Friendsfest 2016 is the place to be if you love Friends. Myself and my friends truly do. (I feel like I've already said friends too many times, bear with me on this one...) So naturally Haggerston Park Friendsfest was our destination on the 26th August. For £25 each, we were invited to visit the sets of Monica's apartment, Joey and Chandler's living room and Central Perk itself. No one who knows that Ross and Rachel were on a break and that Joey doesn't share food would be able to say no. Here's a sort of picture diary of what we got up to.

Our first point of call was our tour of Monica's apartment. In true Friends style, we were invited to take a seat on the couch and re-create the title sequence. We tried our best to think of something hilarious, but instead opted for the casual ladylike look...

Walking into Monica's apartment was surreal. We managed to take a photo in pretty much every corner of the apartment (the staff must have been sick of us by the end!) But hey, when in Monica's apartment! I couldn't help but notice how small it was compared to how it looked on screen. Even in our photos it looks huge! I also loved that we were actively encouraged to touch everything, sit at the kitchen table and on the sofa. I even looked for ugly naked guy out of the window, but alas, he didn't come in the ticket price...

Joey and Chandler's apartment was next on our list. Their living room was created for us to enjoy, including two super comfy lazy boy armchairs. We didn't get too many pictures here, purely because we were having too much of a good time. Here's one of us all goofing around in Joey and Chandler's canoe though...

Just a yellow taxi ride away was Central Perk, home to Rachel's questionable waitressing skills and Phoebe's inaugural performance of Smelly Cat. It didn't take us long to feel right at home and land ourselves a part time job... 

We all then got the chance to pose with an artfully placed cup of Central Perk coffee. I've heard that its the best coffee in New York... Someone was also singing a beautifully out of tune rendition of Smelly Cat, which definitely added to the Friends atmosphere!

Friendsfest didn't just offer tours around sets and unique photo opportunities. No! On the hottest day of the year we were also treated to reclining deckchairs, parasols and stage entertainment. Comedy Central were playing the best bits from the TV show throughout the day, along with hosting competitions and games for us all to enjoy. I'm pretty sure we spent 3 hours reclined, eating 'Mockolate' waffles and crepes, chatting and singing Smelly Cat. We also took part in a silent disco, hosted by Joanne Joanne and Right Said Ted (*cringe*) from MTV Tracks. They taught us how to dance Ross and Monica's club dance. I'm pretty sure we all looked silly, but I'm going to crack that dance out at every wedding... 

Our Friendsfest came to a close at about 6:30pm when we realised that we probably should start to make our way back to Kings Cross. If Friends has a special place in your heart, I'd 100% recommend that you experience what Friendsfest has to offer. Friendsfest 2016 is completely sold out, but 2017 isn't that far away! 

“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.” 

This book was kindly given to me by Headline publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like I'm in a bit of a limbo at the moment in terms of reading. Sometimes exploring new corners of the world every day via non-fiction leaves me tired and restless, so I love to reach for a cosy YA from time to time. They put me at ease whilst reminding me of my hectic A Level days and downright obsession with John Green's novels. Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick was offered to me by Netgalley at just the right time; my holiday was over, I needed something to occupy my nights again. For just under 24 hours, I became immersed into the world of Nanette O Hare. 

Matthew Quick's writing style is fresh and conversational, it truly felt like I was reading a long letter from a well-loved friend. A well-loved friend who was struggling with their identity. At the end of her high school career, Nanette O Hare feels suffocated by her success. She's a renowned football player, with colleges fighting over the right to give her a full college scholarship. She's a good student. She's a high achiever. But Nanette no longer wants to be one of those things. She wants to be herself. After reading The Bubblegum Reaper, Nanette decides to change her identity. She doesn't fit in. Every Exquisite Thing follows her downward spiral, her mistakes, triumphs and lessons learnt about the adult world she is about to enter.

