How things can change so fast it just a year!

I was reading through some old emails and I think it is amazing how much things can change in life within just one year! For example, this is an email that I sent to my friend on March 13th 2008! Exactly one year later in 2009 I was pregnant and very ill with chicken pox.


The winds were really bad around here yesterday. Don't know what it
was like for you.
Tesco (and they've been told before about this) leave these great big massive silver trolleys outside piled up with all kinds of crap and they don't tie them up or secure them. You might have seen these types of trolleys before - you normally find them in supermarkets piled with boxes full of stuff being pulled along by the staff to fill shelves up? 
Well, one of Tesco's big, massive,  extremely heavy, piled to the brim with crap silver trolleys was absolutely flying down the middle of the employee car park all on its own, not being pulled by anyone. It was the wind that was pushing it! So that gives you an indication of how strong the wind was here! And like I said this trolley was flying down the car park. Must have been doing about 20 mph? Maybe more? And of course I was leaving  my car then to go to work and I spotted it and I thought "No way am I just gonna stand there and watch it smash into someone's car" coz I'll tell you
something, that thing could have caused a hell of a lot of damage to
some poor bugger's car. 

So (shoulder bag and all) I stood in front of the trolley's path and I striked a Fantastic 4 pose (honest to God, I swear on my life). Then I thought "Im gonna get run over,
Im gonna get really hurt here" but I stood my ground. It was
me verses the trolley. And just as the trolley reached me I swung to
one side and grabbed hold of it and I refused to let go even though it dragged
me with it down the park. I battled with it against the wind and managed to
start dragging it back toward the book shop.

Man, I honestly felt like a hero yesterday. I saved someone's car from being trashed!

Then I went into work and I sat in the staff room and mucked around with my Happy Meal
toy, when Tara came into the staff room and said "Jen, Albert wants you, one of Tesco's trolley's have smacked into the back of your car!" and I thought she was joking at first so I followed her outside and Albert was by my car pulling another trolley off my car!
It was like the wind was getting me back for spoiling its fun. Of all the cars that
trolley could have hit, it hit mine! If dad found out about that he'd go apeshit!
And my mum would hit the roof. 
No, actually my mum would go through the roof, hit the moon, create a crater
like nothing you've ever seen before and knock the moon off its gravitational pull!
Hence the reason why I am NEVER EVER going to tell them!
Anyway, the security guards have got the whole incident on CCTV, which
means they'll have my Fantastic 4 hero stunt on CCTV too which would
be hilarious to watch! But they've bollocked Tesco. The manager of Tesco actually
came down to see the trolley and my car and do you know what, he
never even got out of his car. He just sat in there and watched.
Considering it's one of the trolleys from his store you'd think he'd
have the decency to get out and take a look and even apologise to me!

Did you know that the Tesco chains in China kill turtles and sell them for food. And
when I say kill I mean they chop off the turtle's head and crush it while it is
still ALIVE!!! They even offer to kill the turtle for the customer in
store or sell the turtle alive so the customer can kill the turtle in the
comfort of their own home. And when you think that turtles are one of the
world's oldest creatures dating back to the dinosaurs and they are one of
the world's endangered species, you'd think Tesco in addition to all
their "save the planet, use less bags" shit that they'd show some concern for animals too! 

You never know what tomorrow will bring

It is wierd - I was looking through some old emails and noticed one dated 1st October 2009. 16 days later on the 17th October 2009 events unfolded and my life changed forever! Here is the email:

How!

Me, Little Big Wanahugaloogoo, have sent thee, Big Little Wanahagaleegee,
a message of wonderous spirit!

A bright turtle of yellow, orange and green called to me - Little Big
Wanahugaloogoo, to seek out a Fisher-Price Little People Noah's Ark
for Little Tiny Wanahugaloogooleegee in celebration of Little Tiny
Wanahugaloogooleegee's first birthday when the giant ball of blue and
green called Earth has travelled around the great light of yellow, orange
and red called Sun approximately 365 days from now (give or take a couple of
weeks)!

I - Little Big Wanahugaloogoo, sought long and far in Toys 'R' Us and
fought in a terrible battle of thunder and light against the Evil Barclays
Bank Balance! I - Little Big Wanahugaloogoo, triumphed victoriously
and Little Tiny Wanahugaloogooleegee now has a Fisher-Price Little People
Noah's Ark complete with Noah, 2 zebra, 2 lion and 2 elephant! 
I - Little Big Wanahugaloogoo, also ventured deep into the perilous
Land Of EBay to compete in the Great Trial Of Auctionhood and alone
did I - Little Big Wanahugaloogoo, rise valiantly to win 2 Fisher-Price
Little People Giraffes and 2 Fisher-Price Little People Parrots to add to
Little Tiny Wanahugaloogooleegee's Fisher-Price Little People Noah's
Ark! 

My quest continues to find more Fisher-Price Little People Animals for Little
Tiny Wanahugaloogooleegee!

Await my smoke signal!

May the spirit of The Elder Bear and The Far Cry Eagle be with you - Big
Little Wanahagaleegee!
Your
Friend

Little Big Wanahugaloogoo!  

(I tell you what! The Red Indians have a tough time trying to speak Red Indian! It's well hard!)


16 days later, after sending this email, I nearly died giving birth and my baby had to be resuscitated! Jacob was born by emergency caesarean section after a nightmare labour. I can remember writing the email and little did I know what was going to happen in 16 days time. Maybe if I had have known I wouldn't have been so full of fun. It justs goes to show how oblivious  we are to what tomorrow will bring!

Have you ever seen the movie Aliens?

Some say a dude was killed in a cave in Pakistan and this was the last picture he took before he was mauled to death. Others say the picture was taken in the Cheddar Caves in Somerset and still others say that it was taken at a Tolkien exhibition. Make up your own mind.

Futuristic Dream!

Here is a dream I had a couple of years ago...


It was set far into the future. The Earth was part of a Galactic Federation and the idea of
globalisation had now extended to universalisation.

I was working in a book shop in a shopping center.Aliens, beings and creatures from other
planets and galaxies were coming into the book shop to browse the shelves and
buy their books.

This was totally the norm!

Aliens were living among us on Earth having moved here from across the universe and humans had also spread out across the universe.

And it was nothing new to see aliens
strolling through the shopping center window shopping.

This was quite a cool dream though. It wasn't scary or anything.

Heroes Dream!

Who likes the TV series 'Heroes'? Well, here is a dream I had a while ago...


I was leaving the book shop where I used to work and there were guys
outside causing trouble. They were drinking, setting things on fire and covering
everywhere in graffiti.

So I told them to stop and to just go away but
they started getting nasty with me, so I grabbed one of the guys, who was a lot
bigger than me, and I threw him several feet into an iron fence which knocked
him out (I had super human strength).

The other guys then started coming
at me and I warned them to back off or I'd call the police but they didn't
listen.

So I told them that I had super powers and that I wasn't afraid
to use them. But they still didn't listen.

I then decided to give them a warning of what my super powers could do to them if they didn't back off.


So I stretched my arms out wide and I began to slowly clench my hands
into fists.

The guys suddenly started gasping for breath as if they were
being strangled. Their eyes began to bulge and they started to get blood in
their eyes. There was a massive amount of pressure compressing their entire
bodies like they were being squashed.

I didn't know my own strength
though and I killed them all. I left their bodies lying in street with blood
everywhere.

Then I woke up.


It was a pretty gruesome dream.
Vigorously disturbing. I had been watching a lot of episodes of 'Heroes' at the
time, so it is easy to see where my brain got the idea from.

Here is a dream I had a while ago.

Here is a dream I had a while ago that I wrote down right after waking up.

