1.11.15
25.10.15
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14.10.15
5.10.15
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29.9.15
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12.8.15
9.8.15
"More Than This" by Patrick Ness [DISCUSSION]
Some slightly more thought out opinions on "More Than This"...
5.8.15
SCREAM: The TV Series [ep6 "Betrayal" - review
In a nutshell, the episode where everything changes!!
31.7.15
28.7.15
25.7.15
22.7.15
19.7.15
13.7.15
10.7.15
SCREAM: The TV Series [ep2 "Hello, Emma" - discussion
Some thoughts and opinions from the second episode of SCREAM!!
7.7.15
SCREAM: The TV Series [Episode 1 review & discussion]
Good news to all you horror fans out there, SCREAM has been made into a TV series :D
4.7.15
1.7.15
JULY TBR!!
It's a new month!! Here's a quick video where I discuss the books I plan to read in July.
28.6.15
JUNE (non-bookish) WRAP UP!!
In case you're interested in all the films and TV shows I watched this month (including some very controversial opinions on the hit sitcom, Parks and Recreation...)
JUNE WRAP UP!!
June wasn't nearly as impressive as May but then again, June has been a lot busier than May!
22.6.15
19.6.15
TAG TIME!
If you ever tag me in something, please contact me directly to let me know!! I have a hard time keeping up with tag videos as it is :-p
The Courtship Tag was one that was created with Valentine's Day in mind.... so yeah.... I'm a little late....
The Courtship Tag was one that was created with Valentine's Day in mind.... so yeah.... I'm a little late....
13.6.15
Rearranging My Bookshelves
My last couple of videos have had very little effort put into them because it has been quite the hectic week! This video of me rearranging my bookshelves was supposed to have an short intro with me explaining why this was getting done (I'm anticipating some more books so need to make some space for them) as well as a "ta-da" moment at the end with the completed shelves. However, what with the battery running out... neither of those things happened...
ENJOY!!
ENJOY!!
10.6.15
4.6.15
1.6.15
26.5.15
23.5.15
20.5.15
17.5.15
14.5.15
11.5.15
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon [REVIEW]
After putting this book down, I wondered why it had taken me so long to pick it up in the first place? Why had it taken an invitation to the stage production to give me that much needed push to finally read this?
I don't know. I can only be honest and say that while I always felt that The Curious Incident is one of those books that everyone else has read and that I really ought to read it (at some point), there wasn't any other pull towards this book. I guess I kind of felt like I had missed the boat entirely and nothing new or interesting can be gained from reading this book now.
Oh how wrong I was! This is such a clever book. The observations made by our main character, Christopher, were awe-inspiring. I mean that. I was awed. It felt like someone was showing me the world in a completely different light.
If you have never read this book then I strongly urge you to do so. It's a delight.
I don't know. I can only be honest and say that while I always felt that The Curious Incident is one of those books that everyone else has read and that I really ought to read it (at some point), there wasn't any other pull towards this book. I guess I kind of felt like I had missed the boat entirely and nothing new or interesting can be gained from reading this book now.
Oh how wrong I was! This is such a clever book. The observations made by our main character, Christopher, were awe-inspiring. I mean that. I was awed. It felt like someone was showing me the world in a completely different light.
If you have never read this book then I strongly urge you to do so. It's a delight.
8.5.15
THE UNWANTED UNBOXING
There really isn't much more to say. I pretty much cover it all during the video.
It better be a good book!
5.5.15
UNFRIENDED [Film Review]
One of the perks of my friend's job is that he gets discounted cinema tickets. In the days post-Orange Wednesday (waaaa..!) this is actually pretty awesome because cinema prices... are RIDICULOUS!!
He asked what I wanted to see and, considering how out of touch I am with film releases, I had no idea. A quick look on the Vue's website and "UNFRIENDED" caught my eye. After watching the trailer, my mind was made up. I didn't even bother watching any other trailers because I had decided that I wanted to see what this was all about!
