Book Review: Haunt Me by Liz Kessler

Reading books because they remind me of trashy "reality" tv shows.

Erin wants to face the future. 
Joe is desperate to remember his past.
Olly only ever lives for today.

When love weaves its dangerous magic around their lives, each of them face their own demons.

And as the past catches up with them, it comes down to the ultimate question...

Would you swap Love for Life itself?

I presumed this book was about ghosts, and luckily it was actual ghosts, not the mental ghosts of your past. Well, all the characters are meant to have those as well. This tries to deal with a lot of things including suicide, mental illness and drug abuse, none really that successful. This book feels very old school YA, mostly in the negative ways. It's okay, there was a point that annoyed me enough that I almost quit the book (chapter 10, anyone?) and then I remember that I choose to watch 'A Haunting'

So I should probably just let this stupidity go and I was only reading to fulfil my trashy need for terrible ghost stories, whether people claim they're real or not. My main problem, was that it very passive of the main character and was done to quickly move on the plot without thinking about the meaning or the why. I mean if this had been A Haunting episode then a demon would have suddenly appeared and that would be more entertaining. Do you know how hard it is to find someone to bless your house? Yeah, neither do I, but a day is just so quick.

Erin and Joe are soulmates because they write and have/had no friends. Their poetry is littered through the book, I'm not really a poetry person anymore but I definitely believe that the poems were written by two sixteen-year-olds, and maybe if I was sixteen too I would think they were great.

Erin is "not like other girls" so that's great. In her deference, she does not describe herself as that, but it's still a line in the book. It could be read that the other love interest Olly is just a dimwit who never dated anyone for their personality before. The book is told from the POV of the different angles of the love triangle: Erin the Sad Girl, Joe the Ghost and Olly the Alive Brother. I never felt deeply for anyone or anything, obviously only one of the romances is healthfully viable and even then I felt like it should have been a case where everyone moves on.

Erin had been in car accident in the past that took months of recovery but has no side effects of this and her injuries are never explained other than she had access to painkillers at one time. This would have happened four years ago during the main events of the novel, it's possible that she surfers no long term injuries or they won't effect till she is older but it would have been nice to see physical issues since so few books have physically disabled characters. It's nice that the psychological issues are acknowledged from suffering a traumatic incident like this, except it's very much for plot.

We have Mean Girl Zoe, Zoe that no one likes but is somehow popular. At least Zoe isn't just some flat sociopathic sadist stereotype that targets the main character for no reason and actually has some motivation for what she doing. She also described as being vain, obsessed with social media and image. So she is better than most stereotypical mean girls but she is still flat, plot driven character and still in lines with being a stereotype, just better than the other ones you can find.
Her actions at the end don't really make sense, unless she lied, but why would you want a rumour like that getting out about you.

Bullying and suicide are big theme in this book. I don't think they dealt with well, or terribly. They are used as plot. Erin is introduced immediately as having had a bad time which caused her family to move. Joe is this young guy who didn't seem to have any friends and wrote poems, so suicide did immediately spring to mind. I can't really comment on the impact of bully because I'm always like why do you care what dimwits think about you? I had people call me stupid names but it was very whatever, my nature means that unless it get physical or they get you into trouble it's hard for me to relate to characters that get so obsessed with it. The bit where its used for straight up plot I do take issue with. It's very sudden and lazy.

There is 26 chapters in this book. The POV changes within the chapters and the chapters just seem to end really randomly. Like the chapter will end but we're in the same scene and nothing dramatic will have happen to justify the chapter end. I'm not sure what the logic was behind this choice.

This is almost 400 pages and the plot is slow and steady and then at hyper-spreed twice in the book.
The ending was bit rushed, I feel like Erin would have had more defences up realistically meaning that ending didn't feel earned for me, even with it being established that she had past of doing what she did.

Overall, I give this book 3/5 stars for wallpaper. This is a books with tons of popular 00s tropes released in 2016. I wouldn't say it's harmful, but it's not a powerfully story and I doubt it will stay with me for long.

Book Review:The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud

It's always the stairs.

