tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66962957891782548202024-03-08T11:59:54.691-08:00The Shania EditShania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-74758295838814027072019-10-03T12:45:00.000-07:002019-10-03T12:45:45.321-07:00BLOG TOUR: The Flower Arranger By JJ Ellis - Agora Books<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Today I'll be reviewing The Flower Arranger By JJ Ellis published by Agora Books on the 26th of September. I'm so happy to be part of this blog tour and a HUGE THANK YOU to the publisher for kindly sending me a gorgeous proof copy. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Onto the review!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u>About the book:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Holly Blain wants to cover real news. The entertainment beat — pop stars and teen trends — was not why she moved to Tokyo. When she meets Inspector Tetsu Tanaka, head of Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police’s Gaikoku-jin unit, it might just be her big break.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Tanaka isn’t so sure. Always one to do things by the book, he’s hesitant about bringing this headstrong reporter into his carefully controlled investigation.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But young women keep disappearing and Tanaka is given no choice. He and Blain must trust each other if they are to stop a tormented killer from bringing his twisted plan to its shocking conclusion.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">★ SPOILER-FREE ★</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: #c27ba0;"><u>Rating</u></span>: A whopping 5 / 5 STARS!!! <span style="color: #e69138;">★★★★★</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Flower Arranger is a very imaginative, unique and dark mystery/thriller set in Japan. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Holly Blain is a showbiz journalist aspiring to be a crime reporter. She meets the very dedicated Inspector Tetsu Tanaka from Tokyo Metropolitan Police who is in need of her help to investigate the sudden disappearance of young foreign women.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Flower Arranger can be described as a Japanese game of cat - and - mouse". I just LOVE the inclusion of Japanese culture and beautiful descriptions. It follows Holly and Tanaka as they race against the clock to hunt down and unravel the mystery of this crafty killer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was literally unputdownable. The Flower Arranger is a great atmospheric read and I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a refreshing read or maybe a book to get out of a reading slump!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Grab your copy<span style="color: #c27ba0;"> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Flower-Arranger-JJ-ELLIS/9781911295815/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let me know if you do grab a copy, would love to know your thoughts!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">🌠 Check out the reviews posted by these lovely bloggers for the blog tour! 🌠</span></span><br />
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Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-25623239132676510572019-08-21T12:22:00.000-07:002019-08-21T12:22:17.558-07:00Mini Book Review: Looker By Laura Sims<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Hello Bookish Peeps!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I'm back with another book review. Today's post is all about Looker by Laura Sims which was published by Tinder Press on the 25th July 2019. This will be a shorter review compared to my normal reviews as this book is only 182 pages long and I do not want to include any spoilers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u>The Synopsis</u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I’ve never crossed their little fenced-in garden, of course. I stand on the sidewalk in front of the fern-and-ivy-filled planter that hangs from the fence—placed there as a sort of screen, I’m sure—and have a direct line of view into the kitchen at night. I’m grateful they’ve never thought to install blinds. That’s how confident they are. No one would dare stand in front of our house and watch us, they think. And they’re probably right: except for me. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In this taut and thrilling debut, an unraveling woman, unhappily childless and recently separated, becomes fixated on her neighbor—the actress<i>. </i>The unnamed narrator can’t help noticing with wry irony that, though she and the actress live just a few doors apart, a chasm of professional success and personal fulfillment lies between them. The actress, a celebrity with her face on the side of every bus, shares a gleaming brownstone with her handsome husband and their three adorable children, while the narrator, working in a dead-end job, lives in a run-down, three-story walk-up with her ex-husband’s cat.<br /><br />When an interaction with the actress at the annual block party takes a disastrous turn, what began as an innocent preoccupation spirals quickly, and lethally, into a frightening and irretrievable madness. Searing and darkly witty, <i>Looker </i>is enormously entertaining—at once a propulsive Hitchcockian thriller and a fearlessly original portrait of the perils of envy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u>My Rating</u>: 2 / 5 Stars 🌟 🌟 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Looker is an unsettling story about celebrity obsession and how a particular individual gradually loses her grip on reality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This book was marketed as a Mystery/Thriller which is very misleading as it is neither of those. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Looker is rather a dark character study of a woman having a tough time and slowly losing her mind. It <span style="font-family: inherit;">provides the reader</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">with a bird's eye view into the life of the unnamed narrator who is currently coping with trauma, emotional stress as she has recently separated from her husband after several failed IVF attempts. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">I dived into this book thinking it was a psychological thriller and was quite disappointed when I was half-way through and nothing exciting had happened yet. Nonetheless, it still had me hooked and I finished the book in one sitting. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="color: black;">CW: Animal abuse and slightly graphic sex scenes.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="color: black;">Looker is a great rapid read and perfect for binge-reading but I feel that some parts were completely unnecessary and that it did lack a proper storyline.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="color: black;">Thank you to the publisher for sending me a proof copy in exchange for my honest opinion!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Want to check out the book for yourself? Order your copy of Looker<span style="color: #c27ba0;"> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Looker/9781472258809/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a> </span></span></span><br />
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Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-80337686162179881882019-08-11T12:16:00.001-07:002019-08-11T12:16:16.501-07:00Expectation By Anna Hope <br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Hello Bookish People!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3df27e70-a405-4f91-b776-4c5cd86c3195}{105}" paraid="2070764540" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">I’m back with another review. Now, this post was scheduled to go up back in July </span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">but due to some personal reasons, I had to take a much-needed break from social media and especially from my blog. My sincere apologies. Although I will be VERY busy during the next 3 months because of my A-Levels, I will definitely try to post once in a while. Once my exams are over, I’ll be free as a bird!</span><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">A HUGE THANK YOU to Doubleday Books for kindly sending me a copy!</span></span><br />
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{344a508a-e11c-49de-8773-67a42cf49795}{222}" paraid="1259031605" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Onto the review...</span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{35}" paraid="487421623" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Imprint: Doubleday</span><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{37}" paraid="2078585968" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Published: 11/07/2019</span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{41}" paraid="918649353" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">ISBN: 9780857524904</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{45}" paraid="1823286500" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Length: </span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW108722593 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">336 Pages</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW108722593 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b5ddad8e-a8da-4aef-b46c-075232f2525c}{173}" paraid="1725495879" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><u>Blurb</u>:</span><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b5ddad8e-a8da-4aef-b46c-075232f2525c}{246}" paraid="1230647645" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Hannah, Cate and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCXW108722593 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Lissa</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> are young, vibrant and inseparable. Living on the edge of a common in East London, their shared world is ablaze with art and activism, romance and revelry – and the promise of everything to come. They are electric. They are the best of friends. Ten years on, they are not where they hoped to be. Amidst flailing careers and faltering marriages, each </span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW108722593 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">hungers</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> for what the others have. And each </span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW108722593 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">wrestles</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> with the same question: what does it take to lead a meaningful life?</span><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{179}" paraid="517862294" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{179}" paraid="517862294" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><u>My Thoughts</u><span style="color: rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0);">:</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: windowtext; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{179}" paraid="517862294" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Rating: 4 / 5 STARS</span><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-size: large; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{179}" paraid="517862294" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW108722593" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{223}" paraid="303124011" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Expectation is a beautiful novel about friendship, the highs, the lows and finding your way in life. It explores the liminal space between expectations and reality.</span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{223}" paraid="303124011" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{223}" paraid="303124011" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">The three main characters we follow throughout the book are Cate, Hannah and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCXW108722593 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Lissa</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">. </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">We follow them through the years with a look at pivotal times in their lives. Most of the story takes place in 2010. We get to witness everything from how their lives intertwined, then diverged, their careers, relationships and basically EVERYTHING.</span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3e857476-cdb4-4d4c-aa4f-46b2c0aed54d}{223}" paraid="303124011" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW108722593" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{c60c0807-a7c6-49e7-a712-5d0cc206bf04}{45}" paraid="433337856" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Cate has recently moved from London to Cambridge in order to be closer to her husband Sam’s family, she rarely sees her husband. She’s a new mother and now has a baby boy called Tom. Cate is going through quite a struggle due to numerous reasons starting from the baby not sleeping at night to problems regarding her relationship with her husband. She’s completely drained and exhausted.</span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{c60c0807-a7c6-49e7-a712-5d0cc206bf04}{45}" paraid="433337856" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW108722593" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{c60c0807-a7c6-49e7-a712-5d0cc206bf04}{49}" paraid="1309727373" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Hannah and her husband are desperately trying for a baby, they’ve been trying for years. They're dealing with infertility and the IVF treatments unfortunately are just not working. This distances Hannah and her husband Nathan; they slowly start to drift apart.</span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{c60c0807-a7c6-49e7-a712-5d0cc206bf04}{49}" paraid="1309727373" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{38130426-cf8f-4e41-b75f-b501ab752626}{62}" paraid="1372657937" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCXW108722593 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Lissa</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> is an aspiring actress who hasn’t had her big break yet. She hasn’t been lucky enough regarding her dream job and only gets proposed a few small roles. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCXW108722593 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Lissa</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> takes up other jobs just to earn enough money to scrape a living.</span><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{38130426-cf8f-4e41-b75f-b501ab752626}{62}" paraid="1372657937" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW108722593" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4712dbca-ae0d-4144-9352-34f4483790ea}{252}" paraid="625394658" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Expectation is a </span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">relatable, evocative</span><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">, emotional and brilliant novel. It has rocketed its way into my top 10 books of 2019 which I will be writing up a detailed blog post about towards the end of the year. I was fully immersed in the book the whole time and just could not put it down.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">This is my first novel from Anna Hope and I surely look forward to reading more from her. The writing was absolutely exquisite, it’s such a well-written novel. </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{944b92b3-8d0d-4e50-899b-f721a0fcf348}{68}" paraid="1281726980" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">I honestly love the fact that this book does not contain any extreme drama, it’s a relatively quiet novel, but the story is 100% SPOT-ON. I feel like so many women will be able to relate to the story on different levels.</span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{1bcd270e-fb79-4bcf-9149-a6e356bac278}{89}" paraid="334396781" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">I strongly recommend you to pick up this book the next time you pop into a bookshop. Expectation, I feel is a novel that will be enjoyed by many, it has already received tons of raving reviews so please do not, I repeat do not miss out on this fantastic story.</span><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW108722593 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{b5108998-7eea-4851-84e5-ff9ec99d5f66}{211}" paraid="502662722" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">You can also order your copy<span style="color: #c27ba0;"> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Expectation-Anna-Hope/9780857524904//?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a></span></span><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">If you do decide to pick up the book, please let me know your thoughts and I would love to discuss more on the story without worrying about spoilers!</span><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="TextRun SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Until next time,</span><span class="EOP SCXW108722593 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<br />Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-59335733105847115792019-06-25T09:08:00.003-07:002019-06-25T09:47:54.403-07:00Taking Heart By Rowena Summers - Agora Books<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">Rowena Summer’s </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; text-align: start;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Taking Heart, </em></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">originally published in 2000, is being re-released this week by Agora Books. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u>About The Book</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Caldwell family's life is turned upside down when their father announces that the family business, Caldwell Supplies, has been bought out by Preston's Emporium. With an ailing mother and a young brother to care for, Imogen and her sisters must find a way to save their childhood home and remain in Bristol.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Everything is about to change...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When a terrible tragedy tears the family apart, the Caldwell girls must forge their own paths in life. And with the Second World War looming over England, their lives begin to change more drastically than they could have imagined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Through love and heartbreak, fear and loss, can the Caldwell girls make it out unscathed? Or will they be swept up in the chaos of the changing times?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u>My Review</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Rating: 5 / 5 STARS ★★★★★</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Taking Heart is a powerful story about love and tragedy set in Bristol, 1939. Historical fiction is my absolute favourite genre and I'm always up for a book set in the backdrop of (pre) WWII. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I'm also so happy I got the chance of reading this gem of a book, A HUGE THANK YOU to Agora Books for kindly sending me a proof copy!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Taking Heart had me hooked from the start, introducing me to the wonderful Caldwell family. This story follows the family specifically the eldest daughter Imogen Caldwell<span style="font-family: inherit;"> as she </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">learns from her father that their haberdashery shop is in crisis, she realises that her life, and that of her family, is about to change beyond recognition. Her mother is ill and responsibility for the household falls on her shoulders.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: large;">Some parts of the story were truly heart-wrenching and tear-jerking.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">I felt emotionally attached to some characters and found myself weeping towards the middle to 3/4 of the book because I couldn't deal with the loss. If you've ever suffered the loss of a close family member, you know how profound of an impact it has on your life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">This book is a real page-turner and I felt nothing but joy when reading (or should I say racing through!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Taking Heart is a compelling, heartfelt and beautifully written novel. I honestly could not put this book down as it is such a touching and brilliant read.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Taking Heart is a book I thoroughly enjoyed and is amongst my favourite reads of 2019!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Make sure to grab a copy this Thursday (27th)!</span></span><br />
