COQ: Anne Frank: First Glance at Loneliness/the Black Sheep

Puffin Books 2002. 

Page 29. 

"I don't fit in with them, and I've felt that clearly in the last few weeks. They're so sentimental together, but I'd rather be sentimental on my own. They're always saying how nice it is with the four of us, and that we get along so well, without giving a moment's thought to the fact that I don't feel that way...Another thing I can't stand is having them talk about me in front of outsiders, telling them how I cried or how sensibly I'm behaving. It's horrible" 

My comment: 

"Do all of us feel that way, Anne? I wonder if she survived how differently she would have felt about her family. Or, how differently they'd felt about her"  

I think about things like this quite a lot. How everyone seems to be isolated from everyone else and think that everyone else doesn't know it. Well, they might not know it, you might be a really good actor/actress like Anne Frank was - most of the people who lived with her in the annexe believed the fake cheeriness she would put on. And yet, for some reason, even when we are aware of the troubles everybody faces, we believe we are entirely unique in our own problems and that nobody close to us has ever faced the same fate - which is entirely incorrect, in my opinion. 

I think the sooner people started to realize how similar and yet how different we all are, the world will be a better place and people will stop comparing one to another like life itself is a competition in who has it better or worse. 

And as for the second part where Anne speaks of how they talk about her to other people, I believe, is an example of how often parents forget that their kids are people, too. Even though people in general are aware of this, it's like the second they have kids it all goes out the window. It turns into sneaking up on them, reading their diaries, discussing them with other people like they are objects of your own personal success and failures, and embarrassing them online. Everyone has their own methods to parenting, but personally, I would vote putting their rights as humans pretty high up on the list. 

Anyway, thank you for reading! I'll touch more on this subject in later COQ posts. Until next time

- Loz x 

COQ: Anne Frank: Asking Father's Permission.

Puffin Books, 2002.
Page 10. 

"They start rambling on about 'asking Father's permission' "

(In context of a boy admiring her and the usual events that follow his admiration)

My comment: 

"Did she quote it because it was something that happened often and everyone understood it was the proper way, or because she knew we are not our fathers' property to 'give' to someone else" 

 This is going to be a bit of a feminist rant, but honestly, I think this is a serious issue that needs to stop because it's the 21st Century and it's still happening. This quote was written way back in the early 40's, where posters were still being made on beating your wives because she burnt your food but at least she didn't burn your beer. 

Here, Anne wrote about how the boys' she was around in her early school years took a liking to her for one reason or another, and eventually they all reached a point where they would talk about asking Fathers' permission. Ask his permission for what, though? And why the father, and not the mother? Why does the father have the ultimate power in the decision making of their children? In Anne's case, her father certainly was a man presented in a much better light then her mother ever was, but this is from a biased point of view, and was also written during the time of adolescence. I truly believe that, if she had survived, she would have grown to love her mother. In the way that most middle-aged people love their mother, not as a best friend but not in the hatred Anne had. 

This part, even though most of the opinions of Anne appeal to me, was a part I took a strong disliking to. Your daughter is not your property. In the same way a son isn't. Protecting your daughter from the world outside is telling her two things. Firstly, that men are dangerous. In my opinion, they are. People in general are dangerous. You have no idea what their intentions are. They could want to hurt you, steal you, steal things from you. It's also telling her that she doesn't have the abilities to protect herself, or make educated, well thought out decisions for themselves. 

Saying that, a thirteen-year-old will make a lot of mistakes, especially regarding boys. It's important you teach them, regardless of your own embarrassment, about safe sex and how some boys will appear to be swans but end up being geese. It's also quite important to note how a lot of men will not protect their daughters against girls if they're lesbian - which is saying even more about themselves, that they know men are dangerous despite sticking up for them, and how females aren't worth worrying about (which, trust me, the worst thing you can do is underestimate a womans' abilities). It's equally important to note that you trust them with the knowledge you have taught them. Let them make their own decisions and their own mistakes.

The thing I just really wanted to get through here was that a man is not the boss. A woman is in charge of her own decisions, actions and body. You can not act like you are in charge and then say she is the one who has to be the responsible one, because men can't be responsible themselves of their own actions. She can choose her own life decisions. But, that's for another topic, as she mentions later on that her father said something about how she had to be the responsible one in her and her Peters' relationship.

Thank you for reading, and I'll see you next time.

Loz x

COQ: Anne Frank: Patience in Paper.

(sorry for the wrong post today, new kitten, she's hard work!)

Puffin Books, 2002. 

Page 6. 

"Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I've never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen year old schoolgirl. Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I feel like writing, and I have an even greater need to get all kinds of things off my chest. 'Paper has more patience then people'...Yes, paper does have more patience, and since I'm not planning to let anyone else read this stiff-backed notebook grandly referred to as 'diary', unless I should ever find a real friend, it probably won't make a bit of difference. Now that I'm back to the point that promoted me to keep a diary in the first place: I don't have a friend"  

My added post-it note comment: 

"Apart from the fact that you are much wiser then your years and wrote such a respected historical document, that is" 

Yes, our second COQ post is another post about journalling, but Anne Frank's diary was, after all, a diary so of course the first few pages are going to be mostly a focus on that, a focus I find interesting. Although there's many a thing in this particular quote that I want to talk about. 

First of all, we'll talk about the obvious thing to be talked about, "Patience in Paper".  My reasoning for starting a journal was the same as many others. I wanted a friend. I wanted someone who I could talk to about my troubles, my desires, my deepest and innermost thoughts, someone who would not judge me for what I had written and someone, most importantly, who would listen. However, even though this became Anne's aim and was supposed to start of as her aim, it was like she knew deep down that diary would become something. Not become what it has been, she would never have known her fate, but become her wanted future novel "The Secret Annexe", perhaps that was in the back of her mind from day one but she quickly crossed off that thought and decided her diary was to be hers and hers only, she would never share all the information out, just her own selected parts. And, for this opinion, I feel like not everything was shared with her diary and she kept a lot of it to herself. Even from day one. But, paper has patience, what she wrote was something getting off her chest and I feel like we can relate on that.

Secondly, on Anne not having a friend and seeing her journal as a friend. Many would see this as weird, however I like to think that the people who do follow this blog or at least read some selected posts do a fair bit of reading themselves and therefore may possibly keep a journal. You would understand the satisfaction on keeping a journal, how it can keep one from going completely insane, and help us during a time of need. I would be lost without my journal and I am thankful I have both hands in which to use it. 

Anne Frank was wiser beyond her years, as many thirteen year olds would not understand this. I am not taking a stab at technology, I am quite a fan of it myself, but nowadays (because I can't refer to a time I haven't lived in) thirteen year olds are more focused on gaining the attention from others in negative ways, most commonly faking mental illness or doing something drastic, and are so glued to their phones and focused on themselves they don't take into account deep thoughts like this one. Of course, this is a generalized thought, you are not 'dumb' just because of your age. 

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy these, and I'll see you for my next one, cheerio!

COQ: Anne Frank: What Journalling Means To Us.

From the Puffin Books edition published in 2002. 

Page 1. 

"I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support"

Comment added by Anne on 28th September 1942: 

"So far you truly have been a great source of comfort to me, and so has Kitty, whom I now write to regularly. This way of keeping a diary is much nicer, and now I can hardly wait for those moments when I'm able to write in you."

A comment I added to the quote with a post-it note: 

 "I feel as though Anne here understands here at an age many would struggle to understand what a journal can be and is for a person. A friend, and is not just a diary, but a support system. What would we do without them?"

Aye, today's quote that I want to talk about is what Anne says about her journal in the first sentence! Of course, I am assuming you have read her diary and you know how far this diary really did support her. It was her rock. She didn't write in it quite as often as you'd expect her to, but this is realistic...writing everyday while staying on top of your daily activities can be quite difficult to achieve (yet is something I never stop trying to accomplish).  

I've had many diaries/journals over the years but the only one's I have kept are from when I was fourteen going on fifteen onwards. I'm almost nineteen now, so...it really isn't that long dated back. I urge everyone who keeps a journal to never throw it away, never think that it's rubbish! You may regret that in future. The ones that I can remember the most is a pretty, slim, glittery/purple journal that I got free in a magazine when I was very young. It had a key and a lock, with plain thin pages, and I dedicated this to my "travelling". If you didn't know, my parents are divorced and I spend a majority of time with my mother and my mothers' side of the family in Wales but once or twice a year I will go to England to see my father and his side of the family. It's only a four hour journey, but I liked to write a page or two on what we got up to the day - which would have actually been quite fun to read over. We spent a lot of time in the Trafford Centre and going to parks.

The second journal I can remember having was from a Disney store in the Trafford Centre, from when my parents were still married and we still lived in England. Me and my sister were allowed to pick out one thing. I picked out a pretty princess diary. It was pink and covered with fluffy fur. I can't remember which princess it was, it might have been The Little Mermaid (even though Belle from Beauty and the Beast will always be my favourite). This one is the diary I regret throwing away the most because the diary itself had so many memories behind it of that time in my life. I wrote lists in there, as well as general everyday journalling and drawings. It was also the time where I had left the younger parts of school and was going into Year Three and Four of primary. Which was the time where the bullying really started to unfold, and as since never stopped.

So, back to the original question, what does journalling mean for us? It's clear what journalling means to sweet Anne, but what does it mean to you? What does it mean to me?

