Colour Me Happy

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



Before this turns into a whole debate: 'colouring' is the British spelling, 'coloring' is the spelling in America (and some other countries.) I'm using the British spelling, because I'm British.



Adult colouring is officially a 'thing' now.

I personally think that that's fab. You know why? Because it's the world saying, screw it - this is fun, and fun is good.

Pleasure (that doesn't hurt anyone,) is good. Colour is good. Beauty is good.

Art (and it is art, no two pictures look the same when you're done,) is good.

Also, because it's good for mental health - really.

And not just the mental health of those of us with mental illnesses.

Everyone on this peculiar green 'n' blue orb of ours has mental health, just as we all have physical health. So everyone can benefit from a bit of a chillax, and a spark of fun.

Taking care of your mental health is a good thing, even if you don't have a diagnosed condition, just as exercise is good for your physical health whether or not you've had a health scare.




Of course there are, believe it or not, people who disagree with the trend being labelled as a form of therapy or meditation.

I personally think that that's more than a little pretentious of them.




If something helps you, then it helps you.

Only you can know whether you find it relaxing, or a form of self-expression, or a general mood-lifter.

They are not actually feeling what you feel. Do what works for you. (Which, incidentally, is my general advice for any mental health treatment, or leisure/pleasure activities.)

A lot of people say that colouring helps them with 'mindfulness' - I don't subscribe to the mindfulness philosophy; it just doesn't help me in any way.

I blame my slightly hippy-ish parents; they've inadvertently given me an aversion to anything Buddhism, yoga, or meditation-related. I just can't be dealing with it. It's probably pretty much my only way to rebel.

But if mindfulness works for you, then use it.

Anyways, I quite like the odd colouring-in session myself. Not as much as some people, but I do enjoy it.

Although, I rarely finish a picture or pattern because I have a habit of blending in colours and getting a bit 'artsy' - and then I get distracted by other pics, and decide to start another one.

But that's another great thing - no-one is telling me that I have to finish, or that it has to be done in a certain way.

That leaves you free to find out what you want to do, and what you think is pretty, or just fun, or whatever.

And sometimes, having even that small semblance of control in a situation where you feel unbearably helpless and worthless, is a tremendous plus-point.




Anyhow, here are a few of my favourite colouring books -

Sherlock: The Mind Palace

Amazon: UK - US

This is my favourite - it has a mixture of patterns and pictures, and you can colour in Benedict Cumberbatch's face (and also Martin Freeman's.)

What more could you want, really?

 There's also the opportunity to look out for clues in the pictures. The pictures themselves are in chronological order for the series - which is pretty cool.

So, if you're a rabid Sherlockian (and let's face it, most Sherlockians are rabid,) then I'm sure you'll love it.

I really love it - it gives me a chance to be creative and nerdy, at the same time.






Vintage Patterns: Creative Colouring For Grown-Ups

Amazon: UK - US





This is mainly a pattern book - but some of the patterns are nice and big and involve things like birdies :) You may have noticed, I like birds.

Also, when I eventually finish this, which may be never, I plan to cut out some of the patterns and use them as craft-paper for card-making.

I love card-making, but it can be quite expensive to get nice pattern-paper, so I may even sell myself a few bob in the process, and be all eco-friendly by recycling, or upcycling, or whatever its called these days (I'm not old, honestly.)

Harry Potter Colouring Book

Amazon: UK - US

Any Harry Potter fan will smile at this - and it's so artsy! It really is a beautiful book, and has a mix of pictures and patterns, including lots of magical-ily stuff ;)

And who doesn't need some magic in their lives?

So, if colouring's your thing, go out there and do it!

Like this post? Try these:

• Nerd Church - The Importance of Chillaxation
• Nerd Church - Celebrate the Small Stuff



How to Deal With Book Amnesia

'Have I read this before? Maybe. Seems familiar... argh, a generic title! A well-known author! A vague blurb! HAVE I READ THIS OR HAVEN'T I?!'


'Ooh, I've read that series! Which book am I on? Ummm... I wanna say the fourth? Maybe the fifth? The third? The one where thingummy comes into to it...'


'Yeah, I've read that book. I wanna say vampires? Werewolves? Oh, of course, assassins - no, I have read it. I must have... I've marked it as 'read' and rated it on Goodreads.'