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<br />Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-34963890928450322062019-06-16T11:01:00.000-07:002019-06-16T11:01:26.123-07:00The Body Lies By Jo Baker<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Body Lies by Jo Baker is a slowburn psychological thriller published on 13th June by Doubleday Books. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote English countryside, it’s meant to be a fresh start, away from the bustle of London and the scene of a violent assault she is desperate to forget. But despite the distractions of her new life and the demands of single motherhood, her nerves continue to jangle. To make matters worse, a vicious debate about violence against women inflames the tensions and mounting rivalries in her creative-writing class. When a troubled student starts turning in chapters that blur the lines between fiction and reality, the professor recognizes herself as the main character in his book–and he has written her a horrific fate. Will she be able to stop life imitating art before it’s too late? At once a breathless cat-and-mouse game and a layered interrogation of the fetishization of the female body, The Body Lies gives us an essential story for our time that will have you checking the locks on your doors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A tense, unsettling, compelling and suspenseful thriller, The Body Lies is definitely a MUST-READ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Body Lies starts off with a bang, the beginning had me intrigued and I was glued to the book. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Without giving too much away, the story starts off with our protagonist (pregnant at the time) randomly getting attacked by a total stranger. Thankfully, no serious physical harm had been done to her and her baby and she was later able to deliver a healthy baby boy called Sammy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Her husband, Mark, is desperate for her to forget this horrifying incident but </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">after months and even a few years, she still hasn't been able to. She then accepts a job at a university in the remote countryside and moves there with her son to be away from the city and environment of the violent attack. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the university, she's in charge of a creative writing group where she meets different students all wanting to have a finished novel. Soon enough, things start to change with her students in the writing group especially with one particular student and the story just takes an interesting turn. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I loved and enjoyed most parts of the writing, the author is indeed very talented. Although it was a bit confusing towards the middle, the story as a whole is BRILLIANT. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The topics and issues dealt with in this book such as sexual assault and boundaries between teachers and students are so important.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Content Warning</u>: As some readers are sensitive to this type of content, this book does contain 2 scenes involving sexual assault. They are not written in an overly graphic manner and are "readable". </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="color: #e06666;">My Rating</span></u>: 3.5 / 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Grab your copy of <u><span style="color: #e06666;">The Body Lies</span></u> <span style="color: #c27ba0;"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Body-Lies/9780857526434/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-31903590896424692812019-06-07T12:30:00.000-07:002019-06-13T08:12:49.079-07:00BLOG TOUR: The Rapture By Claire McGlasson - Faber & Faber Books<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02xyZCbkUDd8C7iCXTmf84gq4o3ScAwa_1URhcxhS3fJnVANzZDOIIxSPIPPek8agxs59Qcb7bQ_rPogK72l_KkpbFJh2TWu1qYBjg1Xsm9bIBFOk299-8eZp3WHrtOQQFA1s1KSfVN-p/s1600/1x.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1127" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02xyZCbkUDd8C7iCXTmf84gq4o3ScAwa_1URhcxhS3fJnVANzZDOIIxSPIPPek8agxs59Qcb7bQ_rPogK72l_KkpbFJh2TWu1qYBjg1Xsm9bIBFOk299-8eZp3WHrtOQQFA1s1KSfVN-p/s1600/1x.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hello! Today I'll be reviewing The Rapture By Claire McGlasson published by Faber & Faber Books on 6th June. I'm so happy to be part of this blog tour and a HUGE THANK YOU to the publisher for kindly sending me a gorgeous finished copy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Onto the review!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;"><u>The Blurb</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Dilys is a devoted member of a terribly English cult: The Panacea Society, populated almost entirely by virtuous single ladies.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">When she strikes up a friendship with Grace, a new recruit, God finally seems to be smiling upon her. The friends become closer as they wait for the Lord to return to their very own Garden of Eden, and Dilys feels she has found the right path at last.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">But Dilys is wary of their leader's zealotry and suspicious of those who would seem to influence her for their own ends. As her feelings for Grace bud and bloom, the Society around her begins to crumble. Faith is supplanted by doubt as both women come to question what is true and fear what is real.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Okay firstly, how pretty is this cover? Literally in LOVE with the wallpaper in the back. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #e06666;">My Rating</span>: 4.5 / 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">The Rapture is a novel about a real-life English religious cult and I can say that I raced through it. What drew me instantly is that it's historical fiction (my favourite genre if you don't already know) based on a strange cult.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">So, The Panacea Society was founded in 1919 and was led by Mabel Barltrop, aka Octavia, who claimed to be the Daughter of God. Almost all the members were single women</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">who lived across a number of houses in Bedford under the direction of their zealous leader, Octavia who rules with an iron fist. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Dilys, the protagonist, was one of them. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When Dilys meets Grace, a new recruit to the society, it feels as if God has brought them together. As the society prepares for the moment of their salvation, and Dilys' feelings for Grace deepen, Dilys must attempt to find the truth and protect herself from the others and her own mind. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Dilys, the protagonist, was one of them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">The author's writing was very </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: large;">descriptive, rich and evocative. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The characters were fascinating, and I love that the details are drawn from real-life accounts from the society. T</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">he amount of research done by the author is clearly evident. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This just made the story much more intriguing and informative as I hadn't really heard about this weird cult. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Rapture was a delight to read from start to finish. I definitely want to visit the Panacea Museum in Bedford and I also read that the book is in the talks for a TV Adaptation which makes me very eager to see how the story is portrayed on screen. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book if you're looking for something a bit different or if you're looking to get out of a reading slump!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #222222;">Grab your copy of The Rapture </span><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Rapture/9780571345175/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">here</span></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><br /></span></span>Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-85103348047396330842019-05-17T07:17:00.000-07:002019-05-17T07:17:06.874-07:00BLOG TOUR: My Mother's Daughter By Ann O'Loughlin<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hello! Today I'll be reviewing My Mother's Daughter By Ann O'Loughlin published by Orion Books. I'm so happy to be part of this blog tour. A HUGE THANK YOU to the publisher for kindly sending me a review copy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">County Wicklow, Ireland. Margo has just lost her husband Conor and is grieving his passing, unsure how she and her daughter Elsa will survive without him. Then she receives a letter that turns everything she thought she knew on its head. Not only has she lost her husband, but now Margo fears she could lose her daughter as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Ohio, United States. Cassie has just split from her husband acrimoniously. Upset and alone she does not know how to move forward. Then her ex-husband demands a paternity test for their daughter Tilly and sorrow turns to anger as Cassie faces the frightening possibility of losing her daughter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A powerful, moving stories of family, resilience and compassion, and how women support each other through the most difficult times, My Mother's Daughter takes the issues closest to our hearts and makes us ask ourselves the most difficult questions - what would we do in Margo and Cassie's place?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My Rating: 4 / 5 STARS</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My Mother's Daughter is a heart-warming story about love, loss, and discovery of a wonderful connection. It is unique and moving. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This isn’t the genre of book that I usually find myself reading but I can say that this book was unputdownable and an addictive page-turner. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The authors' writing is so powerful and engaging. You literally can feel the emotions. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I really connected with the characters in this book especially with Ida, she was a joy to read. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The plot is engrossing and the characters are endearing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My Mother's Daughter had me gripped from the first page up to the last. It is a brilliant, quick and easy read. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Loved this book and I HIGHLY recommend it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #181818;">Grab your copy</span><span style="color: #e06666;"> </span><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/My-Mothers-Daughter-Ann-OLoughlin/9781409183341//?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">here</span></a><span style="color: #181818;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">🌠 Check out the reviews posted by these lovely bloggers for the blog tour! 🌠</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">★ Hope you enjoyed this blog post and please let me know if you do pick up these books. I would love to chat more about them! ★</span></div>
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Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-21404505330774449302019-05-06T01:16:00.000-07:002019-05-06T01:16:43.707-07:00BLOG TOUR: In Two Minds By Alis Hawkins - The Teifi Valley Coroner #2<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hello!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The time has finally come. I've been so impatient for this Blog Tour and cannot wait to share my thoughts on In Two Minds, the second instalment in The Teifi Valley Coroner Series By Alis Hawkins published by The Dome Press. A HUGE THANK YOU to the publisher for kindly sending me a copy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I recently reviewed None So Blind, the first book in the series and had nothing but praise for the author. You can read my review <a href="http://www.shaniamua.com/2019/04/none-so-blind-by-alis-hawkins.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">here</span></a>. Also, None So Blind and In Two Minds can be read as stand-alone novels but I had a better reading experience being familiar with the characters, the setting and what happened in the first book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>The Blurb</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Harry Probert-Lloyd, a young barrister forced home from London by encroaching blindness, has begun work as the acting coroner of Teifi Valley with solicitor's clerk John Davies as his assistant.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">When a faceless body is found on an isolated beach, Harry must lead the inquest. But his dogged pursuit of the truth begins to ruffle feathers. Especially when he decided to work alongside a local doctor with a dubious reputation and experimental theories considered radical and dangerous. Refusing to accept easy answers might not only jeopardise Harry's chance to be elected coroner permanently but could, it seems to implicate his own family in a crime.</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another BRILLIANT story! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I mentioned earlier, In Two Minds picks up from None So Blind. Just a quick summary, Harry Probert-Lloyd was forced to return home from London due to his encroaching blindness. After successfully solving the case of the mysterious death of Margaret Jones, he is asked to take a job as acting Coroner as the current Coroner is ill and dying.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The story starts off with a naked and faceless corpse turning up on an isolated Cardiganshire beach. Harry Probert-Lloyd is asked to hold an inquest to establish the cause of death and identity. Harry's father opposes his decision of taking up the job as acting Coroner and appointing John Davies as his assistant once again. Harry, as stubborn as he is, ignores his father's opposition. As he begins his investigations, it becomes clear that he will receive no help from the constabulary but Harry is determined and not ready to accept that this man died of natural causes. He appoints Dr. Benton Reckitt as medical witness. But the doctor is not what you would call entirely respectable. Harry then finds out that his own family is somehow implicated in this mysterious death. The story then takes a whole new turn!!! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I thoroughly enjoyed In Two Minds. It is a richly imagined and extremely well-plotted book. I literally couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. In Two Minds is unpredictable, unique, engrossing and a real page-turner not to mention the shocking plot twists! </span><span style="font-size: large;">I cannot recommend The Teifi Valley Coroner Series enough and I'm hoping for Book 3 to come out soon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>My Rating</u>: No doubt about that, 5 / 5 STARS 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In my opinion, to be 100% honest, this book or should I say series does not deserve less than 5 / 5 STARS. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I strongly urge you to pick up these books. Grab your copies here:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/None-So-Blind-Alis-Hawkins/9781912534036/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">None So Blind</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Two-Minds-Alis-Hawkins/9781912534180/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">In Two Minds</span></a></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I was also lucky enough to be able to do a <span style="color: #e06666;">Q&A </span>with <a href="https://alishawkins.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Ali</span><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">s Hawkins.</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Thank you so much, Alis, for agreeing to do this Q&A.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Here we go...