October 2019 - Playground of Randomness

Month: October 2019

25
Oct
2019

Fiction Friday: Book Review- Model Misfit (Geek Girl #2) by Holly Smale

Model Misfit by Holly Smale

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I started “Model Misfit” immediately after finishing “All Wrapped Up.” I was that interested in Nick and Harriet’s story. So you can imagine my shock and horror when a few pages into this book, I find out that THEY BROKE UP.
Be still my aching heart.
When her summer plans fall apart and her parents go baby crazy, Harriet jumps up at the chance to model in Japan.
Harriet is excited to be away from home but that changes when she runs into Nick who is also shooting in Japan.
All of Harriet’s plans start to fall apart (again) as she starts accidentally messing up her shoots in a big way. Obviously this upsets her boss, Yuka.
As hurt as I was about Nick and Harriet’s break-up, I couldn’t help but be drawn in by Harriet’s antics in this book.
“Model Misfit” is (impossibly) funnier than “Geek Girl” and I couldn’t stop laughing (when I wasn’t crying over Nick. Because yes, it makes sense for me to be sad about the break-up of characters over a decade younger than me).
Like “All Wrapped Up”, I had to get myself a print copy of “Model Misfit”. I didn’t even wait to finish the book. I just knew that I needed a print copy of my own.
If you’re looking for a funny and light read, I definitely recommend you try this book.

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18
Oct
2019

Fiction Friday: Book Review- All Wrapped Up (Geek Girl #1.5) by Holly Smale

categories: Books

All Wrapped Up by Holly Smale

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“All Wrapped Up” follows Harriet Manners after her first kiss with Lion Boy. Harriet is over the moon. It’s Christmas, she’s jolly and floating on Cloud 9. Sure Nick hasn’t texted in four days but that doesn’t mean anything right?
Harriet is a firm believer that there are no rules to dating. Just guidelines that you may or may not follow.
This was a fun and quick Christmas read that I adored immensely (so much so that after finishing this book on Scribd, I went straight to the bookstore to buy myself a print copy). I loved going back into this world and seeing Annabelle pregnant, Harriet’s loopy dad and stalker Toby (this boy is unusually great at his job).
This book was funny and entertaining and I strongly recommend this series (note that I said series and not book) to anyone who needs a few laughs.

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11
Oct
2019

Fiction Friday: Book Review- Geek Girl by Holly Smale (Geek Girl #1)

categories: Books, Reviews

Geek Girl by Holly Smale

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Harriet Manners is a geek. She knows tons of facts that no one really cares about. However despite her excellent IQ, her classmates don’t like Harriet that much. In fact, they have labelled her a geek.

So when Harriet is accidentally discovered by a modelling agent, she takes the opportunity to reinvent herself. Sure it’s been her best friend’s dream since forever to be a model and Harriet’s mother has expressly forbidden her from modelling. But none of these things matter as much to Harriet as reinventing herself.
I’ve had this book for a while and never picked it up. In fact I only started it because I was bored and I wanted a quick and light read before bed. I started this at 9PM and finished it at 6PM the next day. This book instantly hooked me. I listened to the audiobook, read the paperback at home and the ebook on Scribd while I was at work.
I loved meeting Harriet’s colorful family, her creepy stalker, Toby and learning all of her geeky facts.
I devoured this book and could not get enough. If you are looking for a light, fun read, I definitely recommend this book. I cannot wait to start on the sequel.

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05
Oct
2019

How Scribd Helped Me Kick My Book Buying Habit (Mostly)

categories: Books

It is no secret that I am an avid bookworm. I love reading books, buying books, reading about buying books and basically anything to do with the written word. In fact I would even go as far as to say that I have developed a reputation for being a girl who is a book shopaholic (but rarely gets around to reading all the books). So when a fellow member of a Facebook Book Group suggested Scribd to me, I was hesitant to give it a go.

I already was part of Google Books, Amazon Kindle and Audible. I did not need anything book subscription service that I would just keep and not use. But since I was referred to Scribd, I got two months free so I figured there was no harm in trying it out. I was instantly hooked.

For a fixed fee (R150 in South Africa. $8.99 USD), you get access to countless ebooks and audiobooks. Now I know some of you may be thinking “hello, libraries are free?” but my local library is crap so this is great for me. Also it’s easier for me to read eBooks on my cellphone instead of going out with a print book (people are more likely to stop me when I’m reading a book instead of reading on a electronic device). So Scribd was perfect for me.

Immediately I disconnected my Audible subscription (which was much more). I kept my Amazon account just in case but it’s been months since I purchased a book.

Most of the books I already own are on Scribd so it’s been helping me tackle my TBR as well as preventing me from purchasing new books unnecessarily. Sure if I see a sale book that isn’t on Scribd or that I loved but don’t own in print, I’ll purchase it but for the most part my book buying has decreased dramatically since I joined Scribd. Interested in trying it out for yourself? You can join with my referral link here and you will get two months free!

Have you tried Scribd? What did you think? Let me know below.

04
Oct
2019

Fiction Friday: Book Review- The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis (The Good Luck Girls #1)

categories: Books, Reviews

The Good Luck Girls (The Good Luck Girls, #1)

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Good Luck Girls are anything but lucky. The girls are sold to a “welcome” house as children, marked with “favors” to depict their positions as “Good Luck Girls” and trained to entertain “brags” (men who have enough money to pay for the girls attention). When Clementine accidentally kills a brag on her Lucky Night (the first night a Good Luck Girl officially starts her night-time duties), the girls rally together to protect her the only way they can- they run away. The girls know that if they are caught they face death or a brutal punishment even worse than death. They are joined on their journey by a mysterious rangeman who has a few secrets of his own but is willing to help the girls escape. The group try to track down Lady Ghost, a possibly fictional character mentioned in countless bedtime stories, in order to remove their favors. Along the way they have to battle the law, the wilderness and even vengeful spirits.
I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review. From the very first line, I was hooked. I loved the writing, the world-building, the characters, EVERYTHING!
This was a book about strong females fighting against a world who didn’t see them as equal and I loved that.
The ending was spectacularly beautiful and I cannot wait for the sequel. This book was everything I didn’t know I needed in a novel and I enjoyed it immensely.

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01
Oct
2019

5 Reasons Why You Should Get a Credit Card

categories: Welcome to The Real World

Credit cards have a really bad reputation with most people. More often than not, they are seen as a gateway to mountains of debt and a bad credit rating. However there are actually some perks to having a credit card as long as you play your cards right (see what I did there?). Here are 5 reasons why you should consider having a credit card:

1) To build a credit rating- You might not care about your credit rating now however when it comes time for you to take out a loan, your credit rating is a huge factor. Starting to build a credit rating as soon as possible certainly won’t hurt. I have a single credit card but it has still helped my credit score.

2) To have extra spending money- Now I don’t mean spending recklessly. I mean in a genuine emergency. There have been months where this emergency has ranged from “I forgot my bank card and need to purchase something” or “a genuine unplanned expense” but the credit card has always come to my rescue in both these cases. Having a credit card as a back-up is great provided that you don’t overdo it. Which brings me to my next point.

3) To learn responsibility- You absolutely HAVE to be responsible when you have a credit card. Once you start owing more than you can pay, that is when the trouble begins. Try to only spend an amount you know you can cover once you get paid.

4) To have a “credit card story- Everyone has a story (most worse than others) about how they got their first credit card and what they did with it. Most of my friends warned me against getting a credit card since they blew through it like crazy and ended up in debt that they are still paying off in their late twenties. This has served as a great lesson and warning to me so I avoid making the same mistake. My credit card story is basically that I’ve had it for two years and never ever had to pay back a huge amount.

5) Swiping is more convenient- It is safer to carry a card than cash especially when you’re the only one with the pin. I usually carry my credit card when I know it’s not feasible for me to go walking around with cash on my person.

Do you have a credit card? What’s your credit card story? I’d love to know below!

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