Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #6: Things I cannot let you love

Things I cannot let you love
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

TK Maxx, The Tourist
Crumbs in butter
Grease 2
When you learn to ride a bike they say they won't let go
But yes they do
Smule on my phone
Durian fruit - hobo's feet
Brian Cox, mixed up socks
Rolf Harris
His board, his beard
Black sleet
The lion and the bear from my childhood
Teletubbies, eh oh
Oh no

Things I cannot let you love.
Including me.

Creative Writing Club Round-Up #4: 20/12/2013

Hey guys! Well, the first term of CWC has been fun, and with the stress of competition writing over for Christmas, we spent the last session having a well earned rest. CWC really started to live up to its alternative name ‘the Eating Lunch and Chatting club’ but don’t worry, it will be business as usual after the holidays.

ANT made the session memorable by trying her first ever mince pie! It took much persuasion but she did take the leap of faith eventually, trusting our very high opinion of this Christmas food classic... sadly she was disappointed. Personally, I think it was a mistake admitting to her that they contain raisins but at least she tried *sigh*!

After everyone else had finished their mince pies (someone else finished ANT’s) I took the opportunity to make Raven claws out of the casings. This was very entertaining for a while but they were a little impractical. No one could complain though because they served their purpose in keeping me occupied.

DisneyLoverMolly and Master were very nearly absent from this final meeting but we couldn’t have been more thrilled when they said they could stay. DisneyLoverMolly made us all laugh by trying to get noticed as she walked to and from CWC in the hat from my Christmas cracker. Nobody commented on it, or laughed, or even gave her a funny look. This left her concluding that everyone (even the people who don’t know her) expects crazy behaviour from her! Don’t worry though DisneyLoverMolly, we all love your quirky little ways :)

So to end the Christmas term, I have two Christmas-based quotes for you all to enjoy. The first is inevitably from Harry Potter (and the Order of the Phoenix) to remind everyone what joy books can bring at Christmas – although Dumbledore prefers socks:

Hermione: “‘Thanks for the book, Harry,’ she said happily. ‘I’ve been waiting for New Theory of Numerology for ages!’”

And the second is a Charles Dickens quote from ‘A Christmas Carol’ which I think is a really interesting take on Christmas. Enjoy.

“For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.”

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

ConscienceSarah :)

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #5: Pineapples, oranges and lemons

Pineapples, oranges and lemons
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

Pineapples, oranges and lemons
My ethnic friends like more than just melons.

Don't stereotype.

Creative Writing Club Round-Up #3: 13/12/2013

Hey guys! What excitement there was at CWC this week. With (nearly) all members back in action, three finished competition entries and chocolate biscuits, in my opinion it was the best CWC we've had so far!!

So, let's start with the competition: after much struggling over word counts and phrasing, Master, DisneyLoverMolly and I, managed to complete our stories in time for the club! We each had to read them out, which was actually pretty scary, especially when you know your work is being heard by the keenest writers in the Academy. After some issues over our words, where we ended up having to defend our choices, we got to keep our stories more or less as we wrote them...

ANT had a bit of a traumatic week as some plot holes were found in her story. Like a true professional, she took the criticism on the chin and reminded us all that you can't improve unless you take suggestions on board. I'm happy to say, she is changing the end of her story, hopefully in time to be submitted along with ours!

On an unrelated note, Master thought that ANT had some chips in her pasta... Wherever ANT goes, a connection to salt seems to follow.

Back to the writing now: the February competition is still on our radar but unfortunately someone forgot the sheet this week so no progress was made... I will mention no names... You know who you are...

This week's quote's from Doctor Who and it is about Harry Potter. I know I'm supposed to be promoting reading, which this is, but I mostly put it in because I love it when awesome things cross-reference each other!!!!

Martha: So magic and stuff. That's a surprise. It's all a bit Harry Potter.

The Doctor: Wait 'til you read book seven. Oh I cried.

(So did I :p)

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #4: Things

Things
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

Bottles, boots and beavers
These are things.

