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Ella’s Tips to Being a Good Friend | Perfectly Ella Blog Tour

Ella’s Tips to Being a Good Friend

Perfectly Ella blog tour bannerAlways be supportive

My best friend, Kayleigh, loves horses. When a horse pulls back his lips and shows you his teeth, Kayleigh thinks he’s giving you a horsey smile. I think it looks like he’s about to make a horsey snack of your head. But I still support Kayleigh’s riding. I listen to her chatting about mucking out, and sometimes I go and watch her do jumping. Kayleigh is important to me so I’m interested in the things that are important to her – even if they’re not my favourite things. BUT if someone is going on and on about their stuff and never listening to you, then it’s okay to tell them that’s not fair. I learnt that from my sister, Chloe; when her friend wouldn’t stop talking about his ferrets she sat on him and made him listen to her playing the recorder (which isn’t one of her hobbies, she’s terrible at playing the recorder, she just wanted him to suffer).

Always be kind to each other

There are lots of ways to be kind to your friends. Things like sharing chocolate, inviting them to your party, or telling them you like their new trainers are quite easy. Other things can be much more difficult. It’s hard to know what is a kind thing say or do when someone is really sad, or when they’re in trouble at school, or if they’ve had a haircut that makes them look like they’ve forgotten to take their cycle helmet off, but it’s really important to try to be kind because even though words can’t change things for your friend they can make them feel much better.

Sometimes it’s okay to have disagreements

I used to think that if I had a fight with my best friends that they wouldn’t want to be friends with me anymore, but a row isn’t the end of the world. A disagreement doesn’t have to get horrible if you stick to saying how you feel and don’t be like my little sister, Lucy, who forgets what an argument is even about and starts telling people what a big bottom they’ve got. And you need to listen hard and try to see the other person’s point of view because that’s how you work things out.

Sometimes you have to compromise

Some people think that being nice means always letting other people have their way. (I used to think that.) But actually my Step-mum showed me that if you want your friends and you to all be happy, then really you should share the decisions. Chloe, and her friend, Thunder, have burping competitions to see who gets to decide what computer game to play. If you’re less gross than that, you could just take it in turns to choose things.

Never pretend to be someone that you’re not

My sisters are quite exciting people. They do things and shout things and paint things purple in a way that quite often makes people stare at them. I’m not like that. But I did start to think that if I could be like my sisters that people at my new school might like me. (I also thought that maybe my dad would notice me more.) But it was a bad idea. Pretending to be someone else is a bit like wearing a dinosaur costume; it’s fun for a bit, but it gets really uncomfortable if you do it all the time. If you can be just be yourself then you will find friends who think you’re cool the way you are and those are the best friends to have.

Never let your friends make your decisions

It’s important to decide things together with your friends, but you shouldn’t ever let anyone else run your life. You don’t have to do things that make you unhappy or that you think are wrong just because someone tells you to. That’s why my mum won’t let Chloe blame it on Thunder every time she comes home with frogspawn in her hair.

 

Thank you to Candy Harper for writing such a fabulous blog post!

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YA Starter Kit

So you may be new to reading YA, or just looking for some awesome book recommendations… Today I’m going to help you add LOTS and LOTS of books to your TBR piles!

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Undone by Cat Clarke will give you ALL THE FEELS. It made me cry so much and I loved every single second of reading it. It’s a must have on your shelf because it has LGBT themes, deals with grief and loss, and also has a brilliant plot!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is a favourite YA book of mine because I read it right when I was getting serious about reading YA. It’s about werewolves which may seem cheesy after Twilight but it’s such a refreshing urban fantasy novel that you can become invested in easily.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor has SO many fans. I still haven’t read the second or third books in the trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first instalment when I read it a few years ago. It’s completely unpredictable so it’s a very exciting reading experience!

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson is one of my favourite books of 2015 so far and is about imitations of the Jack the Ripper murders happening in London. Rory, the main character, is American and starts at a boarding school in London just as the murders start to happen. I LOVE this series a lot and can’t stop recommending it! SO, SO fantastic!

Trouble by Non Pratt is about teenage pregnancy and it’s written perfectly. I enjoyed it so much and can’t wait to read Non’s next book, Remix, as I loved Trouble so much.

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We Were Liars….It really is best to lie about this book because the least you know about it the better! It took the book world by storm last year, and I still can’t believe the shock ending! I really didn’t expect it at all.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is one of my all-time favourite books and perfect for people who love sites like Tumblr and are involved in Internet culture. It’s about a girl called Cath who, alongside her twin sister, is starting college. Cath writes fan fiction on a book series very similar to Harry Potter!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is a favourite fantasy book of mine and centres around Celaena Sardothien, an assassin who is chosen by the prince to enter a competition to become the King’s Assassin. READ IT, READ IT, READ IT!

Have a Little Faith by Candy Harper is hilarious and is a relatively short book too! It’s very true to a British teenager’s life and I adored it.

Every Day by David Levithan tells the story of A, a person who wakes up in a different body each day but, one day, A finds that there’s someone they just can’t let go of. It’s unique and David Levithan writes so beautifully.

Which books would you add to my list? Have you read any of these?

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My Favourite Books of 2014

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Whilst I definitely didn’t read as much as I usually do in 2014, there were many amazing books that I did read. This year has felt like one massive reading slump, but each of the books featured on this list captured my heart and I’ve been recommending them non-stop since reading them.

