EstellosaurusReads Readathon: Week 1 Update

Happy Wednesday, guys! How's your life in lockdown going? Lately, my time has been filled up by reading & photography. I've been spending most of my days in the garden :) I have always been very grateful for the fact that I have a garden, as it is a big help when it comes to my mental health, but especially now, it has taken my gratitude to a whole new level! If you don't have a garden yourself, please make sure to get outside for a little while, at least once a week, even if it's just to venture around the block. Fresh air & surrounding yourselves with nature is important for your well-being, and it's nice to appreciate the seasonal changes that have sprung around us all now that it's Springtime. Anyhow... let me shut up my inner nature nerd and get on topic :D 

Today, I'm going to be talking about my progress now that I'm one week into the EstellosaurusReads 3 week, 4 book Readathon. If you haven't read my previous post, check it out now for all the important info :) And then you can join in, too! Now's the perfect time to throw yourself into reading and get transported to a world where Covid-19 is not wreaking havoc! 

So far, I have checked off the re-read category, by finishing A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I'm going to be sharing a little review for that in this post :) This story was a childhood favourite of mine, and I have the 1995 movie to thank for that. I didn't actually read the book until I was a teenager, and before this past week, I had only read it two times. It had been around 8 years since that second reading, and it's always interesting how our opinions and feelings surrounding stories can change over time. I still love it, don't worry! But it's fascinating how looking at the book with fresh eyes (if that even makes sense) and a few more years life experience has an impact, even if it's a small one. It did not take me long to complete this book, especially as the story gets going, as I am always pulled into it and it doesn't take long for my brain to start swirling with imagery. It's lovely to experience feelings of nostalgia when remembering things you were fond of as a child. I just didn't want to put the book down! 

I decided that next I was going to start the non-fiction category, as I felt like it would a good transitionary read between a children's book and the apocalyptic novel I'm planning on reading as my third book of the readathon. When it comes to non-fiction, I usually stick to the same subjects, the ones that most interest me, such a animal science, nature, psychology & true crime. But as I mentioned in my first post for the EstellosaurusReads challenge, I went with something different, and I'm interested to broaden my knowledge of the in's and out's of the UK's criminal justice system. I started Anonymous Author's The Secret Barrister on Monday, and so far, it's been a pretty good read. Up to where I am now, the author is going over the history of various sectors of the law, and how those have changed into what we now see in the modern day court setting. As a history lover, I have found myself pretty engrossed in these pages. However, I'll let you guys know more in my next update :) 

Okay, here's my attempt at a book review :D Apologies in advance if it's boring or I ramble! 


Firstly, I want to give this novel a rating of 5 stars! And thus, it's pretty obviously that this review is going to be a mostly positive one, but I will mention some parts that I wish were done differently and give my two-cents on the very few negative opinions I have. The blurb for A Little Princess is as follows: Alone in a new country, wealthy Sara Crewe tries to settle in and make friends at boarding school. But when she learns that she'll never see her beloved father again, her life is turned upside down. Transformed from princess to pauper, she must swap dancing lessons and luxury for hard work and a room in the attic. Will she find that kindness and generosity are all the riches she truly needs? I love a good boarding school setting! I'm not sure why, possibly because of its historical element (I mean, there are of course modern day boarding schools, but the kind that pop up in fiction are typically from another time period or run in the same traditional way that they have always done. When it comes to Harry Potter, for example... although it is full of magic, the school itself is dated, and it's wonderful!). 

The protagonist, little Sara Crewe, is easy to like! With a whimsical and fanciful nature, it's impossible to not find her endearing. Her imagination runs away with her constantly and we are given the impression that she was basically a story-teller from the moment she could talk. She's awe-inspiring to all who meet her throughout the story, and it is not difficult to see why. She's caring, very understanding of human nature for such a young person, and her personality makes one wish that they had a friend like her, at least I do! I can very much relate to Sara in that I would get carried away with myself all the time as a kid when it came to story-telling. I would go off on a tangent as my imagination took over :D I just hope that others thought of me as those around the protagonist do, and didn't find me annoying, haha! 

We are now heading into spoiler territory! I won't go into too much detail, as I might ramble on all night given the chance, but I will tell you guys all about my favourite and least favourite moments of the novel. 

