Hazel (1853 KP) rated I'll Be Home for Christmas in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Christmas can be a very difficult time for many people, especially if they are homeless. A selection of well known YA authors including Holly Bourne, Melvin Burgess and Marcus Sedgwick, have come together to produce an anthology of short stories that explore the idea of “home” during this festive period. Only a couple of the tales are about people living on the streets, however that does not mean those with a roof over their head necessarily have a home.
Once published, £1 of every copy of<i> I’ll Be Home for Christmas </i>sold will be donated to the British charity Crisis, an organization that offer their services to individual homeless citizens. They work all year round but advertise more heavily at Christmas. It is their hope that this book will increase awareness of homelessness and result in an increase of generosities this winter.
The fourteen short stories in this anthology all provide a different meaning of the word “home.” For some it is about having somewhere to live, for others it is about family, love and safety. The key connection between each author’s interpretations is the main character is unhappy or worried and does not feel a sense of home. A few tales result in a happy ending; unfortunately others are not fully resolved. Apart from a couple that take a sci-fi/fantasy direction, the authors have tried to keep their narratives as true to life in order to emphasise the problems many people in the UK, if not the world, face at Christmas and the year in general.
Being targeted at a young adult audience, most of the characters are in their late teens, dealing with issues that sadly many teenagers and children are faced with today. The same themes crop up in many of the stories, such as homosexuality, divorce, family or lack of, and the feeling of loneliness.
As stories go, the individual tales are nothing special. They are not exciting or gripping, as you would expect a novel to be, however some of the scenarios will stick with you long after turning the final page. Although set at Christmas time, these stories are not overly festive, largely due to the negativity the characters are facing. Even if you do not particularly enjoy the tales, it will not be a waste of time reading them. They will leave you with a greater awareness to the struggles of others during a time when “home” plays a vital part in people’s lives. Crisis hopes that the general public will become more mindful and willing to help out in the near future.
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Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated Bridgerton in TV
Feb 17, 2021
Firstly, one thing we all will notice that there is HUGE difference to other shows set in the 1800s. Usually the cast would be predominantly white. Lets not skirt around it. However, this amazing show not only has fabulous characters of all race and cultures, the first I've seen where a mixed race couple in the 19th century is the norm. Obviously historically speaking this would have been illegal, a queen of England being anything but white unheard of. This show breaks that barrier, creating a world we could only wish was actually our true history.
The stories run together so well it feels natural, where some shows can struggle to keep up with multiple storylines going. It's never confusing or hard to follow, it flows so well.
I could go on but genuinely do not want to spoil the show for anyone that may want to give it a go, so I'll leave you with this:
I honestly think this show is the best to have come about in a VERY long time, certainly worth the 8 hour binge.