Month in Review(s) - May 2016

And so another month is well on its way to faffing off into the sunset.

I actually haven't reviewed any graphic novels this month (I know - who am, and what have I done with Cee?)

I'm probably making up for last month, which had graphic novels falling from the ever-loving rafters.

I've been on a bit of a contemporary YA binge lately - which led to me reviewing 3 contemporary YA titles this month.

'The Art of Being Normal' was beautiful, 'One' was unique, and 'Boy Meets Boy' was your favourite rom-com in book form.






My stand-out book this month, though? 'Swan Boy.' Wow. Just wow.





Kids




Swan Boy by Nikki Sheehan - Contemporary, Magic Realism








Young Adult

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson - Contemporary, LGBTQ+
One by Sarah Crossan - Contemporary, Poetry* (*novel in verse)
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan - Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance (M/M)









Adult




alt. sherlock. holmes - Anthology, Novellas/Short Stories, Crime, Contemporary*, Historical Fiction*, LGBTQ+* M/M* (*one or more stories.)







Non-fiction




Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Friday Fics Fix! - Love And Other Inconveniences

Hello dearest nerdlets!

It's Friday again - which means it's time for me to drag you kicking and screaming into the incredibly weird and wacky (but still oh-so wonderful) world of fanfiction.

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And I'm going to spoil you (because I'm just that lovely,) and give you a whopping 5 fics for the price of one!

Yep - a whole 5 fics.

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Lemme explain:

I came across a FrostIron series that somehow I hadn't tripped over before (I know, hard to believe that there's any FrostIron I haven't devoured yet - but here's the proof,) and realised that they're so closely linked that I had to recommend all of them.




(Fangirl note:

FrostIron is where Tony Stark and Loki have a little something-something romantical and/or sexy-times going on between them.

I read far too much of it, so if you haven't heard me (seen me? I'm typing not speaking, after all,) talk about it before... then you must be quite new here; and now is probably your last chance to run.)

Now, there is sexy-sexy-times here, particularly in the last instalment of the series.

So. You know what I'm going to say:

18+ only.

Don't let your parents yell at me. Thank you.

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Okie dokes - today's fics are:

The Here Comes Your Man series by hannahrhen

This is a whole Reluctant!Soulmate AU. (I have no idea why we punctuate everything with '!'s in fanfiction, we just do.)

(Fangirl note: An AU is an alternate universe. Because in fandom, anything can happen. Anything.)

Soulmate AUs are relatively common in the world of fanfiction: basically, everyone (or a few chosen people) is/are born with a soulmate.

'Soulmate bonds' tend to be magical-y and/or biological-y.

Beyond that, the 'rules' are usually up to the fic author. Some favour the first words your soulmate will say to you being printed on your skin like a birthmark, some prefer an intense physical feeling of unity, etc.





What makes this series so great is that neither Tony nor Loki want to be each other's soulmates for all time. Which leads to much angst and shenanigans :)

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Enjoy!





Like this post? Try these:

• Friday Fics Fix! - Love and Loki
• Friday Fics Fix! - Loving the Loki
• Friday Fics Fix! - Vegas Baby!

Comics Wrap Up - Calling Out Your Name

Film Trailers

Yet more X-Men: Apocalypse TV ads and film clips this week. Not that I'm complaining. ;)

(Although, it does make you wonder, just a little, how much unseen footage the film will actually have.)

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...D'aww, sad-face Magneto >.<

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I love the next one. Jubilee doing a cheesy 80s commercial for Xavier's school (with a familiar voice-over at the end!)

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And someone in the editing department for this next one? Thanks for all the interaction between the characters and the critics' quotes - my film-nerd side is very happy :)

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And this last one? Dun-dun-duuuunnn! :)

Graphic Novels

This week I read Codename Baboushka, Volume 1: The Conclave of Death (UK - US,) which is about a Russian lady-mafia-boss slash spy slash assassin slash whatever-she-needs-to-be-at-the-time.