Creative Writing Club Round-Up #2: 06/12/2013

Hey guys! We were a bit low on numbers for CWC this week as ShoeLobber, DisneyLoverMolly and Cap. were all missing. This left ANT, Master and myself to hold up the fort, but there was plenty of fun to be had...

As Master's salad has featured before on the main blog, it seems only right to mention the dramatic change in its composition that shocked the club: the addition of broccoli!! Master made it quite clear that the broccoli was unwelcome, criticising it for being 'all texture and no taste'. Even ANT had a taste which prompted the quote of the session: 'it tastes of health'. Who'd have known broccoli could cause such a stir?

When we calmed down after that vegetable episode, it was time for Master and ANT to read and critique my 100 word story inspired by the Little Mermaid. It was gorier than they expected, but the main problem was that I was 1 word over the word count! Obviously this can't be permitted to enter a competition and many alterations were suggested, but I think the favourite was making 'pulsatingtorrent' a new word, thank you ANT for that.

It was actually the word 'torrent' that ANT had the biggest issue with. She associated it with video piracy but I was using it in the sense of water. Research into the dictionary definition proved that it could be used in the context I was using it in but ANT was correct in associating it with video piracy (which we all steer well clear of). For anyone interested, the online dictionary gives the first definition of torrent as 'a stream of water flowing with great rapidity and violence.'

Finally, with the closing date of the 100 word story competition drawing closer, we have a new competition to pursue for February so we'll never be at a loss for something to do but more about that next time.

Hmmm, amidst all the excitement I wonder if anyone else spotted that not much writing was done this week...

My book related quote of the week is from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Maybe Xander spent too much time researching demons and not enough doing his English: 

Jenny: You kids really dig the library, don't you?  

Buffy: We're literary.  

Xander: To read makes our speaking English good.

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #3: On the floor

On the floor
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

On the floor
What an alarm
Why you ask?
He has no arms.

Creative Writing Club Round-Up #1: 29/11/2013

Hello there! Welcome to the first ever edition of Creative Writing Club Round-Up! Here's what happened this week, documented brilliantly by ConscienceSarah:

Hey guys, it’s ConscienceSarah here! Just keeping you all updated on our literature related news.

So, today in CWC we were continuing with our task of a 100 word short story based around a fairy tale. This was originally for a competition but it’s now a bit like a challenge that no-one has cracked. The pressure is on this week though, as next week we will be reading aloud what we have so far (eek!)

More progress was made by some than others but it’s amazing what you can do when you’re fuelled by chocolate...

Cap. seems to be stuck with a bit of writer’s block but I can assure you all her ideas are in the pipeline. She spent the session helping ANT with what might turn out to be a winning story from what I’ve heard so far. Not sure whether I should give away too much as it might be posted on this blog in a few weeks but I can say that ANT turns a classic fairy tale on its head in her own dark way as she fuses it with a bit of Greek mythology!

I also asked ShoeLobber whether she enjoyed the club today. Naturally her only response was ‘I always enjoy Creative Writing Club’. Her story’s also still a work in progress but I’m sure it will be amazing after some of the awesome essays she’s pulled out of the bag in English.

Master also spent some time commenting on ANT’s unique writing style. She claims that if everyone in the club wrote about the same thing, she’d still be able to identify ANT’s. ANT is bemused by this but I think it’s something we should definitely try.

Meanwhile, DisneyLoverMolly and I decided to combine our efforts to create a story based around the Little Mermaid. However, after some good initial ideas we decided to go our separate ways due to our artistic differences. We have now decided to have a little competition, writing about the same theme but each with our own take on it. I’ll bring you the results on this next time. We also helped another member of the club in naming purple things for her story. These suggestions ranged all the way from aubergines to Cadbury World!

So that’s it for today. I thought I’d end with a book related quote and as it’s my first round-up it had to be from Harry Potter, surprisingly though it’s one of Ron’s, and a very wise one it is too:

‘When in doubt, go to the library.’

The latest addition

Hey peeps!

So, ConscienceSarah had an idea that, since the main blog has 'Weekly News Round-Up', here we should have a 'Creative Writing Club Round-Up', which will sum up what has been going on in Creative Writing Club! This will be updated every Friday, starting from tomorrow!

You won't want to miss it... ;p

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #2: Stealing Pens

Stealing Pens
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

Steal pens
But give them back
Or give your life up
I'm looking at you Ben.

ConscienceSarah's Creative Writing Piece

One hundred words, she said.
One hundred words to cause a stir; to make people think.
Really think.
No distractions.
Black on white.
Or is it dark blue?
All the colours in between,
Every lighter shade harder to read.
Invisible.
Never to be read.
Can it be put on a page?
Invisible is better, brighter in imagination.
Twisting, turning. No need for plots or links. Like a dream. Or a conversation,
Same book, different pages.
Losing the thread.
One hundred words.
Keep the focus but the point is lost. All for the time I no longer have.
One hundred...

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #1: The Traffic Button

Welcome to the first edition of Wadz's Poetry Wednesday! Here's today's poem:

The Traffic Button
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

Press it, press it,
Go on, go on.
Zoom and vroom,
Now Timmy is gone.

Don't press the traffic button.

NEW!!! Wadz's Poetry Wednesday!

Hey peeps!

I've got some exciting news for y'all today...
Wadz has agreed to for me to post some of her poems on here every Wednesday!

If you just can't wait until Wednesday, check out her blog here :)

Wicks' Campfire Tales: #8 - Black Ribbon

WARNING: I strongly recommend that you only read this if you are aged 13 or over.

8 - Black Ribbon

Wicks' Campfire Tales: #7 - The Last One

WARNING: I strongly recommend that you only read this if you are aged 15 or over.

This one is particularly disturbing. Read at your own risk.
7 - The Last One

Wicks' Campfire Tales: #6 - Warning

WARNING: I strongly recommend that you only read this if you are aged 15 or over.

This one is particularly disturbing. Read at your own risk.
6 - Warning

Wicks' Campfire Tales: #5 - Lights out

WARNING: I strongly recommend that you only read this if you are aged 15 or over.

This one is particularly disturbing. Read at your own risk.
5 - Lights out

Wicks' Campfire Tales: #4 - The Lick of DEATH

WARNING: I strongly recommend that you only read this if you are aged 15 or over.

This one is particularly disturbing. Read at your own risk.
4 - The Lick of DEATH

Wicks' Campfire Tales: #3 - The Well of DEATH (or Typhoid Mary)

WARNING: I strongly recommend that you only read this if you are aged 13 or over.

3 - The Well of DEATH (or Typhoid Mary)

Wicks' Campfire Tales: #2 - The Tan of DEATH

WARNING: I strongly recommend that you only read this if you are aged 13 or over.

2 - The Tan of DEATH

Wicks' Campfire Tales: #1 - The Ceiling of DEATH

WARNING: I strongly recommend that you only read this if you are aged 13 or over.

1 - The Ceiling of DEATH

Wicks' Campfire Tales...every Wednesday

Every Wednesday night, starting this week, we're gonna have one of Wicks' Campfire Tales!
Please note that some of them are very scary, so read at your own risk! I strongly recommend that you only read this if you are aged 13 or over.

Review: Master on 'Goddess'

A new review for y'all. Enjoy!

Click here to read the review for 'Starcrossed', the first book in the series.

Title: Goddess
Author: Josephine Angelini
Author's official website: http://www.josephineangelini.com/
ISBN: 978-0-330-52976-1
Original image

My rating for Goddess: 5/5

If I had to sum it up in 3 words: thoughtful, emotional, epic.

Review:
'Goddess' is the final book in Josephine Angelini's 'Awakening' series, which is her debut. Personally, I think this is one heck of a promising introduction to the writer.

I started reading this, in the midle of exam season, as soon as it came through the letter box, and finished it in 2 days. If that's anything to go by, I think you can probably tell that I was very eager to find out what happens. And, honestly, this most definitely did not disappoint.

