Book review: The Rosie Project.

Love isn't an exact science - but no one told Don Tillman. A thirty-nine-year-old geneticist, Don's never had a second date. So he devises the Wife Project, a scientific test to find the perfect partner. Enter Rosie - 'the world's most incompatible woman' - throwing Don's safe, ordered life into chaos. But what is this unsettling, alien emotion he's feeling?

I bought this book when I went to Guildford with Kate in half term after wanting it for ages and I'm so glad I did! 

This definitely isn't a typical romance story as Don is the most brilliant and different protagonist I've ever come across in a book. He leads an incredibly structured life, planned out to the minute and a complete sticker to the rules - most likely living with undiagnosed Aspergers syndrome. He's blunt and quite incapable of interpreting people's emotions which creates a comical but loveable character. Then Rosie enters his life at the same time as he decides to create 'The Wife Project'; a 16 page detailed to help him find the perfect wife (non-smoker, omnivore, doesn't drink/drinks moderately etc.) and throws his life into chaos. Don is obsessed with a new project - the Father Project which leads him on an adventure across continents and closer to Rosie.

The book is written in first person so we feel a connection with Don as he struggles with his inner conflict between helping Rosie or carrying on with his constant, structured lifestyle in his overly formal and somewhat geeky narration. The character development of Don is also brilliantly done by Simsion as each slight change is analysed by Don, showing his base personality is still there no matter how much his life has been thrown up in the air. 

The other important characters (Rosie, Gene and Claudia) are each given fantastic plots and their own quirks which make them equally loveable. Even more minor characters such as the Dean have little pieces to give them a 3D personality instead of being flat, filler characters with no real purpose but to move the plot on. 

I finished this incredibly quickly as I found it quite an easy read despite some technical genetics discussions! I was funny, quite sad at times and generally brilliant - I can't recommend this book enough - it's probably made it into my top 20 books and I will definitely be re reading it!

I hope you guys pick this up as it's such a great book!

Jess xx

This week's favourites!

My presence on the internet has increased to normal levels again this week so I actually have enough things for a favourites post!

1. Lauren Aquilina - Lovers or Liars

I love Lauren so much - she's released two EPs off her own back, has another available for pre-order and is only a year older than me! This is her new video for one of the songs off her new EP (already ordered...it was only £1.99!) and I love it, I can't wait to see what the other new songs are going to be like!

2. The new Kate Spade range

Most of you guys will know that I have an unhealthy obsession with Kate Spade by now. They can be quite hit and miss, but when I find something I love, it's perfect. This season is really pretty and it inspired by Brighton and Paris! 

My favourite pieces:

Je ne sais quoi shirt

Ooh la la Francis

Dorothy coat (it also comes in white!)

3. 50 company slogans if they were honest about it

Some of these are American so they don't apply, but the ones that do are so funny and accurate!

4. Howl's Moving Castle

I found a post on Tumblr with links to lots of Studio Ghibli films and I watched Howl's Moving Castle over this week - WOW. This might possibly be one of my favourite films. It's adorable, funny and it's just great. I've watched it with English subtitles and being dubbed over by English/Americans (Josh Hutcherson and Christian Bale...definitely worth a watch/listen!) and I loved both - be warned though, you get to hear important background info that doesn't come up on the screen in the subbed version but the subbed is obviously more authentic - you just have to watch and read at the same time!
Subbed/Dubbed

I'm happy with the variation in this post, hope you guys enjoyed it too!
You can suggest things for me to check out in the comments below!
Jess xx

This week's favourites!

I thought that a nice thing to start doing would be a weekly update of things I've been loving over the last 7 days! 

1. This video.

My Mum showed me this on Facebook and I thought it was so odd and hilarious - I laugh every time I see it!

2. Which side of your brain is most dominant?

I love doing these types of quizzes for fun because they're nearly always accurate but I love seeing the reasons behind it! I've always been more creative so I'm not surprised at all that I got this result - it's quite ironic that I'm left handed though! 