The dream begins with me being taken by armed FBI type people and they did not telling me
much apart from that I had to go with them.

So I did. I didnt really have much choice.

I was in a truck, like an army one, and Bradley from
Eastenders was in this truck too and we were taken to Mexico to a big high
mountain cliff. Sort of like a big flat area on top of a mountain. There was a
building like a hotel. There was loads of other people there like me and Bradley
who had been taken and loads of officials there too and army looking people.


We were told that everyone who has been in contact with aliens in some
way (like beamed up and experimented on) had been collected and rounded up and
brought to the cliff in Mexico. So obviously me and Bradley have been in contact
with aliens.

We were told that these officials want to see if they can
coax the aliens down to earth by basically using us as bait - all the ones who
had been in contact with aliens.

The officials were hoping that we were
being monitored by the aliens and they wanted to see if the aliens would get
curious as to why all the humans they had, had contact with had suddenly got
together in one place. So thats why me and Bradley were in Mexico.

And the plan worked. The aliens came. In a big ship. Then they landed and then
everything kind of went fuzzy coz there was so much activity and I think the
aliens got cold feet and retreated and I think the officials swooped into action
but Im not sure exactly what happened.

Anyway, it came about that
everyone who had contact with the aliens were inside the hotel in the dining
room. And we realised one of the aliens had been left behind. So we kind of drew
straws as to who was going to go and find the alien and see what it was up
to.

And me and Bradley drew the short straws.

So we wandered around this hotel, which was rather dark and gloomy and we looking for the
alien. Then we came to a room with the door shut and there was quite a bright
light shining through under the door and there was movement inside because a
shadow kept passing by the door and there was wierd sounds coming from inside.
We were pretty sure the alien was in there.

So we kind of barged in. And there was the alien! It was pale and slimy looking with massive black eyes and slits for a nose and it was dead thin and tall and totally naked and bald. And
it was kind of hunched over. One of the windows was smashed where it had got
inside.

Then the next thing I knew it was coming towards me and Bradley
and it was crawling dead creepy like. When it reached us, it caught hold of me
and I was mega scared coz I thought it was attacking me so I started hitting it
and its skin felt really soft but I kept on hitting it. Then I woke
up.

But I kind of feel sorry for the alien now coz when I think about it
I don't think it was actually attacking me. I think it was hurt and it was
reaching out for help. But that was the dream anyway. Wierd or what?

Here is a dream I had on April 22nd 2011!

It started with me being surrounded by the army and the police. They had a
building under seige. Everyone was armed to the teeth and had their weapons
pointing at the building.

Then some offical looking people came over to me and they began to explain what was going on.

They said that aliens
from another galaxy, were inside the building.
Naturally, I was like
"Ooooooooookaaaaaaaaaaay!"
They said that the aliens were here because they
were looking for me because I was special.

And there was one guy, one of
the official people, who kind of stood out. Mainly because he didn't look
official at all - he looked more like a bad guy in his black leather biker
jacket, white t-shirt with a print on it and a pair of beige/light brown
trousers with lots of pockets in it. He had dark brown hair and a bit of stubble
and green eyes and he was gorgeous! Like extraordinarily gorgeous! Everything
about him screamed badass! And I liked him! A lot!

And he was looking at
me extremely intensely like he was trying to tell me something without saying
anything.

Then there was some sort of diversion, I think it was a bright
flash with an explosion, and all the people surrounding me dispersed and their
attention was drawn away from me for a second. That's when the badass guy went
to grab me and somehow I knew he would and I was ready because I jumped away
from him and legged it. He followed me, but he was just sort of strolling after
me, like he knew I wouldn't be able to get away from him.

I ran into a terraced house nearby and locked the door. There was a little old lady inside
and I begged her to help me lock all the windows and doors. She came with me
around the house to help me lock everywhere up and when we got back to the
living room I looked outside to find the army and police where running straight
for the house and surrounding it. I was so scared and I closed the curtains to
try to block them out.

When I turned around the badass guy was standing there right in front of me and I was almost screamed.

He introduced himself. He said that he was called Matthii (or at least that's as close as I
can get to what it sounded like).

He told me not be afraid and that he
had been searching for me and he had travelled a long way to find me. That's
when I realised he was the alien!

Except he looked nothing like an alien.
He just looked like one of us, a human, with human clothes and a human voice and
he could speak English.

Then he tried to explain that the officials
outside, the good guys, weren't actually the good guys! He said
that we needed to escape and then he would explain everything to me and he held out his
hand for me to take it. Except I didn't trust him, so I refused to go with
him.

I folded my arms and looked the other away and I could tell he was
getting angry, but there was no way I was gonna go running off with an alien
just because he said the good guys outside were actually the bad guys.

So he began to explain that on his planet he was the King. He said that
as King he is constantly faced with the threat of being overthrown but in order
to secure continued peace on his planet he needed his Queen. The Queen makes the
King more powerful. He said that there is only one Queen for every King and most
Kings never find their Queen and so their planets are over-run with chaos. If a
King finds his Queen and they are joined in spirit then no harm must come to the
Queen because if she dies, then so does the King. But if a King dies, his Queen
would live on. But the benefits of finding the Queen and joining with her far
outway the risks to the King.

Matthii told me that I was special because
I was his Queen. He said that the officials outside were not human either, they
had been on Earth a long time searching for me because they wanted to kill me in
order to prevent him from taking me as his Queen.

As interesting as all
that was I still didn't trust him. At least I didn't until the army started
trying to bash down the door. Matthii said that they would not be able to get in
because he was using his powers to prevent them doing so but his powers would
only last so long. He told me to decide!

And that's when the old woman
turned into a super model! She was tall with long silky blonde hair and she was
wearing a black shiny suit like Catwoman! She addressed Matthii as "My Lord" and
urged us to hurry because the bad guys outside were using their powers to try to
break down Matthii's protective walls.

I could see Matthii was beginning
to struggle as his powers were draining him so I made my decision and took his
hand and suddenly I found myself in a hotel room. Matthii was exhausted and I
actually felt a bit sorry for him. The super model, whatever she was called,
said that she was going to check on the situation and she quickly left.


Matthii and I just talked a long while about his planet and how far he
had travelled, how he got to Earth and so on. Then I asked why he thinks I am
his Queen and how he could possibly haven known where to find me.

I stood by the window and looked out while he told me he knew that I was his Queen
because he could feel it inside whenever he looked at me. He said that the
feeling of being close to his Queen gets stronger the closer he gets to me.
That's how he found me. He said that I should be able to feel it too except that
I haven't learnt how to unlock my powers yet. He said that he would teach me
how.

Then he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me and that's
when I felt a sort of knowledge, like I knew that he was mine and I was his and
that knowledge filled me entirely until he let go and then I felt very lonely
and cold. He told me that, that feeling would be there all the time after we
were joined.

Then he asked me if I would join with him and be his Queen
so I said that I would. The he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me and
suddenly it felt like we were one being. I could feel my spirit and his spirit
merging together and mixing and a bright light began to shine from us, moving
outwards and getting brighter and brighter. Then it stopped.

Now that we
had been joined I felt different, like somehow I knew I had powers but I just
didn't know how to use them. I could hear better and see better and everything
seemed brighter and more colourful.

Now that I was his Queen, Matthii was quite happy to let me have some freedom so he arranged for a white limo to pick me up driven by one of his people and he told me to be careful and to remember
that if anything happened to me and I got killed, he would die too.

Once I was away from the hotel, the driver of the limo took me to the middle of
nowhere where the officials were waiting for me. They took the mobile that
Matthii had given me and destroyed it. I knew then that were going to kill me in
order to kill Matthii. They told me that they wanted to rule Matthii's planet
and they were planning universal domination.

