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I’ll see you at the bookshop!
35 Quotes from Wonka AND Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl is one of the UK’s most beloved children’s authors, with around 50 titles to his name and more than 300 million book sales. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, along with Matlida and James are the Giant Peach, is arguably one of Dahl’s most famous and popular books, found in children’s libraries all over the world.
In this article, I summarise 35 of the very best quotes from both Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and its newest film iteration, Wonka.
The University Arms Hotel, Cambridge - Review
The University Arms Hotel has been high on my bookish to-visit list for a very long time, and for good reason! This literary hotel has a long history, having been in service in a variety of forms since the 1800s. Now owned by Marriott Bonvoy aspart of their Autograph Collection, the property boasts stunning Edwardian interiors and offers a truly luxurious experience in the heart of Cambridge.
I stayed at the hotel for two nights in one of their stunning terrace suites, and also had the chance to dine in their onsite restaurant the Parkers Tavern. The hotel underwent a thorough renovation in 2016, and it’s clear that Marriott invested a significant amount of time and money in the refit. I particularly loved the little details, and loved the signs that were shaped like books.
P&O’s Iona Cruise Ship Review- 10 Things I Loved
Last summer (2022) my partner and I embarked on our first ever cruise with P&O’s Iona. We travelled on a return voyage from Southampton to Norway, and were scheduled to stop in Stavanger, Alesund, Olden and Haegsund over an 8 day schedule.
Unfortunately our stop at Stavanger was cancelled due to high winds, however, we had missed port coverage as part of our insurance which meant that we were given a small sum each to cover the inconvenience. While I would have loved to visit Stavanger (and had picked out a cool bookish cafe/bar to visit) I didn’t really mind as it meant that our budget trip was even cheaper.
B2 Boutique Hotel + Spa Review
Welcome to Zürich’s designated literary hotel, the B2 Boutique. This is somewhere that’s been on my literary travel bucket list for a very long time, and visiting was an absolute dream come true. I’m excited to show you around!
Upon entering the hotel lobby you’ll snatch your first glance of the B2 Boutique’s coveted library. The lobby area has lots of comfy seating options and doubles up as a large coworking space, making it a great place to grab an armchair and a coffee and get some work done, or just relax with a book.
Bookshop Review: Barter Books
Tucked away in the northernmost corner of England, Barter Books can be found in Alnwick - a small town in Northumberland. The shop is a complete showstopper with lots of unique features, and is easily one of the best book shops that I’ve ever visited.
Barter Books is housed in Alnwick’s beautiful Victorian train station, which was decommissioned in 1968. Today the space is simply magical.
7 Things to do in Fort-de-France, Martinique
Martinique may be a Caribbean island, but it’s currently considered a French overseas territory. Situated between the islands of Dominica and St Lucia, I stopped here on my Caribbean cruise on P&O’s Arvia and had a fantastic time. I’d even go as far to say that this was my favourite stop!
We docked in Martinique’s capital city, Fort-de-France, which has plenty of things to see and do. Here are 7 places that you need to visit during your trip.
P&O’s Arvia - Cruise Ship Tour and Review
I recently returned from a cruise around the Caribbean on P&O’s newest and largest ship, Arvia. The sister ship to the near identical Iona, which launched in 2020, Arvia set sail in 2022 and can hold a maximum of 5,200 passengers and 1,800 crew. She’s often described at P&O’s sunshine ship, with features including a retractable roof and swim up bar. You’ll often find her sailing around the Caribbean and Mediterranean, where passengers can make the most of what she has to offer, with 18 decks, 30 restaurants and 4 separate pools, Arvia really is incredible.
Should You Buy a Stoov Cushion? My Honest Review
If you’re anything like me and you tend to really feel the cold over the winter months, then you’ll probably have seen lots of ads for Stoov. This company sells a variety of infrared heating products including dog beds, seat cushions and bottles, but I decided to keep things simple and invest in the original Ploov cushion.
As a self proclaimed ‘chilly billy’, I was wondering whether one of these cushions would help to take the edge off the cold and perhaps even reduce my heating use until it gets a bit warmer.
Here is my honest review of Stoov, how it works, and whether it’s worth the price tag.
My New Year’s Resolutions ft Serious Readers
It might be the last week of January, but there’s still plenty of time to reflect on what we want out of 2024.
This year I’ve decided to set some goals so that I can orientate myself towards the things that are meaningful for me. I’m calling them goals rather than the traditional ‘resolutions’, as these are things that I can work towards during the year and adapt if necessary. Resolutions feel very set in stone, and I don’t want that for 2024.
Today’s post has been sponsored by the lovely people at Serious Readers, and I have an amazing discount for you at the bottom of today’s post. If that’s why you’ve clicked on this blog, I totally understand, and feel free to skip down to the bottom of the page for my discount code.
For the rest of you, thank you for sticking with me - here are some of the goals that I’ve set for 2024.
12 Cosy Craft Ideas for Your Serious Readers Light
It’s November. The clocks have gone back, the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder. It’s time to retreat into our homes, cosy on down with our books and crafts, and wait out the winter in the comfort of our own homes.
A Serious Light is the perfect accompaniment for anyone who enjoys crafting. Its specialist Daylight Wavelength Technology maximises your ability to see detail and colours, minimising the risk of damage to your eyes that can be caused by standard LED lights. The light is also fully adjustable, which makes it easier to maintain good posture
App Review: TooFar Media
If you’re looking for something new to read, then I have the app for you.
Author Rich Shapero has created an immersive storytelling experience within the TooFar Media app. Combining fiction with a unique blend of art, video, animation and music to bring readers into the story, there really is nothing else quite like it.
