Masters. I Need to Get Some Things Off Of My Chest.

Surprise surprise - university work has taken over my life yet again, which leaves little time for me to do fun things and read books! The rest of my Christmas break was taken up with work and I did not get time to read anymore books that were given to me for my birthday - sorry everyone that brought me books! So, instead, I am going to get some things off of my chest and vent...

"Sorry, I Have Deadlines..."

Friend: Emily, we need to go to the cinema or hang out soon!

Me: Sorry, I have deadlines...

This has basically I have said over the past two months, and as I have been swamped with university work, I have had absolutely no time to read any books apart from academic ones, or have a social life for that matter! I did not think you would want me to review a book on corporate communications and advertising, because you would probably fall asleep - so I have neglected my blog, sorry!

I have a big pile of books begging me to read them, which I was brought for my birthday, so hopefully over Christmas (university work permitting) I will have a chance to read something for enjoyment. If not, and if worst comes to worst, you will get a fascinating review of an academic book relating to my latest essay!

Life After Long Distance (A Soppy Post)

When my boyfriend of three months moved to California, USA in August 2014 - it thought it was the end of the world. The day he left my best-friend and myself, consumed about 5 kilograms of chocolate, approximately 2 kilograms of sugary sweets and numerous plates of ketchup covered chips; all whilst I tracked his flight for about 12 hours. Literally.

For me, ever the Drama Queen, the world had ended. However...

I do not regret being in a long distance relationship; not even one little bit. It proved to be the ultimate test of our relationship and revealed to each other our ugly sides (lets face it, we all have an ugly side) which we would have otherwise hidden from each other. At times, things were very tough and we considered breaking up on multiple occasions due to personal problems, but we pulled through because we had something worth fighting for. I now know that he is always there to support me and I am there for him also, unconditionally.

Some Honest Truths About Being in a Long Distance Relationship

For the past my boyfriend and myself have being in a long distance relationship whilst he jetted off to live in sunny California (the lucky bugger). Whilst it has not been plain sailing, and we have had a few problems, I feel that I have learnt a lot about each other and really learnt how to work together.

To be honest I was terrified before he left as I had no idea of what it would be like or what would happen. He is currently back in the UK (although albeit the other side of the country) and, although I am no expert, I thought I would share a couple of things.

So for those of your thinking about getting in to a long distance relationship, here are some honest truths which I wish I would have known before getting in one...

1. Lets face it, you are NOT in a relationship...
A long distance relationship is not really a relationship per say; it is a promise. A promise to support each other and wait for a time when you can be together, whether that will be in a couple of weeks, months or years. It is a promise for a future not present.

The Bookshelf Rules

I love my bookshelf, and needless to say, I am quite protective over it. So much so that when people borrow my books, I have a set of rules which I enforce in a deadly serious tone.

So, the rules to Emily's bookshelf are below...

1. Do not borrow my books without my permission

This one is quite a simple one really. Borrowing without permission is called stealing. Stealing is illegal. Do not do it. I will notice that one of my precious books is gone, and I will find you and I will hunt you done and kill you. Simples.

2. Do not fold the corners over

Use a bookmark. It is what they were made for. Duh!

The (Not So) Legacy of Roald Dahl

When I was little my mum brought me a Roald Dahl boxset, which contained such children's classics like The Twits, Matilda, The Witches and James and the Giant Peach, and started my love of reading. I really admire the creativity and imagination that went into his books and the way they showed kids that they can make a difference and do amazing things. Everyone I know read, and enjoyed, his books when they were little and, in effect, they have become a staple of my generation.

The Witches by Roald Dahl

(2001 Puffin edition)

I was therefore really surprised when I found some statistics, which were published by Renaissance Learning, that revealed that not one of Dahl's books was in the Top 10 Children's Best Loved Books in 2013! According to the 2013 What Kids are Reading survey, which gathered information from 300,000 schoolchildren from years 1-13, Dahl's stories were beaten by books including Stephanie Meyer's Twilight and Anthony Horowitz's Crocodile Tears. However, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling do make an appearance, so I guess all is not lost and children nowadays do have a partially decent taste in books! 

Whilst the books themselves seem to be losing popularity with younger readers; according to the survey, Dahl does lead the Top 10 Most-Read Children's Authors. This shows that whilst the reading tastes of children are changing; the nation does still value Dahl and his genius creations. The problem is therefore that they are just not being enjoyed by modern, young audiences... but why? What has changed?

5 Reasons Why Harry Potter is the Best Children's Series of All Time

Today my best friend and I went to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour for the third (yes, third) time.

As you can probably tell I am a huge Harry Potter fan, specifically of the books. I have loads of memorabilia (including an iPhone case, travel mug and Gryffindor scarf) have ridden on a broomstick three times, have drunk Butterbear in two different continents and have been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando.

My recent visit down Harry Potter memory lane got me thinking about why generations across the World have fallen in love with this series and inspired so many. The following are the reasons I have come up with (there's probably many, many more...).

1) An amazing book makes a great film

I am a huge fan of the films and, like many, I watched the films before I read the books. However, when I did read the books; I realised that the films do not do them justice. Much of Rowling's creativity, spark and imagination is lost, like many book to film productions, as the scale and detail of the world she created is not done justice in the films. For example, did you know that when translated into Aramaic, the killing curse, Avada Kedavra means "I will destroy as I speak"?! That is absolute genius. Why would you cut any of that creativity? After reading the books, I therefore felt somewhat at a loss and could not get over the amount that was changed and left out of the films.