I don't know how I did it but somehow I managed to communicate with Matthii telepathically to tell him that I had been kidnapped and that his driver had been one of the officials all
along. It was a faint connection because we were far away from each other but I
knew I had managed it.

It felt like forever, but I knew it was within
seconds, Matthii suddenly appeared by my side with the super model and just as
he was about to unleash his new super powers, curtesy of moi, I woke
up.



I'm getting Carrie Jones' books coming through in this dream
I think. I read the third book, 'Entice', not long ago. I think my brain has
been taken over by pixies.

This was a dream I had on Thursday 7th April 2011.

Okay so in my dream, I went to the zoo with my friend, Meredydd,
and all the chimpanzees went totally psycho when they saw us! I mean they
freaked BIG TIME! They started attacking the cage and pointing at us. And we
were like, "OOOOOOOOOkaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"

After this unnerving encounter we
decided it might be best to exit the zoo in case the chimps escaped and came
looking for us. Meredydd flew off, he's a flying monkey
from Oz, and I heading to the top of a multi-storey car park to wait for my
dragon to pick me up.

As I was waiting, Lord Voldemort apparated in
front of me and demanded that I give him The Egg! He said that he had an army of
chimps and he wasn't afraid to set them on me. Then he started getting all
badass and in my face so I threw myself off the multi-storey car park and
luckily my dragon arrived just in time to catch me in mid-air. We managed to
escape in the end but Lord Voldemort chased us for miles!

So after this I rang Meredydd and we met up at the cinema,
which was heaving because it was Orange Wednesday and 'The Hobbit' was showing
and everyone wanted to see it.

While we were in the queue waiting to go
in Cyclops and Phoenix from The X-Men turned up saying that they had been
searching for us. They asked whether I had The Egg but I didn't have a clue what
anyone was going on about! So Cyclops and Phoenix took us to Hogwarts where Lord
Voldemort was breeding a chimpanzee army. So we creeped about checking the
situation out until we suddenly spotted and a load of those dudes from The
Matrix started chasing us. We legged it through the corridors of Hogwarts trying
to lose them but we kept getting cornered and trapped by Lord Voldemort's
chimps.

We finally managed to escape and we headed straight for
Hogsmeade but when we got there we discovered that The Prancing Pony had been
blasted apart! So we went inside cautiously and found Bilbo Baggins seriously
injured and not far from him was Molly Weasley who was unconcious and looked
kind of like a banshee.

Bilbo told us that Lord Voldemort had put an
imperious curse on Molly and she was seeking The Egg.
He said that he had fought Molly Weasley to stop her from getting The Egg.

Then Bilbo pulled himself across the room and he took something out of a little hole in the corner
of the room. It was The Egg.

Then he handed it to me. I told him I didn't
want it because I'm not a superhero. I said that he should give it to Cyclops
and Phoenix but he shook his head and said that it was my destiny and that if I
couldn't find a way to protect The Egg then no one could! So I told him that he
appeared to be doing a damn good job! And then Phoenix said that The Egg was
special because inside it was a faerie and the faerie so precious that Lord
Voldemort was desperate to get his hands on it.

As I took The Egg from Bilbo, Molly Weasley jumped up and ran at me screaming like a banshee! She drew her wand and she was about to Avada Kedavra me when Cyclops took his shades off
and we all know what happens then!

Lord Voldemort apparated into The
Prancing Pony just in time to see the demise of Molly Weasley and he was
seriously pissed! We had to make a run for it but we didn't get far because we
were surrounded by chimps.

Lord Voldemort approached me and screamed at
me to give him The Egg. By this point I was so fed up of being chased about
because of some stupid Egg. So I threw The Egg at Lord Voldemort. It hit him on
the chest and it smashed! But there was no faerie inside, just rotten egg! Lord
Voldemort reeked of eggy farts!

And so now I can say forever more,

I EGGED VOLDEMORT! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Inheritance

The fourth book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini will be released on November 8th 2011!
The book is called Inheritance. It will be the last book in the series, which began with Eragon and continued with Eldest followed by Brisngr.

Characteristics of an Abuse Victim

There are characteristics which people in an abusive relationships tend to
display. These can include:

Low self esteem
Emotional
Hope that the abuse will stop
Depression
Haggard appearance
Signs of stress
Accepts blame and guilt for violence
Socially isolated, for example, avoiding social interaction
Believes in stereotypical sex roles
Has poor self image
Contemplates or attempts suicide or self-harms
Appears nervous or anxious
May defend any criticism of abuser
May have repeatedly left, or considered leaving the relationship
Look like they are not taking care of themselves
Becomes withdrawn
Suffers mood swings
Personality changes
Injuries such as bruising, cuts, walking stiffly
Making excuses all the time
Absent from work
Lack of opportunity to communicate independently for example her partner talks over her
or she may be reluctant to speak
Lack of money
Her partner displays irrational behaviour
Unwanted pregnancy and forced abortion
Substance abuse
Lack of assertiveness
Damage to property
Unwilling to give out personal details
Children appear withdrawn and depressed.
Animals and pets are repeatedly injured.
Flinches or jumps more than what would be considered normal.
Easily frightened.
Loses temper quickly.
Signs of self harm.
Inability to concentrate.
Constantly looking around terrified.

IF YOU RECOGNISE ANY OF THESE CHARACTERISTICS
IN YOURSELF, A FRIEND, A FAMILY MEMBER, A NEIGHBOUR OR A WORK COLLEAGUE PLEASE
SEEK ADVICE!

Freephone 24 Hour National Domestic Violence
Helpline
Phone: 0808 2000 247
Email:

helpline@womensaid.org.uk

Broken
Rainbow UK National number for Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay victims.
Phone: 0300
999 5428

IF YOU ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER PLEASE CALL 999!


For
more information go to:

http://www.refuge.org.uk
http://www.womensaid.org.uk
http://www.broken-rainbow.org.uk

Warning Signs of Domestic Abuse

Warning Signs of Domestic Abuse

Source is from http://www.hiddenhurt.co.uk

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Many people who have suffered abuse often wish that they had known the warning signs
of Domestic Abuse so that they could have refused to begin a relationship with
someone or so that they could have escaped from their partner, boyfriend,
girlfriend, husband or wife sooner.

I have suffered Domestic Abuse myself! I wish I had known these warning signs when I was in my relationship so that I could have got out sooner!

Please also remember, not every abuser shows every single sign! Some do not reveal these signs until later on in the
relationship. Some only show one or two signs. However, the more signs that are
shown in the abuser, the greater the abuse will be and as time goes on the abuse
will get worse until they totally dominate and control their victim!


Bare in mind that anyone can suffer Domestic Abuse and anyone can be a
aomestic abuser! It does not not matter whether you are male or female, young or
old.

Also remember that abusers will often try to explain the reason for
why they are behaving in an abusive manner. Often the reasons will be stress at
work, it's the victim's fault for provoking them, there are financial problems,
tiredness, etc. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR DOMESTIC ABUSE! DO NOT SUFFER IT OR TRY
TO COPE HOPING THAT THE ABUSE WILL STOP! IT WILL NEVER STOP!

Please understand that I am not a counselor! I have no qualifications in dealing with
Domestic Abuse! I am just someone who has been there and experienced it. I just
want to spread the word! Please help spread the word with me! This post may even
save lives! Did you know that two people are killed every week by their current
or former partner in England and Wales?

If even just a handful of people recognise these signs and act on this information, then this post will have done it's job!

Here are the warning signs and abusive indications of someone
who is or likely to become a Domestic
Abuser.


JEALOUSY

"Jealousy is only natural when people are in
love!" NO IT ISN'T!
An abuser may start to show signs of being possessive
and overly interested to the extreme in your day to day activities, whereabouts
and social interactions. An abuser may begin questioning you, however intensely,
about who you have spoken to or seen during the day. An abuser may start
accusing you of flirting, having an affair or may even call you names like
'Whore', 'Slapper', 'Slut' or 'Slag'. An abuser may start to show signs of
jealousy even when you spend time with your family or your friends. These signs
may even start to extend to any time you spend with your children or even any
hobbies or activities that do not include the abuser. As time goes on the abuser
may begin to call you more and more to check up on you or turn up out of the
blue. An abuser may start asking friends or work colleagues about your
whereabouts, you may find yourself being pressured to give up work or find that
you are not allowed to get a job. An abuser may frequently check your text
messages, phones calls you have made and phones calls made to your phone. An
abuser may open your letters, check your emails or check any social networking
accounts that you may have. You may also find yourself being isolated more and
more away from your family and friends due to the abuser demanding more and more
of your time, complaining that you spend too much time with family and friends
or even pressuring you to stop seeing them for one reason or
another.
JEALOUSY IS NOT A SIGN OF LOVE! IT IS A SIGN OF CONTROLLING
BEHAVIOUR AND POSSESSIVENESS.



CONTROLLING BEHAVIOUR

An
abuser will never admit to being controlling. They will try to use any excuse to
cover up the fact that what they are doing is controlling behaviour. The
favourite excuse is that the abuser is "concerned" for you and is just looking
out for you. Such as being concerned for your safety. An abuser will begin to
take up more and more of your time by demanding or putting pressure on you. The
abuser will begin making more and more of the decisions regardless of what you
say, think or how you feel. An abuser may be angry if you are late or don't
arrive on time. An abuser may interrogate you as to your whereabouts, who you
have spoken to, what conversations you have had or even why you went somewhere
or did something without telling the abuser, asking the abuser first or
involving the abuser. You may find yourself being criticised by the abuser for
things such as the clothes your are wearing, the style of your hair and even the
things you enjoy or like. As time goes on you may even find that you no longer
have control over your clothing, the home or how you spend your money. You may
even find that you have to ask permission first before you can go somewhere, see
family or friends or spend any money. An abuser may even become angry if you
make any wrong or bad decisions.
BEING CONCERNED FOR PEOPLE WE LOVE IS
NORMAL BUT CONTROLLING PEOPLE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!


BEING FORCED,
PRESSURED OR RUSHED INTO THINGS

Many victims of abuse will have dated or
known their abuser for less than six months before being pressured, forced or
rushed into commitments such as engagement, marriage or living together. Other
major commitments that a victim may be forced or pressured into are things such
as loans, mobile contracts, buying a car, joint bank accounts, Buy Now Pay Later
contracts, etc.
An abuser may say things like "I fell in love with you the
moment I saw you", "We are soulmates", "We are made for each other", "We are a
couple and that's what couples do" or "I have never loved anyone so much" when
really you have known each other for a short amount of time. This overwhelming
proclamation of love is often shown prematurely and before the relationship has
reached the appropriate stage. This means the abuser is desperate to make
commitments and will therefore pressure you or force you into those commitments
before you feel ready. An abuser may also try to make you feel guilty for not
making a commitment or accuse you of not wanting to make a commitment.
Other
things you may be pressured into or forced into is sex or sexual activities that
you are not ready for or do not want to do.
You may also find that if an
abuser has a child or children from a previous relationship they may expect you
to perform parental duties and responsibilities and treat their child or
children as if they were your own even if you have only been together a short
while or only see the child or children occasionally.


EXPECTATIONS
THAT ARE UNREALISTIC

You may find yourself expected to be perfect in
every way and being criticised if you are not. An abuser may expect you to be a
perfect boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, mother/father, etc. The abuser may
be dependent on you to fulfil their needs. This means you may be expected to
provide for your abuser emotionally, practically and financially.



ISOLATION

An abuser may try to stop, prevent or reduce your
social interaction. You may find yourself being prevented from spending time
with your friends or family or find that your abuser demands that you only go
places together. You may find yourself being accused of not wanting to be in the
relationship or of not being willing to commit to the relationship. An abuser
may belittle or even show hatred towards your friends and family. The abuser may
accuse your friends and family of trying to come between the two of you.
An
abuser may also restrict your use of a car, phone or prevent you from working or
gaining qualifications.


BLAME

An abuser will never accept
responsibility for anything. The blame will always be placed on someone else,
especially you. No matter what the problem or situation is they will never admit
their own wrong-doing. Therefore an abuser will blame anyone, their boss,
mother, friends, the children or you.
An abuser will always insist that your
behaviour and attitudes are to blame and that you are the cause of their anger
and abuse. An abuser may say things like, "you make me mad", "you're making me
angry by not doing what I ask" and "I would not be angry if you didn't/did ..."



HYPERSENSITIVITY

Most abusers are very easily insulted,
angered or upset. They may say that they are 'hurt' when in actual fact they are
angry. They may even take unrelated comments as personal attacks. They may also
twist, exaggerate or overanalyse comments. They may see things like having to
work overtime, being undercut or tailbacked while driving or fines as personal
injustices and may even retalliate. An abuser may criticise your preferences if
they differ from theirs or consider you to be criticising their preferences by
differing from them.


ANIMAL CRUELTY

An abuser may show
excessive or brutal acts of cruelty towards an animal. They may well be
indifferent to the animal's pain and suffering. They may also show neglect in
caring for the animal to the point of cruelty for example not grooming the
animal, not feeding the animal, not feeding the animal appropriate food or
leaving them in areas the abuser knows will cause suffering and distress. There
is a strong correlation between cruelty to animals and domestic violence. This
may well be a show of dominance meant to intimidate! It may well be a show of
total control! For example, the animal abuse is how the abuser will treat you if
you disobey them or the abuser may see themselves as doing you a favour by
taking their anger out on an animal instead of you!


CRUELTY TO
CHILDREN

The abuser's expectations of their partner will often be
mirrored in their attitude toward children. An abuser may view children as
'small adults' and blame the children for not being responsible, having common
sense or understanding. An abuser may expect children to be capable of things
far beyond their ability, for example they may become excessively angry with a
two-year old for wetting their pants, being sick or waking at night. As a result
they will punish the child to the extreme for their 'naughtiness'. An abuser may
tease children until they cry or punish children way beyond what would be
considered appropriate.
Abusers often want all your attention to themselves
and they will resent any time you spend with anyone else, including your
children. Again, there is a very strong link between Domestic Violence and Child
Abuse.


SEX

An abuser may put pressure on you or force you to
have sex. They may also try to pressure you into forceful or violent acts during
sex. You may find yourself being pressured into sexual acts that you do not want
to do. They may want to act out sexual fantasies where you are helpless and they
have complete dominance and control. An abuser may show little or no concern
about whether you want to have sex, participate in sexual acts or have
intercourse. They may use sulking, silence or anger to manipulate you. Some
abusers may start sex while you are sleeping or demand sex even when you are ill
or tired. They may also refuse to show any form of intimacy unless you have sex
with them.


GENDER ROLES

An abuser will usually believe in
stereotypical gender roles. A man may expect a woman to stay at home, cook and
clean for him and obey him. He may also see her as merely there to give him sex
whenever he wants it. Male abusers will often see women as being inferior to
men, less intelligent and unable to be a whole person without a relationship.

Female abusers may expect men to provide for them entirely or accuse him of
not being a real man if he shows any weakness or emotion.


VERBAL
ABUSE

This is an important warning sign and one of the easiest signs to
spot. An abuser will say things with the intention of being cruel and hurtful
whether in public or in private. This includes degrading remarks, criticism,
teasing, excessive shouting, swearing at you or dismissing any accomplishments.
Often the abuser will tell you that you are 'stupid' and that you would never be
able to manage without them. An abuser may keep you up all night to sort out any
problems or even wake you in the middle of the night to continue verbally
abusing you. An abuser may even prevent you from leaving a room or the house
while they are verbally abusing you.


DR. JECKYLL AND MR. HYDE
PERSONALITY

It is very rare that an abuser will be constantly nasty,
abusive or violent, whether in public or in private. Often the abuser will have
a public face and a private face. The abuser will appear to be perfectly normal,
charming, helpful, funny and pleasant in public. However in private the abuser
becomes completely the opposite. Sometimes the abuser will seem to be kind and
considerate towards you instead of constantly abusive. This Jeckyll and Hyde
tendency serves to confuse the victim as well as protecting themselves from any
form of suspicion from outsiders. Many victims describe that their abuser had
sudden changes in mood - one minute they would be nice and the next explosive or
hysterical.


ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE

Although drinking and
taking drugs is not a sign of a Domestic Abuser there is a connection between
alcohol and drug use and a higher risk of violent abuse. An abusive person will
often blame the drink or drugs for the abuse. However, an abuser who, knowing
that they will become more violent after drinking or taking drugs, chooses to
get drunk or high, is in effect choosing to abuse.


HISTORY OF
VIOLENCE AND ABUSE

It is rare that abuse or violence is a one-off event.
Sometimes an abuser may tell you that they have hit or sexually assaulted
someone in the past. They may refer to previous relationships and how they
behaved in that relationship. They may even start to make excuses for their
behaviour in previous relationships such as "She made me do it", "She caused it"
or "It was her. She was to blame". An abuser will often shift the blame and not
take any responsibility for their behaviour in a previous relationship. They may
even tell you that it won't happen with you because they "love you too much to
hurt you", "I'd never treat you like that because I care about you", "you love
them enough to prevent it" or "you won't be stupid enough to wind me up that
much". This is denying their own responsibility for the abuse, as well as
shifting the responsibility for the relationship to remain abuse-free on to you.



NEGATIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS WOMEN

Some male abusers may tell
you that you are different to all the women they have known before and they may
talk negatively and disrespectfully about their previous girlfriends or wives.
Some male abusers may show a lack of respect towards women in general.



THREATENING VIOLENCE

This is any threat of physical force
such as "If you speak to him again, I'll kill you". Some threats may even be
followed up or accompanied with some form of physical contact such as the
abuser's hand around your throat, pinning you against a wall or the abuser
gripping your arm and applying painful pressure. Threats are designed to
manipulate and control you, to keep you in your place and prevent you making
your own decisions. Sometimes an abuser may try to excuse themselves for making
threats by saying that you are being "over-sensitive" or "can't take a joke" for
being upset by such threats. Threats can also include statements such as "If you
leave me, I will kill myself".


BREAKING OR STRIKING OBJECTS

An
abuser may break or destroy your belongings, beat their fists on the table or
chair or throw something at or past you. They may slam or excessive force on
doors. They may punch walls, mirrors, photo frames or pictures. Breaking your
possessions not only is a punishment but also serves to de-personalise you,
denying you your individuality or literally trying to break links to your past.
Beating items of furniture or throwing objects will often be justified by saying
that you wound them up so much that they lost control. This again shifts the
blame for the abuser's behaviour on to you. Breaking or striking objects may be
used to terrorise you into submission.


USE OF FORCE DURING AN
ARGUMENT

This is a major warning sign! It may begin as a push or a shove
at the start of a relationship, but over time this gradually turns into
fullblown beatings. An abuser may physically restrain you from leaving the room,
lash out at you with their hand or an object, grab you by your hair, pin you
against a wall or shout 'right in your face'.


IN SUMMARY

Does
your partner?

... get jealous easily, even without reason?
... become
angry quickly and fly off into a rage easily?
... criticise you, put you down
and accuse you of things?
... always want to know where you have been and
what you have been doing?
... threaten to hurt himself, you or the children
if you do not comply?
... insist on having sex even if you don't really want
to? Or make you perform sexual acts that you do want to do?
... isolate you
by preventing you from seeing family or friends?
... phyically hit
you?
... strike objects in a rage?
... swear or shout at you in public or
private?
... control the money and finances?
... pressure you into
commitment before you are ready?
... expect too much of you?
... call you
names?
... see you are inferior?


IF YOU RECOGNISE ANY OF THESE
SIGNS PLEASE SEEK HELP!

Freephone 24 Hour National Domestic Violence
Helpline
Phone: 0808 2000 247
Email:

helpline@womensaid.org.uk

Broken
Rainbow UK National number for Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay victims.
Phone: 0300
999 5428

IF YOU ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER PLEASE CALL 999!


For
more information go to:

http://www.refuge.org.uk
http://www.womensaid.org.uk
http://www.broken-rainbow.org.uk

Book Review: Stay by C.C Jackson

Stay is a wonderful paranormal romance. It is fast paced and intriguing and
totally absorbing. I really felt like I was there inside the book. It is full of
suspense and danger and of course a little bit of romance.

The characters are brilliant, especially the protaganist, Callie. I loved the fact that she is
just a normal girl who is thrust into the world of the paranormal and she
struggles to accept who she really is: a faerie princess and her rightful place
is on the throne as the faerie Queen. I could totally connect with her struggle
to accept who she really is and cope with the massive changes that thrust
themselves upon her.

I really loved the fact that Callie had to learn how to fly! This book is unlike other paranormal faerie books that I have read where the faeries don't fly.

I particularly liked the reference to normal
everyday modern things like Callie's iPod, the song she was listening to and the
vampire novel she was reading. Not only does it give you a insight into who
Callie is and what she likes and what she is interested in but it also makes the
novel more applicable to today. Most people have an iPod and vampire novels are
all the rage at the moment.

I thought the title,'Stay', was very appropriate to the story! The book is essentially about whether Callie should accept who she is and what she is and stay and fight for her rightful place as
Queen.

Callie's confrontation with the faerie Queen was brilliant and the
romance in the book was passionate and intense. Brokk makes a fantastically
gorgeous, crush-worthy hunk. It's no wonder Callie is instantly attracted to
him, despite the fact that he kidnaps her. I liked the fact that Callie and
Brokk know each oher even though she cannot remember. I think this adds a lot of
history to the story.

Overall I found this book to be enchanting and simply lovely with some action and suspense in there too. Callie makes a fantastic heroine.I hope there will be a sequel and I can't wait for any
other books C.C. Jackson has in store for us.

Book Review: The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards

Eve Edward's is a wonderful author who has created a charming, romantic and
beautifully detailed historical novel. She has the ability to transport her
readers back to Tudor England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.


Although The Queen's Lady is the sequel to the first book, The Other
Countess, it can be read as a stand alone book! In fact, I read this book before
I read The Other Countess!

The story follows on from the first book,
with the focus turning more on Lady Jane Rievaulx who played a minor role in The
Other Countess. Having been recently widowed at only eighteen, she is now at the
mercy of her own ruthless family and her greedy stepsons. She decides to become
a lady in waiting to the Queen when a certain James Lacey, the dark and brooding
hero of the story, returns to court and she finds she still feelings for him.
However James is struggling to cope with what he has witnessed in war. He
decides to sail to America in the hope of getting over his problems at the
expense of Jane who finds herself struggling against her family's plans to marry
her off for their own benefit and the greed of her stepsons. Jane finds herself
a pawn in the games of court and she is desperate for someone to save
her.

Her treatment is appalling at times at times and you really get a
taste of what it must have been like for a lady at court during the Tudor period
subjected to gossip, rumour, attention, and judgement.

I loved the descriptions of the Elizabethcan ostumes and the sights and sounds and the
smells of daily Tudor life. It is as if Eve Edwards has been to Tudor times to
see for herself what life was like! The amount of research and hard work that
has gone into all her novels is impressive and it really shines through!


I particularly loved the character's Tudor language. There is nothing
worse than reading a period historical novel only to find the characters speak
modern day language! Eve Edwards, however, has done her research! The characters
talk the way Elizabethan's would have talked which makes this book so much more
believable!

I loved reading about Milly, Jane's seamstress friend, and
Diego, the black servant of James. However my favourite character in the book by
far was Christopher Turner, the theatrical illegitmate brother of James Lacey.
Christopher Turner's story comes to light in The Rogue Princess due to be
released in May 2011.

All in all, Eve Edwards had written a lovely book and I for one can't wait for the release of the third book!

Book Review: Finding Sky by Joss Stirling

I bought this book after reading a sample book of the first four chapters which
I got free in a magazine. By the time I finished the sample book I had to go
straight out and buy the actual book. The magazine was left on the side,
forgotten.

This is a paranormal romance for young adults but you will
find no werewolves, vampires, faeries or angels here. What you discover are
savants! Joss Stirling, aka Julia Golding, has written something totally unique
and original for the paranormal genre.

The story is about a British girl called Sky Bright who moves to Colorado. Her past is a totally intriguing mystery as she was adopted and she does not remember her previous life. Sky
feels completely out of her comfort zone being in a new country and starting a
new school but she soon settles in. Then she meets Zed Benedict! Zed is
peculiar, mysterious, moody and he has a real bad boy image and a reputation.
Sky and Zed are destined to be soulmates or 'soulfinders', but you will not find
them falling head over heels in love! The romance is not mushy or soppy or
totally over the top and it is not over written.

Joss Stirling has written Finding Sky brilliantly. I love the British slang mixed with American
and there the book is emotional and psychological and full of suspense, tension
and mystery. I loved the twists and turns in this book and at times I found
myself biting my nails and sitting on the edge of my seat.

I am looking forward to the sequel, Stealing Phoenix, whcih I already have on preorder!

Book Review: Lament by Maggie Steifvater

I bought this book purely because it is written by Maggie Steifvater. I loved
'Shiver' and 'Linger' and I figured if they were anything to go by then 'Lament'
would be just as amazing.
'Lament' is a novel about love, faeries, good and evil and I just want to say right now for the record - it's awesome!
It is about a sixteen year old girl Cello player called Dee who starts
to notice extraordinary things happening. Then she meets a boy called Luke, who
wants to kill her, and yet she is still attracted to him. She discovers that the
extraordinary things that are happening all around her are occurring because she
is a Cloverhand, someone who can see faeries. Except the faeries in this novel
are not the traditional type of faeries. They are dangerous and deadly, some are
evil, and they are out for Dee's blood!
I could not put this book down I found it so gripping and it really had me engrossed!
Maggie Stiefvater has created and brilliant story of romance and mystery with a lot of suspense and
danger and the faeries are actually quite scary and malevolent! She has put a
really amazing and unique twist on the idea of faeries.
I loved this book and I have preordered the sequel, Ballad!

Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Grace was attacked by a pack of wolves when she was younger. She survived
because one wolf with brilliant yellow eyes protected her. Since then Grace
looks for her wolf every winter when the wolves return. Then one day a boy
appears on her porch and he is seriously injured. And Grace knows he is her
wolf. He has the same yellow eyes.

SHIVER is a werewolf novel without
the blood and gore. It is romantic and beautiful with lovely imagery.

I found myself hooked on Grace and Sam's blossoming relationship and I really
loved Sam's struggle against the wolf inside him. I loved the idea that instead
of people changing into wolves accoring to a moon cycle,they change into wolves
according to cold temperatures.This concept is totally original and I really
liked it.

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but, honestly, the cover of this book is gorgeous!

Maggie Stiefvater has written a beautiful book and cleverly added a twist to the old werewolf tale.

After reading 'Shiver' I immediately bought the sequel, 'Linger' and I preordered the
third book,'Forever'.

'Linger' continues where 'Shiver' left off and the story as a whole just gets better and better with more and more incredible
twists! I can't wait for the third book to come out!

Book Review: The Magician by Raymond E. Feist

What do you do after you have read 'The Lord Of The Rings'? You read Raymond E.
Feist's books!

'The Magician' is the best fantasy book since 'The Lord
Of The Rings'. It is the first book of a loooooooooooooooooong and epic saga.
There are to date around 29 books which must be read in chronological order as
follows:


Magician
Jimmy the Hand
Honoured Enemy
Murder in
LaMut
Daughter of the Empire
Silverthorn
A Darkness at Sethanon

Servant of the Empire
Krondor the Betrayal
Mistress of the Empire

Krondor the Assassins
Krondor Tear of the Gods
Prince of the Blood

The Kings Buccaneer
Shadow of a Dark Queen
Rise of a Merchant Prince

Rage of a Demon King
Shards of a Broken Crown
Talon of the Silver
Hawk
King of Foxes
Exiles Return
Flight of the Nighthawks
Into a Dark Realm
Wrath of a Mad God
Rides a Dread Legion
At the Gates of Darkness
A Kingdom Besieged
A Crown Imperiled
Magicians End



Don't let the amount of books put you off otherwise you will miss
out on an amazing journey that, collectively, these books will take you on. It
is an epic task in itself just reading each book one after the other but it is
so worth it and you will not regret it!

The Magician, in fact the entire collection of books, makes this story one of the most gripping and compelling fantasy reads you will ever experience.

The plot never gets lost in The Magician. The whole story comes together in the end with spectacular results. However, it is only after reading each book that you can really appreciate how
incredible and amazing Raymond Feist is! Raymond Feist gives you pictures, one
at a time, and they are beautiful pictures but they are part of a much bigger
picture. It is only when you put all the pictures together that you can really
appreciate the beauty of Raymond Feist has created. Sounds cliche but
true!

Raymond Feist has created the epic to end all epics! This is the
epic of epics! It is beyond anything you have ever imagined. The scale of the
world you're about to enter is so huge it is literally mind blowing. Raymond
Feist has created something in a league of it's own.

You get the usual fantasy elements - dragons, elves, dwarves, humans, goblins, malevolent beings,
Gods, magicians, massive battles, raging wars, etc. But Raymond Feist has
created something totally original and extremely addictive. Once you begin
reading the first book, you move on to the second and then the third and you
keep going because you can't stop. Raymond Feist's books are like Pringles.


'The Magician', one of the BBC best reads top 100, is centred around the
worlds of Midkemia and Kelewan. The Tsurani Empire from Kelewan invades Midkemia
through a rift causing a rift war between the Kelewans and the Midkemians.


The story starts with a boy called Pug and his friend Tomas who live at
the castle of Crydee, in a quiet corner of the Kingdom of Rillanon in Midkemia.
They start off as apprentices but by the end of the book they take on
instrumental roles in the rift war.
There is a medieval setting to Midkemia
in contrast to the Japanese like customs of the Kelewans and the huge lit of
characters does not bog down the book or complicate it.

'The Magician', the first book of the greatest epic tale in fantasy to date, is astounding.
Raymond Feist is a genius!

I consider myself to be an extremely lucky girl too, for I had the opportunity to meet the illustrator for Raymond Feist. Geoff Taylor has created the artwork for the covers for Raymond Feist's books. I met Geoff and his wife in Lancaster and he was a lovely man. He signed a card for me (I will put a photo of it up when I find it). Geoff Taylor also creates the covers and illustrations for Michelle Paver's books as well as for Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children Series and many other authors. His artwork is incredible.

Book Review: Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Twisted is simply a brilliant book and intensely riveting. I read this book in
one day, I simply couldn't put it down!

It is really a book pressure and coping with pressure: pressure from parents, pressure from peers, pressure from school and pressure from the law.

The story starts as Tyler Miller is
carrying out his punishment for something he calls the "Foul Deed".
However, Tyler finds a positive side to his punishment. Hard labor has turned his muscles
to steel. He no longer looks like the invisible "Nerd Boy" who gets bullied and
beaten up, attracting the attention of the beautiful and popular Bethany
Milbury.

But as school begins he finds himself struggling with the
pressure of school work and the pressure to do well and "keep his nose clean"
after his "Foul Deed".

His father is verbally abusive, strict and obsessed with work, appearing not to care much for his family which adds more pressure on Tyler. Add to this the pressure from his peers and the social
rejection he is recieving and the reader can really see how Tyler is struggling
to cope. Some people see him as a hero for becoming a bad boy while others shun
him.

And then he finds himself accused of taking advantage of Bethany at
a party. Everyone is convinced he did it because of his new found bad boy image.
He also broke his parole curfew by going to the party in the first place.


Tyler's only option is to try to repair the damage done to his
reputation. Either that or take the easy way out! The only people there for
Tyler throughout his ordeal is his sister, Hannah and his best friend, Yoda.


Tyler is a complex character. On the outside he seems to deal with life
just as well as everyone else but on the inside he is struggling.

Laurie Halse Anderson brilliantly captures the characters and deals with serious issues
beautifully but with humour which uplifts what would have otherwise been a
heavy, upsetting book.
She is an outstanding writer and her insight and
clarity into the issues that she has tackled in her books, and how she conveys
her characters, is nothing short of amazing.

As this is my second Halse Anderson book, I was concerned that Twisted would not be able to compete against her first book SPEAK. However, I was wrong. This book is just as
good!

Book Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

The moment Melinda Sordino starts her first day at Merryweather High, she knows
she is an outcast.
The story starts a few months after something traumatic
happened to Melinda. But what happened to her is not revealed until later on as
the story slowly unfolds.
All we know at first is that she busted an
end-of-summer party by calling the cops and now her old friends won't talk to
her and people she doesn't know glare at her. No one knows why she called the
police, and she can't get out the words to explain. Her parents are too wrapped
up in themselves to notice that something is wrong and her only so-called
friend, Heather, is just with her until she finds someone cool to hang out with.

So Melinda retreats into her head and becomes silent on the outside. But
it's not so comfortable in her head, either - there's something banging around
in there that she doesn't want to think about. But, try as she might, it just
won't go away...

What makes this novel unique is the inner dialogue of
Melinda Sordino. It has been written in the first person narrative from her
point of view. Melinda has a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humour and her
thoughts really made me laugh. She is very opinionated and outspoken but she
keeps these thoughts to herself and utters not one word out loud. She is also
suffering inside and being tortured by a memory that she desperately wants to
forget.

This book is very special to me. This is the only book that I
have found that relates to me in every was possible. In a way I feel as if it
has been written for me!

Melinda Sordino begins to suffer from Selective
Mutism after a traumatic experience. This is a condition that means a person
cannot talk in most social situations and to almost everyone except a handful of
people. Selective Mutism is basically a fear of talking.
I have suffered
from Selective Mutism for as long as I can remember and I found that I could
totally relate to Melinda. I know what it is like to be unable to talk. I too
have an opinionated, outspoken inner dialogue that no one but myself ever hears!

I know what it is like to have no friends, to be isolated and alone and
completely misunderstood. Laurie Halse Anderson has really done a fantastically
amazing job of describing what this is like. I tip my hat to her!

Laurie has also magnificently taken on the extremely upsetting subject of rape and the
subsequent consequences and affects of such as traumatic experience. I too have
had a very bad experience and so I could relate to Melinda. I totally understood
how she was feeling and what it is like to be haunted by a memory that you wish
would disappear.

SPEAK is a phenomenal book. Riveting and
compassionately written, it is emotional and inspirational. It is ultimately as
story of social acceptance and self acceptance with very clear messages to get
across to the reader.
Although it has been written for the young adult
market I personally think that it is a book adults would enjoy as well.
It is cleverly written and without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read.


Thank you Laurie. Words cannot describe how much this book means to
me.

Immortal Beloved, the sequel to The Forest Of Adventures by Katie M. John, is due to be released on August 25th 2011!

Book Review: The Forest Of Adventures by Katie M. John

I love paranormal romance. I can't get enough of it. I am addicted to it.
Nevertheless, it was so refreshing to read a paranormal romance that didn't
involve vampires, werewolves, faeries or Angels!

I am of course talking about Katie M. John's book, 'The Forest Of Adventures'. It was so wonderfully
refreshing and a real pleasure to read. Katie John has written this book
beautifully and she has clearly done a lot of research into Arthurian legends
and mythology and it really shines through in the story. How very cleverly she
weaves these legends with the modern day 21st century and she totally pulls it
off brilliantly.

The plot sparkles and it is totally enchanting and magical, sexy and dark and really original.
The story is one of true and forbidden love.
The main charcter, Mina Singer, who narrates the story,
finds herself torn between the guy she has been dating for two years called Sam
and the new guy called Blake whom she feels instantly attraction to, however
Blake isn't all he seems. Mina soon finds that the fairytales she grew up with
really do exist and they are more dangerous than you could imagine.

The characters are simply wonderful. They have depth and I found that I came to care
about them as if they were real and as if they were my friends.
I found I could totally relate to Mina and I could see myself in her. Even the other
characters I found I could relate to having known people like them, such as Sam
and even the English teacher, Mr Dwell.
Then there is Morgan, a deliciously
evil character who I actually enjoyed reading!

I loved the fact that this isn't an American book. It made such a wonderful change since most of the young adult paranormal romances around today are American. So with this book being
British I found I was able to really relate to the life of the high school. The
common room in the book could have easily been my common room at school for
example.
I couldn't help grinning my way through this book because I could
relate to so much. I felt like I was actually there inside the book because of
how well I could connect to it.

It is not only the book that has impressed me though it is also the author herself! She is happy to communicate with people who contact her which is really lovely. I found out about this book
from Katie John herself and as a result I bought it straight away and began
reading it.

Whats more, Katie herself created the cover for 'The Forest Of Adventures', proving she is multi-talented.

Katie John has done a magnificent job with this book and I
thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't wait to read the following books in this Knight
Trilogy.

Thank you Katie.

Note to authors!

Authors take note: how not to react to reader's reviews. 'The Greek Seaman' by Jacqueline Howett, reviewed by Big AL. http://t.co/QLRb5Mj

Book Review: Stardust by Neil Gaiman

'Stardust' is a fairytale unlike anything you have ever read before because it
is specifically targeted at adults!
This book is stuffed full of magic and wonder. It is filled with enchantment and has an element of mystery.
Neil Gaiman cleverly takes traditional fairytale characters and twists
them into something original and very contempory. There are witches, a lion, a
unicorn, a fallen star, three men who who hope to win the seat of power, flying
ships, faeries, goblins. Stardust is completely original and a true fantasy that
fills the reader's head with with beautiful imagery and vivid, breathtaking
scenes.
Neil Gaiman writes this book beautifully. He cleverly weaves the
tale together so that everything falls into place and all the ends are nicely
tied up by the end without once losing the reader's attention.
The story first follows a man called Dunstan Thorn who happens to fall in love with a
beautiful woman from across the Wall. She is not only a slave but a faerie. Nine
months later, a baby arrives on Dunstan's doorstep and he is called
Tristan.
The book then follows the main character, Tristan, who believes
he is in love with a girl from his village. In order to win her hand, he
promises to find a fallen star and bring it back for her and so his adventure
begins when he goes over the Wall.
When Tristan finds the star, he discovers that it is in fact a beautiful woman called Yvaine. The Lord of Stormheld threw a gem, just before he died, and it knocked Yvaine out of the
sky. Now the Lord's sons are searching for the gem in order to become the next
Lord. There are also three witches desperate to capture the star so that they
can cut out her heart in order to obtain their youth. Tristan therefore become
the hero of the story as he strives to protect the star while at the same time
holding her captive so that he can take her back to his village for the girl he
thinks he loves.
Stardust is a real gem. Totally entrancing and magical,
it is a fairytale like no other. I have recommended this book to dozens of
people.

