Last Festival Day with a College Drama.

Hello Dudes, yeah I totally greet people as dude. So last Sunday I went to the Edinburgh International Book Festival for the last time this year.

This time we took the car up because everyone in my household was meant to be coming. There didn't but we had missed the bus by that point that became clear. My parents ended up abandoning me at the gates where I went to the first event by myself which was Alternative Worlds with Maureen Johnson and Leigh Bardugo (you dear reader can watch on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBlbUUaFu0w and there also interview on the festival's channel as well).

There are both very entertaining, intelligent women and got interesting questions. There was the cringe worthy one of about importance of strong female characters. It was the framing of it that was really bad and the audience of mostly women laughed at it. Also I don't think a lack of well define characters are not issue in books, yes you have examples of cliché and terrible characterisation e.g. Twilight. Its TV and film that suffers from the lack of deep female characters and also diversity in general. What you get mostly is American White Men and even mostly them ain't characterised to a good standard. Most of them are actually the same person; just in different but kinda the same setting.

I guess I should go back to talking about the festival. The only thing is that Maureen Johnson talked more about Suite Scarlett series than the Shades of London series which was the one feature in the info about the talk. After sitting in the front awkwardly by myself just adjusting my trolley (that brought back after getting sent replacement wheels), I went to the signing where I reveal that trolley was full of books, mainly Maureen Johnson. She even took a picture and posted it to twitter.

She did sign them all, I was aware it was ridiculous amount to bring with me but I couldn't decided which ones to bring. I just suck at decision making and I did leave a book at home... by accident.

Leigh Bardugo signed two of my books to Rachel & Verna. She fixed it and signed the other two to me alone.

Update: It is now 2017 and I never finished this so who knows what the College Drama was.

Room 601

Hello People,  I have had a fun exciting week of broken printers and terrible attempts of a Read-a-thon. I'm doing the Bout of Books read-a-thon but I also watched the whole Total Drama Island over two days so you know I'm committed. It not been terrible, but I don't think I've read more than I might in a normal week. I want to finish two books today as I'm going to a event where the author is talking about the series. I highly doubt it will happen.

I have continued walking as a form of exercise. In fact, in spirit of the readathon I attempted to walk whilst read and actually finished reading Shadow and Bones by Leigh Bardugo with this method and did tonight as well. I stayed out for an hour and half, my hands were freezing and my right thumb feels weird and sore from the strain of holding the book in one hand for that long. It's not a perfect method of making walking, sure less boring, getting more reading done as I exercise but my lap time doubles and I'm sure I would read quicker if I was just focusing on the reading. I need a solution to make my hourly walking less boring. I'm thinking of trying audio books, I don't think audio books are me though because my brain wanders when I'm listening to something.

I went to the Edinburgh Festive again last week (and going for the last time this year tomorrow :() I saw Sarah J. Mass and had another event with Lauren Oliver, Tanya Byrne and Erin Lange. The Sarah J. Mass one was meant to be her and another author but he wasn't there due to "Personal Issues". I didn't care about him, but I'm such a nosy person I wonder what happen. This is why tabloids exist. I don't think a sole writer/author base one will ever exist thankfully. That would be really depressing. They are really depressing.

Back to the point, it was petty cool entertaining hearing Sarah J. Mass talk and basically tell half the audience to get out through the process. Maybe more than that. But at one point I should have gotten out because I never watched sailor moon or something. Also Disney being secretly creepy and Buffy. There had early copies of Heir of Fire on sale but they sold out before I found out. It's a bummer because I was there last week. Oh, well that what I get for not reading the review copy before I saw her.

She got the stupid question of ideal casting. From this book festival it just proves to me how many dumb questions authors get. Especially, since she been asked that tons of times and if a film is made she have none or little say over who gets cast. Also books are not there to made into films. There is a rant to this but we shall leave it to another time.

 It was as busy as expected for Sarah J. Mass signing, in fact I left the festival between events and when I came back she was still signing after 2 hours or something.