3. Red Pandas

Surely they must be the cutest, funniest and silliest animals in existence?! Every time I'm not feeling happy, I'll watch this video and it makes me feel 100 times better because it's so damn cute! 

4. Strikingtruths.com

There are so many inspirational quotes on this website, I love to just go through them and read them sometimes, some are pretty great!

5. Girl Power.

This link is great and I love these tips, it made me laugh rather a lot!

Extra non-internet favourites of the week

- Hot Chocolate

- Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in 107; I love a good red lipstick and this one is particularly festive! 

- My black beanie hat from New Look; I've worn it three days this week!

- This month's issue of Elle magazine; there's great pieces about shopping the sales and how to style a navy blazer, one of my favourite pieces to wear!

- The Gift by Cecelia Ahern; I started it a couple of days ago and I'm hooked! I love everything she does and can't wait to get my hands on her new book, How to Fall In Love.

Hope you guys enjoyed this, should I do one of these every week? 

Send me links to things to add into next weeks one if you want - either in the comments or via my twitter, @theadorabled0rk!

Jess xx

P.S. I reached 50 followers so go and check my 50th followers blog out - Kristen from alittlelookinsideme.blogspot.co.uk!

Top 5 Winter Films

Not all of these are specifically set in the season but they're my favourite films to watch during this time as you can just curl up and enjoy watching them. These are also in my favourite film list - I've watched them all too many times to count! 

Love Actually

This is such a great Christmas film and will leave you smiling for ages afterwards. The beginning always makes me laugh until I cry - Bill Nighy is fantastic.
I haven't seen this as much as the other films but I love it equally. 

The Proposal

These two are the perfect pair. It may not be a Christmas film but it's so great to watch while snuggled in a duvet. It's so funny and adorable, it's fantastic!

The Holiday

 An actual Christmas film!Kind of... I don't think they could have picked a better cast; Jack Black, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz?! Yes please. Although I can't help but think of Princess Fiona when Cameron speaks...
It's such a feel-good film and it's so great for around Christmas time too!
 

Notting Hill 

I don't actually know how many times I've seen this film but I know it still isn't enough. I love it so much and it's so funny! When I went to Notting Hill a couple of moths back, I tried looking for where they filmed but I assume they filmed somewhere else as I couldn't find it anywhere along where the market is!

Aristocats 

Being me, I obviously couldn't have a list of films and not include a Disney film. Aristocats is my favourite Disney film by far, it's adorable and the songs are so catchy; when I played piano, I could actually play everybody wants to be a cat! 

I hope you guys enjoyed my list! If you haven't watched any of these films, I suggest you do, they're all fantastic!
Jess xx

Petite Anglaise.

This is one of the two books I picked up at the last car boot sale I ventured to with Mark a month or so ago and I'm oh so glad that I did because I love it. I decided that it would be a good read for the train journey to/from college on Friday as I tend to sit alone (after a busy week, train relaxation and alone time is actually rather enjoyable!) so I grabbed it and shoved it in my bag as I ran out of the door. I'm so happy I did. 

This book is a memoir of an English blogger (actual name of the blog is petite Anglaise) who lives in France. I'm only 32 pages in but I'm hooked. Catherine's writing style is so easy to read and quite funny at points, it's really very hard to put down which I can see as being a problem! I can see it being my go-to book for my daily train journeys, except for when I'm lacking in space due to the copious amounts of books I have to carry for my lessons each Monday (you'd be surprised at how much you have to carry for only three lessons...). It's also a hardback so it's rather awkward to fit in my bag. It does mean that it doesn't have the risk of being ripped to shreds by my constant taking items in and out of my bag though. 

I'm really excited to finish reading it and hopefully I'll get some spare time to continue it! 

Jess xx

Things I'm loving at the moment.

I've been thinking of new ideas for posts and I've decided to do a little post of things that I'm really loving at the moment!

First on the list is...

