Random Things that happen this week (Apparently this blog is just me talking about college now)

I'm tired girl who has to write a blog post of some sort, but I'm too tired to actually think of a good topic for this blog post since I'm so occupied by the notion of finishing college since College is technically over and I've still got a lot to do and only a week to do it. HA HA HA

My sanity is still the same as it was a month ago, but lets not discuss my sanity, that's a conversation for Tumblr at two am. Oh, yeah, my mum joined Tumblr but frankly I think she'll get too intimidated by the setting up of a theme and wander away. Because that what I did when I first joined Tumblr.

Honesty, I really can't think much to say. I guess I should say how the Doctors went. Basically, she said she had contract different people who told her she had should contract such and such, and it was just a big circle of that since because I'm 20 and therefore not a child, it hard to find the right place to refer me to. She thinks she found the right person to refer me to now and that what she going to do. So hopefully, I'm on painfully slow path for being recognised for my Autistic ways. Well, really Asperger Syndrome. Obviously, not full brown version but on the spectrum of that.

Book Depository had one there 24 hour sale things on Thursday/Friday and I actually only brought one book for £1.99 and it was a book that I had heard about though I was bit annoyed to missed out on the Penguin English Library books they sold early on. Oh, well its not like I don't have enough books to read for now. I don't think you can ever have too many books but can probably buy too many at the same time. I think I might now have closer to 200 unread books in my possession now which is the main reason I plan to read a lot this summer.

And writer a lot too.
And reorganised my room, starting with my clothes and then my books. Because frankly both are everywhere right now in my room. Also probably getting new bed. Well, my mother the one who really thinks that needs to happen but I want metal one because I break thing so easily. For example, I did probably break my bed by throwing myself on it. However, wants the point of a bed if you can't just trip yourself on to it now and then.

I have no idea what I'm talking about now. Oh, yeah, I've got my trampoline fixed, it cost a fiver which is a tad annoying considering how long it stood broken and all it needed was a quick fix.

I mysteriously hurt my right knee yesterday. I bent down in M&S to pick up the cabbage I had dropped and when I stood up my knee was suddenly in agony. I don't think I had hit it but pain. It made me realise how stupidly energetic I am with some of my movements. It feels better today, still a bit sore. I also bent back the nail on my right pinkie finger and cut the skin underneath it. The danger of having long nails.

Did I mention that I'm really tired?

Okay, that's enough random things that happened this week. I also bought a A2 sketch book yesterday and two sketch journals which are A4 & A5. I brought two because I couldn't decide on what size I wanted. See you next week where I'll probably be crying for numerous person reasons.

Book Review: School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Arthur's true love was clearly Merlin which explains that dream I had last night.

A dark and enchanting fantasy adventure perfect for girls who prefer their fairytales with a twist.
Every four years, two girls are kidnapped from the village of Gavaldon. Legend has it these lost children are sent to the School for Good and Evil, the fabled institution where they become fairytale heroes or villains.

Sophie, the most beautiful girl in town, has always dreamed of her place at the School for Good while her friend Agatha, with her dark disposition seems destined for the School for Evil. But when the two are kidnapped they find their fortunes reversed… 

There's a lot of annoying things in this book, though this might be on purpose. Its just a little dumb at times.

Like Sophie is petty much shallowly evil. Like she either incredibly dumb or just a bad person. Like she refuse her dad marrying another woman after her mother been dead for 5 years because she the woman is "ugly" and gives orphans mirrors.

Evil can't be beautiful which goes completely against several fairy tales. Yes, evil usually turns ugly to match their ugly souls. But Snow White's mother was beautiful at the start so Sophie being beautiful shouldn't count her against being evil.

I guess this meant to be saying something about good and evil but someone beside Agatha should have actually been good. Like no one talked to Agatha because she was "ugly". Also the School for Good, dismissed all the fairy tales where its the Princess that helps the Prince or whatever random guy that shows up. Sometimes, it is the Princess that saves the day. It about fairy tales but just involves the ones everyone half knows from Disney movies.

 It actually kinda good if ignore half the stuff Sophie says. The big Twist were petty obvious and I didn't really buy the "pure" thing. It just wasn't backed up enough.

I'm not sure on the friendship between Sophie and Agatha, it always seems like one of convenience. Sophie drops Agatha like that and I just feel Agatha is just holding on to Sophie as she needs her to get home.

