Recently watched...

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

I remember going to see the first Independence Day film back in 1996 and really enjoying it. Being an appreciator of the legend that is Jeff Goldblum I still enjoy the film now. Unfortunately I found the sequel to be a big disappointment. The actors from the first film seemed like they really didn't want to be there, and the new actors (especially Liam Hemsworth) had their cringe dials turned up to 11. Although the film had all the cheese of the first one it lacked the humour. 1/5

Ghostbusters (2016)

I still don't understand why this film has had so much hate considering the amount of mediocre reboots we've have over the past few years that have gone down fine *cough* Jurassic World *cough*. I for one was looking forward to this as I am a big fan of Kristen Wiig and also really like Melissa McCarthy. I really enjoyed it! I thought it was really funny, there was great chemistry between the four leads and it was a lot of fun. Kate McKinnon's Holtzman was the stand out character for me and one of the best parts of the film was when she went full on badass. Chris Hemsworth should do more comedy as he was brilliant as hapless receptionist Kevin also. Ignore the hate and go and see it! 4/5

New books...

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

I have had this on pre-order for ages and am excited to finally be able to read it. This is the sequel to You, one of my favourite reads from last year (review here) about a New Yorker named Joe who also happens to be a stalker, murderer and psychopath. This one follows on from the first book and I can't wait to read what Joe gets up to next.

Bloodsong by Melvin Burgess

Another sequel! This is the follow on book to Bloodtide- a favourite since I first read it as a teenager. I only just discovered there was a sequel recently and quickly snapped it up. Bloodtide is an intense, and crazy story set in a future England where cities are now shut off and owned by gangs. This follows two of the biggest gangs as they try and come to a truce after arranging a marriage between their children. Full of twists and turns it is a really dark and twisted story that's very addictive, and it gives me an excuse to re-read Bloodtide too!

This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes

I bought two Homes books on impulse when I saw them on Amazon for £1.99 each. This one is about a rich and privileged stocks and shares trader in LA who leads a solitary life until he has a health scare and befriends a donut shop worker. It sounds like a nice uplifting read.

May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes

This one was the winner for the women's prize for fiction in 2013 and is about two brothers whose lives spiral out of control. It promises to be heartbreaking, hilarious, honest, and uplifting... so we'll see!

Current magazine freebies...

I don't tend to really bother with magazines but Summer is always a great time for freebies so here are a couple I picked up...

In the current issue of Red they are giving away this lovely The Organic Pharmacy set which consists of a Double Rose Rejuvenating Face Cream, an Antioxidant Lip Balm and a Marigold & Comfrey Hand Cream. Inside the mag is also a sample of a Nivea Cream Wash as well.  I've never bought Red before but I found it to be a pretty decent read as well. The issue costs £4.20.  

The current issue of Glamour is giving away a mini version of Benefits Gimme Brow. This is a brow volumising fibre gel and comes in two shades 1 (light) and 5 (dark). Inside the magazine is also a sample of Garnier Ultimate Blends Nourish Balm. This mag is just £2 and inside they also have an offer of six issues and a six piece MUA make up set for £6 which I've nabbed!  

Recent music picks...

Here's what I've been listening to lately...

Garbage- Strange Little Birds (2016)

Garbage are my all time favourite band and have been for around the last 17 years. This is their sixth album and I've been (im)patiently waiting for this for a while! I think this is their strongest album in a long time, with all the songs complimenting each other as a whole. They've embraced their rougher edges and made the most of what they do best: weird, dark, goth tinged songs. The lyrics are some of their most intimate and Shirley sounds like the badass queen that she is. 

Stand out songs: Night Drive Loneliness, Blackout, Teaching Little Fingers to Play.

The Kills- Ash & Ice (2016)

The fifth album from indie rock duo The Kills, the best way I can describe it is classic Kills- if you are a fan of the band you will enjoy this album and if you weren't then there's nothing crazily new here that would change your mind. The one main edition is that there are a whole lot more synths here, which in my opinion is a good thing as I am a sucker for a good synth! I also think Alison's voice here sounds better than ever.

Stand out songs: Doing it to Death, Heart of a Dog, Siberian Nights

All Saints- Red Flag (2016)

As a nineties kid I of course liked the Spice Girls but All Saints were always the girl band for me. More grown up, tougher and full of sass they had some really great songs (that I still love). They came back with a new album this year and I had to buy it out of nostalgia, but it actually is a really good album. Full of their signature sound of laid back trip hop influenced pop this makes a great listen.

Stand out songs: One Strike, Summer Rain, This is War

Melanie Martinez- Cry Baby (2014)

Melanie Martinez sound is kind of hard to describe- it's strange pop with a bit of electro and goth thrown in. If you like Marina and the Diamonds you'll probably like this, but I also hear influences of Coco Rosie and Jack Off Jill in there. The artwork and aesthetics are just as much a part of the music and I look forward to seeing what she comes out with next...

Stand out songs: Cry Baby, Training Wheels, Milk and Cookies

Marvel Collector Corps June: Women of Power...

 As soon as Junes theme of 'Women of Power' was announced for MCC- the Marvel subscription box I ordered straight away as I do love the woman of Marvel and love the idea of them taking centre stage for once. This is my first MCC box and I found the service to be very good- they swiftly responded to an email and were very friendly, and the box had full tracking available on line throughout. Marvel also deliver all UK boxes to a depot first and then via Royal Mail so there are no dreaded customs charges. This box cost me £30 when converted from dollars and every item promises to be an exclusive product. So lets see what's inside...  

 All MCC boxes come with a t shirt, patch and pin. The shirt is a simple Spider Gwen design but I really like it matched with the grey. The shirt itself is soft and feels a decent quality- although it is quite thin material but I tend to find that's the case with most tees from the US.

 The patch is a very cool Ms Marvel design, and the pin is Spider Woman- I must admit I know nothing about this character but she looks pretty badass.

All MCC boxes come with at least one Funko product and this month we got three! A Squirrel Girl Pop with a mini Tippy Toes and two mystery minis. I LOVE the Squirrel Girl pop! I am really enjoying her current run in the comics and am really pleased they included this character in the box :)

 The mystery minis weren't really a mystery as the box told you which characters they were but I don't care because we got She-Hulk and Captain Marvel- two iconic women of Marvel. I would love a mini's series featuring some more of the ladies of Marvel... how cool would that be?!

Squirrel Girl unboxed 

The final item was a copy of issue 1 of Civil War 2 featuring a variant cover. It's not a series I'm currently reading but I'm really not a fan of the Funko style artwork... I feel like a variant of A Force would have been more fitting. Overall though I'm very happy with the box- I love most of the items, and although I'm a little disappointed we didn't get anything featuring Black Widow, Medusa, Scarlet Witch, Storm, Mystique, Hellcat, Rogue (there's so many amazing characters to choose from, a collage print would have been A+) I understand they could only include a few and on the whole I'm happy with the contents :) 

What do you think?

Recently watched...

 

Keeping Rosy (2014)

A British drama set in London about a successful woman who in one single day finds her whole life fall apart. I'm a big fan of Maxine Peake and she was brilliant as usual here. The film was well made, and had a great tense atmosphere but unfortunately the story just got more and more unbelievable as it went on. Still worth a watch though. 3/5

The Nice Guys (2016)

Set in the 70s following a private detective and a muscle for hire as they investigate a missing girl and get into all sorts of mishaps. This was a really funny film, Ryan Gosling has a real talent for comedy and there was a great chemistry between him and Crowe. This is well worth seeing and I look forward to the inevitable sequel! 4/5

The Boss (2016)

I had a bad feeling about this film- I am yet to see a single good review for it, but I like Melissa McCarthy so decided to give it a go anyway. Basically it was rubbish. I can't remember a single funny moment other that the odd chuckle here and there. Just no. 1/5

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

A sequel to the brilliant horror film inspired by real life paranormal investigators and married couple Ed and Lorraine Warren this one is set in 1977 London and focuses on the Enfield haunting. I really enjoyed this film- there was lots of tension, and some genuine scares (although one of the demons did have an uncanny resemblance to Marilyn Manson..) and Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson make a great team. I personally enjoyed this one more than the first and I liked the real tape recordings and photographs at the end as well. 4/5