Quick's writing forte seems to be removing the stigmas surrounding mental illness but also shedding light on the realities. Nanette is flawed, flawed beyond belief. She's short-sighted in her thinking, insecure, naive, all too trusting whilst not trusting enough, obsessed with fantasy etc etc. Every Exquisite Thing would have no purpose without these flaws. Who wants to read about a girl whose got her life together and has no obstacles in her way? 

Death, loss, separation, disappointment and love all bear down heavily on Nanette and co. Yet there's glimmers of hope throughout Every Exquisite Thing that echo real life. Yes the ending of a story may not be exactly what you expected, but sometimes a hint of the unexpected is whats needed to change your identity and in turn your life.

“In every shining moment of happiness is that drop of poison: the knowledge that pain will come again. Be honest to those you love, show your pain. To suffer is as human as to breathe.” 

Much like every other person born in the 90s, I was bouncing off the walls on July 31st. Why? The eighth installment of the Harry Potter franchise hit bookshelves, coinciding with it's official opening night in the West End. Boy oh boy, was I excited. Resigned to the fact that I would have to sell an organ in order to buy a ticket to see the Cursed Child live, £10 on a hardback copy of the script was the next best thing. If you haven't already guessed, The Cursed Child was (in my eyes) the perfect end to the Harry Potter series, an end that was full of surprises. Surprises I promise not to spoil during this review!

I suppose we should first acknowledge the elephant in the room, JK Rowling did not write the script, she simply provided the original story which Jack Thorne magicked into a play. Some readers have argued that the play is therefore not truly Harry Potter at all, but simply inspired by the series. That's simply not the case in my eyes. An original story written by Rowling herself is good enough for me, especially as parts of the play contains dialogue directly lifted from previous books and films. There is certainly a clear continuation of story-line and in some respects writing style.

I'm not going to detail the story to you, as I'm very aware that there are some of you waiting to read the book/see the play for yourselves on stage. However, I can tell you now that it involves Harry and Draco's children, Cedric Diggory and Hogwarts. Vague enough for you? There are some huge surprises at every turn, but I was most impressed with the character development. Harry, Ron, Hermionie, Ginny and Draco all appear as adults - they have children, responsibilities, fears. They're simultaneously exactly as we left them after the Battle of Hogwarts, and completely different. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ticked all the boxes for me. The story made sense, the characters were exactly as I imagined they would be 19 years on, and the constant throwbacks to pre- Battle of Hogwarts events were the icing on the cake. If you've travelled beside Harry and friends for all these years, it would be a shame for you not to pick this up and complete your journey.

Beth x

Hands up if you love Instagram. Yep, that's nearly all of you. I'm not surprised. Over 400 million people a month use Instagram, accumulating 3.5 billion likes and sharing 80 million snaps a day. That's basically everyone right? I love to share little snapshots of my life on Instagram, but its also a goldmine of creative inspiration. Blog photography, motivational quotes, beautifully crafted themes and stunning cityscapes all fuel my creative side. Here are a few Instagram accounts I love to scroll through All. The. Time.

@meowitslucy - Lucy Moon

I have such a soft spot for Youtuber and general all round gem Lucy Moon. She's just graduated with a 2:1 in History, loves succulents and speaks so candidly about mental health, equality, gender, sexuality, just everything. Her Instagram is a direct representation of the above. I love her artsy, edgy London shots, beautifully posed outfit selfies, and candid photography. Her theme is a perfect mix of mottled greys, greens, maroons - all the autumnal colours I adore. If I could take shots of London that are half as good as her, I'd be over the moon.

@ivonnespinoza - Ivonne Spinoza

Ivonne is a fairly recent follow for me, but I'm obsessed with her creative mind. I'm constantly referring to her flatlay pics for blog inspiration and simply cannot get enough of her motivational calligraphy posts. 

@marvellous.reads - Becca

I have serious bookshelf envy whenever I step into the world of Marvellous Reads. Becca's a fairly new kid on the bookstagram front, and she's certainly my favourite. I love her daily reading updates, her bookshelf tours and her love of classics. She makes me want to read more and drain my bank account in Waterstones.

