Grab a brew, a biscuit of your choice and settle into your new favourite blog
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FeaturedWhy Does Hollywood still get ‘Feminism’ so wrong?
Films like Black Widow, (yet another) Cinderella and Cruella seem to give new insights into characters that have played upon sexist stereotypes in the past, rewriting them to have agency and a ‘feminist’ stance. However, there is still something deeply unsettling within these narratives that I just can’t get out of my head. They’re so… Read more
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FeaturedIn the Heights: Film Review
Yesterday I went to see In the Heights at the cinema for the first time in what feels like forever. I honestly don’t remember the last film I went to see, although I’m pretty sure it was probably Toy Story 4. After listening to the original stage musical for years on and off, I was… Read more
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FeaturedNaomi Osaka: Rules? Society? Or Standard?
Over this last week, world number 2 and the world’s wealthiest female tennis player Naomi Osaka was forced to pay a fine and pull out of the French Open. Why? Because she didn’t want to attend post-match interviews with the press due to suffering with mental health issues. It is important to remember that Osaka,… Read more
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FeaturedThe Debate around Black/Brown Face and Colourblind Casting
Recently on social media and in the world of TV and Film, there have been various race debates which I believe should be addressed. First of all is the continued use of ‘Blackface’ or ‘Brownface’. This is generally described by the Oxford English Dictionary as someone who isn’t black or brown and uses makeup to… Read more
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FeaturedWandaVision Review:
I wish I had the time to write this as the episodes were coming out because when I say that I was hooked. I. WAS. HOOKED. I was really intrigued when I heard that Marvel was going to create a TV series which combined the old sitcom style with superhero action and one of my… Read more
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FeaturedHome[o]stasis
Well, I bet you never thought I’d make a science joke… Anndd its ironically the opposite of how I feel. Homeostasis is a natural chemical which enables the body to change and adapt to the outside world. We’ve all managed nearly a year of a complete change to our daily lives. Lockdowns, testings and although… Read more
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FeaturedThomas Becket, the Meddlesome Priest
I’m over a week late to the party celebrating/remembering the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket’s 850 year anniversary of his death. The infamous quote, allegedly shouted by Henry II, ‘Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?‘ has been debated on whether he ever said that to his guards. One thing you will learn… Read more
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FeaturedRevolution of the Daleks: My Thoughts
Over the last few months I started to rewatch Doctor Who from the beginning of the reboot in 2005 with Christoper Eccleston as the ninth Doctor. I am currently onto series 8 with Peter Capaldi’s first series as the 12th Doctor. During this time period of doctors, I have seen how the lead writers; Russel… Read more
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FeaturedThe Show on Everyone’s Lips: The Queen’s Gambit
I don’t think I am alone when I say that Netflix is now a part of my daily routine. I wake up at 7am (sometimes earlier, I know, I’m a little strange) and I open my laptop to watch Netflix. From shows such as Tiger King, to The Umbrella Academy and the Crown, Netflix has… Read more
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FeaturedNorthern Lights (Golden Compass): Film Review
Well I guess the title isn’t off to a great start. The Golden Compass, probably aimed to be a one-off film rather than kick-start Pullman’s Trilogy seems to fall quite flat on its face if you’ve read the book. It’s a film that could have been hugely successful… if it was three hours long. There… Read more
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FeaturedNorthern Lights: Book Review
As promised, I shall be posting weekly on my blog just to keep it ticking over nicely. Today I will be reviewing the first part of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Material novels; Northern Lights! This is a book I’ve always wanted to read and for some reason, I never had the opportunity, so I was… Read more
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Taking (Biscuit) Breaks…
Yeesh… Sorry for the bad pun. So, I have been pretty quiet recently, and I do have plenty of posts that I want to write about but after starting uni, I. Do. Not. Have. Timeeee. I’m studying History and although I knew it came with a hefty reading list. Oh my goodness, it’s a lot.… Read more
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FeaturedRejections Are Good
Hi Biscuit Breakers, Last night I received an email from a writing competition informing me that although my story was shortlisted, it didn’t receive any further awards of being highly commended or higher. I will admit that I was disappointed as I put a lot of effort and drafts into that story. However, I decided… Read more
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FeaturedBritish Monarchs who were Never Crowned
*Always Crowned. Never ‘coronated’. It’s all lies. That was a PSA from my college tutor. After I started to finally watch the Crown on Netflix, I learned that Edward VIII, Queen Elizabeth’s uncle abdicated his throne to his brother. I was intrigued to know how many other monarchs were never crowned, even though I already… Read more
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FeaturedAnimal Farm: Film Review
If you were expecting a nice children’s animated film about pigs and animals on an English farm. You thought wrong. Animal Farm’s 1954 classic barely strayed away from Orwell’s dark and politically intense novel and the animators made it very easy for young children to become aware of the certain aspects of an undemocratic government.… Read more
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FeaturedAnimal Farm: Book Review
OMG! It’s been so long since I’ve done a good book review and comparing them to a film. Animal Farm is by no means a classic. Many people will have studied it at school. Unfortunately, I was never taught it at school, but I knew that the Pigs were bad and it was symbolic of… Read more
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FeaturedThe School For Good And Evil: Series Review
Hi Biscuit Breakers, Well, you’re in for a round up of not one, not two, but all six of the children’s fantasy series of ‘The School for Good and Evil’. (or SGE as I will refer because it takes too long to type…) Written by Soman Chainani, these books follow two young girls from a… Read more
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FeaturedBusinesses Before They Were Big
Hi Biscuit Breakers, Anyone wonder how these giant businesses that we all know (and some love) started off? Remember these now multi-million businesses were seedlings of an idea in someone’s head. Think Tony Stark and his random decision to make Iron Man. You’ll definitely know these names below, but do you know how they started?… Read more
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FeaturedGetting Your Results This Year? Me Too
Whether you’ve already received your grades if you’re from Scotland, or anxiously waiting for your A-level and GCSE results; you’re not alone. Tomorrow is going to be a stressful morning for me. I usually enjoy watching Netflix in the morning (as everyone is still asleep so that time is mine) and it generally gives me… Read more
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Sandwiches in the Sky
We overlook the microscopic city below, legs Dangling off the mossy edge Toy cars and lego buildings reach up towards us But we’re too busy chasing the clouds. – We breathe in the fresh air Savouring the lack of pollution Cleaning out our clogged up lungs – I hand you a squashed ham and cheese… Read more
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FeaturedMy WordPress Anniversary
Hi Biscuit Breakers! Well, I never expected to get here so soon! Last year I decided to finally start a blog that would be a place for me to be my crazy, nerdy self without the fear of being judged by so-called ‘friends’. I kept it a secret for a while, I quietly worked on… Read more
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FeaturedHow the UK’s approach to obesity is dangerous
Hi Biscuit Breakers, The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has set up a scheme to help tackle obesity in the UK. The UK has some staggering figures when it comes to obesity and it is without a question that it is a problem. 28.7% of people in the UK have a Body Mass Index of… Read more
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FeaturedShravan: What is it?
Hi Biscuit Breakers, As you know, I am a practising Hindu. There are several festivals and traditions that we do throughout the year and during summer, Hindus celebrate ‘Shravan’, a month of being vegetarian (if you’re not already) or fasting. During this month, there are days for fasting, a day when you eat cold food… Read more
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FeaturedWomen Are NOT ‘Chicks’
This article was originally posted on Empoword Journalism. Click here to visit their website. Why are the ‘chick-flicks’ and ‘chick-lit’ genre so problematic? The origin of the term ‘chick flick’ came into fruition in the 80’s and 90’s. However, the more films that become branded as a ‘chick flick’ the more problematic the genre becomes.… Read more
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FeaturedThe Hunger Games – Catching Fire: Film Review
Hi Biscuit Breakers! Now that we’ve established the wonderful book that is Catching Fire, we move onto the pretty decent film adaptation of it. Yes, they left out some parts, but most importantly it did strike true to the book! The film, like with the book, follows Katniss in her new home in Victors Village.… Read more
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FeaturedThe Hunger Games – Catching Fire: Book Review
Hi Biscuit Breakers! It’s been an age since I’ve done any book and film review comparisons, so I thought I’d start up again with Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games trilogy. It’s probably nearly a year ago since I did the reviews to the first book/film of the franchise. To read the book review, click here… Read more
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FeaturedSix Queens: Catherine Parr
“I’m the survivor, Catherine Parr. I bet you wanna know how I got this far…” Catherine Parr, the last of the old King’s wives. But she was no stranger to marriage. In fact, Henry must have met his female match as Parr was married a total of 4 times. Henry was her 3rd husband. Catherine… Read more
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FeaturedWhat are ‘Microaggressions’ and How Do We Stop It?
