Comics Wrap Up - A Town Called Alice

Graphic Novels

This week, I've gone ever-so-slightly head-over-heels for Alice in Wonderland in all its shapes and forms.

I saw Alice Through The Looking Glass (highly recommend!) early in the week, and also read Jun Abe's manga edition of the first film.

This is a release from our beloved Tokyopop, recently resurrected by the grace of a major contract from Disney.

Just to make it clear this manga is made up of two volumes (oddly enough, Vol 1 (US,) and Vol 2 (US,)) and is also available in a collected edition of both volumes (US - UK.)

From what I can make out, here in the UK (and probably a lot of other countries,) it's currently only available in the collected 2-volume edition (in English, anyway.)

Apologies if any of that explanation was a load of cr*p - this is just how I understand things to be.

I read a review-copy of the first volume - and will be reviewing it very soon :)

What I can tell you right now though is that I loved it! XD

Single Issues

Comics marked * are free in Kindle format at the time of writing

I haven't read many single issues in a while, but decided to read a few short ones this week - including yet more Alice in Wonderland-style goings-on (Alice seems to be a favourite of retellings in comics.)

Beyond Wonderland #0 (of 6)* (UK - US) is the prologue to a very interesting looking series about Alice - aka Calie - a young woman who escaped Wonderland once, and is in danger from what she left behind there...

Escape From Wonderland #0 (of 6)* (UK - US) is another prologue - this one to the series that follows Beyond Wonderland.

By the time Escape From Wonderland comes along, our Alice has a very definite no-sh** attitude, and a taste for uncomfortable corsetry.













The Stuff of Legend: The Dark #1 is the first part of Volume One (UK - US) of the series.

Just from this first issue, I'd say that it's kind of like a sepia Toy Story... only with a scary freaking monster who steals children. Intriguing, no?







Other Stuff

twenty one pilots released the official video of their Suicide Squad song, Heathens. I'm actually fairly loving this song.

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Caitlin at Words and Other Beasts wrote a fab review for X-Men: Apocalypse. 

And she agrees that Quicksilver was awesome. Because he was.

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I watched this awesome 'Toon Sandwich' X-Men: Apocalypse trailer parody (and laughed a lot!)

NSFW due to swearing and adult humour, mm'k?

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The awesome comics publishers Dark Horse have launched an adult colouring book line.

The line starts with Avatar: The Last Airbender (Available for Pre-order: US,) and Serenity (Available for Pre-order: US.)

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The 100 Questions Tag

The lovely Tina at Tina the Bookworm tagged me for this, and I was like, why not? So here we are!

1. DO YOU SLEEP WITH YOUR CLOSET DOORS OPEN OR CLOSED?

I have a 1950s wardrobe that I inherited from my grandfather, and the doors have to be locked or they swing wiiiide open. So obv. I sleep with the doors closed.



2. DO YOU TAKE THE SHAMPOOS AND CONDITIONER BOTTLES FROM HOTELS?

Nope. I do take coffee sachets from the tea tray. Book nerds like coffee. XD



3. DO YOU SLEEP WITH YOUR SHEETS TUCKED IN OR OUT?

Erm - out. Because I'm not a tidy person. At all.



4. HAVE YOU STOLEN A STREET SIGN BEFORE?

No! Who does that? :/



5. DO YOU LIKE TO USE POST-IT NOTES?

Sometimes - then sometimes not. I've got a general apathy towards post-it notes; I really don't understand why so many people are like post-it fangirls/boys.



6. DO YOU CUT OUT COUPONS BUT THEN NEVER USE THEM?

I am forever forgetting I have money-off vouchers in my bag.



7. WOULD YOU RATHER BE ATTACKED BY A BIG BEAR OR A SWARM OF BEES?

I'm gonna go for the bear... I think... to be honest I'd rather not be attacked by anything!



8. DO YOU HAVE FRECKLES?

Yup - across my nose *wrinkles nose like bunny*

via GIPHY

9. DO YOU ALWAYS SMILE FOR PICTURES?

I try to avoid pictures whenever possible! When I have to be in them, I attempt to smile but not too wide because it makes my face look chubby.



10. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE?

No idea.



11. DO YOU EVER COUNT YOUR STEPS WHEN YOU WALK?

Only when I'm walking up and down stairs! I'm such a child :)



12. HAVE YOU PEED IN THE WOODS?

No! I usually plan so that I don't have to do that! Find a public loos people!



13. HAVE YOU EVER POOPED IN THE WOODS?

NO!!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!



14. DO YOU EVER DANCE EVEN IF THERES NO MUSIC PLAYING?

I do jazz-hands to emphasise and/or make fun of something - does that count?

via GIPHY

15. DO YOU CHEW YOUR PENS AND PENCILS?

Um... I stick them in my mouth a lot but I don't actually chew them.



16. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU SLEPT WITH THIS WEEK?

Ooh-err! No-one, actually.



17. WHAT SIZE IS YOUR BED?

Single. Make of that what you will ;) I'm fine with it.



18. WHAT IS YOUR SONG OF THE WEEK?

I don't really mark my weeks in songs, or my songs in weeks - I just shove the music on in the background!



19. IS IT OK FOR GUYS TO WEAR PINK?

Yeah sure, dudes can wear pink. As long as it's not ugly.



20. DO YOU STILL WATCH CARTOONS?

Duh, only the cool people watch cartoons ;)

via GIPHY

21. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE MOVIE?

I don't know - anything Twilight, most things with Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler.



22. WHERE WOULD YOU BURY HIDDEN TREASURE IF YOU HAD SOME?

Dude, if I had treasure I'd totally spend it! :)



23. WHAT DO YOU DRINK WITH DINNER?

Usually some sort of soft drink or water.



24. WHAT DO YOU DIP A CHICKEN NUGGET IN?

I'm vegetarian, so this question is kind of irrelevant.



25. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?

Pizza. Cake. Chocolate. Recipe for life.

via GIPHY

26. WHAT MOVIES COULD YOU WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND STILL LOVE?

Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street (UK - US); and pretty much anything else that involves Johnny Depp or Tim Burton. Or Marvel movies.



27. LAST PERSON YOU KISSED/KISSED YOU?

Probably my cat, actually XD



28. WERE YOU EVER A BOY/GIRL SCOUT?

I was a girl guide and a Brownie and all that :)



29. WOULD YOU EVER STRIP OR POSE NUDE IN A MAGAZINE?

Nope! I'm far too self-conscious for that.



30. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WROTE A LETTER TO SOMEONE ON PAPER?

A couple of weeks ago - I write to an old school mate a lot because we seem to actually say more on paper than we do online.

31. CAN YOU CHANGE THE OIL ON A CAR?

No, but I don't have a car or a driver's licence, so I think it's OK.



32. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE YANKEE CANDLE SCENT?

I don't know what it's called - it's a fruity orange one.



33. FAVOURITE AUTHOR?

NO. THAT IS NOT AN ANSWER I'M GIVING - IT'S TOO HARD!!!!!



34. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF SANDWICH?

I don't know... not something I think about to be honest!



35. BEST THING TO EAT FOR BREAKFAST?

Toast or cereal - fried eggs as a treat when I'm at a hotel or whatever, because I can't cook, like, at all.



36. WHAT IS YOUR USUAL BEDTIME?

I don't know - somewhere between 11 and midnight, depending on how tired I am, when I have to get up, how interesting my book is...



37. ARE YOU LAZY?

The opposite! I have to force myself to take breaks and chill.



38. WHEN YOU WERE A KID, WHAT DID YOU DRESS UP AS FOR HALLOWEEN?

Erm... my parents had a few issues with Halloween, so I only dressed up once or twice, and that was as a teenager.

And that was last minute so I usually threw a witch outfit together. I think I was a dead bride once too.

via GIPHY

39. WHAT IS YOUR CHINESE ASTROLOGICAL SIGN?

Not telling you that - you'll work out how old I am!



40. HOW MANY LANGUAGES CAN YOU SPEAK?

Welp, English, for one.

