Wildlife Photographer of the Year at the Natural History Museum

I'm a big fan of nature photography, the closeness to the animals and the impressive landscapes always have me in awe of the beauty we have on this planet. And the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum is one of my favourite staples on the cultural calendar. Now in its 33rd year, out of all the times I've had the pleasure to visit this exhibit, the 2017 edition was the best one yet.

Dramarama by E. Lockhart

You guys know that two of my biggest passions in life are books and theatre, and when the two come together (see Matilda the Musical and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, for example) magic happens. It doesn't occur often that it's the other way around though and it's a book that brings all of the stageyness rather than a novel being adapted for the theatre. So when I heard of Dramarama, written by one of my current favourite young adult authors, being set at summer theatre camp I was instantly sold.

Faulty Towers the Dining Experience at Amba Hotel Charing Cross

I'm not normally a fan of immersive theatre. I once was 'picked on' with a card trick during a show and I still break out in cold sweat when I go to anything with audience participation and one of the actors locks eyes with me. However, I grew up on brilliant comedy series Fawlty Towers and I love eating out, so despite normally distancing myself of immersive theatre I was very keen to check out the Faulty Towers Dining Experience. And I am so very glad I did, because this is a fantastic combination of a farce, improvisation and a hearty meal in a stunning location.

Top Museums in Paris – And How to Visit Them for Free

My recent trip to Paris was a whirlwind one, but one thing I made sure not miss out on was the city's incredible offering of museums. The French capital is a paradise for culture vultures and even if you're only a casual museum-goer I'll guarantee you'll be impressed by the diversity these great places have to offer. In this post I'll give you a snapshot tour of my favourites, and I share my top tip to go to the museums and other attractions in Paris completely for free!

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

If you've been following me for a while on here or on social media you will have heard me rave about Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. A lot. As one of my favourite books of 2016, this time travelling, swashbuckling teen adventure was imaginative, fascinating and well-written that despite reading it almost a year ago I'm still thinking about it and recommending it on a regular basis. So of course I was very excited for the second installment to come out!

Highlights From BlogCon London 2017

On Saturday my friend Laura and I ventured over to Scarlett London Digital's #BlogConLDN at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster. I'd recently been to the same location for a work event, so it felt a bit weird returning, but of course it was for a much more fun occasion: a conference specifically designed for bloggers! There were a ton of exhibitors to chat to and lots of inspirational presentations throughout the day, and I'd like to share with you some of my highlights from the experience – including top tips from the talks and my favourite brands!

LMTO's Honeymoon in Vegas at the London Palladium

Photo credit: Nick Rutter
I've been a big fan of the London Musical Theatre Orchestra ever since I was invited to their launch gala in July of last year, and interviewed its founder and principal conductor Freddie Tapner. I loved their concert staging of Rodgers & Hammerstein's State Fair at Cadogan Hall, and while I was gutted to miss out on Alan Menken's A Christmas Carol during the festive season as I was spending it overseas with my family, I made sure to add their 2017 performance dates to my calendar as soon as they were released so I wouldn't miss another one.

My 5 Favourite Moments in Beauty and the Beast

To celebrate the release of Disney's Live action Beauty and the Beast film this week, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the titular characters, and the publication of the stunning illustrated book by the genius design duo MinaLima last week, I thought I'd do a blog post on my favourite moments within the story – illustrated by photos from the beautiful, interactive book.

See How They Lie by Sue Wallman

Lying About Last Summer by Sue Wallman was one of my favourite young adult reads from 2016 (and rightfully so not only made the Zoella Autumn Book Club but even won the title of best book!), and so when a second novel by the same author was announced at the Scholastic Bloggers' Book Feast 2017 I was stoked. How They Lie is a brand-new story, with new characters and a new location, but it has the same sense of suspense and unease as Sue's first novel, and I found myself even more gripped than before.

The Art of the Brick: DC Super Heroes Exhibition

Lego was a huge part of my childhood and I'm sure I'm not the only one who still has fond memories of creating innovative structures and characters with the versatile building blocks. However, my creations weren't quite as impressive as those by Lego artist Nathan Sawaya. He has over five million pieces of Lego in his studio and his latest creations, around the themes of good vs. evil, are on display in London until September.

How I Became a London Book Fairy

On International Women's Day, with the help of volunteers in 26 countries as well as UN Women's Global Goodwill Ambassador and actress Emma Watson, The Book Fairies was launched. The project and IWD-themed global book drop got a LOT of media coverage so you may already be familiar with this brilliant organisation. If not, let me tell you my story of becoming a London Book Fairy, five reasons why I love being a part of it, and how you can get involved with this amazing project too!

Robert Rauschenberg at the Tate Modern

I love a good exhibition at the Tate Modern on London's South Bank, however I hadn't been since the amazing The World Goes Pop all the way back in January 2016. Clearly I was long overdue a return and so the Robert Rauschenberg exhibit came at the perfect time. With a mixture of installations, paintings, screen prints and film, Rauschenberg's eclectic back catalogue of work has something for everyone to enjoy.

Maresi by Maria Turtschaninoff

Despite it being the 21st century, the gender split in children's fiction is unfortunately still an unequal one. There is some movement within the young adult space, for sure, but for younger readers it's often still boys that are front and centre within a novel – especially an adventure one. So when a book turns this upside down, providing inspirational and strong role models for young girls, I'm always keen to explore it. The most recent example I read was the magical The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, and Maresi feels along similar lines when it comes to adventure, kick-assness and an other-worldly quality to the story.

A Book Lover's Guide to Literary Paris

Paris has a rich literary history, with the likes of Victor Hugo, Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Alexandre Dumas all having lived and worked there; the city of love leaving an indistinguishable imprint on their writing. On my recent visit to Paris I followed in the footsteps of some of the these incredible writers, soaking up the lingering literary brilliance they'd left behind as I visited places such as famous bookshop Shakespeare & Co and Victor Hugo's tomb at The Pantheon.

Dinner at City Spice on Brick Lane

Brick Lane is a vibrant, multi-cultural area in London know for its diverse array of restaurants and shops with flavours from around the world, making it a popular destination for foodies. During the day there are street markets where you can sample the delights from lots of different countries at once, whereas in the evening it's more of a going out and dining destination. I'd not visited at night before and was delighted to do so to try the dishes at the award-winning City Spice.