October Wrap up

Hi,

October was a brilliant reading month for me. I devoured a load of audiobooks on scribd, which is my new favourite thing in the world. I have access to so much poetry (which I should definitely be reading more of) and brilliant audiobooks.

BOOKS

Life of The Party by Olivia Gatwood

This is Olivia's first traditionally published poetry book, which I was so excited for after reading 'American Best Friend' last December. Some of the poems were repeated which was a tad annoying and I do think if you are going to pick up any of her works I'd still recommend 'American Best Friend' over this. However I think this was the best poetry book that tackle sexual assault and rape I've ever read. I have no personal experience with sexual assault or violence so I often find those poetry book inaccessible but I believe this collection manged to hi every women, those who had experienced it and those who had, hopefully this collection will even impact upon men who really are the people who need to be educated most on the sexual violence that women go through. I adore this poetry collection as I believe I will with everything Olivia Gatwood puts out. an easy four star though obvious trigger warning for sexual assault or violence, murder, sexism and rape (I believe that is all).

The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck

I'm not quite about my love for Steinbeck's novel 'Of Mice and Men' but I had never read another book by him so I decided to give this one ago. To me the beauty of Steinbeck will always be his characters and this book is no exception. He writes the worst parts of ourselves so we don't like any of the characters but we know the are real and even relate to them at times. I thoroughly enjoyed this book but it wasn't at the same standard as 'of mice and men' but I will definitely check out more by him. A solid 4 stars

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Recently there has been a surge of romance reading with those I follow on booktube, so I decided to dip my toe in and read Well Met as it was meant to be a fairly PG romance novel. If you genuinely want no sexy scenes this isn't the book for you but it was contained to only one chapter which made it manageable for me. I loved this book, I have been in a bit of a reading funk this year and this book reminded me to read books I enjoy. I read this book in 24 hours it was brilliant. Highly recommend if you want a fun read. 4.5 stars

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

I believe this is my 6th reread of this book but it was my first time listening to it on audio and for the first time I cried, and not just a little bit. I balled at this book, it hurt my heart so badly. I've always said that this book has a different meaning every time I read it and this time it was the heart-breaking story of a girl watching the boy she loved fall out of love with her and in love with someone else. I was devastated, an obvious 5 stars.

Love a la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm

I picked this up to be a cheesy rom com and that's what it was. It wasn't anything special and I think I've realised that Americans abroad stories aren't my cup of tea because I feel like it's always so obvious that the author has never been there. If you are into cooking I think this will be more interesting to you as food does play a very large role in the story. An average 3 stars, a very enjoyable read but I'm not sure I'd pick up any other book by her.

Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee

I loved this book. It had be hooked from the very beginning. The romance was perfection, the plot was believable and it felt fairly historically accurate. I just adored everything about this book and I will definitely be reading the sequel and everything else Mackenzie Lee puts out. 5 stars

Down Among The Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

I got this book for Christmas and wanted a bit of a spooky read for Halloween, even though I'm not really a fan of Halloween. I loved this. I am in awe of the character development that she managed to established in so few pages. I read it as an audiobook (no one is surprised) and I wouldn't really recommend the audiobook, some of the voices are a bit difficult to listen to and sometimes you can her the narrator sigh or swallow. The story is brilliant still and perfect still spookiness for anyone who isn't super into Halloween or spooky books but craves a little creepiness. A 5 star read.

TV & FILM

Clueless

I didn't like this movie. I know it's a classic but why are we ignoring the fact that he is a paedophile and the characters are all flat and none existent. I thought this movie was so pointless. I am clueless as to why they thought this would be a good movie to make and why so many people love it.

