Jolabokaflod - My Thoughts on a Icelandic Tradition

It's that time of year again, where I usually do a round up of the books that I gave and received this Christmas, but funnily enough this year was not so book heavy! Unusual for our house. Maybe it was because we'd done a lot of reading already this year, what with lockdown! Or maybe it was because we gave and received more practical, or even more indulgent presents, because of the kind of year we've all had! I for one, got lots of cosy socks and PJs, which says a lots really! But what about books? Aren't they an indulgent gift, don't they go hand in hand with the cosy socks and the PJs? Well yes, I would agree with that! But, I also now feel well equipped to snuggle down and read all the books on my to-read pile! So maybe I didn't need any new books this Christmas, just the accoutrements to enjoy what I already had, which seems pretty fitting for 2020. 

That being said though, I have just discovered a Icelandic tradition that I have 100% fallen in love with! Jolabokaflod! Or the Christmas book flood! It's no surprise to anyone who knows me, that I have taken another Nordic tradition to heart! I love a bit of Hygge and Fika, so why not Jolabokaflod!? Let me explain... 

So on Christmas Eve it is tradition in Iceland to give each other books as presents. This started in the 1940s when paper was one of the only things that wasn't rationed in Iceland during the war! Thinking it sounds like a good tradition good so far? It gets better! Once you have received your book (or books if you're lucky!) the rest of the evening is spent snuggled up reading them, in the warmest, cosiest, place you can find! With, of course, a compulsory hot chocolate and even a roaring fire! What's not to love!!??

I reckon this is a tradition we could all embrace! Not only is it the loveliest way to spend an evening with your loved ones, it also encourages people to switch off their phones, other devices, televisions, stop worrying about what time the turkey needs to go in the oven the next morning, or whether you've bought enough booze for the festivities! It just allows for us to be present in the moment, and frankly we all need a bit of that these days! If this year has taught us anything, it's that if we slow down, linger a little longer, open our eyes, then the world has so much more the show us and for us to experience, and the best thing is, it's right under our noses. So why not incorporate an element of Jolabokaflod into our lives? It could be as simple as recommending a good book to a friend! Or in true Jolabokaflod style why not gather up all your cosiest things, a snuggly blanket, and a hot drink of your choice and get lost in the pages of a book. You'll find that it's very good for the soul, but then I think you already knew that...

Thanks for reading, L x

Mental Health and The Illustrated Mum

I recently re-read Jacqueline Wilson's brilliant novel The Illustrated Mum with the view to writing my first MA assignment on it. However, things changed, other ideas came up, and i'm off on a different tack now, but I couldn't get this book out of my head. So I thought i'd share a few of my thoughts about it with you.

 If you haven't read it, and think you might want to, I'll give you a quick heads up.... this post contains SPOILERS!!!

The Illustrated Mum is a story about two sisters Star and Dolphin, and their mum Marigold. Marigold is no ordinary mum, she's creative, covered in tattoos, likes to party, and dresses like a teenage girl. There is nothing of the traditional mum about Marigold! But there's something else you need to know about Marigold, she has bipolar disorder.

Jacqueline Wilson has always tackled tough, and you might even say taboo, subjects in her literature for children; adoption, loss, broken families and mental health issues being just a few. Although she had a conventional and happy upbringing Wilson has an amazing ability to enter the heads of children in tough situations and really sympathise with their issues, worries and concerns. She tackles tricky subjects with honesty, compassion and huge emotional complexity. Her characters jump off the page at you, and are so appealing that you just can't help but fall in love with them. Wilson's books are life-lines for children suffering with the same issues as her characters, giving them encouragement and telling them it will be ok. Even if those issues are just the trials of growing up, Wilson is there for her readers. I would certainly put her up there with J.K Rowling as an author of life-saving books!

Seen through the eyes of the youngest daughter Dolphin, The Illustrated Mum charts the peaks and troughs of a parent with bipolar disorder. We see Marigold at her best and her worst, and everything in between. It is a candid look at mental health and how it effects not just the sufferer but the people around them.

A major cause of Marigold's unhappiness is her break up with Star's father Micky. She holds on to his memory, hoping that he will come back to her, but when he finally does return, he only wants his daughter, Star. The pain this causes Marigold sends her into a dark place, and it is here that this book takes on a whole new light. We are introduced to Marigold's manic episodes quite gently, with her obsessions with Micky and her tattoos, and her childlike behaviour. But as the book continues we frequently see her drinking far too much, and neglecting her children. At no point however, does Wilson imply that Marigold is a bad mother to her girls, and you never feel like you should dislike her. Marigold doubts her own abilities as a mother, but we are never explicitly told that she is a terrible mum. Dolphin is constantly reassuring her that she is good enough and that they love her very much, a reminder of the unconditional love between child and parent, despite the problems they might face. Star on the other hand, the elder of the two girls, is very aware of her mother's "bad behaviour". She has had to take on the role of "mother" instead, looking after Dolphin and Marigold as well as her school work, and she works very hard at both. Often having to make sure that she and her sister eat, she is a much more reliable mother figure than Marigold is. So when Micky appears in her life and offers her a "normal" life, away from the stresses of looking after Marigold she jumps at it! She leaves her mum and sister behind to go to Brighton to live with her Dad. She is supposed to take Dolphin with her, but ever loyal to Marigold, she refuses to go.

