Book Review: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Odd that book adaption is has less detail than the film.

Sometimes, a door is closed for a very good reason...

There is something strange about Coraline's new home. It's not the mist, or the cat that always seems to be watching her, nor the signs of danger that Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, her new neighbours, read in the tea leaves. It's the other house - the one behind the old door in the drawing room. Another mother and father with black-button eyes and papery skin are waiting for Coraline to join them there. And they want her to stay with them. For ever. She knows that if she ventures through that door, she may never come back.

I've had watched the film before reading the book and that was a mistake. In that the film is a pretty accurate adaption, adding stuff and with slight changes. So if you have access to both, then read first then book. Because I knew the beats of the story then they wasn't much to compelled on reading and I think I would have enjoy the book better if I hadn't seen the film.

Coraline is surrounded by weird characters and busy parents. She is a explorer and compels the plot which is nice to see in children's book. With tons of horrifying imagery (that was partly illustrated).

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for button eyes. Coraline is good story and freaky as hell so give to every child you come across.

Oh, Figment is going Pop now.

Well, I get out doing creative writing by talking about the demise of another creative writing site. Figment. It relinking to site that's does have the actual same function as it, unlike when when it merged InkPop into it.

The only reason I tried Figment was due InkPop's death. It was never as good and can't exactly why. InkPop had the promise of being seen by a professional Editor and the chance to be published but the voting system also meant something. It was something to strive for and you could find the best because everyone was ranked. Feedback was given because we all wanted to be published even if were mostly underage. Also InkPop also had a better colour scheme.

Here is one my favourite reviews:

over 6 years ago K.J. McLelland said:

swap action!

so poetry is my thing, i live it and breath it soooo if i sound harsh i truely dont mean too, *cough* now onward! i like the pitch, imagination and the abilty to dream up the future or alternate ways the past could have played out is a great ability, especially since you dont just write poetry and are branching out in order to write a book in prose form. the concept of the ribbions past life that is mentuioned in the pitch however, seems not to be the true focus of the poem, its like you structeured it loosely round it, i cant find the rhyming scheme and i cant put it to any particular rhythm which is to me one of the key elements to writing good poetry. but i do like your word choice throughout the piece! especially going back to the old english spelling of the word "color" the reption is good driving the poem most of the way

but thats about all i have to say, i enjoyed the poem and the fact that you wrote it on a whim, ut other that keep on doin whatcha do -KJM

I say favourite,  I mean one the most pretentious thing ever said to me on the internet while being igoant as hell. This was written on a poem I wrote without rhyming scheme, it wasn't meant to have one. It was repetition thing I was doing (Waste Material, it's still somewhere on the internet). He probably hadn't got to a poem without a scheme but a lot poetry is without it. Poetry doesn't have rules (well, specific poems do have rules). The reply I wanted to tell him was that "I wasn't branching out, I was whole damn tree". I don't really write poetry but lot of good writing comes from a poetic place (though don't go overboard). I can't see my reply as that died with InkPop but I know I did tell him that I was British, therefore I wrote in Commonwealth English a.k.a. not the weird spelling that the USA alone finds acceptable. I'm dyslexic, but the lack of "u"s is baffling to even me. I guess Accents or something. Waste Material is still something I'm proud I wrote, I know not a lot people can say that about something they wrote when they were 15. Fuck, that was almost ten year ago.

It doesn't help that I've been in writing stump since forever. I love writing and creating stories but I can't put them on paper anymore. Back to InkPop, I mean Figment.

It's death is not the emotional blow that InkPop was, mainly because I'm not all surprised. Figment with all it group features, doesn't seem to have a community attached to it. One of the writers I followed in the day is active, but no one else is. I just didn't understand why kill InkPop completely. But Figment makes sense. I have never heard about Figment from anywhere other than the death of InkPop.

Mibba is still a thing. Movella is thing, with link to a major publisher. Figment.com goes goodbye on the 31st of January, enjoy till then. I'm going to read the threads of InkPoppers bitching before they're gone forever. Just found out that Sweet Evil is a InkPop book, though it was released after InkPop ended.

They were stories I liked but they gone now...probably. I have no way to find them. There was this art one that got to the top five and the main character had magical powers due to art. The ending was depressing.

Now I leave you with this gem of time before.