Phantoms in your Attic? Spectres by your Bed? Never fear - Lockwood & Co. are here!

A terrible new outbreak of ghosts is causing chaos across London. With the authorities baffled, psychic investigators Lockwood, Lucy and George see a fresh chance for fame and glory.

But countless horror await them: bloody footprints on a spiral stair, murderous ambushes in the night - and, waiting at the centre of the outbreak, the most fearful apparition of all.

This the third book in the Lockwood and Co series (reviews of the previous novels here).  This book is told reflectively so we know something is up.

This book was really hard to get through because we had a new girl character introduced and Lucy is toxic piece of shit that needs both a slapping and a talking to about how girls are your friends, not threats and they can be more than one girl in a group. I know Lucy has been established as being Dick to everyone whose not Lockwood, but the girl hate is just the worst. It was there is the past book but it goes up a notion in this one as it becomes part of the plot. Also this written by man, who has dedicated the last two books to pairs of girls, so what are trying to do with this Stroud? Also it awkward especially as Holly is described as having "caramel" skin so is the first person of colour described and her main function is to create a wedge in the dynamics of the company. Also for Lucy to be a dick to her.

Just the way Lucy talks about other girls is terrible, but her fixuation with Holly gives so many gems: "I was fine with Holly. Really I was. So she was well proportioned. So her hair was all glossy. So she looked as if her lips had never been the wrong side of a second doughnut in her life. What was any of that to me? I didn't care one bit. She wasn't perfect by any means. Probably, for example, if I'd thought hard enough about it, I could have found something flawed about the width of her thighs." and "Lockwood remained distinctly chilly towards over sandwiches and biscuits. Holly's presence unsettled me. She was at once submissive and assertive, her inexperience overlapping with her smooth self-confidence. Both these aspects, in different ways, contrived to snare Lockwood's attention. It left me out on a limb, feeling awkward and exposed." There's so much that I gave up quoting this stuff. It's lot of projecting from Lucy, and then there's oddstuff like Holly apparently having small feet which a weird observation when Lucy is avenge height with avenge size feet.

You can have characters that have flaws and are unlikable, that doesn't make a bad book, but this book about actual ghost hunting. What is the point? I think Lucy is meant to have a growth during this novel, but I'm not completely sure what it's meant to be. There is one thing Holly does is kinda messed up: "She may have made great sandwiches, she may have had small feet, but at least I could console myself that Holly Munro was desk-bound. She didn't wear a rapier. She didn't do what I did, going out nightly and risking her life to save London. This knowledge enabled me to hold it together when I got home to discover she'd been into my bedroom and, in a spasm of brisk officiousness, tidied all my clothes." Lucy being annoyed at Holly being in her room without permission and her stuff is the only thing that Holly does, to justify pages of hate towards her but the pages started as soon as Lucy sees Holly. Her annoyance at Holly being hired without her being present is also justified but she never annoyed at Lockwood or George who did it.

I went to GoodReads to see what other people were saying, it was mainly that they don't want Holly to get between Lucy and Lockwood because they're shipped them together where as I hope everyone in Lockwood & Co all get ghost touched except Holly. Holly can go join a girl gang of agencies. Or get a job that will last her into adulthood. Basically, it's cermets that this bad for humans as it only enforces bad thoughts. This is so far into the series as well by this point and it's just not done well even Lucy is meant to be learning not to be a dick.

So the plot, besides the characters being bland and mean to each other, was fine. Conspiracy and Privilege. There's been unusually extreme activity in a Chelsea so all the other agencies are dealing with that while Lockwood moans about having ton of business while not being in the news which is Lockwood's defining trait. Always. Not the mysterious aspect that meant to be it, there's also plot stuff about that too.

Wanting to be in the news to drummed up customers makes senses but just dickish when have more business than you can safely handle. Okay, I'll stop talking about the characters now. There's is actually an interesting idea/story going on underneath this all, which is why it's such a shame.