Comparisons with Marvel's Black Widow are inevitable (and valid,) but I enjoyed it, and I'll be reviewing it very soon. :)

Plus, the cover looks the poster for a spy movie: I mean, look at that!

Other Stuff

Something beautiful happened this week - people showed Marvel that there's a real taste for change.

People spoke up, and told the studios exactly what they want - and what they want is to #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend.

(And I quite agree.)

Will the studio listen to the social media clamour? Who knows.

But the louder and longer the fans call out, the harder it will be to ignore.



For the time being though, Marvel have decided to just make Cap a Hydra Nazi.

Yeah, cos that works. (Rolls eyes, bashes head against table repeatedly.)

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(This is Batman. Being disappointed in Cap. This is what you've reduced me to Marvel. Me - a lifelong Marvel-girl - using an animated DC gif. Of Batman. Because I can't even look at you right now. I hope you're happy.)

Marvel, would you honestly rather Cap was a f**king Nazi than non-heterosexual?

Are we seriously having this f**king discussion?!?!



Just do what the people want. Get your heads out of your a**es and allow the comics to go back to not be freaking insane.

Let Cap stand up for his ideals and not be a Nazi(for f**ks sake, how did we get to this point?)

Then allow Cap his Bucky. It's time.

#GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend.
#SayNoToHYDRACap.

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Give Cap his Bucky. It's time.

Like this post? Try these:

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• Comics Wrap Up - Get Up and Go!

6 Ways To Read More Widely

Lots of people want to read more widely.

But, as creatures of habit, we tend to get stuck in one genre, niche, or whatever. Here then are some handy-dandy tips for reading more widely.

I'm here to serve, after all :) (and entertain, and be totally random, and possibly scare you.)

1. Confuse the f**k outta Goodreads.


If you're generally bookish, you will already know of Goodreads.

If not, then welcome to bookishness! Let me take your coat and strap you to the table! (That was a joke - please don't run off.)

Goodreads is basically social-networking for books. It's addictive and demands your soul as a blood-price :) I'm currently about three souls in debt.

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I have generally succeeded in f**king up my Goodreads recs. This was done by a combination of random reading habits, and adding pretty much every major genre to 'favourites.'

As a result, Goodreads now throws me recs for pretty much every book on the planet.

The downside to this, unfortunately, is that there is no rhyme or reason to my recs. This can be irritating and unhelpful sometimes - like, when I'm in a certain mood and none of these books fit that!

But, I have also found some randomly awesome stuff this way.





2. Explore a new genre.


I wasn't a fan of YA contemporary novels, but my fellow book bloggers infected me with their never-ending enthusiasm for the genre, and I'm currently on a bit of a YA contemporary binge.

And you know what? I'm actually enjoying it.

So don't be afraid to leap head-first out of your comfort zone.

If there's a genre that you want to give a try, try looking up lists of recommended titles on Goodreads or do a Google search, and see what catches your eye.

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3. Explore a new author.

You've heard absolutely loads about [insert flavour-of-the-month author here] but you don't think they've written anything you'll enjoy.

Don't force yourself to read something if it patently isn't for you, but also take a look at the author's back-catalogue, and read the synopses of some of their books.

I thought I wouldn't like Rainbow Rowell, but tried out Carry On because it looked most like the sort of stuff I enjoyed. Ditto with Jodi Picoult and Salem Falls.

And you might end up actually finding an author you click with as a result, or at the very least an interesting read.

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4. Browse.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's still worth a shot.

Go into your local library or bookshop and just browse. Pick up books at random and look at their synopses.

Buy/borrow (dependent on whether it's a library or a shop, obviously,) any that aren't too expensive and you like the look of.

Be brave and don't be afraid to give something new a try - you might find a gem.

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5. Indulge your guilty pleasures.


THERE SHOULD BE NO GUILT IN READING.

If you enjoy something - enjoy it. And people who claim to be 'well-read' but poke their noses up at 'lesser' or genre books?

They aren't well-read. They're just jerks :)

I used to feel uber-self-conscious at reading things that were seen as trashy etc. But I've decided I'm not going to feel guilty any more.

