Book Review: A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll

What species of Shark is the whale species of Dolphins?

A KIND OF SPARK tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there's more to the story of these 'witches', just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard?

I found out about this book on Twitter by following a fellow Autistic book reviewer who had been sent a review copy. So I immediately ordered it once I found out it was Autistic own voices. Frankly, there are not enough own-voices Autistic books, especially as the biggest ones were written chapter by chapter or the idea of an Autistic protagonist is how the author realised she was autistic when she did more research for the book. This is a middle-grade book which I didn't know because I did no research. I actually didn't read the summary of this book, I knew masking was discussed but that was it. I figured it was children's somehow by the cover.

The main character Addie is Autistic and eleven-years-old. This book deals with Ableism that that Autistic kids face, often by the adults who are meant to support them the most. Teachers.  I wasn't diagnosed with Autism as a child but I did face ableism from my Dyslexia diagnosis and my Autistic traits made it so that teachers were terrible to me.

This book is a lot more sympathetic than I would ever be to those teachers (ableist teachers in my novels end up being possessed by demons and its hard to tell when the procession started).

This book does slightly deal with internal ableist, with Keedie, Addie's older sister. It's not in great detail but as this book deals with a lot of Ableism that Autistic people deal with, I think it was just the right touch with this book. Especially, as this Addie's story. I do want Keedie's story, but mostly because I just want more Autistic protagonists in general. I did relate to Keedie too, being an older sibling to a fellow Autistic person. I went through a ton of Ableism and then my sibling went to the same school. Somehow it's gotten worse.

There's a lot of little nods in the books to how Autism has been a thing all along and not just recognised till recently. Also multiple Autistic femme characters.

The plot of this book is Addie learning about Scotland's Witch Trials and how her home village inspires her to do something about it. This went really well with the themes of the book, while

Friendship is a touch on a lot in this book. At the start of the book, Addie is newly Friendless as she has been abandoned by her long time friend Jenna and gains a new friend Audrey whose just moved to the school from London. Friendships are complicated for Autistic people due to us missing out on social clues and not knowing the rules to the game.

This a kinda spoiler but not majorly since this isn't a plot book. It's definitely about the characters.  This book has a trope I really don't like and it's kinda Ableist if not treated right and I don't think this book does enough. I get the reasoning, however, I don't think it was dealt with enough. I talked about it in my Goodreads initials thoughts if you don't care about mild thoughts.

Addie is very relatable to me, I've done a few things she did at the same age.
The only unrelatable thing for me, is Addie doesn't know what is dangerous about the world and my special interest has been true crime a few times, even as a kid. Obviously, not actual criticism.

I really loved this book, I do take issue with one part of this book, which is why I probably rate this 4.5 really. Maybe 4.8 if we're going against the GoodReads system anyway. I think this is a really important book for anyone to read but especially for Autistic kids. This is a book I had wished I had as a kid (even if I don't think I would have looked past a certain trope then). Even if you're not diagnosed, your traits still get you treated badly. In a way. this was a hard book to review because I mostly want to just scream read it and then come discuss it with me.  I think this book proves just why Disabled Own-voices are important.

Read: 11/6/2020
Reviewed: 11/6/2020 –4/7/2020
Medium: Paperback
Published Date: 04/6/2020
Publisher: Knights Of
Source: I brought it.
TW: Ableism, Ableist slurs; Internal Ableism; discussion of being institutionalised, casual racism (challenged), mild discussion of torture;

Crossposted to my other website: strangenessbooks.wordpress.com/

MCR is a thing I love.

I am going to see My Chemical Romance in June 2020. Not sure of the date. In my panic to get tickets, I forgot to ask what the day was.

So I called up again, it was for the 20th so I booked for the 21 as well because I am a loser and terrible person. But I have so little in life being the fool that sees a band twice is who I am now. In my defence, I booked the Sunday after I called back and got through to the Disabled again, so...I mean if you were all about it you would have tickets by then.

Yeah, I'm the worst when it comes to My Chemical Romances tickets. I was just gonna say I'm the worst, but there's a lot of bad things in this world like people who brought tickets to sell them. I am gonna see My Chemical Romance twice because my brain makes bad decision sometimes.

