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

Proofreading is an essential part of the book publishing process, a step which can make or break the reputation of both the author and the publishing company they are attached to. If they get it right, awards can be won and further contracts can be signed. Get it wrong, sales can plummet and an authors reputation can suffer. But with the rise of books written by high profile online stars and YouTube success stories, some argue that the correlation between quality and sales seems to have disappeared. This has led me to ask the question, has proofreading been cast aside in pursuit of quick book sales?

A couple of years ago, I would have been the prime market for books written by online stars. To an extent now, I still am. Yes, I'm more choosy about what I buy and at what price, but if I see something I genuinely want to read, I will buy it. Tyler Oakley's autobiography Binge was honestly one of the best non-fiction books I read in 2015. Me being selective about these books has to do with one thing and one thing only. The quality of the book.

The past month has seen the publication of some long anticipated YouTube titles, most notably Tanya Burr's cookery book Tanya Bakes, and Carrie Hope Fletcher's debut novel On The Other Side. Both online content creators have a huge following, most of whom keenly anticipate the release of their publications, so its not surprising that both books have sold a huge amount of copies. However, in some cases fans have left melancholy reviews that all point towards the same issue: they wish the publishers had spent more time editing and proof-reading the authors work.

Shortly after it's publication, fans (like those above) noticed that vital ingredient information was missing from Tanya Bakes and called for Penguin books to right the situation. Tanya Burr also echoed this, tweeting out apologies and amendments to those who asked her for recipe advice. Penguin Books responded with an apology, access to correct online recipes for those who needed them, and a promise to replace fan's copies with correct editions if they wanted them. You can see the full apology here. Reviews (that can be found on on Amazon) for Carrie Hope Fletcher's novel On The Other Side also received similar comments from fans, who argued that closer editing and further proofreading from the publisher  would have made for a much easier read. I thoroughly agree with these comments; the novel overall is an enjoyable and original read, but could benefit from a little more editing. I particularly found there to be some awkward wording and sentences as long as a five line paragraph, which could have easily been altered to the story's advantage.

With this evidence in front of me, I can't help but wonder if proofreading has been cast aside by some publishers in exchange for a quick publishing date that would ultimately lead to a boost in sales. Perhaps, like one reviewer of Tanya Bakes says, publishing companies are more focused on getting YouTube books out there before a YouTuber's popularity wavers. Closer proofreading and editing is therefore sometimes overlooked for the sake of sales. 

I asked Kelly Bishop, proud owner of book blog Bright Book and Creative Writing undergraduate, for her take on this issue:

"I think that whilst it's the job of the editor to scan books for errors, 'quick' publishing really prevents them from doing this well and in an attempt to get books out quick, mistakes are often missed. I think this happens with all books sometimes, but I've noticed, in a few books that I've picked up from the [YouTube] genre and skimmed through, a fair few mistakes that make me almost unwilling to buy it."

Whilst publishing errors can be disappointing for readers, they will no doubt have a negative affect upon authors. They are, after all, being given the opportunity to achieve their dreams and create something to be proud of. If the publishing is not quite up to scratch, is it truly the authors fault? With more exciting YouTube publications by Zoe Sugg, Joe Sugg, and Hannah Hart (to name but a few) soon to be released, I hope that recent issues have placed proofreading firmly on top of a publisher's agenda once more. Readers and authors alike will surely be left disappointed if this isn't the case.

“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