Nerd Church - Hands Held High

(Warning: This post discusses terrorism, racism/islamophobia, and media bias.)




The attack on a mosque in Sinai, Egypt on Friday killed over 300 people.

300 people.

Three hundred people.

Three. Hundred. People.

Friday Fics Fix- Batty Allen

So, I saw Justice League this week.

It's quite good, actually.

Not great, no, but not as terrible as a butt-tonne of critics would have you believe (though I could tell them exactly what needs editing in that first section to tighten that baby the f**k up.)*

Still, Ben Affleck and Gal Godot are not my favouritest** people for reasons of sexual harassment and Zionism respectively, but I love Diana, and Batman's Batman, so there you have it.

*Nope, no coffee. This is actually me on Diet Coke and an emotional rollercoaster of a week (Yay!)

**It's a word. Shhhh.

Comics Wrap-Up - Just Wanna Fill Up The Trophy Case Again

Film Trailers

We have yet another li'l Thor: Ragnarok trailer for you!

(Because Thor: Ragnarok rocks, ok? Ok.)

Nerd Church - Hate Pretending to be Love is Still Hate

(Warning: this post contains discussions of homophobia (inc. general queerphobia) and transphobia, in a religious context (gets a little controversial))




Note:

If you know who I'm talking about in this post, please leave it be. Myself and this person parted somewhat civilly and I don't have the energy to stir it up again.






Just to be clear: I don't mean to be offensive to Christianity in this post, I don't consider people like this to be genuine Christians.

There are people who hide behind the shield of Christianity in order to spread hatred and bigotry. Those people are not Christian.

This week, I cut ties to someone I thought was pretty cool, because they turned out not to be.

They thought it was OK to support the views of a 'Christian' blogger who wrote an open letter to the LGBTQ+ community.

This letter claimed to be loving. It claimed to be tolerant. Instead, it spread hate.

Friday Fics Fix - Spidey Sorts Stuff Out

I love you, fandom.

I love the way you see the world. I love the way you take the icons of pop culture and make them the way they should be.

I love the way you write your li'l hearts out - because words can do anything. Anything. I promise! :)

Comics Wrap-Up - Tell Me I Can Have It All

Film Trailers

Yet more Thor: Ragnarok trailers!!!

Honestly, I can't blame them - this film rocks!

Mini-Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill

Title: The Tea Dragon Society

Author: Kay O'Neill

Genre: Kids/Middle Grade, Fantasy, LGBTQ+ (F/F; M/M)

Series: The Tea Dragon Society

Amazon: UK - USA

Micropoetry - October 2017

Note to self: try and get the micropoetry wrap-up done before the middle of the next month 😅

...my time-keeping skills suck.




Hopefully my poetry skills make up for it 😎

(See what I did there? Lol. I'm such a dork! 😁)

Friday Fics Fix - Super Chatty

You know what's fab? Fandom doesn't care about little things like continuity or multi-franchise media universes.

Fandom says 'screw it, we're just throwing all of them into a f**king group chat, cos it'd be great!'

Comics Wrap-Up - I Hate That Little Game You Had Called Cryin' Lightning

Film Trailers

More Thor: Ragnarok mini-trailers!!! (Woo!)

Month in Review(s) - October 2017

October was fun, yes?*

*I mean if you ignore the news and the garbage pile that is the world's current affairs. *desperate laughter* 😅

Nerd Church - Rinse, Repeat

I know I've said this more than once, but I'll say it again and again: hatred is poison.

Trump's hatred, ISIS' hatred, anyone's hatred.

I don't understand why human beings still cling to it.

Comics Wrap-Up - I Only Plugged In To Save Rock and Roll

Film Trailers



Here's another Thor: Ragnarok trailer for you my dearest nerdlets!

Because it's already out here in the UK, I can tell you that it's an awesome-sauce film!!!

(But so very random; The Bestie™ turned to me more than once while watching to ask, 'What even IS this film?!' Lol!)



(Warning: flashing images)

3 Lessons From 3 Years of Blogging

Happy Halloween!

31st October is uber-special here on Dora Reads, because it's blog anniversary time!

Yup, 3 years ago today I started this blog - which was then called Diary of a Reading Addict - and started myself on this slightly bizarre (but awesomely fun!) path.








And since the long-off days of 2014, I've learnt a thing or two.

Some of those things are more weird than practical - but there's also come good blog/life lessons  along the way.

Nerd Church - The Book Eater

Confession time: to me the term 'book eater' isn't exactly a metaphor.

Don't panic! I do not, in fact, actually chew, swallow, and consume books. There is no paper in my stomach (as far as I'm aware!)

But I taste books.

Not just books - words, sentences, paragraphs. All of them roll around on my tongue with their various flavours.

