Lucybird

Pigeon English- Stephen Kelman Synopsis (from Amazon) Newly arrived from Ghana with his mother and older sister, eleven-year-old Harrison Opoku lives on the ninth floor of a block of flats on an inner-city housing estate. The second best runner in the whole of Year 7, Harri races through his new life in his personalised trainers - the Adidas stripes drawn on with marker pen - blissfully unaware of the very real threat all around him. With equal fascination for the local gang - the Dell Farm Crew - and the pigeon who visits his balcony, Harri absorbs the many strange elements of his new life in England: watching, listening, and learning the tricks of urban survival. But when a boy is knifed to death on the high street and a police appeal for witnesses draws only silence, Harri decides to start a murder investigation of his own. In doing so, he unwittingly endangers the fragile web his mother has spun around her family to try and keep them safe. A story of innocence and experience, hope and harsh reality, Pigeon English is a spellbinding portrayal of a boy balancing on the edge of manhood and of the forces around him that try to shape the way he falls. Review When I read the Waterstone's 11 extract for this I was really excited, the first section with the dead boy was moving but believable, Harri didn't really know the boy, and was equally sorrowful about the death and intrigued. I must admit though that in some sense the extract and the blurb for Pigeon Englishwere misleading. I expected it to be more about the dead boy, but really it was more about life on an inner-city housing estate and learning about a new culture. That's not really a bad thing, and actually I think I prefer it that way. In some ways there was a disturbing element to this story, that a boy of such innocence could be influenced in some of the ways Harri was, and could just walk into trouble when really he sees what he is doing as a game. I work in a nursery in an area similar to the one in which Harri lives, and it kind of hit close to home and it makes me hope that things will have changed by the time the kids I work with grow up, I don't want them to end up in some of the troubles that happen in the area. I found the voice of Harri was really authentic but after a while I did find him a little irritating, especially him constantly saying 'Asweh', after a while though I was able to ignore my annoyance as I got more into the actual story. In some ways the way he talked was important to the story, it showed how innocent and naive he really was, and I think that was important, I think I would have just thought he was an idiot if his voice hadn't been naive, but instead I was wishing for him to talk to someone older about things. The end was absolutely heartbreaking, and brought me close to tears, that's when I knew I had really come to like Harri. Was it worth my excitement? Not really but it's still and thought provoking read and well worth the time. 4/5

Yeah I'm trying to cut back on the buying too, sorry

My lovely boyfriend bought me The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman and leant me the next Septimus Heap book- Physik. Am still reading Pigeon English

The News

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion it's a new to me anime now I'm all caught up on Bleach I wanted something new to watch

I've read Scarlet before, but wasn't impressed enough to buy it frequently, I used to read Cosmo religiously but found they just kept printing the same things with new titles so gave it up, I still buy it occasionally when I am out of things to read.

Tea

I'm watching Evan Almighty right now. I quite like this film

You've got some good books there Habeebi. Birdsong is one of my favourite ever books. An Equal Music is really good too and The Bookseller of Kabul is good

Sleep Like a Child- Joss Stone Reflection- Christina Aguilera I'm Happy Just to Dance with You- The Beatles 18 Wheeler- Pink Dosed- Red Hot Chilli Peppers Brother- Stereophonics Girl- The Beatles Tender- Blur Stuck in America- Sugarcult Fill my Little World- The Feeling

Thanks. I did like the sheepman, he was strange but I like that, I can't say I was entirely sure what to think about him though lol me and the boyfriend have a deal that when we get married he will do all the ironing and I will do all the hoovering because he hates the hoover and I am awful at ironing (and consequently hate doing it)

OhKylie that's awful

Hi Kylie. Pigeon English is fiction it's about an immigrant living in England

I think it's to do with where they are when it concerns line to the throne, but don't quote me on that! So Charles is Prince Charles, but William is Duke of Cambridge (and Kate as his wife is Duchess). Kate won't even become Queen either, when William becomes King she will be Princess Katerine (like the Queen's husband is Prince Phillip)

It's talking about how toys aimed at girls are aimed that way (one example she gives is a toy iron marketed as 'Mummy and Me')

Midnight's Children is very good, although it takes some getting in to. Well worth the bother though

Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism- Natasha Walter Synopsis (from Amazon) Empowerment, liberation, choice. Once the watchwords of feminism, these terms have now been co-opted by a society that sells women an airbrushed, highly sexualised and increasingly narrow vision of femininity. While the opportunities available to women may have expanded, the ambitions of many young girls are in reality limited by a culture that sees women's sexual allure as their only passport to success. At the same time we are encouraged to believe that the inequality we observe all around us is born of innate biological differences rather than social factors. Drawing on a wealth of research and personal interviews, Natasha Walter, author of the groundbreaking THE NEW FEMINISM and one of Britain's most incisive cultural commentators, gives us a straight-talking, passionate and important book that makes us look afresh at women and girls, at sexism and femininity, today. Review I wouldn't call myself a femanist, that's not to say I don't want rights for women (I mean which woman wouldn't?), or that I wouldn't fight if my own rights were threatened, but I probably wouldn't got out of my way to fight for women's rights in general, this book did get me thinking though. I would never say that women get equal rights to men, I don't think you can when you live in a country where a woman can't be heir to the throne unless she has no brothers. In fact I'm surprised that that fact wasn't mentioned in Living Dolls as it did talk about women getting equal rights in work, if one of the most well known positions cannot easily be held by a woman then what hope is there for the rest of us. In a way the book is a little depressing because it points out how far we still have to go, and even suggests that we have gone back on what we had previously achieved. I found it very emotive, especially when reading about how young girls are trained to be the stereotypical homemaker woman, and to expect to be that before they are even old enough to think that isn't right. I enjoyed reading the parts about science and statistics that showed how the popular view is not necersarily the right one, or even the one with the most evidence behind it. I did find that Walter stayed on this point a little too long and it began to feel a little over top, and very one sided. There were a few other bits I was unsure of as well. Walter seemed to me to suggest in some points that women who didn't choose to exercise their freedoms (e.g. by choosing to stay at home, or choosing to settle down with one man) were somehow worth less as femenists, she did put a few times that she wasn't saying that but it still felt to me a little like she was, just that she didn't want to offend anybody. I also disliked the cover, it made me feel embarressed to read out and about (and that's when I do most of my reading) although I can certainly say that it is attention grabbing. Overall though it really made me think, and I do think that every woman should read it, whether you count yourself as a feminist or not 4.5/5

I'm watching the news now, apparently nothing has happened today except for some people got married...

Finished Living Dolls think I shall read Pigeon English next

I'm watching the royal wedding too, we sort of, I'm not paying much attention

I finished Flyte- Angie Sage over the weekend, now I'm reading Living Dolls- Natasha Walter

Flyte- Angie Sage Synopsis (from Amazon) The evil necromancer DomDaniel has been disposed of, but something Darke is stirring. A Shadow pursues ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand around, following her every move, growing stronger every day. Septimus senses something sinister is afoot, but before he can act, Jenna is snatched – taken by the most unlikely kidnapper. Septimus must rescue his sister but does not, at first, realise what he will be facing. “”Flyte” is the second of Angie Sage’s engaging and energetic novels about Septimus Heap…We can’t get enough. More, please!” – “The Times” Review My memory is a little rusty on this one. I finished it over the weekend and I usually write my review the same or next day but haven’t been able to do that this time. As with the last Septimus Heap book I wasn’t bowled over with the writing style, although the standard stayed the same all the way through where it had got better by the end of Magyk. I did find myself a little more compelled to read this one too and it got going quicker, although it still took too long. 3/5

Bought: Physik- Angie Sage The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty- Sebastian Barry Pigeon English- Stephen Kelman For myself and Foxes Socks for my niece

Only one I can think of off the top of my head is Q&A, I actually love the film, the book is very different, almost incomparable but very much worth the read. I started A Suitable Boy back when I was at uni but I never finished it, it is still sitting on my bookshelf in the hop that on day I will finish it. I know lots of people have loved it, and I really enjoyed An Equal Music which is also by Vickrem Seth so I was hoping it isn't a one off Edit: Oh I just thought how could I forget Midnight's Children- Salman Rushdie absolutly fantastic book, you must look it up

Yesterday I finished Sarah's Key -a beautiful heart wenching book, and started Flyte- Angie Sage