The Trio of Authors was interesting. Lauren Oliver dominated a lot, Erin Lange was quiet and Tanya Byrne made up the rest of the silence. Interesting things were discussed like the need for diversity in books and how Lauren Oliver's book are all about fear (the point was writers do tend to write about the same thing, they've wrote about before).

I had a great time at the festival once again. Lauren Oliver asked me if was my first time at the festival and I awkwardly said no but it was my first year. I also got told by Sarah J. Mass that she liked my hair so another thing to add to "Author's think I'm cool" list. More confusion over my name.

Outside the festival was eventfully. I brought trolley bag with me and the wheel fell apart as soon as we got off the bus so it was a good thing we had hotel room which was spookily the same number as last week's hotel room 601. There was this weird bit of fabric on the bottom bed that I just feel doesn't belong there. But was lovely colour to wear. Also lots of Americans where we were staying, would stay there again to stalk them (I am completely kidding).

 My mum and my sister had came with me this time so we went out to TGIF, which is by the way is more expensive in Edinburgh than say Glasgow. I got ribs but you really go there for the starters. If anything get starters and dessert. Also cocktails are good I'm told.


We also went shopping, found earphones and argued over the best place to get the bus.

I'm off to walk and try to finish the Gisha trilogy.

First Edinburgh Book Festival Trip

Haló people, so I went to the Edinburgh International Book Festival last Saturday and made a very long video about it. Just the usual stuff of book signing, long bus rides, issues ridden hostels, authors thinking I'm cool. Hey, stopping laughing. Lucy Ivison (co-writer of Lobsters with Tom Ellen) said my name was cool and then David Levithan said my bag was cool therefore I am cool.

Or just cold. My body temperature does sit slightly under average body temperature.

What was I saying? Right, the Edinburgh Book Festival was as fun as I expected. Edinburgh the city wasn't as busy as I expected. It was busy though, but the streets were not packed that you could barely move, I didn't expect that though. Just busier I guess.

The bus was a fun six hours and more. I mostly read during the journey. The hostel was problematic but actually fine.

Authors are everywhere

We went to the Scottish National Gallery and the Portrait one. There were both sort of shit. The Gallery is tiny and full of terrible abstract art at the moment. There is literally a bunch of clear plastic sheets as soon as you walk in hanging from the roof. Also the staff think a backpack and a rucksack are the same thing. One of the lockers swallowed my pound and I never had another one to give it so I had to carry my bag at my side.

We also ended up buying a suitcase from Primark as my mum had became obsessed with the idea of a bag with wheels. My books ended up there. I had promised my mum I wouldn't buy anything but once I was there how could I resist. Books that are signed are rare thing for me. I brought all Jennifer E. Smith's book up there and  two of David Leviathan's books to get them signed by the authors. It was cool being up there if you want to details, you watch my vid about it as I don't feel like going through it again but here are some pictures.

Well, I'm off to get ready for tomorrow trip to Edinburgh and avoid my mother.

Book Review: Lobsters (also now know as A Totally Awkward Love Story) by Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison

Don't buy books with Lobsters on them unless they have a daisy in their claw and

Sam and Hannah only have the holidays to find 'The One'. Their lobster. But instead of being epic, their summer is looking awkward. They must navigate social misunderstandings, the plotting of well-meaning friends, and their own fears of being virgins for ever to find happiness. But fate is at work to bring them together. And in the end, it all boils down to love.

I saw this book on Netgalley and didn't click on it because it looked like a American book and contemporary American romances is not something I'm not interest in, well because it everywhere. Of course going off the cover, wellies are not very American so I should have known that it wasn't set in the states. 

 I have also met these authors at the Edinburgh Book Festival (which is experience to be found here).

This is a duo perspective with Ellen writing the point of view of the boy character Sam and Ivison writing the point of view of Hannah. The story follows both them and their friends' summer. They live near one another but don't know each other at the start of the novel. They of course bump into each in comical ways through out the summer and hilarity insure.