I like the world building for the most part but there's this weird, probably ill-informed choice of what the main agency in this world use as their symbols: "At head of line the out in red and silver, the of Above it, bobbing gently against the darkened sky, hung vast helium balloons, firmly cabled — a unicorn and a rampant lion, the symbols of Fittes and Rotwell respectively." An example of shitty world building where someone doesn't know what the lion and the unicorn from the royal crest means: The Unicorn equals Scotland; the Lion equals England. Going off what's hinted in this book, this could get hella problematic. It meant not be thing, but I still think it's pretty lazy and gives association to two specific countries without much thought or intention. Rotwell who use the lion, also use the colour red so hella English representation there. Gold might have been a better colour choice or yellow. A lion is also on the Royal flag of Scotland, but still using the national animals of two countries that have a fought history is not the best choice. Basically, Stroud this is something you should have googled.

Overall, 3/5 stars for GirlHate Trash. The characters are all trash. That's the defining thing in this novel of the series. It's true for the whole of the series so far. Maybe we're have some magical growth but who knows. I still like the world, and the writing is decent. The characters choices are the worst. The main thing is that it's not fun. Some of the book relays on you caring about the characters and I just really don't. Also I would officially not let a children read this because not enough is done to show that Lucy is being a unreasonable dick and we're three books in a five book series (Pretty sure it's finished now), there's so media that enforcing this toxic mentality and I'm not here for it.
 
Quotes
(I even have the ones that don't make Lucy as complete dick, but then she goes there afterwards.)

Page 16, "I'm just under five foot six inches tall, have hair the colour of a walnut coffin, and wear size six ectoplasm-proof boots."

 Page 19, "Inside it, floating in green liquid, was a leering face. And I don't mean nicely leering." What do you think 'Leering' means Lucy? Just looking at someone.

Page 121, "I was fine with Holly. Really I was. So she was well proportioned. So her hair was all glossy. So she looked as if her lips had never been the wrong side of a second doughnut in her life. What was any of that to me? I didn't care one bit. She wasn't perfect by any means. Probably, for example, if I'd thought hard enough about it, I could have found something flawed about the width of her thighs. But I didn't need to. None of that was important. I was an agent. I had other things to do."

Page ?, "I mean, they're servants. Servants and children. I don't pay to indulge in squealing hysterics. She glared around, as if daring any of us to disagree. As I met her glaze, I took away the impression of a humourless, rather unintelligent person, for whom only prim correctness and snobbery kept of world at bay. That's what I picked up from a quick look in her eyes, anyhow. No doubt she thought I was great.
Lockwood wore his gentle, placatory face, which he often used on Whitechapel housewives. 'I entirely understand,' he said. 'Perhaps you had better tell us all about it from the beginning.' He lifted his hand as if to pat her reassuringly on 'the knee, but then thought better of it.
'Very well,' Miss Wintergarden said."

Page 160, "Lockwood shook his head. 'Actually, we don't really know one way or the other. We've got to be careful with all Visitors. I don't care if a ghost's friendly, or needy, or just wants a big cuddle, We keep it at a safe distance. All the big agencies follow that policy, Holly says.' I didn't intend to be angry. Basically I knew that Lockwood was right. But my emotions felt stretched right then; it had been a long night - and, back at Portland Row, a long few days. 'This ghost is a serving boy- a lad being chased to his death!' I snapped, 'l saw him as he passed; he running for life, I don't shrug at me like that! He was so desperate. We've got to feel sympathy for him.' That was a mistake - I knew it at once.
A light in Lockwood's eyes flicked out,his voice was cold. 'Lucy, I don't have sympathy for any of them.'
Which, lets face it, was a bit of a conversation killer."

Page 161, "She may have made great sandwiches, she may have had small feet, but at least I could console myself that Holly Munro was desk-bound. She didn't wear a rapier. She didn't do what I did, going out nightly and risking her life to save London. This knowledge enabled me to hold it together when I got home to discover she'd been into my bedroom and, in a spasm of brisk officiousness, tidied all my clothes.
I meant to mention it to her (calmly, politely, in that way we had) the following morning, but it slipped my mind."