Make up

I think this is self-explanitory. I've done so many posts about lipstick and nail polish and all of that in the last few weeks and it's a bit crazy! I have a slight obsession and to be honest, my spending on make up is only curbed by my lack of money to spend. I love having different colours that each look good with different outfits and different nail polishes; sometimes you also just feel like wearing a certain colour! I don't wear make up for anyone but me though, I went the whole of last year without wearing any but I've rekindled my love for it, it can make or break looks depending on what (if any) make up you use! 

Magazines

Until a few weeks ago, I didn't read magazines, let alone fashion magazines. However, I ended up buying Elle and Glamour after seeing how thick they were in relation to other magazines and their price. Elle was £4 and Glamour was £2 so I took the plunge and bought them! Since then, I've had Marie Claire bought for me and I've bought the next issue of Glamour for only £1! 

I'm actually against fashion magazines because I don't like how edited and perfect all the pictures are. Luckily I'm not one of those people that get influenced easily by things I read, I just find the articles interesting and seeing what new products that I'll never be able to afford are! I find it fun to see how much clothing and shoes can go up to (I've seen some boots for over £4,000)! 

I find magazines a really good way to wind down just before bed and as I get home from college, they're a good way to just dumb down for a while and relax. 

 Snapchat

It's so much fun to get a notification to tell me a friend has sent me a weird picture of them or something else! It's entertaining because you can send the weirdest faces and they can only be seen for a maximum of 10 seconds! You also can't save them (unless you're a genius and can screenshot while still having the picture open) which is really good!

Candy crush

I'm so embarrassed to say this, but candy crush is my guilty pleasure. I've managed to not play it for so long and I've missed most of the hype but my mum plays it religiously which got me into it. It's really addictive and I can go through quite a few levels (I did 12 in my first go...) in one go so it's a nice thing to do while waiting for something or as another dumbing down activity. 

Goodreads

It's the most amazing website. I've been really a lot more than I usually do so having a website to keep a track of what I've read, what I'm currently reading and what I want to read. You can also read people's reviews on books and review the books yourselves. It's also a good way to keep track of your friend's books that they're reading and get ideas for other books to check out! 

You can find my Goodreads here.

Lisa Hannigan

I've already spoken about her and I absolutely love her songs. She's an Irish singer/songwriter and I haven't found a single song I didn't like. Her YouTube channel is here.

This video.

I've spoken about TEDtalks before and I found this one a couple of days ago. Erika is fantastic, the talk is amazing and she is so funny! I love these and this is one of my favourites so far!

Burn Notice

Me and my family have been watching this for quite a while now and it's such a good programme! It's about a spy who was 'burned' and keeps trying to work out who burned him and in the mean time earns money by acting like a private investigator. Wikipedia explains it so much better than I do but I promise you, it's such a good programme! The main character's girlfriend/ex is also awesome because she wants to shoot and blow up everything which is quite funny most of the time! 

I hope you enjoyed this little post, I think I've covered everything! 

Jess xx

At World's End

I went to the cinema with some of my best friends from my secondary school to watch At World's End today.....weirdest film I've probably ever seen. It was one of those films that were so bad it was good, but one that you would only watch if there was nothing else on and it was free or as a freebee off one of the Christmas apps where you get free unpopular films and games. 

It started off as a normal film but got about half way and just had a plot twist that I'm still not quite sure could be thought up by any sane person. The ending was also rather strange and unexpected too. If it didn't have the funny lines and the crappy slapstick violence, I would have hated the film completely, and even though I enjoyed those parts, I still wouldn't go to see it again because it wasn't worth the money. 

See it if you like silly films that make you speechless from stupidity and look like they were thought up on a pub crawl like the (original) one in the film, feel free! However, if you more enjoy big-budget films with lots of well done CGI and other special effects, don't waste your money and use it as a boredom buster when it comes out on TV...if you're desperate. 

Jess xx

Cinema connoisseur

-I've just been on a week long holiday in Sicily and I didn't have time to post this before, sorry!-

In the last month, I've been to the cinema 5 times. That's more times than I usually go in a year! My noticeboard is covered in cinema tickets now and I love it! 

I saw The Great Gatsby with English last month which was just amazing - I loved it so much and thought it was so well done! Some things that were missed from the book annoyed me but mostly, it was a really good film! 

