My Favourite Scotitish Murder.

That's me back home from Glasgow. I went Edinburgh last Friday to Saturday, then Glasgow was meant to be Monday to Friday, instead because I'm me, I didn't go till Tuesday. I also didn't go to the cinema like I was meant to. Ended up doing a very ill-advised barbecue with only two people, lot of wasted food which I'm trying my best to stop doing. Sometimes I just don't eat. I'm very unhealthy in my eating patterns. *types while eating Animal biscuits*

My main reason for going to Glasgow for was I need to return books to the library that on the way up, make sure that one sister doesn't burn down the house of the other, and going to see My Favourite Murder. Yay. Murder.

It was great. Morbid laughter. Though, Georgia did pick a real boring murder and didn't go into the more interesting parts like how Hare was the mastermind and was freed. I also felt they had did that one before. Maybe it just with how much Hare & Burke have been re-told. Also they were both Irish so we don't own that one. Just Scottish Medical advancements through dodgy means.

Karen talked about how the Barrowlands Dance Hall now being a market (most famous for selling illegal stuff) and not the fact it's a famous music venue that it's actually noted for. Maybe we should shouted that, instead of just no. Playing at the Barrowlands is kinda big deal. It also has a pretty roof with pink stars on Blue. I did send in the Bible John part as Home Town Murder, a year or so ago. That had has tons of stuff in it. Those series of Murders on their own are one of the most messed up parts and despite the Barrowlands connection, the sister being the last to see her and her probable murder has really stuck with me. The taxi driver was never found. Anyway, Bible John has a comic book by Grant Morrison. Some one should make a list of them. I mean Jack Ripper alone must have a few outside of Penny Dreadfuls.

In terms of actual Scottish Murders that are interesting (Bible John is one, it is also horrifying): Renee and Andrew MacRae Disappearance (no bodies but probably dead with lots of suspects), Angus Sinclair and the World End Murders (serial killer and connected to a bar), There's Peter Manuel (1950s serial killer in the style of the Golden State Killer) as fictionalised in The Long Drop by Denise Mina (I did review this book, not sure if I recommend it, but it does shows 1950s Scotland pretty well to my knowledge), he definitely killed people but one of his cases the Husband/father has some suspicious against so good in terms of story telling and there's Dunblane Massacre, that one Scottish school shooting but with everything going in America right now I can understand not wanting to do that, except shout really angry at the end change bloody gun laws. Also class of dead five year old is bit much. In my head the whole class was killed, but it was 16 pupils which would have been more that my P1 class so maybe that's why.

Scotland is obsessed with crime and has mass of crime writers. Scottish Crime is a genre on it's own you can find in Scotland in general book shops. I wonder what other cases they did in the other UK venues. There some real fucking messed up UK crimes. The Yorkshire Ripper is giant thing to get through, so probably didn't do that.

The Glasgow O2 Academy as a sit down Venue, was not really good. They had these old plastic chairs where you couldn't avoid touching your neighbour. I also wasn't the only person to go there by myself. The Ladies being right next to the stage is still one of the worst choices. The men's is right next to the door out and in. The line to Ladies Toilet was massive before the show started.

I also got there an hour and half before the show was meant to start due to them not giving a starting time. Just when the doors opened. It's live podcast comedy show, it didn't have support acts so not like I could have guessed from other shows.

It was good, we got to see this tour's dresses before they were ceremoniously burned and people booed Paisley who is a butt of so many jokes since they ran for City of Culture. Funfact: Glasgow Airport is actually in Paisley but an Airport has to be connected to a city, which is also how Prestwick Airport is also called Glasgow Prestwick Airport despite being a good half a hour away from Glasgow.

I also a signed giant My Favourite Murder post card that I have no idea where I'm putting, a neat totebag and a VIP lanyard that I wear around the house. Though, I didn't get as merch as I wanted as the card machine wasn't working or something. I luckily had cash so got two t-shirts. They also didn't appear to have Toxic Masculinely shirt which I was hoping to get. I guess I will just have to put out for international shipping. It be worth it. I wish the Stay Sexy shirt, had don't get murdered on the back of it.

