Waching daily Aug 5 2018

Hi guys I'm Shelly, and welcome to day 7 of the BookTubeAThon.

We did it, we made this all the way through. Through a heat wave, through all the books.

Through all the challenges, it's day 7, Holy Crikes....

So today's challenge is less of a challenge, more of an emotional love towards books.

We have been asked by Ariel Bisset, our wonderful leader.

To talk about our favorite book. As a bibliophile and I would imagine there's a lot of bibliophiles.

It's very difficult to pick your favorite book. I could talk about my love for the for The Fault in Our Stars

and Augustus Waters and existential freethrows. Which I still don't quite know what that means? but I'm working on it.

I could talk about one of my booktubeathon reads, which is Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.

Which I do quote as my favorite book quite a lot.

A beautiful love story which just gives me all the tingles, and Oreo fun.

But I was sat down thinking about this and although those books are wonderful. And they give me all the feels and all the happiness.

There is one particular book, that I'm even getting kind of welled up just thinking about it.

Emmmmmm i..(gibberish)

You know that edge of tearyness, where your just oh I'd like oooooo??

I get like that just thinking about it. And that is Black Roses the Killing of Sophie Lancester. By Siom Armitage.

It's a book of poetry, but for those of you don't like poetry please don't turn away. It's something different.....

This is oh so different.

The story behind this book is of a young woman named Sophie Lancaster

Who lived and breathed, and was part of this planet.

Who on the 11th of August 2007 along with her boyfriend Robert.

Was brutally attacked and killed by a bunch of teenagers, who just didn't like what her and her boyfriend looked like.

Her boyfriend survived, Sophie didn't.

It's a collection of poems really, but they all flow into one another, and tell the story of Sophie's life bit by bit, by bit,

From growing up and meeting Robert, to getting a place together.

To the night of the attack, to after the attack,

You're also taught about the aftermat.

You're taught about what happened in the hospital with her mum, and with her and from her point of view.

Instead of it just ending at the hospital door, where many, many news reports do.

This person was attacked, this is why they were attacked ,and they have passed away.

This is Sophie story of what happened to her.

In the introduction Simon Armitage has written,

I never met Sophie but in everybody's recollections, and especially those of her mother.

She was a sensitive, inquiring, peaceable, innocent and defenseless young woman.

And through these poems, I wanted to give her back her voice.

You are literally put into Sophie's head as all this things are happening to her, and it's quite powerful and quite emotive.

I just don't know how to use the right language to describe it.

It breaks your heart and yet the beginning part of Sophie's life, you just......

This was an amazing woman, she was so beautiful and her thoughts and her feelings were just so wonderful.

I cannot describe this book properly and never ever could.

I'm gonna read you a little piece, just so you can get a taste of how wonderful Simon's writing is...

"I wore studded dog leads around my wrist, and was pleased as punch in the pit at a gig.

To be singled out by a shooting star of saliva from Marilyn Manson's lips.

But for all that stuff, in many ways an old-fashioned soul.

Quite at home in my own front room, on my own sette.

I read, I wrote, I painted, I drew.

Where it came from, no one knew. But it flowed, it flew

Although on the exterior, Sophie was a goth. Inside she just wanted to be at home, with a cup of tea on, her sofa with a boyfriend Robert.

And just live a happy life .

This was made into a play and was shown at the theater.

Then it was made into a TV play for BBC 4.

I think it still here on YouTube, and I will link it here there and everywhere.

If you have problems reading poetry, if you don't take it in. I really suggest watching it.

It is something else. It broke me. So that i had to go and get this,

I had to read it, and sit with it, and take time with it.

Because it breaks me every time.

Yet it's somehow my favorite piece of writing, because of the love, the attention, the tribute

That Simon put in to Sophie's voice. It is, it is something else.

So that is my favorite book.

It's day 7 of the booktubeathon, I'm gonna go finish up reading, and then I will be doing my wrap-up.

I hope you guys are good, I can't wait to find out what your favorite books are?

Because passion people!

Byeeeee

"Mother, mum. don't think me rude if my eyes don't light up ay my favourite things.

these new pajamas, this toiletry bag. But I'm losing ground.

I'm slipping back.

When you loosen my clothes please don't be fooled by the hidden tattoos and studs,

and the rings in intimate folds.

Or the woman's body I've secretly grown.

Because under the skin I'm your helpless daughter all over again.

A little dot, your baby girl.

As you did, do again now.

Mop my brow as you mopped my brow

Climb in my bed as you climbed in my bed

Lie at my side as you lay at my side.

As you kissed my ear. As you wiped my mouth. As you soothed me to sleep.

As you washed me down, As you bathed my breast. As you put me to rest.

Night follows day, Day becomes night. I'm sunken deep elsewhere, vacant out of reach

They've scanned and searched, the vital signs, But I'm hardly a pulse barely a breath.

A trace, A thread, A waste. A past.

The line on the screen goes long and flat.

Pull the curtains around, Call the Angels down.

Now let me go, now carry me home.

Now make this known!