This is when the story changes. At the loss of both Micky and her daughter Marigold's bipolar disorder becomes markedly worse, and eventually she has a breakdown. Dolphin finds her in the middle of night, painted head to toe in white gloss paint, almost glowing in the darkness; a ghost. The passage is quite frightening, and the spectral imagery is haunting. You feel for this child, who has no choice but to deal with the horrific events unfolding in front of her. Trying to wipe out her tattoos in an attempt to become what she considers a "normal" mother, Marigold has painted herself white, and refuses to move until the paint has dried, muttering to herself and staring into space. A panicked Dolphin tries to get the paint off of her, but both the stubbornness of the paint and the stubbornness of Marigold prevent her from doing so. She has to call an ambulance and Marigold is hospitalised.

Still in primary school, Dolphin has to deal with so much, far too early. Wilson's ability to get into the head of her characters really allows you to feel what Dolphin is feeling, especially as the book is written from Dolphin's point of view. Reading this book as a child I don't remember this scene as quite so horrific. As an adult I actually found it quite disturbing, and I felt a great emotional pull towards Marigold, as well as Dolphin. I think Jacqueline Wilson deals with the issue of mental health in a sensitive and non-judgemental way. We are never seeing Marigold as just her illness, but instead as a person. We are constantly reminded that she is a woman, through the repeated motif of her tattooed body. Each chapter is named after, and features, one of Marigold's tattoos, making her body the structure of the story itself. Although the story focuses on her mental health issues, Wilson also portrays her a real person; someone with a huge personality and enormous creative flair. As an adult reader I found the character of Marigold hugely appealing, whereas I think a child reader would feel much more drawn to the girls.

We are only just breaking down the taboos concerning talking about mental health, and its 2016! Jacqueline Wilson wrote The Illustrated Mum in 1999! You could say she was ahead of her time in some respects. These days teen fiction deals with mental health issues quite freely, but in 1999 a book aimed at an even younger audience was addressing one of the biggest issues of our time, and doing it with style, sensitivity and care.

Thanks for reading, L x

So what is good for children these days...?

So I was having a browse of Facebook, as you do, and this little gem popped up in my news feed....

'A school principle claims books like Harry Potter

cause brain damage'

Firstly, I laughed. What a ridiculous comment! Then I looked a little closer.... this wasn't a joke, someone had actually said this, and not in jest! 

The story comes from a school blog, in which the headmaster had raised concerns about what his pupils were reading. He suggested that fantasy fiction caused irreversible damage to the imagination of young children, thus causing mental illness!

According to this gentleman hugely popular children series' such The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings were books to be avoided if you didn't want your children to be hampered by upsetting or frightening imagery, and magic or demonic themes. Instead he said children should be reading Shakespeare and Dickens, amongst others. Yes, I agree, they absolutely should be! But, if you are suggesting that these authors' works are devoid of negative themes and plot lines, you would be mistaken. Fantasy writer Samantha Shannon put it perfectly in her Guardian article in response to the aforementioned blog post. Here she reminds us of the rape, dismemberment and torture of Lavinia in Titus Andronicus by Shakespeare. How is this protecting children from disturbing imagery!? In fact what could be more disturbing!? You can read the other brilliant things she has to say on the topic here.  Please do! 

Just think about all the violence that can be found in Shakespeare plays, I give you Romeo and Juliet and Othello for starters. Our headmaster also disapproved of magic and ghosts in the literature children were being exposed to. Again, I draw your attention to Shakepeare! Macbeth for example contains murder and ghosts, and A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest are full of magic! Also, if we consider Dickens we can draw similar conclusions, with A Christmas Carol featuring the ghost of Marley, and just think about Oliver Twist's Bill Sykes, he's really scary! 

Earlier today I had read about the amazing J.K Rowling and the way she supports her fans through their struggles mental illness. The particular story I had read can be found here. As many of you will know the Dementors, and their effect on the characters, represent Rowling's experience of depression, and it is touches such as these that make her books relatable for millions of children and adults around the world. I feel that there is a lot more proof out there that series such as Harry Potter help and support children through the struggles of growing up, rather than damage them in any way. For many, having characters, and indeed authors, to whom they can relate, and fantasy worlds and magical events to escape to are totally invaluable! If anything, fantasy is safer than the real world! 