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #e06666;">S: What, according to you, is the hardest thing about writing?</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">A:</span> I guess that question depends on what you mean by writing! If you mean ‘a writing life’ then, for me and the other 95% of professional writers who don’t make their entire living from writing, then it’s having to juggle the demands of paying the bills and keeping the kids in trainers and school trips with finding enough time to write. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If you mean actually doing the writing then, for me, it’s knowing where to start a book. Finding the right point to start telling the story is hard. Give too much background information before anything really happens and you’ll lose people before you start; jump in without explaining enough of the situation for people to grasp what’s going on and they’ll be confused and give up on your book before they’ve really started. And, of course, in deciding where to start, you’ve also got to decide who’s going to tell the story – which of your character/s are you going to focus on as viewpoint characters? Exactly whose story is it? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">S: What kind of research do you do and how long do you spend researching before beginning to write? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">A:</span> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Because I write historical fiction, the answers here are ‘in depth’ and ‘a long time’! Before I wrote None So Blind, I knew next to nothing about nineteenth-century west Wales, and not a huge amount more about the nineteenth century in general. So I did a year’s solid research before starting (bearing in mind that I also have a part-time day job). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Once I’d done that basic research, the amount I have to do for each book (book 3 in the Teifi Valley Coroner series is already finished in draft) has dropped, obviously. Now, I’ll probably do about 3 months’ research before I start, but there is always stuff to be done as you go along. Because I don’t plan my books in any great detail before I start, I don’t know what I need to know before I start writing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So, as far as In Two Minds was concerned, I didn’t know that Dr. Benton Reckitt was going to become a major character or that the practice of autopsy would become a big issue in the book. So I had to take some time out, after he’d appeared, to do some reading about mid-century post mortem examinations and the contemporary thinking on the relationship between the brain and human behaviour. People talk glibly about ‘the Victorian period’ as if nothing much changed and people thought, felt and acted the same throughout. But Victoria reigned for 63 years and the world changed as much between 1837 and 1901 as it did between 1937 and 2001. In other words, a lot. People’s attitudes changed a lot between 1851 (when the book is set) and the 1890s when Sherlock Holmes was doing his stuff. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Making sure I know what I need to know about my particular bit of the Victorian era keeps me on my toes! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">S: If you could choose a book character to be for a day, who would it be and why? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">A:</span> That’s actually a really easy question to answer. I’d love to be Harry Probert-Lloyd – my own central character – because then I’d know exactly what he can and can’t see. He has a juvenile form of macular degeneration called Stargardt’s disease and I’m constantly trying to block out the central part of my vision so that I can work out what he’d be able to see! It would be great to actually know. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">S: How many hours a day do you write? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">A:</span> I make sure I’m at my desk at least between 9am and 1pm. Four hours doesn’t sound much but it’s quite hard to pretend to be somebody else and to maintain all the details of a fictional world in your head for longer than that with any success – at least for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #e06666;">S: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? </span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">A:</span> I don’t know whether it’s a quirk or not but I can’t write standing up. Because sitting for long periods isn’t good for you, I have a standing desk and I tend to do all my non-writing work at that – emails, social media etc. But, when I’m writing my novels, I have to be sitting down. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">S: Finally, what advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">A:</span> There are two bits of advice I’d give. Firstly read voraciously in the genre you want to write in because only that way will you work out how the kind of book you want to write is supposed to work. And that means reading books written now, not the classics. You’re not going to learn how to write a good contemporary crime novel by reading Agatha Christie. Sorry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Secondly, just sit in front of your laptop or notepad every day that you humanly can (not every day that you feel like doing it) and just put words on screen/paper. As the Nike ad says, Just Do It. You can’t learn to make a chair by imagining yourself doing it, or by contemplating the perfection of the imagined chair, you have to start by cutting and shaping the wood and learning to joint. And your first chair will be awful because you’re still learning. And your second chair won’t be much better because, guess what, you’re still learning. But, gradually, you’ll get better and, in the end, you’ll make a chair somebody (who’s not your Mum/spouse/child) will want to pay you good money for. Same with writing. You only get better by doing it. Go to classes or take a course by all means – that might well speed the process – but Just Do It and don’t expect to be good from the word go. We’re all brilliant in our heads!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Then, choose somebody you trust to tell you the truth and ask them to read the final product. This may have to be a critical service as not all of us have friends who understand enough about how books work to know whether we’ve written something worthwhile or not. Don’t send a book to an agent unless somebody you trust has seen it and you’ve re-written it after listening to their advice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Finally. Don’t give up. If you believe in your work, keep submitting and submitting it to agents until you find one who will take you on. And, meanwhile, work on your next book! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for having me on the blog, Shania – it’s been a real pleasure answering your questions! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">🌠 Check out the reviews posted by these lovely bloggers for the blog tour! 🌠</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> ★ Hope you enjoyed this blog post and please let me know if you do pick up these books. I would love to chat more about them! ★</span><br />
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Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-50887249171187028832019-05-02T05:08:00.003-07:002019-05-02T05:08:33.355-07:00Crushed By Kate Hamer<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Hello lovely people!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I'm currently sat with a sprained ankle and a torn knee ligament. So bloody annoying! But today I'll be reviewing Crushed By Kate Hamer published By Faber & Faber Books. This book is out today so make sure to grab your copy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Here's the <u><b>Synopsis</b></u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span id="freeText17354824175698851778" style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Phoebe stands on Pulteney Bridge, tights gashed from toe to thigh. The shock of mangled metal and blood-stained walls flashes through her mind as she tries to cover her face so she won't be recognised. It wouldn't do to be spotted looking like this. She's missing a shoe. She feels sick.<br /><br />Phoebe thought murder and murder happened. <i>Thoughts are just thoughts</i>, they said<i>.</i> Now she knows they were wrong.<br /><br />At home, Phoebe arranges the scissors and knives so they point toward her mother's room. She is exhausted, making sure there's no trace of herself - not a single hair, not even her scent - left anywhere in the house. She must not let her thoughts unravel, because if they do, there's no telling who might be caught in the crossfire, and Phoebe will have to live with the consequences.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><u><b>My Thoughts</b></u>:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Crushed is my first Kate Hamer novel but I will definitely be picking up her 2 previous books, The Doll Funeral and The Girl In The Red Coat as I had an amazing reading experience with Crushed. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Crushed is a dark and atmospheric novel which mainly revolves around 3 teenage girls, Phoebe, Orla, and Grace. The story is narrated by the 3 friends. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Phoebe is a strange and mysterious girl, I actually felt like she was a psychopath. She is constantly demeaned and controlled by her narcissistic mother. This leads her to believe in Witchcraft and that she is able to make things happen by just imagining them. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Orla is a character I almost fell sorry for until a twist in the story. It's not really a twist, it's just the truth of what happened in towards the end (trying not to give away any spoilers as I don't want to spoil your reading experience if ever you pick up the book) She's basically the girl who has everything, her family's support and especially her mother's love. Orla is also in love with Phoebe and this is what Phoebe the psychopath, in my opinion, takes advantage of, causing Orla to have mixed feelings of hate and love for her. On the other hand, is Grace. Grace spends most of her time taking care of her needy and ill Mother. Her parents are separated, so she's left alone, weighed down by the responsibility. Grace constantly dreads the thought of any authorities separating her and her Mother. Grace is the character I actually felt very sorry for in the end. I don't think she deserved what had happened and especially not a friend like Phoebe.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">YES, I HATE PHOEBE, SHE CAUSED THIS WHOLE THING TO HAPPEN.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I really enjoyed the author's writing style, it was captivating and engrossing. I was literally hooked a few pages in. The characters well developed and there was a constant theme of Macbeth throughout the book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Although Crushed was a fascinating read, I did feel like the blurb was a bit misleading considering that that part of the story happened at the very beginning of the book. I felt like there was no follow up regarding the murder of that man and how it was related to Phoebe. I also wish that there was a bit more to the story. I was about 300 pages in (my proof copy was only 395 pages long) and nothing had happened yet. I found myself pushing through the last few pages and in the end, I wonder what the main point of the story was.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Crushed is definitely an unusual tragic story of love, friendship, and murder but I feel like it could have been BRILLIANT if the story had been a bit clearer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Nonetheless, I definitely enjoyed this book. It did keep me company while I was trying to deal with the pain. </span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></u><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Rati</u></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><u>n</u>g</b>: 3.5 / 5 STARS ★★★</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A HUGE THANK YOU to the publisher for kindly sending me a review copy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you want to give Crushed a try, grab your copy<span style="color: #e06666;"> </span><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Crushed-Kate-Hamer/9780571336654/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">here</span></a> and definitely let me know your thoughts and we can chat about the story!</span><br />
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<br />Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-11715565911376103402019-04-29T05:00:00.000-07:002019-04-29T07:00:02.904-07:00Cape May By Chip Cheek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hello!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today I'll be reviewing Cape May By Chip Cheek published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. A HUGE THANK YOU to the publisher for kindly sending me a proof copy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm really nervous to write this review, I have been pondering for quite a while whether to review this book or not. I know a lot of people do not agree with negative reviews but I think that as an honest book blogger, it would be wrong of me not to express my genuine opinions on this book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's the <u>Synopsis</u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Late September 1957. Henry and Effie, very young newlyweds from Georgia, arrive in Cape May, New Jersey, for their honeymoon only to find the town is deserted. Feeling shy of each other and isolated, they decide to cut the trip short. But before they leave, they meet a glamorous set of people who sweep them up into their drama. Clara, a beautiful socialite who feels her youth slipping away; Max, a wealthy playboy and Clara’s lover; and Alma, Max’s aloof and mysterious half-sister, to whom Henry is irresistibly drawn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The empty beach town becomes their playground, and as they sneak into abandoned summer homes, go sailing, walk naked under the stars, make love, and drink a great deal of gin, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with irrevocable consequences.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>My Thoughts</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, so first off the cover is GORGEOUS and attractive. This is what drew me in initially. I had really high hopes when I picked up this book as I had seen it everywhere over on Book Twitter and Instagram but turns out it just wasn't for me...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a short summary of this book:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Disclaimer: This book is surprisingly graphic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The book starts with Henry and Effie, newlyweds going to Cape May for their honeymoon. The town is pretty much deserted. A few days after their arrival in Cape May, they aren't enjoying their honeymoon anymore, they're bored and Effie wants to return home. One night, they decide to gatecrash a party and coincidentally it happens to be the party of an old friend of Effie's named Clara. Shortly after, Henry and Effie find themselves caught up in what feels like a new, fun and exciting world. Soon after, Henry basically starts cheating on Effie with Alma. Effie then finds out. I literally have no idea what happened towards the end when Henry cheated on Effie with Clara and Effie cheated on Henry with Max. Everything then just falls apart. Fast-forward a few years, the last chapter (totally unnecessary) is all about how Henry and Effie had children but their marriage was never the same again...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, I didn't like the characters nor the plot. Wait, does this book even have a plot? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To be honest, this book does not have a storyline, I felt like I was reading a Wattpad story gone wrong. The whole book was just filled with excessive drinking, parties, cheating and graphic scenes. Towards the end, it was totally UNBEARABLE.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My Rating: 2/5 STARS ★★</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This book will be out tomorrow (30th April) so if ever you would like to give it a try you can order your copy<span style="color: #ea9999;"> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Cape-May/9781474609548/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ea9999;">here</span></a></span>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-36696930357609043992019-04-22T04:51:00.000-07:002019-04-22T04:51:07.999-07:00Things In Jars By Jess Kidd<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hello!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Time for another review. Today I'll be reviewing Things In Jars by Jess Kidd published by Canongate. A HUGE THANK YOU to Canongate Books for kindly sending me a proof copy. This review was supposed to be up weeks back but after having finished the book, I just couldn't bring myself to write the review. I was so full of emotions and had no clue how to do justice to this AMAZING book!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So here's the <u>synopsis</u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">London, 1863. Bridie Devine, the finest female detective of her age, is taking on her toughest case yet. Reeling from her last job and a damaged reputation, a remarkable puzzle has come her way. Christabel Berwick has been kidnapped. But Christabel is no ordinary child. She is not supposed to exist. As Bridie fights to recover the stolen child she enters a world of fanatical anatomists, crooked surgeons and mercenary showmen. Anomalies are in fashion, curiosities are the thing, and fortunes are won and lost in the name of entertainment. The public love a spectacle and Christabel may well prove the most remarkable spectacle London has ever seen. Things in Jars is an enchanting Victorian detective novel that explores what it is to be human in inhumane times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>My Thoughts</u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Things In Jars is my first Jess Kidd novel and I can say it was bloody brilliant! I had definitely heard and read raving reviews about her 2 books Himself and The Hoarder. I was beyond thrilled when I managed to get my hands on an early copy! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don't want to give much away regarding the story as I wouldn't want to spoil your reading experience if ever you pick up the book. YOU NEED TO. It basically one of those books where you just have to trust me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The story starts with a mysterious and chilling prologue depicting Christabel Berwick's abduction. Things In Jars is set in Victorian Times which is an era I've always been fond of. Bridie Devine, a detective, is the main protagonist. She's a kickass and no-nonsense kind of lady. I ADORED her! This book follows Bridie as she is on the hunt for a stolen child. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Things In Jars was a delight to read from start to finish. I LOVE Jess Kidd's writing, it is descriptive, rich and evocative. The characters were fascinating, Victorian London was so well evoked and the ending will totally melt your heart! Things In Jars is a unique and refreshing story, I was instantly hooked. It was a quick and addictive read. I really enjoyed the darker aspects of this novel. The story is cleverly plotted with numerous unexpected twists and turns. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>My Rating</u>: 4.5 STARS</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Things In Jars is so beautifully written and well-accomplished. Jess Kidd is one talented writer. I honestly cannot recommend this book highly enough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I strongly urge to read Things In Jars. Grab your copy<span style="color: #e06666;"> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Things-Jars-Jess-Kidd/9781786893765/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank">here</a></span>!</span><br />
