music of the month: july

June/July was a busy month for me music-wise, with an Ed Sheeran gig and Ocean City Sounds in Plymouth, with Ella Eyre and Bastille. The Mamma Mia 2 soundtrack has also been making regular appearances in my playlist, which you may be able to guess from this list of my top tracks from last month…

U.N.I.// ed sheeran

There are so many Ed Sheeran songs I could’ve put on here, but I’ve gone for U.N.I. because it seems to be so underrated?? It’s quite old but I love it, especially the line “and I don’t get waves of missing you anymore/they’re more like tsunami tides in my eyes” (I’m always a sucker for something a bit poetic/with a geography reference) Also – if you like this, try ‘Cold Coffee’

high hopes//panic at the disco!

Everyone goes through a Panic at the Disco! phase, right? I had mine a year or so again, but it’s been well and truly reignited with the release of his new album, Pray for the Wicked. High Hopes alwayyys gets me awkward-robot-dancing in my desk chair (doing this as I type) and I love the chorus and the little brass bits. Other highlights from the album (aka the only other songs I’ve heard) are Say Amen (Saturday Night) and Dancing’s Not A Crime.

a little more//alessia cara

After not loving the first release from Alessia Cara since 2016 (:(() I’m very glad she then released A Little More, which I’ve listened to a ridiculous amount of times. It’s not the cheeriest song, but it’s chilled and is nice in the evenings.

eastside//benny blanco with Halsey and Khalid

This was co-written by Ed Sheeran, and you can definitely hear his influence, but it also feels fresh. It’s a good walking soundtrack, and I just really like it to be honest. Not got much more to say.

why did it have to be me?, andante andante, when I kissed the teacher & angel eyes//mamma mia 2 soundtrack

Let me start by stating that Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! is a true masterpiece of modern cinema (and I did film at college so I’m 100% qualified to make that statement). I loved it so much I’m going to see it for the second time next week with friends, and I’ve been listening to these songs on repeat, especially when I’m not in the best mood and want to cheer myself up.

medicine//new hope club

I found this either in Spotify’s Discover Weekly or New Releases, and the only other song of theirs I’ve heard is Fixed, but I definitely think I need to keep a closer eye on their music – I like everything I’ve heard so far!

don’t leave me alone//David Guetta ft Anne-Marie

Well this is a summer bop if I ever heard one (blame Elly for getting the word ‘bop’ into my vocabulary), I’ve kinda run out of things to say but I 10/10 recommend (I’m going to spin it and say my lack of description makes it a fun ~mystery song~)

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What songs have you been listening to in July? Thoughts on my favourites?

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas…(Except It’s Really Not)

I’m feeling remarkably un-festive, and I have no idea why. Maybe I’m now “old”. But very few of my friends are as well, so I don’t really think that’s it…

Maybe it’s because of a side effect of being (relatively) old – GCSE mocks *hiss of horror heard around nation* *followed by nod of appreciation for that alliteration*. I’ve got them straight after Christmas (starting on the 4th January, yay…) so I’m having a jolly old time revising and fine-tuning my (already pretty impressive) procrastination skills – getting my mum’s old iPhone 5 certainly helped! (All the emojis though…and Siri!) (my first iPhone, if you hadn’t guessed…SO much better than my seriously old iPod Touch and my previous Samsung phone).

Anyway, as it’s Christmas Eve, the only revision I have left to do before Christmas is an hour and a half of Further Maths, it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow, I’ve already watched Frozen, Love Actually (twice) and The Holiday within the last couple of weeks, I’ve made a dedicated Christmas playlist on Spotify and decorated my room with copious paper chains and Christmas cards and guess what?  I still don’t feel Christmassy, I decided that the only thing for it was to sit next to the Christmas tree, stuff my face with Christmas shortbread and mince pies and write a festive blog post.

So here you go…(it’s not all me rambling on about how un-festive I am, honest) I thought I’d follow in Eve’s footsteps and do the Dashing Through The Snow tag, despite not being nominated!

Name a book you would like to see under your Christmas tree!

Hmm. Well, I know I’m getting Humans of New York: Stories because I accidentally saw the Amazon dispatched notification on my mum’s iPad, but out of all the other books I’ve asked for the one I want the most (and this won’t come as any surprise to people who know me well) is Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. IF I DON’T READ IT SOON I MAY EXPLODE, OKAY?! THIS IS A MATTER OF URGENCY!

A book you’ll be reading during the Christmas Season!

I read Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares around maybe October-time, which got me feeling really Christmassy (maybe that sucked all the Christmas spirit out of me early?), which I enjoyed. Last year I read the anthology My True Love Gave To Me (curated by Stephanie Perkins) which I loved – I’ve asked for that and also Let It Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle and Maureen Johnson, so if I get either of them I’ll probably start reading them soon! Other than that, I’m partway through Go Set A Watchman (Harper Lee), The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness and also rereading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (SUCH A GOOD BOOK BY THE WAY).

Favourite Christmas Movie?

LOVE ACTUALLY GUYS, OBVIOUSLY. Though Frozen comes near the top, because Olaf = bae, naturally. And The Holiday‘s good too! I actually started watching Love Actually with my family when I was quite young, maybe 11? Anyway, my parents soon remembered the plot in full and we abandoned it for a good few years…

Do you like snow?

YES! I feel like it validates the cold…except this year it’s been really warm and barely any sign of ice, let alone snow. Maybe that’s another reason why I’m not feeling the festive spirit? But yeah, back in I think 2010 when there was ACTUAL, REAL SNOW and lots of it, my parents bought us sledges as early Christmas presents and it was just fab. So yeah, short answer: yes!

Name a character you would like to spend your Christmas day with!

Um um well sticking with Eve’s Rainbow Rowell theme, it would have to be Cath Avery…or sticking with what someone else chose (can’t remember who, sorry), I think Jem, Tessa or Will from the Infernal Devices (Cassandra Clare). Or Levi, again from Fangirl, because he’s so sweet! I don’t know, arghhh! Maybe Hermione? This is where my indecisiveness really comes out…

To give or to receive?

Obviously I love receiving (honestly, who doesn’t?), I also actually really enjoy giving, especially when you just find that perfect present and you give it to them and you can just tell they’re not faking their happiness. I LOVE that feeling. And also giving someone a homemade gift that you’ve really put time into, like when I made my sister a big jewellery holder hting…I liked it so much I nearly made one for myself, haha!

What fictional place would you like to spend Christmas at?

Okay, I’m saying Hogwarts partly because I have no imagination, and let’s be honest, where else has such incredible Christmas celebrations?

Fondest Christmas memory?

I can think of approximately 0. Um. I remember several years ago, my sister woke me up to open my stocking at about 4am, before waking up the rest of the family, haha. She still claims she misread the clock and thought it was 7 or 8! That’s still a running joke in our family.

Can you say Christmas tree ten times FAST in a row (pronouncing it correctly!)

Um well I’m watching Mamma Mia on TV now (in sync with Eve woop) but probably not! I’ll update you all on Twitter when it ends haha.

I don’t know who has/hasn’t done this, so I’m gonna tag anyone who wants to do it, but especially members of the Blog Squad and the newly-formed Fangirl Society!

What would your answer to these questions be?