@curlyandwordy - Bethany Austin

Bethany makes the everyday look beautiful in her posts. A rainy day inside? Brunch and blankets are the answer. Fancy an ice cream, Bethany will carefully cover a Mr Whippy cone in marshmallows, find the perfect lighting, and take that perfect shot. Her pastel theme is beautiful. You should check out her account and flick through her blog Curly and Wordy pronto. If you don't find inspiration here, then I can't help you! 

Beth x

“Why does this person, who doesn’t even speak our language, care so much about us that he is willing to risk his life for us? It moved us both to tears. I said a silent prayer of thanks as we became a part of the night.” 

I thought I knew a great deal about North Korea and it's appalling human rights record. I'd read all about the famines, executions, escape attempts and propaganda. But I'd never actually read a survivor's story. I think that's why In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park touched a nerve with me, and completely changed how I see the worldwide problem that is North Korea. 

Yeonmi no longer lives in North Korea, as she managed to travel to South Korea. I feel like this is a gross understatement though - by travel, I mean struggle through Chinese human trafficking until she had enough money to pay to crawl across the Goji desert into Mongolia. That's not even half her story, but you're going to need to read her book if you want the whole picture.

With every page I became engrossed in North Korean culture; I truly started to understand why so many North Korean's choose to defect, and why others choose to stay. Famine, constant surveillance, executions and poor prospects may force people out, but patriotic propaganda, lack of knowledge, sincere belief in the communist regime, and fear all play a part in why people stay put. I had to constantly keep reminding myself that what I was reading was reality, not a piece of intense, dystopian fiction. This is probably Park's greatest asset as a writer and young advocate for human rights; having trouble assigning reality to such a brutal experience soon gave way to a feeling of utter disgust and an urge to do something myself. 

Yeonmi Park now spends her time campaigning for a greater awareness for human rights in North Korea - something that she hopes In Order To Live will help her do. Even after contending with every horror imaginable, she also volunteers with think-tanks and charities, in the hope that she can repay the world for the kindness that strangers showed her when she was in need. Park is an eloquent, knowledgable woman, wise beyond her years, who is not afraid to risk her life and speak out about the oppression that she suffered and thousands of others still suffer in North Korea today.

Beth x

(Thank you Penguin Random House via Netgalley for providing me with a copy of In Order to Live in exchange for an honest review.)

If you know me personally or follow me on Twitter and Instagram, you'll probably know that I haven't had the best week health wise and in general. But whilst I was moping around, I was astounded by the generosity, patience, kindness and understanding nature of complete strangers. As this week draw to a close, I'm putting on my positive pants and shouting out to all the lovely people who showed me infallible kindness this week.

 The staff in Lloyds Pharamacy who kindly took my blood pressure when I felt faint

Long story short, my doctor thinks I'm anemic, which I think means I don't have enough iron in my blood so I often feel faint, over-tired and sick. Before we went to the doctors, I came over all faint in a Lloyds Pharmacy. The staff quickly got me into a consultation room, made sure I was feeling better and took my blood pressure so we could gauge what was wrong with me. Thank you for taking the time to see me and putting me at ease.

The gentleman in The Range who showed my mum and I how to use the DIY tools

I'd like to think that we're pretty DIY savvy in thecatsouthebag household, but sometimes that DIY section can be really damn confusing. So a loud and proud shout-out goes to the lovely gentleman and fellow shopper who showed us how to use the grouting gun. You saved us from at least half an hour of wondering and probably a mini-argument. 

A lovely NHS phlebotomist who took my blood

My doctor asked for a blood test, so he could confirm my anemia and rule out anything more serious. Of course this meant a blood test, something I had never experienced before and quite honestly made me feel physically sick. This lovely phlebotomist picked up straight away on my anxiety, and really looked after me. In the end, it wasn't half as bad as I had envisaged. She even gave me a sweet at the end. 

Also a shout-out to Helena, an absolute star of a best friend. Despite having health issues herself, she took the time to reassure me about my blood test and listen to all my moaning. I truly appreciate you and how caring you are!

