it does not disappoint! It sounds really good even on my slightly crappy Crosley cruiser (I know, I know) and it includes all the lyrics on a separate piece of paper. There are actually two records in here, and they each have 3 or 4 songs on which is slightly annoying because you have to swap them around a lot but it's all part of the charm in my opinion! 

It might seem a bit weird to have a washbag as one of your favourite Christmas presents, but words cannot express how much I love Paperchase's Gothic Garden range in any imaginable form. It's honestly the most me range I've ever seen; I love the darkness of it and the floral elements with the gold accents, it's truly beautiful. I think it was new in this autumn so it must be reaching the end of its store lifetime which is tragic but also brilliant because hopefully it will be on sale soon! I needed a new soft washbag as the one I currently have is huge and doesn't squash down very well even if it's not full (if that makes sense?) so this is a great replacement.

I'm including these collectively because I just can't choose between them and they kind of go together anyway. The Grand Budapest Hotel has been one of my absolute favourite movies ever since I saw it in the cinema, and it's definitely one of my top 5 films of all time. I've also seen Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me before, but it wasn't great quality so I'm excited to watch it again. I'm slowly building up my Twin Peaks collection (I also got a book on it this Christmas) in preparation for the revival this year! And last but not least, this is possibly the only DVD production of Hamlet I haven't yet seen so I just had to get it. It's the 2000 version with Ethan Hawke and Kyle MacLachlan (aka Special Agent Dale Cooper) and it's set in contemporary New York City which is so interesting. 

It's been a while since my last haul post so let's kick off the New Year with an exploration of my recent purchases. Since going back to uni for the autumn term my love of charity shops has been taken to the next level as I discovered that they usually have quite a lot of books and DVDs in addition to clothes. I'm not quite sure how I'd managed to miss this up until that point but there you go. 

As I think I mentioned in a previous post, I now take the bus most days to get from my house to lectures. In actual fact I take two buses, not because it's a particularly long way but because the bus routes don't go in an ideal direction so rather than going in a sort of full L-shape I have to take a different bus for each bit of the shape (if that makes any sense?). As a result of taking four buses a day I have ended up spending quite a lot of time waiting in the bus station where there's a really good charity shop that I pop into at least once a week so I have ended up with quite a haul! Here are the bits and bobs I bought in Durham over the winter term - they were about £2 each, sometimes £3 so really good deals all round:

I also visited family in Gloucestershire between Christmas and New Year and happened to go into an Oxfam shop while out shopping where I picked up three DVDs. Everything was half price that day so these came to a grand total of £4! Which is especially amazing as the 3-disc one was only actually £1. Out of these ones I've seen Moonrise Kingdom and Notting Hill before, but none of the others:

And that's my little charity shop haul for the past few months! Here's to finding more great bargains in 2017.