Hi Biscuit Breakers! Today’s post is focusing on the ‘microaggressions’ that minority groups face on a daily basis in society. First of all, what are ‘microaggressions’? Well, the description online isn’t exactly simple. So here it is: Microaggressions are common remarks said to people (who belong to a certain group) which have negative or prejudiced… Read more
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FeaturedSix Queens: Catherine Howard
I’d say that Catherine Howard is the most ‘misunderstood’ wife of Henry VIII. She certainly didn’t have a clean childhood, but her infamous ‘promiscuity’ should not be blown out of proportion. She ruled alongside him for a mere two years (not enough time for a coronation) and her complicated past was damning before she even… Read more
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FeaturedNational Writing Day
On Wednesday 24th June, it was National Writing Day. I was supposed to post on that day, but unfortunately I was very busy. Who knew taking over someone’s instagram would take up the whole day? (Everyone, obviously…) Throughout the 8 weeks leading up to National Writing Day, I have been participating in weekly #WriteFromHome video… Read more
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FeaturedWar of the Worlds: Book Review
First things first. The rich descriptions really sucked me into this book. Right from the start. But the ending… I was so disappointed. I know this is a classic, but we can’t love them all. War of the Worlds is considered to be one of the first explicit science fiction novel. Previous novels such as… Read more
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I Met Hunger at the Takeaway
Hi Biscuit Breakers! I am currently switching between 5 different jobs today as I am taking over First Story’s Instagram page alongside my wonderful best friend Sophie. But that didn’t stop me from still participating in this weeks #WriteFromHome workshop run by Andrew McMillan. This week we were focusing on describing Abstract Nouns, so things… Read more
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FeaturedSix Queens: Anne of Cleves
It’s the classic tale of catfishing. But in this case, Anne probably held the trump card and outlived not only the King himself, but also ALL of the other queens. After doing my research a bit more into her history, I’ve found that she, alongside Katherine of Aragon are my favourite queens so far. Anne… Read more
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FeaturedKilling Eve: Season 3
For the last few years Killing Eve has quickly become one of my favourite shows of all time. It subverted expectations of female assassins and detectives, it was glamorous and humorous too. But season three hit a stalemate and I don’t know if it can ever recover it’s former glory. Jodie Comer as the fabulous… Read more
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Biblio-arbre Haibun
Hi Biscuit Breakers! Yay, I’m finally getting the hang of just writing the blog post before I forget… This week’s #WriteFromHome workshop was held by the brilliant Malika Booker. She is an award winning poet and is also a mentor for the Writing Squad which I am lucky to be a member of. The theme… Read more
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FeaturedWhy Should we Care About ‘Black Lives Matter’?
Hi Biscuit Breakers, As many of you will probably know, these last two weeks have been seriously influential in raising awareness of the daily oppression that specifically black people have been subject to for over 400 years. Much of the media coverage will soon die down, and they’ll blame a potential ‘second wave’ of coronavirus… Read more
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FeaturedSix Queens: Jane Seymour
She was Henry’s favourite wife. He was later buried beside her in Windsor. Why? Because despite his two previous feisty Queens, Jane Seymour was unremarkably unremarkable. She had a traditional feminine education in stitching, cooking, etiquette and the rest of that nonsense. She could only write her name. Jane wasn’t completely stupid though, she served… Read more
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Our Shadows
Okay, today is not going to be my usual cheery self. I’ve seen and read too much over the last few days to not ignore how I feel. In some ways I feel deeply saddened that racism towards the black community, which has been inherent in society for too long STILL exists. But the support… Read more
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FeaturedBook Review: To Kill a Mockingbird
So many people praise this book and believe it to be one of the greatest pieces of literature that exists from the 20th Century. I can see why. After just finishing this book, especially under these current events that’s going on in America. I can’t believe this amount of racism and Prejudice still exists and… Read more
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FeaturedSix Queens: Anne Boleyn
Her name is often carried as a notorious queen. A sex goddess who seduced Henry into reforming the church. But we’re not going to focus on those claims. And as much as I love SIX, they uphold Boleyn’s flirtatious nature and dismiss her political influence. In ‘Don’t Lose Ur Head’ she explicitly says “politics? Not… Read more
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The Museum of Procrastination
Hi Biscuit Breakers! It’s still Wednesday and I know I’m pushing it, but even if you’re reading this on a Thursday it’s still the aim of this #WriteFromHome campaign to write. This week’s writing workshop was held by Sonya Hundal and the theme was all about Museums and what we would find in a personal… Read more
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FeaturedSix Queens: Catherine of Aragon
Hi Biscuit Breakers! Now that my trip to the theatre to see SIX! has unfortunately been postponed, I thought I’d share some little known facts about Henry VIII’s wives, which in retrospect shouldn’t be “little known”. First up is Catherine of Aragon. She was a Spanish princess originally betrothed to Henry’s older brother: Arthur. However… Read more
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FeaturedSwing Time: Book Review
Now it’s not often that I finish a book and feel slightly… well underwhelmed. Zadie Smith is a powerhouse of an author who has published many books concerning race, gender, identity and living in a modern world. She is highly successful for her books such as White Teeth and On Beauty, so top creds to… Read more
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FeaturedMental Health Awareness Week
Hi Biscuit Breakers, I don’t think I know one stable minded person. And that is okay. I’ve battled and am still battling with mental health issues that I’ve had since I was 13. I was diagnosed with anxiety and stress disorder due to the constant pressure from my school and home life. This caused me… Read more
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Solitaire
Hi Biscuit Breakers! Today is another #WriteFromHome day where I will be sharing with you one of my responses to this week’s online writing workshop held by Dean Atta. The theme for this week was ‘Water’ and I loved it purely because water is one of the most versatile pieces of imagery that you can… Read more
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FeaturedNever Have I Ever… Loved a Netflix Series More
When I say I have never binged a show in an entire day or two, I mean it. And I’m pretty proud that I can resist the urge to watch a whole show in one night. But Never Have I Ever was different. I binged the whole series in two days. No regrets. As soon… Read more
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Anything Goes
I’m aware that I had a seriously forgetful brain yesterday. I forgot to post my weekly Wednesday #WriteFromHome and I also forgot to attend an English class on zoom. I blame my energy in finishing Pride and Prejudice, which I got so invested in, I practically forgot everything else. So! Without wasting anymore time in… Read more
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FeaturedInternational Nurses Day: Mary Seacole
Hi Biscuit Breakers! Today (12th May) marks International Nurses Day. It’s very important to celebrate this day especially at the moment as these wonderful nurses our saving our lives under the coronavirus pandemic. International Nurses Day was first celebrated in 1965, and it was chosen on this day as it is Florence Nightingale’s birthday. She… Read more
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FeaturedThe Devil Wears Prada: Film Review
No matter how many differences that I will find from the book. This film will always be one of my favourites. First of all, the casting of Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly is iconic. I mean, this gif doesn’t even do it justice. Secondly, I love Anne Hathaway and she seems to be the master… Read more
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A Note From the Humble Hair Tie
It’s Week 2 of our Wednesday Writing with First Story and National Writing Day. Today’s theme was ‘Objects’ and I have to say if you only do one of these workshops, definitely try the Metaforaging. It was so much fun! Below is one of my works where I took the personality of a hair tie.… Read more
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