Emma's June Non-Beauty Favourites

This month, as always, I have loads of random non-beauty favourites. Some of these are recent discoveries and others I've been enjoying for a while.

 

Books

 

The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I finished this book in June in about 3 days. I absolutely loved it and became completely hooked almost immediately. The story was heartrenching and the main character was instantly compelling and relatable to any teen.

The book has also made me really look forward to the film adaptation starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller and Nina Dobrev just to name a few.

Eleven by Mark Watson

This was a really excellent book so much so that I've already dedicated a full review to it.

 

Clothing

 

ASOS Allsort Leather Shortie Lace Up Flat Ankle Boot

 I've barely wore anything but these in June. I got them a few months ago in yet another ASOS sale for £16 down from £55.

Sadly their now out of stock but they were a great buy so I'm glad I managed to get them. The quality is great and they are a perfect fit for me which is very difficult to find because my feet are quite narrow. These were definitely one of my favourite ever buys from ASOS.

 

Music

 

Newton Faulkner

Now even though I'd heard of him before I'd never really listened to his music. This month after hearing his cover of It Must be Love in an advert on TV I decided to see what his albums were like.

His first album Hand Built by Robots (2007) is exactly the sort of simple, fairly acoustic, laid back sort of sound that I'm really into at the moment. The whole album has a really positive and feel-good vibe to it which had me hooked almost immediately but has also made it extremely difficult for me to pick out my favourite songs. If I could only pick a few I'd probably go for his mellow cover of Massive Attack's Teardrop, the really feel-good Into the Light and the slightly bass heavy Dream Catch Me.

His second album Rebuilt by Humans (2009) is very similar in style to the first with just a slight progression to a more rock sound. Even though this album came two years after the first and following some success at that, it does not have that over produced sound that a lot of other artists follow up albums have had. This album still has the catchy lyrics, amazing vocals and excellent guitar playing found in the first album. My favourite tracks are the soaring Over and Out, the fun and catchy Lets Get Together and Won't Let Go.

Overall I'd say his style is a mix of pop and rock with his extreme musical talent and unique voice stand out from the rest.

TV

 

Revenge

This is an American import (airs on ABC) which started airing in the UK on E4 this June. This show is a real guilty pleasure with its soapy dramatics and twists and turns. The acting in the show, in particular Emily Van Camp and Madeline Stowe, helps the quality remain high however. I am just really enjoying this show and I think it is prefect viewing for the rainy summer we're having.

Films

Paul

This film was even more hilarious than I expected it to be. It may not be the best comedy ever but it is certainly really enjoyable and has much more heart to the story than I expected.
It basically follows two British sci-fi obsessed friends who go to America to visit all the UFO hotspots and actually run into an alien. He takes them on a crazy journey through the desert in order for him to make his ship 'home'.

The films two lead stars are Simon Pegg and Nick Pegg. They are, often hilariously supported by Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Blythe Danner, Joe Lo Truglio, John Carroll Lynch, David Koechner and Sigourney Weaver (who has a short but terrificly executed part).
This film is perfect to and most enjoyable when watched with friends.

Super 8

It is a film created by a collaboration of  J J Abrams and Steven Spielberg. That alone made me completely confident that I would love this film... I was not wrong.
The plot had that great mix of fantasy/sci-fi with a giant heart and soul at its centre that one would expect from a J J Abrams. The characters were well developed and compelling as always with his writing.

 The film is set in the summer of 1979, when a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Following the accident, unusual disappearances and unusual events begin to take place in town. The attempt to find the truth leads to something none of them could ever have imagined.
The conclusion of the film is heart-warming and almost speaks at being a homage to Spielberg and in particular his films such as E.T.
Though this film does not quite reach the heights of E.T it is definitely J J Abrams at his best and is a film that anyone of any age could enjoy.
I do have to also mention that the train crash scene contains some of the most epic CGI effects I've ever seen in a film before and I cannot imagine how much it must have cost!

Until next month

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Emma x