SOCIAL MEDIA

50 Facts About Me Tag!

Monday 21 October 2013
So I've been tagged by the lovely Sophie from A Day Dreamer's World and Sunny from A Sunny Spot to do the 50 Facts About Me tag! I hope you enjoy it!
  1. I'm 15 years old.
  2. My birthday is on the 7th November and, as weird as it may be, I'm extremely proud to call myself a Scorpio. ;P
  3. I have a younger brother who hates reading. Sadly, I cannot disown him. Apparently it's frowned upon to ask parents to sell a sibling... My bad. :3
  4. The fifth member of our little family is a very cheeky, five-year-old gun dog named Otto. A German Shorthaired Pointer with a German name. Fitting, right? ;)
  5. Up until last year, we actually had a sixth member of the family. Taz. Another German Shorthaired Pointer and, in actual fact, Otto's uncle.
  6. When I was younger (around mid primary school age) I found a copy of Jane Eyre (by Charlotte Bronte) in the spare room. I started reading it (thinking of how smart and cool I would be reading an adult book) and got practically half way through before realising it was a waste of time - I wasn't understanding anything...
  7. I once managed to drop my shoe in the toilet in primary school. And my teacher made me lift it out. Everyone found it hilarious.
  8. I love horses and horse riding.
  9. I've had a horse on loan before. He was over 16hh (for those who don't understand what I mean by that, let's just say he's talllllll), chestnut coloured and called Harley. I loved him dearly and still believe I do though I haven't seen him in years.
  10. I had an obsession with climbing trees and jumping off of crates when I was younger. I roped my bestie, Cat (Through a Cat's Eyes), into doing it with me.
  11. I started the eco committee at my primary school and spoke at quite a few assemblies because of it. Funny how I have a fear of public speaking now though, huh? ;3
  12. My friends and I got called into the headmistress's office more than I would like to admit... :3
  13. The book blogger I go the furthest back with and am still in contact with today is the awesome Zoe from Bookhi! (THREE YEARS, ZOE! *high five*)
  14. My favourite colour is turquoise.
  15. I have to take the bus to school.
  16. I have a lot of favourite heroines but my ultimate favourites have to be Tris (Divergent) and Allie (The Immortal Rules).
  17. My favourite hero is without a doubt William Herondale. BACK OFF GUYS, AS I'VE SAID REPEATEDLY, HE IS MINE! DIBS! Muhahahaha!
  18. I'd love to travel the world some day.
  19. If I manage to fall completely in love with a storyline, I don't pay as much attention to the characters. Though if the storyline is less bold and outstanding, I do need A LOT of character development!
  20. Ah, yes. DEVELOPMENT! The most essential thing needed for me to like a novel. Character development, plot develop, relationship development... I just need development, ok?! :P
  21.  I'm very much a country girl - having lived in the country for more than half my life. Try and get me to sleep next to a busy main street and you're just asking for trouble.
  22. My favourite (not bookish) quote has got to be: "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." :')
  23. My favourite  book-to-movie adaptions are Harry Potter (obviously) and the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
  24. I hate tea and coffee. I'm a hot chocolate girl. ;D
  25. Wooo! Half way! Are you bored yet?
  26. I let my friend cut my hair a few weeks ago. CALL ME BRAVE!
  27. I detest Maths with a passion yet am currently taking Higher Maths - talk about SUPER hard. :(
  28. I love high heels.
  29. And getting dressed up with high heels on.
  30. Though I tower over six foot when I do this (and I know this by standing next to my dad).
  31. Otherwise, I love my baggy t-shirts and leggings.
  32. I'm not much of a clothes shopper... A book shopper? YES! Clothes? Not so much.
  33. I don't own a Kindle and am not sure if I ever will... I have my iPad for ebooks.
  34. My favourite TV shows are Friends, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and The Vampire Diaries. I can quote all of these.
  35. I've more or less gone off Pretty Little Liars... The last season was just too boring for me. :3
  36. I'm obsessed with all the Barbie and Disney movies. Who isn't?!
  37. I really want to work in publishing and/or be an author when I'm older!
  38. I love writing short stories for English though we barely do any. :(
  39. I've been chased by cows three times. Once, by a bull (where my friend and me ended up hiding in a hollow tree). Twice, by a herd. Yes, a HERD! Third time, from a cow called Cookie because I got too near to her calf. For the record, I was at least four metres away from it!
  40. Consequently, I have a fear of cows. As well as mice and enclosed spaces (lifts, in particular, and being locked inside a car).
  41. If I have too much sugar, I go really hyper and can't settle... Especially if I'm in class! :3
  42. I'm a Shadowhunter and Dauntless initiate and study at Hogwarts.
  43. I recently went to see The Lion King musical. Twas good. :)
  44. I love me blogging besties loads! ;)
  45. As I'm writing this, I should really be writing an essay. Which is due for Wednesday. -.- PROCRASTINATOR RIGHT HERE!
  46. I have a new blog design.
  47. Do you like it?
  48. I'm still not sure... Sorry about the size of the font! I'm working to fix it!
  49. Hmmmm, have to make the last fact gooooood.
  50. I love Douglas Booth, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jennifer Lawrence and Lily Collins - they're perfect! :D

Since I think everyone I know has already done this tag, it's going to be quite tricky for me to tag anyone... but I'd love to see Kezia (Chapterosity), Beverley (A Reading Daydreamer), Maya (The Book Nook) and Jack (The Book Stop) do it! However, if you've already done it or don't really want to, it's fine! ;P

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo

PS: I can now reply to comments! Woooooooop! xD


Celebrating 3 Years of Booktastic Reviews!