(And Wenglish, which is like the Welsh/English dialect and slang.

It involves such lovely commonly used words as lovely, fab, crackin', tidy, lush, cwtch, dwt, bechgyn drwg, and the awesomely hybridised dirty mochyn.)

I have some Welsh - and am constantly trying to learn more but man, Welsh is hard!

I've got some Spanish - but it's kind of rusty since I haven't really used it since I was about 16.

I've got a smattering (basically a few words or phrases in): Russian, Italian, German, Latin, Greek, Arabic and Japanese.

Basically I learn a little of everything and am proficient in nothing! :)



41. DO YOU HAVE ANY MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS?

Nope. I used to have one for a card-making magazine, but they put the price up so I dropped it.



42. COKE OR PEPSI?

Coke! Diet, if possible - not because it's healthier, but because I like the taste better.

43. ARE YOU STUBBORN?

*Looks at feet*
*Looks at ceiling*
*Looks at finger-nails*
*Shuffles feet*

...Yes.



44. WHO IS BETTER: LENO OR LETTERMAN?

We don't watch those shows here, really - maybe the odd clip from them on YouTube, but nothing more than that.



45. FAVORITE TV SHOW/S

There's probably far too many to list here. A lot. Let's put it like that ;) I watch far too much TV.



46. ARE YOU AFRAID OF HEIGHTS?

Not so much the height as hitting the ground at the bottom ;)



47. DO YOU SING IN THE CAR?

Depends what music is on.



48. DO YOU SING IN THE SHOWER?

Occasionally, if I feel like it.



49. DO YOU DANCE IN THE CAR?

Nope.



50. EVER USED A GUN?

No! I think my family would disown me if I ever touched a gun.



51. LAST TIME YOU GOT A PORTRAIT TAKEN BY A PHOTOGRAPHER?

Erm... probably at school. Unless you count the photographer at my brother's wedding? In which case, at my brother's wedding.

52. DO YOU THINK MUSICALS ARE CHEESY?

They def. can be.

I prefer older musicals like High Society (UK - US), Singin' in the Rain (UK - US), White Christmas (UK - US), and Alexander's Ragtime Band (UK - US).

I love anything with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, Vera Ellen...



53. IS CHRISTMAS STRESSFUL?

Yeah, but it's worth it. LOVE Christmas!!!!



54. FAVORITE BEN & JERRY FLAVOUR?

I don't usually eat Ben & Jerry's - gonna be honest.



55. FAVORITE TYPE OF FRUIT TART?

Man, one of those open Mr. Kipling's jam tarts? The lemon ones rock.



56. OCCUPATIONS YOU WANTED TO BE WHEN YOU WERE A KID?

Writer, poet, bookshop owner, aeroplane, dinosaur, magical sparkly unicorn ;)



57. DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?

Yup.

58. EVER HAVE A DEJA-VU FEELING?

Sometimes.



59. DO YOU TAKE A VITAMIN DAILY?

No, that's the way to achieve expensive urine.



60. DO YOU WEAR SLIPPERS?

Yup - I go through so many pairs; it's not a good idea to walk around barefoot when you have cats. You never know what you might step in/on.



61. DO YOU WEAR A BATH ROBE?

Usually.



62. WHAT DO YOU WEAR TO BED?

PJs or a nightie.



63. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONCERT?

Fall Out Boy :) Oh yeah, she's a rebel ;P

via GIPHY

64. WALMART, TARGET, OR KMART?

We literally have none of those shops here.



65. NIKE OR ADIDAS?

Meh, basically the same to me.



66. CHEETOS OR FRITOS?

Not entirely sure what Fritos are. And I don't really like Cheetos.



67. PEANUTS OR SUNFLOWER SEEDS?

Sunflower seeds - I can't stand peanuts. Blech.



68. FAVORITE BAND?

ARGH! THIS QUESTION IS TOO DIFFICULT!!!!



69. EVER TAKE DANCE LESSONS?

I went to line-dancing club when I was in primary school. I'm such a dork!