Next was Pompeii live which was a bit of a disaster. Our ancient history class should have been going to see the adult version that actually explained the exhibition being displayed in the British museum at the moment, but instead we went to the later version by accident and ended up in the children's version which was a glorified geography and year 4 history lesson combined with presenters as horrible and patronising as the people off Cbeebies and Newsround. It was painful to sit through mostly but it was more bearable because of our class' running commentary which was quite funny at points! When artefacts from the exhibition were shown, there weren't many, it was actually interesting so I can't wait to go at the end of August; it's going to be amazing to actually see it in person because it looks really fantastic!

The cinema in town where I go to college is a little old style, independent cinema that hosts free film nights for students once every month, and June's film was Monsters university! It was so great and funny and I loved it so much!! It was fun seeing monsters from the first film who are scarers and what they were like at Uni and also it was pretty cool to see why Randal turned out to be evil! Honestly such an amazing film, everyone must watch it! 

I then went to see Man of Steel with a friend at the same cinema that weekend and even though I'm not a huge superman fan, it was actually such a good film and I really loved it! It's directed by the guy who did 300 so I was expecting the worst so it was a really nice surprise that I ended up enjoying it! 

The last one was this last weekend (now actually about 3 weeks ago...sorry) when I saw Despicable Me 2 with Mark. I saw it in 3D and because I wear glasses it was slightly awkward at times when trying to keep them up, but it was such a good film! It was funny and sweet and I just loved every second! The minions and Agnes are still my favourites - I swear I'm more like Agnes than any of the other girls which is scary because she's only 6! That really says something about me I think....! The end credit minion mini clips were also amazing as per usual so if you watch it, don't leave the second it finishes because it's really funny! 

Mostly, the films I've seen have been fantastic and I've not seen any of them for the full price! (Thank you student card/college discounts...) All of the films are well worth the full amount though! 

Jess xx

EASTER!

Happy Easter everyone! Sorry about the long wait in between posts again, for the millionth time, work has taken priority. But this last week has been as awesome as it has crazily busy!
On Monday I went to a UCAS convention at Reading Uni with college which was quite fun! The English talk I went to was pretty boring, mainly because the lecturer was just dull and because I don't even want to do English, I was just there to take notes for Kate! Reading is actually one of my possible choices for Uni so it was nice being able to look around and see what it's like. I actually really liked it but some of the buildings were a bit boring and dull looking. We then went and spoke to loads of reps from different Universities and got prospectuses which was actually really useful! I had a really good chat with the lady at the stall for UCL which helped me understand what it's like living in London. I think overall I picked up about 15 prospectuses when I only went in for 7!! It's funny how you literally go in and just pick up any that look interesting, even when you have no intentions of going there!

So many!!! There's Exeter, UCL, Reading, Durham, Birmingham, Warwick,
Bournemouth, Leicester, York, Aberystwyth, Edinburgh, Royal Holloway and King's College.

I also ended up going to UCL for a taster day on Wednesday which was amazing. We had loads of lectures which was fantastic and the lecturers were all just brilliant. The building we were in was really nice and splat bang in central London, I walked down to Oxford Street and back in under half an hour! It's definitely helped me judge if it's somewhere I could see myself going, and I really can! I'm honestly so excited because it's also one of the best Unis for my course, so if I get in, it will be so amazing! Just need to get AAB first...

On Thursday, because it was the end of term, me and my family went to watch The Croods. Its been ages since we all went to the cinema together so it was nice having a bit of family time out. It was actually a pretty amazing film, it was so funny! It reminded me of Ice Age a bit at some points and seeing as that's one of my favourite films, there's nothing wrong with that!

I went round a friends house to watch some band films (All Time Low are so funny backstage!) and it was really nice catching up with my secondary school friends because they're awesome! It was a lot of fun just sitting around and eating pizza and chatting whilst awesome music goes on in the background.

Now finally on to today.....EASTER! I love it so much, it's like a chocolate Christmas! Chocolate makes me happy so this is always a good time for me, especially when I need something to keep me going whilst working!