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<br />Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-80236457276553659592019-04-21T11:29:00.000-07:002019-05-02T23:43:11.486-07:00None So Blind By Alis Hawkins - The Teifi Valley Coroner #1<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hello!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So, I'm back, after a much needed long break. Today I'll be reviewing None So Blind By Alis Hawkins, published by The Dome Press. This book was kindly sent to me by the publisher. Onto the review before I start rambling on about bookish stuff and the bookish world!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is the <u>synopsis</u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">West Wales, 1850. When an old tree root is dug up, the remains of a young woman are found. Harry Probert-Lloyd, a barrister forced home from London by encroaching blindness, has been dreading this discovery. He knows exactly whose bones they are.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Working with his clerk, John Davies, Harry is determined to expose the guilty. But the investigation turns up more questions than answers. Questions that centre around three names. Rebecca, the faceless leader of an angry mob who terrorise those they hate. Nathaniel Howell, a rabble-rousing chapel minister preaching a revolutionary gospel. And David Thomas, an ominous name with echoes from Harry’s past.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Is it Rebecca who is intent on ending Harry and John’s enquiry? Why did Nathaniel Howell disappear when Rebecca’s insurrection was at its height? And can Harry keep the secrets of his own past safely buried?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The search for the truth will prove costly. But will Harry and John be the ones to pay the highest price?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>My Thoughts</u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you're a regular reader of my book reviews then you may know that I'm a sucker for HISTORICAL FICTION and also into Crime (as a genre!). None So Blind is a perfect combination of these two genres. It is the first book in The Teifi Valley Coroner Series. Now, let me also add that for those of you who are a bit confused at first regarding the title of the series, you'll understand towards the end of the story, so READ THE BOOK!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Set in the 1850s, None So Blind is a unique story. The book is set in the backdrop of the Rebecca Riots in West Wales which, to be honest, was such an interesting time period to learn more about. I had never heard of the Rebecca Riots! The story is narrated by 2 intriguing characters, Harry Probert-Lloyd and John Davies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Harry Probert-Lloyd is a barrister coming from a privileged background and is the heir to the Glanteifi Estate. He is forced to return home from London as he's slowly going blind. As the death of Margaret Jones had remained a mystery all these years, the discovery of the bones leads to many speculations surrounding her death. When her death is declared as "accidental" at an inquest, Harry feels the verdict doesn't seem too right. He sets off, determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. Due to his encroaching blindness, Harry realises that if he is to conduct his investigation, he would need someone to help him. Harry asks for the assistance of John Davies, a solicitor's clerk. Together they form a team. The truth behind Margaret Jone's death changes everything...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">None So Blind had me hooked from the first page, it was completely unputdownable. I really appreciated the useful glossary included at the beginning of the book for Welsh terms. I LOVED the writing style, Alis Hawkins is definitely a talented writer and is quite obviously now one of my favourite authors. I literally cannot stop raving about None So Blind to my friends and family. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">None So Blind is so well written and cleverly plotted. The research made by the author is clearly evident. This book is filled with dark secrets, lies, shocking twists and turns. I really didn't want it to end but there's some exciting news coming up! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>My Rating</u>: Obviously 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">None So Blind was a riveting, enjoyable and addictive read. I strongly recommend this book!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Order your copy of None So Blind<a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/None-So-Blind-Alis-Hawkins/9781912534036/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;"> here</span></a>. </span><br />
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Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-47781312228176344252019-01-13T05:17:00.001-08:002019-01-13T05:17:12.663-08:00BLOG TOUR : Blackberry & Wild Rose By Sonia Velton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The time has come! I've been so impatient for this blog tour. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Blackberry & Wild Rose is a rich historical debut set among the Huguenot Silk weavers of Spitalfields in the late 18th Century.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When ESTHER THOREL, the wife of a Huguenot silk-weaver, rescues Sara Kemp from a brothel she thinks she is doing God's will. Sara is not convinced being a maid is better than being a whore, but the chance to escape her grasping 'madam' is too good to refuse.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">INSIDE THE THOREL'S tall house in Spitalfields, where the strange cadence of the looms fills the attic, the two women forge an uneasy relationship. The physical intimacies of washing and dressing belie the reality: Sara despises her mistress's blindness to the hypocrisy of her household, while Esther is too wrapped up in her own secrets to see Sara as anything more than another charitable cause.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">IT IS SILK that has Esther so distracted. For years she has painted her own designs, dreaming that one day her husband will weave them into reality. When he laughs at her ambition, she unwittingly sets in motion events that will change the fate of the whole Thorel household and set the scene for a devastating day of reckoning between her and Sara.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">THE PRICE OF a piece of silk may prove more than either is able to pay.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Rating: A VERY STRONG 4/5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">First off, a HUGE Thank You to Ella from Quercus Books for sending me a proof copy! I'm so happy to be part of the BWR Social Media Tour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So, if you've been following my blog for a while (which I totally recommend you to!), I've mentioned countless times that I'm always up for Historical Fiction. It is by far one of my FAVOURITE genres!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Blackberry & Wild Rose is a stunning and brilliant historical debut. Also, can I mention the BEAUTIFUL cover?! The cover alone was enough to make me fall in love with this book!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I thoroughly enjoyed Blackberry & Wild Rose. It is a richly imagined and extremely well-plotted book. I read it in one sitting and literally couldn't put it down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Blackberry & Wild Rose is a dark, addictive, captivating and atmospheric novel. It is beautifully written, the characters were so well developed and not to mention the brilliant plot twists! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS A DEBUT NOVEL.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Blackberry & Wild Rose is unpredictable, unique, engrossing and a real page-turner. It was such an addictive read! I've never read anything like it. I can't wait to read more from Sonia Velton!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Grab your copy<a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Blackberry-Wild-Rose-Sonia-Velton/9781787470798/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;"> here</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Check out the reviews posted by these lovely bloggers for the social media tour!</span><br />
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<br />Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-32744236696119234932019-01-08T08:57:00.001-08:002019-01-08T08:57:37.896-08:00#TheShaniaEdit - Mini Reviews : Izzy + Tristan By Shannon Dunlap and The Doll Maker By Nina Allan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, serif; font-size: 20px;">Hey lovelies!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, serif; font-size: 20px;">Time for another Mini Review. Also notice the change in font? I find this one easier to read and the perfect size! I was not able to get this post up yesterday. Another post may be up later today (99.9% Sure) featuring my January TBR and announcing reviews to come. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, serif; font-size: 20px;">Today's picks are Izzy + Tristan By Shannon Dunlap (Publishing on 7th March) and The Dollmaker By Nina Allan (Publishing on 4th April).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, serif; font-size: 20px;">So without further ado, let's get into the books!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, serif; font-size: 20px;"><u>Izzy + Tristan By Shannon Dunlap - Hachette Kids </u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, serif; font-size: 20px;">Grab your copy<span style="color: #e06666;"> </span><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Izzy-Tristan-Shannon-Dunlap/9780316415385/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">here</span></a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, serif; font-size: 20px;"><u>About the book</u>: Sixteen-year-old</span><span style="font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, serif; font-size: 20px;"> </span><b style="font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Izzy</b><span style="font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, serif; font-size: 20px;">, a bright aspiring doctor, isn't happy about her recent move from the Lower East Side across the river to Brooklyn. She feels distanced from her family, especially her increasingly incomprehensible twin brother, as well as her new neighbourhood.</span><br />
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And then she meets <b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Tristan</b>.</div>
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Tristan is a chess prodigy who lives with his aunt and looks up to his cousin, Marcus, who has watched out for him over the years. When he and Izzy meet one fateful night, together they tumble into a story as old and unstoppable as love itself.</div>
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<u>My Thoughts:</u> </div>
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Rating: 4 / 5 STARS</div>
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Izzy + Tristan was thoroughly enjoyable, I read it in one sitting! Izzy + Tristan is a contemporary retelling of Iseult and Tristan. I LOVED Shannon Dunlap's writing, it was emotive,compelling and the characters were well developed. The romance was sweet and passionate while the ending was heartbreaking, impactful and totally unexpected! Although this was a great read, it did feel like an average Wattpad story, it's really nothing new (not fully in terms of the story but with certain elements added to it as well.) The plot was lacking and could have been better. There were quite a few cliché moments but they were cute and worked for the story. Izzy + Tristan had a lot of potential but sadly fell short for me. There were parts in the book where I feel like it was rushed. Nonetheless, Izzy + Tristan is a great book, I do recommend it. It was definitely a light and enjoyable read!</div>
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<u><span style="color: #e06666;">The Dollmaker By Nina Allan - Quercus Books</span></u></div>
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Grab your copy<span style="color: #e06666;"> <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Dollmaker-Nina-Allan/9781787472549/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">here</span></a></span>!</div>
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<u>About the book:</u> Stitch by perfect stitch, Andrew Garvie makes exquisite dolls in the finest antique style. Like him, they are diminutive, but graceful, unique and with surprising depths. Perhaps that's why he answers the enigmatic personal ad in his collector's magazine.</div>
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Letter by letter, Bramber Winters reveals more of her strange, sheltered life in an institution on Bodmin Moor, and the terrible events that put her there as a child. Andrew knows what it is to be trapped; and as they knit closer together, he weaves a curious plan to rescue her. On his journey through the old towns of England he reads the fairytales of Ewa Chaplin - potent, eldritch stories which, like her lifelike dolls, pluck at the edges of reality and thread their way into his mind. When Andrew and Bramber meet at last, they will have a choice - to remain alone with their painful pasts or break free and, unlike their dolls, come to life. </div>
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<u>My Thoughts</u>:</div>
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 STARS</div>
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The Dollmaker is well and beautifully written. It is a unique, bizarre and atmospheric story. The writing was slightly whimsical. The first half of the book was engaging, weird and creepy. After that, I found that I quickly lost interest in the story. The Dollmaker is a clever and quirky read but just not for me. </div>
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That's it for today. Let me know your thoughts!</div>
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You can also TWEET me @ShaniaBlogs or DM me @ShaniaReads (My Bookstagram)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-79039044576168631452019-01-07T09:25:00.001-08:002019-01-08T05:58:10.642-08:00#TheShaniaEdit - Mini Reviews : Scrublands By Chris Hammer, The Island Of Sea Women By Lisa See and A River In The Trees By Jacqueline O'Mahony<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hey lovelies!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am starting a new series called #TheShaniaEdit - Mini Reviews . Basically, I choose a few books every month and combine my thoughts into mini reviews. The mini reviews are not detailed but do contain my final verdict on the book. The chosen books for this series are often proof copies provided by the publisher through NetGalley. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This week's picks are Scrublands By Chris Hammer (Publishing on 8th January), The Island of Sea Women By Lisa See (Publishing on 5th March), A River In The Trees (Publishing on 10th January), Izzy + Tristan By Shannon Dunlap (Publishing on 7th March) and The DollMaker By Nina Allan (Publishing on 4th April)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My review of Izzy + Tristan and The DollMaker will be posted later today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Without further ado, let's get into the books!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Starting off with...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><span style="color: #e06666;">Scrublands By Chris Hammer - Headline Publishing</span></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><span style="color: #e06666;"><br /></span></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grab your copy<a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Scrublands-Chris-Hammer/9781472255143/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"> here</span></a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>About the book</u>: In an isolated country town brought to its knees by endless drought, a charismatic and dedicated young priest calmly opens fire on is congregation, killing five parishioners before being shot dead himself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A year later, troubled journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy. But the stories he hears from the locals about the priest and incidents leading up to the shooting don't fit with the accepted version of events his own newspaper reported in an award-winning investigation. Martin can't ignore is doubts, nor the urgings of some locals to unearth the real reason behind the priest's deadly rampage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just as Martin believes he is making headway, a shocking new development rocks the town, which becomes the biggest story in Australia. The media descends on Riversend and Martin is now the one in the spotlight. His reasons for investigating the shooting have suddenly become very personal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wrestling with his own demons, Martin finds himself risking everything to discover a truth that becomes darker and more complex with every twist. But there are powerful forces determined to stop him, and he has no idea how far they will go to make sure the town's secrets stay buried.</span><br />
