West London Wonder: Strawberry Hill House & Garden

I love exploring London but one thing I'm not nearly doing enough off is going beyond zone three to discover the wonderful things the outskirts of the city have to offer. Especially West London is an area I don't tend to venture to much as the journey from my North London home can be on the longer side. However, there are many awesome places to discover, which have been handily combined into the West London Wonders trail. The first one I got to experience recently is Gothic Revival castle Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham.

MinaLima's New Exhibit Celebrates The Secret Garden & Other Classics

You know those intricate designs in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beast films? Wanted posters, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes labels and school books? They're all created by design duo Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, aka MinaLima. The wizarding world isn't their only forte though, and at their House of MinaLima store and exhibition space you can admire their magical creations alongside animal artwork and beautifully illustrated classic novels. And alongside their brand-new book The Secret Garden, they've launched a stunning new illustrated classics gallery.

Literary London: Harry Potter Walking Tour

It's no secret that I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. In fact, the majority of my Literary London posts so far have been Potter-themed, from House of MinaLima (three times) and the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play around its corner to the unmissable Warner Brothers Studio Tour. One wizarding must-do I had not yet checked off the list though was a Harry Potter walking tour of London. Focusing on filming locations rather than book-related references, I finally got a chance to experience it this weekend. While most of Britain was glued to the telly for the royal wedding, I was wandering through sunny London spotting obscure wizarding locations.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic Exhibit at the V&A

It's been a while since I added a new entry to my Literary London series and so I was very excited when I heard about the Winnie-the-Pooh exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (better known as the V&A), which makes for a great addition to any book lover's London itinerary. The honey-obsessed Pooh Bear and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood are mostly known for their Disney adaptations, but they originated from a series of written stories. Created by A.A. Milne and based on the tales he told his son Christopher Robin (who inspired the character of the same name), the books date all the way back to the 1920s and so there is a rich history there that has been captured delightfully within the exhibit at the V&A.

The Daily Prophet Exhibition at House of MinaLima

I love the work by design duo Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima (aka MinaLima). They created the incredible fully illustrated Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan hardbacks I've blogged about before, as well as all the design work for the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films (from product packaging to posters and anything in between). They have an awesome shop and exhibition space in London's Soho which I, not gonna lie, frequent. I've blogged about the Harry Potter exhibition before, but they change it every few months so I always try to pop by when I'm in the neighbourhood. After their recent Fantastic Beasts exhibit the focus has now shifted to The Daily Prophet, the newspaper from the wizarding world.

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!

Literary London: Hogwarts in the Snow

First I don't mention Harry Potter for ages and then I can't stop talking about it! This past month has been completely taken over by the Wizarding World as I attended the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them premiere (squee), saw both parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in theatre (double squee), and I was recently invited to a special event at the Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden to see the glorious festive additions to the Harry Potter sets for Hogwarts in the Snow. It was a truly magical experience. Do sit back as I take you on a Christmassy ride through Diagon Alley, the Great Hall, the Gryffindor Common Room, and more.

My Month in Favourites – November 2016

After the awesomeness that was October, filled with autumn fun and Canada, I though most of November would be me longing to go back on holiday or looking forward to my visit to the Netherlands for the holidays. While there was certainly some of that, November has been an unexpectedly brilliant in its own right. This month's favourites are pretty heavy on the TV, film and Harry Potter related fun with a special event at The Harry Potter Studios, the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them premiere, Moana, Gilmore Girls, and Planet Earth 2.

Literary London: House of MinaLima

In my exploration of London's literary side I'm moving away from Roald Dahl (House of Illustration and the BFG Dream Jar Trail) this week to the one and only J.K. Rowling. You may remember my blog post on the most gorgeously illustrated edition of Peter Pan ever, and the designers of that book, Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, were also the creatives behind the magical graphic art in the Harry Potter films. A selection of their stunning work, both from Harry Potter and some of their other designs, is currently on display in Soho at House of MinaLima, an incredible four floors of art that you cannot miss out on.

Literary London: The BFG Dream Jar Trail

In my quest to find London's literary side, I seem to initially have stumbled upon everything Roald Dahl-themed. After Quentin Blake's House of Illustration last week, which currently has an exhibit on The BFG, this week I followed The BGF Dream Jar Trail through London. Organised by Visit London to coincide with the film's release, the jars scattered throughout the city house the dreams of a host of famous faces, such as Steven Spielberg, Stephen Hawking, Helen Mirren, Sophie Dahl, Zoella, Sadiq Khan and Tim Minchin.

Literary London: Quentin Blake's House of Illustration

Even though I've been living in London for over 6 years now, I'm still constantly discovering new things to enjoy within this city. From festivals to picturesque Dickensian streets, and from great places to eat to museums that weren't on my radar before. Mostly everyone will know tourist staples such as The British Museum, The Natural History Museum and The V&A, and I have been to all of these countless times myself as well, but it's the lesser known locations that I'm currently seeking to uncover. And because I have a particular focus on books on this blog, I thought it'd be interesting to explore London's literary side this summer, starting with Quentin Blake's House of Illustration in Granary Square (a few minutes' walk away from King's Cross St. Pancras Station).