A small musical rant...

I like to think of myself as generally quite open-minded about music. There are certain genres and artists that I really like but I'm usually quite happy to listen to whatever is on the radio. It might not necessarily be what I would buy, but it doesn't offend my ears. 

However, every now and then a song comes along that I feel I need to voice an opinion on. And the latest one is the song #Selfie by The Chainsmokers. (Here it is if you're lucky enough not to have heard it yet. I apologise in advance...)

The first time I heard this song I remember my first impression being how utterly awful it was and thinking that it must be a joke or some kind of parody. However, as I said, I like to be open-minded so I decided that maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea and that hopefully it would just blur into the background of all the other songs on the radio. As I started to hear it more and more I seem to have gone through two further stages of thinking.

After stage one of really disliking it, stage two, I'm ashamed to say was me actually in a strange way enjoying it. This came about due to it being frequently played when I was at the gym and realising it is actually a really good song to workout to. I began to see how it was quite catchy and I could appreciate it's appeal.

BUT, then came stage three. As I heard the song more and more I listened to what it was saying and saw how the messages it was giving out are not ones I necessarily agree with. These are:

• The way it glamourises drinking - even to the point where she feels sick due to drinking to excess.
• How it encourages smoking
• The way women are judged on how they look and are insulted due to this
• The suggestion that the singer is 'going to go home' with someone purely based on the fact that he thinks she looks good

Basically, the song is saying that in order to sleep with someone you need to go out, get drunk and show the world how great you look. Now, I may be taking this all too seriously, and I'm guessing the song is meant in a light-hearted and slightly comedic way. But the issue I have is that the main audience for this song is probably young people, specifically girls, who shouldn't be encouraged to take part in this kind of behaviour. Smoking and drinking to excess and feeling that the only way to be liked is through your appearance is not a message that I want to be given to young people. I think it's irresponsible to normalise messages like this, and the more it happens, the more 'normal' they will become.

So, when this morning Fearne Cotton stopped the song halfway through, saying she just couldn't face playing anymore of it, I was silently applauding her. She may not have the same reasons as me for disliking it, but just the fact that she does is a start. 

A Good Read

I first joined Goodreads years ago but never really understood what use it was to me then. Recently I've started using it regularly and, as an avid reader and book geek, it's proving to be pretty good. You can read real honest reviews, get recommendations for new books based on what you like, and see what your friends are reading (great for me as I'm pretty nosy when it comes to books!). Just to point out before I go on, this post is in no way sponsored by the site, I just wanted to share how much I've been enjoying it lately! (Although if anyone wants to pay me, preferably in books, I'd be more than happy!)

One of the things I like most about it is that it lets me keep a really easy record of what I've read and what I'd like to read. I'm terrible at remembering what I've read, and therefore authors I would like to read more from. I've often found myself wandering around the library thinking 'what was that really good book...?' hoping inspiration will spring from the shelves and I'll recall what I read only a few months ago. So, for someone like me with a rather poor memory this helps to catalogue what I've read, and also allows me to add books to a 'to read' shelf if I come across something I find interesting and can look up at a later date.

Why are you vegetarian?

I've lost count of the number of times over the years that I've been asked this question. It seems to happen less often now that being vegetarian is a very much accepted part of society. But even so, it is something that fascinates many meat-eaters - many who think being vegetarian just involves eating vegetables, means you must hate anyone who eats meat and are surprised you can get through the day without passing out from lack of protein. So here's my thoughts about being vegetarian, mainly so I can direct the next person to ask the dreaded question to this blog post and save myself a lot of time.

My first Hen Weekend

Last weekend I attended my first ever 'Hen do'. It was certainly an experience! One person described it as being like a 6 year olds birthday party with added alcohol and I think this is quite accurate! 

Here are a few photos to illustrate the festivities...

My Room 101

I was recently watching an episode of the panel show Room 101 when Richard Osman picked something which I could completely relate to - people telling him he is tall. This got me thinking, if I was to go on the show, what other things would I banish to Room 101. 

For anyone unfamiliar with the premise, the panel on the show pick their pet hates and peeves which are then consigned to 'Room 101' (taken from Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty Four). I've had a look on wikipedia and some of my favourite things people have chosen include novelty underpants, people who look like cats and the small piece of cotton that holds a new pair of socks together.

So here is a list of a few things I would send to Room 101...

People telling me I'm tall
Copied from Richard Osman I can completely agree with this one. For starters, I don't think I'm actually that tall. At just over 5'9" I am above average height for a woman, and if I wear heels I do tend to tower over many of my girlfriends but I don't think I am an exception. Secondly, what do you expect my response to be when you tell me that I'm tall? Yes, I know I am, I live with it everyday, very good observation. If this is your idea of small talk, I suggest you try harder! And finally, would you tell a short person they are short? I think many people would probably find this rather rude. I like to think by telling someone they are tall you are giving them a subtle compliment, but from the look on many peoples faces I fear it is merely one of those statements that slips out of your mouth before you have really thought about it.

Baking at the weekend - Cherry Scones

I can often be found in the kitchen baking cakes or cookies at the weekend. I'm not the best cook in the world but I've learnt lots from my mum and one of our favourite things to bake is scones. This is our own adapted recipe as I love cherries and they make a great substitute for sultanas (you could use both if you liked!) It's a really simply recipe and quick to make. They can even be frozen for another day - if you've managed not to eat them all that is!

Telly Addict

I don't make it a secret that one of my favourite pastimes is to sit down and watch a good (or slightly questionable) programme on television. I mainly like dramas but I'm also partial to a good comedy show, documentaries and even the odd reality show.