I did get Fuck Everyone t-shirt so I am mostly happy I guess. I also spent too much money on stuff this month so I'm not buying another god damn thing but things to live like heating and food. But cheap food. I walked around Glasgow before, shops and stuff. Taco Bell is longer to get to now, with part of Sauchiehall Street being closed due to the fires. So I have fucked myself for the up coming week and I need to do stuff.
On the Brightside, the Glasgow Subway is still creepy as hell.

Book Review: The Ghost of Helen Addison by Charles E. McGarry

I can't be arsed to do an opening comment.

LEO MORGAN - connoisseur, private investigator, seer of visions - sets out from the splendid isolation of his Glasgow apartment to solve the homicide of a young woman at Loch Dhonn in Argyll. He arrives at a brooding, wintry landscape where he encounters a host of colourful characters, including the spectral murder victim himself. 

FRUSTRATED BY THE FORCES OF EVIL summoned up by the killer, Leo fails to make headway, and his pomposity and intemperance tests the patience of the police. Close to despair, he must draw on all of his powers to unmask the murderer before he himself becomes the next victim.

 This is a book I got from the library upon reconsigning it, it was an Halloween recommendation from them and I swear I also watched a video saying it was good but can't find it or remember who it was by.Also set in Scotland, therefore fun. Homophobic comments in the first 50 pages, therefore go away and die. Yeah, there's few issues with this book.

Funfact: It continues the accidental trend of me reading books during the time they set and this book is set between Janurary and whenever Ash Wednesday was. It changes. 

The plot is fine if not typical and cliché. It's the usual Satanism affair that adds nothing. Leo Morgan is a pretentious, hypocrite, catholic. I said his religion because he's goes on about it a lot. There's a thing about good and evil, with usual display of Satanism. Morgan is a psychic with confusing visions of the past.

This book is unenjoyablely male. All the woman are fuckable, victims or lesbians. Homophobic as hell. The only women that Leo doesn't fancy is describes as being masculine, that makes her lesbian and is terrible to her husband. Yeah she has a husband. Morgan also makes a gay friend, I would like Moran better if he was gay but he still unlikable dick who is obsessed with his own dick. He mentions his "Benjamin Franklin" three times. I don't why male writers put this shit in their books. Also it written in third person so it's the narrator that is talking about Morgan's penis, not Morgan himself making these observation. Why do I, the reader need to know that Leo Morgan has morning wood?

Morgan is described as being a good man by the ghost of the 20-something and tells him she would have sex with him if she was alive and single. What dumb bullshit. 

Like I said that book in third person, often with weird side comments which makes confusing whether it's Morgan thoughts or facts a.k.a. the lesbian comment. 

Overall, I give this book 3/5 stars for Idiot Barons. This is meant to be a start of series but I have too many issues to continues reading it. It just usual thriller with psychic detective thing going, no near the best one I've read. It bring nothing new to the table. The way talks about women puts me off and don't really care for another drunk older middle age man whose probably going to die alone. I guess if you're a older middle age man then you would love this book but if you're not and you hate all that shit then probably skip this one.

Book Review: The Long Drop by Denise Mina

Murder and Glasgow go well together.

William Watt wants answers about his family's murder. Peter Manuel has them. But Peter Manuel is a liar. 

William Watt is an ordinary businessman, a fool, a social climber.

Peter Manuel is a famous Liar, a rapist, a criminal. He claims he can get hold of the gun used to murder Watt's Family. 

One December night in 1957, Watt meets Manuel in a Glasgow Bar to find out what he knows. 

I probably wouldn't be reviewing this book, if I wasn't doing the British Book Challenge which I see as reviewing every book by a British Author I read.

This book is weird fictionalised version of real event that happened. It weirdly formatted. I honestly don't how to review this or what to say about it.

This book is set in Glasgow, I listen to the Audiobook version, it was 7 hours long with a narrator with Scottish Accent, that did different types of Scottish Accents. That's the main reason I listened to it.

I looked up the real case when I read this book, but can no longer remember anything. I look up a lot a murder cases. It decent setting as well for a crime story as a lot shit was going down in Glasgow at this time.