Thanks, anxiety, the thing that makes me miss out and gives me the fear of missing out. I don't know, should I cancel the ticket. I've been online and I don't see anyone say that they didn't get tickets. It just took them a long arse time. IDK, I know it was a bad thing to do but now I don't know wait to do about it. The Worse part is that Disabled access is appearing on Second Sale sites. I hope they get their tickets cancelled. I don't know what to do about this anyway.

Doing that whole going back to uni thing to become educated? Again. Doing the same level of uni but this time with the right level of support hopefully. I am Dyslexic and Autistic with fun side benefits of that. I'm a terrible procrastinator. I think I shall go to the GP and talk about how I think my Anxiety gives me physical symptoms.

I have chronic pain and had since I was a child. I've always had a bad back, I mean at least ten which is not right. Did I hurt myself and no one saw me do it? Obviously, as a kid, you don't tell your parents all the asinine stuff you do and maybe I don't remember happening because as Dyslexic kid I hurt myself all the time. I walk into walls. I almost fall all the time.

My bullet journal Obsession with international shipping has finally been caught by customs. I blame the Brexit. *Loud Sigh* Yeah, so that finally happened. Greaaaatttt...

It is what is, I still expect this nonsense to continue even now we no longer have the benefits of being in the EU. Now just stuck in the UK without any benefits under the tories.

So now I have ruined this post, turning a great thing of seeing My Chemical Romance into something really depressive.

That being said trying to get a ticket was a nightmare. I tried to get normal tickets because I've had cases where the Disabled tickets sold out before the normal ones, so I was hedging bets. But being there at 9.30 on the dot, got me nothing. No seats or VIP seats. I was there pretty quickly there for Sunday too, nothing. So I am mad with people who immediately sold tickets. Maybe both you got lucky in your gang to try to get them, but now there were people who brought tickets with no intention of using them.

So no luck through Ticketmaster. I did get through Disabled Finally. I had to call 75 times to get thought the first time, and I was in a panic when I did. They hanged up on me several times were caught in a loop pressing 1 and 1 over and over to get into the queue and then I was kicked off the queue three times which the worst part. I don't why they think that will actually get people to stop calling.

I felts so anxious before and afterwards. Just stress about the whole thing.

Melton Keyes being where MCR do their big reunion sounds like a joke.

I still hope they tour the UK because I always regretted not seeing them in Glasgow. I'm able so excited and happy about seeing them, but I can't keep that energy up till June.

Also, I am seeing Fall Out Boy and Green Day three days afterwards. This is a hilarious and delightful state of events. Also stressful. See you then.

The Exam Process (N.E.W.T.s)

No post last week. It's annoying because I had an idea for it and I completely forgot what the idea was. It will haunt me for like a day.

This is also in my drafts and it could be literally from any week.

"I don't know I did this week. Edit I guess. But also not. I filmed a lot of video while sleep deprived and it was probably a mistake. Yes, definitely a mistake because those videos were to actually have words about stuff instead of incoherent rambling which is my favourite thing to do when sleep deprived.

Probably closes I will ever come to doing a "drunk" video since I don't drink and my experience with alcohol make me feel bored and wanting to go to bed."

The BookTube-a-thon is currently going on and I think that even I had energy levels, I would not take part. I just can't arse with the way it's run. It just feel like at the centre of everything wrong with the BookTube community.

On the brighter side, the N.E.W.Ts are under way. It's only a readathon and not real exams. I've currently got an A in Transfiguration. I know, I've got to up my game if I want outstanding in all nine exams I'm sitting. It's a month long thing and I've got to read 27 books to get Outstanding in them all.
I would like four Outstanding which is 12 books which is doable

Well, I'm off now. I have exams to sit.

Cursed and naming cats after the Devil.

My family is perhaps cursed. Good thing our cats are all meant to be lucky. My dad got a phone call on Thursday evening to say there was a crack in his leg, from falling last week in the garden, and they wanted to give him a CT scan. His knee is broken and now they debate whether he should get surgery to get pins in his legs. If they do so that will bring the number of family members having surgery this year to three. Though, who knows when they're actually have the surgery. We're in the seven month of the year, and we thought it would definitely have happened by now. But probably September because sibling needs to have something checked out and the appointment they gave her was for August. 