Page 177, " Holly and I stood facing each other down the hall. She had that little smile on; the default one that might mean anything or nothing."

Page 177 to 178, "Where had she got the gloves from? They looked suspiciously like the spare ones that I kept in my weapons locker. I recognized the sword for sure: it was one of the old blades we used for practice in the rapier room.[reasonable explanation] I offered to come along and he's found a few things to make sure I'm protected and warm. I hope you don't mind this, Lucy.'
'No, not at all,' I said. Why should I mind? It was just like her to assume that I had some problem with it.'"

Page 183, "Lockwood remained distinctly chilly towards over sandwiches and biscuits. Holly's presence unsettled me. She was at once submissive and assertive, her inexperience overlapping with her smooth self-confidence. Both these aspects, in different ways, contrived to snare Lockwood's attention. It left me out on a limb, feeling awkward and exposed."
"Part of me knew that I was being unreasonable. Nothing Lockwood was doing was essentially wrong. But the rightful pattern of events — of him and me working side by side had been disrupted and my disapproval chafed at my belly, as if I'd swallowed a bucketful of sharp stones."

Page 184, " Oh, sure, he was charming enough when he wanted to be. But it meant nothing. You could see it in his behaviour now, the ease with which he mollycoddled his new assistant, while turning his back on me. [No George or Skull.] There was nobody here to talk too I was entirely alone... I shook the self-pity away. No, I was being stupid. Lockwood's behaviour didn't mean anything. I turned the lantern up a notch and opened the book. I didn't care. Even so, black thoughts lingered over me as I began to read."

Page 193, " My fingers were too numb, the wood too smooth. I began to slip...
Then my wrists were firmly caught, and there was Holly Munro bracing herself against the banister and calling out, and here was George flinging himself alongside her, grabbing at my arms and pulling; and together, not gently, like fishermen dragging in a catch, they scooped and gathered me in slow, ignominious stages, up and over onto the landing.
Where I saw Lockwood lying face down on the boards." This is Holly saving Lucy's life. Lockwood is dead and forever a ghost that haunts them.

Page 208, "'Wrong!' The voice spoke with sudden passion. 'She's a cuckoo in your nest! She's an interloper in the nice little kingdom you've made your own. And she knows it. She loves the effect she's having on you. That kind always does.'
'Yeah, well.' I groaned and rolled into a sitting position on the side of the bed, 'She saved my life last night.'
It chuckled again. 'Big deal. We've all done that. Lockwood. Cubbins. There's me, of course; I've saved you lots of times.' 
'I was talking to a ghost. I got so obsessed with it I threw away my defences. Holly saved me. And that means,' I went on doggedly, 'that I'm OK with her now. Understand? You don't need to go on about her. It's not a problem any more.'
'In fact, who hasn't saved your bacon ? I expect even old Arif at the corner shop's done it once or twice, you're that hapless.'
I threw a sock at the jar. 'Shut up!'

Page 226? "At head of line the out in red and silver, the of Above it, bobbing gently against the darkened sky, hung vast helium balloons, firmly cabled — a unicorn and a rampant lion, the symbols of Fittes and Rotwell respectively."

Page 289, "Kate Godwin was just as stiff as I'd been when I first meeting Holly; our assistant seemed to affect girls that way."

I give up quoting the girlhate bull.

Book Review: The Creeper Man by Dawn Kurtagich

 nn

There's a man in the trees, a man with no eyes, but still he watches, that's the surprise. Stay away from the woods, it couldn't be clearer, but the trees are creeping nearer and nearer...

Beware the creeper man.

This is Kurtagich's second novel, her first being The Dead House (which I have reviewed). With both titles of this book, you get what it's about: The Creeper Man, The Trees Creep In. Trees are spooky, the woods have something in them or do they?

This one also plays with formatting. Having different perspectives being written on different things, and in different ways.  Also creepy poetry which everyone loves. The narrative is done well and it pretty clear who writing from text alone.

