10 Netflix Series You Should Be Watching

Hi guys! Today I'll be giving you spoiler-free reviews of my top 10 Netflix series. Also, Happy St. George's Day!

Netflix Original
1. The OA - 1 season
Telling the tale of Prairie, a young woman who returns to her hometown after being kidnapped, is only the beginning for this slow-paced and original series. Prairie’s story, as well as those of the people she meets, is terrifying yet beautiful, and the closing sequence is so well put-together. Highly recommended!
In Two Words: Refreshingly Unique.

2. 13 Reasons Why - 1 season
(TW for this show: very graphic depictions of rape and suicide. Watch at your discretion, or skip these scenes.) Although originally a very successful novel (and my favourite piece of fiction of all time), 13 Reasons Why was recently turned into a series. Hannah Baker killed herself, and no one knows why. Until now. Clay Jensen, who has loved Hannah for an embarrassingly long time, receives a package on his doorstep. Inside? 13 tapes detailing 13 reasons why Hannah was driven to suicide.
In Two Words: Horribly Heartbreaking.

3. Stranger Things - 1 season
This splendid cast of young actors do justice an incredible story that plays with genre, relationships, and monsters. Seriously, the cast is absolutely exceptional. Will disappears. Eleven appears. Chaos ensues. PLUS, meet… the Demagorgon. What more could you want?
In Two Words: Surprisingly Hilarious. 

4. Black Mirror - 3 seasons
Although Netflix only picked up this show after 2 seasons (so technically only the third season is a Netflix Original), they mirrored (punny) the tone of the series perfectly. Essentially, each episode is stand-alone and tackles the scenario of a different issue in a post-modern world. Technology is far more advanced than it is now (microchips in heads etc) and this seems to evoke more problems than useful solutions.
In Two Words: Thought Provoking.

Other
5. The Returned - 1 season
Originally a French TV show, the American remake apparently is very similar, just without the need for English subtitles. The premise is that numerous people who have died are suddenly appearing again. Each episode follows one of these returned people. It explores the relationships between the returned and normal people, as well as within the returneds. I’m only halfway through the series at present, so I can’t review the whole thing, but I like what I see so far!
In Two Words: Interesting + Original

6. Pretty Little Liars - 7 seasons
This show has been going on for years now, and the first episode of the second part of the final season (read that a couple of times and it’ll make sense) has just been released. Although (admittedly) there are too many twists and turns to the story, I and so many other people are completely hooked, and it’s even fun to just read through the fan theories. Basically, Alison DiLaurentis is missing, and her friends are getting texts from ‘A’, telling secrets that only Ali knew. Could she be alive? Is she even ‘A’?
In Two Words: Embarrassingly Addictive

7. American Horror Story - 6 seasons
Not for the faint-hearted, this show is so so so unique, in both it’s narrative(s) and format. Each season has some of the same cast, but they play different characters in a different setting. I’ve just finished the first season (Murder House) and am very much looking forward to watching the rest! Full of (as the name suggests) horror, this series will play with your emotions and logic simultaneously, doing suspenseful reveals very suspenseful-ly.
In Two Words: Disturbing yet Intriguing.

8. Skins - 7 seasons (3 volumes + 3 2-part specials)
SKINS. MY BABY SKINS. An English series, ‘telling it like it is’ about college life (college as in ages 16-18, not uni college). Drugs, sex, alcohol, and teen angst. I must admit, Skins gave me a false reality of what college was going to turn out like, as I haven't done nearly as many drugs as any one Skins character did. (Disclaimer: I haven’t done any drugs; that was a joke. Just to clarify.) The way Skins works season-wise is that every two seasons (which is one volume), the central cast changes. Then after three volumes (the third is very forgettable, I recommend only watching the first two) there are three two-part specials, in which we catch up with one character per episode from the previous volumes. I can’t stress enough how amazing this show is. It’ll make you laugh, cry, and hate society all in one ep. Special stuff.
In Two Words: Emotional Realism.

9. Outnumbered - 5 seasons
Outnumbered is another English series, following a family of a mum, dad, and three kids. When I was younger, my family used to joke that we were that family because our personalities matched up perfectly with those of the characters. It’s hilarious and so true to British life.
In Two Words: Relatably Nostalgic. 

10. Hell’s Kitchen - 16 seasons
Gordon Ramsay makes fun of impeccable cooking done by intolerable aspiring chefs, who are competing to win a head chef position at one of Ramsay’s restaurants. Season 12 is my favourite, because I actually liked the winner, but every single episode is so so funny.
In Two Words: Guilty Pleasure.

Special Mention
11. This Is Us - 1 season
Although I haven’t seen this myself, my friend Jemima loves it, as she explains in this post. The stories seem intriguing and relevant, which is why This Is Us is at the top of my to-watch list!
In Two Words: New Adventure!

10 Bible Verses That Apply To Non-Christian Life

Happy Easter everyone! This is my first ever Easter as a Christian, so I'm very excited to see what today has in store for me. For you, it has this post! Here's 10 verses from the New Testament which I have carefully and dutifully hand-selected that can easily be applied to life as an atheist, agnostic, or any religion, including (of course) Christianity.

1. Freely give -Matthew 10:8
Giving gifts to friends and strangers is also a gift to ourselves; when we give, we feel better, more righteous.

2. Love your neighbour as yourself -Matthew 22:39
Love everybody! Always! Here, your 'neighbour' is not solely the people you live next to, it's those we cohabit with on Earth: everyone!

3. Love your enemies -Luke 6:27
Again, love everybody - even your enemies! Ever heard of killing them with kindness?

4. Do to others as you would have them do to you -Luke 6:31
Basically, if you're kind to people, they'll be kind to you. If you're unkind to people, they'll be unkind to you. Plus, why wouldn't you want to make people happy?

5. Go in peace -Luke 7:50
Simple, yet essential.

6. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done -John 13:15
Even if you don't believe that Jesus was (is) the son of God, you have to admit that he was a pretty decent guy. Follow his example in this way.

7. Glory, honour, and peace for everyone who does good -Romans 2:10
Do good, and you'll have good done to you! People are a lot more likely to want to help someone who's already helped them.

8. Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience -Colossians 3:12
It's not just Christians who can be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient! All wonderful qualities.

9. Weakness was turned to strength -Hebrews 11:34
Don't be discouraged by your weaknesses. Not only will they not bring you down, but they'll raise you up instead!

10. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry -James 1:19
I can't stress this one enough. Listen to one another so you don't misunderstand, be hesitant when judging with your words, and see all sides of an argument before destroying yourself in anger.

Top 10 Books

Recently a lot of people have asked me what my favourite book is, so I decided to make a post about it! Here are (in order) my 10 favourite contemporary fiction books.

10) The Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging series (Louise Rennison, 1999-2009 (plus spinoffs))
Guilty pleasure alert!! These books follow Georgia Nicholson, the protagonist, and her band of friends (Jas, Rosie, and Ellen, mainly) as she attempts to find and keep a boyfriend, deal wth her eccentric family, and shrink her nose. All 10 books in this series are absolute comedy gold. The movie based on the first book is exceptionally chick-flicky, and does the entire series justice with how fantastically awkward early-teen-y it is. If you're aged 11+ and haven't read at least one of the books in this series, stop reading this right now and go and read them all. You won't regret it, I promise.

9) Will Grayson, Will Grayson (John Green and David Levithan, 2010)
This book has two protagonists, both with the same name. It is told from the two Will's perspectives, which is difficult to follow at first, but you soon become used to the two authors' writing styles. The book addresses a number of difficult topics as is typical of Green, but also is ver, very funny. The only reason it isn't higher up on my list is that the characters are kind of stereotypical and one-dimensional in my humble opinion (I revel in complex characters).

8) Hex Hall (Rachel Hawkins, 2010)
Oh, Hex Hall. What a story. Complex characters, innovative storylines, humour, drama, horror, mystery. What more could you want from a book? Another solid guilty pleasure of mine, I have absolutely no idea how many times I've read it, apart form too many times and yet not enough.

