So I thought that this week I’d do a post talking about some of the things that everyone else is fed up of listening to me rave about… I’m not talking about books or anything in this post, apart from one, which is in a different way! So here are the things that I have been loving recently:

Apps

Poem Hunter
If you love poetry then I can guarantee that you will love this app. I found it when I was looking up Maya Angelou poems on the website (she is amazing. I can’t re-read her poems enough) and it suggested the app. I thought “why not?” as you do, and it is the best decision that I’ve made recently. It suggests a new poem and poet every day and there is a “random poem” when you open the app so that you can discover new people. This app is just brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone – whether you like to read one poem a year or several every day.

Quiz Up
This is a quiz app with a difference. You choose from one of the seemingly endless topic lists and then it’ll partner you with someone across the world. The games are really quick which makes it a great game if you don’t have long or you have hours to kill. I play it a lot with my boyfriend, as you can play a round and they can play their turn later. It’ll add the points when both people have played. This one of my most played games recently because it is just so addictive!

Trusper Tips
This I think is a similar platform to Pinterest (which I don’t use – so I could be completely wrong) where anyone can share tips that they’ve used and found to work. There is such a variety on this app: recipes, workouts, makeup tutorials, hair care. I have discovered so many useful things as a result of this app. I would definitely recommend this – my friend downloaded it the other day as well and I’ve passed some of the tips on.

Films
I don’t actually watch many films, but I have rediscovered my childish side and my love of Disney has returned. Frozen, Tangled and Brave are some of the more recent ones that I’ve watched, as well as Bolt (the dog is adorable). Just the other day ‘The Jungle Book’, ‘Bambi’ and ‘Aristocats’ arrived, because I wanted to watch them. I really want to see Aladdin as well… For anyone reading this thinking “she’s seventeen, she should have grown out of Disney”. That is not possible, my friend. I will never grow out of Disney. *Mental four-year-old self stamps foot and crosses arms sulkily*.

Stationary

Sticky Notes
Since I have discovered these revision has been so much easier and more interesting too. I used to either read over my notes or write everything out in long bullet points. Now I just summarise points on sticky notes. The ones in the picture are from Paperchase, which has to be one of my favourite shops. If not my favourite. They’re so gorgeous and make revision so much more interesting. I also use them to put notes in my planner from time to time. For christmas I was given some “sticky note bookmarks” (also from Paperchase). I’m trying to use them more often (I usually try to remember my page – and fail) and also they have a white space so on every one I try to write a poem.

Fineliners
I use these with the sticky notes to revise and make notes. Colour coding makes everything so much clearer and more interesting, I find. They’re so useful in the editing of my english coursework and also when noting down homework and deadlines (I can colour code subjects etc). I’ve always loved fineliners, but I’m using them more than ever now. I use the Staedtler triplus fineliners, but there are so many brands. These are quite expensive! I really want to get the large set, though it’s quite pricey so I’m waiting for a sale in WHSmith. I have to admit that these are lifesavers when marking and making corrections etc in lessons.

Music

Lucy Spraggan
Singer-songwriter music is probably my favourite (though I’m pretty open with music) because usually the lyrics tell a story and have meaning. Ed Sheeran, Lucy Spraggan and Amy Macdonald are all examples I really enjoy. The thing about Lucy Spraggan’s lyrics is that they are so honest and apply to everyone. I go through phases with albums – I listen to them for a while then move on – but this is one I come back to, which is unusual. Bastille is another one I do this with. She can sound quite blunt with her lyrics, but I like that, because she says everything in a way that makes you go “yes, I know what she means”.

There are a lot of artists I love listening to; Bastille, Collabro, Amy Macdonald and Taylor Swift are just some – I’m not going to go on because that’ll take me ages!

News

This is something that I simply had to include. If you’ve read my “Let’s Talk About Books” post then you’ll know just how much I love “To Kill a Mockingbird”. You probably already know what I’m talking about… There is a sequel! *Squeals with excitement*. I went completely hyper when I read about it on twitter (after that feeling of questioning whether it was a Twitter prank or not). I cannot wait. July 14th cannot come soon enough. ‘Go Set a Watchman’ will be immediately preordered when it is available. Calm down Natalie. Calm….

Those are just a few of the things that I have been really enjoying recently. I could go on about so many apps or music artists, but I won’t. Thank you for reading!