Although I love tv watching I'm terrible at doing it when the actual programme is scheduled to be on! This is why the invention of catch-up tv and recordable devices are a godsend to me. I must have kept iPlayer and 4od in viewing figures during my university years. So some of the things I watch may be slightly outdated and I do tend to have to avoid spoilers, but this means I can skip ad breaks and watch what I want, when I want. 

So here are a few of my favourite shows I've been watching recently.

Homeland
Yes, I know the finale was a while ago but I have only just caught up with it. And wow, I'm glad I did! I know the second season was criticised for not living up to the critical acclaim of the first but I think the third season has been back on top form again. I have no idea where they will go with the next one, but I hope they don't hang around too long with it! Plus, I always have time for a Claire Danes cry-face!

To e-read, or not to e-read...

I love books. And by that, I don't just mean I like reading, I also love physical books. I think there is something quite special about holding a story in your hands, flicking through pages filled with words that someone has so carefully chosen. The smell of a new book can't be recreated and when I step into a bookshop it's the visual image of all the covers and spines that captivates me. This is something I only feel for books - I don't mind about owning physical music or films for some reason.

E-readers are everywhere nowadays and even my Nan has one, but I remain sceptical as to whether I will ever become a convert. I have an iPad (that I won, I hasten to add before I give the impression I am made of money!) so I could feasibly read books on that. I read blogs and the newspaper on it so what's the difference? I know that many people who swore they would never leave behind the traditional hard and paperbacks that have changed their mind and either now solely use an e-reader or mix how they read their books. Despite this I still think I would hate it, and I don't like the fact that I am so closed minded to something so I have decided to draw up some pros and cons to see if I can persuade myself to give technology a try.

It's a cat's life

I have an ongoing joke with a friend that I'm going to be a crazy cat lady later in life. And by joke, I mean that she once casually mentioned that she could see me as an old lady living in a bungalow with 30 cats.

It's ok, she's still one of my best friend and she didn't mean to insult me! I think what she was trying to say is that cats seem to be drawn to me and I'm happy to oblige (although this once resulted in me being bitten by a cat when at school and subsequently being convinced I had rabies...). So yes, I do like cats, but not to the extent that I want to spend the rest of my life with them exclusively. 

There's often a view that people who like cats are slightly odd, but I think having a relationship with a pet of any kind can be really beneficial and worthwhile. I know that whenever I'm feeling down a quick cuddle with the cat does actually help me feel better. It also gives me something to focus on other than myself. It's been proven that having a pet around can help people who are unwell, lonely or depressed and this can only be a good thing. 

So here is my small celebration of the small, furry, four-legged creatures who we often take for granted but can bring so much to people's lives. Here is my own furball - 

The Reading Room

Discovering a new author is one of life's small pleasures. Recently, during one of my frequent browsing sessions at the library I came across The Bed I Made by Lucy Whitehouse. It's a couple of years old but it made an impact on me and therefore I felt it was worth a review.

The blurb of the book was interesting but what most drew me to the book was the comparison made to Maggie O'Farrell by the Guardian on the back cover. O'Farrell is one of my favourite authors and any book that may be similar to her style of writing is worth a read in my opinion. 

The book is centred on the character of Kate, a thirty-something translator from London who has recently escaped to the Isle of Wight following the end of an intense relationship with a man who just won't let her go. The story focuses on her new isolated life as she attempts to come to terms with her own experiences, overcome her loneliness and find her identity on an island far removed from her old London life. She finds it is not a place where peace will be easily found however and her own troubles become woven with those of others she meets on the Island. Interspersed with this is the back story of her failed relationship with Richard and how he both charmed and terrified her. But the past is not just consigned to her memories and it soon begins to catch up with her.

I love books that flit between present and past, I feel it really keeps the pace of the story going and allows the narrative to unfold slowly over the course of the novel. It's a gripping book but Whitehouse isn't afraid of long descriptive passages, which explore Kate's inner turmoil, paranoia and sense of guilt. The description also works wonderfully for evoking a real sense of the Isle of Wight and, although I've never been, I could imagine myself there on the cliffs, in the small towns and rowing down the river. 

Whitehouse kept me hooked until the end and it was one of those books that made you feel slightly sad it was over as you want to read more. That said, I have mixed opinions on the use of epilogues in books and I did feel like any loose ends and questions were all tied up a little too neatly in the last chapter. Some people like this closure in a book but I'd have preferred to have a few options left open to keep my imagination going. Aside from this the book was thoroughly enjoyable and I felt really immersed in the story. I can definitely see the comparison to O'Farrell, and while I can't see Whitehouse overtaking her in my reading favourites quite yet I would very much like to read more of her work. Lucky for me as she has a new book being released this month that I'll have to my ever-growing 'to read' pile!

A peek through the windowpane

'Oh just what we need', you may be thinking, 'another blog to add to the other thousands cluttering up the internet'.

And you may be right. In fact I have been pondering for a while if starting a blog is a completely futile exercise. But I love reading blogs, exploring other people's worlds and finding out new things, so I decided that I would quite like to give it a go. I can safely say that this will not match up to many of the stylish, interesting and original blogs that are out there but I hope I'll enjoy writing this and I think that's what really counts.

So, what can you expect from my blog posts in the future...
♥  My love of books - reviews, recommendations and bargains I pick up
♥  Charity shopping adventures - my best buys and tips
♥  Beauty and fashion thoughts and my attempts to look vaguely stylish
♥  My addiction to TV dramas 
♥  My competition entering hobby 
♥  Shopping! My continuing quest to bag a bargain and get my hands on freebies
♥  General ramblings about life, society and things I find interesting

I may even throw in some pictures of cats

It is actually a coincidence that I have started this blog on the first day of a new year but it does seem rather fitting. I don't usually go in for all that 'New year, new me' and making resolutions but in a way I think starting this counts. So, Happy New Year!

And as promised, here's a picture of a cat...