Profile on it as it ends (which contains some straight up lies. guess.):
Location: CD, Scotland, Great Britain, Europe
About me: I'm Rachel Verna, former Inkpopper. I'm currently in my second year of 6th year (it's complicated) of High School. I'm dyslexic and as much I would love to say it doesn't define me. However, in many ways it does. I'm Scottish and proud. I would love to be added to long lists of great Scots. I do like to experiment in writing in Scots but I ain't no Robert Burns. I also enjoy art and it was the first way I told stories. I've always wanted to be a writer from a young age. I'm currently thinking of pursuing Illustration or English. Either, way I need a B in English. My loves in life are in following orders: 1. Writing/Reading (I adore Books) 2. Art 3. Music (it third because I have no hope of doing as a job) 4.Vampires (young loves last the longest) 5. Batman (Also a young love, I had a Battricycle, okay it had batmirror on it from MacDonalds) 6. Biology(I like science as a whole) 7. My Best Friend Rose (who would be higher if she didn't constantly annoys me about her weird crushes, that and she refuses to use this site;) 8. Shep, my beloved Stalker/Dog 9. Werewolves (I love all supernatural stuff) 10. ART/WRITING/MUSIC!!! A.k.a being creative 11. My Kitten Glasgow Smile (Glasgow for short). Born in October 2011, I kinda named him after the Joker. Ask me how or just look it up. Yeah, I'm weird, but he's just as strangle.

My favorite place to read is: In my bed, at my desk, in buses, on trampolines or the floor. I like to move about while I read.
I can't live without: Paper and Pencils. I need to be able to doodle and randomly write nonsense. I would have said books; However, I lived without reading them for 8 years. It was torture, but I could do again and survive.
If I could be any literary character, I would be: Cleolen Scienten. What? You didn't say they had to be from published works. I really don't know, all my favourite characters ain't that happy. I suppose Hermione Granger, she the only character I can think of that doesn't have any major faults.
Favorite authors: J.K. Rowling, Rachel Vincent, Cat Clarke, Robert Louse Stevenson, Grant Morrison(in my opinion he counts as an author).

Book Review: Black Cairn Point by Claire McFall

Is Time Team still on TV?

Two Survivors, One Terrible Truth.

Heather agrees to a camping holiday with Dougie and his friends because she's desperate to get closer to him. But when they disturb a pagan burial site above the beach, Heather becomes certain that they have woken a malevolent sprit. Something is alive out there in the pitch-black dark, and it is planning deadly revenge. 

One year later Heather knows that she was very lucky to escape Black Cairn Point relatively unscathed, but she is still waiting for Dougie to wake from his coma. If he doesn't, how will she prove her sanity, and her innocence? 

Okay,  I'm not sure what this novel is trying to be. A horror thriller I guess.

This book is set in Scotland somewhere and it fun to guess where. They're leaving the city and going through Ayrshire countryside on the M77 and stop in Kilmarnock which is in East Ayrshire. The city has to be Glasgow because that's the only city on the West side of Scotland. Kilmarknock seems like a weird place to stop for booze if staying for the M77 a while longer so must be someone where before Ayr where the M77 stops and becomes the A77. Does anyone care? They going to Stranraer and if you got there in a hour from Kilmarnock you're probably be dead.

Random geography :Strangler isn't in Dumfrieshire.  It's in Wigtownshire. They not even next to each other. Also not a chance you could not successfully hitchkite to Glasgow, even to get to a town with decent public transport would take a while. He would have to find his way to Dumfries or get super lucky. There's are buses, but it's all nonsense.

Heather is bit too impressed by the ocean for someone who lives on an island. The ocean is an hour away and I haven't seen it for months either.

The boys became out being very dislikable, almost straight away...even the love interest. I didn't care much about the characters. I was mostly when do you all die and how?

The book is told in the POV of Heather, in Now and Then. This an affect to have an unreliable narrator in Heather. Except she not really. This is kinda spoilery so skipped if you don't want to be at all. It's just straight up lies and it's never clear what version of events we meant to be getting. It's not satisfying to be given account and then have the Twist on one page. There were meant to be hints, but not enough. It's just hur? I would want to have a proper recount of what actually went down, if this was what you're were going to do.

Overall, I give this book 3/5 stars for dumb fires. I own one of Claire McFalls's other books and still plan to t read it but I'm hoping it was better than this. This novel brings up a lot of questions, to give an obvious twist. It's just fine. 

Book Review: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Why can't any of the gods be faithful to one person?

This is a super pretty cover in real life.