 I really enjoyed this book as its funny and the characters are realistic. They are teenagers and do dumb things like teenagers do. I love finding realistic teens in YA (which is mainly why I don't read contemporary American romances).

They take the character to fun places such as music festival which reminded me fond memories of the time I went to TTIP the summer I left school.I also just want to say that there is a ton of Harry Potter references in this book. 

 Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars for names on doors. I really loved this book and I'm so glad that Edinburgh International Book Festival made me pick this masterpiece of YA contemporary (I'm not totally laughing from writing that last bit. I'm thinking of scene from the novel). I would totally recommend you read this book on bus on way and back to a Book Festival.

Book Review: Season to Taste by Natalie Young

This is the best Cook Book I have ever read, though I can't follow any of the receipts without the risk of a life sentence.

Always let the meat rest under foil for at least ten minutes before carving...

Meet Lizzie Prain. Ordinary housewife. Fifty-something. Lives in a cottage in the woods, with her dog Rita. Likes cooking, avoids the neighbours. Runs a little business making cakes. No one has seen Lizzie's husband, Jacob, for a few days. That's because last Monday, on impulse, Lizzie caved in the back of his head with a spade. And if she's going to embark on the new life she feels she deserves after thirty years in Jacob's shadow, she needs to dispose of his body Her method appeals to all her practical instincts, though it's not for the faint hearted. Will Lizzie have the strength to follow it through?

 I really like this book. What's not to love about a book about a middle-age woman forcing herself to eat her husband in affect to get rid of the body. Before those without the taste for gore and horror leave, this is not what this is book about. It's more about relationships and being unsatisfied with life. While there is no  gory details, the idea of eating of a foot did sicken me a little but the feet of the living can be petty disgusting.

The book is formatted into three points of view, it is mostly a third person narration. We also have Lizzie notes to herself (though those are in second person) and the first person point of view of a neighbour boy. It really worked for a story and really enjoyed the notes.

 This is of course a character driven book with flashbacks. I didn't hate either Lizzie or her husband by end of the book which is weird since one murders the other.

Overall, I gave this book five out of five stars for undelivered cakes. I enjoyed the writing style and was an interesting idea and who doesn't want to escape to Glasgow.

I requested a this book off BookBridgr for Review and it is published by TinderPress.

In the Twilight Zone

I have started watching The Twilight Zone; I have seen the odd episode before from it being randomly on TV and watched a few online due to cult following. You're be surprised how many Twilight Zones have been referenced and parodied since it aired. I'm only through the seconded half of the first season and there are two that I've seen directly parodied. Also it clearly influenced a lot of stuff and  I really wished we had a modern version of the Twilight Zone.

What else has been going on you might wonder? Well, if you follow me on Twitter religious -which I highly doubt anyone does- you would know that I'm going to the Edinburgh International Book Festival this year. The tickets are brought and the hotels are booked. YAY! To be honest it's not as good as last year which was Graphic Novel themed. This year it sort of Future of Scotland themed and there always other stuff going on. I'm going for three days, I was initially going for 4 but do cost and actually willingness to get up that day. I'm getting up there by bus so it is a bit of a trek.

I'm going on the 9th, 17th and 24th August and basically going to all the YA events on those days. Getting to see some of my favourite writers, a lot of which you can find on this blog. It's not as good as last year for me as last year was graphic novel themed and it had the likes of Grant Morrison there. If I could go the same way as I can this year, I wouldn't have the ability to go to all the events I wanted to anyway. I have dragged two people into coming with me. Frankly, I would have went alone if I had to.

My life is all excitement right now, I even burnt things today, those things were dead parts of trees. I for once did not film as I have enough footage of fire and trees which I have only briefly displayed in a video book review.

I also broke my Book Buying Ban, I finally stopped my denial about it. Especially since I blatantly broke it again today. I don't want to talk about.
 
 I'm going to go now, probably to read, stare out at the stars and wonder when the book Fever will strike again which is only a matter of time in the Twilight Zones.