It is not often that I have a rant about things, but this seemed just too good to miss! I'd love to know what you think. 

Thanks for reading :) L x

There is a post on Inkheart coming soon, I just have to get my final uni essay out the way first!! 

Extremely Wise Words

Hello!

Sorry its been a bit quiet on here lately, I've been pretty busy and I've not had as much time for reading as I would have liked. However, the reading of Inkheart is going well, and I'm absolutely loving the spell binding story, centred around the book loving heroine Meggie!

Whilst I'm busying away I thought I'd keep you amused with a post about my most loved quotes from children's books. (It's a bit of a long one, but I hope you enjoy it!)

As those of you who know me will already know I suffer quite badly from an anxiety disorder. You could say that my love of children's books stems from a time when life was easier, when I had less to worry about and things were simpler, and I think you'd be right in some respects. By sitting down with a beloved children's book I am often transported back to memories of reading that book as a child, and I revisit favourites again and again for that fondness and familiarity; they are my old friends. Now I think of it, most of those old friends took the shape of bears! Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington, Teddy Robinson, Old Bear, Little Bear, Bramwell Brown! My Ursine pals were always there! But there were others too, like Charlie Bucket, Esiot Trot and Matilda, Ratty, Moley and Toad, and who could forget Pongwiffy the Witch!

Considering my literary pals, it occurred to me how much impact a book can have on a child, and how authors convey messages to their young readers. Much of what is written for the young is invaluable in terms of teaching life lessons, and addressing difficult situations. Just take some of the topics teen fiction covers these days! As an adult however, I think we can still look to children's fiction for inspiration and advice, so I thought I would share with you some of my favourite quotes.

1. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne -

When I first came across this quote, not that long ago, it made me cry! It seemed to sum up everything I was feeling and the things that I needed to remind myself on a daily basis. I shy away from a lot because I don't feel brave enough, and I often underestimate how much I can cope with life. There are many other beautiful quotes to be found in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, but this one will always resonate with me the most, and I like to keep it on my desk at all times to remind myself that I am ok, if only I remember what A.A Milne once said.



2. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl-

I love this quote! It's an important one for everyone to remember! Please be silly, just because you're grown up doesn't mean you must stop being daft! Just look at Willy Wonker there in that wonderful Quentin Blake illustration, he's the epitomy of jollity. This quote pops into my head quite regularly and reminds me to loosen up a bit!


3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K Rowling -

Good old Dumbledore, full of all wise words. These words in particular resonate with me. I've spent years wishing that my anxiety hadn't held me back, that I'd gone to university, that I'd done an arts course, that I'd been the person that I always believed that I would be, and its only recently that I've been honest enough with myself to admit that these dreams were not worth dwelling on anymore. Instead, I realised that I should be happy with what I've got and how my life is now, to look forward and not back. Dumbledore's wise words make so much sense now, because whilst you're dwelling on what you wished might have been you're are missing what is right there in front of you and it's passing you by. It's a valuable lesson people! 

4. Little Women by Lousia May Alcott -

Right now I am learning how to sail my ship! The waters are certainly rough and I'm often not sure if my boat is up to the job, but together we manage to get over the waves and keep going! This quote from the brilliant Jo March has helped me realise that if I keep trying I too could weather the storms and regain control. Little Women is an overtly moral tale, but it teaches some great general life lessons that we could all take something from.

5. Dr Seuss -

Dr Seuss said some really great things! He was always encouraging reading and learning and self belief in children. This quote however is aimed at adults. It reminds us how important the act of reading aloud to a child is. This is a subject very close to my heart, as I was read to when I was little, and I listened to a LOT of audio books too, and in fact now reading aloud is one of my favourite things to do! So I totally agree with Dr Seuss, there is no excuse! In fact the older, wackier and wilder you are the better! 

6. The Twits by Roald Dahl -

This has got to be one of my all time favourite quotes! I even have it on a t-shirt (thank you Primark!)! When I am feeling a bit low it reminds me to think a bit more positively, because if I do I will look happier and in turn feel happier. Everyone wants to look lovely don't they! It makes so much sense, think lovely, look lovely, be lovely! And that's good for everyone! So next time you're feeling a bit down remember to get those sunbeams shining out of your face!


There are loads more quotes I could share with you, but I think I best stop or we could be here forever. I hope you've enjoyed reading about my favourite children's book quotes, and that they might make a difference to your lives too. Never underestimate the power of books, whether you are young or old, and be it emotionally or academically. As Dr Suess once said "The more that you read, The more things you will know, The more that you learn, The more places you'll go!"

Thanks for reading :) x