Leia has taken to wanting to sit on my head while I'm sleeping. Waking me because it bloody hurts. Leia now almost two years, finds new ways to hurt me every day. The kitten also likes to attack people in their sleep. Also feet and hands. His name started as Shadow and now it's Lucifer, One is loyal dog from a classic live action Disney film, the other is the evil cat from Cinderella. It's also a name of a character that appears in some Disney shorts :). It also means Rising star, how pretty.

With everything going on I have yet to edit a video for this week, I also haven't filmed properly in two weeks. There is stuff to edit including my July Wrap Up and the Vlog for the Strangeathon. I had laid out an hour to edit on Friday, but I was force to leave my house due to the broken knee and someone being stranded in a strange town. Camp NaNoWriMo is fail since I haven't properly wrote anything since the second day of this month. My life is constantly busy, even with nothing going on.

Well, I'm having an Indian takeaway, so hopeful that goes well. It's a good thing I decided not to go to college or something, because life is going to be something in the next three months. God, life.

What is Life?

This is whole writing thing is not happening much. Still not finished moving all my junk out my mother's house. I also now have this random unassembled cabinet in my house. Thanks, Mum, where the hell I am putting this?

Next week, I'm also going to get visit from the Inquisition which sounds extreme but only if you never had PIP encounter. I have three days to sort out my living-room. There's meant to be open days for this water sport thing today. I don't know what's happening. Today or life.

What is life? What is Me? I have a puppy who might freak when I make her live in my house and her old hiding places are gone. I'm been focused to move out. I knew when my parents moved into a three bedroom house that one of us would have to leave.

I have now drank a half bottle of whiskey. So I should be slightly tipsy now but I mostly feel slightly more clumsy and tired. Alcohol doesn't give me much effect. I liked the burn of whiskey and vodka. Otherwise I wouldn't touch booze. It just doesn't seem like much a point. Some alcohol is nice tasteing but I would never drink it to get actually drank. That's just boring.

A lot of it just boring. Life is just boring. I'm off to sort a much of stuff, prepare for a readathon, stuff, read and write like the wind I guess. God, I feel tired now. I'm off to go on the trampoline. Hopefully, won't break my ankle.

Book Review: Electricity by Ray Robinson

You could say this was an "electrifying read", but that just me pushing a pun.

 Lily's epilepsy means she's used to seeing the world in terms of angles -- you look at every surface, you weigh up every corner, and you think of your head slamming into it -- but what would she be like without her sharp edges? Prickly, spiky, up-front honest and down-to-earth practical, Lily is thirty, and life's not easy but she gets by. Needing no-one and asking for nothing, it's just her and her epilepsy: her constant companion. 

But then her mother -- who Lily's not seen for years -- dies, and Lily is drawn back into a world she thought she'd long since left behind. Forced to renegotiate the boundaries of her life, she realises she has a lot to learn -- about relationships, about the past, and about herself -- and some difficult decisions ahead of her. '

This book me a long time to read, because of reasons like it was sort of for uni, but I didn't need to actually read. The book follows Lily as she tries to find her brother who she hasn't seen since she was a child whilst with living epilepsy.

Lily is a sympathetic, unlikable character. She been through a lot, but she still innocent and strangely trusting. She realistic in that she is contrasting traits. The other characters were okay, but generally unlikable except for the middle class one, who at the moment I can't think of a bad thing about her. Hmm...

This book sort of falls into the trap of a lot stories featuring main characters with disabilities and illness do, but as it just teeters on the edge I'll leave it be and not spoiler the book by discussing it. While Lily's epilepsy plays a big part of the book, as it is a big obstacle in her life, the character is not define by her disability and I think it is a decent portrayal (though, I do know very little about epilepsy other it's brain disorder that causes seizers and varys on severity). The writer has took the time to actually think about the disorder and how it affects

The seizures were represent by static of letters on the page which made the book stand out from the start and I also liked pictures of pills being used to show passing of time almost. It was nice way of giving another insight into Lily.

Overall, I give this book 4 out of five stars for padded corners. It was okay book heavy on character and also feature forest homes, child abuse and a depressing beach town.

