College ruined my love for reading

For reading that is. Let me explain. I went to college for English and History. Then I went on to do a Master’s degree in English. I loved reading and literature so, of course, I would do a college course in what I love.

My parents wanted me to be a lawyer but I chose books. I wanted to follow my heart. I loved reading since I was about 11 or 12 and I loved writing even before that. I wanted to delve into the beauty of literature. Yes, I was that college student. I loved reading all these new books I had never heard of. I learned so much from my time in college. However, the massive downside to doing an English-based course in college is my loss of love for reading.

With reading literature for college, you read a lot. You pile up on all the class readings. You had to read Jane Eyre in one week, and an extract from Jonathan Swift done for another week. Massive amounts of work and it keep coming. I loved the introductions to new writers and works, but reading became part of the flow. It wasn’t for fun anymore. It was preparation for the next assignment. So all the readings of YA and my favorite genres ceased when I was in college and I began to read analytically.

If you are a literary student, you would know. Scanning every page to find the perfect quote to show your points in your essays. You don’t end up reading the whole text in the end. You just read what is necessary, so the fun gets taken away immediately. I loved reading, but college certainly took the fun out of it. I stopped reading for pleasure once I was in college. Now, seven or eight years later, I have started to read again. My reading habit and speed have depleted massively, but I still am reading. A slow but rewarding journey. I hope to go back to my old habits and enjoy reading again.

What brought me back to my love for reading? The answer is Booktube. I started watching reading related content on YouTube. I watched BookswithChloe, Jaime’s Library, Irish reader, Piera Forde, and many more. Finding other creatives who love reading, helped me explore more books and reinspired me to read for fun. I found purpose again through their content, my reading, and my writing. I envy those people who get to make a living out of talking about what they love. I love to watch them revel in their passions and discover something new along the way. That’s why I love reading. College ruined my passion for reading, but Booktube brought it back. It revitalized it.

A bit of a rambly and short one today, but I hoped you enjoyed it. See you in the next one.

I’m Glad My Mom Died – A Must Read

Disclaimer: This book contains upsetting content such as eating disorders, parental abuse, and graphic sexual content. This review may contain minor spoilers for this book.

I found out about Jeannette McCurdy’s new book, I’m Glad My Mom Died when it was released. Many fellow book lovers tweeted about it and praised it. Booktubers started reviewing it and loved it. When I heard of the book, I wanted to read it. I grew up watching those Nickoleodon shows, so I was intrigued by her book. I’m not a lover of biographical fiction, but once I heard the audiobook was read by Jeannette herself, I immediately downloaded it.

This book pleasantly surprised me. With grim scenes such as talks of Jeannette’s mother’s cancer or troubles at home, Jeannette has great humor and wit that hits you with each line. Dry humor that ties in at the end of a sentence which leaves you laughing. The premise of I’m Glad My Mom Died is the life of Jeannette McCurdy, a Nickelodeon child star who was forced into this life due to financial difficulties at home and at her mother’s behest. Jeannette McCurdy’s mother is set up as the victim and villain all at the same time, as her mother suffered from cancer twice in her life, but also used her cancer to get away with all of her horrible behavior. Jeannette tells the story of how her mother forced her into acting, as it was always her mother’s dream to act. Her mother lives vicariously through Jeannette, and for many years, her mother used guilt and sometimes aggression, to keep Jeannette from living her own life. It broke my heart when a young Jeannette showed her mother the first draft of a play she wrote, and she said manipulatively, I hope you don’t give up acting to become a writer. That’ll break your mother’s heart. Her mother squashed her dream of becoming a writer and went to extraordinary lengths to make her an actress.

When the title of this book came out, people were shocked. A gripping and harsh title, but in my opinion, the book deserved this title. This title represents Jeannette’s relationship with her mother. The need to escape her mother emotionally or physically through death, but she always had that realization kept her stuck. Even though all the trauma she put her through, she was her mother and she still loved her. For me, this book showcases a real abusive parental relationship. A very complicated relationship where you know it’s bad for you and sees no escape because they are your family. Through her words, Jeannette expresses that feeling of being stuck but pulls some humor into it effortlessly.

In the book, Jeannette references “The Creator” from her days on Nickelodeon set, the unfair treatment she experienced there, and her friendship with Miranda Cosgrave. As a fan of those shows when I was a child, it shocked me to hear the inside story of the abuse these kids faced through it all. This story broke my heart but also healed it. Through all the hardships Jeannette went through, it ended on a hopeful and final note with Jeannette visiting her mother’s gravestone. It all began with her mother. Her acting career, her trauma, her eating disorders, her issues. Her mother caused them and perpetuated them. In order to move on and close that final chapter of her story, Jeannette had to accept the damage her mother caused. I loved Jeannette’s voice throughout the book. I listened to it on audiobook and the way she tells her story was exceptional. Even in the heartbreaking moments, Jeannette pulls through with finesse and some humor or even through holding back tears. I swear towards the end of the audiobook when Jeannette talks about accepting that her mother wasn’t the amazing person she made her out to be all this time, you can hear, in real-time, Jeannette holding back tears on the recording.