70. IS THERE A PROFESSION YOU PICTURE YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE DOING?

Dude, what kind of a question is this? Does it matter???? (Unless they're president of the universe or something, and then I'll be like 'HELLO!')

I don't really plan on ever getting married - so I guess it's kind of a redundant question.



71. CAN YOU CURL YOUR TONGUE?

Yup.



72. EVER WON A SPELLING BEE?

Nope. Never even been in one - we don't do spelling bees that often here.



73. HAVE YOU EVER CRIED BECAUSE YOU WERE SO HAPPY?

Sometimes I can laugh so much I cry... does that count?



74. OWN ANY RECORD ALBUMS?

Nope. The parents do.



75. OWN A RECORD PLAYER?

See previous answer ;)



76. DO YOU REGULARLY BURN INCENSE?

No, but I've got candles. And I limit what my parents are allowed to burn - ok, that sounds a lot worse than it is.

Let me just point out that my parents are not pyromaniacs, ok? Ok.



77. EVER BEEN IN LOVE?

Don't think so. I love everyone though, which is fine by me :)



78. WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN CONCERT?

Panic! At the Disco - me and The Bestie are going to see them later in the year so that we can complete the Holy Emo Trinity (we've already seen FOB & MCR in concert.)

I have the bestest Bestie for scoring us tickets! XD

via GIPHY

79. WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU SAW?

Fall Out Boy again - I've seen them three times! Love them so much :)



80. HOT TEA OR COLD TEA?

I don't like tea. I like chamomile tea, peppermint tea, and fruit teas though.



81. TEA OR COFFEE?

COFFEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(You may've guessed, but I like coffee!)

I'm one of the only British people in existence who hates tea. Blech!



82. SUGAR COOKIES OR SNICKER DOODLES?

I really don't know what these things are.

Are sugar cookies the same as chocolate-chip cookies? Or just biscuits in general?



83. CAN YOU SWIM WELL?

No! In a life-or-death scenario I could probably manage some pathetic flapping and splashing, but generally I've got a really bad fear of swimming and/or large bodies of water. 

I absolutely hate the feeling of floating - every time I start to float I stick my legs down to find the bottom of the pool or whatever.



84. CAN YOU HOLD YOUR BREATH WITHOUT HOLDING YOUR NOSE?

Yeah.



85. ARE YOU PATIENT?

*Laughs long and hard* ...No.



86. DJ OR BAND AT A WEDDING?

I really couldn't care less.



87. EVER WON A CONTEST?

Probably... over the years... I can be quite lucky, on occasion ;)



88. HAVE YOU EVER HAD PLASTIC SURGERY?

Nope, and not ever planning to.



89. WHICH ARE BETTER: BLACK OR GREEN OLIVES?

Black - I just prefer them.



90. CAN YOU KNIT OR CROCHET?

I knit a bunch.

I don't crochet because I can't get the hang of it and my mother kept yelling at me when she was supposed to be teaching me.

She taught The Bestie though, and The Bestie's mum taught me knitting, so I guess we're even. ;)



91. BEST ROOM FOR A FIREPLACE?

A cold one, I guess! ;)



92. DO YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED?

No, not really. I mean, stuff changes, but at the moment I have no plan to ever get married.



93. DO YOU LIKE TO READ?

If not I'm running the wrong blog!

94. WHO WAS YOUR HIGH SCHOOL CRUSH?

Ha, yeah... not going there!



95. DO YOU CRY AND THROW A FIT UNTIL YOU GET YOUR OWN WAY?

No, but I used to have full-on tantrums when I was younger. It wasn't pretty.



96. CLOTHES OR MAKEUP?

If I had to choose between the two, definitely clothes. I'm allergic to most makeup. And I really need clothes - I wear clothes until they fall apart, basically.



97. DO YOU WANT KIDS?

Never say never - but no, I don't want kids!



98. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOUR?

Orange - it's bright and weird, like me! :)



99. DO YOU MISS ANYONE RIGHT NOW?

Not this minute, no.

