Song of the Week #6

This week's song of the week is a little late and I do apologise. Normally I'd post it Wednesday but I've been busy and this is the first time I've gotten on the computer in days.

So this week's song is one that never fails to make me cry: 'I See the Light' from the Disney film Tangled.

For me it's the combination of everything in the song. The town's collective hope and sadness, Rapunzel and Flynn getting closer, Flynn finally shedding his thieving past for love, the knowledge that Rapunzel is so close to her true self yet so far and knowing that she'll be dragged even further away before realising and being able to go back. It's just a beautiful song and I love it.

Short and sweet today, I'll be back in a moment (tomorrow via scheduled post LOL) with another book review or two. I'm trying to get into the habit of reviewing every book I read and no doubt they'll all end up on here.

Stef Out x

Book Review: Swan Boy by Nikki Sheehan

A strange book. Johnny has just started at a new school following a move after the death of his father, and has managed to get on the wrong side of school bully Liam, until a chance encounter with a swan changes everything.

I thought the plot overall was interesting but I feel like it could have gone further than it did, make it a true contemporary/fantasy mash-up. The characters were interesting. I liked Johnny and his inner conflicts. Mojo was very cute, reading I wondered if maybe he was on the autistic spectrum what with his obsession with his drawing and his deeply involved animal impersonations. Or I could be wrong and it's just normal 5 year old behaviour with added grief.

Stefan was a decent character but the mentioned girls, Lola and Phoebe, have barely any defined personalities. I liked Mrs Cray but her dance idea was very out there and most schools probably wouldn't allow it to be run in that way. Also the swan thing was a little forced and overall everything was a bit disjointed and it didn't actually end, it just stopped.

Also I know it's wrong to judge covers but that one makes no sense, there were no fire breathing horses or ninja cats mentioned at all. Or birthday cakes for that matter. The other images of a bus, tower block, football and swan make more sense.

2/5 stars.

Stef Out x

Book Review: The Fandom by Anna Day

Another tricky one to rate and my rating did change as I wrote this review. I found it hard to get into at first. At the start we are expected to know this book and its film, the world it's set in. It's slightly disorientating the way we are thrown into it.

We are barely introduced to the characters: Alice, the fan-fiction writer with model looks, Katie the newer friend from Liverpool who shuns popular culture for Shakespeare, Violet's younger brother Nate who is much smarter than she is, and our narrator Violet who is a major fan of this book 'The Gallows Dance'. That's it, that is the entire sum-up of her character. She is average and yeah, a Mary Sue. Her role is to take the place of Rose, the main character of 'The Gallows Dance' after the group get transported to the book's universe and accidentally get her killed.

There are some interesting side characters, I loved Nate and Ash, and Baba was interesting. There were a few interesting twists along the way, the world was rich and well-developed and the plot was very character driven BUT thanks to the opening school moment and repeated tellings we basically know the plot and overall it deviates very little.

The ending also seemed very incomplete which could imply  possible sequel but I'm not sure how that would work. Which brings me onto the format of this book, or rather creation of it. The result of two competitions, a writing based one to find a new author, and an idea based one to come up with a plot for a children's/young adult's book. This book is the result. I will say though that I found Anna's writing style very expressive and engaging and I hope we see more from her.

2/5 stars.

Stef Out x

Song of the Week #5 Album Special #1

UPDATE: Now with added favourites list!

So one idea I had for this song of the week thing is if every 5 songs I do an entire album I love. Hmm, maybe every 10 would be better so theoretically the next one after this would be week 15, that might work better.

So the album I am choosing this week is 'The Greatest Showman' soundtrack!

The Greatest Show

Ever since seeing the film I have been obsessed with this soundtrack! So much so that I couldn't pick a single favourite to showcase.

This Is Me

These two are probably my top favourites but every single song is amazing! If I had to pick a least favourite it would possibly be either 'Tightrope' because I'm not as big a fan of Michelle Williams' voice or 'Never Enough' because that whole plot point is supposed to be about Jenny Lind, the world's most talented opera singer or something along those lines yet 'Never Enough' is definitely not opera, it's a lovely song but it misses the mark genre-wise. It kind of cheapens the moment slightly in my opinion. That's really my only criticism of the whole album though.