BEFORE THE BEGINNING THERE WAS NOTHING - NO EARTH, NO HEAVENS, NO STARS, NO SKY: ONLY THE MIST WORLD, FORMLESS AND SHAPELESS, AND THE FIRE WORLD, ALWAYS BURNING.

From the dawn of the world to the twilight of the gods, this is a dazzling retelling of the great Norse myths from the award-winning, bestselling Neil Gaiman.

This is my sixth Neil Gaiman thing I've consumed, I've listen to a few audio things. Looking back at my past reviews of these encounters, it was okay but comes out on the negative side in review form. I like Neil Gaiman as person and his ideas, just the execution goes wary for me. Basically, I saw this in the library and was like why not see what everyone is raving about. I enjoyed this book very much.

My contact with Norse mythology is slack. It mostly comes from that episode of Disney's Hercules cartoon (ep34: Hercules and the Twilight of the Gods which I'm currently rewatching), random stuff when Vikings are mentioned and I guess Gaiman's American Gods but I don't remember any of that being new to me at the time.

It told in stories from start of the world till the end where a wolf will eat the sun. It works well, I wasn't confused much. (Why is there a Frey and a Freya?)

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for body parts floating in Wisdom. I like Gaiman's re-telling of things. I'm not sure really how to review this things as it a re-telling of a Mythology that I didn't know much about in detail. (Would that make my Viking forebears sad?)

(My review of Hercules and the Twilight of the Gods is that is it weird and mentions a bunch of myths and Loki is Hades for some reason).

The Snow stopped me writing.

There is too much snow. It has interrupted my plans and I have barely left the house. Though, I never leave the house. Leia likes the snow and old now so it just a inconvenient as I try to read books.  Here's the the creative writing I managed based on the snow.
 

Big white lumps filter down, in a wavy motion. The snow had been falling constantly for a hour and I was starting to get worried. They had gone out for logs an hour ago. The log shed being twenty minute walk had always seem stupid. 

 That stops me there. I wasn't going anyway with it. I want to write more and I'm just going to keep trying. I'll finish something, some time. There's also that novel I started on here as well. Maybe I have a look at that last chapter I was working on.

For now, I'm taking part in a readathon, the Winter Biannual Bibliothon. A name of a readathon I can't say and there are video challenges so I fail to say it a lot. I'm vlogging it, while super aware of that Bout of Books vlog sitting in a editing project without a end and sitting at 1 hour and 30 mintues. Yeah, I need to fix that. I don't care if anyone watches it, I'm still uploading it.

In a exactly a month, I won't be a YouTube Partner anyway. It pretty clear that our ten years together mean nothing to YouTube, how shocking to learn that a company doesn't care about one consist user. Though, YouTube is going to demonistised most of the YouTubers I actually watch so won't be making any money off of me.

It was never about the money, but YouTube are always such dicks about introducing new polices and the hours watched thing is such a dick move. I wish someone had the smarts to start another YouTube and succeed. That's the thing, YouTube can do whatever it wants because everyone whose challenge d them failed. If enough big YouTubers walked then maybe something could be started but also probably not.

It does make me wonder what YouTube would have to do. The subscriptions boxes have been fucked for years and still here we all are.

I'm just gonna make videos and we see if I can somehow hit a thousand subscribers before then. Remember to subscribe, like and maybe I should stop using google products.

Book Review: Zom-B Family by Darren Shan

If the zombie apocalypse had came, it would probably be over by now.

Can anyone hurt you as much as a love one?

When does the fight become the much to bear?

How much pain can one person endure?

B Smith is discovering the true meaning of family...

This is the 9th book in the Zom-B series (which I review the majority of Zom-B, Undergound, City, Angels, Baby, Mission, Clans and the in between that is Circus). So now that series has been finished for over a year, I'm finally back to reading it after two years of a bit of not doing so. After this book I've only got three to read and I'm planning to read and review them one after another basically.

The book has a lot of resolutions and is definitely going somewhere which has been my biggest problem with the series in the past. It's builds on B's family issues and all that racist stuff. The KKK was still perhaps on the nose but then again why not be blunt about this things (especially the way things have/are turning out in real, non-zombified world).

I think B has pretty much had enough now, so I'm wondering where that's going to lead the series. 

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for Banners. The series is building to something and I want to know what that something is. I will be reading the next books pretty soon and should have them all read and reviewed by end of February.