100. WHO ARE YOU GOING TO TAG TO DO THIS POST NEXT?

(You don't have to if you don't want to!)

Emily @ The Paperback Princess
Olivia-Savannah @ Olivia's Catastrophe





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Review Time! - These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Title: These Shallow Graves

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Crime

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

I had the chance to read this ahead of it coming out in a new paperback edition from Bonnier Publishing/Hot Key Books, and as it was on my TBR list anyways, I of course jumped at the chance.

(There may have been some actual jumping involved... just saying.)

Premise:

Jo Montfort is one of New York city's upper class.

Her seemingly perfect world of Victorian high-society balls is hiding a lot of secrets.

And her father's death is not as it seems.

Jo's world is about to come crumbling down. But she will find out the truth.

Best bits:

A well-woven historical setting, full of secrets and intrigue? Donnelly is spoiling us here guys!

Even more evocative is Jo herself.

I truly loved her unique blend of determination, strength, and sheltered naivety, as well as her interactions and chemistry with other characters.

Basically, Jo is amazing.

And this book has a lot to say: about women and feminism, about poverty, about corruption, about doing what's right.

There's a lot of ground covered here, but in the sub-text and subtle realisations, rather than soap-box style ranting.

Even the love triangle/rectangle (depending on which way you squint) has original twists and turns, and isn't irritating (*praises the reading gods*.)

The sub-plots feel relevant and everything is tangled together beautifully; the characters are vivid, the prose well-written.

You will love the dynamic between Jo and Eddie - a reporter who's helping her get to the bottom of just what the hell is going on here. It brings a variety of the feels, and is just fab.

Seriously, could you want anything more than this from your historical fiction? ;)

Not so great bits:

This is not a quick read. Even though the chapters are short, it does require perseverance and some actual effort on the part of the reader.

While I didn't mind this, it will put a lot of people off.

And that trapped, hemmed-in, frustration, that Jo feels? The reader's feeling it too.

Now, on the one hand this shows some considerable skill on Donnelly's part, because the ability to use the prose to mirror Jo's feelings in the actual words? That takes some doing.

On the other hand, when the prose feels claustrophobic and restricted? You're going to get frustrated. And that's frustrating ;)

There's also violence and forensics-style gore (ok, I'm starting to sound like those randomly specific warnings before TV programmes,) and a couple of references to sexy-times.

But it keeps to the YA-vibe by not going too far down the sexy-times path.

Verdict:

OK, so you're going to have to put some effort in. But, you know what? It's worth it.

This is one of those books that is so different from what you were expecting - and is all the more awesome for it.

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

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Nerd Church - Love Will Always Win

My plan for this week's 'Nerd Church' post went well and truly out the window.

I was planning on doing another post about the EU referendum.

Instead, I'm going to write a post about love and hate. Which kind of works into some of the things I've been trying to say in my referendum posts anyway.

If you want to catch up on my EU posts, you can check out the one on migration here, and last week's post on what the EU does for us here.

Give them a look, because the EU referendum on Thursday really is an important issue.





Given the events of this week - the murder of Jo Cox, and the deaths of so many people in Orlando, I felt like this post was an important one to write.

Far-right, white supremacist, extremism and Islamic extremism are two sides of the same warped coin. These people are more alike than they will ever admit.

Both feed on the fear of anyone even slightly different to themselves. Both are an ugly cycle of fear and hate that just keeps fuelling itself.

We should not fear people who are different to us. Because they are also the same as us. And isn't that beautiful?

Why is there so much hate in this world? How is it possible to be so full of rage and fear directed at another person, or group of people? We're a strange little species.





I don't understand. Can I repeat this, again and again? I don't understand.

I love everyone - that may sound disingenuous, but it's true. I love you - whoever you may be. I even love people I don't like (trust me, it's possible.)

Love is infinite. There is room in my heart for all 6 or 7 billion of you. Plus the animals. (And fictional characters, of course.)

Do other people not see the world like this? Is that why I don't understand?

Because from where I'm standing, you are all beautiful, wonderful, precious, creatures - intricate and unique and amazing. All of you.





