Birthday Book Haul: 2015

This post is about the books I received/ bought for my birthday....

So let's get started shall we!

Carrie By Stephan King

I got Carrie for myself because it was on my TBR and I wanted to try something really scary this month seeing as I have never read horror before.

Wonder By R.J. Palacio

This was also on my TBR and my little sister got it for me :-)

George By Alex Gino

I got this from my other sister via Gift Card...so really I got it for myself but i'll just say my sister got it.

Life and Death By Stephanie Meyer

Same as the last, my friend Sarah from the blog MissSarahSpy got this for me...but in the form of a gift card that I used. She was there when I got it if that counts for anything...

Fans of The Impossible Life By Kate Scelsa

I got this because it looked good...

Night School By C.J. Daugherty

I got this because of YAShot...

A Little Yellow Dog By Walter Mosely

My teacher gave this to me, so I am excited to read this :-)

This Book Is Gay By James Dawson

Lastly James Dawson! I have heard so many good things about James so I thought this would be a good book to start with. 

I wish that I had gotten more books, but I am trying to follow in the footsteps of my friend Nazima from Snazzy Reads and buy less books (like that will last...for either of us)

(Disclaimer: The images in this post are not mine...)

Yours Faithfully,

~ She Who Writes

Update On My TBR

As you can see from my TBR . I planned on reading a total of 18 books this month, and it looks like this isn't going to happen for the following reasons. 

1# A levels are getting really overwhelming.

2# The books I ordered haven't yet arrived

3# 18 books was way to much to start with but I like to be ambitious - like Macbeth!

So this was really just a quick post to warn people that 18 books...will not be read this month :(

(Disclaimer: The gifs in this post are not mine....if you can't tell already, I have scream queens fever, such a good show! And Patrick Stewart is amazing, especially as Macbeth!)

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes

Book Review: Asking For It By Louise O'Neill

The first book I finished in October was Asking for it By Louise O'Neill. I picked up this book for many reasons, one of them being that she is talked about A LOT; The second reason is that the staff at Waterstones say she's a genius and  lastly her books are filled with feminism talking points - that I later discuss with my friends.

To be honest, I didn't have to read the blurb to get the gist of the story. The title says it all, but the story is what makes the title so powerful once you read it.

I gave this novel a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Time for the review...

 What I loved?

I loved seeing a different perspective. 
In a lot of YA novels, we are often reading from the perspective of the girl who isn't conventionally attractive or as 'socially desirable' as other girls which makes that character the obvious underdog; but in this book we get to venture to the other side. I don't know if it was just me that found that interesting...

I also loved how real everything was. Her friendships felt real, this is how people really are and sometimes stories sugar coat things. People want to be desired by the people they are attracted to and if these people find them unattractive OR WORSE find your super attractive bestie attractive then no matter what, there is some deep resentment there. It's sad that we seek validation from others to feel good about ourselves, but we can't help it. I think that Louise made the characters feel real by making them actually act like teenage girls and think like them to. She made them imperfect, which of course made the story line feel realistic. 

 What I disliked?

This is a direct contradiction, but I kind of hate how real it felt sometimes. This isn't really a bad point because we need that shock in order for changes to be made, but at times it was so upsetting to read!

***

Louise I agree with the Waterstones staff, you are a genius.

Asking for it is a really shocking novel. It reveals the state of mind that many of us in society have been conditioned to have. I think that books like this could change the world. We just need to be shocked more often.

(Disclaimer: The image used in this post is mine however the gif is not)

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes

Book Review : A Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams

This is a play that we read in class recently as part of the curriculum for year 12 English Literature. 

I give this play a rating of...4 stars out 5.

(movie adaptation)

Before I begin reviewing this, in class an interesting comment was made. A character basically gets raped in the play and a girl in my class says that she - and I quote, 'was asking for it, she kept wearing satin.' Someone needs to read Asking for it by Louise O'Neil I think. Thank goodness the rest of my class reacted immediately, disagreeing with this very closed minded very annoying comment. No one deserves rape, they are never asking for it. If there is no consent, then there is something wrong there.

Now onto the review...

A Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams

What I loved?

I loved the character Blanche. She is crazy and fun and sweet. I feel like she is easily judged, and needs more sympathy. She has had a hard life that has unfortunately taken a toll on her mental health. 

I love seeing how people react to things during different era's, and this book showed how people of the 1940's reacted to gay people, people of colour and women. 