What I Liked About this Book

As mentioned above, Sara's character is one of the best features of the story, in my opinion :) The book is set in the Victorian era, and so we are met with various customs surrounding class and societal expectations. There was a strict class system during this period of history and people were treat a certain way depending on which part of society they belonged to. Sara and the other students of the boarding school were upper-class, and as such we see that they have been raised to uphold specific judgements towards people who are lower in social rank than them. Sara, however, who was raised in India around many people who all lead different walks of life, is a very compassionate little girl and does not look at the world through the prejudiced eyes that those around her do. She is nice to everyone, even those who are mean towards her, and this is a lovely quality to possess, especially because it so contrasts the status quo of the period. 

One of my favourite parts of A Little Princess is the relationship between Sara and the scullery maid, Becky. Becky has been accustomed to a life of hardship and has always been treat poorly because she is a servant. The children of the school copy the example of their teachers & the figures of authority in their lives and so they shun Becky/ ignore her due to the difference in their situations. Sara was lovely with Becky from the start. As she told her stories to her peers, she wanted to share the joy of make-believe with all who were interested in hearing it, and therefore encouraged Becky to listen, too, to the confusion of the other girls. She and Becky fast-formed a bond as teller and listener, and Sara would organise for her new-found friend to meet with her whilst she was carrying out her chores so that she could give her a new snippet of a tale each day. It was so sweet! Once Sara's situation changed and she & Becky were now living under the same circumstance, their friendship only grew and it was heart-warming to read :) 

There are so many other things that I could mention as another favourite! But I'll go for the way that Sara has such a positive outlook on life. Due to the power of such a strong imagination and her ability to see the best in everything, she is able to always look on the bright side of life, as the saying goes. So much so that the people around her can't help seeing things the way she does. Her happiness radiates and she is very persuasive. There is a scene in particular when she is able to imagine that she is hosting a fine tea party in her attic bedroom, and is able to describe the most enchanting scene that her friends become fully enthralled in the fantasy, too. It's beautiful! 

I can't focus on anymore of the good parts now because my post is getting very long! Thankyou to all of you who are made it this far; I hope that you are finding my review to be an interesting one at least! :D 

What I Disliked About this Book 

Now let's discuss the parts I don't like! In the story, extraordinary occurrences take place. A man living next door, after having observed Sara's wonderful personality and her unique ways, decides to surprise our protagonist by transforming her attic bedroom into a tiny replica of a one that is fit for a princess. Whilst she is asleep, her room is transformed and she wakes up, as is to be expected, with amazed surprise to the extremely kind gesture. This is all wonderful, however, we find out that the man has been watching her (that sounds creepy, haha!) and he takes pity on her living situation. As Sara shares the attic with Becky, and they spend time together often, it annoys me that the man doesn't show the same generosity towards her also. Eventually, after watching the reaction of Sara in response to the bedroom makeover and that Becky was immediately invited to join in the splendour by her, he then makes sure to leave behind enough food for the both of them the following morning. It just somewhat broke my heart that after observing the both of them, he only took it upon himself to treat Sara. Why though? His character is described in such a way that we are supposed to see him as a very kind and caring man, and although he clearly shows that with his gesture, I still see an underlying layer of classism. He can tell that because Sara is a well-spoken, educated person, that she clearly isn't the typical servant girl, and she is given this surprise largely because of that. Yes, she is also kind and sweet, but so is Becky... so why was she not considered? Let me know what you guys think about this... singling out?

Also in regards to the treatment of Becky, it really disappoints me at the end of the novel, when Sara's place in society is reinstated once she is 'found' and made aware of her fortune, that she is taken away from the life of a servant and is once more going to be raised as a high-society lady, that Becky, her ally and now very close friend, is removed from the school, too, yes, but she is to become one of Sara's servants essentially. I don't see why the kind man who takes Sara in couldn't also 'adopt' Becky as well; it's not as if Sara's fortune is meagre, she's really rich!! Both girls could live very comfortable lives via her inheritance and Becky could be educated, as well. This would have been a happy ending for all round! I know that we are made to see this ending as a happy one for Becky, but she's still a servant at the end of the day. I understand that the book was written in 1901 (I think) and this ending for Becky would have been seen as a very fortunate one by readers at the time, but ugh. It just irks me. In the 1995 movie adaptation, Becky becomes like a sister to Sara. I could write a whole post about the difference between the movie and the book though, so let me know if that's something you'd like to see, guys :) 

I will force myself to stop here! I hope you all enjoyed reading my review of Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess. Please tell me if you did so I can stop worrying, and share more in the future. I'm having a lot of fun taking part in the EstellosaurusReads readathon! Be sure to check out Estelle's blog & booktube channel. 

Thankyou for reading! Have a lovely rest of the week, everyone! 

♥

Have you ever read A Little Princess before? What's your opinion?

What about the movie adaptation I've mentioned? 

Also, I'd love to hear what books you're all reading right now :) 

The Estellosaurus Book Tag

Hello people of the internet! Long time, no speak! That saying perfectly reflects the relationship I have with this little blog of mine right now :D People are saying this is the time that we should all be throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into our hobbies, and that may be the case for those whose lives are usually tied up by work or other social/family obligations. However, I live with chronic illnesses, and the majority of these are mental health conditions that seriously impact my ability to engage in most aspects of social interaction. Thus, I am unable to work, so the social distancing life which has taken over most of our lives is pretty much my everyday existence. I struggle to partake in my hobbies at the best of times and it's not as simple, for me, to just suddenly become super engaged in my hobbies as it probably is for those who aren't disabled. It is hard trying to not take to heart all of the pressure to do ALL THE THINGS during the lockdown! 

I've been trying to motivate myself to blog for days (weeks even!), so it was just wonderful timing for my fabulous friend Estelle to tag me in a Book Tag she's just created! So, this post is for my fellow bookish people :) I hope you all enjoy reading! I can't promise my answers will be very interesting though. You have been warned XD 

Welcome to the Estellosaurus Reads Book Tag! Here are the rules: 

1. Copy and paste the rules and sentence above. Answer the questions. Duh.

2. Thank the person who tagged you, don't forget to link to their original post/answers,

3. Tag 2 new people to take part,

4. Use #EstellosaurusReads if you share your post anywhere!

5. Have a nice cup of tea.

Thankyou so much for the tag, Estelle! And I have myself a cuppa at the ready as I type out my answers :) 

Q1) What are you reading at the moment, if you aren't reading, what have you just finished? 

I am currently reading Everything's Eventual by Stephen King. It is a collection of short stories and my favourites so far have been The Little Sisters of Eluria, and Autopsy Room Four. I'm going to explain a bit about each briefly, so subtle spoiler alert! 

Autopsy Room Four is all about a man who finds himself in an autopsy room, and soon realises that he is unable to move and is presumed to be dead. I'll let you guys use your imagination :O The Little Sisters of Eluria is much less intense but still centres around spooky goings-on. Obviously, it's written by Stephen King :D But anyhow, it's a futuristic tale about a cult of strange nurses and patients that keep disappearing. I don't usually read many short stories and I'm really enjoying this book, so I'll definitely read more :) 

Q2) What book does everyone love that you just don't get?

Last year, I finally got around to reading some old classics that have been loved for years and years, and are deemed to be literary masterpieces in one way or another, and although I could see why they are so acclaimed, especially at the time they were published... I just didn't enjoy some of them like I thought I was going to. 

One of these was The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style and found it pretty tough to get through because of it, and the fact that I wasn't engaged by the storyline at all. I found the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, to be very annoying and I think that was maybe the point, but oh my gosh, did it make it difficult to get through the entire book! I didn't care about what happened to him, and I had to force myself to keep going, almost giving up several times. Those of you who have read The Catcher in the Rye, what did you think? 

Q3) What book or book series deserves its very own Netflix (other streaming sites are available) series?

Ooo this is such a tough question, because there's so many! I'd love to see a series made for the Marauder's 'era' of the Harry Potter novels, about all of the adult characters as teens at Hogwarts. Another book that I read last year was Tess Gerritsen's The Bone Garden (which was very kindly lent to me by Estelle, as was the Part of Your World book in my photo above! You're a star!!) and all the way through reading it, I couldn't stop thinking 'this would be good as a movie!', but I much prefer TV series because so much more detail and character development can go into them VS movies. So I'd love to see that adapted on film in some way, too :) 

Q4) Is there a book that you just could not finish? Why? 

There have been many books that I have not finished and to be honest, it wasn't because I didn't enjoy them, but more because of the state of my mental health at the time that I picked up the book. I love books, I thoroughly adore getting lost between the pages and being transported to other worlds in my mind. However, over the years, I have had a strange relationship with reading (and with lots of other things I love to do), and it's taken me a while to get back to my old bookworm self. There are many books that I didn't finish that I will pick up again at some point. One being Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon, (aka Outlander).