Book Review: Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I bought a magazine at the corner shop and inside was a sample book called
'Hush, Hush' by Becca Fitzpatrick. The cover looked amazing and I immediately
cast the magazine aside and opened the book instead. After reading half way
through this sample book, which only consisted of about the first three or four
chapters, I rang my dad and vigourously begged him to go to the bookstore and
buy the book for me.

I was so hooked on this book I couldn't put it down,
I just had to keep wolfing down chapter after chapter and I was gutted when I
got to the end because I did'nt want it to finish.

'Hush, Hush' is a wonderfully captivating book with amazing imagery and characters that include
badass angels and kick-ass human girls. The pages practically come to life and I
felt as if I was actually there with the characters and part of the
book.

There is humour, intrigue, suspense, shocking twists, surprise,
danger, romance, a bad guy who is actually a good guy and a good girl who
actually finds the 'bad good guy' annoying but falls for him anyway. What more
could you want!

The story is mysterious, haunting, sexy, beautifully
written, thrillingly gripping and vigorously addictive!

Becca Fitzpatrick is an exceptional author with a huge amount of literary skill. One
minute she is able to crack jokes and the next minute she manages to have you on
the edge of your seat chewing your fingernails with suspense.

The plot is incredibly clever and unpredictable with shock after shock and few laughs
thrown in. Add to that the hot attraction between Nora and Patch and you are in
for a delicious treat.

The characters are vigorously awesome. Nora has got her head on her shoulders, she is willful and intelligent but you can still relate to her. Patch is a mystery, totally fascinating and infuriatingly
addictive. I also liked the fact that Becca Fitzpatrick didn't go into a
huge amount of detail on the character's descriptions which allowed me to
imagine my very own Patch and I substituted Nora for myself *cheeky
wink*!

Sadly, a lot of people seem to compare this book with 'Twilight'.
This book is not like 'Twilight'. 'Twilight' is about vampires and werewolves.
'Hush, Hush' is about Angels. It is totally unfair to compare the two books.
This is a paranormal romance in its own right and shouldn't be compared to any
other paranormal romances.

Anyway, I think I have an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I can't stop buying paranormal books. Either that or I have a vigorous addiction. These paranormal books should come with a warning: WILL CAUSE SERIAL READING!

Right, I am off to buy the second book by Becca Fitzpatrick - 'Crescendo'... so that I can drool over Patch. Hee!

Book Review: Pride & Prejudice & Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

Take a Jane Austen classic and mash it up with some zombies and what do you get?
The potential for a damn good book. Unfortunately 'Pride And Prejudice And
Zombies' fell just below the mark.

In all honesty, I could eat alphabetti spaghetti and poop out a better novel than this.

Don't get me wrong, the book is alright, but that's it, it's just alright! And this is a real shame
because this book could have been spectacular, a real twist on a classic, a
fantastic merging of today's thirst for horror with yesterday's
classic.

The writing is Jane Austen's with parts changed or adapted to
fit in the zombies and it's cleverly done. You still the classic 'Pride And
Prejudice' and you still get Jane Austen's style of writing. It's just been
mashed up with a bit of horror. It's not even a bit of horror, it's less than
that it's more like a speck of horror.

The problem I have with the book is that there isn't enough zombie action in it. Where is the blood and guts? I was expecting zombies to start feeding on Mr. Bingley's brains or dragging Mrs.
Bennett off to their zombie lair by her legs. And ok, Charlotte Collins turns
into a zombie and Mr. Darcy and the Bennett sisters are zombie slayers which is
kinda cool, but still, the book could have been better. If you are going to mash
up a classic like 'Pride And Prejudice' with load of zombies you might as well
do it properly.

Darren Shan should have written this book, that dude knows what horror is! I can just imagine how awesome this book would have been had he written it.

So anyway, the zombies in this book are just a bit of
a nuisance really, stopping people from travelling, dragging themselves around
the countryside and affecting other day to day activities. But they don't cause
wisdespread chaos. I was expecting 'I Am Legend' or something and all I got was
a couple of zombies caausing a bit of an inconvenience. The zombies don't
exactly jump out of the page at you and I certainly wouldn't say this book was
scary.

And there are some good chuckles in it which makes the book quite
fun but I wouldn't say it was laugh a minute.

So all in all, 'Pride And Prejudice And Zombies' is ok, it's alright but this book wouldn't be top of the
list on my recommendations. I have read worse books.
I just feel a bit miffed that I was cheated out of some major zombie ass kicking.

Book Review: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Princess of Genovia.

Just that name alone made me open the book.

Mia is the ultimate
typical teenager. She is totally likable and relatable. I shared her high and
lows and I can completely understand what she is going through. Well, except the
princess thing because I am not a princess. Although I personally wouldn't have
a problem with the tiara.

One minute Mia is an average teenager living
in Manhatten trying to cope with the fact that her mother has started dating her
algebra teacher, and the next she is the heir to the throne of Genovia.
To
matters worse Mia's strict Grandmere, whom she loathes, arrives intent on giving
her princess lessons.
Mia's only hope is that the whole nightmare stays
secret.

'The Princess Diaries' makes me want to be a princess, who
wouldn't! Well, Mia wouldn't obviously.

The book is quite simply a right
royal laugh and I couldn't put it down. The whole series is totally original and
wonderfully written.

Thank God Meg Cabot became an author!

Book Review: I Am The Great Horse by Katherine Roberts

Don't be fooled into thinking this is just another Black Beauty tale. It most
certainly isn't. Bucephalus has attitude and brings a fierce quality to the
story that Black Beauty never had. It is more along the lines of 'Spirit:
Stallion Of The Cimarron'.
If this horse had to have a human equivalent I'd
say he was Rambo.

'I Am The Great Horse' is based on Alexander the Great
told through the eyes of his warhorse. Historically this books is pretty sound
and accurate and you can totally immerse yourself in the pages of the book as if
you are there. Katherine Roberts has clearly put a great amount fo effort into
her research and it totally pays off.

The narrator is Bucephalus,
Alexander's favourite horse. Bucephalas is famous for being a wild and fierce
stallion and totally unrideable, the only person who is known to be able to ride
him is Alexander. When Bucephalus is not leading Alexander's army into battle,
he is preoccupied with dominating the other stallions and mares, believing
himself to be leader. He even tries to dominate humans.
Bucephalus is a
reflection of the society of the day - dominate or be dominated, for this reason
Alexander and Bucephalus are very similar, they both want to be the strongest,
they both want to be leader.

At times the book is funny, sometimes it is
rude and sometimes horrific. Told through the eyes of a horse it makes the
history of Ancient Greece and Alexander The Great more unusual and totally
different to anything else you could read.

This book isn't just a
children's book. Adults, particularly horse lovers, will get a huge amount of
enjoyment out of this book.