Book Review: Love Hurts, edited by Malorie Blackman

 I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed.

Malorie Blackman brings together the best teen writers of today in a stunningly romantic collection about love against the odds. Featuring short stories and extracts about modern star-crossed lovers from stars such as Gayle Forman, Markus Zusak and Patrick Ness, and with a brand-new story from Malorie Blackman herself, Love Hurts looks at every kind of relationship, from first kiss to final heartbreak.

This is a book of is mix of short stories and extracts from YA books which is just really disappointing. There is actually seven short stories, next to the 17 extracts. Of course, only 5 of those stories are original to this book. Extracts are weird because I feel like there probably major spoilers for the books they're from. I look at the ones that I had already read and would say yes, that was a spoiler and if I had wanted to read a part of this book then I would have brought that book. (To be clear I never brought this book, it a review copy like it says at the bottom). I have not read all this book, there are book extracts in here from books that I plan to read and would rather read the whole book the first time all together. I have read all the short stories, the extracts from books I've already read and books that I don't think I'll ever read.

Introduction by Malorie Blackman: Should I really review a introduction? I guess I could have did it in a jokey way, but no.

Humming Through my Fingers by Malorie Blackman: This is story in which a blind girl trolls a boy (to be clear I mean the internet definition and not the idiotic media's that thinks a troll is someone who sends people death threats). I like this story, it was good idea to start with the possible start of romance. 3/5 stars for ties.

Extract from More Than This by Patrick Ness: Did not read as I own and plan to read this book.

Extract from The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle: Did not Read.

Extract from If I Stay by Gayle Forman: This extract was good choice, if we doing extracts. But this is such a short novel that works better as whole as most novels do.

Tumbling by Susie Day: This story shockingly involves tumblr. Also BBC Sherlock. It was cute story about two girls meeting for first time in the real life after being best friends online. I give this for 4/5 stars for profile picts. I will not be bribed with Sherlock fangirls.

Extract from Trouble by Non Pratt: Did not read as I own and plan to read this book.

Extract from Rani and Sukh by Bali Rai: Did not read.

Extract from You Against Me by Jenny Downham: Did Not Read.

Extract from 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson: Did not read as I own and plan to read this book.

Extract from Junk by Melvin Burgess: Did Not Read.

Extract from Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman: Did Not Read.

Gentlewoman by Laura Dockrill: I got a pretty good feel for this story within the first few sentences. This is about Transgirl about to start living as girl during high school. The relationships were family, romance and friendship. The relationships could have been better developed. But I enjoyed the style of this and the ending was good. 4/5 stars for shapeless clothing.

Extract from Heroic by Phil Earle: Did not Read.

Miss Lucy had a Steamboat by David Levithan:Whilst a short story, in a way this is also a extract because it was originally published in a collection short stories by him: How they met and other short stories. I like this story, I'll probably pick up the actual collection eventually since I like Levithan and didn't know about it's existence. This is gays in high school, a girl's lack of public relationship. That description sucks. 5/5 stars for childish innuendos.

Extract from I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak: Did not read

Extract from Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith: Did not read as I own and plan to read this book.

Extract from Echo Boy by Matt Haig: I actually have a review of this novel. The extract comes from a really random scene of the book, also I think it would spoiler the relationship dynamics/plot for you if you read this extract. I also it not very romantic or lovie. Echo Boy is probably meant to be a romance story but it's not what I would classify as such in the first place.

Extract from Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma: Did not read.

Endless Love: The Valentine of Daniel and Lucinda by Lauren Kate:Well, guys you never guess what but this isn't original story either. The best part is, I was instantly confused when I started reading it so I google it and what you know it was from book of short stories that's part of Fallen series. No one reads Novellas that are in middle of series except by mistake. I feel like I have to google every story to find out where it came from (I did it's just these two that have appeared in other books). This is basically the same as extract as the characters talk about things I have no idea about never having read the Fallen series which is why I won't be rating it as I feel it doesn't work as a short story by itself.