<span id="freeText14860394919400612642" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>My Thoughts:</u> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rating 3.5/5 STARS</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Scrublands is a riveting and atmospheric novel set in the remote town of Riversend. It was an intense, interesting, chilling fast-paced thriller. Although it isn't something I would usually pick up, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><u>The Island of Sea Women By Lisa See - Simon & Schuster</u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grab your copy<span style="color: #c27ba0;"> </span><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Island-Sea-Women-Lisa-See/9781432860424/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>About the book:</u> Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends that come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village's all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook's mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility but also danger. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook's differences are impossible to ignore. The Island of Sea Women is an epoch set over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War and its aftermath, through the era of cell phones and wetsuits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator, and she will forever be marked by this association. Young-sook was born into a long line of <i>haenyeo</i> and will inherit her mother's position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that after surviving hundreds of dives and developing the closest of bonds, forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rating: 4/5 STARS</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">OMG! There aren't enough words to describe how AMAZING this book is. The Island of Sea Women is a story about female friendship, love and loss. It's rich in culture and traditions. If you've been following me for a while, you would know how much I LOVE Historical Fiction!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Island of Sea Women was an engaging, engrossing, moving and powerful read. It's such a fascinating story!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><u>A River In The Trees By Jacqueline O'Mahony - Quercus Books</u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grab your copy<span style="color: #c27ba0;"> </span><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/River-Trees-Jacqueline-OMahony/9781787473553/?a_aid=ShaniaR29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>About the book</u>: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1919</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ireland is about to be torn apart by the War of Independence. Hannah O'Donovan helps her father hide rebel soldiers in the attic, putting her family in great danger from the British soldiers who roam the countryside. An immediate connection between Hannah and O'Riada, the leader of this hidden band of rebels, will change her life and that of her family forever... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2019</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ellen is at crossroads: her marriage is in trouble, her career is over and she's grieving the loss of a baby. After years in London, she decides to come home to Ireland to face the things she's tried to escape. Reaching into the past, she feels a connection to her ancestor, the mysterious Hannah O'Donovan. But why won't anyone in her family talk about Hannah? And how can this journey help Ellen put her life back together?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rating: 3.5/5 STARS</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A River In The Trees is a fascinating story of family, love, loss, betrayal and secrets. The story starts with Hannah O'Donovan in 1919 and then jumps back and forth to Ellen her descendant living in 2019. A River In The Trees is beautifully written, was an atmospheric and addictive read. It had me totally gripped. I really want to read more of Jacqueline O'Mahony's work!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed this post. I'll try to get another post up later on. Let me know your thoughts!</span><br />
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<br />Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-59374124755655881182019-01-04T07:34:00.001-08:002019-01-04T08:56:26.113-08:00Top 12 Books I Read In 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjA8zYXvDGX_qApvTl2XhuO1RVU-fCXA-Ieg_SXIkOXNT6clzcQwtfJgV1x8bY3bdXZzzBSmlQN748CASUbQ6N1KkvTVBi5NLQBBOwImAzROlrAM0J2HSwiUQmBIjXcAdCf9h0ZG287IU5/s1600/TOP+Books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjA8zYXvDGX_qApvTl2XhuO1RVU-fCXA-Ieg_SXIkOXNT6clzcQwtfJgV1x8bY3bdXZzzBSmlQN748CASUbQ6N1KkvTVBi5NLQBBOwImAzROlrAM0J2HSwiUQmBIjXcAdCf9h0ZG287IU5/s1600/TOP+Books.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hey lovelies!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Welcome back! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a very Happy New Year. I can't believe the holidays are over already. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So today I wanted to share My Top 12 2018 Reads. I know this post is SO LATE! It was supposed to be up yesterday or the day before. It's been such a busy week or should I say month? December was literally CRAZY!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grab a cuppa as this post is going to be a quite lengthy one. To be honest, I read so many great books last year, it was a difficult task to narrow my list down to just 12 books. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just for clarification, these books have already been published, this list does not contain any proof/early copies of books publishing this year. I will be writing up a separate blog post for My Most Anticipated Books for 2019. It may be up tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also, I won't be doing a rundown of 12-1, these books are all AMAZING (duh, hence why they're on my list, obviously!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My list is basically a mix of YA, Fiction and Non-Fiction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />I won't be reviewing these books in this post, I want to review them separately hence why I'm just putting the blurb and maybe writing a teeny-weeny bit about why I loved the book!</span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Without further ado, let's get into the books...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>YA & Fiction</u></span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas </u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Blurb:</u> Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood here she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some Cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But what Starr does-or does not-say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air) - Holly Black</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Blurb:</u>Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the court, she must defy him-and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>This Mortal Coil - Emily Suvada</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Blurb:</u> Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that's not what makes her special. In Cat's world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius. That's no surprise, since Cat's father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that had brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own. When a Cartaxus soldier, Cole arrives with news that her father has been killed, Cat's instincts tell her it's just another Cartaxus lie. But Cole also brings a message: before Lachlan died, he managed to create a vaccine, and Cole needs Cat's help to release it and save the human race. Now Cat must decide who she can trust: The soldier ith secrets of his own? The father ho made her promise to hide from Cartaxus at all costs? In a world where nature itself can be rewritten, how much can she even trust herself?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>The Poppy War - R.F. Kuang</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Blurb:</u>When Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies, it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn't believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin's guardians, who believed they'd finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realised she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had make up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard, the most elite military school in Nikan, was even more surprising. Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a a lethal, unearthly power-an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that Gods long thought dead are very much alive-and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school. For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The military advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy Wae, and only barely lost the continent in the second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rin's shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the God that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity... and that it may be already be too late. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Children Of Blood And Bone - Tomi Adeyemi</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Blurb:</u> They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us. Now we rise. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zélie's Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Fiction & Non-Fiction</u></span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>How To Own The Room - Viv Groskop</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Blurb:</u> Most books about public speaking don't tell you what to do when you open your mouth and nothing comes out. And they don't tell you how to get over the anxiety about performance that most people naturally have. They don't tell you what to do in the moments then you are made, as a woman, to feel small. They don't tell you how to own the room. This book does. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Thoughts:</u> This book honestly has helped me so much for my oral exams! It is a must read! 5/5 STAR READ!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Let Her Fly - Ziauddin Yousafzai</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Blurb:</u> In this intimate and extraordinary memoir, Ziauddin Yousafzai, the father of Malala, gives a moving account of fatherhood and his lifelong fight for equality - proving there are many faces of feminism.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For over twenty years, Ziauddin Yousafzai has been fighting for equality - first for Malala, his daughter - and then for all girls throughout the world living in patriarchal societies. Taught as a young boy in Pakistan to believe that he was inherently better than his sisters, Ziauddin rebelled against inequality at a young age. And when he had a daughter himself he vowed that Malala would have an education, something usually only given to boys, and he founded a school that Malala could attend. Then in 2012, Malala was shot for standing up to the Taliban by continuing to go to her father's school, and Ziauddin almost lost the very person for whom his fight for equality began. Let Her Fly is Ziauddin's journey from a stammering boy growing up in a tiny village high in the mountains of Pakistan, through to being an activist for equality and the father of the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and now one of the most influential and inspiring young women on the planet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Told through intimate portraits of each of Ziauddin's closest relationships - as a son to a traditional father; as a father to Malala and her brothers, educated and growing up in the West; as a husband to a wife finally learning to read and rite; as brother to five sisters still living in the patriarchy - Let Her Fly looks at what it means to love, to have courage and fight for what is inherently right. Personal in its detail and universal in its themes, this landmark book shows why we must all keep fighting for the rights of girls and women everywhere.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Thoughts:</u> I will be posting my review tomorrow! 5/5 Stars!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Next up is </span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*uck - Mark Manson</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is an AMAZING book! I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I will be posting my review soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is definitely a 5 STAR Read!</span></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Jog On - Bella Mackie</span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Blurb:</u> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Divorced and struggling with deep-rooted mental health problems, Bella Mackie ended her twenties in tears. She could barely find the strength to get off the sofa, let alone piece her life back together. Until one day she did something she had never done of her own free will – she pulled on a pair of trainers and went for a run.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">That first attempt didn't last very long. But to her surprise, she was back out there the next day. And the day after that. She began to set herself achievable goals – to run 5k in under 30 minutes, to walk to work every day for a week, to attempt 10 push-ups in a row. Before she knew it, her mood was lifting for the first time in years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In Jog On, Bella explains with hilarious and unfiltered honesty how she used running to battle crippling anxiety and depression, without having to sacrifice her main loves: booze, cigarettes and ice cream. With the help of a supporting cast of doctors, psychologists, sportspeople and friends, she shares a wealth of inspirational stories, research and tips that show how exercise often can be the best medicine. This funny, moving and motivational book will encourage you to say ‘jog on' to your problems and get your life back on track – no matter how small those first steps may be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Thoughts:</u> I LOVED this book! You can read my review<u><span style="color: #e06666;"> <a href="http://www.shaniamua.com/2018/12/jog-on-how-running-changed-my-life-by.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">here</span></a></span></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Transcription - Kate Atkinson</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Blurb:</u> In 1940, eighteen-year old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathizers, she discovers the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. But after the war has ended, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past forever. Ten years later, now a producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat. A bill of reckoning is due, and she finally begins to realize that there is no action without consequence. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Still Lives - Maria Hummel</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Blurb:</u> Kim Lord is an avant-garde figure, feminist icon, and agent provocateur in the L.A. art scene. Her groundbreaking new exhibition Still Lives is comprised of self-portraits depicting herself as famous, murdered women-the Black Dahlia, Chandra Levy, Nicole Brown Simpson, among many others -and the orks are as compelling as they are disturbing, implicating a culture that is too accustomed to violence against women. As the city's richest art patrons pour into the Rocque Museum's opening night, all the staff, including Maggie Richter, hope the event will be enough to save the historic institution's flailing finances. Excet Kim Lord never shows up to her own gala. Fear mounts as the hours and days drag on and Lord remains missing. Suspicion falls on the up-and-coming gallerist Greg Shaw Ferguson, ho happens to be Maggie's ex. A rogue's gallery of eccentric art world figures could also have motive for the act, and as Maggie gets drawn into her own investigation of Lord's disappearance, she'll come to suspect all of those closest to her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Set against a culture that often fetishizes violence, Still Lives is a page-turning exodus into the art world's hall of mirrors, and one woman's journey into the belly of an industry flooded with money and secrets.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Becoming - Michelle Obama</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Blurb:</u> An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling omen of our era. As First Lady f the U.S. - the first African-American to serve in that role-she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving meda glare.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerising storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her-from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it-in her own words and on her own terms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So that's it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My review of Let Her Fly By Ziauddin Yousafzai will be up tomorrow!</span></div>