Overall, I give this book 3/5 stars for police driving. If you're interested in Denise Mina, this is probably a bad place to start. It was written fine, but not much of a story really.

Book Review: Lost Bodies by David Manderson

This is frankly just a weird reversal that I won't explain.

In an ordinary suburb, a seemingly ordinary man tends his garden and tries to impress his neighbours as a heat wave clamps over the city. But all is not as it seems, and as death begins to stalk the city's streets and parks he finds himself caught up in a game beyond his control that brings terror to his very doorstep, and nothing about him or the place he lives will ever be the same again

To start this review, let me criticize the fail of cover that this book has. The biggest issues being that the summary on the back is hard to read because its white font on the pale sky. I can't even make out the first two words of the generic blurb. Then there's the awkward red chunks on it. I don't want to address the other issues of me reviewing this book because it weird, but I have to review it because British Book Challenge.

The big thing is that this book in the POV of a serial Killer, that might be a spoiler but without that information why pick this book up. I have read several books completely from Serial Killers/murderers and ones where the POV pops up. This just didn't do anything new or interesting for me. The only thing that separates is that there's no gory detains, so if you want serial killer but no graphic violence, here you go.

There were confusing jumps throughout the novel. I think this was intentional to reflect the character's inner mind (and I scrim read major parts of this book).

I think my biggest issues that the serial killer is kinda dumb. He not obvious about his killings but he also has no real chance of getting away with it in the long run. Therefore, I lost interest. It could be argue he's meant to be dumb, in contrast to his low estimate of everyone around him.

I give this 3/5 stars for buses to noway. It was okay, its a serial killer in Glasgow. I just didn't care that much about this book and I took way to long to read it.

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.

Leaving the Library A.K.A only be surround by books at night and weekends.

Proof that I do occasionally consumed alcohol.

I'm in Glasgow (sort of) right now being focus to be in the presence of non-home bound family member. Doing stupid things like going to TGIFriday to drink cocktails. Well, we actually went yesterday and droved up then too.

I had my last week of work experience at a University library. I finish reading the 'Life of Pi' for review and wrote two reviews in the end (though I had read that book before). I also replaced stickers on the books. So much fun...I'm going to miss the shelving. I actually am. It was tiny bit of challenge but I really like organising book to a system. It doesn't matter if it it my making or someone else's. As long as it not just big Alphabet line because honest you always give up by the time you get to F when you're just browsing for say Horror.  So tempted to offer to organise my local library shelves. They just so terrible and they get doubles of books no one likes.

As user of local library, hell I even actually give them money because I keep forgetting to renew my books on the right day, I have every right to moan about the stupid mistakes. However, I plan to do nothing about fixing/avoiding in the future about these annoyances. It just how I roll. 

Today I actually left the home of one sister (I frankly wanted to stay in hotel), visit another and spent too much money. My nephews are somewhat cute. The youngest one has a thing for going through bags and stealing books from said bag. I sort of don't mind because an obsession with books is just something I can get behind. Even if reading them isn't currently involved with that obsession. Someday it probably will be. Till then stealing books is the right path. I mean the Book Thief and I know that's what I did. However, I was lead a stray.

We went shopping today where I spent too much money. Brought a onesies, wristbands featuring Batman and my favourite aliens and also in my highest form immaturity brought several Monster High dolls when we went Toys R Us.  I was probably too happy when my mum told me we were going. We also went to Asda where I definitely spent too much money on books and children in need merch.

We also tried out the wheelchair in a public for the first time, it was a lot easier on lament floor than on carpet in the hallway. I was one doing the pushing. I did almost crash into people as it was awkward to see beyond the chair when turning corners. My mum made a joke that I need the chair now from pushing her around day.It wasn't that bad on my arms, though the top of my feet hurt hitting both on them on the bar things on them. I wonder if I'll get bruises.

To finish we had proper Fish & Chips on the way home. That all for this week, now I'm going to bed to pounder what I'm going to do with Dark Knight trilogy Blu-ray considering I don't own a player.