Philip Lynott: Renegade Of Thin Lizzy By Alan Byrne Review!

Philip Lynott: Renegade of Thin Lizzy (2012) by Alan Byrne tells the story of Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott.

The book talks about Phil’s life before Thin Lizzy, his rise to fame with the band and his work as a solo artist after before his untimely death in 1986. The book also speaks about his family life. There is also a fantastic photo section with lots of photographs from his life and career.

I am a really huge Thin Lizzy fan so this was certainly a book I was really looking forward to reading and I loved it. I think there was a lot about Phil as a person in the book as well as an artist so there was a good balance there. I loved reading about his love of poetry and his early days on the music scene in Dublin.

The book shows how Phil was an interesting, funny, deep and dedicated man and I love how he had all those amazing traits which people don’t always think go together but which do. He seemed a really likeable person. Very down-to-earth. I could relate a lot to Phil in so many ways and his determination to succeed was very inspiring. I certainly felt very inspired that I could succeed too while reading this book.

The book is very well-written with a lot of research done. Many interviews were done with people who knew Phil and it was very interesting to see how they saw him from each of their perspectives.

Amazing read. Loved it.

To purchase Philip Lynott: Renegade of Thin Lizzy go to:

https://www.thesecretbookstore.ie/products/phil-lynott-renegade-of-thin-lizzy-alan-byrne

For more about Phil Lynott and his work go to:

https://www.rte.ie/archives/profiles/phil-lynott/

For more about Alan Byrne and his work go to:

https://journalofmusic.com/author/alan-byrne

Basically … By Gemma Collins Review!

Basically …: My Life as a Real Essex Girl (2013) is a great read.

In the book about her life Gemma discusses her childhood, her experience of being bullied, her heartbreak in relationships, her work in Towie (The Only Way Is Essex) and her work prior to being cast on the show. She also speaks about being body confident and about her road to confidence in her life.

I really enjoyed this book. It is very relatable. There is a lot of fun moments which made me laugh. There was also a lot of heartbreaking moments which were heart-wrenching. Her honesty and openness throughout this book made it so easy to relate to her and made the book a really excellent and interesting read. Gemma comes across very likeable and down-to-earth.

An excellent read.

To purchase Basically…: My Life as a Real Essex Girl by Gemma Collins go to:

For more about Gemma Collins and her work go to:

https://gemmacollinscollection.com/

Teach Yourself Reflexology By Chris Stormer Review!

Teach Yourself Reflexology (1995) is a great book.

The book is part of the Teach Yourself books and explains what Reflexology is and how to do different techniques and where the points are to apply pressure. There is a lot of handy diagrams to help readers with how to achieve these goals. It did feel like this book was intended for everyone including beginners and to an extent it was but it does feel that very quickly you are being thrown a bit in at the deep end. There is preparation to give the author their due but once the techniques start there is a lot to process one after the other. I think there could have been more time given to the different techniques.

However I do understand that there was a lot to get through here and that the author was trying to give us as much knowledge as possible. I did find the book interesting apart from that. I found the content interesting and the diagrams helpful. It is an excellent book but I think it is an excellent book for people who are more familiar with the techniques of reflexology as opposed to complete beginners. The book seems amazing from my limited knowledge of reflexology but it does feel like it would be more useful to an audience which was more intermediate or beginners even with a certain amount of knowledge. I think this could be a great book for them but not complete beginners so much.

All in all though I did enjoy it and it was a very good and interesting read.

To purchase Teach Yourself Reflexology by Chris Stormer go to:

For more about Chris Stormer and their work go to:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/381501.Chris_Stormer

How To Stop Worrying And Start Living By Dale Carnegie Review!

How To Stop Worrying And Start Living (1944) by Dale Carnegie is an excellent self-help book.

This book attempts to do what the title suggests and shows readers how worry, doubt and fear are major barriers to living your life to the full in eight sections. There is amazing advice in the book like concentrating on today and the moment instead of worrying about things which have happened in the past or about what the future holds and believing in your ability to solve your worries. The book speaks about how worrying obsessively is a pattern which we have built up in our minds but it can be knocked back down with practice and effort. Readers are also advised to enjoy the everyday things in order to be more fulfilled and happy.

There is so much excellent advice here but readers do still need to put the effort into trying to change their mindset and the patterns and destructive habits of thoughts in their minds. That of course can be difficult but the author has certainly done a great job here of advising readers and helping them to take those difficult but life-changing steps.

A must-read.

To purchase How To Stop Worrying And Start Living by Dale Carnegie go to:

For more about Dale Carnegie and his work go to:

http://www.dalecarnegie.com/

Why Bullies Bully

Photo by Dee @ Copper and Wild on Unsplash



Bullies very often bully people because the person is different. But to be more precise bullies bully people who are different because they don’t like people being different. Speaking about the mindset of bullies is not something I could put in a general way because there is different reasons. I have never been a bully myself so thankfully I have not personal experience of the mindset but been bullied myself for years has certainly giving me an insight into how bullies think and operate. I am a writer, I observe, they didn’t bank on that one! 🙂 To be really clear bullies bully because of so-called norms in society. Nearly every person who has ever been bullied has a near same story of being bullied for being different to what is the supposed norm in society and my story in no different. My experience was being introverted in a world where being extroverted and assertive is valued and put above introversion as the ‘right’, ‘valid’ and ‘superior’ way of being. You could put so many things into that same sentence and it’s a very similar story. Examples:

• My experience was being black in a world where being white is valued and put above being black as the ‘right’, ‘valid’ and ‘superior’ way of being.
• My experience was being trans in a world where being cis is valued and put above being trans as the ‘right’, ‘valid’ and ‘superior’ way of being.