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Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-60471003005474116152018-12-23T04:21:00.000-08:002018-12-23T04:24:51.686-08:00Jog On : How Running Changed My Life By Bella Mackie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hey loves!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Time for another book review! Today, I'll be reviewing Jog On By Bella Mackie. This book comes out on the 27th December (ONLY 4 DAYS LEFT!) but I have already spotted a few early copies in some bookshops!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First off, a HUGE THANK YOU to William Collins Books for sending me a proof copy along with a BEAUTIFUL finished copy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>About the Book</u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Divorced and struggling with deep-rooted mental health problems, Bella Mackie ended her twenties in tears. She could barely find the strength to get off the sofa, let alone piece her life back together. Until one day she did something she had never done of her own free will – she pulled on a pair of trainers and went for a run.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box !important; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box !important; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px;" /><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">That first attempt didn't last very long. But to her surprise, she was back out there the next day. And the day after that. She began to set herself achievable goals – to run 5k in under 30 minutes, to walk to work every day for a week, to attempt 10 push-ups in a row. Before she knew it, her mood was lifting for the first time in years.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box !important; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box !important; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px;" /><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In Jog On, Bella explains with hilarious and unfiltered honesty how she used running to battle crippling anxiety and depression, without having to sacrifice her main loves: booze, cigarettes and ice cream. With the help of a supporting cast of doctors, psychologists, sportspeople and friends, she shares a wealth of inspirational stories, research and tips that show how exercise often can be the best medicine. This funny, moving and motivational book will encourage you to say ‘jog on' to your problems and get your life back on track – no matter how small those first steps may be.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rating: A VERY STRONG 4/5 STARS ★★★★</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I read this book in one sitting, it had me hooked from the beginning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jog On was a very refreshing, quick, inspiring and relatable read. I'm going to be completely honest, as someone who struggles from mild anxiety and LOVES running, I was very intrigued by this book. Although I enjoy running, it's not something I do as often! (I KNOW I SHOULD). I was hoping for motivation from this book and that's exactly what I got about 2 chapters in. I felt like actually slipping my trainers on and going for a run at 3am ( YES, 3AM, the urge was real!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's been 2 days since I read Jog On and my perspectives have changed a lot up to the point where I can say that this book is LIFE CHANGING.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jog On is a very informative and insightful book. Apart from Bella's journey, it features anecdotes from other people who have found running as a way to cope with their anxiety or mental health. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I LOVE the research and effort put into this powerful memoir.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I thoroughly enjoyed Bella's writing, it was totally unfiltered. I really appreciate the author's honesty especially when talking about mental health which is still sadly a taboo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I HIGHLY recommend this book, I can't praise it enough!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jog On is beautifully written and compelling. It is one of the BEST Non-Fiction/Memoir I've read this year and I'm so happy I've got a proof copy along with a finished copy to keep forever on my bookshelf. It's a book I want to keep!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hope you enjoyed this review, if you do read Jog On and then please let me know as I would love to discuss and chat with you about this gem of a book!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also, Merry Christmas!!!!! 🎅🎄</span><br />
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-61357075922980454032018-12-12T06:57:00.000-08:002018-12-20T09:55:16.432-08:00Blogmas Day 12 : How To Deal With Holiday Stress - 5 Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hey loves!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yay! Today is the last "Blogmas" Post! In the end I decided to go for the half version (12 days) as the full version is a bit too much for me as I'm quite busy during the month of December ( I mean who isn't?!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wanted to share a few tips of how to deal with stress during the festive season. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Plan Ahead</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Planning ahead helps me a lot! I write out all things which need to be done in my planner. I literally cannot live without my planner as it contains EVERYTHING! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Planning ahead ensures you know what to do and when to do it. It also helps for deadlines!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Be Realistic</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Um, *Cough* totally me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">People and priorities DO CHANGE. Be realistic while planning or setting goals. Traditions and rituals often change as well so find new ways or adapt to your current situation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Stick To A Budget</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you tend to overspend and regret later, stick to a specific budget! Analyse your expenses, decide how much you can afford to spend. Overspending and not sticking to a budget can lead to financial problems thus leading to STRESS!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Set Aside Differences</u></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Setting aside differences can make a whole world of difference. To be honest, most of my stress is because of relationships.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><u>BREATHE & RELAX</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Stop what you're doing and BREATHE! Make some time for yourself and find something or do something you love! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Click<a href="http://www.shaniamua.com/2018/07/10-ways-to-practice-self-care.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;"> here </span></a>for my blog post - <a href="http://www.shaniamua.com/2018/07/10-ways-to-practice-self-care.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">10 Ways To Practice Selfcare</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Hope you found this post helpful!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTLV9VAFWZBepKExUDtGMDPtKBWQhR4WWJXEm09HIFsxByFXRAPVQEV-Fxq9S4W8d9z4cpW2hSYNo_YdyWu2jfYYqqUVHa4wMH5KQupRvpGepAR59lahIt8RWpIKsUswEzV0km1zMPEEO/s1600/Shania+MUA+blogger+header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1452" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTLV9VAFWZBepKExUDtGMDPtKBWQhR4WWJXEm09HIFsxByFXRAPVQEV-Fxq9S4W8d9z4cpW2hSYNo_YdyWu2jfYYqqUVHa4wMH5KQupRvpGepAR59lahIt8RWpIKsUswEzV0km1zMPEEO/s640/Shania+MUA+blogger+header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-55540592611822544862018-12-11T00:17:00.000-08:002018-12-20T06:37:21.380-08:00Blogmas Day 11 : 5 Important Winter Skincare Hacks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1V1AX0jX3iGlxtqkaz6h15XwNdeeLknx1aQMFK9AcjxUkS8dVJz5Sn1poX3C9GALJqeIlOTlj-ChgZLbbyHP7INlLPtqaB-DcFjtcUQVu-ztsSlZgO2jqb_68awOUYrMdwnXlcOJgqtD/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1V1AX0jX3iGlxtqkaz6h15XwNdeeLknx1aQMFK9AcjxUkS8dVJz5Sn1poX3C9GALJqeIlOTlj-ChgZLbbyHP7INlLPtqaB-DcFjtcUQVu-ztsSlZgO2jqb_68awOUYrMdwnXlcOJgqtD/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+11.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hey loves!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With the Winter Season comes with a whole lot of nuisances. *Cough* Dry skin? Chapped lips? and many more. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are some awesome winter skincare hacks to prevent and combat winter skincare woes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>SKINCARE HACK #1 - EXFOLIATION</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">OMG! Just imagine getting caught under the mistletoe with a chapped pout? Eeeks! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A scrub is a must in your skincare routine. Be it a homemade one or a store-bought one. Exfoliation is vital as dead skin cells reduce the amount of absorption of skincare products. When you don't exfoliate, your skin will start looking dry, dull and rough. Not exfoliating your skin regularly causes the buildup of dead skin cells which can result in excessive oil and clogged pores. AND... Clogged Pores lead to BLEMISHES.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Exfoliating increases blood circulation which results in clear, healthy and glowing skin. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I normally recommend a Face & Body Scrub (Two in one!) and a Lip Scrub. My favourite lip scrub has to be the Lush Bubblegum one!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>SKINCARE HACK #2 - STOCK UP ON </u></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>HAND CREAM</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hand cream is an ESSENTIAL! Trust me, your hands will THANK YOU! I always keep a few in my handbag, my bathroom, my kitchen and BASICALLY EVERYWHERE in my house!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>SKINCARE HACK #3 - Use A Hydrating Night Mask</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> I LOVE Night Masks! They're literally a life saver. I use a night mask every few days and the next morning, my skin is hydrated and looks SUPER CLEAR! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>SKINCARE HACK #4 - Use a Luminous/Dewy Finish Foundation</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I often go for a hydrating tinted moisturiser or dewy foundation during the colder months. A dewy finish makes your skin look hydrated, plump, glowy and youthful! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>SKINCARE HACK #5 - AVOID TAKING LONG HOT SHOWERS</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Um, okay this is something I'm totally guilty of even though I know it's torture for the skin during Winter. I LOVE hot showers, I find it relaxing and calming but taking a long hot shower during Winter just dries out your skin. Your skin becomes dehydrated, dry and flaky!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So these were My 5 Most Important Winter Skincare Hacks! I feel like you can ignore other things but not these 5 habits during the colder months. They're SO IMPORTANT for healthy and glowing skin!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hope you enjoyed this post,</span><br />
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Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-20225038725766258702018-12-10T23:50:00.000-08:002018-12-16T23:52:29.035-08:00Blogmas Day 10 : My Top Winter Lipstick Shades<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0nFVllSqE_1YboP8aXilh3n5bR7hcyPYTR5su5B55-pItvHhFhW1WsPJDoHWXBlK4ea7Lb8-CywBr1jrC0kXvsgcLzq-ntjDkd5yG3b2-Fx1jfvRutsA53-cT4-PC1L3p_W4PozI6ByYe/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0nFVllSqE_1YboP8aXilh3n5bR7hcyPYTR5su5B55-pItvHhFhW1WsPJDoHWXBlK4ea7Lb8-CywBr1jrC0kXvsgcLzq-ntjDkd5yG3b2-Fx1jfvRutsA53-cT4-PC1L3p_W4PozI6ByYe/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+10.png" /></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hey loves!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Quite a short post today. I wanted to share My Top Winter Lipstick Shades. These lipsticks are basically my go-to during the colder months. I LOVE how these shades match my winter wardrobe.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEik0BsTg1B4plhnNrH5Uyis99vE77Lls-zfKWnc4aKoywgWs40jgbY4_6eZlZ13IRE4roH8TcHk0a9vvuRujGcPGgDjDsMisG_XLwYG3a2GANkFUwLMpi-2VL9Y-7kTYS7ABOuw1_PILU/s1600/3x.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEik0BsTg1B4plhnNrH5Uyis99vE77Lls-zfKWnc4aKoywgWs40jgbY4_6eZlZ13IRE4roH8TcHk0a9vvuRujGcPGgDjDsMisG_XLwYG3a2GANkFUwLMpi-2VL9Y-7kTYS7ABOuw1_PILU/s1600/3x.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">First off is a lip gloss, it's the Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Volume Gloss in the shade 04 Rouge Sombre. This lip gloss smells DIVINE! I would describe the scent as Grape Juice. This Lip Gloss is non-sticky and long-lasting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Next up are 3 products from Mark. Avon :</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">1) Mark. Matte Liquid Lip Lacquer in the shade Irresistible</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">2) Mark. Matte Liquid Lip Lacquer in the shade Dare To Be Bare</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">3) Mark. Shine Liquid Lip Lacquer in the shade Caffeined</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">You can read the full review of the Mark Lip Lacquers<span style="color: #e06666;"> <span style="color: #e06666;"><a href="http://www.shaniamua.com/2018/01/avon-mark-liquid-lip-lacquer-shine-matte.html" target="_blank">here</a></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a <u><span style="color: #e06666;">short summary</span></u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">These Lippies retail for £8 (each)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">They come in a clear small tube with a black screw on lid. The packaging is quite sturdy. You get 7ml of product in a tube.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">These Lip Lacquers are long-lasting, don't bleed and are very comfortable on the lips. They're highly pigmented and hydrating. The formula is super lightweight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The applicator is petal-shaped, flat and the perfect size. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Liquid Lip Lacquer (Shine) have a thick creamy consistency whereas the Matte Version have a thicker mousse-like texture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">These Lipsticks are non-sticky and smell slightly fruity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">So these were my Top Winter Lipstick Shades. I HIGHLY recommend the Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Gloss if you're looking for a non-sticky but long-lasting lip gloss. I personally prefer lip gloss over matte lipstick as I can re-apply without needing a mirror. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I hope you enjoyed this post. If you do try any of these products out, please let me know!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">xx</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-13342973068569072702018-12-09T06:02:00.000-08:002018-12-11T08:26:07.502-08:00Blogmas Day 9 : Christmas Gift Guide #2 - The Body Shop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8ra7ulNzSOkpbrpgbZF2q0G4xrkgcmXAkRJMG_c2y_XXRn7kudJ0wALEHmRMP0d-3EZa8FTM_tnxgA-P44OQGOis2_pAZh7MgekDUod5fSgBjPThRF10efc0lJBf8M51zNAw3-61_bgp/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8ra7ulNzSOkpbrpgbZF2q0G4xrkgcmXAkRJMG_c2y_XXRn7kudJ0wALEHmRMP0d-3EZa8FTM_tnxgA-P44OQGOis2_pAZh7MgekDUod5fSgBjPThRF10efc0lJBf8M51zNAw3-61_bgp/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+8.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hey loves!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Time for another Christmas Gift Guide. This one contains products from the one and only </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/" style="text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">THE BODY SHOP</span></a></span>!!!!!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now I must admit that I have a MAJOR obsession with products from The Body Shop. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are some AMAZING gift ideas:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><span style="color: #e06666;">Personalised Body Butters</span></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yes! You can now buy personalised body butters! The Body Shop's Body Butters are honestly iconic and my favourite! They're perfect for Winter time and I cannot live without them! The Satsuma Body Butter has to be a classic favourite of mine as I've been using it ever since I was 11!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Click <a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/body/personalised-body-butters" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">here</span></a> to see how to get a <a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/body/personalised-body-butters" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Personalised Body Butter</span></a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are a few examples:</span><br />