SO MUCH YUMMINESS. yay! And also Crème Eggs, which are my favourites.

Sadly, despite the yummy chocolate, I have to do work, so I'll be back sometime in the next week I assume! Byee!
Jess xx

Shoulders...

I've had some good feedback with the last one so hopefully this goes well!
Time to take a look in my actual wardrobe!

Blazers
In school, we always complained about having to wear blazers, but now I'm not forced to wear them, I love them! It's weird right?! I think they look so cute and sophisticated at the same time!

Navy blazer from Crew and Beige cord blazer from Crew
(also with Chip & Dale top underneath from H&M)

My navy blazer is so cute and I love the white rim around the edges, it's kind of nautical which I love!!
The cord one is also amazing, as is the top! The blazer has the most awesome details on the buttons too!

Pretty tops
I like to wear things that look cute but sophisticated so I try to buy things that fit with that look!

Both tops are from a really cute boutique near college!

Cardigan from Debenhams and stripy navy 3/4 length sleeved top from Crew

I've shown the top two tops before but I've fallen in love with them! The polka dot shirt is a bit baggy so it needs a belt around it to make it look right on me. The penguin top is just amazing, I love it so much and it just looks so cute!
This is one of my favourite top combinations that I wear. The top also goes really well with the navy blazer above!

Casual t-shirts
We all have those days where you just can't be bothered to make an effort with getting dressed so you throw on a baggy top. As a self-confessed dork/nerd, I have a pretty big collection (the ones shown in the pic are probably a third of the amount I have) of weird band tops/funny tops/fan tops.

From top left (clockwise): I know kung fu (and 15 other languages) top from Newbreed Girl
Jody has a Hitlist band top from a gig!
Ninja and Dinosaur top from TK Maxx
Moustaches of the world top from Topshop
'I wear a Stetson now, Stetsons are cool' Doctor who top from a Doctor who shop in the Isle of Wight!

I love wearing my weird tops, they're just nice to wear on weekends if I'm just doing homework.
As well as a Doctor who top, I have a couple of Harry Potter tops too!  I also have way too many band tops from various gigs I've been to!
TK Maxx is also amazing for getting cheap graphic tops like my dinosaur/ninja top, I bought this one for £8!

Jumpers/fluffy clothes!!
I get quite cold normally so I love my jumpers, cardigans and other fluffy tops that I have!

Grey waterfall cardigan from Crew

Blue & white striped jumper and navy gilet from Fat Face

Pink and Teal V neck jumpers from Crew

Knitted jumper dress from Crew

As you've probably gathered by now, I like my Crew clothing. Its cute but still looks stylish and sophisticated!
The waterfall cardigan is so warm! I usually wear it with a belt round the middle because it looks really nice when it's pulled in more but it's also good for lazy pyjama days and you just need something to wrap around yourself.
I bought the jumper and gilet together from a shop in Reading and I just love them. Its a cute design on the jumper with mini hearts in the stripes and the gilet is also super warm because it has wool (or something like that) on the inside!!
The Crew V neck jumpers are my favourite pieces of clothing ever. I've had the pink one for quite a while and I really wanted more colours so I could wear them with more as it was so pretty and cute. For Christmas, my Grandma bought me the green one; the one out of the selection I loved the most! They're really great because you can wear them with a cami underneath or a white shirt or whatever really! I find a white shirt or a black cami looks the best though.
The jumper dress is great because it can almost pass for a Christmas jumper with the print it has! This is a really nice piece of clothing because you can wear it over leggings or jeans and it'll still look great!

Dresses
I'm a massive girly girl who can never resist a pretty dress! I'm just very weird in the fact that I seem to wear dresses more in the winter and autumn than the summer...

Blue/green dress from Crew, Pink dress from West One

Black dove dress from Shikha London

I love the floral designs on the first two dresses, it's so pretty! But patterns are always good too!
Obviously had to add one in from Crew! It's light and the skirt is tiered so it's swishy which I love!
The pink one is on of my favourites ever. The top has a really pretty tie up detail and its swishy again!
The dove dress is so pretty but quite reserved with the high neck line. This one has a straight skirt but its light material anyway!

