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Thank you to anyone who wished me luck for my interview on Thursday - my silence since then wasn't because I imploded with panic and died in the interview room. No, it is simply laziness on my part. Also, I have tragically become addicted to Tumblr and because everyone I follow posts almost constantly, it takes me hours and days to keep up. I'm probably going to have to give it up soon because it is taking over my already hostile and anti-social life.

The interview (to get into university in September to train become a primary school teacher) actually went quite well - the exam was very difficult and the group task was intense, but the individual interview seemed to go swimmingly. Or so I am hoping (it could end up being one of those cases where you think you've done amazingly in an exam and then WABAM, you get a big fat F).

So I really haven't been doing anything else - as always. On Thursday night I went to Hayley's and we ate and ate and ate and maybe drank a bit and watched Andrew Garfield films. The Social Network, the sheer perfection of which I still cannot get over, and Never Let Me Go. I spoke about the novel Never Let Me Go when I read it a while ago. I think I must take back my Carey Mulligan comment in that post because I've realised now that she is wonderful and I adore her. I also think I figured out why I didn't like the book - it was just so cold. It was a love story with no love. The only passage that affected me was when Tommy says something like 'We've loved each other our whole lives...'. But I digress, I am talking about the film.

Which is spectacular, can I just say. Absolutely stunning. It was beautiful, graceful, emotional, heart-breaking and quite breath-taking in parts. The bit where Tommy gives Kathy a hug after he hasn't seen her in ten years... it was the most touching moment I can imagine. And I have to admit that Keira Knightley was quite good. I mean, she was a perfect Ruth. I hated her, so she must have played the part well. Carey Mulligan was excellent, but it was Andrew Garfield who completely blew me away. He was Tommy in every single aspect; he was every single inch the character from the book. Only with more feeling. He destroyed me. What a fantastic film.
On Saturday I went to my local library as part of the whole 'support your library now because the government are going to shut them down because they're actually nazis and will probably burn all the books' campaign that was going on. I am ashamed to say that it has been a long time since I last checked a book out of a library. I tend to buy them from Waterstones instead - which probably explains why libraries are in jeopardy in the first place. I forgot how perfect libraries are, and I intend to start going frequently now. I urge you all to start doing the same. I think the plan was to get so many people to check out books that there wouldn't actually be any books left in the libraries and they physically couldn't shut them down.

Speaking of books, I have been given a place as a book giver on World Book Night! My book choice was Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. I am hoping to somehow be able to give some of my smashing readers a copy of the book (I have 48 to give away), so keep your eyes open for news nearer the date if you're interested in a free book. World Book Night is on 5th March, and there are probably events going on in your area, so do look out for those also.

Finally, Jesse Eisenberg was on SNL last week, so obviously I had to watch it because I am in love him and his awkwardness. The following song was one of the sketches on the show and it perfectly encapsulates me and Hayley and the way we live our lives. Do enjoy.



We are the original creeps. And we are learning these dance moves for when we go out for my 21st in less than two weeks. LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. Oh no.

Review - Never Let Me Go

Today I finally, finally, got my PGCE application paid for and sent off. It's a massive relief just to have it done now, but no doubt after 1st December (the closing date for applications) I will start panicking about whether I'm going to get an interview or not...but I'll think about that then.

I've been quite slow with posting recently because I haven't been able to think of anything to write about. I'm also really tired all the time, so whatever free time I do get, I just want to sit there doing absolutely nothing. Maybe watch a cheeky bit of University Challenge so all my brain cells don't die. My head is crammed full of Bret Easton Ellis, Fight Club and Wordsworth at the moment, so it's quite nice to think of something else for a little while (no offence Bret, you know I love you more than I love mince pies).

I originally wasn't going to do a review post for Never Let Me Go, because quite a few of you recommended it to me, and I didn't want to offend everyone. But nobody I know has actually read it, so I wanted to vent my frustrations at it out somewhere. So here goes: (Kathy H lovers, look away now).

I hadn't read any of Kazuo Ishiguro's books until I picked up Never Let Me Go, and I almost certainly won't read another one. I just did not dig his style. The idea for the book was fantastic (click here for spoilers) but the book, to me, just never seemed to get going. I constantly felt like the narration was building up to something huge happening, but the event it was building up to just never occurred. I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't like the book aside from the writing style - in fact, it isn't even that I didn't like the book. I was simply completely indifferent to it. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters, and maybe that sounds a little heartless (especially considering the purpose of the characters), but I really didn't like any of them. Ok, maybe I liked Tommy a little bit - he was very sweet - but I couldn't stand Ruth (it's quite apt that Keira Knightley is playing her in the upcoming film adaptation - bad acting for a bad character).

I can see why this book is so popular, but I don't like books that are simply written and I don't like books that are poorly written, and I didn't think Never Let Me Go was impressive on any front. To be honest, I was just bored. By about a third in I was only reading it so that I could finish it. I couldn't see any development to the story and there was absolutely no depth to the characters, which sounds very pretentious on my part, but I am an English Lit student afterall.

I've tried not to give much about the story away here, because if you are planning on reading it, the idea for the novel is very cool. However, I cannot say that I would recommend this to anyone. Sorry to all those pople who recommended it to me! At least I'm honest, right?

I am looking forward to the film though, even if it does feature Keira Shiteley and Carey mind-numbingly-boring Mulligan. Helllllooo Andrew Garfield!