'No, I don't think I've read that... I reviewed it?!?! Man, I really don't remember this at all.'

Does any of this seem familiar? If so, my fellow book-amnesiacs, you are not alone, much as I wish you were.

The problem is, I read so much that the boundary-lines tend to become a bit blurred. I mix up details, titles, series, or just plain can't remember the damned thing.

Plus, I've asked everyone I know, and no-one can remember what happens at the end of Oliver Twist. No-one. On this planet. I'm certain of this.

After (spoiler) Nancy goes to the big wh*re-house in the sky, everyone just has white-noise about the rest of the details.





But help, my dear nerdlets, is at hand! Here are some slightly-sarcastic tips on dealing with book amnesia!

• Look back over your Goodreads - you might have marked the book or series as 'read' or 'to-read,' (or if you have a blog, you might have actually reviewed it... oops.) Checking the details may spring-board your memory. Or not. Whatever.

• Ask someone else. My mother asks me whether she's read books from the library before. I tend to remember them better than she does. I think this is possibly because she's not paying attention.

• Find a list of the series online and work out what happens when and where. You'll then be able to figure out which books you've read. Probably. Being honest, this doesn't always work. I can never remember which Kathy Reichs books I've read, no matter how much I love them or how many times I read the blurbs.

via GIPHY

• Just re-read it. Sometimes it's easier. If you remember it half-way through, you can always stop.

• Look at different versions of the cover - maybe you can't remember because it looked different?!?! Right?!?!

via GIPHY

• Ban authors from naming books generic titles like 'Blood' or formulaic titles like 'City of...' - it makes it much harder to tell the damned things apart, and really, you're authors - come up with a different title before I mix your book up with the other guy's. Please.

• Ban authors from naming books different titles in different same-language countries. Dudes, I get if it if it's a translation, but giving a book two English titles? Just confusing.

via GIPHY

• Also ban them from releasing a new edition of the same book with a different title. (What did I ever do to you?)

• Look up the ending to Oliver Twist. Re-write it a hundred times. Stick it on post-it notes around the house. And then forget it anyway. BECAUSE NO-ONE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END OF OLIVER TWIST.

Like this post? Try these:

• My Contemporary YA TBR
• Books On My 'To-Buy' List

My Contemporary YA TBR

I'm not usually much of a contemporary-genre reader, but I've been meaning to read more and more books that fall into that category.

I more than partially blame the bookish community online (you know I love you guys!) because their enthusiasm is uber-infectious.

I guess it's proof that reading is a communicable disease - and one that we need to get out there and spread ;)




This, then, is my contemporary YA TBR (To-Be Read list.)

A lot of people have slightly different definitions of what the contemporary genre actually is.

I basically went with a modern-ish setting and no magic, sci-fi, paranormal, or horror elements.

The rules can probably be bent six ways from Tuesday, but this is my list.

It's pretty damned long, so just be glad that I didn't decide to post my full TBR - we'd be here all day ;)




Unfortunately, there's only so fast a girl can read.

So it's going to take me an epically long time to get through this. Not least because I can't afford this many books.

And most of them aren't available from my library system (trust me, I checked.)

Still, I'll make my way through a fair few I'm sure.




Obviously, since I haven't read these books, I don't know how good (or not,) they are.

Hopefully they'll be worth the read!

• Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Amazon: UK - US

This is about beauty contestants stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere.

And with a premise like that, I just had to add it to my list.



• She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick

Amazon: UK - US

I added this to my list because I read Blood Red, Snow White (UK - US) by Marcus Sedgwick yonks ago, and loved it.

This one is about a blind girl, Laureth, who is trying to find her missing father.



• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Amazon: UK - US

This book has won a butt-load of awards, and people talk about it a lot, so I figured it was one to give a chance.

It's about the experiences of a Native American boy at the local (white-populated) high-school.

• Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X Stork

Amazon: UK - US

Marcelo is autistic and has always been protected from 'the real world.'

But one summer, his father decides it's time to introduce him to life as the rest of us know it, and gets him a job at his law firm.

• Read Me Like a Book by Liz Kessler

Amazon: UK - US

An LGBTQ+ book that's about a girl who has a crush on her female English teacher.

It looks fairly interesting, so on the list it went!



• Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Amazon: UK - US

A huge amount of you lot out there in bookish internet-land are massive Sarah Dessen fans, and this one sounds interesting - it's about a girl whose brother is in prison.

I added this to my list because the lovely Tina @ As Told By Tina had it on her list of top ten contemporary novels.

• Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Amazon: UK - US

Another recommendation from the lovely Tina, this is about a girl who's stuck at a boys' school with only three other female students.



• Shade Me by Jennifer Brown

Amazon: UK - US

This might count more as crime than contemporary - but it can be contemporary crime, right?

It looks pretty damned interesting - it's about a girl named Nikki who sees emotions as colours due to synaesthesia, and ends up trying to solve a crime.



• Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Amazon: UK - US

A bunch of you have read and loved this. And there's been a lot of general buzz/hype about it since it was published last year.

Another LGBTQ+ title, this is about a teenage boy who's very firmly in the closet, and some flirtatious e-mails ending up in the wrong hands.



• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Amazon: UK - US

Everyone seems to like this book - and I read Ann Elise Monte's review which convinced me to finally bite the bullet and add it to my groaning TBR.

Again, an LGBTQ+ title, this also has a butt-load of awards, and was on Tina's list - so lots of ringing endorsements here, there, and everywhere.



• All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely



Amazon: UK - US

This might've been a Goodreads recommendation - I honestly can't remember.

This is about a black kid who ends up in hospital after a police officer beats him, and the white kid who witnessed the whole thing.

It seems pretty topical, and, if done right, could be pretty amazing.



• Panther by David Owen

Amazon: UK - US

I actually really want to read this - it's about a boy whose sister has depression, and its effect on both her and the family.

As you probably know if you've read this blog before, I have depression. And I'm really interested to see how it's dealt with in this book.

 

• Starring Kitty by Keris Stainton

Amazon: UK - US

Another LGBTQ+ title, this is about Kitty, who falls for another girl, Dylan, but doesn't want anyone to know. Dylan though, doesn't want to be kept a secret.

 

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Amazon: UK - US

Loads of people love this book - probably at least partially due to the movie.

My BFF says it's good, and she's usually a fairly good judge of taste. So on the list it went!

 

• One by Sarah Crossan

Amazon: UK - US

I read a review of this one by the lovely Emily @ The Paperback Princess. And I guess she got it stuck in my head.

Also, it's a novel in verse, and I've never read a novel in verse before.

 

• The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Amazon: UK - US

This is a book about a transgender girl, and deals with trans issues.

There's been a lot of general buzz/hype-ish-ness around it, and mostly good things. So I figure I'll get round to it at some point.

 

• Remix by Non Pratt

Amazon: UK - US

This was a Goodreads rec. which I'm none-too-sure about. I figure I'll give it a try anyhow.

It seems to be about a music festival... or something.




• The Manifesto on How to be Interesting by Holly Bourne

Amazon: UK - US

This is a book about a girl who loves to write. It also deals with mental health issues.

So, obviously, I had to add it to my TBR. Immediately.



 

• Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Amazon: UK - US

I've heard good things about David Levithan.

And this seems cute, so I might give it a shot.

 

• Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

Amazon: UK - US

Another title that I don't know much about, this is another LGBTQ+ title that focuses on trans people/issues.

• How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran

Amazon: UK - US

I absolutely adore Caitlin Moran - she rocks.

All of her books are on my main TBR (and I will get around to all of them - eventurally!) but as this is a YA contemporary novel, this is where it goes.

This is basically all about being a teenage girl in 1990 (shh, it counts as contemporary now!)



• All of the Above by Juno Dawson



Amazon: UK - US

Juno Dawson is like my star sign - because she's just a star.

 

I read Hollow Pike (UK - US) by Juno Dawson years ago - and absolutely loved it. She tends to write books with a paranormal edge - which is why this is the only one on my 'contemporary' TBR.

There are definitely other books of hers that I want to read!

Also, check out her YA diversity list for more recommendations - it's awesome!

Like This Post? Try These:

• Books On My 'To-Buy' List
• Books Everyone Else Seems to Have Read (But I Haven't)