The Young Offenders (TV show)

I loved this. I think I might write a full review of the show and why I think it is genius. I cried during at least half of the episodes, they were all so heart-warming and funny and delightful. One of the best shows I've seen all year. Honestly it might have become an instant favourite. I need to get my hands on the movie sometime soon. 5 stars for this beauty

Great British Bake Off (Season 10)

I'm completely obsessed with this show. It's the highlight of my week every week. It is just a show about people being lovely to each other and baking tasty looking treats. I specifically thought the contestants this year were lovely helping everyone out when they needed it. Obviously 5 stars

Big Mouth (season 1)

I have no idea what I think about this show. I don't find it funny, it disgusts me at points yet I keep watching it and I know I will finish the full show eventually. It's a really easy show to watch and I've had a bit of a struggle this past month and this show has distracted me. It's very much a background show and I don't really have enough of an opinion on it to rate it.

Lover Book Tag

hi,
This tag was created by @pagesandpugs and I knew I had to do it the second I saw it as Taylor Swift's album Lover is one of my favourite albums ever. Unfortunately as is the case with all long tags I've had to get rid of some questions because I just don't have answers to them

I forgot that you existed - A hyped book you probably won't read

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
I read Six of Crows and didn't love it but the premise of Ninth House did interest me. However since reviews have come out and I have realised just how dark the book is I've decided it isn't the book for me, especially when I don't particularly like her writing style. I know, controversial.

Cruel Summer - Favourite forbidden romance

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green
Sally Green knows how to write a slow burn that I will adore. March and Edyon are absolute perfection for me. I was disappointed by the second book in this series so I don't know whether their relationship is going to deliver but their relationship in the first book is incredible.

Lover - Your OTP

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
My OTP from day one has always been Draco and Hermione. I've only ever reread the first book so my opinion my change if I reread the series which I do plan to do eventually.

The Man - A girl power anthem

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
I loved this book. I am an ardent feminist but haven't read many books with feminism as their main theme and while this was pretty predictable, it absolutely made me feel enraged by the injustice of sexism.

The Archer - A book that makes you emotional

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
This was the first audiobook I ever read and still my favourite to this day. I absolutely recommend it. I finished this book in an airport after my plane had been delayed for hours and at like 1 in the morning I cried hysterically at the last chapter that was one of the hardest hitting pieces of literature I've ever read in my life

I think He Knows - A confident girl

Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
This is my most recent read and it was brilliant. The first novel, this year, that I have given 5 stars to. I loved it from start to finish and thought Felicity was such a badass but in a book smart way that we often don't see. In addition to that she appears to be asexual, maybe aromantic, representation which is awesome as we definitely need more of that.

Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince - High School Angst

 

One of us is lying by Karen McManus
This whole book was pretty forgettable. The plot twist was predictable and none of the characters were stand out. I think had I read it at 13 I would have loved it but I left it a bit too late so I didn't However if you want a fun mystery filled with high-school angst this s definitely the book for you.

Paper Rings - Friends to Lovers

Half Bad by Sally Green
Not to be a major Sally Green stan, but I am, so my favourite friends to lovers has to be Gabriel and Nathan. If there is a couple more perfect than them I haven't found them. Also Paper Rings is Taylor's best song ever

Cornelia Street - A misunderstanding

I'm not really sure what to write in response to this prompt, so I guess I'll give you my unpopular opinion that Cornelia Street is a boring song

Death by a Thousand Cuts - A book with a nonlinear timeline

I'm so certain I have read book with a non-linear timeline but absolutely none are coming to mind. given I mostly read contemporary I guess I don't come across it often.

London Boy - Favourite British Protagonist

Noah Can't Even by Simon James Green
I adore this book (the sequel was a let down but lets not talk about that). It deals with internalised homophobia in a relatable and humorous way with Noah being awkward but in a non-cringy way and his love interest being equally as realistic. A brilliant book if you are looking for a different kind of LGBT+ book.

Soon You'll Get Better - A book you'll never recover from

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
I know I talk about this book all the time but it's because it is so good and has had such a profound impact on my life. I will never get over the ending of this book, it will always haunt me.

False God - A steamy scene

Well Met by Jen DeLuca
I'm not a fan of steamy scenes. I mostly read YA and I think steamy scenes usually promote a certain possessiveness that I am really not a fan of. While I definitely wouldn't say I enjoyed read this steamy scene, it wasn't cringy and it didn't fell unhealthy therefore probably the best steamy scene I've ever read.