Scarves
I can say that I have an obsession with scarves. I have over 20, I'm sure! They really are one of the best accessories and they bring some outfits together completely. Scarves are so good for when it's cold but not arctic temperatures (obviously then scarves, hats and gloves are compulsory!) but you still need that little extra bit to stay warm.

From left to right: Green scarf from Fat Face
Butterfly scarf from boutique near college
Squirrel scarf from Crew
Floral scarf from a second hand shop in my village
Owl scarf from New Look
Floral scarf from Cara

I bought the green scarf at the same shop as the gilet and jumper, just ages before! I got it with a cute stripy vest top and they look so good together!
I had my eye on the butterfly scarf for about 2 weeks before I finally had enough money to buy it (thank you babysitting...) and it's so good because it goes with so many of my clothes! My English teacher actually asked where I got it from (she's pretty well dressed so it's a good thing!) so I'm pretty proud of myself!
My grandma also bought me the squirrel scarf for Christmas and I love it! The pattern is so cute and it's warmer than most scarves of this sort.
I got the floral one at a late night shopping last year, I saw it and instantly fell in love! I actually wear it most with the grey cardigan and stripy navy top above!
The owls are so cute it's unreal! It's also a really pretty colour that goes with quite a lot so I'm happy I bought it!
The orange floral is the first scarf I bought on a shopping trip with friends and afterwards, I realised  didn't have anything it goes with so I went to New Look and bought a £2.50 orange cami to go with it!

Necklaces
I own so much jewellery but I don't wear it that often which is strange because I love most of the pieces I have!

From left to right: Johnny get the Gun guitar pick
Dove necklace
Cornish silver chain
Silver heart pendant
Heart and bow necklace
Cross pendant
Owl necklace
For the Foxes guitar pick

Johnny get the Gun are one of my favourite bands out there. I have 2 of them on facebook and last year they sent me their CD for free along with a sticker and 2 more guitar picks (not on string!). It was also signed which is awesome!
The Dove necklace was a present from a friend who went to Canada. I was given it about 5 years ago but only started wearing it about 2 years ago when my it fit in with my clothing style.
My grandma and granddad gave me this chain when I went to Cornwall with them and my family when I was about 10. It holds some sentimental value too; I still remember being given it in the kitchen of the holiday home we were staying in!
I bought the heart on holiday from one of the many National Trust and English Heritage places me and my family visit! I can't remember which place it was from but I know it was one of them!
I bought this from Claire's because I found it so cute; it has 'I love you' written on it in 5 or so languages! It also makes a tinkly noise when you walk whilst wearing it which is both awesome and really annoying!
I got the cross from the gift shop by a part of Hadrian's wall I visited! I'm not religious but my younger self thought it was pretty (still do!) and bought it!
The owl necklace is from Accessorize and I love it because it has slightly wonky feathers instead of being all perfect and the same like the rest of them! Me in necklace form I think!
I got the final one from the Mayday Parade gig I went to last October. I bought a piece of merch from each band that played and this is what I got from For the Foxes! They're really good and the lead singer was such a nice person!

So that's shoulders done! If you've read this far then give yourself a pat on the back and a cookie - I barely made it this far!
Thanks for reading!
Jess xx

You've Got Mail!

I watched this film today and it was so amazing and cute!! If you like Rom com/Chick flicks, then you'll love this film.
It's about a woman who runs a little family-run bookshop in New York and about how it's being overrun by a new, huge big chain bookstore that is run by a multi-millionaire business man. Naturally, they become enemies because of him putting her shop out of business.
They both use an internet chat site called "You've got mail' and they end up talking to each other without realising that it's the other. Eventually, they go to meet up, completely unaware of what their mystery date looks like, and he realises who she is.
They become friends in the end and you can guess what happens at the end! :P
Obviously I'm not going to give it all away, but I do recommend watching it because it's such a cute film that's sweet, sad and funny all at once!

Such an adorable film - WATCH IT!