Extract from Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick: Hm...I get why this here, though I only skimmed read it as I didn't feel like reading any of the extracts this far into my journey into this book. It make sense but I still see the point of a scene from the middle of the book. I'm finding it hard to positive to be about this book as I'm reviewing each story/extract straight after I read them in the order in the books.

The Liar's Girl by Catherine Johnson: A historical story about love and revenge. 3/5 stars for smells.

The Unicorn by Juno Dawson: This feels like the most serious of the short story, but then is told from the POV of gay old man about his Youth in the Navy during war and when Homosexuality was crime in Britain. Fun Topic and not what I was expecting from a story titled "The Unicorn".  I also now have the song In the Navy stuck in my head. I should probably rewrite that opening sentence but I shan't. I give this 4/5 stars for tattoos.

Extract from Northern Lights by Philip Pullman: I once attempted to read this book, but it was so bloody boring so I quit, I mean there was murdering and sneaking going on so no I will never read this whole novel. So I glance at the extract and thought nah so I did not read this.

Extract from We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: This is one of the better extracts and some what works by itself. Except for the whole lie that you should go into that book knowing nothing about it.

Overall, I gave this book 3/5 stars for random scenes. Even if the short stories had all been brilliant five out of five stories, I still wouldn't been able to rate this book 5 stars because of the way this book is marketed is sort of wrong. It pissed me off to be frank and I didn't even pay anything for it. I mean I would never buy a book of extracts, which is what this is basically and not good ones. The short stories have been added to convince you to buy it. Except for Malorie Blackman, the authors specifically mentioned in this blurb don't actually attributable anything to the book. The worst part is that original stories are good, even with the suspicion that their aim was to throw in as much diversity as possible. I'm not saying it a bad thing especially since Malorie Blackman is all about trying to diverse YA books and an anthology about love should involve LGBT. However, I don't trust non-disabled writers writing about disability because I have been badly burned and live in a world where on a majority people think "The Curious Incident in the Nighttime" by Mark Hamot is a good book and that is a rant for another post. If this had been only short stories, with another standalone five more stories (or three depending on length) then I could get behind this book. But it's not, so it's added to the "what could have been" list in my head. I can only recommended this book if some of your favourite writers actually have a original short story in here or you want a taste of some of these writers and don't care about spoilers (and have cash to burn). Though, if you see this in your local library get it. The short stories are at least worth a read if not to own. The fact this still got 3/5 stars and not 1 after bouts of annoyance I kept getting as I got deeper into the book, is to their credit.

I got this off NetGalley and it published by Corgi Childrens.

Rocking in the Disabled Zone

I am going to see Fall Out Boy tonight. Awesome, no? Basically, this is a pre-wrote post because I'm probably in a car right now and realistically won't get to write this post on Saturday.

We're going to be in the seating, went through the disabled tickets. I'm not actually sure if there is actually a zone, but I would imagine there is because they have to have seats reserved for disabled people and can't actually sell them. My mum called up for concert that was meant to be sold out and got tickets because of this.

I kinda wished I could gone standing but then I would be by myself and I would have try to get right at the front anyway. We will actually be right at the front in the seating. Not sure that is good seating and not. Hopefully it will be because I imagine it probably be all the same seating and we going to see McBusted next month (Yeah, I am that cool). I'm meant to be going to the Hydro three times this year and it all for things that kinda broke up. Fall Out Boy obviously had their hiatus. Busted lost a band member (who is a proper example of a sold out). I'm also going to see the Still Game show, for those who don't know Still Game was a very popular show in Scotland and the people who made it fell out with each other. They agreed to live show to happen.

So I'm seeing all break-ups this year. I wanted to also go see Kids in Glass Houses as they are breaking up and doing one last tour but can't because it right before I leave for Florida.

Update on the saga of the non-existent placement. I was ill on Monday so couldn't make it to college, went in on Monday to a missing class. I was majorly fuck off by this point so I went outside to call my mum to rant (there is no reception in the actual college for some reason). I told her I was tempted to just walk it but she called them to find out where there were (I'm selective mute and hate interacting with people, especially when I'm annoyed). We told that we not to bug the reception about our classroom locations.

There were in the fucking library. They have no reason to be in the Library, they can't even get login on to the library computers. The course-runner actually like I should have been psychically able to tell or that it was a obvious place to find them. The CR was rude on the phone to my mum.

