Clicklist #17

This week has been really exhausting and, if you hadn't pick up on it in my last post, I haven't been feeling my most fabulous either.

However, powering through the 90-odd YouTube videos that I've missed out on is making me feel a bit perkier, so if the past week has you down & the weather's doing a very poor impression of June, then here's a bunch of stuff that should hopefully perk you up a little.

From the Blogosphere 

Bryony's guide to spending 36 Hours in the Netherlands

9 Ways to Succeed When You're an Introvert in an Extrovert's Job So. Useful

Emma Gannon's 60 Small(ish) Things That Make Me Happy. Also her awesome podcast.

Ally's Ideas on Being Unapologetically Vulnerable 

19 of the Biggest Shocks About Growing Up. Hannah's blog is always just so good.

I really liked this interview with British tennis player Laura Robson

Joy on what inspires her about her best friends just made me feel really warm inside.

I loved Meg's photos of  her trip to Barcelona.

Rose's no-bake Ferrero Rocher cheesecake just looks heavenly. 

From Around the Internet

If you're not already subscribed to Dolly Alderton's newsletter, you really should be

The same goes for the Two Bossy Dames newsletter

The latest episode of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast from the United State of Women Summit

The Guilty Feminist podcast on Worth with Sarah Millican, I love this. (Also thank you Julia for the reccomendation)

This Tony Award special Carpool Karaoke, just makes me beam

See also the opening of the Tony Awards (am a bit gutted that all the other performances seem to have been taken off YouTube though, if you can find The Color Purple that's worth a watch too)

I feel like I include Jess' vlogs every time YouTube does their standard 'vlogging months' but I do just love her videos.

I've also been really enjoying Amelia Liana's vlogs this month, her editing is super crisp (and I'd kill for her wardrobe)

Then, if you like a tongue-in-cheek approach, Adrian Bliss is back, this time he's travelling to Vidcon.

And that's it! 

Let's all be a little kinder than we have to be over the next week.

And please, please vote on the 23rd June if you're in the UK.

Amy
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Hope(less)

Back in 2008, like many (many) people I was totally absorbed by the US Presidential election. 

The Democratic candidate spoke about change like it was a thing that could really happen, and seeing stadiums full of people totally absorbed in this idea that there was real hope for the future.

Some years later, I'm sat with an International Relations & Politics degree in an office of local councillors because it seemed like the way that I could help make a really positive change on people's lives.

Despite three years of learning about an awful lot of grim politics and international events, I stuck by the idea that fundamentally, people are inherently good. That we can work together we can tackle issues that are far too complex for one person to deal with alone. That the ideologies that drive us apart can be defeated.

Yet over the past few weeks my faith in people being generally good has been tested.

When the current Republican candidate for president, who once insisted that the current president must actually be African because he's black, wants to keep people of different races (Mexicans)  & religions (Muslims) out of the US. 

And these ideas are not met with condemnation, but stadiums full of cheering people who are filled with hate towards people they barely know.

When a London Mayoral campaign is run on the idea that all Muslims must vaguely know some kind of extremist.

When a Mayor of a capital city claims that the President is anti-Brexit because he has natural 'anti-English sentiment' due to his Kenyan heritage.

When a former Mayor claims that Hitler was a Zionist. 

When a man can shoot dead 49 people because of who they love & despite this loss of life there are politicians in the US who refuse to see the logic in tightening gun laws.

When a campaign can literally borrow from Nazi propaganda in order to win an election.

When Jox Cox MP can be shot in the street for doing her job.

It's really hard to keep believing that there is any light in any of this. I'm tired of politics and I'm tired of a referendum that has done nothing but bring out the complete worst in people. 

I hope that if anything comes from the senseless murder of a politician who seemed to genuinely care about her constituents, the wider community and vulnerable people across the world is that it gives us time to consider where we're headed. And what happens when we allow hate & fear to dominate our discourse, rather than hope & change.

Far more eloquent people:

A Day of Infamy, Alex Massie

The Mood is Ugly & An MP is Dead, Polly Toynbee

Jo Cox was brave. So are most MPs. Let's show them more respect, Michael Deacon

A day was always improved if you bumped into Jo Cox, Laura Kuenssberg 

Amy
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Two Months in Books: April-May

This is a bit of a bumper post; whilst I spent a lot of April still struggling through a reading slump, by the end of May I found myself very much back in the reading zone. Whilst I'm still a little bit behind on my reading challenge, I'm very much hoping that June will get me back on track.