There's only four characters that appear in the actual novel, other characters are mentioned or appeared sort of flashbacks (though, those are more fairy tales, than actually placing the reader in the past). We also have a Silent Character in the sister of the protagonist, while we do hear from Nori's POV, the story is definitely Silla's story, so no there will be no Silent Protagonist Review of this book. Maybe in a bonus round. It never made clear why Nori can't physically talk, can sign and write, and I can't decide if the implication is enough or not. Aunt Cath is also there. The thing I don't think I can really discuss the characters or their relationships with each other without spoilers. There's interesting stuff there.

This is set in the future, something about War. Not really sure why, especially when technology is so not in this book that it could be set in before World War II and no difference. Maybe life is a circle. Probably meant to keep the reader off-balance. Also all horror books must at one point takes place in the 80s. It's the current law.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for Rotten Apples. This a creepy book with a cool concept and you will definitely ponder on The Creeper Man.

Book Review: The Upstairs Room by Kate Murray-Browne

Ignoring clear signs of a haunting is bound to get you into trouble.

Eleanor, Richard and their two young daughters recently stretched themselves to the limit to buy their dream home, a four-bedroom Victorian townhouse in East London. But the cracks are already starting to show. Eleanor is unnerved by the eerie atmosphere in the house and becomes convinced it is making her ill. Whilst Richard remains preoccupied with Zoe, their mercurial twenty-seven-year-old lodger, Eleanor becomes determined to unravel the mystery of the house’s previous owners – including Emily, whose name is written hundreds of times on the walls of the upstairs room.

This book is about a haunted house, but its not a horror book. It more about the characters and the effect that the house has on people.

The point of view changes amount the adults of the house. Its feel more like the women's story though.We have characters lives mirror each other, but made different choice. It was an interesting exploration.

The writing is third person, with focus point of view changing every chapter (I think). I enjoyed the writing style.

The ending is very anti-climatic. It was the natural conclusion of the book, but if you're ghost fan you might be a tad disappointed. This a character driven so the plot isn't really focus,

Overall, I give 4/5 stars for annoying neighbours. This is a odd match of a haunted house story with character study where choices lead you. I enjoyed it, if you into character stuff and more about the stain a haunting would have on the inhabits, this is the novel for you.

I got this book for Review from Netgalley and its being published by Picador on 27 July 2017.
 

Book Review: Eight Rivers of Shadow by Leo Hunt

Teen Pregnancy is gonna happen one way or another in this series.

Luke Manchett used to be one of the most popular boys at school.

That was before his necromancer father died and left him a host of vengeful ghosts that wanted him dead.

Now everyone thinks he's a freak.

To make matters worse, the mysterious new girl at school is actually the daughter of his father's deadliest enemy...

And she's out for revenge

This is the sequel to 13 Days of Midnight, while I enjoyed the first book, I had issues with it that have carried on to the next book. Most of them have doubled.

The plot was still strong but was too reliant on the sheer stupidity of the protagonist. It could be augured it's is naivety but at this point he's straight up not learning from his mistakes.The world building while interesting, it didn't compensate for the characters this time.

Luke and Elza are giant clichés. A popular jock and a snobby goth are the most unlikable stereotypes that you can find in a Teen Medium without a immediate threat; it becomes clear how characterless they are. I had a problem with the romantic aspect of their relationship in the previous book and in this one it rings even more false for me. This is a big issue as a lot of the novel is their relationship being tested and I'm just in the corner thinking you should have broke up by now, like Big Brother contestants do when they come out the house. Their bonding is experience is over and has been for months at the start of this book. Friendships are valid and in high school you be friends with people if you have nothing really in common except being outsiders and lonely. You're less likely to question your differences in friendship than a romance. Their high tolerance for each is never explained which we just know how they annoy each other.

Also both Luke's mum and Elza's parents are completely fine with them staying over at each others' places over night without a discussion. There's at least an awkward sex talk in there. That's never discussed in the book and they are just teenagers who both lucked on parents that up for having grand kids in 9 months. All of the parents are involve and actually care about their locations. This is odd absence of responsibility is just weird extension of the absent parents trope in YA. A world without consequences.

The new characters in this book are bland and American meaning their actions have little emotional consequence to the story. But I like them more than Luke and Elza so problematic again for the plot.