Sunday 13 October 2013
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BOOKTASTIC REVIEWS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HIP HIP HOORAY, HIP HIP HOORAY, HIP HIP-


MY BLOG IS NOW THREE WHOLE YEARS OLD, GUYS! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! *reaches through screen and cradles blog* I CERTAINLY CAN'T! 368 posts, 110 reviews, 117402 pageviews, 471 GFC followers and 193 Bloglovin' followers later and here we are.


Yep, I can't quite believe it either. I mean, over 100,000 pageviews?! That's amazing! And a combined following of over 600 followers (not including twitter)?! WHAT?! I am SO lucky! Huge thanks go out to everyone who follows or even takes time to browse through my blog! :)

I LOVE YOU ALL!<3

I do want to thank a few specific people though - mainly book bloggers. Now that I think about it, it might be best to grab a cup of hot chocolate or tea because when I say a few, I actually mean a LOT... Also, since I have no idea how I'm going to order this, I'm just going to go alphabetically, here's hoping I don't miss anyone out! :3


I'm not even sure if Amber knows this or not but she's the one who introduced me to the book blogging community. Years and years ago when I was just a life blogger - documenting my very boring day-to-day life - a fellow blogger (HINT: Amber!) started up a book blog. Since I'd had no idea there was such a thing as the bookblogosphere, I instantly wanted to jump on the band wagon! It was the perfect blog for an avid reader like myself to start! So, HUGE thanks go out to Amber as, without her starting up TMLB, this blog probably wouldn't exist! She's also a pretty awesome person in general. :)

Catherine (The Book Parade)

Even though I feel like I haven't talked to this girl in so long - WE SERIOUSLY NEED TO CATCH UP BIG TIME! - she's been a blogging buddy of mine for a good while now and, of course, I had to include her! She's such a lovely person and I adore her blog! :D


My goodness, where do I start with Cat?! This girl... Well, if it hadn't been for her, I would never have even come across blogger! She's the one who introduced me to the website all those years ago and helped me start up my first ever blog! She's amazing! THANK YOU SO MUCH, CAT! So happy we've stayed close all these years! xD


Francoise is one of my newer bloggy friends and I'm so glad to have met her, she's so nice and I just love her blog! The design is so pretty! I also love it when I see she's left a comment on one of my posts. :')


Eeeeek, this girl is crazy awesome. Emphasis on the crazy. ;) If you ever need someone to cheer you up, talk to this girl! She's hyper, prone to fan-girling and just so much fun! She's been a blogging bestie of mine for what seems like forever now! Her blog is perfect and her personality shines through every post, you'll love her! Thanks for being awesome, Hawwa! ;P


This is another newer bloggy friend that I'm so glad to have met! His blog is always updated with a variety of interesting and fabby posts and there's something for everybody! I always just want to go for a good ol' browse whenever I visit it (which is often)! He's also great to talk to on twitter! :)

Jessica (Booked Up!)

I absolutely love this girl and her blog. They are both fabby! We came to the realisation we've actually got quite a few things in common (which is why we must get along so well! ;D) and, if I remember correctly, my blogoversary and her birthday are on the same day. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSICA! xD


You seriously need to check out her blog. Her posts are always interesting and fun to read (I especially love her discussion posts!) and she updates her blog regularly! She's also recently become a booktuber and I just love watching her videos!


Okay, well, for one, Ruby is amazing with everything and anything technical and so her blog design is gorgeous and she's always so willing to help me out if I'm stuck with a graphic/widget. She also writes amazing reviews - seriously, I don't know how she does it! - and I love just simply talking to her about books and fictional boys and everything in between. She's also quite the Pottermore geek and can best me in all the duels. ;D


Another lovely girl with a great blog. I love all her posts (especially her amazing discussion posts)! Her blogger header is so pretty too! She's great at writing stories too! Everyone needs to go visit her blog now - you won't regret it! xD

Sunny (A Sunny Spot)

Sunny is also such a nice book blogger (I know I'm repeating myself but all my bloggy friends are super lovely, okay? ;P) and her blog is a ray of sunshine! I love every post she writes and she leaves such lovely comments on my blog and they never fail to bring a smile to my face! :)

Zoe (Bookhi)

Ohmygoodness, where on earth do I start with Zoe?! She's one of my very oldest bloggy friends and has stuck by this blog all this time. I cannot thank her enough! Especially since my first reviews were dreadful! :3 She's great to fan-girl with and is just, simply, amazing. We have quite a similar taste in books so if she recommends anything to me, I'll instantly look it up. SIDENOTE: More GIFs, Zoe! Are you proud? ;D

A few more shout outs are needed for Beverley, Rita, Kyra, Kezia, MayaFionnuala and Amy who are all super awesome and great twitter buddies. I also want to send out a huge thank you to Cliona at Bookster Reviews because, even though she is no longer blogging, she was one of the very first bloggers (along with Zoe) I became friends with and one of the first bloggers to comment on my blog. So thank you for everything, Cliona! I hope you return to blogging someday! :)

So, there we go. I am so grateful to have such fantastic bloggy friends! They make blogging all that more fun! LOVE YOU GUYS! Of course, if you're new here, introduce yourself! I adore making new bloggy friends!

I know I haven't been around much lately (and that's likely to continue *sniffles*) but I hope you stick by the blog! I'll try and get the odd post up whenever I can!

Wish I could stay longer but, alas, I have to prepare the birthday cake...

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo