Is it just me?

Or are people getting stupider on social media, if that is indeed, possible, haha.

I’ve written about a couple of things that happened over the weekend, on here. The stupidity just honestly never seemed to end.

I totally was empathetic and understood about people being upset. What I didn’t understand was the whole saying something stupid, even if you’re upset and then refusing to admit that you probably shouldn’t have said it. Instead of being an adult, being all “Well, my feelings are hurt”.

Like you know how, when you’re upset and you say something stupid. It use to be that you’d apoligise, but these days, people will lash out and then their little social media minions will sit there and attack with you. For example, I follow a lot of different animal rescues accounts, wombats being one of them. So this account I follow, was upset that they couldn’t find this wombat and this person, I felt was just pointing out that it is all “doom and gloom”. Because, well it is.

Well, the account holder had a go and then all these other people, had a go. Calling the person a “troll” and other things that stupid people call others. I popped in and said “Well, I think they were agreeing with you”. How doom and gloom the situation was, because, well it is.

Are you seeing these things also?

Wombats are not pets

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Miss Little Negativity

I must apologise for my most negative blogging this last couple of weeks. For myself, it’s been great to get things off my chest. However, with the lack of views to my blogging lately. I suspect, even though it’s be cathartic and enjoyable for me, because I can see the funny side of my situations. You, my readers, have no idea what’s going on in my mind. Just because I can see the funny side, doesn’t mean you do.

Ne-Yo

What Alice Forgot Review

I have not done a review for such a long time! I don’t think I’m going to be doing it the way I usually do either. I just really want to write what I thought, my likes and dislikes. I guess, in that way this isn’t really a review, it’s just some of my thoughts.

Book Breakdown:

Imagine finding yourself, flat on the floor, in the middle of gym, complete strangers around you. Completely terrified you ask for someone to ring your loving, newly married, husband… Just too find out that you are getting divorced, have three children and have completely forgotten the last 10 years.

This is what has happened to Alice.

Positive Personal Perspective:

I thought that with a book that was about forgetting, I thought that I might become confused with the constant coming and back forth as (I thought) she might remember. I didn’t feel like I was getting confused at all. It’s one of those books written from the perspective of a couple of characters, and those can usually get quiet confusing, but I didn’t feel like that (until the ending).

Negative Personal Perspective:

I have to say I really did enjoy this book. The ending, I have to be honest, I got really confused  It almost felt like “Gotta finish this somehow” and then…I just became confused, I had to go back and reread what I had already read. I thought that somehow that there was just a huge tonne of characters being mixed up, or that I had somehow missed out an entire chapter. Turns out, it wasn’t, it was just the ending.
In hindsight, what lead up to the ending of the book, made the ending, make sense. I just don’t really read books going “I hope to have to reread this in case something doesn’t make sense, straight away”. It might be me being fussy, I like being able to understand straight away.

The End

However, apart from that one complaint, the rest of it was absolutely fantastic! It was a book that made me think, if something similar happened to you, would you want to even remember the last 10 years of your life? Despite everything you might miss, would it make you much more less bitter? Would it help you give a new lease to your life? Would it make you look at your current life a little different, and would you change just, a little on the inside. Would you decide to live your dreams from years ago? Every time I’d finish reading it a bit more, I would have all these questions in my mind, about my own life

Pose

Pose – 2018 IMDb

Here we are with another television series review! I just loved this one so much and I wanted to share it with you all, so if it comes up on your Netflix or something, you know…This…I want to watch this.

Dear Lord, now I hope that I do it justice!

What is “Pose?”

First you need to know that Pose is set around the end of the 1980’s. Aids is about and there not yet a “cure” for it. At this point I’m not even sure about the research at the time. Despite that, it’s a show that takes a look at African American, transsexual and gay POC and how they have found the “Ballroom” where they “Pose” (lol). Where they are free to be who they truly want to be, where it was SAFE for them to be who they wanted to be. It takes a look at how society, not only white, religious and the straight community treated trans people. How they treated each other through their placing in society and whether or not they “pass”. By pass I mean that by being a transgender person, whether or not they pass for looking female…or male.