Vendetta by Catherine Doyle

Out on 1st January, this is the most recent edition to my list. Vendetta is Catherine Doyle’s debut novel and I’ve read many books by well-established authors that I didn’t love half as much as I loved Vendetta! It’s thrilling and adventurous – I couldn’t put it down!

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I love all of Rainbow Rowell’s books so I couldn’t miss Landline out of my list! I read it at a very special time and all of Rainbow Rowell’s books are like a big, warm hug. It’s hard not to fall in love with every word!

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

I am OBSESSED with this series! I’ve started to watch the TV series, but I much prefer the books. I’ve now read the second and third books, which I loved even more. Incredible!

Have a Little Faith by Candy Harper

Candy Harper never fails to make me laugh. I read the two Faith books earlier in the year and I love them! They’re the funniest books I’ve read in a long time and so easy to read. I’d recommend them to anyone!

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Starring Kitty by Keris Stainton

Wow! This book amazed me when I read it – it has LGBT, feminism and diverse characters. I fell head over heels in love with it!

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

I don’t think I’ve spoken about The Virgin Suicides on the blog yet, but I have a few times on my YouTube channel. Whilst it’s primarily targeted at adults, I think this book has a huge crossover appeal and I’d love to see more teenagers reading it. It’s a haunting read that will stay with you for a long time after you’ve finished it.

Winger by Andrew Smith 

Winger is a truly original novel that portrays teenage life and experience perfectly. It even has cartoon images that I adored when reading it! READ IT, READ IT, READ IT.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Although this book is hated by many, I was one of the people who loved it. Even though it was written over 60 years ago, it’s still very current a bookish rite of passage! Definitely worth reading at least once during your lifetime.

Trouble by Non Pratt

Trouble is a brilliant book all about teenage pregnancy! Non isn’t afraid to tackle subjects that many authors shy away from and I can’t wait to read more from her in 2015!

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

And now for my favourite book of the year… Solitaire! My review of Solitaire is the easiest review I’ve ever written and I will not rest until I get everyone to read it. It’s phenomenal and I haven’t seen a bad review for it in the five or so months since its release.

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Book Review UKYA

7 Reasons to read Keep the Faith by Candy Harper

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I read Have a Little Faith last month and craved a sequel so badly so I was mega excited when I received Keep the Faith to review. It saved me from a lot of pain!Keep the Faith carries on where Have a Little Faith left off and, let me tell you, it was even better.

  1. Keep the Faith is even funnier than Have a Little Faith, the first book. You may even wet yourself reading it, or cry with tears of laughter. You have been warned (but it’s totally worth it).
  1. Faith. Do I need to say anymore? Faith is possibly one of my favourite characters ever – can we please be best friends?
  1. Keep the Faith is incredibly easy to slip into. It doesn’t matter if you can’t remember much of what went down in Have a Little Faith, you will remember once you pick Keep the Faith back up.
  1. Keep the Faith is very true to UK teenage life. I can connect with Faith and her friends because they are so realistic and Harper has managed to capture all the aspects of being a teenager perfectly and write them into Keep the Faith.
  1. It’s a relatively short book, but a lot is packed in. I read it within an evening, and it was definitely an evening well spent!
  1. This is the perfect book to pick up if you want to escape your normal life and be transported somewhere else. You’ll forget all about your actual life!
  1. ETHAN. Finn. ETHAN!!! (Did I mention Ethan?)

I definitely think you should go out and buy Keep the Faith as soon as it’s released. If you haven’t read Have a Little Faith yet, I think you need to read it right away. The books are now right up there on my favourites list and I can’t help but shove them at everyone I see. They’re perfect for everyone!

Lucy Recommends... Uncategorized

Lucy Recommends… [3] – Funny Books

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Lucy Recommends… is a feature aiming to persuade you to read a particular book, genre or series. 

Thank you to everyone who has said they’ve enjoyed this feature! I’m back with another instalment today and I’m going to be recommending books that are humorous and have made me laugh.

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Weirdos VS Quimboids by Natasha Desborough

This has to be top of my list because it made me laugh so, so much. Natasha is naturally hilarious and I adored Weirdos VS. Quimboids. I cannot wait to read the sequel, Weirdos VS. Bumskulls.

Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse

C.J. Skuse never fails to make me laugh. All three of her books are wet-yourself funny and they also have really gorgeous covers. Whenever I’ve been reading them outside, I always get lots of comments and people want to know what they’re about. Rockoholic is definitely my favourite of C.J.’s because the idea is fabulous – what would happen if your favourite rockstar lived in your garage and refused to cooperate?

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me features Kenji who never failed to put a smile on my face. These books can go from serious to funny within a second and I love them! I featured the Shatter Me series in a Lucy Recommends… of its own.

Have a Little Faith by Candy Harper

Have a Little Faith is British humour at its best. I’ve just read the sequel too and I loved it even more than the first book. Candy Harper has caught the essence of funny and unleashed it into this book. I got some very odd looks when reading it because I was laughing so hard! It’s the perfect book to cheer you up if you’re feeling sad, or to read if you want to cry with happy tears.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Even though City of Bones is a book about a race of people who fight demons, it is incredibly funny. Simon makes me laugh the most, and Jace’s tough demeanour means he often comes out with stuff that makes you chuckle. The books are awesome!

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What are your favourite books that have made you laugh?