So I finally came face-to-face with the CR who lead preceded to lie to me like I was idiot. She tried to save the reason I didn't have a placement yet was because of my attendance. I've been off three times, all explained and were all together. I'm also not the only person who didn't have a placement. I told her that just wanted to quit now anyway because the course had mostly been a waste of time, her specific class being the main factor. It’s meant to be employability skills but she hasn't actually taught anything in weeks. She try say other people had benefit from it, using the idiot of the group. I know that mean thing to say, but she asks the most irrelevant questions and doesn't strand assignments even when they've been clearly explained.

She said if I stayed on the course I would she would get me a placement which she did, but not in hotel like I wanted. In a cafe that must be where everyone gets their work placement in the nearest town. I'm almost told to fuck herself then. I didn't because apparently social norms and that.

I'm technically still on the course but I'm refusing to do nothing. I'm not taking part in the Presentation or the charity event which the idiot is now running. My main problem with it is the quiz is that it's asking you to guess the name, the breed, and age of a rescue dog. There is probably no way to know his exact age or breed. The main reason I'm not taking part is that I might still quit so they should just prepare to do it without me. Also with the presentation thing, if I'm not allowed to say it been terrible then I'm not saying anything all.

I'm meant to be respectfully to them when they've nothing close to like that with me, just doesn't fly in my head especially as soon as this is over I'm having nothing to do with any of them and will be telling everyone I know not to go near them.

That all for this week, I'm off to see Fall Out Boy and sit through a meal that promises to be at least awkward. I'll probably tell you about it next week and hopefully have pictures- of the concert I mean.

Book Review: When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan

Someday I’ll read a book set in Scotland and be thrilled by it.

I don't like this cover.

Dylan Mint has Tourette’s. For Dylan, life is a constant battle to keep the bad stuff in – the swearing, the tics, the howling dog that escapes whenever he gets stressed. And, as a sixteen-year-old virgin and pupil at Drumhill Special School, getting stressed is something of an occupational hazard.

But then a routine visit to the hospital changes everything. Overhearing a hushed conversation between the doctor and his mother, Dylan discovers that he's going to die next March.

So he grants himself three parting wishes: three ‘Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It’.

It isn’t a long list, but it is ambitious, and he doesn't have much time. But as Dylan sets out to make his wishes come true, he discovers that nothing – and no-one – is quite as he had previously supposed.

A story about life, death, love, sex and swearing, When Mr Dog Bites will take you on one *#@! of a journey . . .

I do like this one.

I really want to like this book, it set in Glasgow, it has swearing in it and kids with learning disability are the main characters. Actually the last part might be where my discomfort starts. To start off I don’t know anyone or have even met anyone with Tourette’s but I do know something about it. For instance, it doesn’t affect your intelligence. Dylan does not come across as having the normal mental level for a 16 year old. He comes off more as being 12, 14 at the max. 

I suppose you blamed the fact that he babied by his mother, other stuff, but the fact is there must be something else going on with Dylan that is never explained. I just feel that it is a poor representation of Tourette’s in that respect which is slightly disappointing. 

Plot wise every twist is foreseeable. Not their exact explanations, but barely into the book I basically knew the big plot points.  So you just waiting for Dylan to realise or for his mum to stop being such dick and tell him. Also the thing the main plot centres around is very unrealistic and I can’t say how because that would be a major spoiler but my sib agreed with me when I discussed it with her. 

The characters ain’t that likable, sure they have the sympathy vote but that doesn’t work on me. Most of the time they annoy me; Dylan’s mum especially. It was interesting to have a book that featured people with learning Disorders and that. Normally, people with any form of Disability don’t star in books or other media. I can actually count on one hand the books I’ve read that feature people with my own disorders (Dyslexic, Asperger’s/Selective Mutism if you’re wondering).  I did enjoy that about this book. 

The book is told in first person by Dylan. Dylan has odd way of talking as in he speaks in Cockney Rhyming slang. I think it takes a while to get into because of this, but you do eventually get use to it.

Overall, I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars for NEDs. It's not the best plot, but other things make up for it. It was sort of interesting to read.