But to answer the question correctly, one book that I could not, for the life of me, finish was Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordan. It's maybe somewhat due to the fact that I was a teenager when I tried to read it and the storyline just wasn't my cup of tea back then, but I really don't think it would be now either. My best friend lent it to me after she also tried and failed to read it. It didn't take me long to understand why! It's about a girl who gets lost in the woods, and I just found it so unengaging. Maybe the story would have gotten better, but I just couldn't make it past half way through the book. Oops! 

Q5) What book is your recommendation when someone asks you to suggest a good read?

All of my favourites. The Harry Potter novels (J.K. Rowling) , The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings book series (J.R.R. Tolkien) , The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood), A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett), to name a few :) 

Q6) Is there a book that you've read multiple times? Why do you keep going back to it? 

I have read each of the A Song of Ice & Fire novels by George R.R. Martin at least twice, some of them three times now, partly because they are so detailed and I feel like the second time you read them, you notice things that you didn't the first time around. Have you ever felt like that with any books before? And also because I love them! I am very much into the lore and very invested in the plot and several of the characters. I really enjoy the multi-character point of view through this book series, with each chapter being told from a different perspective. When I was deep into reading the books, I spent a lot of time when I wasn't actually turning pages, thinking about the world. George! We need the next book already! T_T 

Q7) Is there a book that you had to study at school that you would definitely never, ever read again?

Not at school, but when I was studying English Literature at college: The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald). I could have chosen this book to answer question two as well, because it's another one of those classic novels that people seem to love. It was still interesting to delve deep into the meaning and symbolism behind the plot, but I just didn't like any of the characters. They all irritated me in some way and I found myself not caring at all what became of them by the end of the novel. Sorry to all those Gatsby fans out there, but I never, ever want to pick up this book again! 

I was lucky in that, I actually enjoyed most of the books that I read during high school. For my GCSE's, we had to read Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Oh... actually, I take back my statement XD I don't ever want to read the play, An Inspector Calls (J.B. Priestly & John Scicluna) again for the rest of my life! Who's had the unfortune of reading it before?

Q8) Is there a book that stirs a memory for you of a point in your life?

The book that came to mind first when I read this question was Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. In my early teens is when I really discovered my love for Japan and all things related to the culture and history of this beautiful country. I was pretty obsessed to be honest (and still am to this day, haha!) and so I just loved learning as much as I could about Japan. I found the Memoirs of a Geisha book at my dad's house and immediately started reading it, and not long after that, my best friend surprised me for my birthday when the 2005 movie adaptation was released. Although there is a lot of controversy involving the author and Mineko Iwasaki, the real woman behind the story, this book always makes me think about those years of my life and for that I will always have fond feelings surrounding the book. 

Q9) Who is that one literary character you've like to punch in the face?

Dolores Umbridge! 

Q10) If you could re-write the ending of a book, which book would you pick and how would you change it? 

*spoilers* 

I need to stop myself keep returning to Harry Potter, but I'm a fangirl so I can't XD. I would make it so Professor Severus Snape had a cure for Nagini's attack, or someone came along and saved him :'( He is one of my favourite characters from the novels, and I was very unhappy about what happened to him in the end. Although, to be honest, I can see why J.K. Rowling made that decision. But no. 

I wouldn't really change any ending of the books I've read. I'm usually accepting of any ending the author decides upon, and if I don't like the ending, it's mostly due to the fact that I wasn't a fan of the overall story and I was hoping the ending would make it worth the effort of enduring the entire book! The last book I remember disliking the ending of was back in high school when I was reading Of Mice and Men. Like, did he really have to die? I mean it made sense, because of the views of society during the time period that the book was set in, but my poor heart. 

Oh my god though, if the ASOIAF novels end as rushed and thoughtless as the inspired HBO series, I'll be pissed! I don't mind a ruthless and somewhat unhappy ending for some characters, and I don't even mind some sort of plot-twist or shock factor scenerio, but bloody hell, that was a shitshow, after being so invested for years... but this is a book tag so I won't ramble on about that! But please let the final books that we are waiting ever so patiently for do justice to the story that we've all fallen in love with so much! 