Plus, it looked terrible. I mean, like one of those films where you'll actually laugh at how un-scary it is, there may be a couple jump-scares thrown in just to remind you what genre it is but on the whole, nothing terrifying.
But I was wrong! Well, at least about it being terrible. I definitely wouldn't class this as a scary film but I was very impressed with how engaged I was with the story. I absolutely LOVED the whole screen-capture element and how we are basically watching Blaire as she skips between windows and applications.
The biggest let-down for me was the last second. Literally. The last SECOND. Everything up to that point was so engaging and creepy and I enjoyed it so much but then BAM. The whole film just nosedived and I was sat there thinking, you have GOT to be kidding me.
But really, I can forgive it for this one second. I'll just pretend that never happened haha.
He asked what I wanted to see and, considering how out of touch I am with film releases, I had no idea. A quick look on the Vue's website and "UNFRIENDED" caught my eye. After watching the trailer, my mind was made up. I didn't even bother watching any other trailers because I had decided that I wanted to see what this was all about!
Plus, it looked terrible. I mean, like one of those films where you'll actually laugh at how un-scary it is, there may be a couple jump-scares thrown in just to remind you what genre it is but on the whole, nothing terrifying.
But I was wrong! Well, at least about it being terrible. I definitely wouldn't class this as a scary film but I was very impressed with how engaged I was with the story. I absolutely LOVED the whole screen-capture element and how we are basically watching Blaire as she skips between windows and applications.
The biggest let-down for me was the last second. Literally. The last SECOND. Everything up to that point was so engaging and creepy and I enjoyed it so much but then BAM. The whole film just nosedived and I was sat there thinking, you have GOT to be kidding me.
But really, I can forgive it for this one second. I'll just pretend that never happened haha.
2.5.15
MAY TBR!
I was too embarrassed to mention The Midwich Cuckoos & The Stepford Wives again so for the time being, have reverted back to the good old fashioned TBR style video in which I show you the books I hope to read this month.
There are a couple that are definites, such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, which, as I type I've actually nearly finished. I'm going to see the stage production later this month and wanted to read the book before I went. Today has been a gloriously lazy day but that's probably due to my picking up the book early this morning just to get it started and then hours later discovering that I'm nearly finished. May have something to do with my brain excitedly lapping up anything that isn't Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, which I have been tackling since mid-February...
Also, this is the month where Let The Readalong In happens, the first ever readalong that I have created! Well, co-created. Hanaa from CravingBooks and I have been saying for ages that we should read a book together but have always had a bit of an issue with scheduling so have decided to read this Gothic Horror cult classic during May! I can't wait! And this is despite the fact that I have seen the original Swedish film adaptation and was not a fan. I vaguely remember a really stupid scene with some very fake looking cats...
I'll be rereading I AM OTTER as well. Have you guys read this book? If not, you should! It's a kids book but it's gorgeous! I'll hopefully dedicate a full blog post to this book at some point but for the time being, I'm actually gonna sign off. I'm meeting up with some of my fellow book clubbers and I'm hoping to persuade them to change the next book club date so that I can actually attend.
Until next time, thanks so much for reading and I'll see you soon!
^!^
There are a couple that are definites, such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, which, as I type I've actually nearly finished. I'm going to see the stage production later this month and wanted to read the book before I went. Today has been a gloriously lazy day but that's probably due to my picking up the book early this morning just to get it started and then hours later discovering that I'm nearly finished. May have something to do with my brain excitedly lapping up anything that isn't Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, which I have been tackling since mid-February...
Also, this is the month where Let The Readalong In happens, the first ever readalong that I have created! Well, co-created. Hanaa from CravingBooks and I have been saying for ages that we should read a book together but have always had a bit of an issue with scheduling so have decided to read this Gothic Horror cult classic during May! I can't wait! And this is despite the fact that I have seen the original Swedish film adaptation and was not a fan. I vaguely remember a really stupid scene with some very fake looking cats...
