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Biannual Bibliothon 2016 Wrap-Up

~ Natalie Cotterill ~ Leave a comment

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This was supposed to go up yesterday but I had no internet so today it is.

I managed to finish three books and most of fourth during the Biannual Bibliothon, which I’m really pleased with as I have been fairly busy this week. I did have to change around my TBR slightly as I never finished the book I was reading and wanted to finish it. Here are the books that I read and the challenges I completed:
A book you’ve been putting off picking up – Stork Mountain by Miroslav Penkov
This book was absolutely fantastic and there is a review to come (I just need to write it first). I’d been putting this off as I stated it just before exams but the plot is extremely intricate and I just couldn’t cope with all of the information and revision! It’s set in Bulgaria too, which was so interesting as I knew nothing about the place. 4.5/5 stars.
Free choice – Moonstone by Sjón
This again, was really good. I did find it a little confusing at times, especially the ending, but overall I enjoyed it. It was really short and fascinating as it is set in Iceland in 1918, so something completely different from anything else I’ve read. 4/5 stars.
By an author you’ve never read – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
This received the lowest rating of them all, yet I still enjoyed it. Whilst I was reading it I found parts to be quite slow, yet it has left me thinking about it and looking forward to reading the next instalment, which obviously shows that I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars.
Favourite mythical creature – A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Oh wow. Now I see what the hype is about, and Sarah J. Maas writes such wonderful characters. I can’t wait to get to the sequel and the Throne of Glass series to delve into her worlds again. 4 / 5 stars.
Different format – The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Okay, so I only listened to two chapters of this (I’m struggling to get through it, so I figured I’d try listening) but I thought I’d include it anyway. I’m enjoying it a bit more now I’m listening to it, and even better, I found an audiobook app that is free and with all the classics on (which are what I prefer to listen to).
So that’s my Biannual Bibliothon wrap up! I’m pretty pleased with the amount that I managed to read. If you took part, how many did you manage?
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Lake District – Day Three

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Today we did some work for one of our exams in summer this year – which is based on field work that we have completed. For this we took various measurements of a river in the valley above the field centre we’re staying at.

I tell you, what a difference from yesterday though. The weather, albeit chilly at times, was a vast improvement – it wasn’t as cold, it only spat with rain once and the sun even decided to show its face a couple of times.

The fieldwork itself wasn’t too bad either, apart from a couple of occasions when trying to cross the river (wearing walking boots – I was too lazy to change to my wellies which I carried with me) but other than that it was absolutely fine. 

Tomorrow we’re going into Carlisle, to study population. But it’s a city and I think we’re all craving the feeling of walking through bustling streets (and a number of my friends are desperately planning to buy some fizzy drinks)! 

Procrastination…

~ Natalie Cotterill ~ Leave a comment

I’m writing this quite late at night, having only just decided on the subject of this post. What a surprise – typical me. Ask any of my friends, and they’ll tell you I tend to put things off until the night before… Not good when I have essays and a lot of work for school!

The reason I’m writing this post is because I’m putting off planning chapter seven for my story, which I’m writing for NaNoWriMo… and I’m behind by so many words… and the rest.

What I’m trying to say is that procrastination is not that great, and recently I’ve been trying to make myself do things instead of just sitting playing on my phone and putting them off. It doesn’t always work, but sometimes it helps.

Well, I’m just going to finish some french homework (which I have put off finishing) and listen to some music now!

Dance in the sky

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I’m planning a video soon for a poem that is very close to my heart. I may make a medley of poems, but I’m not sure! It’s written in commemoration of the First World War and it being a hundred years ago. I may make several poems over the course of the four years as it is something that I feel very emotional about due to seeing some of the war graves during a school trip about two and a half years ago to Belgium and Northern France. It was only four (I think) days but it changed how I thought about a lot of things so I’m looking forward to being able to share my emotions and thoughts with others. I have written a lot of poems about the First World War in particular as it’s mainly the Second World War that was focused on during my history lessons and when I went to Belgium it kind of opened my eyes and I realised that the First World War was just as bad, if not worse, so why do we not cover that as much? I only really learnt about the First World War in year nine (I’m going into year twelve)! I’m hoping to get a video up in the next few days but I need to edit the poem itself first!

Video!

~ Natalie Cotterill ~ Leave a comment

So I have had a new plan to create videos for some of my poems, especially those aimed mainly at teenagers (like myself) and the issues we face. I’m actually really excited as it’s something completely different for me to do! I started filming one of the videos for a poem called “anonymous” today and I can’t wait to get it onto youtube! Bless, my friends have been amazing, acting out snippets for me to film as part of the video! I’ve only got to write some music now for it… but whether I will or not depends on how the video is when it’s been completely edited (without the music). Anonymous is about cyberbullying which I know is a major issue among those of my age, although I myself have never actually experienced it! (I guess I’m lucky – but I do know someone who wasn’t as fortunate). I wrote the poem just under a year ago and it’s still one of my favourites that I have written. I can’t wait to get this video onto youtube now! x

DofE

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So on Monday 9th December I did a presentation about my skill that I’d chosen for my Duke of Edinburgh – which was poetry. On the same evening I received my DofE bronze award. Anyway for my presentation I had to talk about what I’d done and also present a poem I’d written. It was about out expedition which we did in September. It was a great evening and I really enjoyed it despite being so nervous because it was in front of a large crowd.
A quote from the poem:
“Into the unknown,
off we went.
Our bags were packed:
spare socks, the tent,
the trangia, the gas,
the food as well.
I watched as I packed,
shocked, scared,
as my bag began to swell.”

It was a brilliant walk and evening!

Copyright © 2013 Natalie Cotterill.

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Halloween

~ Natalie Cotterill ~ Leave a comment

Happy Halloween!
Everyone seems to make such a fuss over this event, I can’t say I’ve really bothered. The one thing I have done is used it as an excuse for going out for a meal with friends and, typical me, to write a poem.
Halloween has been an event celebrated for hundreds of years, though it wasn’t about the sweets then, it was about the spirits. The people who celebrated Samhain, as it was then, believe this night every year to be the night where the “veil” between life and death is the thinnest, meaning the spirits of the dead are closer to us. They believed that the spirits of the dead may return home. Being a Gaelic festival, traditionally Celtic, Samhain is also the end of the harvest season; and greets the winter and the darker months ahead. Many still celebrate this now, and I have decided to base my poem for Halloween on this belief.

Samhain spirits.

Samhain spirits come out tonight,
once a year they are freed
the dead come closer to the life
becoming more than memories.
Leaving behind the seasons of produce,
of warmth and comfort and light.
the collected fruits shall be put to use
and the day soon becomes night.
Visiting home, the spirits feast
on the fruits of the labour from previous seasons.
Ghostly figures tease and tease
their living company, for no reason.
For one night only the Samhain spirits
come out of hiding into the world.
They mingle easily with the living
the living spirits, new, with the spirits old.

Copyright © 2013 Natalie Cotterill.

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First post

~ Natalie Cotterill ~ 1 Comment

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Okay, so this is my first post on here. Forgive any mistakes with my use of the programme – it takes a while for me to get used to these things. My name is Natalie Cotterill, I am fifteen years old and I am Staffordshire young poet laureate. I love to write, specifically poetry and most of my posts will be my work. If they’re not, they’ be rambling about something I’ve done.
Anyway… I’m off! 🙂