The plot was well thought out and executed well. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. Its one of those books that actually quite good when you're reading but not so good in reflection ( so just like Twilight, that's meant in the best possible way).   Its the start of a trilogy and I will eventually read the next book. I recommend this to anyone who likes fairy tales but doesn't mind when they're completely changed.

(Is it just me or are my reviews getting worse. Though in my defence I am currently ill and stressed).

College and Illness

I'm ill, but I'm not really ill. Like I'm overly tired,  I just want to sleep everywhere. I've had this weird deep cough, it sounds worse than just normal slightly chocking cough but its not constant. I have had head aches. My body been achy again, like my arms have been playing up. It sometimes feel like the bone went numb.

This week I went to college two days straight: Monday, Tuesday. Now, I don't actually have any classes on Tuesday but I do on Wednesday. I was really going to go to college on Wednesday, but I slept through my alarm and couldn't move out of bed. Having missed my bus I had no way to get into college. Did the same on Thursday and finally making out of bed on Friday to go to the dentist (Fun Times, though my teeth are fine).

I have a chance not to fail this year and body like thats not happening. Here be sick, have random pain, don't be able to move in the morning. Sometimes I wake up quite early naturly but my body is like nope and then I wake up 3 clock like I did today.

My upper arms are aching so I find myself typing then stopping studdenly, but I'm commited to finished this post now even if its petty much filler. It just college stuff and being ill. Like I got something in the mail that counts as illness but I'm not sure whether to share it or not.

I'm going to the Doctor's on Tuesday to see about my whole Austisic muteness thing, to see about opinions or something. Also I'm to be seeing carer person so that something that happening.

I'm having such a hard times staying still to write this and my arms are being bad and so is my leg. Ar Fuck, seriously at lot out loud. Okay, that's all for this week, maybe I won't be in so much pain and have something more interesting to say next week as I will be done with college by then. Yay, Summer of nothingness! Bye.

Book Review: Doll Bones by Holly Black

 Creepy Doll action with a male protagonist (mostly).


Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. 

But one night the girls pay Zach a visit and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – which claims to be made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . . .

The main and important thing that is missing from the above summery is the Game. The trio (no, they never refer to that in the book) have this elaborate story going on which they act out with dolls which is the main reason Zach is so upset that about his father throwing out his toys. (From the honest point of view of twenty year old, I'd still be playing with dolls if I hadn't moved when I was 12 and they some how never made it into the house. Instead I write more and go through session of watching others play with dolls on Youtube). 

Zach instead of telling Poppy and Alice the real reason the Game is over, lies to them, saying he doesn't care about the game anymore. The Doll a.k.a. the Queen of their kingdom turns out to be haunted and leads them on to a quest.

The main theme is growing up and change, partly afterlife. Both are very depressing. The growing up theme includes drastic changes, growing apart and first romance which I ignored mostly as I'm actually still an eight year old that's not at all interested in that.

I'm a big fan of creepy dolls that are haunted and compared to all the other ones I've came across this doesn't really cut the mustard if solely basing it off that. I just don't think a real creep level is ever reached. Stuff happens but never constantly, though it is meant to be in question on whether or not the whole thing with the doll is actually true. You meant to wonder if Poppy has made the whole thing up with the purpose of leading Zach back into the game. I suppose its a better mystery than a horror (even twelve year old level).

There are few very unrealistic things that happen, which can be let to slide since this is a kid's book and makes the plot more interesting. I just say "Bus station" and "harbour" which will make sense once you read this book.

The three main characters are well defined. I personally think the strongest part of book is their friendship and the issues they work out through the book. Twelve is that awkward age where a lot of friendship from childhood can die or be severally weakened (Of course this tends to happen in Scotland more to do with this being the age to start Secondary school, but still). There hints of deepness to the characters, however this being a 250 page book, the hints were fine.

There are some lovely illustrations in this book by Eliza Wheeler. Petty and creepy. I do have a favorite illustration but it bit of a spoiler if I say which one. If actually interested its the one that features the label that been in my last four reviews (including this one).

Overall, I gave this books 4/5 stars. A few minor problems with it, but its still very good books. I probably eventually get my own copy, but not for a while as I'm broke and spent my pretty book fund on Sherlock Holmes (I regret nothing).

Disclaimer: I got this book off NetGallary. So for free for Review. Don't worry that doesn't effect my opinion at all. 

America Taking Over: Book Edition

On Tuesday Night, I realise I had only read 12 fictional books written by British Authors. 

61.36% of the books I've read this year so far were by Americans which is slightly depressing. Only 31.81% were by British Writer. Though, the non-fictional I read this read so far were 100% by British writers, all two of them.