Tony from Arriva who tracked down my phone

I lost my phone on a bus. But because I rarely use my phone apart from to and from work, I didn't realise until a few days later. Thankfully, one call to Tony later, my phone had been found and I was able to get on my merry way. Just in time for the UK release of Pokemon GO...

Four complete strangers (and one very familiar friend) went out of their way to help me this week, and for that I am truly grateful. Next week, I've made it my mission to go out of my way to help others. Maybe you could to?

Beth x

(Image source)

Its hard supporting a lavish Lush lifestyle on a student budget. But it is do-able. After a couple of years of meticulous practice, I've finally worked out how to get more bang for your buck in Lush, leaving more money for lunch. 

Go for bubble bars instead of bath bombs

Yes, bath bombs add something great to a bath. But all they are when you're on a budget is wasted money. A £4 bubble bar can last for around 5 baths (if you don't go too crazy on the bubbles), whilst a £4 bomb can only be used once. 

If you don't like using the product one way, find another way to use it

We are all guilty of buying a product we would not have bought had we been thinking straight. And lets face it, 9 times out of 10, the sweet smells and glitter make it impossible for us to do so. I don't particularly like the shower jellies on my skin, but have found them to be great as bubble bath. A palmful of Needles and Pines actually makes better bubbles than a bubble bar. Go figure!

Buy a multi-purpose product

FUN is a student saviour. It functions as a shower gel, bubble bar and shampoo. £5 a month on one item is so much better for your overdraft than £5 every week. Right?

Ask for samples before you buy the full product

Every Lush store is full of friendly staff who actually want to help you. One of the ways they can do this is by offering you a small sample of the product. I tend to use samples for products such as face masks and body scrubs, as I never know if I'm going to be allergic to something or not. I then go back and buy the full size products that work best for me. It saves me money, and has meant that I have been able to find the products that genuinely do good for me.

Save up your tubs and grab a free face mask

If you do use pots of products on a regular basis, don't forget to wash and keep your pots. When you return five into store, you get to choose a free face mask. What a time to be alive.

Its really not as hard as it seems to cut down on your spending in Lush, whilst still satisfying the 'Lushie' inside you. But don't let this stop you from having a big spend every once in a while - uni is hard and we all need a pick me up every now and then!

Beth x 

Who doesn't love a good book on holiday? I mean, really, beach days are the ultimate time to sit back and crack on with my huge TBR pile. Even though my holiday is three weeks away, I've started sorting out what I will and won't pack with me. Thankfully, I have a Kindle so I won't be lugging around an extra suitcase full of reading material, but boy do I have a lot to read...

Physical Copies

Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon is a piece of historical fiction set in 1949 Berlin. It charts the life of young Jewish writer Alex Meier who fled the Nazi's before the war, and is now fighting for his right to stay in America indefinitely. 

I've wanted to read The Night Manager by John Le Carre ever since I watched the BBC adaptation with Mr Tom Hiddleston. A few people have told me that the book is vastly different from the TV show, but where would the fun be if everything was the same?

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD. HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD. HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD.

Kindle Books

24 Hours in Journalism by John Dale was only 99p on the Kindle Store, so I had to give it a go. It does exactly what it says on the tin - takes the reader through 24 hours in the news industry. I'm hoping that this will be great for my Master's application too!

Penguin were lovely enough to allow me early access to Forrest Leo's newest offering The Gentleman, so I'm looking forward to giving it a read. From what I can gather, a Victorian poet employs the Devil as his gardner and accidentally sells his wife to the Underworld. Chaos ensues. 

No doubt I will have added more books to this already out of control list by the time I'm going away - I am in fact waiting on a couple of publisher approvals for advance review copies. So watch this space and expect a tonne of reviews at the end of August!

Beth x

A couple of weeks ago, I took it upon myself to give airtime to news that had been glossed over due to the UK's EU referendum result. An overwhelming number of you all asked me to keep this going as a weekly series, so here's the first installment. So for all of you who don't want / don't have time to sit and read a newspaper in the morning, here's a five minute digest of the news you may not have heard of this week.