Jeannette’s honesty in this book showcases a real depiction of someone in pain. For most of the story, she never searches for help. She didn’t want help from a therapist or anyone else. She knew she had unhealthy habits but it was only when she started dating a guy and he didn’t want to date her unless she sought help, that she sought help. But those attempts in therapy didn’t do her any good, as it was only when she wanted to help herself, that she started believing in the process of self-healing. Jeannette gripped me to the end with her recovery and her struggles.

I’m Glad My Mom Died is a fantastic reading experience. I highly recommend you purchase a physical copy of this book. I intend to. The fact that she returned to her passion for writing later in life and after all the trauma she faced, makes it her first published work. I support it. This memoir isn’t like any other child star memoir. She reveals the cruel reality of her life and never sugarcoats it. Even with her choice in the title, Jeannette’s memoir plays a different game than all the other memoirs from child stars we have seen in the past. I implore you to listen to the audiobook and have Jeannette narrate the story herself.

Overall, I rate Jeannette McCurdy’s book, I’m Glad My Mom Died a 5 out of 5 star read!

Interview with a Writer #3

I haven’t done these in a while. I think my last Interview with a Writer post, was at the very start of my blog. So I’m very happy to be back with this series and to have a very exciting guest on this post.

My guest author for this post is Sean Armstrong. He was born in Staffordshire, England in 1985. When he took his GCSEs in Burslem, he took courses such as Food Safety, First Aid and excelled in skills such as Maths and English. In 2006 he participated in the Prince’s Trust twelve-week program based on team working skills as well as basic skills. In 2015, Sean gained a Business Administration qualification Level Two in City and Guilds as well as a CLAIT Word Level one. He also gained a Level Two NVQ in Children’s Care Learning and Development. His writing journey began in 2019 when after a breakup, he wanted to take on a new challenge and started writing two manuscripts for his current series, The Green Girl.

For the following two years, Sean saw himself continuing with the series so he wrote a further two more books. Currently, he is writing books five and six hoping to complete the series. Sean has mild cerebral palsy and learning difficulties but it hasn’t had any bearing on his ability as a writer. Sean has a wide range of hobbies and interests ranging from photography, food, and drinks, traveling, film and documentaries, watching live performances, walking, taking an interest in politics as well as socializing with friends and family. I am honored to introduce Sean Armstrong and that he would take the time to do an interview with me. Here is that interview:

1. How long have you been writing

I first started writing in 2017 when I wrote fan fiction however, I first started writing my first two manuscripts for my Green Girl Series in 2019 after a relationship breakup.

2. I see that you have dabbled in other pursuits such as Business and Children’s Care Learning. I am curious to know, what drove you to start this new adventure in writing books. Do you recall where your interest in writing originated?

After completing both of these courses I could find work so I decided that I wanted to challenge myself and that was when I started writing.

3. Do you have a specific writing style?

My style tends to involve fast-paced action.

4. Have you tried your hand at poetry as I can see you are primarily a novel writer? Have you ever written or attempted to write a short story or poetry? And if not, would you ever dabble into that form of writing? 

Yes, that would really interest me.

5. What books have influenced your life and your writing?

The Lord of the Rings, I Robot The Illustrated Man, and The War of the Worlds

6. What authors/poets do you idolize or enjoy?

Ray Bradbury, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Arthur C Clark, Neil Gaiman

7. Do you have a process that you go through when you are writing such as locking yourself in your room etc?

Normally locking myself on my own in my room. 

8. In your opinion, what is the hardest part of writing?

Thinking of new ideas to make the story fresh.

9. What inspired the idea for the Green girl and the Serum?

I had the idea from a number of different sources. The first was The film Unbreakable where the main character doesn’t realize that he is a superhero this made me think about the idea for the Green Girl.  Another inspiration was the Metal Gear Solid game series I loved the twists of the plot as the story developed.

10. I see that Green girl and the Serum is in the YA genre. Do you like writing for a younger audience? What got you to write in that genre of fiction? Yes, I find it easier sometimes to write for a younger audience. 

11. Can we expect more adventures from Stacey the green girl ( more books after this one)?

I have written another three books and am currently writing books five and six completing the series. 

12. What books are you reading at the moment?

The Void Trilogy by Peter F Hamilton

13. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers out there?

Everyone has the ability to write a decent story just keep going and also keep challenging yourself. 

I am grateful for this interview I had with Sean Armstrong. It was a real pleasure talking to him about writing and books. I hope to do more of these down the line because I create connections with people who have the same interests and aspirations as you. I love to hear from published authors their stories of how they got published and my favorite question is what advice would you give to aspiring writers?! Thank you, Sean Armstrong, for your time and your answers. If you want to check out his latest book, The Green Girl and the Serum, or want to find out more about him, follow the links below to his socials and his Goodreads page. Hope you enjoyed this post and see you in the next one.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59027743-the-green-girl-and-the-serum?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=YFQknxJEH2&rank=1

Twitter handle: @SeanArmstrong85

https://www.facebook.com/sean.armstrong.7315720/