I'll be rereading I AM OTTER as well. Have you guys read this book? If not, you should! It's a kids book but it's gorgeous! I'll hopefully dedicate a full blog post to this book at some point but for the time being, I'm actually gonna sign off. I'm meeting up with some of my fellow book clubbers and I'm hoping to persuade them to change the next book club date so that I can actually attend.
Until next time, thanks so much for reading and I'll see you soon!
^!^
29.4.15
15.1.15
Can a BAD BOOK ever be GOOD? "The Silent Land" by Graham Joyce [REVIEW]
I uploaded this video yesterday and would have also written this blog post if I hadn't been dashing out to go on a photography bender with my friend Jennifer. Don't know about the rest of the world but Edinburgh is fuh-reezing at the moment. Turns out, I'm also not a very good photographer!
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| Down by Western Harbour |
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| Jennifer with her new toy |
But I digress. What I wanted to quickly talk about is the weird and wonderful phenomenon of something being "so bad, it's good".
This certainly isn't something new; in my video I mention the fascinating tale of Trolls 2, a film so bad that it has become a cult classic! You apparently don't even have to have seen the original Trolls film to appreciate the sequel as it has absolutely nothing to do with it. For more information, I recommend you watch Best Worst Movie, a documentary made by one of the original cast members.
I also mention that classic 2004 blockbuster, Sleepover. I have no idea how my sister and I ended up watching this piece of rubbish but watch it we did, over and over and over again. We even shared our experience with our friend Sofi and would have our own Sleepover sleepovers; sleepovers arranged with the sole purpose of watching Sleepover... good times.
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| Just look at those ratings! |
As far as books go, I've only experienced the "it's so bad it was good" phenomenon twice (that I can think of). The first was back in 2011 when I read Witch and Wizard by James Patterson (yeah, right). It was given to me by my grandmother after getting a free copy with some newspaper. I read it on a whim as there really was nothing about the synopsis that excited me.
Most of the time, if I don't like a book, the rest of the reading experience becomes a chore and puts a serious damper on reading in general. That's why, when The Silent Land was picked for book club, I had my doubts. A quick read of the back of the book had potential, but there was a lingering fear that this book would be predictable. I mean, I challenge you to read the back and not guess correctly the "twist".
The book is about a married couple celebrating ten happy years of marriage by taking a skiing holiday in France. Joyce doesn't mess about and has them swept up in an avalanche pretty near the beginning. After struggling free from the snow, the couple make their way back to their resort only to find that it is deserted, they have the whole place to themselves. Only issue, every time they try to leave, they somehow end up back in the resort...
You know what happened, right? Sure, let's make it sound all supernatural and eerie but... come on!
Anyways, predictability aside, I managed to read this pretty quickly. Going by my usual measure of a bad book (it becoming a chore and sitting untouched for weeks on end) this wasn't ticking any of the boxes! I practically sped-read the whole thing, sometimes chuckling, sometimes laughing out loud in a hearty fashion. It was definitely what I would class as an easy-read. But it was also enjoyable because, despite the terrible writing, the at best weak plot and the truly ridiculous characters with their outrageous dialogue, I enjoyed this book. Doesn't make much sense until I remember films such as Sleepover and the cult classic Trolls 2.
The meeting at book club was also a blast. We all agreed to different degrees on how awful the book was and then sat around reading out random passages. Maybe this has aided in creating this weird fondness I have for this book but for anyone outwith a book club in which to share the giggles, my recommendation for this book would come with a giant warning sticker.
Overall, I would give this book a generous 2 out of 5 for style and execution but for sheer entertainment, this gets brought up to a 3!
If you would like your own copy of The Silent Land, simply CLICK HERE to be taken to its page on Book Depository. This is an affiliate link which means I get a small commission if you do end up buying it ^!^
11.1.15
January TBR
In case you were wondering, in the land of Booktubia, "TBR" stands for "To Be Read". It is, in essence, a reading "to do list", usually for whatever month we happen to be in (you will notice that this video is called "January TBR" because, after all, it is January).