Monday 4th July: 

Nuredin Atta Wehabrebi, a former people smuggler in Sicily has claimed that hundreds of migrants who could not afford to pay for their journey across the Mediterranean were killed and had their organs sold for transplants. Italian police and investigators are looking into the claims.

Nigel Farage resigned from UKIP, saying that he would now like to focus on helping other countries break away from the EU. 

Tuesday 5th July:

Investigations into Hilary Clinton's emails will go no further, after she was accused of using a private email account for public business during her time as Secretary of State. The Democrat candidate could be voted President of the United States in November.

47% of all UK primary school children didn't achieve the new SAT standard. This result has come after 11 year olds sat tougher papers than previous years.

Wednesday 6th July:

The long awaited Chicot inquiry into the UK's entry into the Iraq war was published, revealing that Tony Blair's decision to go to war was made using 'flawed intelligence' regarding the presence of weapons of mass destruction. The report argues that although the evidence was true to some extent, it was exagerrated in order to justify the war to the UK public.

Vladmir Putin sees the UK Brexit vote as an opportunity to reconcile with the EU over Russia's actions in the Ukraine.

Thursday 7th July:

Michael Gove was the second potential Prime Minister candidate to be voted out of the running by Conservative MPs. This leaves Theresa May and Angela Leadsom left in the leadership contest, and shall therefore secure the UK its second female PM since Margaret Thatcher.

Experts have predicted that a shortage in nurses could affect the UK for many years to come. The Institute for Employment Studies for the Migration Advisory Committee have made these claims, citing the EU referendum, an aging population, and poor government planning to have been the main causes of this problem.

Friday 8th July:

A peaceful protest in Dallas turned into a shooting last night, after five policemen were shot dead and seven wounded by a gunman. The protests came after the death of Philando Castille in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. The news is still unfolding.

Five construction workers in Birmingham have been killed after a 15ft concrete wall collapsed on top of them at a metal recycling plant. A sixth man is in hospital with a leg injury.

Beth x

I made it through my second year of uni with a very high 2:1, and boy am I grateful. It means I'm one step closer to graduating with a first class honours, and makes me eligible to apply for a place at the best journalism training course in the UK. If you're a first year about to jump ship to the 'damn, my degree actually counts now' flotilla, don't panic. Here's some things I wish I knew before the start of the year - advice that will hopefully make your year go as smoothly as possible.

The essays that you could leave until two weeks before the deadline and earn a 1st, will be worth a 2:2 in your second year.

Lecturers change their tune once you've waved goodbye to your fresher year. They want immaculate spelling and grammar, and tend to pick your argument apart to no end. But it's still totally possible to achieve good essay marks. Just start reading and writing your essays about a month before the deadline, read lots, and try your hardest to re-draft at least once. 

Don't get sucked into inter-subject politics.

Whichever degree you study, be mindful that they are all hard and require the same amount of effort and hard graft. There's nothing more demoralising than a friend casually passing comment about the futility of your essay based degree over their science degree. If you can rise about these politics, and focus on your own work, these arguments will become irrelevant and you will be a lot happier.

Societies can slip to the wayside, and that's okay.

You'll find that your commitment to your favourite society might waiver, or disappear altogether. No one will mind if you miss a few weeks because of deadlines or the need for a night in. You do you.

Early mornings are your friend.

I don't mean a 7am wake up call and a 8am study session. That's too much for anyone to handle. Getting up in the afternoon wastes so much time, and puts me in a foul mood. I found that I was much more productive when I started to study at 11am and finished at 5pm. 

Fruit not Haribo.

I've permanently damaged my digestion due to my insatiable love of Minion Tangfastics. Reach for the bananas kids, reach for the bananas. 

Get to know the people in your seminars.

They're actually pretty nice people, if you break the awkward seminar silence.

Enjoy your experience.

If second year has taught me anything, its that time really does go fast. In and amongst your studying, make time to see old friends, talk with your parents, and experience new things when you can. I only have one year left, and though I'm already excited to see where graduate life takes me, I'll always look back on uni and laugh fondly.

Beth x

I love Lush as much as the next girl, but sometimes I feel like a change. So I was pretty pleased when Nature's Soaps got in touch with me, wanting to send me some of their handmade cosmetic products. I really wasn't disappointed when they landed on my doorstep, especially when I discovered that none of the products have been tested on animals. There's nothing to hate about that right? 

(Disclaimer: I was sent these cosmetics in exchange for an honest review.)

Let's start first with face products. I think I can already claim the Lemongrass Facial Sugar Scrub to be one of my current favourite things to use on my face. I've been suffering with breakouts and dry skin patches all spring, and they have started to clear up after a couple of days of using this! I love the fine, grainy texture that is almost exactly like granulated sugar - it's really not too damaging on the skin, but does a brilliant job all the same. The facial scrub would also work wonders used in combination with the Lemongrass Goats Milk Soap, something I am saving for my holiday later this month. Once again, the scent is beautiful, and I the goats milk makes for a really creamy consistency.

The Lavender and Maychang Essential Oils Body Butter is a different consistency to high street, processed butters, but I actually prefer it. Its very creamy and feels a lot like whipped creamy/souffley texture. I wasn't keen on the smell at first, but its really grown on me! I can't wait to use this regularly!

Lip balm always ends up going walk-abouts with me, so receiving two Beeswax Lip Balms was a lovely surprise. Beeswax is always great for lips, but these balms also have the extra nourishing addition of coconut oil. Ooh these are so good. I was sent the Peppermint scent and Lavender and Tea Tree. Peppermint is my personal preference, but the other is still just as nourishing!

As an avid bath bomb fan, I was thrilled to find the most beautiful Magical Rose Bath Truffle in my selection. It smells of both floral and citrus scents, and looks absolutely gorgeous - almost too gorgeous to use! It was came stored in a fabric gift bag, so they would make a perfect celebration gift!

I'd like to say a big thank you to the lovely ladies as Nature's Soaps - they were really generous with what they sent me! I really did enjoy un-boxing and using every single product. If any of you want to pick up some of you're own, click the link here!

Beth x

"So it was done. Signed and sealed. The end of one life, the beginning of another. With a good deal of sadness for so much of my life that had been wasted and misguided."

Show Me A Mountain by Kerry Young follows the life of Fay Wong, the daughter to a rich Chinese immigrant and a mother of proud African heritage. Growing up and living her life in 20th century Jamaica, Fay has to come to terms with the world she lives in, a world fueled by business, racial tension and a real threat of communism. As she grows older, she becomes wrapped up in all three worlds, to the point where she has to make a life-changing decision, one that could save herself and her family from considerable danger.

I must admit, I picked this book up on a bit of a whim. I have no knowledge whatsoever of Jamaica and it's history, so I half expected myself to get bored and/or confused whilst reading. But that was definitely not the case. Young's writing is engaging, faced paced and reader-friendly; not once did I have to re-read a passage or give Jamaica a google. It didn't take long before I was sucked into Fay's world - I read the whole book in 2 days (quite impressive for me!)

Show Me A Mountain deserves great praise for its characters. Not one is perfect, every character has significant flaws, just like the people you and I meet every day. These flaws get in the way of their lives, jeopardise them in some respects, and lead to interesting outcomes. I would like to go into these flaws in more detail, but I really don't want to give any surprises away!

I would imagine Show Me A Mountain will be classified as a work of historical fiction, as it is set in 20th century Jamaica and deals with communism (amongst other themes.) But I would also categorise it as literary fiction, one which deserves to be read by the masses - its on par with To Kill a Mockingbird. 

I urge you to put this on your holiday reading list this summer - you will come out the other side craving more internationally-set fiction.

(I was kindly given an advanced copy of Show Me  A Mountain by Bloomsbury Publishing via Netgalley.)

Beth x