You Need To Calm Down - Best LGBT+ rep

Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
This book will break your heart. Severe triggers for homophobia and suicide attempts. This definitely isn't an uplifting LGBT+ book but it is one of the most important LGBT+ books.

Afterglow - Favourite Second Chance Romance

I've only just started to get into romance and for that reason I don't think I've read any second chance romances, especially not ones I've enjoyed enough to remember.

It's Nice To Have A Friend - Squad goals

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
I don't think you should trust someone who doesn't want to be a part of the gangsey. They are such a supportive and loving bunch

Daylight - Favourite Fairytale retelling

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Is it even one of my posts if I don't talk about how much I adore this book. I think it is absolute perfection and is always exactly what I need. In fact writing this has made me decided to go for what I believe will be my sixth reread.

July - September Albums

Hi,

I'm a massive music lover and in case you haven't noticed from the content I post wrap ups and reviews are my favourite thing to write so I figured I'd wrap up my opinions on albums that have been released every three months as that is how I sort my playlists on Spotify. You can find them here if you are interested, my July to September one has my favourite tracks from the radio and albums that I'm loving. I'm only going to talk about albums that I listened to rather mentioned all the singles that I loved.

Lover by Taylor Swift

I'm a massive Taylor Swift fan. I love everything she comes out with but her past albums '1989' and 'Reputation' weren't really my vibe but 'Lover' was so me. In my opinion it's her best album yet. My personal favourites are Lover, The Man, Paper Rings, Soon You'll Get better, and Afterglow. I think that Paper Rings is my favourite Taylor Swift song ever. Personally there are songs I maybe would've cut but they are still all good, I just usually skip Daylight, and Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince.

III by The Lumineers

I've been so excited for this album and my opinion might still change but it is a concept album and I just find that the majority of the songs fall flat by themselves. I adore It Wasn't Easy To Be Happy For You but that's probably the only stand out song on the album for me. Which is such a disappointment because I adore all their others songs. I haven't watched all the music videos yet which I think may change by opinion on the album and I'm going to see them in November and I know I'll love it because they are still incredible musicians.

Hypersonic Missiles by Sam Fender

I wasn't really planning on listening to this album but I'd heard good things about it so figured I'd give it a go. I don't have a fully formed opinion on it yet. I think some of the songs like 'White Privilege' are incredible works of art that everyone should listen to and while I enjoy all his other songs they don't really stand out from each other. I find them quite samey even if they are all good.

September Wrap Up

Hi,

The books I read this month were quite meh but it was a brilliant month for telly

BOOKS

The Foxhole Court

Jenna Clare recently read and was obsessed with this and I've been curious about it for a while so when I saw it I figured it was worth giving it a go since it is quite short. I actually really enjoyed this. It was a quick read that was easy to get into. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with the series but I have access to the rest of the audiobooks if I change my mind. A very fun 4 stars.

Parsnips, Buttered

I started this a while ago and accidentally forgot about it but I had a day of doing nothing and wanted to get my TBR down because the majority of books I've been reading recently have been library books or from Scribd. This was quite funny but didn't make me laugh out loud at all and  few of the chapters I'd already heard preformed before so the book ell a little flat at points and was rather repetitive which is disappointing for such a short book. I still had fun reading the book and still love Joe Lycett but will be giving this book 3.5 stars and wouldn't read any other book he came out with.

peluda

I love spoken word poetry and I've watched and liked some of Melissa's poems that I have previously heard. Objectively Melissa's book was great the poems were clever and well thought out. However all of them were about her being latinx and I think that anyone who is a person of colour will have a great connection to this book and I would recommend it to everyone who is. But as a British person in Britain this poetry collection didn't resonate with me at all. Based off of personal enjoyment alone I'm giving this 2 stars unfortunately but not even slightly a bad book, just not the book for me. I was the issue not the book.

Serpent & Dove

This is the overhyped book club's pick for September and once again it was just alright. I'm not a fantasy reader but I did find the plot pretty compelling. There was one day where I listened to about 6 hours. My big issue was the romance. I hated it, I was excited to read my first ever fake dating trope but the relationship didn't do it for me. Really not into the jealous and possessive relationships. I definitely won't be reading the next book in the duology but I guess I'm glad I read this. I'm giving it 2.5 stars.

