Happy new year! I've somehow timed my latest blogging milestone to coincide with the new year... what a convenient coincidence.
I thought I'd continue with my milestone tradition by discovering which posts have been most popular since I started my blog. I changed my blog name and URL in the first half of 2014 which had a detrimental effect on my blog views, so a lot of the posts below also featured in my '200 posts' entry. However, there are a few newbies in there (specifically the restaurant reviews!) and I'm hoping there'll be a few more new posts in my '400 posts' entry, whenever that milestone comes around.
So without further waffle (I do love a good waffle), here are my ten most popular posts...
1. Hollister Addison... best perfume ever?
2. Film review: The Great Gatsby
3. Frantic about Florida #2
4. Duffy the Disney Bear
5. Costa, Nero or Starbucks?
6. Cineworld Unlimited card
7. There's no surprise quite like a McFly surprise
8. New York #4 - Rockefeller Center
9. Restaurant review: Harvester
10. Restaurant review: Cedar Tree Farm
The ten posts above are clearly a very eclectic mix... from beauty to film reviews to Disney to holidays to restaurant reviews! This proves that all kinds of unique people with different interests read my blog, and also that people seem to enjoy reading a wide variety of posts from contrasing categories on a lifestyle blog. I've never liked to pigeonhole myself into a particular category in any aspect of my life, and this philosophy applies to my blog too.
Have you read any of the posts featured above? What posts would you like to see more of in 2015? Let me know!
Showing posts with label the great gatsby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the great gatsby. Show all posts
Friday, 2 January 2015
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
200 posts!
Newsflash... I've reached the very exciting (for me) 200 post landmark! I'm very pleased with this achievement as I've only been blogging properly for just over a year, and last year was an extremely busy one where I sometimes struggled to fit everything in.
When I first decided to start blogging regularly, I was worried that I'd constantly struggle to fit it in with my hectic schedule. However, I've found that writing is a good way to relax and to make sure I put aside some time in the evenings to do something I'm interested in, even if it's only for fifteen minutes.
When I reached my 100th post a few months ago, I wrote a blog post about my ten most read posts up to that point. I've decided to do the same for my 200th post... not very imaginative, I know.
So here are my top ten most read posts so far...
Film review: The Great Gatsby
Frantic about Florida #2
Cineworld Unlimited Card
There's no surprise quite like a McFly surprise
Duffy the Disney Bear
Hollister Addison... best perfume ever?
Costa, Nero or Starbucks?
New York #4: Rockefeller Center
Barry M's Gelly Range
Marks & Spencer's £10 Dine in for two
Apparently the people who stumble upon my blog are interested in films and the cinema, Florida, McFly, Duffy the Disney Bear, perfume, hot chocolate, New York, nail varnish and food! I am genuinely curious about the reading trends on my blog so it's good to have a rough idea about what posts people are most interested in.
Have you read the posts above? Which posts would you like to see more of in 2014?
When I first decided to start blogging regularly, I was worried that I'd constantly struggle to fit it in with my hectic schedule. However, I've found that writing is a good way to relax and to make sure I put aside some time in the evenings to do something I'm interested in, even if it's only for fifteen minutes.
When I reached my 100th post a few months ago, I wrote a blog post about my ten most read posts up to that point. I've decided to do the same for my 200th post... not very imaginative, I know.
So here are my top ten most read posts so far...
Film review: The Great Gatsby
Frantic about Florida #2
Cineworld Unlimited Card
There's no surprise quite like a McFly surprise
Duffy the Disney Bear
Hollister Addison... best perfume ever?
Costa, Nero or Starbucks?
New York #4: Rockefeller Center
Barry M's Gelly Range
Marks & Spencer's £10 Dine in for two
Apparently the people who stumble upon my blog are interested in films and the cinema, Florida, McFly, Duffy the Disney Bear, perfume, hot chocolate, New York, nail varnish and food! I am genuinely curious about the reading trends on my blog so it's good to have a rough idea about what posts people are most interested in.
Have you read the posts above? Which posts would you like to see more of in 2014?
Saturday, 4 January 2014
Christmas presents... the entertainment edition
I won't be writing just one 'What I got for Christmas' post this year as I like to write about things in detail, so the post would be far too long with way too many photos. Instead, I thought I'd write a series of posts on the gifts I had for Christmas, split into a few different categories. I love categorisation.
I had so many lovely presents from my family, Neil, Neil's family, friends from work and other friends scattered around the country... thanks everyone! :) Hopefully everyone enjoyed the presents I gave to them as much as I love the gifts from them.
The first category I've chosen is... Entertainment!
I had 5 DVDs for Christmas this year from my family. We watched Nativity 2 on Christmas Day, and I can't wait to watch the others. I've never seen Cars but I've heard great things about it. Toy Story is just a classic which everyone loves, and I loved Olympus has Fallen and Gatsby when I saw them in the cinema. I want to make sure I watch all my new DVDs before the end of January... I'll let you know how I get on. I think I might need a new DVD rack!
I had so many lovely presents from my family, Neil, Neil's family, friends from work and other friends scattered around the country... thanks everyone! :) Hopefully everyone enjoyed the presents I gave to them as much as I love the gifts from them.
The first category I've chosen is... Entertainment!
I had 5 DVDs for Christmas this year from my family. We watched Nativity 2 on Christmas Day, and I can't wait to watch the others. I've never seen Cars but I've heard great things about it. Toy Story is just a classic which everyone loves, and I loved Olympus has Fallen and Gatsby when I saw them in the cinema. I want to make sure I watch all my new DVDs before the end of January... I'll let you know how I get on. I think I might need a new DVD rack!
I also had the Nativity soundtrack for Christmas from my sister, brother-in-law and nephew. For those of you who know me well, you'll know that I absolutely love the Nativity and Nativity 2 films and soundtrack. With catchy songs such as Sparkle & Shine and Good News Song, I'll definitely be listening to this CD all year round and not just when it's Christmas!
I also had two lovely books for Christmas this year... The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World from my brother, and The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days book from Nicola, Mathew and Osian. The Disney book is already making me 'homesick' for Florida as I want to find out more and explore some of the hidden and fascinating facts detailed in the book, and I can't wait to bake some treats from the Hummingbird book.
So I've got plenty to keep me occupied for the next few months! What DVDs, CDs and books did you have for Christmas?
Saturday, 1 June 2013
Film review: The Great Gatsby
No spoilers!
I've always wanted to read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald after studying The Beautiful and Damned during my English Literature degree, but only got around to reading it a few months ago. I really enjoyed the book and thought the narrative was captivating, even though the plot wasn't a tremendously gripping one in my opinion. The language is vivid and highly descriptive, and effortlessly transports the reader to the boom and culture of New York in the 1920s.
I was in two minds when I heard that The Great Gatsby was being released as a film. I'm never very fond of film adaptations of novels I've loved, and I didn't think the novel's enchanting narrative would come across effectively in a film. However, my doubts were soon erased when I went to see the film. Leonardo di Caprio is fantastic as Gatsby and doesn't look as if he's aged a day since starring in Titanic in 1997. Tobey Maguire also gives an inspired performance as Nick Carraway, magnified by the fact that I wasn't expecting much from him at all beforehand.
I was slightly disappointed by the film's characterisation of Jordan (Elizabeth Debicki) and Myrtle (Isla Fisher) as I thought they were portrayed to be much weaker and more trivial than they appear in the novel. I would argue that the film could have brought out their personalities much more dramatically in order to add another dimension and a more absorbing sub plot. Although in the novel I considered all six main characters (Gatsby, Nick, Tom, Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle) to be equally as important to the plot, this does not come across in the film in Jordan and Myrtle's cases.
The film's climax still shocked me even though I knew exactly what was coming having read the novel beforehand, and the acting was spectacular up to the very end. I genuinely felt like clapping when the credits began to roll!
The film was beautifully produced and often incorporated lines from the novel's narrative onto the screen itself, which was a technique I really liked and appreciated as I considered the narrative to be the novel's strongest asset. I watched the film in 3D, simply due to the fact that the 3D cinema showings were more convenient, and on this rare occasion I think the 3D effects do actually add to the film's visual quality. The party scenes are especially vivid and really capture the decadent atmosphere of the swarming gatherings.
So, to sum up, you should definitely watch this film. Those of you who have read the book won't be disappointed by the film's representation, and those of you who haven't read it will be struck by the visual brilliance of the film and the insight into the American lifestyles of the 1920s. Definitely one for the DVD collection!
Has anyone else seen the film or read the book? Which did you prefer?
I've always wanted to read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald after studying The Beautiful and Damned during my English Literature degree, but only got around to reading it a few months ago. I really enjoyed the book and thought the narrative was captivating, even though the plot wasn't a tremendously gripping one in my opinion. The language is vivid and highly descriptive, and effortlessly transports the reader to the boom and culture of New York in the 1920s.
I was in two minds when I heard that The Great Gatsby was being released as a film. I'm never very fond of film adaptations of novels I've loved, and I didn't think the novel's enchanting narrative would come across effectively in a film. However, my doubts were soon erased when I went to see the film. Leonardo di Caprio is fantastic as Gatsby and doesn't look as if he's aged a day since starring in Titanic in 1997. Tobey Maguire also gives an inspired performance as Nick Carraway, magnified by the fact that I wasn't expecting much from him at all beforehand.
I was slightly disappointed by the film's characterisation of Jordan (Elizabeth Debicki) and Myrtle (Isla Fisher) as I thought they were portrayed to be much weaker and more trivial than they appear in the novel. I would argue that the film could have brought out their personalities much more dramatically in order to add another dimension and a more absorbing sub plot. Although in the novel I considered all six main characters (Gatsby, Nick, Tom, Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle) to be equally as important to the plot, this does not come across in the film in Jordan and Myrtle's cases.
The film's climax still shocked me even though I knew exactly what was coming having read the novel beforehand, and the acting was spectacular up to the very end. I genuinely felt like clapping when the credits began to roll!
The film was beautifully produced and often incorporated lines from the novel's narrative onto the screen itself, which was a technique I really liked and appreciated as I considered the narrative to be the novel's strongest asset. I watched the film in 3D, simply due to the fact that the 3D cinema showings were more convenient, and on this rare occasion I think the 3D effects do actually add to the film's visual quality. The party scenes are especially vivid and really capture the decadent atmosphere of the swarming gatherings.
So, to sum up, you should definitely watch this film. Those of you who have read the book won't be disappointed by the film's representation, and those of you who haven't read it will be struck by the visual brilliance of the film and the insight into the American lifestyles of the 1920s. Definitely one for the DVD collection!
Has anyone else seen the film or read the book? Which did you prefer?
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