I may hate your views - but I couldn't ever hate you.

I hate everything that Trump and Farage, and people like them, all over the world, stand for.

I would very much like to punish them for the hurt they've caused throughout their lives, make them re-pay every injustice they've caused - but I'd never shoot them. You can't kill ideas with bullets.





Do I hate the man who killed innocent people in Orlando? Do I hate the man who killed Jo Cox? No.

I feel sorry for them. I hate the hate that motivated them. I hate what they did. I hate what they stand for.





I hate the hurt that must've been inside them.

I wish I could've taken it away before it hurt others. I wish that others had not spread the hate to them. I wish that people did not feel so isolated, alone, and scared that it turns to hate.

I wish so many things.

Can we just be nice? Is that so hard?

Do people have to be murdered because they're different? Do our football fans have to attack each other? Do we have to spread fear like a vile disease?





The connection of Thomas Mair to mental health problems in the media is worrying to me.

Because sometimes the media seems to jump on this as the one and only 'reason' for what people have done - as if all people with mental health problems will automatically commit murder the second they are diagnosed. This just spreads misunderstanding and fear.

People with mental health problems can be vulnerable to extremism. These people are also the victims of this hate - the way it spreads can catch them at their most vulnerable, leaving them defenceless to fight it.

But most people with mental health problems are more likely to be the victims than the perpetrators of crime. Please do not demonise us. We are as normal as you are.

Ideas spread like germ warfare, and those with the least immunity are those who feel isolated, alienated, afraid, hurt.

ISIS' supporters are like lost little boys and girls, who feel like they don't belong; they only realise too late what they have done, if they ever realise at all.




Jo Cox - someone few of us had heard of before a few days ago - lived a beautiful life.

Her actions and her speeches speak of someone full of hope, and love, and life.

The way to honour her flame burning out is by sparking our own. By saying no to hatred, and turning instead to light, and to love.






The people in Orlando were targeted because of their love - because they loved in a different way, because hatred can't understand the many forms that love can take.

Every one of those people was another beautiful flame. Let their deaths strengthen our light; we can't let the darkness be the legacy of their lives.

Love is beautiful. Love is strong. Love endures. It will always win.




Nerd Church is a weekly post where I ramble on about discuss various issues, and sometimes attempt to make the world a better place. If you liked this post, I'd love it if you shared :)

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5 Must-Read Non-Fiction Books

Non-fiction tends to get eclipsed - in book-blogging and in general - by the awesomeness that is fiction.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with fiction taking centre-stage, but that doesn't mean that we should leave non-fiction to languish by the wayside.

Non-fiction can be vitally important for a variety of reasons: not least that it tells us important things about life, the universe, and everything (42! - I'm such a nerd.)

So, my dearest nerdlets, I give you here a list of 5 non-fiction books which I consider to be 'must-reads.'

3 of these are memoirs/autobiographies - not of politicians or pop stars, but of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances.




These books are 'must-reads' because of what they are - because of what they represent, and the message that they send to the world.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Amazon: UK - US

This is no great work of literature - and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Anne Frank's diary was never really intended for publication, so it's not written to appeal to an audience, or really to tell any clear story.

The main strength and value of this book is that it is so ordinary - it's the diary of a life cut unfairly and unjustly short, true, but a life that belonged to a real, breathing, loving, wonderful girl. A girl who was so very human.

And because of this, it shows even more vividly the horrors of the holocaust - this was not just the fate of nameless, faceless, people, who were nothing to do with us. This was the fate of normal people; just like us.

This book is proof of the potential and beauty that hatred can steal from the world.

12 Years A Slave by Solomon Northup

Amazon: UK - US

I actually reviewed this quite a while back; it's an incredible, and very, very powerful book.

Solomon's dignity, humanity, and love, prove a definite contrast to the horrendous situation he finds himself in.

I think everyone should know his story, if only so that we understand the human cost of the shameful practice of slavery.

Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic

Amazon: UK - US

The last of the memoirs/autobiographies in this list, this is the honest, bitter, ugly, beautiful work of a Vietnam veteran - describing both his time in Vietnam, and the longer battle of rights, dignity, and recovery, back home in the US.

A fairly short book that makes hard reading in places, this is one that everyone needs to read - because Kovic was there; he saw it, he felt it, he went through it.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Amazon: UK - US

This is a book I wrote a mini-review for during Mental Health Awareness Week.

'Reasons To Stay Alive' is an important read because of what it stands for - a hand in the dark, a discussion about mental health, and an end to stigma.

Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates

Amazon: UK - US

This is a book I am determined to make EVERYONE read.

It's a real eye-opener in terms of the sexism and misogyny, as well as the violence towards women, that still exists, right now, in 2016.

As I said in my review, I don't necessarily agree with all of the opinions in this book, but it is one of the most worthwhile books you will ever read.

If it's not on your TBR list then put it on there - right now.

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Friday Fics Fix! - So Many Alternatives

We in the fandom world like AUs (Alternate Universes to the non-fandom-speaking.)

Now, I've come across my fair share of unique AUs, and my fair share of fairly common AUs. What this week's fic does is take a bunch of the common ones and smush them together to make a unique one.

This, my dearest nerdlets, is fandom at it's finest; stick all the sh** together, in the most indulgent way you can think of, and just keep going! :)





So, what AUs are we dealing with here?

Well, just in this fic, I can spot hints of the Werewolf AU, the Barista/Coffee Shop AU (this is actually a very common AU - no, really,) the College AU, the Modern/Contemporary AU, the Vampire AU, and the Stripper AU (that last one is also more common than you'd think.)

...And those are just the ones I noticed!







Oh, and it's also one of those universes where Thor and Loki are not brothers, and are in a relationship.

This is known as Thorki. Often fic writers don't even bother removing the brotherhood-status, and just make it incest. Oddly enough, I prefer Thorki when they're not related! ;)






I think it's time to break out this gif right here:

via GIPHY

(This is one of the most popular gifs to describe fandom in general.

Do not judge us until you've tried our way of life!)

And, before I forget, there are sexy-times. 18 + only guys.

So, this week's fic is:

It's Complicated (The Werewolf Barista AU) by verymilkytea

Yes, there is poor spelling/grammar in places. Yes, it is as mad as a box of cats.

...But it's also awesome. And wish-fulfilment is what we all came here for, right? If we wanted 'normal' we wouldn't be living the fandom life ;P

Like this post? Try these:

• Friday Fics Fix! (In Which There is Nothing but Smut)
• Friday Fics Fix - Vampirelock!

Comics Wrap Up - Love Like Winter

Graphic Novels



This week I reviewed Klaw, The First Cycle (UK - US).

This is a graphic novel about shape-shifter type-people, and was pretty interesting - particularly in terms of using the Chinese zodiac as the basis for all the shape-shifting-ness.

Check out my review for more info.






Other Stuff

In the course of my Twitter meanderings around the #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend hashtag, I came across this excellent post on Vox dealing with the romantic aspects of Civil War, and how the studios are mistaken in where the romance lies (Warning: Captain America: Civil War spoilers.)

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Continuing on the theme of the lovely Bucky Barnes, a post appeared on Women Write About Comics on 'The Feminization of Bucky Barnes.' (Warning: spoilers for all three Captain America movies.)

I don't agree with everything in this post - but it's a very interesting look at Bucky's role in the films, as well as aspects of his appeal to the female portion of the audience.

(Although, in honesty?

He's a dark, dangerous, troubled, loner with puppy-dog eyes, long hair, leather, and a rugged handsomeness.

Add to that that Steve loves him, and he has a teddy-bear-like vulnerability, and why wouldn't we love him too?)

via GIPHY

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Archie Comics have announced a new Josie and the Pussycats series. This could actually turn out pretty cool - as long as they don't fall into too many stereotypes.

Like This Post? Try These:

• Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Klaw, The First Cycle
• Comics Wrap Up - People Like Us, We Don't Need That Much