TV & FILM

Elite (Season 2)

I watched the first season the day it came out last year and loved it so I was so hyped for this season and it did not disappoint. The first episode was a bit slow but the rest were brilliant. I sat and basically watched the whole season in one day, which is really not my style, I usually get really bored of watching the same thing for so long. This season was a lot dark and a lot steamier, definitely a 15 at least. The character arcs were perfection and all the new characters were so well done, I loved/hated each of them as I was meant to. A brilliant 4/5 stars. A great trashy murder mystery that really will shock you.

Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier (Season 2)

I watched the first season and enjoyed it but this season was so much better. I was crying with laughter at so many episodes. An incredibly bingable show with some incredibly funny people. Absolutely adored this 5/5 stars no doubt.

This Way Up

I was tentative about this show. I watched the first episode and decided it wasn't for me but my mum wanted to watch it and we became hooked. The last episode was incredible. It was funny through out and it followed all kinds of women. I cried and laugh and gasped and smile my face off. It's on hulu in America and channel 4 in the UK. Give it a watch it's worth it. 4/5 stars

My NOTPs

Hi,
I'm a sucker for a cute romance but not every romance is going to be swoon worthy to every reader. So here are the couples I just didn't gel with.

Anne and Gilbert (Anne of Green Gables)

 

This will be a shock to most because I love this book and the show 'Anne with an E' but I've watched lots of adaptation and read the books and I don't get it. I think that the enemies-to-lovers trope just isn't my thing.

Louise and Reid (Serpent & Dove)

 

This is the last book I read and I couldn't remember their names, even after googling Reid's name I had no recollection of it. This is probably my least favourite couple on this list. I didn't like them one bit, they were weird and possessive. It made me uncomfortable that Lou kept calling Reid 'my husband' even when they hated each other. It wasn't a fun time reading these twos love story.

Tessa and Jem (The Infernal Devices Trilogy)

The only reason that I never liked this couple was because I loved Tessa and Will so much more. As a character I liked Jem way better, he was the love of m 13 year old life. But I just always felt like Tessa loved Will more.

Review - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

About

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.








My Thoughts 

I was fortunate enough to be able to go see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London during the summer holidays. I was a little apprehensive because I had read the play and all the controversy around it. After seeing the play I can honestly say DON'T READ IT!!! The play is magical and incredible in a way that doesn't come across from just reading the script.

The main thing I loved about it was the characters and I guess the actors who played them. I thought they all were exactly what I envisioned them to be like. Especially Draco who was my favourite character in the books and portrayed phenomenally in this play. It really understood the depth of the characters and didn't treat them like caricatures of themselves like I feared.

The staging of the play was brilliant. It truly felt like actual magic was happening in front f you. Things happened that you felt sure were impossible. And there were movement scenes that were absolutely stunning to match the equally breath-taking soundtrack. If you like to write or read to classical music I definitely recommend the cursed child soundtrack.

The relationship between Albus and Severus was absolutely played as romantic by the actors we saw and the plot actually felt very realistic and plausible. I think seeing this play really taught me how you can really change a script depending on acting and directing.

Overall, This was absolutely incredible. Insanely expensive but incredibly. If you can I would definitely recommend going to see it.

Review - Ackley Bridge Season 3

 

Ackley Bridge (2017 - present)
Created by: Malcolm Campbell, Kevin Erlis, Ayub Khan-Din
On: Channel 4
3 seasons, 26 episodes

The merging of two schools causes plenty of problems for headmistress Mandy who has to deal with explosive fall-outs and problem pupils.












My Thoughts
I was beyond excited for this season of Ackley Bridge. Last year I binged it so quickly and then I loved it so much that I rewatched it over the Christmas holiday as well. I counted down to the first episode coming back and honestly I have never been more disappointed I my life. The first episode of this season wasn't just a bad episode of Ackley Bridge but one of the worst episodes of telly I've seen in a really long time. Obviously I still had hope and continued with the show hoping every week it would get better, and some weeks the episodes weren't that bad but about 50% of this season was absolute rubbish.