So, those are all of my answers. Hopefully that wasn't too boring to read and that I did Estelle's tag justice! Estelle blogs over at Estellosaurus and also runs two Youtube channels; one is about disabled life and the other is dedicated to books! They are all brillaint and you totally need to go check them out :) In fact, if you are a fan of reading, then you definitely have to go watch this video. And join in with the #EstellosaurusReads Readathon ♥ I will be doing very soon. So, stay safe guys! Keep indoors and look after yourselves and your immunocompromised loved ones & neighbours! We will get through this shitty time together. I'll try to get another post up as soon as possible. Have the best week you can, under the current circumstances! 

Before I finish this post, I tag Jess from Little Piink Duck and Eleanor from MxrshmallowQueen to join in! 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

What are you currently reading? 

What book are you planning to read next?

Please feel free to join in with this Book Tag and tag Estelle if you do! 

Keep up to date with me on social media:

| Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | 

2016 Reading Challenge #2

This year, I'm taking part in the 2016 Reading Challenge to try and motivate myself to read more! I love reading but unfortunately my depression has been making it difficult for me to do some of the things I once loved to do, and so it was my aim to find a challenge that I could keep up with throughout the year and hopefully get back my passion for reading! The last couple of months have been quite hard for me and as a consequence, a lot of things haven't got done including this reading challenge! It's a new month, a fresh start and it's time for me to pick up another book and get lost in it's pages. The next category I'm going to cross off on the reading challenge list is 'a book that was banned at some point'. 

The book I'm going to be reading for this category is The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. I've been searching all over my house for months looking for this book. I bought it after I spotted it on a recommended reading list for my degree, and like with a lot of those recommended books it was never actually read! Since coming home from uni, various boxes of my things have been stored in different areas around my house so finding this book was a challenge! Now that it's been found, it's about time I read it since Charles Darwin was such an influential scientist for the field of zoology, most famous for his theory of evolution work. 

This book was originally published in 1859, a time when many countries were dominated by religious ruling. This book challenged the beliefs and teachings of Christianity, as it discussed the theory of evolution by natural selection. This theory introduced the idea that all animals on earth had evolved over generations from their ancestors and their species had survived due to specific traits which made them more suited to their environment. This argued Christian beliefs of how the world was created, and was considered blasphemy. The content of this book caused a lot of controversy, it got people talking and questioning the religious teachings they'd always believed to be true, and therefore many countries decided to ban the book.

Although I'm already pretty knowledge about the history of the evolutionary theory just from some of the lectures I had at both college and university, I'm still looking forward to reading this book and picturing how the content would have been pioneering at the time it was published. I'm also interested to learn about the evolutionary theory from Charles Darwin's point of view and through his own words. Have you ever read this book? What was your opinion? Let me know in the comments :) 

Thankyou for reading!

♥

Have you ever read any books that were once banned? Which books? 

I'd love some recommendations. 

Enjoyed this post? Check out my first 2016 Reading Challenge post here

2016 Reading Challenge

Earlier this week, the lovely Estelle tweeted the 2016 Reading Challenge & I really wanted to join in and blog about the process. Estelle will also be blogging about her progress with the challenge so be sure to check her blog! Also, thankyou Anne over at Modern Mrs.Darcy for creating the challenge :)

The first objective that I can tick off on the challenge is 'a book you've been meaning to read'. Last year, one of my flatmates at university recommended I read the Divergent Series by Veronica Roth after I watched the first movie adaptation. I loved it and so I really wanted to read the books! I asked for the collection for Christmas and I started reading the first book a few days later. I finished it last week and tomorrow, I'm starting on the second book in the collection: Insurgent. 

I won't reveal any spoilers about Divergent but if any of you would like to see a review of the series when I've finished reading them, let me know. I thought it was an awesome book and I'm super excited to read the other books! As always, it's so much better than the movie so I'm glad I'm reading the books before watching the rest of them. Who else has read the Divergent books?

 I encourage anyone who enjoys reading to have a go at the 2016 Reading Challenge. I'm so glad that I'm getting my motivation for reading back. Due to my depression, I really struggled to do the things I once loved to do in 2015 and it's my aim this year to get my passion back for my hobbies. I'm hoping I can complete this challenge. 

 ♥

 Thankyou for reading! 

What's a book that you've all been meaning to read but haven't gotten round to it yet?