Have to warn you…

 I will be writing spoilers….

The characters:

I have to start off by saying that I very much dislike how on the IMDb page they have put Evan Peters at the top of their list. I get that he is more probably well known then the others and he is actually in every episode (I haven’t seen the last two yet though, at this point). However, is he not really a main character, they could have literally any white guy play his part. Peter Evans plays the typical white married family man who…I can’t even say “falls in love”…But he becomes intoxicated by one of the ladies. So, enough about that.

I don’t know which character I loved more to be completely honest with you. What I loved about this show was that the characters were REAL. How can I describe it too you? A lot of the actual actors in this show are actually Transsexual AND Transgender to begin with, so they are absolutely coming from a place of realness. Pose is to date, the show with the largest reoccurring transsexual actors.

From the top of my head my favourite character has to be Pray Tell played by Billy Porter. The sassy dressmaker and DJ, speaker and in the opening credit that is his voice. I think I loved him the most because he was just so open and raw. Pray Tell was the character with the boyfriend, dying from Aids. When he finds out that he had Aids, he tries to keep it together but cannot anymore after making a promise to live to his dying boyfriend. It’s not just your usual promise to be happy either. It was a promise to be happy because Pray Tell has the aids and even though Pray Tell does not want to tell his boyfriend, but he can see it in Pray Tells eyes, be happy.

House of Evangelista

A “House” is where you get, pretty much, lost causes, and help each other and support each other to succeed. Well, that’s what they are supposed to be about, not every House is so supportive. They learn, they learn though. Both Houses have a “Mother” and you have to respect their rules, each house has a different mother and different rules.

The House of Evangelista are the main protagonist of the show, other than Pray Tell and Elektra Abundance from House of Abundance (who I also love).

The House of Evangelista consist of “Mother” Blanca Rodriguez, recently diagnosed with AIDS. Finally tired of feeling held back in the House of Abundance (lead by “Mother” the fabulous Elektra Abundance) Blanca decides to head out and start her own House. Along the way she bumps into a young Damon Richards a young gay man whose just been kicked out of his house (for being gay) and a beautiful Angel (that’s her name) a young transsexual having to sell her body for sex, which is where she meets Evan Peters character.

A bunch of misfits, just starting out in the Ballroom world.

What I really love about the show:

Not only does the show have the most transsexual reoccurring actors on a show. It still looks at all the topics surrounding gay people in the 80’s. Unlike a lot of other shows though, it doesn’t get to dark, but still keeps the seriousness. I absolutely love the relationship between Damon and Ricky (played by Dyllon Burnside). In all honesty I think it’s not only the first relationship I’ve seen between POC LGBT gay men, but it’s the most sweetest relationship I have seen between two men, just in general. Without the over PDA…I can’t stand that no matter what!lol

What I love most about the show though, even with the competing House. They are still there for each other. The show shows what a family can be, that a family does not have to be “blood”. They just have to “be”.

The Song of Achilles

“The Songs of Achilles” – Madeline Miller

The Breakdown:

Another Madeline Miller classic novel of her interpretation of an Ancient Greece tale.

Some compare it to the Iliad, but it’s not like that at all. It focused solely on the ancient Greek Hero, Achilles. So do not pick this book up if that’s what you are expecting. Set from Achilles childhood…until…well hopefully there are not spoilers for you…His death. It’s about his friendship with his childhood friend Patroclus on their journey to come to Troy.

Positive: 

This is not really a prequel to Madeline Millers “Circe”, however I felt like it really stood on it’s own. What I personally enjoy most about reading, is when you go read a book and just keep reading it. This is what this books offers. When you write a character growing from child to adult, with all the feelings of a growing human being. You don’t want it to start and stop, you need it to flow, need it to make sense. Madeline Miller is a perfect writer when it comes to this.

What I have loved about all of Madeline Millers novels is that you can tell she has done the research. Even though she is a modern writer, she still is holding true to the classic stories. The rules and roles of the Gods, but with a twist…I loved the relationship twist that come with it. I have to say that I think it may be my first LGBT romance…Apart from Mangus Bane. I was thinking about it and I don’t think I’ve read a book yet where the main characters are gay. It was a beautiful love story too.