The plot has endless twists and turns that are unexpected, ensuring that there was never a dull moment.
I think it's fair to say that a lot of the most important scenes were quite near the end and I guess I was a little disappointed that it went by perhaps too quickly for my liking. Then again, if it was any slower, I'd probably get impatient.
Thinking about it now, I think there was just the right amount of build-up to the action and I can't think of any other way that I'd want it to be.

The aspect of mythology is arguably most potent in this book, [Spoiler alert] mainly because Helen has flashbacks to the past. It was interesting to not only have Greek mythology, but also Arthurian legends mixed in. I found these parts most enjoyable to read. [Spoiler over]

What I think Angelini does so well is capturing the emotions and feelings of the characters, which evokes emotions in the reader. I felt that it was very easy to connect with characters and the situations that they were in, for example, there were times when I was absolutely heart-broken for certain individuals, whilst other parts sent shivers down my spine.

Speaking of characters, it was wonderful to watch the ones who had been there from book 1 grow into themselves, but there were also new characters added that were just as memorable.

Overall, I think it is a brilliant ending to an incredibly captivating series that has been very well thought-out. All the loose ends from previous books were tied together, which provided moments, when reading, where I simply felt like jumping for joy! Having said that, it's also nice that Angelini has left some doors open if she ever wanted to do spin-offs or sequels in the future, which I would no doubt want to read.

I've tried to stay away from revealing too much of the plot in this review because I wouldn't want to deny you the joy of finding out and experiencing it first-hand for yourself.

This is definitely up there in my list of favourite book. I can't wait for the next series that Angelini brings out.

Comment your thoughts below :)

And we're back!

Hello guys!

Thank you all for your patience during exam season, which is thankfully over now! Yayy!

Since we're back, there are a few changes in the layout of this blog.
New pages have been added to make it a little less crowded on the 'Home' page, so feel free to check them out. Here's a short explanation of their purposes:

• You can probably guess what the 'Home' page is
• All the stuff that was previous at the bottom of the 'Home' page has been moved to the new 'About' page
• The original blog, 'The Wierd & Wonderful Life of Gerry the Gerbil', has also been linked

There may be more pages to come in the future, but we'll alert you if that happens.

So, now that we've cleared all that up, you should be expecting some new reviews and content pretty soon, so keep an eye out for it.

Catchya soon ;)

Hello!

Sorry about not having a post out in ages! This blog will be temporarily put on halt during the exam season, but I can promise you that it will take off later on in the summer :)

Thanks

Make-over!

Hello everyone!

If you've just clicked on this and have noticed something different, then I'll tell you now that it's the blog design!

So, what do you think of it? Comment your thoughts & opinions below :)

Review: ANT on 'Life of Pi'

ANT's first review has officially landed...take a look!

Title: Life of Pi

Author: Yann Martel

ISBN-10: 0857865536

ISBN-13: 978-0857865533

Original image

Review:

Hello Earth! Ooh, my first contribution to the blog, how exciting, eh? I hope this is the first of many.

Anyway, I'll get right to the point. I was looking forward to watching the much-anticipated Life of Pi at the cinema (I have yet to watch it, but I've heard good things, anyone seen it?) so when my nan bought me the book for Christmas, I didn't hesitate to read it over the holidays.

In a nutshell, it's about a boy named Pi, who is left with a Bengal tiger in a lifeboat after the ship he and his family were travelling to Canada on, sinks. The story tells of his survival at sea.

The book is split up into three sections. In the first, Pi reminisces about his childhood, his life at his father's zoo in Pondicherry, and his relationship with religion. I'm assuming that Yann Martel knows a thing or two about zoology and animal behaviour because he writes a lot about it in this section...a lot. I get the impression that he, like most people, gets carried away with the things that he loves, and hence talks (or in this case, writes) about those things in grave detail. It's a good thing to be passionate enough about something to be able to write 100s of pages on it, but I didn't think that all of the animal knowledge was necessary for this fiction novel.

That said, it gives you a little more understanding of the main story (which is told in the second section) on Pi's survival at sea with Bengal tiger, Richard Parker. As well as this, Martel is clearly a smart guy and a great author, his writing is captivating and, overall, the book is extremely well-written. The words he wrote in the first pages were the kind of meaningful, deep stuff that gets you thinking about the meaning of life.

All in all, I liked it and would recommend it because it's thought-provoking in the beginning, and really a great read when you get into it. It's meaningful, happy, sad, gory...and everything more. Not to mention it has a clever twist in the final section, which I won't reveal. I'll just say...read it and find out for yourself!

ANT

What dya think? Comment below if you are considering it, or if you've already read it :)

Review: Master on 'Starcrossed'

Hello there! Here we have Master's first review, enjoy :)

Title: Starcrossed

Author: Josephine Angelini

Author's official website: http://www.josephineangelini.com/

ISBN:  978-0-330-52973-0

Original image

My rating for Starcrossed: 4.5/5.0

Me summing up this book in 3 words: mythology, cinematic, gripping.

Review:

Starcrossed is the first book in Josephine Angelini's debut series, and in my opinion this is a very promising start. It is arguably my favourite out of all the books I read last year, probably because it is just a great big ol' mix of a lot of things I'm into at the moment. To be completely honest, it was very difficult to put this down and I was pretty much hanging onto the edge of the book the whole time.

The story is based on Greek mythology, specifically Helen of Troy, but is set in modern day Nantucket. [If you want a proper plot synopsis read further. I just didn't want to spoil anything.] Even though there are other series based on modern-day versions of mythological characters, the way this is written plus the clever intricacy of how the myth is weaved into the plot, in my opinion, makes this stand out amongst the crowd.

The language used in the book is never really very complex, however it is used in such a way to create absolutely splendid imagery in the reader's mind. The scenes just play out in your head like a movie, which just makes it so much more enjoyable.

I would highly recommend this if you like Greek mythology, romance, drama and suspense!

Spoilers from here onwards.

Review: Wicks on 'Burn Mark'

Our second review, this time from dear Wicks :)

Simon Wicks here, bringing you my first book review!

Title: Burn Mark 
Author: Laura Powell
Author's website: http://www.laurapowellauthor.com/
ISBN-10: 1408815222
ISBN-13: 978-1408815229
Original image 

As I haven’t actually finished the book Gerry lent me I can’t review that... However I thought the book club blog looked a little bare so I’m going to review the book Ruby bought me for Christmas: BURN MARK by Laura Powell. ‘Ancient witchcraft. Modern world.’

Like it says on the cover, this book is all about witchcraft. The concept is that certain people develop the power to use magic in their late teens.  It tends to run in families, but not always! Now, we can’t just have magic users running around doing whatever they want. But luckily there is a big scary organisation called ‘The Inquisition’ to keep us muggles safe. The big punishment for those witches who step out of line?... You guessed it... burning at the stake. Now if you’re a witch and you want to stay within the law, you can get a job doing regulated magic or you can get yourself bridled. Bridling is where you register as a witch and you are fitted with iron cuffs that stop you doing magic. Now if you don’t fancy either of these options you can live the dangerous life of an unregistered witch. The ‘covens’ are mafia style gangs run by these underground witches.

The main storyline follows two teens living two very different lives (of course) but who have to learn to work together (didn’t you just know I was going to say that!). Firstly we have Glory, a coven member, trying to live up to the celebrity (and perhaps notoriety) of her grandmother and great aunt, the Starling Twins. I never usually sympathise with chavvy characters like Glory here but she does have charm in an ‘I can look after myself’ kind of way. We also have the much more refined Lucas, son of the High Inquisitor (avoiding spoilers- but no prizes for guessing what happens to him).

The story did feel a little formulaic at times but I found myself getting drawn in, even though I was reading on the train and there were a million distractions. Didn’t take me long to read either despite cringing at some of the burning scenes. It even taught me a few things about witches, which I must say was surprising! Overall an enjoyable read and one I will no doubt read again.

Rating: 13/15 Simon stars. 

One to read if you enjoyed: The Hunger Games, City Of Bones.

