30 Days of Books - Day 01

Righto. Lesley (or rather, Lesley's mum) found this marvellous meme on the internet, and I've decided to take a whack at it. I've seen this sort of thing floating around on various social networking sites, but had no idea they were called meme's. I do now. If anyone's interested in this particular meme, I can direct you to Lesley's blog, where you'll find not only her list, but also details for the full thread. (I don't know how to do the linky thing she has on the side ... sorry.)
I should also point out, I have every intention of seeing this through to Day 30, however I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of blogging about a book every day for 30 days, so knowing me, it might very well take me until Christmas to complete. Just so you know.

Day 01 - The Best Book You Read Last Year

I thought long and hard about which book would be a good'un to kick this off. To be honest, I haven't really had very much time for personal reading over the last year, because the reading lists for university take up a great chunk of my time. However, there was one book I had to read for a module that really stuck with me for a pretty long time after I'd finished it.

Junk by Melvin Burgess is a compelling, complicated and disturbing look at the effects of drug addiction and the drug culture in the UK. The general premise for the book is kids with some pretty serious parental issues who run away from home and end up living with squatters, ultimately ending up getting heavily involved with hard drugs. The story is told from various viewpoints, and Burgess lets each and every one have their own say. The characters are immensely rich and believeable, and I found myself from the very first chapter willing this story to have a happy ending. I find it easy to get sucked into a good book, to attach myself to the characters, and for pages upon pages I hoped and hoped that they'd be saved from their circumstances, their addiction, and ultimately themselves.

It's quite clear from very early on, however, that these characters are well beyond any help or intervention, and there is a lingering, inescapable sense of the inevitable as the narrative evolves.

 I don't want to go too deeply into the plot for fear of spoilers, but I'll just say this. When this book was first published in 1996, it was met with howls of protest from various journalists, parents, teachers, etc etc, with many fearing the content was too hard-hitting for it's target audience. But once they'd taken the time to read the book, to fully understand the point Burgess was trying to make, they realised that this book is empowering, encouraging  kids and adults alike to think for themselves rather than encouraging the use of hard drugs.

I found this book haunting - addictive and repulsive in equal measure. But more than that, I think this book is important. Kids need to know about the truth behind drug use, they need to know about the the good, the bad and the ugly in order for them to make up their own, informed decision about the topic. It's no good preaching about the dangers of drugs if they don't know all the facts. There will always be arguments about what is deemed 'appropriate' content for children and young adults in literature, but I whole-heartedly believe every teen should read this book, for the simple fact that it might one day save their life.

Misspelled Magazine

YES I know hardly anyone reads this. But regardless, it's about time for some shameless plugging.

My good friend Lesley Whyte and I have recently started up an online literary magazine, and we are seeking submissions for our first ever issue.

If you, or anyone you know, has a burning desire to write or draw, and would like to share the produce of that burning desire, let us know! Details for submissions can be found on our website (clicky the linky) or you can always email us at misspelledmagazine@gmail.com and we'll get back to you.

Ta very much!
http://www.misspelledmagazine.moonfruit.com/

Sympathy, please.

I figured a new blog post was waaaay overdue. It would be nice if I could say I've been so super busy that I just haven't had time to update this, because I'm oh-so-popular and my social life is just insane. But that would be a lie. I'm simply lazy.
I'm also royally pissed off. My long-suffering laptop has finally kicked the bucket, and my father informs me that I've well and truly destroyed my hard drive. So in short, I've lost everything, because like an utter fool, I did not back up any of my work. So every piece of work I've done over the last 2 years is gone. BOO. Yes, I know I have the hard copies of the assignments and whatnot, but I had other beginnings and endings and general musings on there that are lost for all eternity - including the start of my final year project, which admittedly I didn't have a lot of anyway, but it was a start and now I have to do it all again. I am so very unhappy. I'm clinging on to the hope that a phoenix will rise from the ashes, some great bolt of inspiration will hit me, and the work I've lost will pale in comparison to the supreme epic-ness of words I have yet to write.

I doubt it, though.

In other news, I have successfully established myself as the domestic goddess I always knew I was, with the delightful gingerbread men I have baked. If all else fails, at least I have the option of starting my own bakery, which will sell nothing but gingerbread men and tea. I know there are flaws in this plan, but it is all I have, and if you point them out, I might very well wring your neck.

In the meantime, here is a picture of just one of my culinary masterpieces. The pink icing is my favourite part. They're not so much an army of gingerbread men, but a show choir, I feel.