I've never done a traditional "TBR" video because, what with my general backlog of review videos, I just know that I will end up saying "I'll read this, this and this" and either read "that, that and something else" OR simply not finish any of them... and then the following month's TBR will end up being an embarrassing repeat of the previous month.
Ramble, ramble - point is, as much as I would love to be able to say with confidence "These are the books that I will read this month!", I just have to accept that I am not that type of reader... especially when I go ahead and take a bazillion months off and let the backlog of reviews pile up!
All four of these books were read in 2013. I know. Ridiculous. For some of them, I can hardly remember what actually happened in which case, I may possibly wind up winging the "review" or maybe have a sneak peak at Wiki before I start jotting down my thoughts. Regardless, it dawned on me that "TBR" could also stand for "To Be Reviewed". This is quite a happy coincidence as now there is no pressure to complete the book before the end of the month! Woohoo!
Anyways, here is a handy list of the books I shall be REVIEWING in the month of January:
- The Silent Land by Graham Joyce
- The Stornoway Way by Kevin MacNeil
- The Demon by Hubert Selby Jr.
- Little Children by Tom Perrotta
As always, you can CLICK HERE to purchase any of these books and kindly give me a penny or two worth of commission :)
Speak soon.
9.1.15
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey [BOOK REVIEW]
If you would like to purchase your own copy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, CLICK HERE to be taken to my affiliate's page on bookdepository.com!
This was yet another Book Club choice, only difference here was that I had (thankfully) already heard of this book and was relieved that someone had selected something that actually had some merit. No offence, but I was getting a little irritated having to plough my way through mediocre books.
Obviously, the Jack Nicholson film of the same name is based on this book and what with that being such a classic (being one of only three films ever to have been awarded the "Big Five" Academy Awards!), I've not only seen it but own a copy. If you haven't seen it yet, then go do so now! If you have, then it's basically the same in the book.
That being said, I'd be lying if I said I was over-joyed at the choice. Sure, I was happy that we were getting to read a "modern classic" but I wasn't predicting that it would really add anything that the film hadn't already mastered on its own. In some ways, I was right but in others I was wrong.
Like I said, the story is almost identical - psychiatric hospital run under the tight control of Nurse Ratched (an apt name for such a bitch of a character) turned upside down after a new patient arrives, McMurphy. But I've always found the film to be slightly without depth if that makes any sense whatsoever. I suppose that is supposed to be the point with Jack Nicholson as the happy-go-lucky McMurphy bringing some form of emotion in this warped environment. The book, however, was a lot more entertaining and, despite the overall plot structure to be the same, Kesey's writing was a joy to read.
I'm not going to get into all the fascinating questions of insanity and the perception of power in such a tiny blog post (mainly because I read this book a while ago and I can't remember most of what I thought!) but maybe one day, if I ever get a chance to look at this book under a microscope, I will return with super insightful observations and we can get a discussion going.
But here are the answers so some other very important questions:
Would I recommend it? YES
Would I read it again? MAYBE
Stars out of five? Solid FOUR
But here, if you don't want to take my word for it, check out these interesting visual rating statistics:
Goodreads: overall 4.17 out of 5
Amazon:
Until next time, happy reading! ^!^
5.1.15
Here we go again...
I'm getting some serious déjà vu here. Didn't I once before come on here professing to never abandon this blog and my YouTube channel again? Well, looks as though my last blog post was to accompany my review of Life of Pi by Yann Martel... and it appears I completely ignored to write about my review of The Road to Jericho by Steven J. Carroll!
And what about that time I took that beautiful copy of The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan and literally destroyed it?
Whichever way you look at it, I've been a poor YouTuber, let alone Blogger! So why on earth should anyone believe me when I say that this time it will be different?
Well... you'll just have to trust me ^!^
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