7) Forgotten (Cat Patrick, 2011)
I adore every single one of Patrick's novels, but Forgotten has to be my favourite. It follows a teenage girl, London, who every morning wakes up not remembering anything. In addition to this, she can see the future, up until 4:33AM every day, when her memory of the coming day is lost. Complicated, I know, but so with it. I've shed many a tear reading this and plan to shed a lot more re-reading it for the millionth time.

6) Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins, 2010)
Do you really think I could do a novel list without mentioning dystopian fiction? It's the BEST genre, so deserves to be mentioned a lot. Do I need to explain the plot of The Hunger Games to you? Surely you know it by now. Mockingjay is easily the best of the trilogy, which is pretty fantastic all round. The final book is so sad and makes you think so much. I especially adore how Katniss is (spoiler alert) suffering from major PTSD, as a real human would be in her situation, and this isn't just glossed over as it would be in many other books. I don't know why, but I really love Katniss as a character in the books, especially in Mockingjay.

5) The Marked series (PC and Kristin Cast, 2007-2014 (plus novellas and spinoffs))
Oh boy, if I could give every book in the series it's own place in this list, I would. This series is set in one of the most developed universes I've ever read about, and I commend the Casts for that. Also, the main characters (Zoey, Stevie-Ray, Shaunee, Erin, Aphrodite, Damien, Jack, Erik, Stark, Neferet, etc) are so wonderfully complex, even though they don't seem it at first. Zoey and her inner circle are kind of Mary-Sues to begin with, but once you're through the first few books they're so developed it's like watching a child grow up. So so so highly recommended. Vampyres, fledglings, crushes, young love, weird teacher-student relationships, and the end of the world. Fantastic.

4) The Fault in Our Stars (John Green, 2012)
Okay yes, I know its everyone's favourite book and I'm so not indie anymore but there is a reason for it's widespread adoration. The movie was pretty good, but the book is exceptional. Hazel is so relatable, even to someone who has never had a life-threatening disease, and somehow Green has the knack of perfectly writing from a teenage girls' perspective, even as a 30-something year old man. Hazel and Augustus' relationship is complicated, and not perfect like its shown to be in the film. (Also, Isaac (the cool blind one) is so cool and so blind and my absolute favourite character). READ IT!

3) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (JK Rowling, 2005)
I know everyone says that Prisoner of Azkaban is the best one, and I kinda agree with them, but for me, Half-Blood Prince is a very close second. I refuse to believe that theres anyone with internet access who doesn't know the plot of Harry Potter, so I won't bother explaining it. HBP is the best book of the series because it explores the world of Draco Malfoy, one of the most interesting characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. I adore how Rowling can make me care for a character so much and feel so bad for them whilst at the same time making me hope for their demise. Genius on her part.

2) The Death Cure (James Dashner, 2011)
NEWTNEWTNEWTNEWT!!!!!!! Oh goodness me I do love Newt. The Death Cure is the third and final instalment of the The Maze Runner trilogy. It's also the best instalment in my opinion. It's funny, it's sad (like really, really, really sad), and it's a perfect end to a perfect series. The Death Cure explores more mature themes than the previous two books, which already explore some pretty nasty ideas. It's not a series for the faint-hearted, but it's pretty darn wonderful.

1) 13 Reasons Why (Jay Asher, 2007)
Here we go, onto my favourite contemporary fiction book of all time (what an honour)!!!!!!!! This book is so thought-provoking and emotional it's still difficult for me to comprehend, even after reading it many times. The basic plot is thus: a boy receives 13 audio tapes in the mail, from a girl he knew who recently committed suicide. Each tape reveals one reason why she felt she had to kill herself and blames one person. The twist is that only the people mentioned on the tapes, so only the people to blame for her death, receive the tapes. Therefore, the boy realises he must be partly to blame for the dying. The book is so powerful I can't accurately express it in words. Jay Asher is a mastermind, and I hope to read more of his work soon.