One of the things I hated most about this season was the length. You had no idea of how much time had passed throughout each episode and they crammed a whole year into one season, which just meant I had no attachment to any of the new characters and every story line felt rushed.

Which brings us to the point of the LGBT+ representation in the season. Ackley Bridge is outstanding for having a leading lesbian Muslim character and has in previous seasons has had phenomenal representation but this year it felt like they no longer cared. A running plotline through the second season was the will they won't they between Cory and Naveed and this was completely thrown away in this season. A show that gave the young LGBT+ community such a voice used queerbaiting as a way to get audiences interested multiple times in the show and it was heart-breaking to see them backtrack on the incredible foundation that had given themselves.

This isn't to say it was all bad, it was just all underdeveloped. There were some great moments between Sam and the new deputy head, Martin, and some of the episode were really compelling for example I loved the third episode. But this wasn't enough to save the season from being a genuine disaster.

In conclusion, I love Ackley Bridge but i would no longer call it one of my favourite shows. I will be watching the fourth season if it gets renewed for one and there is a chance that, that season could save the show. I will definitely be continuing to rewatch the first and second season because I stand by them being masterpieces. This season was a two star watch for me and honestly one of the stars is purely because of my sentimental love for the show.

August Wrap Up

Hi,

This month I've read quite a lot of books but most of them were for school therefore the ratings this month have been quite low, which is disappointing but I still had lots of fun reading some books. And had a great month for film and TV.

BOOKS

The Drowned World

I had to read this for school and so far it is the dystopian I have enjoyed the least. It was really hard to push through, I think it didn't help that it was the third dystopian I had read in a row when I started it. I actually took a break from reading this for The Reading Rush and when I came back to it I definitely enjoyed it more. my issue is I don't understand why this book exists. I didn't get the point at all. Honestly this book had such potential and I felt it was too pretentious for it's own good, which was especially disappointing given my English teacher wrote his PHD on J. G. Ballard. I'm giving this 2 stars.

The Hate U Give

I have mixed feelings about this book. Ultimately I don't think it is a good book, I hated some of the attitudes that the book had, for example, in the first page Starr says basically all girls are hoes. I mean are we really still doing that. The plot felt like it dragged or had lots of unnecessary elements and the book could've been more impactful without some elements. However, it dealt perfectly with the topic of police brutality towards black people. While reading it I felt it opened my eyes to some of my ignorance that I now know I need to address and need to learn to use my white privilege to help those of ethnic minorities much better. I'm not sure I enjoyed reading this book but I am glad I read it just so it could challenge me, though I think my further education into race will be non-fiction, not written by Angie Thomas. I'm going to give this book 3 stars.

Mockingbird

This was another book I had to read for school. I read it on audio and really enjoyed it. I think of the books I've read for school this summer, this one was the most enjoyable. It was very character driven and dealt with important issues without seeming preachy or convoluted. The narrator wasn't incredible but it could've been worse and kept my interest while I was doing other things. I'm giving this a solid 3 stars, it wasn't anything mind blowing but if you like the sci-fi/dystopian genre definitely worth the read.

The Demon World

This was basically the only book I was looking forward to this year as I don't really keep up with what is being released. I read the first book last year twice, Sally Green is one of my favourite author and I was so ready for a book I loved but this fell quite flat for me. It definitely suffered middle book syndrome, not a lot happened and the characters weren't strong enough to make that okay. Still enjoyable but I'm giving this 3 stars. I was going to write a full review for this book but I think unless it's a book you really enjoy or really don't they are a bit pointless.

If My Body Could Speak

I've loved her spoken word poetry for years, however I often find poetry books hard to get hold of. This summer I've signed up to scribd which has given me access to so many poetry books though this is the only one I've read so far. I loved this. Quite a few of them fell flat for me because I just didn't relate to them but her eating disorder poetry especially was incredible. I'm pretty harsh when rating poetry books so I'd give this 3 stars but absolutely would recommend it.