For me, journalling was the friend I never had. Although, I still haven't become completely comfortable in releasing all my inner thoughts. Everything intellectual and philosophical is left inside, and my writing style/creativity is kept closed up in it's box and never develops or improves. It's something I am working on and hope will be fixed some time soon. I guess they're kept inside through fear that someone will read over them. What is left is stuff on boys, the occasional thoughts on depression, and what I did in the day. Yeah, I know, it's not something that'll leave you breathless.

After writing this post, though, I do feel like I should finally start my journalling series I was so keen to make as I quite enjoyed writing this. We should all aspire to write our true selves just like Anne Frank did.
If you've read this far, congratulations.
Thank you - Loz x

Monday Missions #8

Hey!!

So, I haven't been reading anywhere near as much as I should be since I got my new laptop, I haven't used a laptop in so long. It's just gaming, gaming, gaming lately. I mean, come on, Minecraft servers are wonderful, they should be embraced for their perfection.

Getting off the point, this week I am going to continue reading what I have been reading for the past few days. Oddly enough, very unusual for me at least, I am reading two books at once! (wow, whoa).

Book one, "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank. We should all know what this book is about by now but if you don't, let me fill you in. Anne Frank is a beautiful, intelligent and wise young girl who lived during WW2 in Germany (I believe). As you may or may not know, this was also the period of time in which the Holocaust happened, an event which killed millions of Jews. Anne Frank was one of them. When she was thirteen, her and her family were whisked away to live in a secret annexe in her fathers' workplace (I think, I always get confused on that part) with another family, and a man named Mr Dussel. They lived there for quite some time in secrecy before she was taken away to a concentration camp. Her father, Otto Frank, was the only survivor and had saved Anne Franks' diary, the thing she held most dear to her. It had been edited frequently over the years (as the original content contained information about her sexuality, etc., which wasn't seen as okay to talk about so openly in her time period, something like that), but I am reading one of the most recent copies.

As far as the enjoyability goes, this is the second time I am reading the diary. Obviously, it's going to be slow in places and uninteresting in parts, blah blah blah, but it's a diary and was never written with the intention of it becoming a book. More to the point, it is the diary of a young girl, this is more well written then probably any other diary you would find of any other person her age. But, the fact I am reading this a second time should tell you how much I am enjoying it. She is so, so wise and smart.

Book two: "Alfie: The Doorstep Cat" by Rachel Wells. This follows a very adorable, young and cuddly cat, Alfie, who's owner had died from old age and who's roommate kitty 'sister' had died from sickness, he was left homeless. His owner's daughter said she wanted to send dear Alfie to the shelter, but he wanted to take it into his own paws and left. He had a traumatic time in the streets until he reached a road that was very much in need of an equally troubled, lovely kitty!

It's from a cats perspective, which is quite interesting, I can't remember the last time I read a book from an animals' perspective. I avoid them, as they're usually said, and this book is no different but I will save the details for when I finish it, it's either going to be a mini review or a full review, but it will be talked about, mark my words!

I doubt I'm ever going to get on to reading more books this week and, if I do, it's going to be a complete spur of the moment decision to see what book I go for. I have been eying up "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell recently, but also the forth book in the "Gone" series by Michael Grant, "Plague", we'll see what I pick!

Thank you for reading and *gasp* we have a photo, for once!
See you for my next post (don't forget to follow ;) ) bye!

Charity Shop Book Haul

    

 Until recently, I never fully appreciated the wonderful thing that is a charity shop's book section. In fact, I never really wandered into them at all. I stuck to discount stores and supermarkets. I found nothing in them of interest to me, though. Instead, I stopped by at the three charity shops in my town (there's more, but I'm lazy, I just wanted to hurry and get home).

"A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness (£2).

Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don't quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there's a visitor at his window. It's ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth. 

First published 2011.

This edition published 2012. 

Awards won: Carnegie Medal, Kate Greenaway Medal, Galaxy National Book Awards, Red House Children's Book Awards, UKLA Book Awards.

Author of "Chaos Walking" trilogy. 

236 pages long. 

No damage to spine. 

Ripped on the front cover. 

Goodreads rating: 4.27 stars (49, 958 ratings).

Pretty sure everyone, at this point, has heard of "A Monster Calls", and on multiple reviews that I have read, it is said to be not as good as his "Chaos Walking" trilogy...in my case, I haven't read that trilogy so I'm hoping that this will be an advantage for the overall enjoyment of this read. I haven't read anything from Patrick Ness before, this book might just be a 'make or break' in terms of whether I read the trilogy or other works by him - I don't feel like wasting my time on anymore bad books.

"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl".(£2)

Remains the most poignant true-life story to emerge from WW2. 

In July 1942 Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the horrors of the Nazi occupation, hid in the back of an Amsterdam warehouse. Anne was thirteen when the family went into the Secret Annexe and, over the next two years, she vividly describes in her diary the frustrations of living in such confined quarters, the constant threat of discovery, the hunger and fear. Her diary ends abruptly when, in August 1944, she and her family were finally discovered by the Nazis. 

