ThisIsMe

Such a great conclusion to the series!!! Just a warning before I begin this review, Orange deals with some very serious themes including suicide and mental illness. If you get triggered by the stuff, then this manga is not for you. It picks up straight after the last volume left off. Orange tells the story of a group of high school students who receive letters from their future selves telling them that in 10 years time one of their friends is no longer with them. They are given a set of instructions of what to do each day to help their friend be happy. Orange has a unique art style, unlike any manga I have read. I first I was unsure about it, but now I would consider Takano one of my favorite artists. This book is worth reading for the art alone, never mind the story! Although the story is fantastic too, and emotional in so many places. I was almost crying at multiple times while reading this. It's also such an excellent exploration of whether the future can be changed or not.

The Language of Thorns was a fantastic collection of short stories retelling classic fairy tales from a feminist perspective. As a massive fan of the fairytale genre, this collection certainly does them justice. Although not as graphic/ sexual as other works in the genre such as Angela Carter's The Boody Chamber or even the original Grimm tales, The Language of Thorns is still some of the best works of the genre I have read. There are six stories in total: - Ayama and the Thorn Wood: Which I think is based off both Beauty and The Beast and Red Riding Hood. - The Too-Clever Fox: Which is based off the Velvatine Rabbit. - The Witch of Duva: Which is the most obvious retelling, being based off Hansel and Gretal. - The Little Knife: Which I think was based off Sleeping Beauty. - The Soldier Prince: Which was based on The Nutcracker. - When Water Sang Fire: Which was based on The Little Mermaid. I say 'I think' for a lot of these because the stories were distinct eno

Strong Female Character Over recent years we have heard the phrase ‘strong female character’ repeated many times. From books to television to movies the trend in creating this archetype seems to be everywhere. But what does it actually mean and is the term endearing or damaging? We can define the strong female character as the opposite of the damsel in distress. (Slides: strong female characters) In the first half of the 20th century, the rise of mainstream  feminism and the increased use of the term Dr. Lisa Blower, 44, a lecturer in Creative Writing at Bangor University, however, sees it as little more than a ‘branding.’ ‘I’m very anti-label when it comes to things like that because I think the labels do it a disservice,’ she said. ‘As soon as you say the words strong female character you are already genderizing the role […] The gender battle and feminism is to have equality where that gender is more fluid.’ The Statistics Recent

I'm so glad I took my time with this book! I started it a while ago for my course but never got the chance to finish it, until now. The Haunting of Henry Twist is a beautifully written, serene story set in the 1920's about a man named Henry Twist who tragically loses his pregnant wife in an accident. The book is about his mourning and his journey of raising his child as a single father 100 years ago as well as dealing with a mysterious figure who has been following him throughout London. Don't go into this book expecting a traditional ghost story like the title may suggest though. The story, however, does raise an interesting debate as to who/what is haunting its pages. The book also deals with soldiers after World War One and their struggle to reconcile with everyday life. The story features many historical facts, and the author put a lot of research into the period she was writing about as there is information about topics ranging from the war to baby care in the 20