I'm Off to Uni

Hi Friends. 

 I took the majority of August off blogging to gain some perspective. I have loved blogging every week and I plan to continue; however, over the summer, as my routine shifted, I found myself scrabbling for something to write about. My content became forced and unauthentic. If I am uploading weekly, I want the quality to remain consistent; I took a break to do some key planning and also to gain some inspiration. I have some awesome posts planned for you guys including another Look Book which is a massive project for me; hence why I haven't done one in about 18 months. I also have a whole bunch of Uni posts lined up for you so I thought I'd get started on that today. 

 I wanted to chat to you today about how I picked my University and my course in order to help anyone who is in the same position as I was last year. 

 My first piece of advice is something I followed right when I was picking my GCSE subjects when I was 14. I believe that unless you are following a specific career path such as Law or Medicine, it really doesn't matter what subjects you take. My advice is to pick what you enjoy. When choosing my university course especially this was crucial to me. I knew I'd need the motivation to read huge amounts on this subject, I'd have to stay up late some nights writing essays, I'd need to research in my own time. To be quite frank, I probably could have done well doing Law or Politics, but I know for a fact that I wouldn't have been interested enough to put my heart and soul into it. 

 When it came to picking my A Levels, it was fairly easy for me. The subjects I had done best in were the ones I loved because that's how my motivation correlates. 

 It was the same for picking my degree. I knew I loved History. But I also knew I was struggling a lot. I just couldn't get my head around how I was meant to write and my grades didn't match my love for the subject. It was quite hard to kiss history goodbye. It had always been one of my best subjects but I knew at that point that I was an English student. 

 My passion had always been in books. 

 So I researched Literature degrees and decided to include Creative Writing in there to give me a career prospect aside from teaching. 

 I didn't have a career in mind when I chose my degree but I don't think that matters too much these days. The reality of the world at the minute is that jobs for post graduates are few and far between... my priority was having the best three years possible in order to end up with the best mark in my degree. 

 I have since thought more about the jobs I would be qualified for and realised I would love to work in publishing. This, I think, proves that if you follow the path you enjoy most, you'll be qualified for a job you'll enjoy whether or not you know what that job is at the beginning of the process. 

 When I began looking at universities I was sure I'd stay at home to save money. It was always incredibly important to me to go to university, primarily because I grew up believing we were too poor to go to uni. I kept this misconception with me when visiting university websites because I misunderstood the financial aid and processes in place. I believed I couldn't afford to live away from home. 

 So I picked a local uni that I loved at planned to stay home for the next three years.

 My only regret in this whole process is that I didn't shop around the country more for a uni. Since the atmosphere at my home has shifted, I have decided to live at uni and I couldn't be more excited. But because I went through most of this process alone, I didn't feel like I had the option to change my mind and look into a university across the country. There are so many areas of the UK that interest me: Bath, Brighton etc. I wish I had had the knowledge and understanding this time last year to know that it was possible for me to be financially able to go to any uni I wanted to. 

 Despite this I am so excited to go to Uni in a few weeks time. I have picked a University that suits me. I'm not a massive nights out person. I picked a university that is relatively small but expanding quickly which I truly believe will suit me more and allow me to focus my attention in the right places. 

 When choosing a university research is so crucial. If, like me, you don't have a family that really know much about uni and you're left to your own devices, make sure you research everything. Try not to limit yourself. Anything and everything is possible when it comes to university no matter your financial background or what degree you choose. 

 Good luck to any of you off to uni in the next few weeks or to those of you completing your A Levels. I hope this helps you plan your research process a little more efficiently. 

 I am aiming to get back into my regular Sunday blogging schedule over the next few weeks!

July Book Haul

It feels like years since I wrote one of these. It's been so lovely to finally be able to submerge myself in books again. I have started a new job, so I haven't been able to read as much as I'd like... but I think I've completed a pretty interesting collection this past month. 

 My blog posts have been all over the place, I apologise for that. Leaving college and starting a new job has completely messed up my sense of routine and so Sundays tend to creep up on me a little bit. Nonetheless, I will aim to continue to post weekly, as close to Sunday as possible, until I fall back into a 'normal' weekly routine. 

 This first book, The Sense of an Ending, I began at the end of June but completed on the 1st of July. It's a very quirky story. It reminded me a lot of Alan Bennett's The History Boys but as a sort of 40 years later type sequel. The story line is remotely quite sad. A lonely, retired man explores his thoughts and letters to discover what led to his best friend's death. It's a quick read, an easy read and one that will stay with you once you've finished the last page. I was drawn to the cover which has an elderly dandelion scattering through the air which, one completed, you realise reflects the book rather well. It's definitely worth picking up if you need something to read over a weekend or on holiday. 

 I moved on to one of the novels I had decided to save for this Summer, Agatha Christie's Crooked House. Determined to read more Christie after finishing Murder on the Orient Express before last Christmas, I have found myself jotting down random titles of hers to add to my trying collection. This was one that I put on my Christmas list without really knowing much about it. The story line was gripping. I did guess the culprit at an early stage and was correct, but it still left me even more curious about her writing. Proclaimed to be one of Agatha's favourites, Crooked House reflects an immense level of planning and thought. It is evident when you read this book that these characters were with her for a long while before pen touched paper. A true work of art. 

 I wrote an in depth review of Into the Water a few weeks ago, so I will keep this paragraph short. In my opinion, this is the best of Hawkins' work so far. I loved it. The story line was everything I want in a modern thriller. It was exciting, emotional and heartbreaking and I can see it becoming a very successful TV series in the future. 

 I'm Travelling Alone had been on my To-Be-Read list for a very long time. It came up in a Creative Writing lesson and as I always did, I jotted down the title to look into at a later date. I didn't rush to buy it. I happened upon it in a supermarket for £3 and decided to just pick it up rather than order it online for a higher price months later. I have told myself I have to read all of my unread books before I can buy anymore on my list so I found myself picking this up to read simply to get through my shelf. It's a very gripping story and the writing is just wonderful. The conclusion doesn't tie up all of the loose ends; however, what's left can be left much to the imagination. As much as I loved the story line, it left me feeling kind of empty. Often with thrillers, you find the impossible happening to give it a happy ending, but stories about serial killers aren't happy. The featured detective manages to save his granddaughter from the killer despite every other victim being killed. I guess once you've fallen in love with Game of Thrones, those kind of happy endings don't satisfy you anymore. 

 Murakami is another writer who's works I want to explore much more in depth. I was drawn to After the Quake after a little synopsis at the end of Norwegian Wood which I read last year. It's a swift, sweet collection of short stories that explore people's reactions to an earthquake. It ends up being quite an abstract piece, the kind of story you would read to a child to convey a life lesson or moral message. It wasn't what I was expecting. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was fun and, as always, extremely well written. 

 I then moved on to my current read, The Essex Serpant. People have obviously raved about this and I can see why. There is something so poetic about the writing. Again, I was drawn to the beautiful cover and the quality of words does not let that down. However, I have been kind of stuck on it. I just can't seem to get through it. I love the concept and I love how beautiful each sentence is but the craftsmanship of words seems to distract me from what is actually going on it the story. I've been reading this for about 10 days now and I'm only halfway through which is so unlike me. It's a shame because I really wanted to love this book! Perhaps once I have managed to finish I will see it in a different light. 

 I'd love to know what you've been reading! Let me know in the comments what your favourite read of the Summer has been so far.