The reason I realise this was because I'm doing the British Book Challenge this year. I counted the book reviews I had done and realise it was rather low number considering I've read 44 books this year so far.

I guess kinda weird how dominant another culture can be in your reading habits and guess TV as well. I mean I know in a lot of ways I come from a culture that often undermined with the fault that as part of the UK a lot of people forget that Scotland is a country on its own. I mean I have never read YA books that showcase that proudly states the Scottish School system. The closest is literally Harry Potter since Hogwarts has same titles for the year groups. Once upon of time I read about Harry's third year while I, myself was in my Third year too. To be honest as writer myself, I think it might be a risk.

In many ways, we're writing for a English reading market which includes competition from Australia, Canada and America will always be shadow. So as Scot I know the American school system and the English one, but neither an American or English person is likely to have any clue about the Scottish one. I know the school systems don't play a major role, it just one of those minor detains.

I remember finding an YA novel by an English writer and feeling instant annoyed when I found out it wasn't set in Britain because at that time it was rare  for me to find any books that shared any parts of my culture. I found some good YA books where it is mum, and not mom and the "u" isn't missing from words since then. Though, its also difficult to find when you like a certain Genre, even when you arguably come from the home of that Genre. I mean Fantasy. I guess its called Urban fantasy, but I don't really like that term. I prefer Hardcore Fantasy where you got characters in complete Fantasy world or Fantastical l where your character stumbles across a witch in the street.

I'm Scottish, but I share a hell lot culturally with English person or I guess Welsh (though I don't think I've ever had a proper conversation with Welsh person), that's why I also think of myself of as being British. Still its so lovely when I find decent tv or film where I hear a Scottish accent. Especially since I moved down to the Borders. While still in Scotland, it feels rather English. I guess it probably all those English people who moved here. I mean honestly, I'm not even sure what the native accent is down here. Generally, I miss Central Scotland so much.

With sharing a langagure with America, it often forgot how different Britain is from them. I personally think they are probably the most different than all the other English speaking countries. Sometimes I feel like we get America's culture forced on us. It not the same bond we share with say our other Commonwealth countries (not just the shared version of English spelling). I mean for example, Australia and Britain swap TV or you find joint projects. Its actually British viewers that kept some of the Australian soaps going.

Maybe I'm getting off track, my real point is that I never actually notice how most of what I read was American. It kinda obvious in reflection. I guess kinda realised why the British Book Challenge is actually exists.

P.S. If thinking I forgot about Ireland, New Zealand and others, I didn't they just didn't fit in my arguments. In fact I read two books by an Irish Author, though they were set in Britain.

Book Review: Horowitz Horror by Anthony Horowitz

So we meet again Horowitz Horror, you'll find that I'm even more horrifying now.


Welcome to a strange and twisted world where the spooky, the shocking, and the positively petrifying are lurking just out of sight.

A bus ride home ... turns into your worst nightmare.
A quaint country cottage ... has a grisly secret.
A man returns from holiday ... with bubbling skin and bloodshot eyes.

Horowitz Horror. It's all around you. Alive. Waiting.

Enter if you dare.

Horowitz Horror is collection of short stories, that I think was originally released as 3 stories per book but I originally read these stories as Horowitz Horror and More Horowitz Horror.  They have recently been released as just one book under Horowitz Horror (and now I have to make the hard decision over whether I will eventually ended up with double of the first stories). Seeing all the stories in the library (leaving my own copy of first part of the stories on the shelve at home), I thought I would give a reread and see how compares now that I'm no longer fourteen. I remembered like half of them properly.


I'm just going to go through each story:

1. Bath Night: It is a story of a haunted bath which is a bit genius. The whole vulnerable aspect of bathing and being naked. This is one of my favourite story first time I read it, it still good but it doesn't really touch me that much anymore. Isabel parents buy a bath that she just doesn't like and blood appears in the water but her parents don't see it. I think Isabell might have something wrong with her as apparently after three days without having a proper bath (while still washing), she notablely smells. I'm actually glad I re-read this as I missed the big twist the first time I read it. 3/5 stars as it just not as good as I remembered.
2. Killer Camera: The whole magic evil camera is a bit of cliché in the horror world as its been around since camera were invented. Everyone done it in some way. This one is slightly different as we get the background as to how the camera got that way. 4/5 stars.
3. Light Moves: Staying in the world of haunted technologies. This story features a computer haunted by the ghost of a sport journalist. Lets just say this computer gives the best horse racing tips this side of the afterlife, which cause the main character, Henry to do some underaged betting and get himself in trouble. 5/5 stars as it actually has good twist.
4. The Night Bus: Okay, here's a favourite featuring a tour of  Graveyards. It basically a twist on the ghost train idea, I think. Nick and his brother Jeremy find themselves stuck in the middle of London on Halloween (most of the story actually takes place after midnight). I just love this story. I gave this 5/5 stars because it awesome.
5. Harriet's Horrible Dream: This is the first story of terrible person/child getting what they deserved. Basically, Harriet is spoiled little brat, has a dream that her father goes bankrupt and since they have no room for her, he sends her away in a van to a restaurant called Sweeney Been. I never really liked this story, nor do I understand why use kids who ain't fully grown. Less meat. I grave it 2/5 stars as I just don't care for it.
6. Scared: Scared is surprisingly not that scary.  Its kinda like a Twilight Zone ep. The main character gets lost in the country, he's a dick and likes causing fear in his peers. It all ends happily for his mum. 3/5 stars because cause getting lost in a field means little to someone always lived surrounded by green background. Though, its get a whole star for good use of irony.
7. A Career in Computer Games: This is not the best story involving computer games, no that title goes to a  Midnight Library story. It aright, it another bad kid getting their comeuppance and teaches the lesson of not signing legal things without reading it first. It also the only story involving aliens, possibly. I gave it 3/5 stars for cone men on motorbikes.
8. The Man with the Yellow Face: A sexy young lad (this was originally written in 1999 btw) takes a photos of himself in mysterious photo booth in a train station. This is written first-person as reflection. With this reflectiveness you can feel what coming but its too much of a spoiler even to hint or joke about what happens. I gave 5/5 for a sexy train.
9. The Monkey's Ear: This is an amusing twist on the monkey fist story. You got dislikeable parents with their son Bart (not confuse with the one from Springfield) in a foreign market. Bart demands that his parents buy him a Monkey Ear which grants 4 wishes. As always these wishes goes astray and disaster is ensured. 5/5 stars for terrible parenting. This was where the first book ended and it was actually quite a strong ending, so good Editor choice there I guess.
10. The Hitchhiker: Okay, so now we're on to More Horror. I just want to say that I always thought the stories in More Horror were better. The Hitchhiker is clearly inspired by known stories but is meant to be a twist on them. Not sure how really talk about this without spoilering this story as it actually pretty simple plot.  4/5 stars for creative death method.
11. The Sound of Murder: This was my favourite story in More Horror. It actually pretty scary (in comparison) and comes in sort of chapters. I actually remember going to read it in Horowitz Horror (which I own) and realising that in it was in the other one (which I read from the school library). The main character Kate has been mostly deaf since birth and wears a hearing ad. Her hearing ad begins to play on up on the first day of term around her new teacher. She soon realises she can hear his thoughts. Kate only solution is to prove what he's thinking. I loved this story the first time and I still do. I gave it 5/5 stars for the Deaf hearing what others can't.
12.  Burnt: This is probably the most horror-frying (puns are so fun) of the stories. It involves no supernatural stuff and the main character is really just a witness to the horror. Its also in diary format and features Anthony Horrowitz's sons (seriously, I went WTF and checked). It another thing I miss when I read it the first time, it's not totally obvious, its just I happen to know something about Anthony Horowitz when these two kids said what their parents did, I went wait a second and confirmed my suspicion. Got to love me, solely on the fact I spent so much time on a single piece of Trivia. Tim has been sent on holiday with his Aunt Sara (blood relation) and Uncle Nigel. Uncle Nigel is a piece of work and obsessed with gaining a tan. Yes, the horror-frying thing happens to him with irony ensured. 5/5 stars for descriptive skin rebelling.
13.  Flight 715: If you've ever seen Final Destination, its that if death doesn't show up for revenge but not. Judith has a nightmare about her impending flight home and has to decide what to do about it.  Quite good. 5/5 stars for ending being twisty. Okay, its actually just because it's set in Canada.
14. Howard's End: This is awesome, because it kinda plays on what hell actually means and what it would be like. I won't say more. 5/5 stars for fluffy clouds.
15. The lift: This is quite a weird one, meaning that written from the sort of point of view of a retiring detective investigating his last case (You just couldn't stay away, could ya Horowitz?). I never brought into this story, just seems too unrealistic and it another one where the bad boy gets what he deserves for being an arse but with cannibals this time. Wait, we've had a bad kid and cannibals before. 3/5 stars for middle-age men.
16. The Phone Goes Dead: David's dad buys him a used mobile phone where the past owner died holding it causing some ghostly callers. Not much else to say, the ending does leave you thinking. I give it 4/5 for island streets.
17. Twist Cottage: Our last "Horowitz" story. This story involves a haunted cottage, sadly there wasn't really a twist to this story. What a waste of a title? Its also evil(ish) stepmother, sad father and unrealistic relationship. I never really understood why he married her or why she married him. Basically, it's hinted that she only went to uni, doing a course for a subject she didn't like to marry a professor. Most professors don't make that much money, I mean if I was gonna go digging, I wouldn't go there. I gave it 4/5 stars as it is actually quite good.
18. The Shortest Horror Story Ever Written: I'm not going to rate this as it not much of a story. I've just got to say, its either taking a while to get to me or they don't count library books as I've only ever read this story in lib books.