And look there is countless examples but bullying at its heart almost always boils down to the fact that bullies think they are better than those they bully in some way. Are bullies insecure? Yes. Do they also have big egos? Yes. A bully is insecure that a different way to theirs is happening so they bully people to stop that person from being proud of who they are. They also have big egos because they believe who they are is how everyone should be. Other aspects come into the reason why those who bully bully like jealousy but most of the time bullying at heart is about difference and about a difference which is not harming the bully. People are taught to think they are superior in some way by family and/or society but there is also something within them which bullies. It is a mixture of the two things. There is a power dynamic to situations where people are being bullied. The bully wants power. The bully thinks they have a right to bully that person because they see them as inferior. They think the person is fair game and they do not believe that the person has any right to stand up to them. They think they deserve it just for being who they are. They may see the person they bully as an easy target because family and/or society has made them believe that person is weak. They may see the person they bully as a strong target who they don’t think should be proud of themselves and they want to tear them down so they no longer are proud. They may start off thinking they are weak and realise they aren’t and therefore their ugly goals about that person change. I do think the role of difference to supposed norms is extremely important to understand in regards to bullying. It is that mindset of what I am is valid and right and what you are isn’t which leads to bullying.



A bully doesn’t also understand when people stand up for their rights. No one should have to go into a room where they are targeted by bullies for being who they are. No one should ever feel uncomfortable for being who they are. They should feel as relaxed as anyone else in that room. Simple as that. When people stand up to bullies there is often dangerous territory they go into. Some bullies get a kick out of it which encourages them to bully more because they feel like they are getting to that person. Other bullies play the victim. They act like they are being bullied. Why? Because it goes back to thinking they are superior again. They think they have a right to be hurtful to people they see as ‘other’ and not as good as them. But that person has to be bullying them in their mind because they have no right in their minds to challenge anything about them. It’s a mindset of they should know their place which is really rather disgusting and to be honest a huge insult to people like myself who have genuinely faced bullying in their lives to be maintaining that they are being bullied.

My Latest Six Poems From YouTube!

Here is my latest six poems which I have uploaded to YouTube. Hope you all enjoy! 🙂

The Competitive Birds

Rest

Loving Myself

Relax

Clarity

Beautiful

Beauty On A Budget: Night Out Look

Hi everyone! 🙂

Here is my latest Beauty On A Budget look. Hope you all like it. 🙂

First Steps

Use Miss Beauty London’s Sweet Touch powder on your face and neck. Brush eyebrows and put the black colour from Max & More’s 12 Color Eyeshadow Palette on your eyebrows and under your eyes. Put the light gray colour from the same palette on your eyelids. Put Miss Beauty London’s False Lash Effect Mascara – Black on your eyelashes. Put on OG Outdoor Girl Blusher on your cheeks.

Final Steps

Put Miss Beauty London’s Matte Lipstick – Blackberry on your lips. Put Miss Beauty London’s Lipstick Sealer over it.

Summer Drinks: Bubble Tea, Lemonade, Slushes, Smoothies, and Sodas By JR Stevens Review!

Summer Drinks: Bubble Tea, Lemonade, Slushes, Smoothies, and Sodas (2016) by JR Stevens is a great book for all your drinks needs.

The book is separated into two different sections: Boba Tea Recipes and Summer Drink Recipes. In the first section there is options such as Chinese Boba Tea, Jasmine Delight Boba Tea, Vegan Greeen Boba Tea and Organic Thai Boba Tea. In section two we find options such as Mixed Fruit Shake, Indian Neer Mor, Ginger Basil Grapefruit Mimosas and Blackberry Spritzer.

I really enjoyed the book. Once again there is no pictures apart from the cover image to show the drinks. Again I didn’t personally mind that but it might not be for everyone. I find the book really interesting. The recipes are really easy and clear to follow and it is a great book for throwing together some last minute drinks.

Great read.

To purchase Summer Drinks: Bubble Tea, Lemonade, Slushes, Smoothies, and Sodas by JR Stevens go to:

For more about JR Stevens and their work go to:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15371385.J_R_Stevens

Poem: All This …

Photo by Nick Page on Unsplash

Here is my poem All This … I hope that you all like it. 🙂

All those words they say,

all those words he would face,

all that ugliness.

All these thoughts in his head,

trying to figure things out,

all this confusion.

All this fear of being found out,

scared of the small and big things,

all this fear.

All this joy of life,

embracing and living,

all this happiness.

5 Videos To Watch This Week On YouTube!

Hi everybody! 🙂

Social Issues/History

First up here is episode ten in Crash Course’s amazing Black American History series. In this episode Clint Smith speaks about the 1973 Fugitive Slave Act and talks about Somerset V Stewart and Ona Judge. As always a really informative episode. Excellent.

Social Issues

Next we have this incredible Tedx Talk with LC Johnson where she discusses the four places and speaks about how we need that Fourth Place to thrive. Such a wonderful talk about women of color and about the microaggressions and obstacles women of color and minority groups in general face. On a side note I loved LC’s humour and wit and I admire so much how she infused that wit into such heavy topics.

Work

This is an amazing video from Indeed which shows you how to do the perfect job interview. Lots of amazing tips and the way the run-through of main parts of the interview accompanies the tips works really well.

Make-Up

Next is this amazing collaboration between Patrick Starr and Kandy Muse. After Kandy played Patrick on Drag Race’s Snatch Game it is is so great to see Kandy and Patrick doing a make-up collaboration together. Their make-up looks are amazing and the video is really fun and interesting.

Music

Finally here is Drag Race’s Rosé’s music video for her song The Devil In The Details. Amazing song and music video.