Because the author himself is gay - and was openly gay whilst writing this, he presented the gay character in a positive light trying to create some sympathy for him. This must have been odd seeing as in society, gay people were viewed in a very negative light. In the movie adaptation, they had to censor the gay content.

The way women were treated is something I was aware of from reading other novels set in this time period. Women were seen as submissive, child bearing housewives. 

Black people or people from other cultures that were not white were also looked down upon greatly, but since this play is set in New Orleans, we get to see a more open, more modern society in contrast to the rest of America.

I also loved this particular scene: 

"Mitch: you lied to me, Blanche.

Blanche: Don't say I lied to you.

Mitch: Lies, Lies, Inside and out, all lies.

Blanche: Never Inside, I didn't lie in my heart." - Tennessee Williams

What I disliked?

I disliked the ending, I feel as though Stanley should have been killed. I also wanted Blanche to finally get her fairy tale ending, but as we all know....authors love to torture!

I disliked Stella's - Blanche's sister, constant betrayal and the final one ruined her sister completely!

I dislike Mitch. A lot. Full Stop.

***

A Streetcar Named Desire is a play about realism and fantasy, sadly reality took over in the end.

(Disclaimer: The images used in this post are not mine.)

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes

Book Review : Carry On By Rainbow Rowell

If you couldn't tell already from my 'Favourite Contemporary Authors post' I am in love with Rainbow Rowell. I love all of her books - some more than others (even though that isn't allowed, and you should love them equally but I am obsessed with Landline so I don't care if I show favouritism). If you have never read a Rainbow Rowell novel, then you must! IMMEDIATELY. 

You can find them at my two favourite book buying places by clicking here:

Waterstones | Amazon

Now onto the review...*spoilers ahead*

Carry On By Rainbow Rowell

I have read all of Rainbow Rowells published books and I have loved every single one, but this has to be my favourite out of all of them - including Landline.

This is why I gave this book a rating of 5 stars out of 5!

What I loved about this book?

I loved everything about this book, but i'll name a few things that I specifically loved! I think many people share this opinion, but I am obsessed with Baz, he's hilarious and I think we'd get on if he were real....actually if he were real i'd be uncomfortable with the whole vampire thing for a while.

I also loved how contemporary-ish it felt. The reason I don't read many thrillers or even dystopian novels is because I hate when there is an overload of action. I prefer contemporary novels, so I was nervous to read this because I knew it was fantasy.

Since it felt more contemporary-like I enjoyed it a lot. I trust Rainbow anyway, I know she could probably make me love thrillers if she were to write one.

And I really hate thrillers.

What I disliked about this book? *spoilers alert*
I didn't like that Simon is stuck with the tail and wings permanently, I felt so frustrated for him! I also didn't like Agatha, she really annoyed me...but I don't hate her..she is probably likeable if you get to know her more (I think).

Because I basically loved everything in this book, the only thing I really didn't like was the humdrum, it scared me.

***
This was also pretty cool, I always looked forward to seeing the new drawings at each section!

Illustrated by Jim Tierney

Rainbow Rowell has done it again, she has written a book capable of relating to thousands of bookworms and turning others into permanent book lovers!

(Disclaimer: The Images used in this post are mine...not including the gif that I found hilarious! as well as the drawings - which are so goooddd)

Yours Faithfully,

~ She Who Writes

LGBTQIA : Guest Post with Kieran!

LGBTQIA Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer

 Intersex Asexual. 

Today's post is a guest post with Kieran from bookbitchreviews who has been kind enough to share his coming out story!

_____________________________________

Being Gay and Attending an All Boys School

Hi everyone, I’m Kieran from bookbitchreviews and the lovely Faridah kindly emailed me and asked if I wanted to guest post on her blog. And as you can see, I said yes! The reason I said yes is because my blog is very diverse and although I talk about books, I also talk about all things LGBT, Mental Illnesses such as Depression and Suicide.

Today I wanted to talk about my coming out while attending an all boys school and the affects it had on me as a person and my life.

I had just turned 16 when I came out to everyone. It was 3 months after my birthday and my friend just randomly asked if I was gay. I answered back that I wasn’t, but then backtracked and told him the truth. I was worried that he’d dislike the truth but he was completely happy for me. (He later came out as gay, which totally made sense after everything.) He advised me to tell my parents, on my own accord, but just so that they knew and that I didn’t keep the secret in any longer, because the truth is it was weighing me down.

I told my parents that night and I was one of the lucky ones whose parents already knew and just wanted them to tell them. My parents always told me that “They’d always love me, no matter what.” As a child, so I knew there was nothing to worry about really. However not everyone are as accepting.