Overall, my only problem with this is that its a bit too middle class. Like it seems that the only non-middle class kids in this, are bad, which of course is sending a bad message. Though, if you've ever heard Anthony Horowitz talk, it petty obvious which class he is in so it probably just writing what he knows. I give this 5/5 stars for being as non-scary as I remember.

Thoughts of Summer and current Reading Slump

Without Doctor Who, Saturday has turned into just another day. If I was still at school then it wouldn't be so. Instead of just college which I unsuccessfully managed to get out of bed for. Speaking of depressing places of education, I rather looking forward to summer break. Expect this year I won't actually have a summer break because I'm not going to any form of education after summer.

I'm definitely not going to college next year as this course decision was mistake. Lesson don't do something just because it means you don't have to change location. Especially, if you've already had problems with similar subjects. Damn moodborads. 

 The main reason I want a summer break is that I want to reorganise my room: my bookshelves, my clothes location, my life.

I think the mess of my room as I keep thinking about how I wish I could just take care of it and still remains to be in this state no matter how many times I say I'll tidy it part of it tomorrow when I have time. I know I will eventually actually do it one of these "tomorrow"s but till then I procrastinate about whilst thinking. I know I'm actually more likely to do during a no set schedule time as I'll be able to do it in the middle of the night with the knowledge I can sleep the day away. The pain of being a night owl in world ran by people that like the sun.

I'm still having a hard time actually reading, I think might be that I'm not spending as much time on buses which I've got in the habit of doing most of my reading. I mean I was reading three books a week before I started college. Maybe it because I'm just not able to wander my books as easily anymore or I've just got to fond of lying in my bed whist pondering how "Remus Lupin and Sirius Black first started to have sexual encounters with each other" and many other such important matters.

I did actually only start reading on Thursday, the day that usually means no more college for that week. I suppose on Monday I randomly grabbed 'Cinder' by Marissa Meyer, a book I wasn't really in the mood for reading. I had thoughts of reading 'Warm Bodies' by Isaac Marion but I thought I was sick of end of the world/society stuff. Maybe I am just in the mood for Zombies and Horror *Insert evil laughter here*.

Even if I am in a proper slump I'll just let myself develop out and reread Horowitz Horror, a blast from my once hopeful teens. I'm also going to start posting reviews every Wednesday (If you read my post from the start, you know I've been talking about doing some sort of post on Wednesdays for a while).

Happy First Day of Summer, may the rain be kind to you this year. 

Book Review: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman, is it the hype that makes you dull?

 Days before his release from prison, Shadow's wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. 

Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Neil Gaiman is writer that everyone talks about as being brilliant, but its weird that while I find him a capable and a good writer; I'm not blow over by him. I like the idea of his books but there's no spark between us. I've read only one of his other books which was kids book but I feel like it safe to say that Gaiman and I won't be having that many future encounters. 

This book is rather slow and long (don't mean in a bad way). The plot takes awhile to developed. The was other side-plots, but the main plot was just kinda slow.

I'm not sure what to say about this book as I have no strong feelings towards it at all. Its written well and there's nothing wrong with it. It all adds up. Its big and slow is my only real complaint.

There's a lot of characters in this book with all the gods. There all interesting in their own way, but no real attachment to any of them. Not even the main character Shadow.

I will that didn't know what exactly was going to happen in this book, but I had been thinking along those lines which I can't say because of Spoilers.

Okay, I don't think if this review was that helpful. We're just take this as a learning experience.