Feel free to comment below your thoughts on 'Burn Mark' if you have read it or are planning on reading it :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you all have a wonderful day with your loved ones :)

Book Brawl: ConscienceSarah vs. DisneyLoverMolly

Today is the day that ConscienceSarah and DisneyLoverMolly initiated their reading battle. At breaktime they went to the library, agreed on a book and borrowed a copy each. Here they will compete head to head to see who can finish the chosen book first. The book they chose is Charles Dickens' 'Nicholas Nickleby'. Keep an eye out on this post as we will be keeping you updated on their progress every step of the way!

Updates:

Tue 26th Mar '13, 19.30: ConscienceSarah - Finished 35 chapters.
Mon 25th Mar '13, 17.16: ConscienceSarah - Finished 30 chapters.
Fri 22nd Mar '13, 19.05: ConscienceSarah - Finished 25 chapters.
Fri 22nd Feb '13, 21.03: ConscienceSarah - Finished 20 chapters.

Sun 17th Feb '13, 11.32: ConsienceSarah - Finished 15 chapters.

Thu 14th Feb '13, 09.50: ConscienceSarah - Finished 11 chapters.

Wed 13th Feb '13, 18.59: ConscienceSarah - Finished 10 chapters.

Thu 7th Feb '13: ConscienceSarah - Finished 3 chapters.

Mon 4th Feb '13, 18.40: ConscienceSarah - Finished first chapter.

Mon 4th Feb '13: The race begins.

Review: ConscienceSarah on 'Touch Not the Cat'

Here we have our first review by ConscienceSarah! Enjoy :)

Title: Touch Not the Cat

Author: Mary Stewart 

ISBN-10: 1444715038 

ISBN-13: 978-1444715033

Preferred age rating: 15

Original image

Review:
Touch Not the Cat (by Mary Stewart) first published in 1976

When I first started reading this book, I checked back to the author and other books she'd written because I recognised her name and her beautifully descriptive style of writing that shows particularly when she's describing places. I discovered she'd also written The Merlin Trilogy (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills & The Last Enchantment) which I read the summer before last and thoroughly enjoyed.

First impressions/Stewart's writing style:
The first chapter of Touch Not the Cat opens with a quote from Romeo and Juliet: 'It is my soul that calls upon my name'. This encompasses many of the key themes introduced in the first chapter (love and death for instance) which also feature in Romeo and Juliet. The quote itself echoes the relationship between the two main characters from the first chapter: Bryony Ashley and unidentified character, who Bryony assumes is one of her second cousins, and with whom she has a telepathic connection. The quote also reflects the repeated calling of Bryony's name throughout the first chapter.

Stewart uses lots of description to build up a picture of Bryony's life and history. The long, informative passages progress through Bryony's own life or the history of her family before arriving at the day where the story starts with some reference to the imminent death of Bryony's father. Then the process starts again. The passages in the rest of the book are more chronological with fewer historical stories cropping up.

The first chapter is largely written in the first person from Bryony's point of view. However the last paragraph is in the third person and presents the thoughts and feelings of a man at Ashley Court in 1835 who is, again, unidentified, setting up the mystery to be unravelled...

A great read if you love mystery and/or romance.

WARNING: The rest of this post contains SPOILERS!

Well fancy seeing you here...

Hello!

It's Gerry the Gerbil here, presenting you with another blog! I'm genuinely so excited about this and I can't wait to see where we go with it. If you're still a little unsure about who I am or stuff like that, feel free to read some of the descriptions at the bottom of the page and also check out the original Gerry the Gerbil blog.

So, the way it's going to work here is that along with a group of friends (who you can read about at the bottom of the page), we shall read and review different books. The reviews will be posted and then we shall have a little discussion about it in the Comments section of the post. How does that sound? We have a lot of stuff in store for you, currently we're just trying to get it off the ground as we've just got to finish writing some reviews and then hopefully we'll get into a regular posting pattern of some sort.

So until next time, keep you eyes peeled for new posts. Don't forget to follow this blog too (you can follow by scrolling down to the Followers section).

Gerry :)