I came out on the Thursday (There was no school Friday) and by the time school had started back up on Monday everyone had somehow found out about it. I’ve never found out how, but I guess one person told a friend and then they told their friend, and the cycle began, I guess.

At first I wasn’t sure how they were going to react. I attended an all boy’s school where you were bullied and beat up if you weren’t “manly”.  Coming out made me a target, it was like I had someone following me around with a massive sign reading “This guy is GAY” with an arrow pointing to me. Some were curious about it and some were just plain rude. And I don’t want to scare you off of coming out, I’m just telling you my truth, my story.

For the first few weeks, people were actually quiet about things but then everything changed. I became an everyday victim. I’d be called the generic homophobic names, tripped over and pushed into walls. And that was it for the most part but then things changed. I was still called names, always was until I left, but I wasn’t being tripped up or pushed anymore. Instead they would target me with food and drinks. In fact I remember one guy opening a can of coke, taking a swig and then throwing it at me. Another guy also coughed phlegm onto me for no other reason than me being there at the wrong place, wrong time.

One day things took a serious turn for the worse. A guy actually threatened to slit my throat open in class. The teacher (Who has always been lazy) just pretended he hadn’t heard anything, but it shook me up real bad. I was petrified. I ended up telling my Head of Year, who then gave him an after school detention, but I never recovered from that event. And it wasn’t the fact that he threatened me that affected me most, it was the fact that my school, the place I should have felt safe in, did nothing for me. They just pretended it hadn’t happened. And no one should be made to feel unsafe in a place where being safe is a main priority.

What a lot of people didn’t know about me in school, including my teachers was that I actually got diagnosed with Severe Depression in 2013. I had suffered with it, at this point, for over a year but kept quiet about it all until I finally went and got help.

I self-harmed.

I attempted suicide.

But I fought back, I won.

I am a fighter, a warrior and most importantly a survivor.

Being gay in an all boy’s school isn’t all negative though. It made me realise who my true friends were and I was never discouraged to never be my true self. When I went back for Sixth Form (The 2 years before university) I started to wear makeup, making me finally understand that I’m not only gay but Androgynous as well. Luckily my lessons were at a girl’s school, but some were at my original school. They had their opinions, many negatives but there were so many supportive people as well.

Going through hard times can make you wake up in the real world because it isn’t all unicorns and rainbows. Sometimes those Unicorns have knives for horns and they’re vicious, but having true friends by your side can make everything less painful. I lost friends of 9 years, but I gained true friendship, loyalty from the people who stood by me and accepted me. They went through everything with me, they witnessed the bullying and they didn’t stay quiet. They opened their mouths and told people straight. And I’m still friends with those people now. I owe everything to them being by my side and going through everything with me. But I mainly owe them for standing up for me, being my allies.

The first few months will seem hard for you guys but know that it is totally worth it. In life everyone is bullied, everyone is going through their own nightmare. Is it right to make someone feel worthless? No, definitely not. But it’s life. It’s school. In a few years time you’ll look back and remember how much of an amazing person it made you. You’ll thank it in some weird, messed up way.

Like everyone says, “It does get better!” 

               Thanks to Kieran for doing this post! You can find Kieran on...

                             Blog // http://bookbitchreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

                             Twitter // https://twitter.com/GayMonst3r

                             Instagram // https://instagram.com/thebookbitch

                            Goodreads // https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/15026294-thebookbitch

(Disclaimer: The Images used in this post are not mine, same with the video...i'm not nearly as awesome as Todrick Hall)

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes

Black History - Spook - a - YAShot - a - Thon!

As you can tell from the title, I am hoping to read a wide range of different novels in the month of October!

Spooky Reads

Halloween is coming up,  which is known for it's scary aspects and is therefore the reason I decided to read the following books - bearing in mind that I have never tried reading horror before. (Not all of these books will be horror, some are dark and others thrillers.)

1# Carrie by Stephan King

Carrie is a novel that I have been meaning to read, but was always too scared to. So I guess now is the perfect chance to force myself into this. I have also never read a Stephan King novel, so I am pretty excited.

2# The Sin Eaters Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

This is a book I bought in August as a pick me up after GCSE's, and from the blurb I can tell it is dark!

3# The Shock of The Fall by Nathan Filer

I actually got this book as a birthday present from a good friend of mine this time last year, and I still haven't read it. The book is described as dark but funny so I am counting this one as a spooky read!

4# Dracula by Bram Stoker

This is a book I have always wanted to read, because I am a fan of vampire novels but barely read them...and this is the mother of all vamp novels so this would be a good place to develop my love of vampires even more!

