Bakes and Books on Sunday

My first official Book Bake

I really flipping love baking! Along with reading, baking is a relaxation aide and a form of therapy for me. Both inspire and calm me just in very different ways. Baking is a great way to focus and quiet my busy mind, with a yummy outcome to boot.

After going on a healthy eating kick last year I haven't made many cakes in recent months. This is a huge shame because I really miss it. Also to be honest I don't have as much free time to put on my Queen of Cupcakes apron on these days. I came to a recent decision that I'm going to try to make time for something I love so much. I need to remember that just because I've made the cake, I don't have to eat it all, especially when I have so many ready and willing cake tasters living nearby (plus I'm really more of a savoury gal at heart anyway).

So I grabbed my apron and made this calorific Jaffa cake sponge. It's huge, not particularly pretty, but tastes super yummy and went really well with a nice cuppa whilst I organised my TBR.

A heads-up my bookish bakes are cakes to enjoy whilst reading and are not necessarily book themed/related.

Happy Sunday lovelies x

Bookish Goodies on a Sunday

If you're a regular reader of the blog then you'll know that I flipping love a bookish or cult TV/Movie or comic themed product!

Today I'm sharing a few of my fav bookish goodies. They cost less than £10 each so make great low cost gifts!

First up this cute The Book Was Better Enamel Pin from Punky Pins Book Lovers range! Mine was a gift from my Mum but it's a steal at £7.00 on their website.

I picked up the As You Like It - All the World's a Stage pen in London a couple of years ago and only recently started using it. You can grab something similar for around £2.00 at Shakespeare's Globe.

This Alice in Wonderland mini Drink Me glass bottle necklace came on a silver chain as part of an Alice cosplay costume, but you can grab a much cheaper one for a few pounds on eBay, Etsy or Amazon.

I purchased the Batman comic notebook at London Film and Comic Con last year for a fiver! It has Batman on side and Catwoman on the other. Amazon has a pretty rocking selection of comic themed notebooks.

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Reading Spots

All the Bookish Things

I don't know about you but I love to find a comfy spot to snuggle down to read exciting new books & of course my old favourites?! 
I've been on the hunt for a special reading chair for a while now and decided to splurge on this beauty as soon as I saw it...

It cost me a fortune, is basically too large for my room and is a totally random mixture of granny chic and modern kitsch but I freaking love it - It's an awesome reading spot.

Do you have a fav reading chair, snug or spot? Share your pics and I'll add them to the board.

Sunday Funday Review: Frenched

Flirty, Naughty & Fun
Frenched #1 by Melanie Harlow

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What they say: When Tucker Branch, playboy heir to Branch Bolt and Screw, screws and bolts a week before their wedding, Mia Devine wants nothing more than to crawl under her newly monogrammed sheets and plan a funeral for her dignity. But her friends convince her that bitter tastes better when it’s drowned in Bordeaux, so Mia grits her teeth and packs her bags, determined to make the best of her luxurious Paris honeymoon—alone.

She never planned on meeting Lucas Fournier.

The easygoing bartender’s scruffy good looks and less-than-sympathetic ear annoy her at first, but when she takes him up on his offer to show her around the city, she discovers that the romance of Paris isn’t just a myth.

Nor is the simultaneous O.

The last thing Mia needs is another doomed love affair, but since she only has a week, she figures she might as well enjoy la vie en O with Lucas while she can. But each day—and night—with Lucas is better than the last, and suddenly her heart is telling her this is more than a rebound fling.

Is it just the seduction of Paris…or could this be the real thing?

Amazon US * Amazon UK

What I say: Gotta love a girl who lists! Mia loves to be organised and has spent the last year meticulously planning her dream wedding, only to be dumped a week before the big event. Mia's friends convince her to go on the prepaid honeymoon to Paris, to her get away from it all. The problem? Paris is the city of love!

After a disastrous arrival in Paris, Mia is all set to return home until she meets bartender Lucas. Lucas convinces Mia to let him show her the real Paris. If a hot half-french bartender like Lucas ever wants to show me around Paris then I'm totally fine with it! I loved their banter and how he called her out whenever she'd get too bossy or demanding.

I really liked Mia because she never failed to make me laugh. I loved her lists (some more than others) and I appreciated how the time away from home with Lucas allowed her to see just how wrong things had been.

Lucas is a nice guy who goes out of his way to help Mia. He recognises the instant chemistry and pushes Mia to become more accepting of herself and others. Most importantly he helps her to stop trying to control and organise everything, to be spontaneous.

I really liked Frenched and am looking forward to reading the follow up.

4 Stars in my Sky!

Sunday Funday: Wallbanger

Where I'm celebrating books, characters and writers who make us smile.

Yes, I know I've posted about Alice Clayton's Wallbanger in the past (review here) but because I cannot remember laughing as much as I did the first time I read Caroline's and Simon's story, I felt it deserved to serve as my first ever Sunday Funday post.

I think most people would have heard about Wallbanger by now but in case you haven't: Caroline moves into a new flat with her cat Clive. She promptly names her new neighbour 'Wallbanger' after his noisy nighttime activities, with a 'hareem' of ladies keeps her awake.
"The girl next door was meowing. What in the world was my neighbour packing to make that happen?"
Caroline's POV is hilarious and I nearly fell off a chair laughing reading her nicknames for Wallbanger's ladies.
It isn't all about Caroline as Simon has some great one-liners (hello food porn “I tend to lose control when pie crust is involved”) and they have a fab group of friends.
"You gonna bang my walls, Simon?” I laughed.

“You have no idea,” he promised.” 

If you want something funny with heart, then give Wallbanger a chance - I'm off for a reread as I fully embrace the spirit of Sunday Funday!

“You gonna bang my walls, Simon?” I laughed.

“You have no idea,” he promised.” 

Amazon US * Amazon UK * B&N

Wallbanger is the first book in Alice Clayton's Cocktail series:
Wallbanger, Rusty Nailed, Screwdrivered, Mai Tia'd Up & Last Call.