Summer Reading List Final Update.

Wow, it's the end of the summer already. I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by, however the beginning of the summer feels like forever. Now that the end of the summer is finally upon us, I bring to you an update of what my summer reading looked like.
This summer I had read 17 books. Out of those, 7 had been from my reading list from the summer.
Summer Reading List:
Nice Is Just a Place in France by the Betches
The One and Only by Emily Giffin
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
The Complete works of William Shakespeare
I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne
#GirlBoss
The Complete Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Fill In Boyfriend
Infamous by Lauren Conrad
Shopaholic to the Stars

 
I had also read 10 other books, which include:
Brooklyn Story by Suzanne Corso
99 Days by Katie Cuguno
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Hello Hollywood by Suzanne Corso
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
Love Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
The List by Siobhan Vivian
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han 

In the last few days of summer, I'm reading "Mob Daughter" by Karen Gravano. I'm so proud of myself for reading all of these books, especially books that I've been dying to read for some time. Stay tuned for a semester reading list in the next week or so!

Music Monday: Favorite Love Songs

Hey everyone! Summer is in the air, and I'm sure so is love. And what better than an intense love affair than having a playlist to fuel the nights when you're with that special someone. Then when you're apart, than when the song comes on you think of that special person. Here's some of my favorite love songs, perfect for those in love. Warning: I can't guarantee you're not going to be able to stop thinking about you're significant other while listening to these hot tracks.

1. Take My Breath Away by Berlin
2. Photograph by Def Leppard
3. Closer by Tegan and Sara
4. The One by Elton John
5. Make Me Lose Control by Eric Carmen
6. Crazy for You by Madonna
7. Close to You by Neon Trees
8. Deuces are Wild by Aerosmith
9. Love They Say by Tegan and Sara
10. Turning Page by Sleeping At Last 
11. You Are in Love by Taylor Swift
12. So Far Away by Rod Stewert 
13. Tiny Dancer by Elton John 

Things I Love Thursday; Dooney and Bourke Shopper Tote

Dooney and Bourke is one of the best purse brands in my opinion. It's one of the best brands because the purses last forever, despite the hefty price tag.

One of my favorite purses by them is the shopper tote. The shopper tote, can be in leather or nylon. I own two of them-one in black and one in yellow flowers. I like these totes because they can fit everything you need in more. I'm talking about an iPad, water bottle, planner, and all of the big things. One of the things that's hard for me to find in a purse is finding one that's big enough to fit everything I needed. I carried this to school everyday and it fit all of the things that I needed. It also was stylish enough to carry out with friends and go to work.

I recommend this bag for anyone cause it's lightweight, and it holds everything that you need. I like the black one because it goes with everything and I like the floral one because it's the perfect summer bag. It's perfect for college students or anyone looking for the perfect tote.

And I haven't told you all the best part. Since it's a Dooney, the quality is amazing. I'm talking about you can carry it everywhere and it will still look brand new. Even though Dooney and Bourke is a bit pricy, it lasts for years and years. Which is what I want in a purse, so I am willing to spend the extra dough. (On occasion, or like the black one, I got as a gift.)
What's your favorite purse? Let me know in the comments below!  

Summer 2015 Wish List

Hi my name is Natalie and I'm a shopaholic. I'm trying to save money, however, there's a few pieces out there that are making that really difficult. Here's what's on my summer wish list this upcoming summer:

Source
Dooney and Bourke pouchette in Mint and Black:
I'm a huge fan of the wristlet game, and since I don't have to carry a heavy bag everywhere I go I typically take a wristlet everywhere but work. However, now that I have car keys I can't just carry a wristlet everywhere. So, the pouchette comes in because it can fit my wallet, car keys and my lip balm. The mint has been my favorite color as of late, however I would get one in that color as well as black. (Black is a basic color, but for now I'm just getting the mint.)

Source
LC Lauren Conrad Minnie Mouse T-Shirt:
I'm in love with the new Lauren Conrad collection! I love the t-shirt collections, because they are cute and fun. And of course, Lauren Conrad does it right. I can't wait to head to Kohl's to get one!

Source
Alex and Ani Elephant Bangle:
Elephants are my favorite animals, so naturally I want to add this to my #charmedarms collection.
What is on your summer wish list? Comment below!

Reading Goals, an Update.

Note: This is an update to a post I've written in May. Read here.
One of the big things over the summer is that I've been reading books nonstop ever since I handed in my last final. In May, I wrote a post about books I had to read this summer. Check it out here. It's safe to say that during the summer I managed to check off a lot of books. I read all of the John Green ones, which was nice because I really enjoyed reading his books. I'm on book 6 of the PLL series, and I've read all of the Shopaholic series. I've also read an amazing series called "The Sisterhood of Heartbreakers", and 'If I Stay", which were both books that I really enjoyed reading, and highly reccomend.
I've also discovered that I really enjoy reading chick lit, as well as teenage books with some sort of happy ending. Over the semester, I want to continue with that light reading, of course realizing that I can't devour books like I have been. I want to read the book "Best of Me", the "Just One Day" series, and who knows what else is going to be out there? My ultimate goal this semester is to try to reach my Goodreads goal of 50 books, which I'm about ten books away.
I'll check in with you guys at the end of the year to tell you how I did. In the mean time, what are you all reading?

Music Monday-Summer Love Songs.

Ahh, summer love. It's that one time of year when the weather is as hot as your hormones. When you have enough free time to devote to spreading it with someone else. As Boys Like Girls said "your voice is the sound of my summer", and you just need a summer love playlist to play to your beloved on a hot summer night. Out of ideas? Well here's some of my faves, bought to you by Spotify!
What are some of your favorite summer love songs? I would like to hear them. Tell me in the comments section below!

Young and Beautiful, by Lana Del Rey
Drunk on You by Luke Bryan
Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
Made in the USA by Demi Lovato
National Anthem by Lana Del Rey
You Sound Good to Me by Lucy Hale
I Love You by Martina McBride
Kids in Love by Mayday Parade
When I Look At You by Miley Cyrus
Thunder by Boys Like Girls

Favorite Place In the World..

In case you all didn't already know, the beach is one of my favorite places in the world. I literally can spend hours there, and not really care. Ever since I was little, the beach has been a place where I could always hang out. My family owns a beach house, and every weekend like clockwork, we would go there. I was always in the water, getting into some kind of trouble. Now as I'm older, I go there to find some sort of peace and serenity.

Whenever I go there, I often take too many pictures as well. There's something about the sand and the water that makes such pretty pictures. It's one of my favorite things actually to take pictures of, and therefore, I end up with thousands of pictures of the ocean on my camera roll.

One of the best memories of summer has to center around the beach. I spent my 20th birthday there, see post here, and I go there a lot over the summer with my friends. It's my favorite place to spend the summer, and I hope to one day own a place of my own at the beach. So, tell me. What's you're favorite summer spot?

"Those Summer Days."

One of the best parts of summer is by far that Gabriel is at last home. And we've pretty much spent time with each other at least once a week, if not more. One of the places that we often end up is at their house, where we spend lots of time together.
Last week, we hung out on my day off. We baked really good cookies!

Cookies in the flesh.
We also took a selfie, seen here.
 
Selfie time with Gabriel; this was actually meant to be a Snapchat.
One of the reasons why this is a post is because spending QT with Gabriel is important to me. Probably because of the distance, and because once the end of August rolls around they'll be off to college once again. It's always fun to see your best friend, talk about life, bake cookies, and just hang out. We manage to make distance seem like NBD, and we still manage to be important people in each other's lives. It's safe to say that Gabriel is one of the more important people in my life, and I am so grateful to have them as my best friend. (PS. Shout out to Gabriel for listening to me complain and be crabby. They are truly the best)
The summer days with Gabriel will soon fade to fall, however, our friendship will still be here. (And reduced to phone calls and text messages) Cliche, yes? But they are my best friend, and at the end of the day that's all that truly matters. And of course, that we get Starbucks, cookies, and pie.

Music Monday-Ultraviolence

Source
Ladies and gentlemen, the wait for all of you Lana fans is over. At long last, her new album 'Ultraviolence' has come out. And it didn't disappoint.
Lana has been one of my favorite singers ever since she lent her vocals to the song 'Young and Beautiful' from 'The Great Gatsby.' Ever since then, I've had her two albums (Born to Die and Paradise-EP) on repeat. When she announced her new album, I quickly became excited. When the single 'West Coast' came out, I literally downloaded the song that very minute I came home. #itsthatimportant After downloading that song, I couldn't wait for her album to come out June 17th.
So when it did, I had to get it that day. But, due to lack of rides I had to wait til the 18th to purchase it. Once I did, I was in love with it. The album was completely perfect. "Cruel World" is the perfect start to the album, and has quickly become one of my favorite songs ever. Songs like "Ultraviolence", "Sad Girl", and "F**ked My Way to the Top" are classic Lana Del Rey songs, when the music is a mixture of deep lyrics and beautiful music. Of course, who can forget "West Coast", which in my opinion has become the anthem to this summer.
It's safe to say that this album is one of my favorites. Lana, you didn't disappoint. For the first time ever, I can't write a list of my favorite songs, because the entire album is my favorite. So, go listen to this wonderful album today. Whether you buy it somewhere, or go to Spotify, I recommend you all to listen to it. I am sure that you'll fall in love with it like I have. 

This Summer So Far...A Photo Diary

One of the cool things about being a blogger is the excessive amounts of photos that you take. However, I want to show them off to more people than my Facebook friends, family, and Instagram Followers. So, I've decided to include some of my photos that I've taken over the past month or so in this Photo Diary.

All of these photos have been taken between May 8th, 2014, and June 20th, 2014. All are my own and have been edited by Instagram, or PicFx. 

Why I Love The Beach

The beach is one of my favorite places on earth. I love the fact that I'm able to just go somewhere, and relax. In honor of my love for the beach, I often wear a starfish necklace. Anyways, back to what I was saying. The beach is the place where I often went with my grandparents growing up, which in turn gave me the appreciation of the beach. To this day, I can't go onto a beach without hearing my grandma yell at my cousins' and I adventure through out the water, or my grandfather sitting at his chair at the front porch. Here's some awesome pictures that I've taken during my last trip to the beach.

 Each of these pictures were taken during different times. The upper one was taken on my way around when I first got there. The bottom, which is one of my favorites, was taken during my last minutes there. Both pictures are my favorite ones, in addition to some awesome ones with my friend's sister, (whose also my friend),  which she posed for. But, all and all, I am honored to say that the beach is my favorite summer hang out, even when I get killer sunburn.

Books I HAVE To Read This Summer

Reading lots of books in a summer is something that is just a given. Something about having all of this extra free time makes it so much easier to crack open a book. Here's some of my must-reads this summer:




 Source
Game of Thrones Series- The fact that my library had the first one made me really happy because I really want to read the series that everyone seems to be reading, and watching on TV. I'm currently on the first one, and I like what I see so far. I'm probably going to get the new few soon, because they are really good.


Pretty Little Liars-I read the first two last fall, and I literally couldn't put them down. I'm probably going to have to order books three and four to hold me down because once I start reading Pretty Little Liars, I literally can not stop. I've also recently gotten into the TV show too, and so far so good.

The One and Only- Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors ever, so naturally when a new book of hers comes out, I get very excited to read it.

Looking for Alaska- This is the last John Green book that I have yet to read, so naturally this is going to be on my list.

What's on your summer reading list? Comment below, because I love talking about books!
 

Summer 2014 Goals

Ah yes, it's finally summer. I can't believe how fast the semester has gone, but I'm so excited to welcome summer with open arms. I'm currently recovering from my finals, but I am so excited to put the schoolwork aside for about a hundred days!
However, I don't want to be completely lazy over my summer break, so I've compiled a list of things that I wanted to do for summer 2014.

• Get my driver's license. I kinda need to learn how to drive and drive myself places. 
• Read 20 books. I need something to do at work, and since I work at a library, why not?
• Go to the beach. What's summer without the beach?
• Go to a different state. Even though it could be New York, but who cares?
• Blog more. My goal this summer is to focus on this blog and expand it. I want to make more blogging connections, and that's a pretty big deal. School always gets in the way so I want to make sure that my blog gets some TLC from little ol' me. 

What are your summer goals/plans?

Proud blogger moment-today marks my 400th post here!