Kelly from Kelly's Rambles takes the Inside Out Challenge

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Inside Out Challenge.

These posts will be brought to you every Wednesday for as long as I have willing volunteers (send me a message here or on Twitter @notsotweets if you fancy volunteering).

If you haven't seen it before, there's a handy introduction post here.

This week I am very pleased to bring you the lovely Kelly, a teacher and book blogger who has an incredibly beautiful blog, Kelly's Rambles. Her bullet journal is also utterly stunning 😍

First, please introduce yourself, including any blog addresses or twitter handles you like.

Hi! I’m Kelly, blogger at kellysramblings.wordpress.com and avid book fan! I am a huge advocate for UKYA books and also a dedicated and passionate secondary school teacher. I can be found tweeting about books and all sorts of things @kellysrambles

Can you tell me about a book you have read that made you feel joy?

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard. Although this book had me trapped in a whirlpool of emotions both good and bad, I just felt so happy and content by the end of it. It really is such a joyous book. I loved the relationships, the representation (especially of anxiety) and the way in which Sara writes her characters is just fantastic. This book gave me a really touching personal experience with a pupil who is a selective mute, I gave her a copy of the book and she was so overwhelmed with seeing herself in Steffi. A true moment of joy for me!

What about a book that filled you with sadness?

Countless by Karen Gregory. Wow. This book literally made me cry for hours and hours. It tells the harrowing story of Hedda, a teenage girl who has anorexia. She also happens to be pregnant and Countless is the tragic story of her struggle to care for a baby whilst struggling with her eating disorder. A truly heartbreaking read.

Have you read a book that made you feel angry?

Easy! Who Runs the World? by Virginia Bergin made me SO angry. I went into it thinking it was going to be a fantastic feminist read but I found myself so disappointed with the representation of men in the book. Feminism isn’t about hating men yet this book seemed to peg all men as sex offenders and murderers – not okay!

Has a book ever disgusted you?

Little Peach by Peggy Kern is a really harrowing read about child prostitution. I felt absolutely disgusted whilst reading this book but at the same time I just couldn’t put it down because it felt important that I spend my time reading this book considering what it is that young girls like Michelle and Baby go through in these awful situations. A very, very powerful but difficult book.

Can you tell me about a book that made you afraid?

Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield. Whilst reading this book I was just terrified of Kathleen and what she was going to do next. This book is predominantly about child abuse and it was really difficult to read at times. Kathleen is a horrific character (but also an excellent one – if that makes sense?) and every time I could feel the tension building in a scene I was just terrified for June. I was pleased to find (despite my oceans of tears) that this book had a more hopeful ending than I had been expecting but it still blew my socks off! A really phenomenal read.

And finally, can you tell me a little bit about a book that you know inside out?

Is it stereotypical to pick the Harry Potter series? At this point in my life (I am 27) I have lost count of how many times I have read the series. I will never forget the excitement of each book release and those release days I spent devouring my new favourite book. I am still (and will always be) a huge Potter fan and I really do know these books inside out!

Thanks Kelly. There are a few books there that I'm definitely going to add to my TBR pile, though I might avoid Who Runs the World?.

Liam