Each of the eleven stories is written by Rich, who aims to write novels that ‘dare readers with giant metaphors, magnificent obsessions and potent ideas’. The app feels like a very natural extension of this philosophy. When I opened the app for the first time, I was presented with all eleven of Shapero’s novels. Each is available to download free of charge and is accompanied by art, animation and sound that you will never find in a physical book. Here’s a closer look at three of the stories.
Willoughby Book Club Subscription Review
Book delivery boxes are all the rage nowadays - available in any way imaginable, for big budgets and small, it can be difficult to decide which ones to spend your money on.
Today I want to introduce the wonderful Willoughby Book Club, a book subscription service owned by Marianne Chala that specialises in individually curated book deliveries. The process is simple. When choosing a subscription for yourself or a loved one, take a browse through their menu of personal book subscriptions. Here you can choose from a wide variety of genres, from the broader ‘fiction’ subscription to more specialised crime, non-fiction, young adult, food and drink, wellbeing, natural history, or home and garden subscription. They even have categories for different demographics of readers: whether you’re shopping for a baby, toddler, child, couple or mum and baby, there really is something for everyone. They even have a bespoke subscription available if your reading tastes don’t fit into any these categories.
Why are Serious Readers’ Lights so expensive?
I understand why you might be skeptical. In a world where you can order a £30 floor lamp from IKEA, why would you spend £300 on a reading light? It seems expensive, and I get it - we work hard for our money, and want to spend it wisely. It doesn’t seem sensible to spend hundreds of our hard earned pounds on, well, a lamp.
That’s normally what I’d think too, but soon after my brand new Serious Readers’ reading lamp landed on my doorstep, I was convinced. As part of our collaboration, the Serious Readers team sent me two of their lamps to try out, before I agreed to promote their product. The first was the showstopper: the High Definition Floor Light and the second, the High Definition Compact Light, which complimented it perfectly.
Dinner at Tamarind Kitchen, Soho
It’s been a while since I’ve visited Soho, an eclectic neighbourhood in central London that I often frequented in my early twenties. So much has changed since I moved away during the pandemic, and new shops, bars and restaurants line the streets as I walk towards tonight’s destination.
Tamarind Kitchen is an upmarket Indian restaurant based on Wardour Street - just a short walk away from Tottenham Court Road station. Inside, the restaurant’s dark wooden interiors are reminiscent of a branch of Dishoom, and lit with ambient lighting. The staff are attentive, and the scent of fragrant spices fills the room. It all has a luxurious feel about it, I thought, as I settled into my chair and peered at the menu.
Review: Brunch at The Ivy, Chichester Brasserie
Having just opened their doors in June 2022, The Ivy is a much welcome addition to Chichester’s city centre. I initially popped in during their launch party on opening week, so I was keen to return and give their boozy brunch menu a proper try.
Stepping through the door, I was taken aback by the restaurant’s gorgeous interiors, which were decked out in The Ivy’s iconic 1920s Great Gatsby-esque theme. With luxurious seating, dramatic foliage and a stunning bar, there’s a great atmosphere in the space. The service was also impeccable. The front of house staff were suited and booted, and I loved the white blazers that were donned by the bartenders. They were very friendly and added the cherry on top of the whole experience.
Second Hand Book Haul With Rumage.com
I love buying second hand. Not only is it great for the environment, but it’s also brilliant for your wallet, and I’ve saved so much money over the last few years by buying used instead of new.
Any of you who follow my Instagram will know that I love buying new books and I adore bookshops, but I also love the website Rumage (my kind sponsors of this post!). Rumage is a search engine that scours the internet for second hand goods, whether that’s clothing, toys, homeware, books, or anything else.
10 Books for Fans of Adam Kay’s This is Going to Hurt
First published in 2017, Adam Kay’s legendary memoir, This is Going to Hurt, captured hearts and tickled feathers of those around the nation. Now something of a national treasure, Kay’s first book has sold more than 1 million copies and spent many weeks at the top of the Sunday Times bestseller chart. His Christmas themed follow up, aptly titled T’was the Nightshift Before Christmas, went down similarly well, and his new memoir is set to be released in Autumn of 2022
A Stay at Beneath the Branches - Review
Nestled in the south of West Sussex, just a stone’s throw away from the South Downs National Park, you’ll find a luxury holiday home up in the trees. Adorned with twinkling lights and furnished with not one, but two enormous bathtubs, Beyond the Branches is a unique romantic getaway that will leave you dreaming of your next visit. Just take a peek at their guest book - nearly all of the previous visitors describe the treehouse as ‘magical’ and proclaim that they ‘will be back’. In fact, I wrote the same thing just before we left after an exquisite one night stay after a busy week of work.
12 Heart Melting Quotes from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
When did you first read The Fault in Our Stars?
I remember when I did - I was 17, the same age as the protagonist Hazel Grace Lancaster - and it was the first John Green book that I’d ever read. The beautiful language has stayed with me all of these years, and Green’s masterful writing makes it a modern classic in the young adult genre.
8 Recipe Book Holders for Your Kitchen
Calling all foodies: here’s an affordable kitchen gadget that you need for your home, and will make trying out new recipes SO much easier. No longer will you be losing your place or splashing your latest meal on the pages of your most beloved cookbook. With these stylish stands you’ll easily be able to prop up your desired recipes, making them much easier to follow, and keeping your countertops more hygienic too.
Welcome to Zürich’s designated literary hotel, the B2 Boutique. This is somewhere that’s been on my literary travel bucket list for a very long time, and visiting was an absolute dream come true. I’m excited to show you around!
Upon entering the hotel lobby you’ll snatch your first glance of the B2 Boutique’s coveted library. The lobby area has lots of comfy seating options and doubles up as a large coworking space, making it a great place to grab an armchair and a coffee and get some work done, or just relax with a book.