I READ VICTORIAN LITERATURE AND GAY WEREWOLF PORN - AND I DON'T CARE!!!!

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6. Take recommendations from a variety of sources.


If you listen to the bookish interweb chatter, or just your friend who's raving about the latest bestseller, you're likely to come across something you haven't heard of before.

And you might just be tempted to give it a whirl ;)





What about you guys? Any tips for reading more widely?



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Review Time! (Yay!) - Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Title: Boy Meets Boy

Author: David Levithan

Genre: YA, LGBTQ+ and Drag Queen, Contemporary, Romance (M/M)

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

This was on 'My Contemporary YA TBR.' I honestly can't remember why I put it on there, or how I heard about it in the first place. But there you have it! ;)

Anyhow, I decided to give this and shot and hope for the best. Which I did. And I really enjoyed it!

Premise:

It's a variation on an old theme; boy meets boy, boy falls in love... etc.

Paul might have a shot with Noah. But everything seems determined to get in the way.

Between friend-drama and ex-boyfriends, will Paul get his man?

Best bits:

'Boy Meets Boy' is like a rom-com in book form. Only without the things I hate about rom-coms, and with the things that I actually like about rom-coms.

This is sweet without being too smushy, quirky without being over the top. And it made me smile. A lot.

The 'minor characters' are complex.

COMPLEX CHARACTERS ALL THE WAY THROUGH. WOOOO!!! (Sorry, I'll calm down.)

I adore Infinite Darlene - the school's quarterback and Homecoming Queen.

(A quarterback is like the star? Right? Like a top striker in football (soccer)? Hope I've got that right. I also assume that a Homecoming Queen is of some importance? Going by what I've gathered from American TV, that is.)

Darlene is witty, bouncy, and takes no b**lsh**. Therefore, she rocks and should've been given more page-time (like screen-time, only, y'know, on pages...)

And the icky-sticky 'please let this work; what if it doesn't work?' -ness of the plot is fab.

A simple plot executed with real feeling, and no insta-love - what more can I ask for, really?

A special mention has to be made of the wacky, quirky, and wonderful town - so well-developed, and with so much random and fun detail in throw-away comments. :)

Not so great bits:

More Infinite Darlene, PLEASE!!!!!!

Right, now that we've got that dealt with, down to business:

There's some swearing (including one use of 'f****t,') and the vaguest of vague references to sex.

Doesn't bother me at all, but some people dislike such accoutrements (I'm in such a random mood today... sorry.)

In terms of issues which are potentially distressing, we've got: some homophobia from family members, friendship issues, and relationship issues (including obsessiveness in places.)

My main issue - and this really is nit-picking, but it so bugged me - is I kept changing my mind over whether to pronounce 'Joni' like Johnny or like Joanie. It's probably meant to be something else entirely.

I also felt like there was an undertone of 'everyone has to be paired off to be happy' in some places. Which is irritating and untrue.

Verdict:

This book was fun, fresh, and well-worth the read.

I enjoyed its quirkiness, and the characters were complex and largely likeable.

And Infinite Darlene rules. :)

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads – Author's Site

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• Mini-Review - One by Sarah Crossan

Mini-Review - One by Sarah Crossan

Title: One

Author: Sarah Crossan

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Poetry* (*novel in verse.)

Amazon: UK - USA

Verdict:

This is the first novel in verse that I've ever read - and I did find the form a little... odd.

Not bad, necessarily, just odd. I don't know whether I liked the form or not, really. It was different, I'll give it that.

But poetry in general is an incredibly personal thing - so... make of that what you will I guess!

This book is about conjoined twins Tippi and Grace, who've spent their entire lives literally joined at the hip, with all the good and the bad that that brings.

What I really liked about this was the fleshed-out minor characters - everyone was fully developed, maybe even more than Tippi and Grace.

Personally, I couldn't warm to Tippi - she just seemed a little less there than everyone else (ironic since, due to Grace's first-person viewpoint, Tippi is literally always there.)

Grace, though, I did like. By the end of the book, you know her so well that it's very hard not to like her.

