england Archives

Outrageous, Cover Image - Reaktion Books

Pride Month 2022: ‘Outrageous!’ by Paul Baker

June 12, 2022June 9, 2022Sophie Brown

Throughout June, GeekMom celebrates Pride Month with lots of LGBTQ content. Today’s book review is ‘Outrageous!’ By Paul Baker.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach: A Theme Park Where Past Meets Future

September 8, 2019September 7, 2019Sophie Brown1

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is one of the oldest and most popular theme parks in the UK. We took a trip to see how it all holds up in 2019.

A Look At the Best Cosplay of MCM Manchester Comic Con

September 5, 2015December 15, 2017Sophie Brown

A few weeks ago, I was able to attend Manchester Comic Con for the fourth time. The show has grown hugely over the last few years but also has a lot of room left for improvement.

Thomas Land Revisited: It’s Bigger, But Is It Better?

June 7, 2015December 2, 2017Sophie Brown

GeekMom Sophie checks out the latest additions to Tamworth’s Drayton Manor Theme Park.

Union Jack Quilt Plus the Tube Map (A Very Loose Tutorial)

August 16, 2013November 24, 2017Jackie Reeve

Satisfy your Anglophilia with a quilted tribute to Blighty’s famous flag.

Seven Books American Kids Love (That This Brit Never Knew Existed)

May 20, 2013December 15, 2017Sarah Pinault2

A recent behind the scenes discussion at GeekMom about Childrens literature prompted fellow GeekMom Sophie to introduce many of our writers, and readers, to the children’s books that are invariably read by British children, and that British parents have memorized! On the flip side of this, having grown up in England only to be the mother of American children, GeekMom Sarah has been introduced to a whole host of adventures that she had never been exposed to before.

The Möhne Dam after the Raid © Crown Copyright

70 Years Since the Dambusters Raid

May 17, 2013November 26, 2017Sophie Brown2

This week is the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters raid, one of the most celebrated military operations of World War Two but not very well known outside the UK. All week here in the UK there have been special documentaries about the attack, as well as news features, and showings of the 1955 movie. This afternoon my home city is celebrating with a special service at the cathedral and a flyover by a Lancaster bomber, the plane that performed so spectacularly in 1943.

Get Ready for The Children’s Republic of Shoreditch

July 2, 2012Jenny Bristol

In just two days, on July 4, 2012, a group of kids will take over an area of London. They will rename it The Children’s Republic of Shoreditch. There will be passports, an embassy, and many cabinet positions. Local people will be able to visit, and check out this new, independent country. Learn more from the video they put together. Unfortunately, I am thousands of miles away from there, in the western portion of the United States. But if anyone closer by has a chance to visit, please report back in the comments! I’d love to know what this newest country is like.

MCM Expo Hits Manchester

August 1, 2011December 15, 2017Sophie Brown1

This weekend saw the first ever MCM Expo held at the Manchester Central convention centre in Manchester, England. The organisers have been running expos across the country for several years but this was the first time the event has ventured into the north of England, filling a surprising void in the sci-fi and fantasy events […]

Being British In The Land Of The Free On The Fourth

July 4, 2011GeekMom1

Hello my name is Sarah, and I’m a British citizen. For years I had mixed feelings about celebrating the Fourth of July with my American boyfriend/fiance/husband. Thinking it would be disrespectful of me, to both countries, to celebrate, I would go back and forth between abstaining and reveling. I would think “It’s not my holiday;” but then […]

The Lost Gardens of Heligan

May 18, 2011GeekMom1

I am a sucker for growing things, hence I have just added the Lost Gardens of Heligan to my “must see before I die” list. Just look at that picture! Located in Cornwall, England, Heligan has been the seat of the Tremayne family for more than 400 years. With 200 acres open for exploration, visitors […]

Discover Jane Austen: A Life Revealed

May 13, 2011Jenny Bristol

What better year than 2011, the 200th anniversary of the publication of Sense and Sensibility, her first published novel, to learn a bit about Jane Austen’s life? Maybe you’ve seen a movie or two made from her books, or maybe you’ve even read the books themselves. But Jane Austen’s life had few things in common […]