“Nine students. Three bloodsports. One deadly weekend.

It is the autumn term and Greer MacDonald is struggling to settle into the sixth form at the exclusive St. Aidan the Great boarding school, known to its privileged pupils as S.T.A.G.S. Just when she despairs of making friends Greer receives a mysterious invitation with three words embossed upon on it: huntin' shootin' fishin'. When Greer learns that the invitation is to spend the half term weekend at the country manor of Henry de Warlencourt, the most popular and wealthy boy at S.T.A.G.S., she is as surprised as she is flattered.

But when Greer joins the other chosen few at the ancient and sprawling Longcross Hall, she realises that Henry's parents are not at home; the only adults present are a cohort of eerily compliant servants. The students are at the mercy of their capricious host, and, over the next three days, as the three bloodsports - hunting, shooting and fishing - become increasingly dark and twisted, Greer comes to the horrifying realisation that those being hunted are not wild game, but the very misfits Henry has brought with him from school...”

Things I Wish I'd Known Before My First Convention

October 27th - 29th brings Love N Vegas, one of the most prominent book conventions in the US, to - you guessed it - Las Vegas. And if you're interested in going be sure to keep an eye out for the best deal - here's one for Vegas! But even if you don't get there this time it's always good to be prepared. Here's some advice I wish I'd know before I went to my first bookish convention.

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

“Steffi doesn't talk, but she has so much to say.
Rhys can't hear, but he can listen.
Their love isn't a lightning strike, it's the rumbling roll of thunder.

Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life - she's been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He's deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she's assigned to look after him. To Rhys, it doesn't matter that Steffi doesn't talk, and as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she's falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it.”

Birthday Book Haul

Monday saw me turn 21 so - naturally - there were a few presents. And of course, being a bookworm, there were a few books.

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

“Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora's brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend's boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this one memory breaks through Flora's fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake is responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world, Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step toward reclaiming her life. 

With little more than the words "be brave" inked into her skin, and written reminders of who she is and why her memory is so limited, Flora sets off on an impossible journey to Svalbard, Norway, the land of the midnight sun, determined to find Drake. But from the moment she arrives in the arctic, nothing is quite as it seems, and Flora must "be brave" if she is ever to learn the truth about herself, and to make it safely home.”

The Suffragettes by Various Sources

“'Once they are aroused, once they are determined, nothing on earth and nothing in heaven will make women give way; it is impossible.'

A potted history of the women who pioneered feminism and changed the world.”

Piercings and Pain

A while ago I asked on Twitter if anyone would be interested in a post on piercings and the answer appeared to be yes! I had a few new ones done since that tweet, however, and wanted to let them heal a bit to get a good idea for the pain and aftercare, hence why this post is a bit late. But now it's here, let's jump straight into it!

Circe and the Cyclops by Homer

“'You must be Odysseus, man of twists and turns...' 

The tales of Odysseus's struggle with a man-eating Cyclops and Circe, the beautiful enchantress who turns men into swine.”