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<a href="https://assets.thebodyshop.com/medias/28756331331614.jpg?context=images/h14/h3e/28756331331614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://assets.thebodyshop.com/medias/28756331331614.jpg?context=images/h14/h3e/28756331331614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for personalised body butters" border="0" class="irc_mi" src="https://assets.thebodyshop.com/medias/28756331331614.jpg?context=images/h14/h3e/28756331331614.jpg" style="margin-top: 6px;" /></a><a href="https://assets.thebodyshop.com/medias/15901084745758.jpg?context=images/hd4/h3a/15901084745758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for personalised body butters" border="0" class="irc_mi" src="https://assets.thebodyshop.com/medias/15901084745758.jpg?context=images/hd4/h3a/15901084745758.jpg" style="margin-top: 6px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/gifts/christmas-gifts/festive-hand-cream-trio-xm18/p/p003013" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Festive Hand Cream Trio</span></a></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"> </span></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">£15</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwEGXvxmz8BMUROYG3A4MCIvVwlLwRyaeEoYJ5lY3Aoe3nxPI-hboejbsz4q8_H2qPOEO4ap5L8c-QHmojcx-oL70ZdD3XWX3_kjifAU8BPYyrKV0TIBU8AHmjOHQczHeALZbgzEm7Xln/s1600/HANNNNDDDDY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwEGXvxmz8BMUROYG3A4MCIvVwlLwRyaeEoYJ5lY3Aoe3nxPI-hboejbsz4q8_H2qPOEO4ap5L8c-QHmojcx-oL70ZdD3XWX3_kjifAU8BPYyrKV0TIBU8AHmjOHQczHeALZbgzEm7Xln/s320/HANNNNDDDDY.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/gifts/christmas-gifts/enchanted-body-butter-trio/p/p003028" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Enchanted Body Butter Trio</span></a> £15</span></span></u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2_poGp4I2i5sY-biJ7eB2t4xF4WOsBoPMWlVSqXiOHoi7bZx3DdP68IgJsRmUnDWckxB_wZCiouN70EIoHqg0dGzD7AXASoLY_SBbug9UUKVTdrKRaQiQR4ohNF81qmsDGKi9jnqURmW/s1600/BODDYY+BUTTS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2_poGp4I2i5sY-biJ7eB2t4xF4WOsBoPMWlVSqXiOHoi7bZx3DdP68IgJsRmUnDWckxB_wZCiouN70EIoHqg0dGzD7AXASoLY_SBbug9UUKVTdrKRaQiQR4ohNF81qmsDGKi9jnqURmW/s320/BODDYY+BUTTS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/gifts/christmas-gifts/facial-mask-duo/p/p003038" style="text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Facial Mask Duo </span></a> £32</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://assets.thebodyshop.com/medias/the-finest-facial-mask-duo-6-640x640.jpg?context=product-images/h13/h1c/13075029131294/the-finest-facial-mask-duo_6-640x640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for face mask duo body shop" border="0" class="irc_mi" height="320" src="https://assets.thebodyshop.com/medias/the-finest-facial-mask-duo-6-640x640.jpg?context=product-images/h13/h1c/13075029131294/the-finest-facial-mask-duo_6-640x640.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/gifts/christmas-gifts/hand-cream-crackers/p/p003030" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Hand Cream Crackers</span></a></span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Price: £25</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is honestly the BEST! It is actually worth £30!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-kmRJRJVsfDm1C4n-serh2WrQJuJaHjx-uDwdwAiE75PLy43N32dYgHGp-3ufWq7_eE4vxyOXh9x6tSM7P-QEje_k3fFOiMopUcW4BpGe2UjQ9IZNmkSm2S3F2f8uE1nlIsWQj5HCz68/s1600/CRACKERS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-kmRJRJVsfDm1C4n-serh2WrQJuJaHjx-uDwdwAiE75PLy43N32dYgHGp-3ufWq7_eE4vxyOXh9x6tSM7P-QEje_k3fFOiMopUcW4BpGe2UjQ9IZNmkSm2S3F2f8uE1nlIsWQj5HCz68/s400/CRACKERS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/gifts/christmas-gifts/peppermint-candy-cane-forest-of-delights/p/p003014" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Peppermint Candy Cane Forest of Delights</span></a> £30</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBmZ_F2fMpCTXx7AslPW3fE_ZyUAzSzBloDXO7ioP9111rzNgHARiWwKGibTZ3lCwZ55___CPAWdHD9aXfaqjFMsd_JLqs6VbSe0A24A8E-QmqCZ3b3YQZhAct4Lq01F8a2wqfODxTjeb/s1600/peppermint-candy-cane-forest-of-delights-1-640x640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBmZ_F2fMpCTXx7AslPW3fE_ZyUAzSzBloDXO7ioP9111rzNgHARiWwKGibTZ3lCwZ55___CPAWdHD9aXfaqjFMsd_JLqs6VbSe0A24A8E-QmqCZ3b3YQZhAct4Lq01F8a2wqfODxTjeb/s400/peppermint-candy-cane-forest-of-delights-1-640x640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/gifts/christmas-gifts/matte-lip-liquid-trio/p/p003051" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Matte Lip Liquid Trio</span> </a></span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Price: £15</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPmUhWCVz2wRw58Es1lJYpk-0ifigNZHNC6H6wq4c1kPzSQrhpXbQl3gbzuCaISss9MW3BrHhgH9iZCUtXdbMeqeaArvn2Rhf79FnTeRryVSzv7-zzisEY8CA-vtqyiMtBgneHkAEtZTS/s1600/GOOD+LPPPPS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPmUhWCVz2wRw58Es1lJYpk-0ifigNZHNC6H6wq4c1kPzSQrhpXbQl3gbzuCaISss9MW3BrHhgH9iZCUtXdbMeqeaArvn2Rhf79FnTeRryVSzv7-zzisEY8CA-vtqyiMtBgneHkAEtZTS/s320/GOOD+LPPPPS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So these were my Top Festive Picks from The Body Shop!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Until Next Time,</span><br />
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Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-8360096409621688692018-12-08T08:36:00.000-08:002018-12-11T06:01:20.588-08:00Blogmas Day 8 : Christmas Gift Guide #1 - Lush Cosmetics <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZ8ycVcQ7kb6Marb75rJSKtbiBRdV5dbL8lqsLMl54p2HbqfuseKLQ-efURj7jg20Lo6MZ2qJ7P8A5JLNhj0o3GdLri65h0c0dwlG6NnyOMhzaY2wzZN3nvZAWgwO93jriFrQ1Zi-Jdid/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZ8ycVcQ7kb6Marb75rJSKtbiBRdV5dbL8lqsLMl54p2HbqfuseKLQ-efURj7jg20Lo6MZ2qJ7P8A5JLNhj0o3GdLri65h0c0dwlG6NnyOMhzaY2wzZN3nvZAWgwO93jriFrQ1Zi-Jdid/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+8.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hey loves!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Time for a Christmas Gift Guide. I LOVE buying products from Lush. I ALWAYS come out with a ton of bags every time I visit the store.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think Gift Sets are the perfect present as they're cute and simply adorable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are some amazing gift sets from <u>Lush Cosmetics </u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><a href="https://uk.lush.com/products/christmas-gifts/sweet-christmas" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Limited Edition, Sweet Christmas,</span><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">£9.95</span></a></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This Gift Set contains the Candy Cane Reusable Bubble Bar and the Cheery Christmas Bath Bomb.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8cZabkGCsrdH01wVsL1nWHy5UI8XphWXMc9jTT6g3wnjPbu8b4MBQJcfAhf8CNUpcPIihiewDlhb0YbzMA6XGL250FRPQ2TZjljgH-qlkMHu2_AnbomrGvmvrHucQ7v9trTS8gl-Gdn3/s1600/CHEERY+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8cZabkGCsrdH01wVsL1nWHy5UI8XphWXMc9jTT6g3wnjPbu8b4MBQJcfAhf8CNUpcPIihiewDlhb0YbzMA6XGL250FRPQ2TZjljgH-qlkMHu2_AnbomrGvmvrHucQ7v9trTS8gl-Gdn3/s1600/CHEERY+1.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBjJhg0zFJF6A3x1FEq6qeen2JUEA951qa12pKtCwZOBqdTfHsfRo-xmDmxa4g7c5Q0qQFd9OhwkpnAHa54RSebVn02J2mrXs_Gnh8UcCRoQ2BVO8MlJ3apEx8Oqs2ROJYj6o1amsR6S2/s1600/CHEERY+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBjJhg0zFJF6A3x1FEq6qeen2JUEA951qa12pKtCwZOBqdTfHsfRo-xmDmxa4g7c5Q0qQFd9OhwkpnAHa54RSebVn02J2mrXs_Gnh8UcCRoQ2BVO8MlJ3apEx8Oqs2ROJYj6o1amsR6S2/s1600/CHEERY+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><a href="https://uk.lush.com/products/christmas-gifts/rosy-christmas" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Limited Edition- Rosy Christmas Gift Set, £13.50</span></a></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>T</u>his Gift Set contains the Rose Jam Shower Gel and Ro's Argan Conditioner.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><a href="https://uk.lush.com/products/christmas-gifts/night-christmas" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Limited Edition, The Night Before Christmas,</span> <span style="color: #e06666;">£12.95</span></a></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This Gift Set contains the Shoot For The Stars Bath Bomb and the Golden Wonder Bath Bomb.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><a href="https://uk.lush.com/products/christmas-gifts/deck-halls" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Limited Edition, Deck The Halls, £14.95</span></a></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This Gift Set contains the Butterbear Bath Bomb, the Candy Cane Reusable Bubble Bar and the Star Light Star Bright Bath Melt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So these were my FAVOURITE under £15 gift sets from Lush. There are loads more on their website. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are some more. They are rather on the expensive side though.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Limited Edition <a href="https://uk.lush.com/products/gifts/snow-fairy" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Snow Fairy, £27.95</span></a></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This Gift Set is honestly MY FAVOURITE! It contains the Magic Wand (Reusable Bubble Bar), Snow Fairy Jelly Bomb, Snow Fairy Shower Gel and Snow Fairy Body Conditioner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Snow Fairy is one of my all time favourite scents!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last but not least...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Limited Edition <a href="https://uk.lush.com/products/christmas-gifts/golden-wonder" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Golden Wonder, £29.95</span></a></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">GORGEOUS! This Gift Set Contains the Perle De Sel Bath Bomb, the Golden Wonder Bath Bomb, the Gold Pear Soap and the Yog Nog Yule Log Bubble Bar!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The PERFECT GIFT!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">So these were my favourite gift sets from Lush Cosmetics this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I hope you found this post helpful!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Until Next Time,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-42521592804315480652018-12-07T09:25:00.000-08:002018-12-08T09:26:35.401-08:00Blogmas Day 7 : Etsy Christmas Gift Guide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwkhMHX6rkG18OpzJfP5EGQvYyHILH4R-I9-SS6JleEunUAPhupB3_arh4PlkPzreX7F5KIhWr74TPbXFsfDBR2DXGvHGwR8fwu7GZyKa4sXq8fJTg8MX6LmZAY9K9K9MmLQhMDat_AUV/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwkhMHX6rkG18OpzJfP5EGQvYyHILH4R-I9-SS6JleEunUAPhupB3_arh4PlkPzreX7F5KIhWr74TPbXFsfDBR2DXGvHGwR8fwu7GZyKa4sXq8fJTg8MX6LmZAY9K9K9MmLQhMDat_AUV/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+7.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hey loves!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So I just realised that I've never actually done a Christmas Gift Guide before so this year for Blogmas, I decided to do an Etsy one and a High End and Low End Gift Guide ( 3 in total!!!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I LOVE shopping from<span style="color: #b45f06;"> <a href="https://www.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Etsy</a> </span>all year round but especially during the festive season as there are gifts for EVERYONE! Usually, when I do my Christmas shopping, I have to go into about 50 stores just because I can't find a gift that I know my friend or a member of my family will like and actually use.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Etsy is basically a website where you can shop for handcrafted, vintage, custom or unique products. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are some great Christmas Gift Ideas:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Personalised Gifts</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really enjoy receiving personalised gifts as they feel special and unique.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ideas for personalised gifts:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">🎄 A Customised Bracelet 🎄</span><br />
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Etsy Shop: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/TwinkleAmi" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Twinkle Ami</span></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLXVWccS85yw0shWHL60p8xa7iLaN5TWDHGjvC3kyh4TSSy1m1J1uGnDftd4qVyyiVfp9AkR6x7aI7Ss5OSKxBwPVrGD0DxdZCoy9DFp6medecw3REHO6wXdMnzuX67ofLcIapkLP5MKc/s1600/Custom+Bracelet+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="570" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLXVWccS85yw0shWHL60p8xa7iLaN5TWDHGjvC3kyh4TSSy1m1J1uGnDftd4qVyyiVfp9AkR6x7aI7Ss5OSKxBwPVrGD0DxdZCoy9DFp6medecw3REHO6wXdMnzuX67ofLcIapkLP5MKc/s320/Custom+Bracelet+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Etsy Shop: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/TinaBrotherJewelry" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">TinaBrotherJewelry</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDGyAQ8Dp9DCh7nuy6z8a3n3DYmErx8DYxN6TXJvII7zw9qMEXoe3yMdP74n16gz6ye7lENDUXZuaPsd-JgpOX-OyedcCl4bF5ZzlgoRv7Y1-l_VKXzMlP-esBZ-k6iXGFGH1TBZuH9sQ/s1600/Bracelet+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="570" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDGyAQ8Dp9DCh7nuy6z8a3n3DYmErx8DYxN6TXJvII7zw9qMEXoe3yMdP74n16gz6ye7lENDUXZuaPsd-JgpOX-OyedcCl4bF5ZzlgoRv7Y1-l_VKXzMlP-esBZ-k6iXGFGH1TBZuH9sQ/s320/Bracelet+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Etsy Shop: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/CoordinatesBracelets" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Coordinates Bracelets</span></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHpZiJxF8jbX433bqoKtc6iCjFjEjZLfwONk3Jtk0lMAFiX_whnpnU6LF9D3mbqahujej_z-TDT22jjCFnXyxvCWf3vG2vOqVap40DbDsV1SS102IgnQEdhmY1xR-g6BD48kFnFVD1Gge/s1600/Bracelet+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHpZiJxF8jbX433bqoKtc6iCjFjEjZLfwONk3Jtk0lMAFiX_whnpnU6LF9D3mbqahujej_z-TDT22jjCFnXyxvCWf3vG2vOqVap40DbDsV1SS102IgnQEdhmY1xR-g6BD48kFnFVD1Gge/s320/Bracelet+4.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Etsy Shop:<span style="color: #a64d79;"> <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/NamePersonalized" target="_blank">Name Personalized </a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">🎄 A Customised Mug 🎄</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlunJjeKRnMYNacaOEbzvXS2wEnTaStub2D1AfTlh-sMFyztf7_0O2QSq8ka606USJeth_e2nrrVdwaRhlYB5mlVKztyfTfloJ4ZUJO2jv8pUDzd2lz9P_qRRYPnt3EzXoa0DK_9r0f97/s1600/MUGGGGGSSS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="570" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlunJjeKRnMYNacaOEbzvXS2wEnTaStub2D1AfTlh-sMFyztf7_0O2QSq8ka606USJeth_e2nrrVdwaRhlYB5mlVKztyfTfloJ4ZUJO2jv8pUDzd2lz9P_qRRYPnt3EzXoa0DK_9r0f97/s320/MUGGGGGSSS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Etsy Shop:<span style="color: #a64d79;"> <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/DeliciousAccessories" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">DeliciousAccessories</span></a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezR39mffGd2SY1mD6HwzMpfhdqecm9Fhd9CT0snpHhEtmbIDywnTYsOBQ6bGPOEHDinpZGurOcfnAURU2g-GUvVQQNi9yY7QLCXJ68CU_oMaYSp9Bd45SaFtTUTY0b3n0mVx8A_F2o8jv/s1600/MUG+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezR39mffGd2SY1mD6HwzMpfhdqecm9Fhd9CT0snpHhEtmbIDywnTYsOBQ6bGPOEHDinpZGurOcfnAURU2g-GUvVQQNi9yY7QLCXJ68CU_oMaYSp9Bd45SaFtTUTY0b3n0mVx8A_F2o8jv/s320/MUG+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Etsy Shop: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/HugsWithTheMugs" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">HugsWithTheMugs</span></a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DnvoJvyJHIg6hXYSjMcO9FUFiQUen9JHbmhlBvAFz-yY_zl8cjGbkztmE62yeul-zElcX45Io08vBn6z2i5PwhLJa8UORVEFMOKYDNbrQQiaLrxMSn939xFmCGKSre8yBuSYULF4lNFp/s1600/MUG+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="570" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DnvoJvyJHIg6hXYSjMcO9FUFiQUen9JHbmhlBvAFz-yY_zl8cjGbkztmE62yeul-zElcX45Io08vBn6z2i5PwhLJa8UORVEFMOKYDNbrQQiaLrxMSn939xFmCGKSre8yBuSYULF4lNFp/s320/MUG+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Etsy Shop: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/NicoleGreyDesigns" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">NicoleGreyDesigns</span></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHgB70LCdh1ql5xCwrQrhYBbR9yfk9JKMOKLQuu0te71S-trhUDUdRR-E_uF_SjMy6TfMG1YCdbXP5P9R49lJYmdrwIj3OCRSLcO0Ts_TQp9US9lRJUjvi_-xW4eUImD7oKIPYEGLKjA0/s1600/MUG+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHgB70LCdh1ql5xCwrQrhYBbR9yfk9JKMOKLQuu0te71S-trhUDUdRR-E_uF_SjMy6TfMG1YCdbXP5P9R49lJYmdrwIj3OCRSLcO0Ts_TQp9US9lRJUjvi_-xW4eUImD7oKIPYEGLKjA0/s320/MUG+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Etsy Shop:<span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: 12.8px;"> <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/HandLetteringLaura" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">HandLetteringLaura </span></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Jewellery </u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">🎄 Woodland Jewellery 🎄</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFt3XkSMDsZKxOu5Ec-3QRS8wy60P2mRKCq4coUJyU-79r1Wxmdo2T4aPlLns69ejSKwO7nGGogNUOXgkhj9hSexP8GEX9RxLxWNpVbPtPJGKypyrf5w43bMIdgtzr1qlPsLRhopfGEzN/s1600/FOX+CHARM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="570" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFt3XkSMDsZKxOu5Ec-3QRS8wy60P2mRKCq4coUJyU-79r1Wxmdo2T4aPlLns69ejSKwO7nGGogNUOXgkhj9hSexP8GEX9RxLxWNpVbPtPJGKypyrf5w43bMIdgtzr1qlPsLRhopfGEzN/s320/FOX+CHARM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Etsy Shop: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/WishKnotsJewellery" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">WishKnotsJewellery</span></a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHw2pTSDZocr3PJ0jm3Yw-6iEZSoY2ePRvQ8_wCoxh6_NyrA_onIyFOTsDDlfoAydu2dAFBi8gw5fBsGFIvYx5dRb4WCfeYxTbvj7CWWsZOOhfGt0hgglGzajVZ3uS7edyganXkJgQDkV/s1600/TREEEESSSS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="570" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHw2pTSDZocr3PJ0jm3Yw-6iEZSoY2ePRvQ8_wCoxh6_NyrA_onIyFOTsDDlfoAydu2dAFBi8gw5fBsGFIvYx5dRb4WCfeYxTbvj7CWWsZOOhfGt0hgglGzajVZ3uS7edyganXkJgQDkV/s320/TREEEESSSS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Etsy Shop: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Beaditch" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Beaditch</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiIY-rUHReW9b8KDi51RoQIesnff3Amf_SpkOZSJPTpXkBlXR1k5TPEu4E7AhYl98s7ZQUXJn9aKKfuFzq2iyczjKikTg_kdNqWd9nn1orthFFMEKBoIAfk3xfFMocPIQxAnRLe4dARFhq/s1600/MOSSSSSSSSSS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiIY-rUHReW9b8KDi51RoQIesnff3Amf_SpkOZSJPTpXkBlXR1k5TPEu4E7AhYl98s7ZQUXJn9aKKfuFzq2iyczjKikTg_kdNqWd9nn1orthFFMEKBoIAfk3xfFMocPIQxAnRLe4dARFhq/s320/MOSSSSSSSSSS.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Etsy Shop: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ButterflynToadstool" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">ButterflynToadstool</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">🎄 </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Accessories & Other </u></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">🎄</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What often works for me is just buying a bunch of small goodies, putting them into a pretty bag and getting them wrapped! A goodie bag makes a cute and great gift!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Examples of Goodies:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cute Stationary</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Keyrings (maybe personalised!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Small Jewellery like earrings, rings or a necklace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A pack of bracelets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I also think chocolate and sweets are great gifts especially ones wrapped in cute and fancy packaging!