Bookish Bucket List 2015

As 2014 comes to a close and this year's Goodreads challenge also comes to an end, I've been left to ponder the books I'm most excited to read in 2015. Some of these I've started already and hope to finish in the new year and others are books I've been wanting to read for absolutely ages. Either way, I think having them down on (virtual) paper will act as an incentive for me to really try and get through them all! So, without further ado, here's my bookish bucket list for 2015:

1. 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë 

2. 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker

3. 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley

Gothic fiction is one of my favourite classic genres so I thought it was high time I got my teeth stuck into these three.

4. 'The Luminaries' by Eleanor Catton 

5. 'Emma' by Jane Austen

Two books I started and never finished in 2014 but I'm still very keen to add them to my 'read' list!

6. 'Dubliners' by James Joyce

I recently read one of the stories contained in this collection - 'The Dead'- and absolutely loved it (you can read more about what I thought here!) so I'm really excited to read the rest.

7. 'The Screwtape Letters' by C.S. Lewis

8. 'A Grief Observed' by C.S. Lewis

It's no secret that C.S. Lewis is one of my all time favourite writers and thinkers. I started 'The Screwtape Letters' several years ago and never finished it- I think I was a bit too young at the time and it just went straight over my head- but I'd really like to give it another go. I've also been wanting to read 'A Grief Observed' for a while now. It was written following the death of Lewis's wife, Joy during a time when he really wrestled with the fundamentals of his Christian faith. Apparently it makes as a really interesting comparison to 'The Problem of Pain' as well. 

9. 'This Side of Paradise' by F. Scott Fitzgerald

10. 'The Beautiful and the Damned' by F. Scott Fitzgerald

After having loved 'Tender is the Night' so much this year, and of course being such a big fan of Gatsby I've decided that 2015 will be a year of Fitzgerald for me.

What's on the top of your reading list for 2015?

Disclaimer: all images property of their respective owners.

Sunny Sweet Pea's Christmas Card Swap

It's Christmas Eve everyone!! I hope you're all having a lovely day!

This December I took part in a blogger Christmas card swap organised by Jenny at Sunny Sweet Pea which I thought was an absolutely lovely idea. We were put into groups with four others, sending every other person a Christmas card each and then we all received four in return. It was so nice to receive so many sweet cards in the post, one even coming from as far away as Malaysia!

This is Jenny's card which I thought was really pretty and unusual! 

I absolutely love this card I got from Sarah all the way from Malaysia, and she wrote such a lovely message inside as well. My mum liked it so much she said I should have it framed and keep it for my room! haha.

This sweet little card was waiting for me when I came home from uni from Char at T-Rexes and Tiaras which was a nice surprise!

This amazing card came from Jo and her husband Neil. You had to fold it up and make it into this cool little Christmassy mini, though I don't think I folded it properly so it kind of looks more like a camper van! But I thought it was such a unique idea for a Christmas card.

Massive thank you to Jenny for planning all of this, it really was so lovely! Wishing all of you folks a very Merry Christmas as well! 

Scenes | Dinner at The Barking Dog, Belfast

One of the things I sincerely miss about Belfast when I'm at university is all of its quirky and eclectic bars and restaurants, and there really is a lot of them. I basically spent the entirety of my last week of university, in fact, dreaming of my return to my home city where I could soak in the wintry ambience of its bustling beer gardens, dining out and getting tipsy with old friends amidst the hum of city sounds.

Thankfully I have a friend with an equal penchant for alcohol and good food in Gemma and on Thursday night we decided to take a little dander into Belfast for dinner and drinks. I'd managed to nab a last minute table at The Barking Dog on the Malone Road which was really lucky since it's normally so busy, especially around Christmas time.

Our table was by the window which was nice since the restaurant is in the University Quarter of the city, right by where the Queen's University student accommodation is so you could see all the students passing by outside, heading out. The table was also candlelit and decorated with roses and holly which was lovely.

Gemma and I both opted for turkey and ham for our meal- it is Christmas after all!- and I have to say, it was amazing. 

After dinner we headed out to a bar called 'Filthy McNasty's', though despite the name, which my English friends think sounds absolutely horrific, there's not really anything particularly filthy or nasty about it. It's probably the most popular bar in Belfast at the minute, made up of a quirky indoor bar, beer garden, cocktail bar and nightclub, the 'Gypsy Lounge' which has an interior made up to look like an old gypsy caravan. It's one of my favourite city haunts for sure.

We didn't stay for too long, just for one drink before calling it a night, but overall I had a lovely evening and I'm looking forward to many more like it before I head back to uni!