The plot is quite intense in places... can't say more for fear of spoilerage, but I can imagine people getting more than slightly upset at some points.

A unique book certainly, and one that you've got to form your own opinions on I think!

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads – Author's Site

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Nerd Church - Asking For Help

16-22 May is Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK. May is also Mental Health Month in the US.



This post is the last of my Mental Health Awareness Week posts.


Just as a quick re-cap, here are my posts from the rest of the week:

• Monday: Colour Me Happy - a post about colouring and mental health

• Tuesday: Mini-Review! - Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig - a short review of Matt Haig's book on depression and anxiety.

• Tuesday: Guest Post on Book Bloggers International: MENTAL HEALTH MONTH: The Wolf in My Mind By Cee Arr from Diary of a Reading Addict - a post I wrote about my experiences of depression, reading, and blogging. Please give it a look - it took a lot to write it! 

• Wednesday: The View From Both Sides - a post about looking at mental health from the views of both carer & sufferer

• Saturday: Words Hurt - a list of phrases, said to people suffering from mental health problems, which are just not helpful.

What I'm going to talk about today is my experience as a patient in the NHS - just the first appointment, really. 


This hopefully will explain some of the difficulties there are to mental health patients to just get some help in the first place.

And let's be perfectly clear on this - it's OK to ask for help!






The decision


I was in a bad place, (more about that on my BBI guest post.) So, something in my head clicked into place (thank God,) and I decided to go to the doctor's.





First challenge - getting that first appointment.


I asked for a same-day 'emergency' appointment.

The receptionist wouldn't let me make one without me telling her what was wrong.

I even went as far as to say that I'd rather only discuss it with the doctor - nope. Had to tell her, or no appointment.

I cannot tell you how much that hurt.

To have to tell the receptionist something that should have been my decision to tell or not.

The horrendous shame I felt as I whispered 'I think I might be depressed,' and tried not to cry down the phone at the sheer hurt of it all... no. That WASN'T right. I shouldn't have had to do that.

Second challenge - convincing the doctor.


Dr Blonde (obv. not her real name) can be quite shirty.

And clearly she thought I was faking. At least at first.

To not be believed? Insult after injury.

She asked me, fairly snippily, what made me think I was depressed. Surely, the very fact that I think it makes it a genuine possibility?

You don't ask a bleeding patient, 'what makes you think you're bleeding?' The patient is bleeding. Deal with it - quickly!




This was the doctor - the person who is supposed to help me.


And other doctors have been a lot worse.

They've even inferred (by tone, which is so much more difficult to complain about than if the words themselves were offensive, because you have no proof,) that I'm wasting their time and resources.

To be fair to Dr Blonde, once I broke down the wall of disbelief, she was nothing but helpful.

But I shouldn't have had to break down that wall with my tiny little pickaxe. There shouldn't have been a wall there to begin with.





Third challenge - discussing treatment.


I was offered three types of treatment:

1. Hope it goes away by itself

Couldn't believe this was actually being suggested by a medical profession - particularly after I'd told her that I could barely eat or sleep, amongst all the other dark and serious stuff we'd been discussing.




2. Self-help books

While I'm not against self-help books - for some people this is the way to go - it just wasn't the right fit for me. I would've ended up arguing with it and/or misreading it as criticism.

Still, if it's right for you - go for it!





3. Tablets

I know a lot of people are against tablets. To those I say - fine, it might not work for you. But I needed this.

And I get annoyed by the anti-tablet pressure that there seems to be socially - it's hard enough to ask for help, it shouldn't be taboo to take the help you need.





What I was not offered was talking therapy. Neither was I offered a combination of the above treatments. It was very much a pick one and stick with it approach.




But the strong ask for help. You are strong - whoever you are. Please remember that.



Nerd Church is a weekly post where I go off on one discuss issues. This week I'm talking about mental health to fit in with MHAW 2016 not that I usually need an excuse. You can continue the conversation elsewhere, but please link back here :)





Like this post? Try these:

• Colour Me Happy
• Mini-Review! - Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig
• The View From Both Sides
• Words Hurt