Book Review: Between the Lies by Cathy MacPhail

When I run away, I'm staying away fro the Clyde.

"I heard Jude ran off to IBiza."
"Why yould Jude message no-mates-Abbie?!"
"Jude! Seriously. Where are you?"

The mean girls and the isfits alike are obsessed with Judith Tremayne's sudden disappearance.

Then Abbie Kerr, a school nobody, receives a message that changes everything.

"I want to come home."

Who can find the truth between the lies?

 Basically, everyone lies in this book until it explodes in their faces. For like no real reason either.

The main character Abbie seemed very unlikable from the start of the book. I don't really feel for anyone in the events of the novel. I took quite dislike to Abbie's dad and thought he quite failed the parenting test.

 The plot is a bit dull with its twists.

This book is set in Port Glasgow so somewhere in the central belt of Scotland. So there's this on the street reporter called Sara Flynn who has red hair.  Jackie Bird in wild? She meant to be the most famous reporter in Scotland, unless STV has one, it must be Jackie Bird. The person BBC Scotland should stop using for everything. I really hate Jackie Bird's presenting.

The format is somewhat interesting, the book is told in first person by Abbie, mixing in with texts and status/comments she reads online. Probably the best part of the book was the way this was executed.

Time for Rachel Verna points out something stupid: As someone who attempted to read "IT" by Stephen King at 13 years old and stopped at the 600 and something page mark, I don't buy for one minute that half a class of 3rd years (mostly 14 years olds) have read IT or have read many over a thousand page books. I really doubt MacPhail has either. Seen the the original 90s TV-movies, maybe and would have definitely seen reference to that. Apparently, they all loved it too and no mention of the 11 year old gangbang. I didn't get to that part back then. I read it last year in full.

The school has a unrealistic amount of working tech. Unless someone just brought them a TV studio for some reason. Yeah, it's never explain why they have that, unless it part of a Higher or something. I know a few school have recording studio set ups (there are often just cupboards with sound proofing), but TV studio with a relayable system to broadcast over the school is something that University with degrees in that technology stuff have issues with. I get it from the plot point but not realism.

Overall, I give this book 3/5 stars for school cameras. This book was fine, forgettable quick read. The only interesting thing that the book it's set in Scotland which is something that I don't often come across by accident. The summary sounds like such a cool book, so slightly disappointed. Oh well, I'll probably give MacPhail another chance.

Too tired to be creative.

I've been trying to write something creative for this post but its not been going well. I think it cause I haven't left myself much time for it this week. I've been keeping to my goals pretty well. I'll definitely have a review and video up three xin a row. I have read a book a week and I have currently read three books and I am on to my forth as write this. If you reading this obviously I have made it to week 2 of posting every Saturday something.

I want it to be more creative, but obviously I'm rushing it by doing it on a Friday night, very aware that I'm in a read-a-thon that I missed out two days of due to tiredness alone.

My mother drag me to the doctor, due to the tiredness and pain I've been feeling for the...let's see, the last ten years. I hate going to the GP. He really grabbed onto the insomnia and prescribed me Melatonin. A substance I've already tried thanks to the miracle of the American Drug store. It's a natural thing the body already produces, but I guess that's not enough for me.

It could just be the Autism and being unable to switch off but I feel tired and pain when I have slept. He says I should be more active but that's not worked well in the past and also my dog is a little a weirdo who doesn't like to go walkies.

Though, I tried her again on Thursday and she was mostly okay when I go her up the path but she also ran away that same day and she still ignores me when I'm shouting her name. Unless she thinks I'm able to grab her. She jump her back, when I came come to grabbing her harsness. But hey at least she was making friends with random dogs.

He said to come back if doesn't help. How long do I wait? Because sleep doesn't mean much. Some times the pain keeps me awake. I know there's nothing they likely to be able to do if I have what I think I have but what if it isn't that. Probably too late. He asked if I wanted to be on Pills for the rest of my life. Not really. I know pills any fun, but my pain is getting worse so I'm worried.

I knew this process wasn't going to be fun. It was just going to be difficult and awkward as the autism stuff which why I haven't pushed it as much. But it effects my life. Sometimes I'm too tired to move after a 12 hours of sleep. That means something is wrong. I don't want pills. I want answers. Sure, I would like solutions, but I know that probably never going to happen.

 I don't know what this post is really. I'm going to bed or to read. Though, probably not since y sister is coming down today.