Herding Cats

 

This was a 2018 goodreads winner so when I saw it on scribd I figured I should read it. I've no idea how to rate this given there was no continuous plot line so I am not going to. But some of these really made me giggle and it was a fun 15 minutes that it took to read this. However if I'd payed for this I wouldn't be happy with the amount of content. So I'd say worth the read if you can get hold of it for free or a part of a subscription.


Sorcery of Thorns

I read this as an audiobook for 'The Overhyped Book Club'. I've never participated in a booktube book club despite always wanting to so when I saw it I knew I was going to read it. I enjoyed this book so much I was excited all the time to be able to listen to it and purposefully went out my way to do activities that I could listen to this audiobook while do them. There were some issues with it, like Elisabeth's weird relationship with men and how the author seemed to make her boy crazy while also trying to make her a strong woman who doesn't want a man. I found the book quite trope-y and Nathaniel often annoyed me with how cliché he was. On a whole though I would die for Silas, I adored how there was a aromantic character and the plot was thrilling. I'm giving this a 3.5 stars. Definitely worth reading but I don't think it lived up to the hype and think I might have enjoyed it more if there wasn't any hype.

A Hurricane in my Head

Matt Abbott is from near where I live and on a few occasions we have both been at local poetry events. So I have been a great supporter of him for years and to see him finally have a book published was so exciting. This book is filled with children's poetry but that didn't stop me from loving it. I had lots of pages dog eared and lines highlighted. A four star poetry book without a shadow of a doubt, absolutely brilliant for kids.

FILMS & TV


Brooklyn Nine-Nine (season 6)

This season just finished airing in the UK. Obviously this season was a bit different given it was picked up by a different network, I found that the first half of the season wasn't up to the usual standard but the second half definitely was. The final episode was great although I feel the big reveal at the end was predictable and we've done that before. Still there were some incredible this season such as 'gintars', which talked abut adoption in such a beautiful way that I cried. The show is one of my favourites but this season wasn't very consistent in quality therefore I'm going to give it 4 stars because I do still look forward to every episode.

Ted

I started watching this film with my boyfriend but we went out and didn't get time to finish it. It really annoys me when things are on my currently watching so I knew I was going to have to finish it despite not particularly loving it. It was such a big surprise I loved it. The humour wasn't for me and I still thought it was a great movie, the actors were all great but more importantly I loved the plot. The villain genuinely terrified me and I cried at the sad part. This film really got to me. I'm going to have to give it 4 stars because I had a blast watching this film.

Ackley Bridge

Last summer I was absolutely obsessed with this show. It was one of the greatest thing I had ever seen. I was so excited for this season and honestly don't think any show has disappointed me more than season 3 did. If it is renewed for another season I will give it another go, but season 3 was a disaster. The writing was so sloppy and threw away everything that they had built in the previous seasons. Plus the did a whole year in one season which meant storylines where very rushed and I had no sense of time. A 2 star season because there were still moments I enjoyed but bitterly disappointed.

The Muppets

It was a bank holiday in the UK and therefore there were good films on the telly and I watched 'The Muppets' for the first time in years. I have to say I'm not sure I loved all the jokes, I think some of them were inappropriate. But it was a whale of a time. I was obsessed with The Muppets and this reminded me why. A 4 star movie for sure, great fun.

Over The Garden Wall

This is a show that SuperSpaceChick talks about quite a lot and I figured I would give I a go given it was quite short and featured the actor who plays Todd in 'Dirk Gently' which is one of my favourite TV shows ever. It was such a cute show, made me feel so much better as I had been feeling rather sad that day and the final episode even made me tear up. So worth watching when you have some time to kill, maybe on a sick day. It warmed my heart, a solid 4 star show.

The Devil Wears Prada 

This is such an iconic film and again it was just on the telly so I watched it as Anne Hathaway is one of my favourite actresses. I'm not sure I loved this as much as I previously had but it was still fun to watch especially given I'd forgotten what actually happens. The acting is amazing. A 3 star film, definitely still iconic.