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth (2012, Allison & Busby)

Bitter Greens starts with the story of Charlotte Rose de la Force, a real woman in the court of the Sun King at Versailles, who is not a beauty but is known for being massively witty. An unfortunate circumstance sees her abandoned to a nunnery where she comes across the story of Margherita, a young girl in a world that sounds an awful lot like that of Rapunzel.

I really loved the parts of the book that focused on the retelling of Rapunzel, both from the perspective of Margherita and the witch herself. The world of Renaissance Venice and Italy came so brilliantly to life in these passages, and the way the narrative is tweaked is really interesting. The emphasis on staying young and beautiful and powerful; and the destructive impact of love on some women, was brilliant.
I wasn't so into the story of Charlotte Rose, a lot of that part of the novel felt like a bit of an info-dump. Whilst the stories of the Huguenots and the poor position of women in French society at the time were really interesting; Charlotte certainly, I couldn’t help but feel that this could have almost been a biography by itself as it did just tend to feel like an entirely separate story.

Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (trans. Lucia Graves, 2013, Weidenfeld & Nicolson) 
I was really looking forward to reading this, as Zafon is one of my favourite authors and I thought this could be the book to break me out of my reading slump. However, I think it just made me very aware that me and Zafon's young adult novels just do not get on.
The novel is set in post-war Barcelona, where one day 15-year-old Oscar stumbles upon a stunning house and meets Marina, who lives there with her reclusive father. They witness an intriguing ritual together, which leads them to discovering a dark mystery from years before.
I felt like the tone of Marina was a tad all over the place; the main mystery plot was really dark and felt like something that could be found in his adult novels but as it was told from Oscar's perspective there was a weird humour there that frequently felt out of place. Also similarly to his previous young adult works, I had real problems around how Marina's entire existence was just to look sexually appealing  to Oscar (he is literally described as liking his lips over her). I'm hoping that I'll get on better with his next adult novel.

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis (2014, Penguin)
I picked up Flash Boys ages ago, I think from Smiths when I was looking for another book for a deal and it sounded vaguely interesting.
It's a look at the increasing popularity of something called high-frequency trading within investment banks, where banks essentially make a bunch of money at the expense of the actual investors who trust them to make the right decisions for them. It follows a bit of an eccentric mix of Wall Street staff, led by Brad Katsuyama who decide to set up a morally fair stock exchange.
Michael Lewis' writing style is really engaging, even when the topic isn't necessarily action-packed and the 'characters' if you can call real people that were completely fascinating. From Brad, who fell into Wall Street with Royal Bank of Canada and hated the attitude found on trading floors elsewhere; to one of his colleague's who considers it something of a weakness that he was emotionally impacted by 9/11.
The only downside for me was that I felt that Lewis expected a level of understanding of the financial system that I just didn't have, which meant that there were numerous mentions of jargon that I just didn't understand, and there were minimal notes. This is a shame, because I think with that additional layer of understanding I would have gotten a lot more out of this.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (2003, Bloomsbury)
I think I've come to The Kite Runner in a bit of a roundabout way compared to most readers, in that this is the last of Hosseini's novels that I've got to read; despite its massive success.
The novel is the story of Amir, who as a 12-year-old witnesses a horrific attack on his best friend Hassan; an event which tears the two apart and sends ripples down the years of Amir's life.
As with all of Hosseini's novels, The Kite Runner is great at shedding light on historical events in Afghanistan; I was particularly interested in the parts of the novel about the Hazara people. Amir and his father's flight from Afghanistan was also a really interesting, if pretty horrendous, read-especially in light of the ongoing refugee crisis.
However, I was a bit disappointed with some aspects of the novel. I missed the multi perspectives that Hosseini frequently uses, and I felt that the characters just weren't as developed and interesting as the characters in his more recent works (especially And the Mountains Echoed). It felt like a lot of Amir's problems just sort of fell into that ~son seeking father's approval~ trope, which is one that I am just a little tired of. I also found that some of the plot 'twists' could be seen a mile off  which was a shame.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (2014, Hodder & Stoughton) 
I was a little dubious of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet at first, because the type of sci fi I enjoy tends to fall into 'speculative' or 'dystopian' brackets, not spaceships and aliens. However, after loads of hype online, a couple of award nominations and being stuck in a reading slump-I figured that this would be a good book to pick up.
The novel follows the crew of the spaceship Wayfarer, who are a tunnelling ship, meaning they punch holes in the galaxy to travel through. The novel's action really kicks off with them being given the mission to travel to a planet which the galaxy has an uneasy alliance with in a galactic war. 
Chambers divides her attention between all the members of the crew. From Ashby, the captain who loves his crew; to Corbin, in charge of the fuel and who definitely doesn't seem that friendly and Rosemary, a new arrival as a ship's clerk who appears to be running away from a mysterious past. This means every member of the crew is fascinatingly drawn and feels very real; even if they have scales.
I am just seriously in awe of the sheer imagination that must be contained within Chambers' mind. There are numerous different species and planets that the characters visit, all of whom have their own characteristics, specialisms and ways of life. As a bit of a 'hard' sci fi newb I did occasionally find it difficult to remember which species was which, but I can't help but just be dazzled by the amount of thought that must have gone into this. 
The plot was a fairly typical action-adventure, which would make a hugely entertaining film, but it kept me reading and definitely bust me out of the reading slump that I'd been languishing in.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (2013, Doubleday)
This book is just a whole load of fun. Nick decides to take his new girlfriend Rachel to his best friend from his childhood's wedding in Singapore; but what Rachel doesn't know is that this is The wedding of Chinese society, and Nick actually comes from the Young family, a hugely famous and admired dynasty ruled over by Eleanor, a pretty terrifying matriarch.
Think Gossip Girl but set in China; super over-the-top and trashy, but a lot of fun.

