Christmas jumpers and The Maze Runner

Hey guys :)

So Christmas is in 2 weeks (WHAT??!) and I'm trying to get into the festive mood (although I am not sure it is socially acceptable for me to hand out Christmas cards yet!!). 
Unfortunately, anyone who knows me will understand how bad I am with Christmas presents - I hardly ever know what to get my family, and I usually just get my friends chocolate. This year is no different, despite the fact that one of my friends told me not to buy her chocolate this year, due to the fact that I bombarded her with Hersheys on her birthday (she loved it really). I'm also quite bad at shopping, as I get sidetracked incredibly easily (this doesn't just go for shopping, but for just about any situation in which I can lose focus!).

However, one achievement I have made recently is that I have bought my VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS JUMPER

*gasp*

Seriously. I have gone 14 years (nearly 15) without ever getting a Christmas jumper, even though I absolutely love both festivity and jumpers... One of the main reasons the idea really came to mind this year is because on Friday, our school have a Christmas jumper day to raise money for charity and I kind of wanted to dress for the occasion. 

Another thing that I've been thinking about recently is The Maze Runner series, which is a really cool apocalyptic style book, which (inevitably) has The Hunger Games mentioned on the cover, because all adventure fiction/apocalyptic style books have that on the cover these days. I can't really complain though - I always end up falling in love with the books anyway!

I saw the film adaptation a while back in the cinema (twice) and I remember it being awesome, though I have to say, the book is so much better! It's not that the movie is bad or anything (it also had Thomas Sangster in it, which is always a good thing!), I just feel like the ending is rushed and so much is left unexplained about the entire plot - the book really answered some questions for me. 

My favourite characters so far are probably Teresa, Thomas and Newt - Teresa for her guts and wits, Thomas for his bravery and impulsiveness, Newt for the sass. Newt always seems to have the answer to every stupid question asked by the other characters, is gloriously sarcastic and often seems to be the only one who's able to think straight. 

I also think that Teresa gets a chance to develop as a character throughout the first book in a way that she doesn't in the film, which is sad, but I suppose the movie did have to be cut to a certain length.

I completely love James Dashner's style of writing - the language is sophisticated, yet casual enough for the teenagers to seem believable.

I am currently starting The Scorch Trials; book 2 in the series, so I'll let you know how I get on with that. 

Also, braces update: I think I might be getting mine off soon(ish). I am not sure how far away "soon" is, because no one ever seems to be able to guarantee anything when it comes to my braces, but I hope to have them off before my birthday (I don't know, I just think that would be cool). I am kinda tired of not being able to smile in photos now! :/

What do you guys usually go for when it comes to Christmas presents? Is there any alternative to chocolate? (is there ever?!)

Speak to you soon, 

Lucy x

Happy Monday!!

Hey there :)
Sooo... 
Happy Monday everyone! (note the sarcasm...)

Just kidding! 
Well, kind of. I hope everyone had a happy Monday!! :3
It is my third day back at school today, and although school itself has been cool so far (it feels luxurious to finally be in Year 10 and have the privilege to choose my own subjects!), everyone seems to be kind of down-in-the-dumps. 

I don't know whether this is partly due to the weather at the moment, but I can kind of understand if that is the reason. This morning when I set off for school I almost believed I would freeze to death - I tend to get cold really easily and I remember this year I wore my winter coat until about May. 
This afternoon, however, when I was at the park with my friends, the sun decided to come out in an attempt to FRY US ALL.

Anyyywaayy, enough of that! This blog post doesn't exactly have much point, but I thought I'd just kind of mention a few random things. Let us begin...

So recently I discovered this thing called a library! 
You'd think I'm joking, but I'm not. Until about 3 weeks ago, I had literally never even had a library card other than my school one which I have only ever used for homework. This is weird, considering I absolutely LOVE reading. I used to not like the thought of libraries as the books you take out of them aren't really your own. Despite this, I think I am beginning to love the library, and I have only ever been there once! It gives me the same feeling as I get when walking into a book store, which is an awesome feeling!
Anyway, one of the first books I got from the library was Beastly, by Alex Flinn. 

I had actually watched the movie before reading this, and didn't know about the book before seeing it in the library. 
Let me tell you, if you like the movie and/or the story of Beauty and The Beast, you will LOVE the book. I mean, obviously there is no Alex Pettyfer included in the book (it's a book, what did you expect?!), but I personally believe that the book is SOOOO much better. I have been reading the edition of the book that includes Lindy (the main female character)'s diary, though even before I started reading that, I kind of felt like I could relate to Lindy on a spiritual level. 
For instance, when she is exploring the house on her first day and is way more excited by the library than she is the wardrobe. 

Obviously I have never experienced anything as terrible as she has in her life, but she is one of those characters that I REALLY wish could exist because I think we'd get along great. 
Not to mention that Beauty and The Beast was always my favourite story growing up (it was the first movie I ever cried at!). 
Warning: The book will give you the strange urge to suddenly make a rose garden! 
(is that just me?!)
I also would not really recommend it if you aren't into soppy love-stories (I am, personally). 

Something else that I am really into right now is the band Paramore. I know that some Paramore fans my age have been listening to their music since they were little and everything, but for me, when I was little, Paramore music was the kind of music I would hear in shops or as cars came past with music blaring and got me thinking, Oh my gosh, I love this! and then I would not hear that same song again for years because I never knew the song name (doh!!). However, it was probably sometime last year when I really properly discovered them, and I LOVE their music so much! I have the album Riot!, and recently their songs have been in my head all day, every day! I really want to get some of their other albums!
For now though, I will have to settle for listening to some of their other songs on YouTube. *sigh*

That is all for today! I will probably make a post based on stuff I love about Autumn soon (just to warn you, Autumn is my favourite season!).

Have a good week, 
Lucy x