Negative:

The only real negative thing I could say about this book was that I kept expecting it to be “Circe” and it wasn’t. Although I completely enjoyed the book, I felt like it was a little slower than Circe. I actually wish that I read Achilles first, because I was expecting it to be more like Circe. They are both really fantastic books and I love them both. You can tell the difference of writing between them both. There is 6 years between the two and one can tell.

Heart of Thorns #1

The Breakdown:

“Heart of Thorns” by Bree Barton is the first book in a series.

I’m not sure by starting if I should say that it’s an ancient world, or a possible future world. I know that in the Goodreads bio (follow me here) it does say an “ancient world” but I almost feel like it’s a possible futuristic possibility after years of evolution. It takes place in a rivertown that has slowly broken down over time with the death of their Queen.

We are introduced to Mia Rose as she in preparing to get married to the Kings son. Mia is is a free spirit, but worries about her younger sister. Although she wants to run away, she also wants to save her little sister, by marrying the young Prince, instead of her little sister. Mia’s mother was murdered by a Gwyrach, women who can manipulate flesh, bones, breath and blood. The same demons who killed Mia’s mother.

If you follow my Instagram account, you’ll know that I had a hard time finishing the book because I was loving it so much!

Positive

I was lucky enough to get this book in the “FairyLoot” Loot boxes, and I was so impressed just be the cover alone! The people who managed to get this box will also know though that the pages were sprayed with red. They were so gorgeous! I was instantly in love before I even started reading.

I think when you are reading a book, you don’t want to finish and you want to know when the next part in the trilogy is coming. I find these to very good signs. That’s what has happened with this book.

This book took me away and apart from maybe Circe. I haven’t read too many books this year, where I have felt like that. The writing was superb and I cant even remember thinking that “Oh no, this grammar is all wrong” or “That’s the wrong word…Again”. I read the whole thing without being interrupted. The characters, you love all the character you are supposed to, sympathise with the ones who are supposed and hate the ones that you are supposed to hate.

Even the twists for a couple of the characters, though I sort of saw them coming. I don’t think it interrupted the flow of the book at all. It kept the story going. As one has to remember this is a trilogy. I suspect that a lot more is going to be happening and it also means that it didn’t feel drawn out, by revealing something we had already guessed.

Negative:

That it has to end! Although it took me a while to finish because I didn’t want it to end, because then you have to wait for the next book!

Peril at End House…The actual review!

First Impressions:

It was really interesting to start off reading this book. I’m not sure that if you remember now but I started these having seen the television series and had not read a single book! I am so grateful for this challenge! One of the first impressions that I got from this book how interesting it is that it’s from the point of Hastings, Poirot’s friend. Which if you’ve seen the tv series you’ll know that the series is not usually told from a third person point of view. It made it interesting to start off with Hastings. It had never even occurred to me that this would be how the book would be written, rather than how the television episode is shown.

Positive Impressions:

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I realised that I hadn’t seen the tv episode of this book either. I’m not even certain that there is an television episode. Still writing by Agatha Christie which is funny and witty. (*On a side note lots of Trump supporters thinking “witty” mean to put down someone’s looks* They should read this book sometime then they’ll understand witty.)

It was also the first book that I read that had both Poirot and Hastings. It was a really interesting perspective. You can read the fondness that Poirot and Hasting have for one another, even with their (actual) witty insults. It’s interesting because as I have mentioned (numerous times) I have never read a book of Agatha Christie’s, I’ve only ever seen the televisions series and movies.  It was a little disconcerting because Poirot seemed to be mean to Hastings but after a little while of reading, you understood better.

Negative Impressions:

I honestly didn’t really find too much wrong with the book. I mean Agatha Christie is a legendary author for a reason. It’s like trying to find something wrong with Beatrix Potter, it’s just not going to happen. The only thing that I did not enjoy and this is probably just the cynical/modern side too me. They are all just too jolly happy when it comes to murder! They find it exciting. It’s just a little odd too me.

Overall Challenge Breakdown:

I absolutely enjoyed this challenge. Coming from someone who had never actually read an Agatha Christie novel but had seen the whole television series and the movies. I started it with a little trepidation that I would not enjoy the books. I am very happy to very wrong on these circumstance. I already have put holds on other Agatha Christie novels through my Library.

Thank you to “This is my truth now” For setting up this challenge!

The Body in the Library

First Impressions:

Once again this is one of the books that I haven’t read but have seen numerous times on the television. It’s actually one of my favourites in the series. I started to read this with great anticipation. I really enjoyed the first couple of chapters. This is a book with Miss Marple in it, but she wasn’t in that much in the beginning. Yet, I’ve been enjoying it nevertheless.

Positive Impressions:

I really enjoyed this book, it’s interesting, especially at the beginning it doesn’t have Miss Marple in it that much. The reason why I found this so interesting was because in the show, she’s pretty much there straight away. There were a few differences, which I was actually glad of. It meant that when I read the ending it was a lot different than the television episode, which gives it a nice surprise. Of course the writing is beautiful. I would call the book gay in it’s original word sense. Even though it was about a body and a murder, it was quiet jolly.

Negative Impressions:

The only truly bad thing that I could say about the book was that a couple of the characters in the book itself. Although it was a happy read, some of the characters, for my liking were just a bit too happy. It could possibly be about my own cynical side coming through. I have a hard time believing that even if you know your husband is not guilty and you don’t know the victim. They were still found dead in your house and your husband in being accused of their murder, no one could possibly be THAT excited about it.

Next book:

Peril at End House

If you wish to learn more about the Agatha Christie Reading Marathon, please check This is my truth now – Agatha Christie Marathon

Fury Born Review

The Break Down:

Angels are Demons, and chosen ones seem to always fall to the dark side. You are taken along on the journey of two different female protagonist. You realise fairly early on who is who and who they are supposed too. It’s very much about the demon and angel within us all and how the choices we make affect us and those around us.

Positive Review:

I enjoyed most of this book. I think it definitely written for a young audience, I think it’s written for your Young Adult audience. The introduction was fantastic and it really will drag you in and make you want to keep reading. I always love a book that can drag me in to start with. The challenge is always keeping the reader interesting the rest of the way…

Negative Review:

Which then leads me to my negative review…The parts of the book that did frustrate me was the repetitiveness of the chapters. The same theme happening over and over again. I’m afraid to say that it became boring after a couple of chapters. I was hoping for something more.  I wish that instead of Rielle fighting with another element, every single chapter and nothing really that much more. It could have been condensed into a couple of longer chapters instead. I felt like it was dragging on and it didn’t need to be. I became one of those people who briefly read the ending just to make sure something does happen at the end.

My Breakdown:

It starts off SO well. I can’t express how much the beginning of this book got me involved into it. I wanted to know everything about everyone, by the 6th chapter I felt like I knew where the story was going. The rest of the book felt a bit too dragged out.  Then as you head towards the ending of the book, it drags you back in again and it feels like it is going somewhere. I will be getting the book in the next series, but possibly I’ll borrow it from the Library first.

The Secret Adversary

First Impressions

As I start to read this book, I can’t help but admit a tinge of sadness when I realise that this book has neither Poirot or Miss Marple in it. However, I do feel as though I do actually know the characters Tommy and Tuppence. I have also realised that there is actually a tv series called “Partners in Crime” which are based on Tommy and Tuppence. I am sad though that this is not a Poirot or Miss Marple book though.

The book itself is beautifully written, it’s so full of what you expect of Agatha Christie, a completely peppy character and a sullen figure. As well as “totally did not see that coming”.

Negative Impressions:

I think my negative impressions of this book are all on myself entirely. When I realised that neither Miss Marple of Poirot were in this book, it honestly did put me off a little. It made it more difficult for myself to read, because I wasn’t really interested in these two characters. There was  nothing wrong with the characters, just that for myself. I was just not interested in it.

Next book:

“The Body in the Library”

If you wish to learn more about the Agatha Christie Reading Marathon, please check This is my truth now – Agatha Christie Marathon