After another listen of the album I have done an order of my most to least favourites:

1. The Greatest Show
2. This Is Me
3. From Now On
4. Come Alive
5. The Other Side
6. A Million Dreams + Reprise
7. Rewrite The Stars
8. Tightrope
9. Never Enough + Reprise

I just noticed that on the default graphic for these YouTube videos Keala Settle's name is omitted from the header and I think that does a great disservice to her and her fantastic voice, seriously people she is epic!

Anyway I must fly for now, I will be back soon with another book review (just got to finish the book first) and I might do another little life update thing.

Stef Out x

Book Review: Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill

DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE A HISTORY OF EATING DISORDERS AND BEING TRIGGERED BY TALK OF NUMBERS, WEIGHT, APPEARANCE OF CERTAIN BODY PARTS.

Other concerns are extreme body image issues and body hatred (related), misogyny, misogynoir, homophobia, fatphobia, self harm, suicidal thoughts, suicide, racism, child abuse, domestic violence, physical/emotional abuse, drugs and addiction, hatred of sex workers, sexual assault, brainwashing, gas lighting, grooming/pedophilia (minor mention.) < copy-pasted from my friend Sian's review on Goodreads.

It was hard to know what to rate this book. Undeniably awful especially in it's language but compelling, sinister and extraordinarily well-written in it's execution.

Set in a dystopian future where genetically perfect women are created in laboratories to be the companions to men, both in marriage to bear sons, and as concubines purely for sexual pleasure. A select few are kept as chastities to run the schools where the 'eves' are raised. The society claims to have eradicated organised religion (along with animals and much of nature - it is mentioned they live in some kind of walled bubble) yet the chastities bear a resemblance to nuns and there is an eponymous Father who rules over everything and is referred to as 'He' and 'Him'. There are also passages throughout the book that could be read as being from a bible.

The format was a little jarring at first as all the eves' names were in lowercase format e.g. freida. freida is our narrator and she's an interesting character. Flawed among perfection she seems to obsess more deeply than the other girls. Except isabel who seems to distraught that she manipulates her body to the extremes - first to overweight (this book as mentioned is very fatphobic and weight and weight loss are discussed to extremes) and then to severely underweight. It is only at the end of the book you understand her motivations and it is fascinating.

This whole book is an intriguing look into the psychology around body image and competition in the extreme. Interesting but not one I want to read again in a hurry.

3/5 stars.

Stef Out x

Book Review: Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

An intriguing moral dilemma lies at the hear of this book - whether to keep a person who is brain dead alive for the sake of their unborn fetus. In this particular case it is Emma's mother Lisa who is being kept alive by machines for the sake of her unborn son by her husband, Emma's stepfather Dan. You could debate for hours about the moral and ethical sides, personally it's all a no from me, just let me die.

I loved the characters, I completely understand Emma's anger and I feel that it was well-written. Emma and Olivia's relationship was amazing, perfectly balanced. I wanted to know more about Olivia though and in particular her aversion to technology. I liked that Caleb was a slow-burn type of character and that Dan wasn't the stereotypical evil stepparent. I wanted more from the ending regarding the baby and the future.

4/5 stars.

Stef Out x

Song of the Week #4

So it's time for another song of the week and it's the turn of the song that was meant to be up last week. 'Fox on the Run' by The Sweet.

Originally released in 1975 it actually did pretty well charting in the top 10 in multiple countries and number 1 in Australia, Denmark and Germany, however like many songs from the era it has been largely forgotten, failing to capture people as much as bands such as Queen from a similar time period. However some genius decided to use the song for the trailer of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and later the official soundtrack causing the track to go to number 1 on the iTunes Rock Chart in late 2016. Unfortunately the song isn't in the film itself, instead we get about three clips of 'Brandy (You're a Fine Girl' by Looking Glass. A great song and it does fit the theme of the film well but they could have trimmed it a little for 'Fox on the Run' surely?

Anyway it's a fantastic, uplifting song that never fails to put me in a good mood. It's a particularly good one for walking home from work, it gets me in a good rhythm and I find I'm a bit faster while listening to it. I think I marginally prefer Vol. 2's soundtrack to Vol. 1's although Vol. 1 did have the gems that are 'Hooked on a Feeling' by Blue Swede and 'I'm Not in Love' by 10CC, it's generally slighter more light-hearted and sometimes you want a little more darkness (so she says while listening to the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack).

That's it for today. I've got another book review coming up at the end of the week and then it'll probably be another song of the week.

Stef Out x