Random Fact: Luke has disdain towards having his Dad's last name, but he's 16 years he can change his name to his mum's (or anything) if he wants. Its the 21st century and lots of people decided to do that. If it's to show disdain towards his father, I think the back story does this pretty clearly and if to explain his mum different last name, why bring her last name up? No one actively calls her by it and the story is told completely by Luke. If meant to show Luke still wants a connection with his dad, how many people would question one line at the the start of the book this much.

I give this 2.5 stars for Ghost Fights. I like the world of this book, but the characters really let the book down. I'm not all invested in them at all after two books. Last time I said I didn't think of I would read the sequel but who knows, probably wouldn't buy it. I think I would definitely read a spin off or future work from Leo Hunt. If you a more plot person than a character person then I would recommend it to you.

I got this off NetGalley for review and is being published by Orchard Books on 14 July 2016.

Book Review: Thirteen Days of Midnight by Leo Hunt

I only count 12 or way more than 13.

When Luke Manchett's estranged father dies suddenly, he leaves his son a dark inheritance. Luke has been left in charge of his father's ghost collection: eight restless spirits. They want revenge for their long enslavement, and in the absence of the father, they're more than happy to take his son. It isn't fair, but you try and reason with the vengeful dead.

Halloween, the night when the ghosts reach the height of their power, is fast approaching. With the help of school witchlet Elza Moss, and his cowardly dog Ham, Luke has just thirteen days to uncover the closely guarded secrets of black magic, and send the unquiet spirits to their eternal rest. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about.

This is the story of how Luke's dad is terrible person and father. That's about it, but also Ghosts.

I liked the structure of this book with being first-person, point of view Luke obviously. It also chapter by the days (mostly) and that works well with the deadline nature of the story.

The romance is cliché and therefore annoying. It's mainly because I'm overaware of romances as I don't like them that much and question whether they were necessary and in most YA they are not. Friendships are undervalued and none of the the relationships in this book are that great. The supporting characters are completely indispensable which is a really bad thing in horror. Luke is meant to have known these people for years and be best friends with some of them but it's more like "we can't just let them get hurt out of moral obligation" than "I love these people, what would I do without them".

My favourite character was the dog. Elza had her moments, not sure why she had to dress all in black because she sees ghost though. Luke generally did his job as the protagonist and because I'm heartless creature I did not care about any of the characters except the three animals featured. I might have knocked points off for one of those animal's fates because it was a cheap move.  

This novel does have some cool world stuff and I was intrigued by the ghosts and the magic talked about. However, that can't carry a book like this, especially as some of that is not unique to this book and did feature a perpendicular cliché. Also there these cool illustrations that have been part of the marketing of this book, maybe would have severed it better, being part of the actual book.

Funfact:  Luke goes to bed fully dressed. Wakes up In PJs. Did the ghost change him without noticing?

The ending was bit unsatisfying and is basically just a set-up for a sequel. It felt rushed, we have
this deadline and then it's blown through it.

I gave this three out of five stars for ghost stones. This was interesting concept, though not that original, lacks some creativity and had typical cliches. If the sequel does come out, I probably won't read it (but I did). Even with everything that's left up in the air, I don't care enough to make an effect to find out more. The fates might throw it at me, so I might read it then as this was enjoyable read. I'm just really nit-picky.

I got this off NetGalley for review and is being published by Orchard Books.

Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

I wish I had a twin, though mainly cause I want to confuse people.
 
Angelfield House stands abandoned and forgotten. It was once the imposing home of the March family--fascinating, manipulative Isabelle, Charlie her brutal and dangerous brother, and the wild, untamed twins, Emmeline and Adeline. But Angelfield House conceals a chilling secret whose impact still resonates...

Now Margaret Lea is investigating Angelfield's past--and the mystery of the March family starts to unravel. What has Angelfield been hiding? What is its connection with the enigmatic author Vida Winter? And what is it in Margaret's own troubled past that causes her to fall so powerfully under Angelfilds spell?