5# Coraline by Neil Gaiman 

This is a book that I heard of through it's movie adaptation - which I have thankfully never watched! Am I wrong in thinking that the books make it less scary? I hope I am right, because I am freaking scared of Coraline just from watching the movie trailer.

Black History Reads

Black History month is here! I always love reading things associated with Black History during this time period and my life long dream is to do something worth while that will add to the history of black people. In this month I will be reading novels by black authors, stories with black history content etc. I look forward to doing this, as black history is something that has affected me, heck it has affected all of us.

1# Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women by Maya Angelou

 I have read 2 poems out of this book of hers, and loved it. Maya Angelou is one of my 'idols', and I would have loved to meet her because I am almost certain that we would have gotten along.

2# I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou

Surpise surprise another Maya Angelou novel!

3# Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman

Malorie is an author that I have avoided reading for many years - she's a really popular read at my school, but only read one of her novels recently. Did I love it? No. Which is why I am not continuing with the series that she wrote and instead trying out another one of her novels because her writing was really easy to get into - despite me not loving the storyline.

4# The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

The Colour Purple is a book that my English teacher recommended to me on the topic of black history, so I really look forward to reading this! - He says that it made him cry, I cry a lot so...better prepare those tissues.

5# Married Men by Carl Webber

This is a book that my brother recommended to me, which is surprising as he hardly ever reads, so I look forward to this!

YA Shot Reads

YA Shot is a young adult and middle grade literature convention happening this month, where many authors will be attending. I will also be attending so I am super super excited. 

1# Night School by CJ Daugherty

I haven't yet read any books by CJ Daugherty, so I am excited to dive into this! The blurb seems really good so I am excited.

2# The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

This book was sent to me last month, so it is so convenient that the author is also coming to YA Shot! The summary also seems really really good!

3# The art of being normal by Lisa Williamson

The art of being normal is a book that I have been meaning to read for months now, and was recommended to me by my sisters best friend - who has really good taste in novels, so I am pretty sure this will be a great read.

4# This book is gay by James Dawson

The title, has me interested! I love reading LGBTQIA related books.

5#  Dead Romantic by CJ Skuse 

This is a book that I started a few months ago and loved, then had to put it down and never got the chance to pick it back up. I guess this is a book that crosses over to the spooky reads! 

So other than those fantastic reads above, I also plan on reading three more - I know my list is already crazy but I would be so happy if I got through them all.

1# Asking for it by Louise O' Neill

I got this book last month, and I have been so excited to read it ever since.

2# Carry On by Rainbow Rowell 

I have literally read all of her books and will continue to read every single one she publishes because she is awesome!

3# Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

This is one of the books I was supposed to read last month but couldn't due to how chaotic sixth form has been, but things have calmed down and I think I am ready!

That is my October TBR! very long....I hope I get through it all..or at least 70% of it.

(Disclaimer: The images used were not mine - wish they were though.)

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes

September Wrap Up!

So, as you may or may not know I started Sixth Form this month and I am doing very demanding subjects. Due to this, I didn't read as much as I wanted to and only ended up reading a total of 4 books this month. 

I loved some way more than others...but not all were amazing. 

So let's get started shall we!

1# Copper Gauntlet by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black

Copper Gauntlet is the second book in the Magisterium series by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black! You can check out how much I loved it by clicking here to see my review.

I gave this book a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5!

2# Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle and Dante was my favourite read this month! You can find out how much I loved it by Clicking here!

I gave this book a rating of 5 stars out of 5.

3# Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Grasshopper Jungle is a book that I did not enjoy reading...that much. It was weird and gross and confusing 95% of the time. I guess it's one of those books you either like or dislike, but I gave it a higher rating than I would have because the writing was cool. I usually can't get through books that I don't like, but I got though this faster because the writing was nice. 

I gave this a rating of 3 stars out of 5.

4# The Fiery Trial by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson

This was the last book I read in the month of September - which I loved, and it is called The Fiery Trial which is the 8th book in the Shadowhunter Academy series by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan. I have loved each book so far, giving all 5 out of 5 stars. I can't say much as it will spoil the TMI series but I will say that after City of Heavenly Fire, you must read this!

I gave this book a rating of - surprise surprise, 5 out of 5 stars!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for my very interesting October TBR post!

(Disclaimer: The images in this post were mostly mine, however the awesome gif of one of my favourite actresses everr - Helena, and the picture of the front of The Fiery Trials are sadly not mine.)

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes