Dora Reads is the book blog of a Bookish Rebel, supporting the Diversity Movement, bringing you Queer views and mental health advocacy, slipping in a lot of non-bookish content, and spreading reading to the goddamn world! :) (All posts may contain Amazon links, which are affiliate, unless marked otherwise. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. USA ONLY - please do not make UK purchases with my links)
Sunday 10 May 2020
Nerd Church - How Are You Bored...?
Sunday 3 May 2020
Nerd Church - I'm SO Tired
(Warning: this post references Coronavirus/Covid 19 and Lockdown, and discusses mental health problems and Anxiety throughout.)
I'm so tired.
Like, SO tired.
Part of that is probably due to an existential tiredness related to the Lockdown and wanting things to go back to 'normal' - whatever normal is.
(Stay Home though, dearest nerdlets - STAY HOME PLEASE! It's so important!)
Sunday 26 April 2020
Nerd Church - Covid 19: Why Are People Like This?
(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19 and lockdown/quarantine throughout. It also discusses Donald Trump and medical misinformation. It also gets kinda rant-y.)
What is wrong with people?
I mean... does anyone know?
As I sit here, still on full lockdown in the UK, my neighbours have gone out. Again.
If you read this blog/follow my Twitter (thank you, I love you!) you may know that I have Problem Neighbours™.
What started as some sloppiness with letting their 2 dogs out has morphed into a general disregard for the people around them (...and they have 4 dogs now.)
Sunday 19 April 2020
Nerd Church - Oliver Queen, You Have Saved This Girl's Life
(Warning: this post discusses Depression and low self-esteem/self-worth, as well as referencing suicidal thoughts and feelings.)
Oliver Queen, you have saved this girl’s life.
People who’ve read this blog before will be aware that I credit a lot of things for saving my life – from fanfiction to meds, from blogging to Fall Out Boy. With what feels like millions of other things in between.
I mean all of it. Completely.
When Depression sinks it’s teeth in so deep that you think you are the worst creature to ever draw breath – that, in fact, you’re probably hogging oxygen from someone who deserves to breathe it more – you need more than just one thing to rescue you.
Sunday 12 April 2020
Nerd Church - Watching 'Orange Is The New Black' In Lockdown
(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19, and prison, and references drugs and death.)
You know all those shows that you just don't get around to for whatever reason?
Orange Is The New Black was one of those for me.
So what better series to start when we can't go out, than one where they can't either, y'know?
The UK is in Lockdown - we can only go out for specific reasons, which does currently include 1hr exercise, provided we practice social distancing, so we're better off than some.
Wednesday 8 April 2020
Month In Review(s) - March 2020
(Warning: This post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19 (b/c March 2020) and related stuff like lockdown and Anxiety)
...Maybe the first rule of March 2020, is that we don't talk about March 2020.
But then, I'd totally break that rule in half and throw the pieces in the air like confetti anyways, so here we are!
Sunday 5 April 2020
Nerd Church - A General Message of Positivity For Anyone Struggling With Their Mental Health ATM
(Warning: this post discusses Covid 19/Coronavirus, and mental health problems/general mental health)
I think we could all do with some positivity right now.
We all need to take care of our mental health. You don't need to have a mental health problem in order to be struggling with your mental health.
We all need to take care of ourselves.
So here's one of my famous (notorious? infamous? who knows,) pep talks, with the hopes that it'll do some good, somewhere.
Sunday 29 March 2020
Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: Aesthetically Confused
(Warning: this post discusses the affects of Anxiety)
If you hang around bookish and/or writerly corners of the Interwebs, you may've seen random-a** collages related to books, individual characters, or writing projects.
Or maybe you haven't - in which case you probably don't know wtf I'm talking about. But trust me, they're out there.
Sunday 22 March 2020
Nerd Church - The Anxious Girl's Guide To Pandem-onium
(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid-19 (but hopefully in a non-stressy way!) and Anxiety/mental health problems)
Wherever you are in the world, your life is probably being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic right now - if you're in Europe, then it definitely is.
I'm Anxious af right now - and I know other people are too.
So, I think we could all do with some practical self-care advice.
(Even if you don't have mental health problems, you still need to take care of your mental health!)
Sunday 15 March 2020
Nerd Church - The Benefits Of (Sometimes) Switching Off
(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid-19, although it's v. brief, I promise!)
Turn off the apps and tabs you aren't using, log out of social media, and let the noise just... stop for a while.
Hooman beans aren't meant for screens - not 24 hours a day, anyways.
I'm not saying 'turn off the evils of technology and become one with the universe' or whatever the latest anti-tech line is.
(Side note: these lines always seem to be spouted online. #JustSaying.)
Technology is a tool. An exceptionally useful one for so many people.
But you don't hammer nails all day, every day, do you? (Wait... do you?)
Even the most fervent lumberjack has to put down the axe every now and then. (Axe... chainsaw... I don't know wtf they're using - ask them!)