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A good BOOK or many books are AMAZING gifts for Bookworms (*Cough* Like Me)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And last but not least, if you're still unable to decide on a gift or you're just unsure about what present to buy someone, a GIFT CARD is a saviour! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I hope you found this post helpful and if you did, please let me know!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Until next time,</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-3082234622937888402018-12-06T23:50:00.003-08:002018-12-07T00:01:09.585-08:00Blogmas Day 6 : 20 Easy & Festive Nail Ideas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4K9nJ7g6SUi1Gdxeu7FhWtii-SwqdITGCShXcsbiqSdNwTfCSmPHXJLjhBS5BoGD1mBguLwA6k_jllhQWqJQqAiWYadFLy_86SbW20vrDYD7A-ILv07aoE5aJeCcHhXJZhOtLQEcBLlJL/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4K9nJ7g6SUi1Gdxeu7FhWtii-SwqdITGCShXcsbiqSdNwTfCSmPHXJLjhBS5BoGD1mBguLwA6k_jllhQWqJQqAiWYadFLy_86SbW20vrDYD7A-ILv07aoE5aJeCcHhXJZhOtLQEcBLlJL/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+6.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hey loves!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So for Blogmas Day 6, I thought of sharing a few festive nail ideas. These are SUPER EASY and GLAMOROUS! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here we go...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Snow Globe Nails</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Super Cute!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sjIKTT92dO152NIf68IT2Yq10DO35a1-WWHa1He1JGyztkn16tzD4VEP0muyMSb-qZlWcsNIVH5WODnw730GfN0T_eNKJVR9u803fjFU92NEghHkychyU7ny0Uo2gmKyXgLScGITF9VY/s1600/Nails+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="826" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sjIKTT92dO152NIf68IT2Yq10DO35a1-WWHa1He1JGyztkn16tzD4VEP0muyMSb-qZlWcsNIVH5WODnw730GfN0T_eNKJVR9u803fjFU92NEghHkychyU7ny0Uo2gmKyXgLScGITF9VY/s320/Nails+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Snowman Accent Nails</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB4OjEtWCb7o8r7ObUcEBAMcTFlATn7esIsc1Pr5rh9FFN1588bxzSvEExt_Nr10VEVAeeKmj5Jr-LckndtWeddlrCz-e47bGX783cik7JmemszThqjKSUwEqMfyXZkLihFdwrZs9wvLE/s1600/Nails+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="831" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB4OjEtWCb7o8r7ObUcEBAMcTFlATn7esIsc1Pr5rh9FFN1588bxzSvEExt_Nr10VEVAeeKmj5Jr-LckndtWeddlrCz-e47bGX783cik7JmemszThqjKSUwEqMfyXZkLihFdwrZs9wvLE/s320/Nails+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Red Matte With Leaves</u></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0N_9adHTxk96uyXfSQ15G-q2u7EAJS3aHp1QfbH-TggMntF2O5wHBuTdpqAdAudPn1FmCHwg2BEmpUIECszePmFxwBWhbP97epT7Mqse6MUjipL61DWa9n5VN-Vlg8-PSto4lyhZ_XzH7/s1600/Nails+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="771" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0N_9adHTxk96uyXfSQ15G-q2u7EAJS3aHp1QfbH-TggMntF2O5wHBuTdpqAdAudPn1FmCHwg2BEmpUIECszePmFxwBWhbP97epT7Mqse6MUjipL61DWa9n5VN-Vlg8-PSto4lyhZ_XzH7/s320/Nails+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">String Lights Nails</u><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These are definitely my FAVOURITE! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovTAQRMAaf23ZkewsqPTQ2Xj_mPAZk494eEEOuJOvP9ZWsqqUce3FIFKMkBZ9jQAcgaVVZdRu5ngh2sTI_HiMM5dS3o4syemiS5Eows5MVr-a9r9OGysehy3aH2Ggkqwrzcz0XYrb-iO-/s1600/Nails+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovTAQRMAaf23ZkewsqPTQ2Xj_mPAZk494eEEOuJOvP9ZWsqqUce3FIFKMkBZ9jQAcgaVVZdRu5ngh2sTI_HiMM5dS3o4syemiS5Eows5MVr-a9r9OGysehy3aH2Ggkqwrzcz0XYrb-iO-/s320/Nails+4.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Pretty Pudding Nails</u><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEahIdHckmsQknstp1QuUTIPMpa0Q00F7xgsd1aqLNv5QSaL3dM0Enxvm-czcQgsxOAnBxSUDEiGb1G6PvkwSJ7s9AQ4PUjIxHJq6YFHW3DTlUx37jnvcEA31Ng5lf5E311BBpLJTUwuE7/s1600/Nails+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="479" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEahIdHckmsQknstp1QuUTIPMpa0Q00F7xgsd1aqLNv5QSaL3dM0Enxvm-czcQgsxOAnBxSUDEiGb1G6PvkwSJ7s9AQ4PUjIxHJq6YFHW3DTlUx37jnvcEA31Ng5lf5E311BBpLJTUwuE7/s320/Nails+5.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Snowflake Design</u><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrkeRAmxo_0OKtWtghz-UaHilU1vvOO3ALn8fqPw6btRwhk2badYaP2OEdcPNy9MONlwFZtVkUCVT_G1MyhSdrhlIG2Z1eon1mp8RLZnme8lLPNxUq2qU9m5IFBRK30eNb4dGqNsY2T6n/s1600/Nails+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrkeRAmxo_0OKtWtghz-UaHilU1vvOO3ALn8fqPw6btRwhk2badYaP2OEdcPNy9MONlwFZtVkUCVT_G1MyhSdrhlIG2Z1eon1mp8RLZnme8lLPNxUq2qU9m5IFBRK30eNb4dGqNsY2T6n/s320/Nails+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Green & Gold Christmas Tree Design</u></span><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfex1GBO2zqDoNCowNx6E4Lc8cYI_zMXPxPybS9RD1yU1-_8VLwnQmSKxZfIzf2lZ1xXThPw6xLQn1S7vNdHvOAkb1UWjf6qlY7161Lz9TUdnPLi9HKS34J-MkPgz5t_SUFXZm8JJqGJW/s1600/Nails+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="620" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfex1GBO2zqDoNCowNx6E4Lc8cYI_zMXPxPybS9RD1yU1-_8VLwnQmSKxZfIzf2lZ1xXThPw6xLQn1S7vNdHvOAkb1UWjf6qlY7161Lz9TUdnPLi9HKS34J-MkPgz5t_SUFXZm8JJqGJW/s320/Nails+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Cute Reindeer Design</u></span><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2CLyatliolPBOyng-ODGiqKAXulh-mHjlYhDEnI4npMN1OQT624EzSIKsxgGzQe4FskMMkpz3J3tEIJgkA7fIanN8rzNDb05CVW00I3RyZWfRyOkt7pUgiOCeoWd8ya2xMCEw5KJF2rk/s1600/Nails+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2CLyatliolPBOyng-ODGiqKAXulh-mHjlYhDEnI4npMN1OQT624EzSIKsxgGzQe4FskMMkpz3J3tEIJgkA7fIanN8rzNDb05CVW00I3RyZWfRyOkt7pUgiOCeoWd8ya2xMCEw5KJF2rk/s320/Nails+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Sparkly White & Gold Design</u><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMoRW3HQYys4zGC7DPLN1lkSHIivWi0f6S5lAgzmN3f3PtKPHXac0cuJYU5kdTZ0Y8vaZFRT2GyNIKk9UuwnzOWVYCQCFf4mulnTHUmRIPLn4JnQByjf3_szVlIZn04rRzN6RlJJjnsB0/s1600/Nails+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMoRW3HQYys4zGC7DPLN1lkSHIivWi0f6S5lAgzmN3f3PtKPHXac0cuJYU5kdTZ0Y8vaZFRT2GyNIKk9UuwnzOWVYCQCFf4mulnTHUmRIPLn4JnQByjf3_szVlIZn04rRzN6RlJJjnsB0/s320/Nails+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Easy Christmas Nails</u><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfp9GUFLH316CPGqIxTn7kZYmKcxID4iorEdeG2rfOmSqlzRmpjDB4YfFQxVg6rpQHQQ-KPH7JELvDHAM4RgzOdBzkKk4G0DaFZPRriOXqqhwydsB3wAdWwPAzVH2iwQMfLR-V7pqxb5b/s1600/Nails+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfp9GUFLH316CPGqIxTn7kZYmKcxID4iorEdeG2rfOmSqlzRmpjDB4YfFQxVg6rpQHQQ-KPH7JELvDHAM4RgzOdBzkKk4G0DaFZPRriOXqqhwydsB3wAdWwPAzVH2iwQMfLR-V7pqxb5b/s320/Nails+10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Elegant Red & Gold Nails</u><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLr1N363yUCVT_3M68Pj0NOWxOlLATLd9iF4yhx5J52U3qc9NmYLNRvlVeSg5cCkr5DYF_2t947IFV1jLqu6khDjrhSSNdnNW2l329E9fdBqnE5tegOLnflKLbjek00a9jsRYZWHHzpTz/s1600/Nails+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLr1N363yUCVT_3M68Pj0NOWxOlLATLd9iF4yhx5J52U3qc9NmYLNRvlVeSg5cCkr5DYF_2t947IFV1jLqu6khDjrhSSNdnNW2l329E9fdBqnE5tegOLnflKLbjek00a9jsRYZWHHzpTz/s320/Nails+11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Matte Gingerbread Nails</u><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMhudFWj96ErRJ3CkbIEWKtKVGeZ1ltiNNwKMaqZnIxvti_1663ckPlasKBJjcaCUNPfA1iMrJCAZy6vx7eVKAxyFKvwo86xC313se7KdJZHtP0sYaVa0F0SKYsbT4x3HohiKRmWlajH7/s1600/Nails+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMhudFWj96ErRJ3CkbIEWKtKVGeZ1ltiNNwKMaqZnIxvti_1663ckPlasKBJjcaCUNPfA1iMrJCAZy6vx7eVKAxyFKvwo86xC313se7KdJZHtP0sYaVa0F0SKYsbT4x3HohiKRmWlajH7/s320/Nails+12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Super Cute & Easy Nails</u><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoryuduc6oPe8VFvIA3fScYFuIoUXsL1TzcVsidJo174UIybcNtXSDzQ9cbA4YSY8udD54uvrEBloFZ2O1DQEg-QpUBpPB3ozEF6VIR_iEq0QPEfKu9REGO6BCWcQ9nAaHGjMh8oNvYrz/s1600/Nails+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="620" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoryuduc6oPe8VFvIA3fScYFuIoUXsL1TzcVsidJo174UIybcNtXSDzQ9cbA4YSY8udD54uvrEBloFZ2O1DQEg-QpUBpPB3ozEF6VIR_iEq0QPEfKu9REGO6BCWcQ9nAaHGjMh8oNvYrz/s320/Nails+13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Snowman Design</u><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk49FEq08QSq6chIRwiunWUVGeLSARVwpXeIczlS02Gxc-9Q17UdgsM70sISKKiakum85ThYe7j0fJrPYFXZuDP5VuKqCYTq-qJv5jCFgYZcHYP4P5lkN1hl18CrKjAlQaVBu8YwBeJto8/s1600/Nails+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk49FEq08QSq6chIRwiunWUVGeLSARVwpXeIczlS02Gxc-9Q17UdgsM70sISKKiakum85ThYe7j0fJrPYFXZuDP5VuKqCYTq-qJv5jCFgYZcHYP4P5lkN1hl18CrKjAlQaVBu8YwBeJto8/s320/Nails+14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Mistletoe Nails</u><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJc02OIqnsjsjuZOXF2pUuVKkT0loJftGPtvV3tl8I9TlJxmis2RrA1wQGOs_PmgUWw4Q6MQMfbvzJB6qVJCnNRxbqS_4dL5sou_UOBHQuSmV_-Kwz2DFQw61WpIAsRbD35bDUK0IMTqEH/s1600/Nails+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJc02OIqnsjsjuZOXF2pUuVKkT0loJftGPtvV3tl8I9TlJxmis2RrA1wQGOs_PmgUWw4Q6MQMfbvzJB6qVJCnNRxbqS_4dL5sou_UOBHQuSmV_-Kwz2DFQw61WpIAsRbD35bDUK0IMTqEH/s320/Nails+15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Festive Design</u><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyTDvbUGS5v-yOTqSKH33O7c-ugtXHOdZbe_E-v4GCn-nuWMGapY2LBhO8UuhEs10TIkj_quwNqIxrR2cfPXBg3yJQWDzS2TVKKIZ1tfzz9T3qfMjJQVEc-3a04o4AWCCl21YIQcjpRZ3/s1600/Nails+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyTDvbUGS5v-yOTqSKH33O7c-ugtXHOdZbe_E-v4GCn-nuWMGapY2LBhO8UuhEs10TIkj_quwNqIxrR2cfPXBg3yJQWDzS2TVKKIZ1tfzz9T3qfMjJQVEc-3a04o4AWCCl21YIQcjpRZ3/s320/Nails+16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Reindeer Accent Nails</u><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiHGsvh5A2FM37dvSE7SsS2sUlOG8CTg210DIpKbyRIR-ylYgiceiwTd0M4iaYnPOOHIEYNXrP7VgtWc0PNVyy7WoDNx0h97m7GED0dS4yKpSgG4CVmtoNT-4MDzQS8-UoRvnRsk2tzEA/s1600/Nails+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiHGsvh5A2FM37dvSE7SsS2sUlOG8CTg210DIpKbyRIR-ylYgiceiwTd0M4iaYnPOOHIEYNXrP7VgtWc0PNVyy7WoDNx0h97m7GED0dS4yKpSgG4CVmtoNT-4MDzQS8-UoRvnRsk2tzEA/s320/Nails+17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Pretty Snowflakes & Christmas Tree Accent Nails</u><br />
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1b5oPpKMNixcR6fsyp4r6HpPM14NQoGcMhYfYBB_0RuHkAAx1t2iOmW9ivSed4yI-yXtrLEF2mHZuk-S8RSBWAwEDegoTZ0yJsEiemj6EuxRpxRiqqs6nchTPxqEjgweS8WtdaXxLv38/s1600/Nails+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1b5oPpKMNixcR6fsyp4r6HpPM14NQoGcMhYfYBB_0RuHkAAx1t2iOmW9ivSed4yI-yXtrLEF2mHZuk-S8RSBWAwEDegoTZ0yJsEiemj6EuxRpxRiqqs6nchTPxqEjgweS8WtdaXxLv38/s320/Nails+18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>Holly Design</u></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioumOEXqa4X3dqckYYBktHVt6UJbkXxC-1dpqbefhcKS5oJcdrxIWyosZXSUO9yfE3Z5-Ro8Iy1Yk0r0X1sxuxLTYE42px1Oo6SJKsVez06iS4GsbfCeDl_eSJew2FFRaxpjJMn5brnO_X/s1600/Nails+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioumOEXqa4X3dqckYYBktHVt6UJbkXxC-1dpqbefhcKS5oJcdrxIWyosZXSUO9yfE3Z5-Ro8Iy1Yk0r0X1sxuxLTYE42px1Oo6SJKsVez06iS4GsbfCeDl_eSJew2FFRaxpjJMn5brnO_X/s320/Nails+19.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Easy Last Minute Christmas Nails</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9oc1UOKThjxlD_r23PQZAjCJKoYK44ySxvN1Ajoz5ywwsulgv1lYcj6efFZRCmCwlmkVtH12fgG3oSxTmR68FvoRPA-mn_piCZlM-CwdQjrbG-ivTm8RhpxKTRlkKqEIqIFATF8Q1S0E/s1600/Nails+20+Last+Minute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9oc1UOKThjxlD_r23PQZAjCJKoYK44ySxvN1Ajoz5ywwsulgv1lYcj6efFZRCmCwlmkVtH12fgG3oSxTmR68FvoRPA-mn_piCZlM-CwdQjrbG-ivTm8RhpxKTRlkKqEIqIFATF8Q1S0E/s320/Nails+20+Last+Minute.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That's it! I hope you found this post helpful!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Until next time,</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafPfH9yn-fTNpkD3tlHi3RPYfq1wTqw36djqnA2daIkLfzGCvG9bqpIFJomQeYAvqApLHSSW9oyYo7i_KE9hBFkkTWmIjnW5xjyoEXcBhQFkrc41qWTCpPr4PlKF9dcPVN4kgmzWWvhmU/s1600/SR+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafPfH9yn-fTNpkD3tlHi3RPYfq1wTqw36djqnA2daIkLfzGCvG9bqpIFJomQeYAvqApLHSSW9oyYo7i_KE9hBFkkTWmIjnW5xjyoEXcBhQFkrc41qWTCpPr4PlKF9dcPVN4kgmzWWvhmU/s200/SR+%25281%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></u>Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6696295789178254820.post-68391365702793719432018-12-05T08:23:00.002-08:002018-12-05T08:23:52.212-08:00Blogmas Day 5 : My Top 10 Christmas Movies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQumxkNZRaKjNnxtOu5Ah42CxMw9zX4elRMSIZ2tn0M7yM_DEzNiA6CjS8-DxH7HSkhUzu35dTnLn9YSbwapD4oNuIIlOavteSdktG49NnvgvtUG4JHg2HaOSK6LAXKtva4-U4LdXtICC/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQumxkNZRaKjNnxtOu5Ah42CxMw9zX4elRMSIZ2tn0M7yM_DEzNiA6CjS8-DxH7HSkhUzu35dTnLn9YSbwapD4oNuIIlOavteSdktG49NnvgvtUG4JHg2HaOSK6LAXKtva4-U4LdXtICC/s1600/BLOGMAS+DAY+5.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Hey loves!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">So for Blogmas Day 5, I wanted to share my top 10 Christmas Films. These 10 films are films I've watched countless times but Christmas does not feel the same without them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Here we go...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><u>It's a Wonderful Life (1946)</u></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqC-8dNdgC44feWDle4Sq0KGSqKZCDZt8ZVgGkgxpeM8rXxN8egwn0sWEAqohOpVVVJO6W-5BW9WOmDRSG0x_cA4hKGqPWfRKVG-LlZSqT4ZTwxTaMo9dqSvh27d-qrXyFZeVw9yaC9kaB/s1600/wonderfulpic.0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqC-8dNdgC44feWDle4Sq0KGSqKZCDZt8ZVgGkgxpeM8rXxN8egwn0sWEAqohOpVVVJO6W-5BW9WOmDRSG0x_cA4hKGqPWfRKVG-LlZSqT4ZTwxTaMo9dqSvh27d-qrXyFZeVw9yaC9kaB/s1600/wonderfulpic.0.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Home Alone (1990)</u></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSJdsS7iTQ7-Wgaz4mEgW44Z_M0huPWlzdrAK3S9xvvJCRsNKDj913eJIIc_ihHwJb2zEXzINxnIIP-ocFF9btOXV5Fr9bwwuWmTkdANZLhG5SbdO1muje2aWcyx7YQbs7WTM88PzY9aO/s1600/HOME+ALONE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1077" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSJdsS7iTQ7-Wgaz4mEgW44Z_M0huPWlzdrAK3S9xvvJCRsNKDj913eJIIc_ihHwJb2zEXzINxnIIP-ocFF9btOXV5Fr9bwwuWmTkdANZLhG5SbdO1muje2aWcyx7YQbs7WTM88PzY9aO/s1600/HOME+ALONE.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><u>How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)</u></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigsyAUbdeCxLKY2RFOiFGzKxwu5f38IuqvLKDWrwR5idMn_c-06AGOhLcBSowLSCg_YTgaKpi5rXK7lbeW745B5PEhzmYHtMEOnfk612m7-Mju9Ys8f5POhOtUXWyDR9Arjwef-HdBouN/s1600/The+Grinch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigsyAUbdeCxLKY2RFOiFGzKxwu5f38IuqvLKDWrwR5idMn_c-06AGOhLcBSowLSCg_YTgaKpi5rXK7lbeW745B5PEhzmYHtMEOnfk612m7-Mju9Ys8f5POhOtUXWyDR9Arjwef-HdBouN/s1600/The+Grinch.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Elf (2003)</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAqnSK4ycQdHRGkrtQ2ni-XBvZZQEd3E4nu_8NNZOGjIdnJU8mOspdk17cclizAk2SrxJO4taOmy0iB7MyZnKHmy0cgv2aeeo9GM6GkUPbhs75xfY4yjPX6lJCCsFf2jYsWW3LGZuWX-h/s1600/ELF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAqnSK4ycQdHRGkrtQ2ni-XBvZZQEd3E4nu_8NNZOGjIdnJU8mOspdk17cclizAk2SrxJO4taOmy0iB7MyZnKHmy0cgv2aeeo9GM6GkUPbhs75xfY4yjPX6lJCCsFf2jYsWW3LGZuWX-h/s1600/ELF.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Polar Express (2004)</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDE5mOArRaC7lop6-X_Z8wKrhgMivnsSFmAKKEILXIZqjP-BPKADTKegPEpjxEXaSs21VB00lRtYWuUZsHGSLmkmXlwSiAlPEXCj0euDDXHcY84Sgq7tesFkhB9MxGXGWoJ2rdnzMoKb8m/s1600/The-Polar-Express-700x394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDE5mOArRaC7lop6-X_Z8wKrhgMivnsSFmAKKEILXIZqjP-BPKADTKegPEpjxEXaSs21VB00lRtYWuUZsHGSLmkmXlwSiAlPEXCj0euDDXHcY84Sgq7tesFkhB9MxGXGWoJ2rdnzMoKb8m/s1600/The-Polar-Express-700x394.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65yqtkY7HyIIbO76tQJmJivah2_AJn0sK1tuMvQwgj6Kwr4GMoECR91afxHF3S1Dxuj01CjSO5o7XKqbnODMArm5K9VoO8RaEGdBKvX5MgETR-uxVUzX46vZw4kAuqwHMY5eYhMwEQ7iE/s1600/THE+NIGHTMARE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65yqtkY7HyIIbO76tQJmJivah2_AJn0sK1tuMvQwgj6Kwr4GMoECR91afxHF3S1Dxuj01CjSO5o7XKqbnODMArm5K9VoO8RaEGdBKvX5MgETR-uxVUzX46vZw4kAuqwHMY5eYhMwEQ7iE/s1600/THE+NIGHTMARE.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Frosty The Snowman (1969)</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJt-85qFD1omZl54uhM6YG29-282krQUUy_RB0O5uUqdKzy_kt60kl_wMKE3EI2zg3vM2NOogsJmyZgIlA1nvWis2jUoKJKP-HSNaenOKK2X5riEV3eve_nAwMNlMwq8SR6cxnZ_2apkb8/s1600/FROSTY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJt-85qFD1omZl54uhM6YG29-282krQUUy_RB0O5uUqdKzy_kt60kl_wMKE3EI2zg3vM2NOogsJmyZgIlA1nvWis2jUoKJKP-HSNaenOKK2X5riEV3eve_nAwMNlMwq8SR6cxnZ_2apkb8/s1600/FROSTY.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Gremlins (1984)</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRx_I7G22cMlbE_RxqSyC-C5fykEXfBXRbGoU2diBUvfGeaanXYvaiEW0tRHad0m_L_SybUJSLJXSaXiFBhqqdBvGgndm8UVXUe2JJTrFJsmWw5h0_7h2iQUp7xW6e7Ppkz2e0eUFW2Z7h/s1600/Gremlins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRx_I7G22cMlbE_RxqSyC-C5fykEXfBXRbGoU2diBUvfGeaanXYvaiEW0tRHad0m_L_SybUJSLJXSaXiFBhqqdBvGgndm8UVXUe2JJTrFJsmWw5h0_7h2iQUp7xW6e7Ppkz2e0eUFW2Z7h/s1600/Gremlins.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Arthur Christmas (2011)</u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAH1Aq91k4xjelbp5jqNfiUBZfK5HdQOBeBXKpUTIMDDMuGzkTjVOPr3DqtFO6m51mEum7jkHvAAatFB0uYcEYIoe3pG3NyNaBS5upbVrxXXKUllI0vWdk9pscWyXefGJ5LT5FVjQPWuJ6/s1600/Athur+Xmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="940" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAH1Aq91k4xjelbp5jqNfiUBZfK5HdQOBeBXKpUTIMDDMuGzkTjVOPr3DqtFO6m51mEum7jkHvAAatFB0uYcEYIoe3pG3NyNaBS5upbVrxXXKUllI0vWdk9pscWyXefGJ5LT5FVjQPWuJ6/s1600/Athur+Xmas.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhDg1qdlE4MgrgMABFuPHGl7nuvPxQtahQrzb0ZH5SaeiN9DKfs-LaooQZkcNBCiQFVaNVA9Qw6nIy0ozXTIc-ZUxT1B6-gfesy2yM2z57sJn6hijURfzC9WtyRFQwvPrLR_NzW-oEbrc/s1600/MUPPET.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhDg1qdlE4MgrgMABFuPHGl7nuvPxQtahQrzb0ZH5SaeiN9DKfs-LaooQZkcNBCiQFVaNVA9Qw6nIy0ozXTIc-ZUxT1B6-gfesy2yM2z57sJn6hijURfzC9WtyRFQwvPrLR_NzW-oEbrc/s1600/MUPPET.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Until Next Time,</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafPfH9yn-fTNpkD3tlHi3RPYfq1wTqw36djqnA2daIkLfzGCvG9bqpIFJomQeYAvqApLHSSW9oyYo7i_KE9hBFkkTWmIjnW5xjyoEXcBhQFkrc41qWTCpPr4PlKF9dcPVN4kgmzWWvhmU/s1600/SR+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafPfH9yn-fTNpkD3tlHi3RPYfq1wTqw36djqnA2daIkLfzGCvG9bqpIFJomQeYAvqApLHSSW9oyYo7i_KE9hBFkkTWmIjnW5xjyoEXcBhQFkrc41qWTCpPr4PlKF9dcPVN4kgmzWWvhmU/s200/SR+%25281%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Shania Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15360440345844304329noreply@blogger.com0