RETURN FROM MY YOUTUBE GRAVE

HELLO LOVELY READERS!

Sooo.. eh.. it's no secret that i am the most inconsistent blogger ever, but as you may know, I (used) to be an active book tuber - I ran a youtube channel called 'Theebookmonster.' Yet after an unfortunate accident, my account was deleted, yet to those interested, I've made a new channel full of books and reading and all sorts of things!
Just wanted to let you know incase you wanted to check it out! Here's my June TBR!
xx

GCSE Advice | Achieving the Best Results

I know that GCSE's can be a bit daunting for those students going into year 10 yet most importantly year 11 - that's when it all gets serious! It doesn't have to all be two years of stress though! That's why I made this video, as i believe these simple organisational tips really helped me achieve my best results, and I hope they will help you too!

Hate List - Jennifer Brown

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

You know when you hear someone say, 'One day, you will find a book that will change the way you think about life.' Yeah? Well for me, that book was Hate List.

This book is one which hasn't got the most action packed plot, yet is rather driven by the stunning, multi-layered characters. Valerie, our main protagonist was such an interesting character to read about, observing how she deals with the loss of her boyfriend, and her conflicting feelings as to whether it is right to love a 'monster.' Though Valerie's boyfriend, Nick - he shooter is dead, the book also carries his haunting voice throughout the book, which honestly gave me chills as I began to understand that he too, is a victim, a stupid, vulnerable victim.

  

The structure of this book is also what made it so strong. The book follows a chronological order, from the day of the shooting right up until a year after, yet manages to cleverly refer back to the accident through newspaper clipping, documenting the deaths and destruction that the shooting caused, constantly reminding the reader the effects of the tragedy and heightening the sheer emotion that this book possesses.  

This book honestly had such an emotional impact on me. Heck, I think I cried eight times! I feel so lucky that I got to read such a hauntingly beautiful book, and I believe that Valeries story of bravery and forgiveness, will stay with me for a long time. 

A million stars out of 5.  

So you Want to Book VLOG? | Set Up

Hey guys, I thought I'd start a mini series of posts, about how I vlog about books on Youtube. You can find me HERE, if you are unsure about what book vlogging involves. Now, I'd like to start of by saying I am NOT a professional, but having been on Youtube for nearly two years, so I think I've learnt some simple tips and tricks, that can be the difference to your growth on Youtube!

*please note, this is about book vlogging, not blogging. When I've been active for a bit longer on blogger, I'll do some posts on blogging too!*

For the first post today, I am going to talk about your set up, including what camera you should use, whether editing software is necessary, and overall how you should introduce yourself to the camera. If you are starting out for the first time on Youtube, first impressions are EXTREMELY important! There are so many times when I check out some newbies, and I just think, 'Why are you sitting in the dark!?' So, here are my simple tips and tricks.

    1.Your camera quality DOES NOT define your overall quality of content. What I mean by this, is you do not have to use an expensive DSLR camera - of course if you have one available, make the most of it - you can simply use a webcam in your laptop, or maybe even a camera on your smart phone. Most people don't start with good cameras! You may look at my channel and think, 'But Liddy, you started with a good camera,' yet, I started making a few videos, even before Youtube with a webcam, and they were fine!

Here is the proof!

 2. Place the camera directly in front of you. I know this one seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how many don't! I've seen lots of people place the camera so you're looking up awkwardly at peoples chins. This one is a really simple one, but it makes the video much more comfortable!

    3. LIGHTING GUYS, lighting. If you are making an introductory video, don't sit in a dark room! Watching bright, bubbly videos, is always preferable over ones in the dark where you are speaking quietly because you don't want to wake up your family. Also, we need to see your face, to sort of 'meet you,' and how can we do that if we can't see you!?

   4. Choose your background wisely. If you are making book videos, it's nice to see you infront of you shelves. (this for me is sometimes hard due to my room setup) But people love seeing what books you have, and it really sets the vibe for your videos!

   5. Editing Software is not necessay. For me, I prefer to use one just because I constantly stutter and have awkward pauses. I definitely think if you ramble you should try to cut down, but of course it is up to you! If you are thinking 'I have no editing software help,' don't worry, there are lots of free ones to use. I used windows live movie maker for a year and a half! There are other ones too, like imovie and also many others you can buy really cheaply from amazon!

So, I think that's about it for setup. Soon you'll be ready to go!

If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to drop me a comment. If this helps you, I'd also like to know!

P.S I am going to make a video on my channel to reiterate this post. 

Liddy

Birthday Book Haul!

I got some lovely books for my birthday, and thought I'd share them with you too!

CLICK HERE to go to the video showing you the books!

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Liddy

My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick

One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

What a lovely debut  This beauty effortlessly captures the charm and innocence of first love, without bordering on the cheesy side...

The thing I loved most about this novel, was the characters. Both Jase and Samantha - the lovers of the novel, had their own personalities and were each down to earth. They also showed lots of character development throughout the novel, which was nice, instead of just having the typical teenager who complains-about-life-then-falls-in-love-and-everything-is-better. Also, the Garrett family was especially fun to read about - with a big family, they were all just so quirky!

Another aspect of this novel I really enjoyed (and was quite surprised about) was the plot! With contempory romances, it is very easy to ditch the plot and just focus on a mushy gushy romance, however My Life Next Door did the exact opposite  While having a gorgeous romance, Hutley Fitzpatrick also managed to incorporate a brilliant heart racing plot, keeping me right on the edge of my seat!

The only thing I didn't like so much in the novel, it would be the fact that many sticky situations were resolved to quickly for my liking, and I was left wanting to find out more about how these conflicts really had been resolved.

Nevertheless, a wonderful, romantic summer read! 

4/5

New Look, Fresh Start!

Hi Guys!

You probably don't remember me, huh? I'm the one that used to blog here... about five billion years ago, haha! Anyway, you've probably noticed a few changes around here, most prominently my new blog design! Do you like it? I personally really like it! I feel my old one was lacking a bit of style, so I decided to re-vamp it, and look - the header has pictures of my bookshelves! Yay!

I really got back into blogging due to this book I was reading, called 'Bloggers inc.' (check my currently reading picture in the side bar) and it really made my want to turn this blog into something more! If you didn't know, I run a YouTube channel called 'theebookmonster' and it's become quite successful with 7000+ subscribers, but I feel I really neglected my blog. :( I can't do that, since it is down to this blog that I got into books! So this is a post, I guess, to say I'm back. I know I've said it before, but this time it's for real, I'm here to stay.

So, with a little wave, I better get my reading socks on!

Liddy xx