Anne Frank died in March 1945, aged fifteen, in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. 

First published in GB by Viking in 1997

This edition published 2002. 

A girl called Gabrielle Jenkins wrote inside the book in a glittery purple pen her name and drew a flower, underneath a quote in pencil says "Jirus (or Sirius, it's unclear) is upset. I wonder what he wants with Jesus". 

First page slightly ripped, nothing important to the book missing. 

Spine moderately damaged. 

335 pages long. 

Goodreads rating: 4.07 stars (1, 506, 273 ratings).

Likewise, everyone should know the story of Anne Frank and the secret annexe by now. Sad that that's what it has become now, a story, but all my thoughts on this book will be said when I have re-read and analyzed the book in closer detail. I have a stolen school addition (sorry, high school, my fourteen year old self didn't have the money to buy it) but it's a tiny hardback with stiff pages and is just too...'schoolastic' to be enjoyed. I wanted my own copy. I saw one a short while ago, but it was a terrible edition, and I'm glad I waited. I like the cover of this a lot better.

"A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Puffin Classics Edition). (£1.35)

When Sara Crewe's father is made bankrupt, Sara is reduced from enormous wealth to terrible poverty. At Miss Minchin's school, where she had been a privledged student, she is now forced to work as a servent. But Sara has a loving heart and a quick imagination, and she knows that with the right spirit, she can remain a princess inside. 

First published 1905.

This edition published 1994. 

No damage to book whatsoever. 

296 pages long. 

 Goodreads rating: 4.19 stars (159, 593 ratings).

When I was a child, one of my favorite authors was Jacqueline Wilson. In her books (the one springing to mind right now is Cookie), she mentions some of her most loved books, including Anne Frank's diary and "A Little Princess". Even since my childhood, I have been keen to find this book but not so keen to spend a lot of money on it, because it's probably going to be a book I read once and once only. However, that was before I read what it was about. I'm highly interested in the movie, too, now that I know it's a movie.

"Harry Potter and the Dealthly Hallows". (£2.99)

No description needed. 

First published 2007.

This edition published 2008.

First edition paperback. 

607 pages long. 

No damage to book whatsoever. 

Goodreads rating: 4.58 stars (1, 400, 326 ratings).

I bought it simply because it was a 'first edition' paperback of the novel. I already have three books in 'first edition' hardback and this will make it three books in 'first edition' paperback. The only book I don't have the original cover for is "Goblet of Fire". The need to buy this was more of a need for my book collecting side then actually needing the book - I, of course, already have a copy of it.

"Shadow of the Titanic" by Andrew Wilson (50p, 2 for a £1 offer)

In the early hours of 15 April 1912, the Atlantic Ocean was alive with the sound of screaming as 1,500 passengers of the once majestic liner titanic struggled to stay alive in the icy waters. 

The echoes of that night reverberated through the lives of each of the 705 survivers, and shadow of the titanic tells their extraordinary story. 

Although we think we know the story of the titanic, little has been written about what happened to the survivors after the tragedy. How did they cope? How did they remember that terrible night? Today, one hundred years after that fateful voyage, this book sheds new light on an enduringly fascinating story, seen through the eyes of those who survived. 

Mild damage to spine. 

Small pen marks in pages. 

Published 2011

This edition published 2012.

350 pages long. 

Goodreads rating: 3.84 stars (801 ratings).

When I was younger, I used to have a huge interest in the tragedy of the Titanic disaster. It was one, and still is, of the few historical dates that I remembered. It's a reason unknown to myself, but my great interest in this 'tale' continues today. The 1900's (if you couldn't guess if you've been here a while) is one of my favorite topics to read about. I would hate to live there or be a part of it, but I would love to go back in time and watch them as a bird watches crowds, it would be a dream. I'm going a bit off topic, but the idea of this book interested me and I can't wait to see how it reaches expectations.

"Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte (£1, 2 for £1 offer)

Cathy and Heathcliff, childhood friends, are cruelly separated by class, fate, and the actions of others. But uniting them is something even stronger: an all-consuming passion that sweeps away everything that comes between them. Including death. 

No spine damage. 

Pen marks, dog-eared pages. 

First published 1847. 

This edition published 2009. 

331 pages long. 

Goodreads rating: 3.79 stars (765, 259 ratings). 

Again, bought mostly because it was a classic I heard about a lot as a child. I'm not a fan of love stories, especially one's in the past, but I might just be pleasantly surprised. I just remembered I saw "Jane Eyre"...let's hope that's still there when I go look for it, shall we (huge turn off, by the way, that the front of the book had a reference to Twilight by saying that this was Bella and Edward's favorite book...uh, I hope not).

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing it.