This was a everyone was raving about a few years ago (and the BBC recently made adaption of it that wasn't that great). It wasn't quite what I was expecting. I thought it was meant to be a scary book but it not really. There is a haunting of sorts and creepy twins.

There is a few sort of themes going on in the books. It deals with child abandonment of the emotional and physical kind. There is whole thing with twins with two sets in the book. There are different sort of sibling relationships none of them healthy which is really the certain of the novel. The main characters are all sort of tragic and comparisons to each other going on. Some of their actions are rather questionable so you not sure if you like them or not.

It written with a slow pace and it not really a book you're rush through. For some reason I get sort of lost when reading Setterfield. I read her new book (and reviewed it) and found myself doing the same thing with it. What I mean by lost is that I'll miss chunks of writing and have to reread the page. That could be my Dyslexic nature showing but I haven't done it with another writer in along time.

There's a lot of book love going on. Margaret grew up and works in old book shop and Vida Winter is a writer with a library. So you enjoy books that feature books then this could be for you.

Overall, I gave it 5 out of stars for scars. Whilst it wasn't what I was expecting, I still enjoyed it. There a small creep factor. It well written books and there are some lovely (perhaps not the right word) scenes going on.

Purple and Blue All Over.

Halo peeps, I bet you all dying to know how spending almost three days with people I barely know went. It went as best as to be expected.

Tiny bumpbeds from Ikea.

My trustworthy team mates basically drop me, or more let me fall. It was this thing called a Team Beam, a log up the air (someone walked under it without ducking) and we were meant to help each other other. I wasn't fully over before they let me go. I hit the ground on my right side and laughed. I don't know why, but I laughed when I get hurt apparently. Anyway, now I don't want to see any of them again. Though, that my more of panic at social situations and regret of my choice of vocal communication.



I've learned my lesson, never speak. Never ever. Only write weird ramblings on the internet, that is the one true form of communication.

So how were the actual activities? Fine, alright. Dinosaurs. Okay, there weren't any dinosaurs. There haven't been dinosaurs in millions of years. Just skeletons. There weren't any skeletons either, well not dinosaurs ones. Back to the point, it was sort of fun but I don't think I really learned anything from it. I don't think my team/working with others were improved at all. So it wasn't really very usefully. I guess I just extended the time I've spent away from my parents of lately. 3 days without them, how lovely.

Where we staying was petty nice, it would make awesome horror movie setting. I mean just by the exterior, but it does actually have a creepy history. It really run down looking, it mostly wood which cracked and chipped. Though, I think that part of it charm. There was this toilet that had cravings all over the wall. I really regret not getting a picture, as it was so cool looking. Terms of horror, it also has the whole isolated in the woods thing. Apparently, we were 15 minutes from anywhere.

Now I bet you want to know what I mean by creepy history. Basically, it was built by this Victorian dude who had no heirs so the house ended up abandoned till the war where injured soldiers were treated there (or something). It then become a hospital for kids with these disease where the only cure was flesh air. Forget the name of it. Anyway, Room 9 (or ten, there was little of confusion. Though, apparently girl hanged herself in room 10 which I'm petty sure is bull. Where was I again, oh yeah Room 9) is haunted. People who have sleep there have felt presences sitting on the end of the bed. Basically, Room 9 was where they took the kids they knew weren't going to make it.

Sounds like a fun time, no? I'm sure a capable writer/director could do something awesome with that (maybe me with I could be arsed). We also did this game where we had our eyes shut and held each other hands. It felt where much like we were holding a Séance. Though, we only got told the story before we left so no one would freak out. Someone in my room did claim to see a figure standing above the person next to them. Well, that what they get for claim the single beds.

I'm finally dying my hair Purple and Blue tomorrow. I'll post pictures when I'm actually did it. Soon my hair will match the bruises all over my legs. Strangely, I have no bruises the side I landed on (you know from falling off the log thing). I was honestly expecting my right thigh and ribs to be covered in petty colours. Well, no luck (or is it lucky, I suppose it depends on your point of view. That all for this week. Type to you again when I am more colourfully.