Books on my: Must Read List!

I'm always and will forever be on the hunt for interesting books. My favorite book is an old one actually. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. The tragedy of the story is so heart breaking and the language is haunting back then. I think that's why I'm drawn to older stories usually. This list is a mix I suppose. Some I have read and I just want to have in my possession to re-read again. 

• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children By: Ransom Riggs

• A Room With A View By: E.M Forster

• Good Morning, Midnight By: Jean Rhys

• A Streetcar Named Desire By: Tennessee Williams 

• On The Road  By: Jack Kerouac

• Fantastic Mr. Fox By: Roald Dahl

• Matilda By: Roald Dahl

• The Virgin Suicides By: Jeffrey Eugenides

• Aftermath By: Rhidian Brook

• The Knife of Never Letting Go By: Patrick Ness 

• Jane Eyre By: Charlotte Bronte

• Looking for Alaska By: John Green

• The Book Thief By: Markus Zusak

• The Bell Jar By: Sylvia Plath

• Tender is the Night By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

• The Wind in the Willows By: Kenneth Grahame

• Of Mice and Men By: John Steinbeck

• Mrs. Dalloway By: Virginia Woolf

• The Time Keeper  By: Mitch Albom

• The First Call from Heaven By: Mitch Albom

• The Secret Garden By: Frances Hodgson Burnett

• The Giver By: Louis Lowry

Woah! Typing that out made it seem so long but to me, but that's short and it grows all the time. My love for books is infinite. If you've read any or have any more suggestions on books please feel free to drop me a comment. 

xoxo Danielle

Photo credit: My own. Please do not redistribute.  

Sick musings

Being stuck in bed is probably one of the best things as a child. You get to play hooky from school and get things brought to you. But being a "grown up" and being stuck in bed? Who has time for that? Backed up school work or plain crap done work if you attempt it and days off work are not things to look forwards to. It sucks. 

I suppose the only "good" thing about being laid up in bed for four torturous days with fevers, sweats and chills is that I can read to my hearts content; a past time I always loved even as a wee kid. Getting to finish The Liar, The Bitch and the Wardrobe by Allie Kingsley that I started months ago (cringe) and retreading an old favorite, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, always reminds me why I love reading so much. 

I never loved studying literature in school, I just like to enjoy the story and the adventure it took you on. (Probably the reason I moved away from studying English when deciding my major.) I just enjoy a good read, the smell of an old book and the crunch of pages in my hand. There's something delicate and calming about a cup of tea and a book. 

But back to the books...They're both quite different stories, but both very enjoyable in their own ways. 

The Liar, The Bitch and the Wardrobe follows a young fashion photographer, Lucy Butler on her journey to the big bad L.A to intern for a famous photographer. It is written in her point of view and you live each day through her eyes. You get a look into that glamorized world and see how events change her and how bad choices of drugs and materialist problems lead her astray.

The Lovely Bones, if you've never read it before or have not seen the movie with the amazing Saoirse Ronan, where have you been hiding? Haha! Kidding. Susie Salmon is murdered at a young age and it's the story of her existing in the Inbetween just watching her loved ones fall apart in search for her murderer. The book in my opinion is so much more detailed than the movie, though most adaptions are, both are worth a read and view. 

Now I'm off to have a cup of tea and finish an essay about Women's Rights in the Middle Ages and then reread Into the Wild, which I may add is an amazing movie as well. ;) Oh! And a little extra.. 

I recently discovered two, I guess you could call them Book Enthusiasts? Yes that's what I'm going to call them. Book Enthusiasts on YouTube. They suggest and do some great reviews on books. 

Youtube.com/user/CandySomething

YouTube.come/user/BazPierce

Give them a look and until next time, 

xx Danielle 

Photo Credit: Google Images

Hello!

Oh dear, the dreaded first blog post. I've been tossing the idea of starting a blog around for years. And the usually block of, "what the hell would I write?" ALWAYS stopped me. Truthfully, I don't know how much use I'll be getting out of this but I'm aiming to put in full effort. I want this to be a collection of things; a safe place for me to get thoughts out, a place to showcase small pieces I'm working on (that is, if they're not under lock and key for clients), art, my life, make up and recipes! My mind is full of so much I just need an outlet. :)

Never have I been good at introducing myself in detail, so please bare with me and here we go! Well first off, my names Danielle from a little town in Pittsburgh. Self admitting cat lady and all around animal lover. My house hold has two cats, though my little Star is only mine. The other seems to hate everyone beside my mom. Shameless picture insert below!

Star 5 (top) Lucky 13 (bottom) 

The two trouble makers!

I'm an only child, and yes I've heard it all before. You're spoiled. You're this or that. I hate the stereotypes and I have always worked hard to make sure I never came across as that. From a young age, I was also interested in art and makeup but when asked as a child what I wanted to be. I really never knew. I juggled around from the obvious that almost every little girl says, a vet! A teacher! I didn't know careers in art existed and I hide my drawings from many. Thinking back, I was self conscious about what other would say. I would look at others work and think that what they did was so much better than my own. I did enter small contests, but because my self esteem was so low, when my pieces weren't picked it crushed me. It took years for me to realize I didn't need the approval of other to love my work. If one person liked it or felt moved by it, even if that person was me, that was enough for me. I think it was tenth grade for me when I realized art was something I could do for a career. Photography was the first thing I dabbled in. I enjoy photography but soon realized it was a hobby for me. Not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Through teachers and talks with counselors at my school introduced to Graphic Design. That sort of brings us full circle to now...

At the moment I'm a full time student in my final year to becoming a Graphic Designer. It's such a scary thought to think in a years time, I will be free from school completely and have to get an actual grown up job. That thought alone scares me to no end. But there's no other way to go besides up. The extra years I decided to continue schooling to get my Bachelor Degree instead of settling for my Associates Degree I think have numbed some of the fear, but anxiety is a never ending battle it seems that I will win. Just say yes as Zoella says. (Cheeky little add in there haha!)

Slowly, I'm running out of what else I should place here to introduce myself, but if I do get followers, please please please, let me know if there's anything you would like to hear about! 

Much love, Danielle!

Photo credit: My own. Copy write to Danielle Delaney 2013. Please do not use without permission.