Nerd Church - Why Christmas Is More Important To Me Than Ever

I love Christmas. I adore Christmas.

Christmas. Is. Amazing.

More than that, this year, I NEED Christmas!

Nerd Church - 50+ Things It's OK To Feel When You're Grieving

Grief doesn't care about 'should.'

Grief will feel how grief feels.

Nerd Church - Perfect Imperfection

I've written and re-written this week's Nerd Church post about a hundred times.

I've attempted several different topics, several different ways, and nothing seems to be right.

Month in Review(s) - November 2018

Maybe you should all just assume that it wasn't a good month, unless I tell you differently? 😅

It'll save a lot of time and make me feel like I'm whining a lot less!

Nerd Church - Seeing People

"Hang on," I told my work-colleague, then I strode off.

"Where are you...? There's nothing over there! What are you gonna do, get a taxi?"

"No..." I call back over my shoulder; why the hell would he think I was gonna get a taxi? We had like, five minutes to get back from lunch.

I count out pound coins as I walk. 1... 2... 3. I head towards the guy in the red tabard, smiling, "I'll have one!" I call.




He smiles at me, and I wonder how everyone ignores that smile.

How could you?! I've heard of smiles that light up a room, but his lights up the street.

"Thank you darling!" he says, his voice almost a song, "God bless you!"

This is the Big Issue seller who helped me get through at a time when life was darkest.

'It's A Superpower!' - A Discussion On Synaesthesia With Evelina From Avalinah's Books

Synaesthetes are basically superheroes. (I’ve decided. #DealWithIt.)


We have two or more senses linked together - for example, some of us see music, or feel colours - and we each generally view the world in our unique way!

So what happens when one Synnie comes across another?

And what happens if they both happen to be book bloggers?

Will they write the longest post either of them has ever written in a random ramble of awesomeness?



Welp, we’re about to find out! 😉

On Dora Reads today we have the amazing-ful Evelina from Avalinah’s Books - a fellow Synnie and all around awesome-sauce person! 😆

Nerd Church - If You Change Your Mind, You Know Where I Am

(Re: the title - yes, I spotted a chance to quote Panic! lyrics 😅)


Why are we, as hooman beans, so reluctant to change our minds?

Do we think there'll be some sort of moral judgement if we do?

Do we think we'll look bad or unintelligent?

Nerd Church - Hope in the Butt-End of the 2010s (or, the News is Always Awful, But We Can Still Smile Sometimes)

"Have you seen the news?"

"No... what's happened now?"

...We all dread it.

Because everything in the world just seems to be going downhill continually.

Month In Review(s) - October 2018

Argh. October.

October was pretty much like the previous months - stressful, full of family worries, and working uber-hard.

My grandparents are both still in hospital. Life is still hectic.

Only October also managed to give me the gift of about four or five different colds. I'm one of those people who get colds on a rotating-door type basis. 😷

Four Years of Blogging, Dearest Nerdlets, and Many More To Come (+ FREE Printable Bookmarks PDF)

It's Halloween, and you know what that means:

Dora Reads is four years old!

And yes, I'm gonna gush like hell. Cos y'know I looooove all of youuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I don't mean that in an 'OMG, I'd like to thank my fans, the little people' kind of way.

I MEAN I ACTUALLY LOVE ALL OF YOU.

Even if you've never interacted with me, never let me know that you're out there reading my words, I still love you.

Because you care enough to read what I'm writing.

And that earns you a v. special place in my heart.

A special shout-out to everyone who's commented, shared, chatted on social media, and generally supported me!

I've met some awesome-sauce friends over the years, and I wish I lived closer to some of you so I could give you a hug IRL.

Nerd Church - My Real-Life Ghost Stories

It's Halloween on Wednesday... let's make this week's Nerd Church spoopy!

Do you believe in ghosts?

I do...

Kind of.

(You know nothing is ever simple with me!)

Nerd Church - That Feeling When... Why Labelling Emotions Is Healthy (Ft. #Science)

(Warning: this post discusses mental health stigma, and grief.)



In the UK, there's a TV programme live on Sunday mornings sometimes called Sunday Morning Live.

(I know, right? How did they come up with that name?!)

It's a sort-of chat show with a moral/social/ethical/semi-religious basis.

It can be decent. It can be awful.

Largely I only watch it because before 1pm on a Sunday I don't exist beyond zombie coffee-drinker; my anger at the more extreme guests tends to help me wake up while the rest of the programme is still happily sleepy.

Anywho, last week, they were asking whether there's a mental health crisis in the UK.

Now, you can argue statistics and definitions on that one until you're blue in the face and unable to look at another decimal point or percentage sign for a good long time...

...but we can all agree that good mental health is... well... good.

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: The More You Learn About Writing, The Less You Seem To Know

It’s weird. It’s really weird.

The more you write, the less confidence you have in what you’re writing.

You notice every goddamn flaw like it’s screeching at you.

(If you’re writing horror, maybe it is. But I guess that would be the point, right? 😆)

The more you write, the more convinced you are that you’ll never be a ‘good’ writer – whatever the hell that is.

And then, with this weirdly inflated sense of imposter syndrome filling you, you try to seek out the wisdom of the all-powerful interwebs.

And that goes about as well as you can expect…

Month in Review(s) - September 2018

Ohmygod September.

September was a f**king rollercoaster. The type where you throw up a lot.

(I'm actually kind of quietly impressed with this graphic that I threw together in like, 15 minutes! Lol.)

On the good side:

It was my birthday! Woop!

(If you wanna give me a present, you can get me a coffee here! If not, I still love ya! 😊)

Nerd Church - Appreciate Yourself

I'm goddamn tired.

You ever feel like you work your a** off, and there's just... no pay-off?

I kind of feel like that. And I kind of don't.

I'm the world's harshest critic when it comes to myself.

I have to work very hard to stop myself from working too hard.

(I know, my life is a walking contradiction.)

Because my default, when things are stressful, is to work even harder.

Which... is not a good plan.

#BannedBooksWeek: Nerd Church - F**k It, Let's Talk Censorship (Ft. Thirteen Reasons Why)

Warning: this post discusses suicide, suicidal thoughts, mental health problems, sexual harassment, and censorship.

Links may also discuss these topics.




(Did you notice I self-censored in the title of this post? I can't bring myself to swear without *'s because in a traditional Welsh household, the only one allowed to swear is your mam. Lol.)

Via Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is back! (23-29 Sept 2018)

And, darling nerdlets, I'm here once again to ask all the goddamn awkward questions!

Cos that's kinda what this week is about!

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: 7 Radical Ways To Defeat Writer's Block

Staring at the blank page (...or screen...) we've all been there.

You need to write the thing - but the thing just doesn't seem to want to be written.

You have the Dreaded Writer's Block.

But Writer's Block ain't welcome around here!

I don't put up with Writer's Block (that pushy little so-and-so) - and neither should you!

Friday Fics Fix - Draco In A Bow

'“Okay, so look, so, Harry's birthday, yeah? Is soon. And the thing is, he's sort of... well, he doesn't need much. In general. And in... not general he can buy anything he fancies himself. So I kind of don't know what to get him. Except... I know that he fancies you...”'

It's my birthday tomorrow (15th Sep)!

And as such, I'm totally picking a birthday-themed Drarry fic this week. Because birthday.

Yes, this is total Mindless Self Indulgence.

Nerd Church - Creativity Takes Time (...And That's A Good Thing)

Practice makes perfect. Well... it doesn't. But it makes it better than it was when you started!

Unfortunately, when it comes to creative stuff - the process is slow.

Some people, somewhere, are the lucky one in a billion who can create a masterpiece with no practice or preamble. (Lucky so-and-sos.)

Month in Review(s) - August 2018

August... August can shut the f**k up.

Sorry if that was a little aggressive! But my Nanny is back in hospital again and... this time scares me even more than the last two times.

Which isn't August's fault, y'know, as a month.

But it isn't anyone else's fault either.

And sometimes it helps to have something to anthropomorphise your fear and anger at - y'know, aside from Parkinson's Disease itself.