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik (2015, Twenty7)
I really surprised myself by how much I really enjoyed this book. The novel opens with Sofia being newly single after breaking of an engagement with a man who wanted to live in a house with a 'hole in the wall' into his parents home. Whilst working in book marketing, she finds herself accidentally pitching and writing a book on Muslim dating; forcing her to through herself into the world of online dating. All this is happening against the backdrop of her nosy family, younger sister getting married and her friends also all struggling with their own romantic entanglements.
This has been described as a Muslim Bridget Jones's Diary which is pretty accurate. Sofia is funny and doesn't always make the best decisions but you do ultimately root for her to succeed. Indeed, all the characters are really well drawn; Sofia's main love interests are all pretty unique, as are her friends and family. None of the characters felt like cardboard cutouts, which is really refreshing in this genre.
The element of this novel which obviously gains attention is the fact the majority of the characters are Muslim. What I really liked about this is that whilst their faith is really important to them, Malik doesn't treat the book like a lesson in Islam. Where she does touch on the issues facing Muslims in our society she does it either through humour (Sofia's response to being called a terrorist on the tube) or in a gently touching way (there's a moment outside a gay nightclub which made me a tiny bit emotional).
I stormed through this book in about one sitting on the train; and I'm very excited to see that Malik is working on sequels.

Amy
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My Absence in Photos

Spring Starbucks cups. Spring blooms. Heatwave lunchtimes in the fountains at Millennium Point. Returning to uni with work.

2 for 1 cocktails at Gas Street Social. Churros at Cau. Breakfast at Tiffany's. Hotel du Vin Sunday lunch.

Tiny profiteroles at Hotel du Vin. Camden Lock market. Cocktails in teacups at Simmons Bar Soho. First time Chipotle.

Wall art and amazing (and massively filling) pancakes at Blighty Coffee in Finsbury Park.

Being dragged to a James concert with my parents & discovering Jack Savoretti. The Palace of Westminster from the River Thames for my brother 21st. Cocktails at Cau.

It feels like forever since I've written anything here, so apologies. Sometimes life is just too busy to even stop and reflect on what is going on. I can't quite believe we're in June already (six months into 2016 already-what is happening?) and the next weeks could bring some pretty exciting/scary news so maybe cross your fingers for me.

Amy

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Why You Should Vote in the Local Elections

If you’ve picked up a paper or watched the news or just spent some time on social media you’ll be very aware that this year is an election year. 

Whilst much of the coverage has focused on either the US Primaries, the London mayoral election or the EU referendum; May 5^th is the day of local elections across the country. Here’s a few reasons why voting on the 5^th is a good idea:

Councils are more than bins & potholes
I promise! Councils look after a lot more than you might expect; this includes care services for the elderly, services that people struggling with addiction, sexual health services, how where you live approaches environmental issues, libraries…the list goes on. If you have any opinions about any of those things, you should vote on May 5^th

Councils are going to get more power
The government is really keen on devolution, or giving local areas the chance to design their own solutions to problems. This means it’s super important that you get your voice heard so that your local council looks the way you want it to.

Local elections are used to measure how well the government is doing
Local elections are generally used as a yard stick to see how well people think the government and opposition parties are doing in terms of selling their policies to the general public. Therefore if you have a message that you want to send the main political parties, this is a great way to do it.

Councillors are a lot more hands-on than MPs
Generally speaking, local councillors have a lot more contact with their constituents than MPs as they don’t have to spend lots of time in London. This means it’s a lot easier to raise issues with them, and your answers will be tailored to your local area, as opposed to national policies.

Voting is just important 
Every election cycle there is normally some high-profile person that feels the need to bang the drum about how the entire political system is flawed and that people just shouldn’t vote (looking at you Russell Brand). But by not voting you send a signal to your politicians that you don’t care and therefore they shouldn’t attempt to design policy with you in mind. By turning up to vote, even if you spoil your ballot, you're showing that you are here and care and want your voice to be heard.

I was totally supposed to publish this post before the registration deadline (#deadlaptopproblems) so hopefully you're all registered, if not you can still register for the EU referendum here. You can check your local council's website to find out about local councillors in your area. 

Amy
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Thoughts On: Breakfast at Tiffany's

Breakfast at Tiffany's is one of my all-time favourite films. It's just one of those films that is just such a relaxing, easy, aesthetically-pleasing watch and obviously iconically stars Audery Hepburn; who is one of my absolute favourites. So getting tickets to see the play adaptation starring Pixie Lott for Christmas had me fairly excited.

Richard Greenberg's adaptation follows more from the Truman Capote novella rather than the film, meaning that the ending and certain other plot points vary quite dramatically from the much-loved film. For those who have no idea what the story is, the play follows Fred (Matt Barber), an aspiring writer who moves to New York and ends up residing in the same apartment block as the mysterious and charming Holly Golightly (Pixie Lott) and becomes entirely enraptured with her life.

Holly is at once charming and manipulative, funny and cruel and Lott handles all aspects of her character wonderfully; especially considering this is her stage acting debut. You also get to hear snippets of her lovely singing voice, although the songs included in the play are kept pretty short.

I didn't love how heavily Greenberg learned on narration as a device (it really slowed the pace down) but Barber's ability to monologue was pretty amazing. There were also scene stealing appearances from Naomi Cranston as Holly's frenemy Mag and Bob the Cat (seriously adorable). Nikolai Foster's direction also requires a lot of doubling by the ensemble, and there was a particularly impressive turn by Tim Frances as Holly's rich intended Rusty Trawler and an Editor that Fred desperately wants to impress.

It's a really just nice, light night out at the theatre and Matthew Wright's costume designs are lovely too. Just, like the film, it's nothing especially ground-breaking.

Amy
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Breakfast at Tiffany's is on tour across the country starring Pixie Lott, Emily Atack or Georgia May Foote until November; and on in London starring Lott from June. Details here.

Clicklist #16

Some more things that I've read recently that I enjoy. Perhaps save these until the weekend if, like me, you're looking at a forecast of SNOW on Saturday.

From the Blogosphere

10 Things The One Wouldn't Do

Rose's Nutella Martinis. Nutella. Martinis.

Amy's style is constantly en pointe, here's her week in outfits from her holiday in the Maldives which is definitely on my list of places to visit. Also I'd like summer to hurry up and get here.

I really liked this insight into the life of a costume apprentice at the Royal Opera House.

How to visit London and not spend tons of money.

How to start your post-grad life when you already feel behind. This is the article I wish I'd had when I first graduated.

Smitten Kitchen's Eggs in Purgatory.

Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls.

Around the Internet

"To engender empathy and create a world using only words is the closet thing we have to magic"
Lin-Manuel Miranda's By the Book profile is wonderful. My version is a lot less eloquent.

The Panama Papers is one of the biggest international news stories of the week and is totally fascinating. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists coverage is really interactive and a very interesting insight into the lives of the crazy rich and powerful.

Women Slipping Out of Embraces in Western Art History

I found this response to Amy Schumer calling out Glamour magazine for calling her plus-sized an interesting perspective.

An eating disorder recovery cookbook 

This really cool long-read on Uggs, and how they refuse to die (My Ugg slippers are the best things I've ever owned. They're hot water bottles for your feet <3)

Tavi Gevinson and my boyf Ben Whishaw are co-starring in the Broadway production of The Crucible, and you can hear Tavi interview Ben here.

Amy
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