Wednesday 11 March 2020
Month in Review(s) - February 2020
February... I mean, on a personal level, February wasn't too bad.
I had a few colds (and yes, they were colds,) and some bad depression days, but nothing too much.
Although *gestures vaguely at the state of the world* I realise that more than a few squares have been crossed off on our apocalypse bingo cards.
But we've been crossing those things off since 2016, so it's probably not that surprising.
And a reminder, my dearest darling nerdlets: where there's life there's hope, and where there's hope, there's life.
Sunday 8 March 2020
Nerd Church - #InternationalWomensDay: 'My Feminism Will Be Intersectional, Or It Will Be B*llsh**'
'MY FEMINISM WILL BE INTERSECTIONAL OR IT WILL BE B*LLSH**'
Sunday 1 March 2020
Nerd Church - St. David's Day Special! Let's Talk Robert Downey Jr as Dolittle!
Robert Downey Jr's performance as Dolittle is amazing. And he does it with a Welsh accent.
...I think it's fair to say, though, that the accent has had a mixed response.
And since today is St. David's day - and I never lose a chance to talk about Wales and being Welsh - what better time to discuss it?!
Sunday 23 February 2020
Nerd Church - Hanau (& a Brief Note on the Flooding)
(Warning: this post discusses terrorism, murder, bigotry, etc. throughout, and flooding briefly at the end.)
I didn't want to write this post.
Sometimes it feels like I'm always writing about senseless acts of violence committed by lost souls and festering hatred.
But those 9 people (10 if you count the attacker's mother, which we should) in Hanau lost their lives.
They lost their lives to a White supremacist, far-right extremist, and terrorist, all wrapped up in the shell of one hate-filled man.
One hate-filled man took those lives.
Sunday 16 February 2020
Nerd Church - 7 Amazing Queer Songs To Bring You Joy and Brighten Your Weekend
***All Amazon.com links in this post are commission links. This means I earn commission from purchases made in the US***
Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.
I think we could all do with a little oomph and some good tunes, right?
These tracks are both awesomely awesome, and Queer af.
The world wears down on Queer folks - and sometimes it's good to just surround ourselves with the creations of our LGBTQ+ siblings.
But then, the world's weary atm whether you're Queer or not, so I hope all of you enjoy this little pick me up! 😀
Here we go then:
Sunday 9 February 2020
Nerd Church - The Truth?
Caution: This is one of those existential crises type posts with more questions than answers! Enjoy! 😅
What is the truth?
How can we tell what the truth is, in this supposedly 'post-truth,' 'alternative facts,' world?
Does the truth even matter any more?
Let's break this down, dearest nerdlets.
Wednesday 5 February 2020
Month in Review(s) - January 2020
January 2020. The first month of a new decade.
...A little worrying that World War Three was trending on Twitter within a day or two of the New Year.
Trending globally. Off and on. For quite a while.
Anyway, in better news, if you're reading this it means you've survived.
And that's worth celebrating, ok? That's an achievement in itself.
Sunday 2 February 2020
Nerd Church - Brexit: How We Got Here
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has officially left the European Union, albeit in a transition period.
And no, the sky didn't fall in at 11pm GMT on 31st Jan, when we left the EU.
But we did start a period of time that, if we're lucky, will just be highly unpleasant and economically difficult.
I hope we're lucky, but that doesn't seem like the most realistic outcome.
Made with imgflip.com |
It's difficult to explain, to an international audience (hi! I love you!) exactly why the UK made such a foolish, pain-inducing decision in 2016.
(To those from the US: you made a worse decision, with the Trumpkin. So hopefully you understand how embarrassing this is.)
...But I'ma try.
(Please note - this is my opinion, ok? I'm not an expert or a politician or anything like that!)
Sunday 26 January 2020
Nerd Church - Auschwitz: 75 Years Later
***All Amazon.com links in this post are commission links. This means I earn commission from purchases made in the US***
Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.
(Warning: this post discusses the Holocaust and genocide throughout. Links may include details and/or images of the Holocaust and genocide.)
75 years ago tomorrow (27th January) Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by Soviet forces.
Sunday 19 January 2020
Nerd Church - Royalty and Racism
(Warning: as you can probably tell from the title, this blogpost discusses racism throughout)
I don't give a damn, one way or t'other, about the Royal family.
I mean that. I don't wish them any harm, but if they all abdicated tomorrow that would be fine by me.
As a good little Welsh girl, I both reject monarchy from a Socialist standpoint, and because I still don't forgive them for the conquest of my country, and the slaughter of our own Royals.
(...I know it was centuries ago - Welsh people can hold a grudge, ok? And the oppression by the English never really let up)
Mark Jones/Wikimedia Commons |
They can do what they like as far as I'm concerned - be royal, don't be royal, work at Tesco's, have your own business, whatever!
...so long as they don't cost us any more than they do now, I really don't care.
Good luck to 'em, even. They need to do what they can to be happy. And it looks like Harry and Meghan are gonna do just that.