And for a long time, I figured everyone else was the same. It's only in recent years that the sneaking suspicion has crept in - other people don't taste words.

Friday Fics Fix - Everybody's Waiting For the Next Surprise

It's still October so let's continue with the Harry Potter fics! (You know you want to!)

And this one is actually based around Halloween! With no pumpkin sex! (Man, I've gotten lucky on the lack of pumpkin sex this year! Thank God.)

We have Halloween, Harry Potter, and gay af. Your argument is invalid. Life is wonderful. 😎😇💖

Comics Wrap-Up - Through These Fields of Destruction

Film Trailers


More Thor: Ragnarok mini-trailers! Uber-excited to see this now!!!

Also, Chris Hemsworth needs more comedy. Seriously, Hollywood. Do the thing.

And it's out earlier in the UK than the US!

It's 24 Oct here (already out!) and 3 Nov there. I love it when that happens - mainly because most films we have to wait weeks if not months for, so it's nice to turn the tables now and then! :)



(Warning: flashing images in all)

Release Day Review!!! - Strange Weather by Joe Hill

Title: Strange Weather

Author: Joe Hill

Genre: Novellas, Anthology, Horror

Release Date: 24th October 2017

Amazon: UK - USA

Premise:

Strange Weather is a collection of four novellas or short novels by writer Joe Hill.

Snapshot, Loaded, Aloft, and Rain are connected by bizarre weather events, providing a backdrop - or a catalyst - to the events which unfold.

Nerd Church - Recovery...?

(Warning: this post discusses mental health problems, especially depression and anxiety)



I've struggled with depression and anxiety for several years now.

I was ill for quite a while before I started this blog, and Dora Reads has been running, in one form or another, for nearly three years.

Friday Fics Fix - Gimme Gimme Some of that Vampire Money, C'mon!

So, we're still in October - so I figure that more Harry Potter is in order.

We're going further down the fanfiction rabbit hole though, because this week we have a vampire fic.

Comics Wrap-Up - We Live and Die in These Towns

Film Trailers

The first thing is: NEW BLACK PANTHER TRAILER!!!!!

Watch the thing. Then watch the film when it comes out. Those are the rules. ;)

(Warning: flashing images)

Micropoetry - September 2017

OK, I know it's half-way through October, but unfinished business and all the jazz!

So let's un-unfinish this unfinished business! Here's all the micropoetry I wrote in September:

Nerd Church - On Presumed Innocence, Believing Victims, and Keeping the Legal Balance

(Warning: this post discusses sexual assault, harassment, rape, and victim blaming.)



By now, you'll probably have heard of the whole Harvey Weinstein scandal.

Honestly, before this all started, I hadn't even heard of Harvey Weinstein.

But I now understand that he apparently wielded a butt-load of behind the scenes power in Hollywood and the film industry for a looong time!

The framing of a lot of the news stories has been against the accusers, although I've also seen things that are clearly slanted against the accused.

In most countries, there's a presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

I believe in this with my whole heart. Until the facts are established in a court of law, that person is innocent.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU DISBELIEVE THE VICTIMS.

You ALWAYS believe the victims, unless they are thoroughly disproved later (and this is rare - yes it happens occasionally, but it's RARE.)

Friday Fics Fix - Pants on Fire

Since we're still in October, and on Friday 13th t'boot, I figured we'd give another roll to the Harry Potter dice.*

If it saves me from the Halloween pumpkin sex fics I kept coming across last year, I'm all for it. (Never search for seasonal fics. Ever. I made that mistake again at Easter... *shudders*)

*No, I really have no clue where that phrase/analogy came from 😅

Comics Wrap-Up - Just Imitating Yesterday

Film Trailers

New Justice League trailers and mini-trailers! This is not a drill!

(Warning: flashing images in all)

Nerd Church - Kids and Gender Equality

Recently I've seen two TV programmes which really hammered home how much we still need to improve on gender equality in the 21st Century.

The first was the BBC's 'No More Boys and Girls' where plans were put in place to counteract negative gender stereotyping in a class of seven and eight-ish year-olds*



*yes, 'ish' because I really can't remember. They were smol, ok?

Friday Fics Fix - Because You're Mine

Since it's October - y'know, witchy and spoopy time and all - what's better than some Harry Potter?

This is a fic I came across about Harry being asexual, and how, yes, he can be ace and still in a relationship with Ginny!

(Because fanfiction is going to save the ever-loving world dammit!!! The future is coming!!!!! *ahem* No, really. I'm fine.)

Release Day Review!!! - Mirror Mirror by Cara Delevingne and Rowan Coleman

Title: Mirror Mirror

Author: Cara Delevingne and Rowan Coleman

Genre: Young Adult/New Adult (YA with crossover appeal,) contemporary, crime*, LGBTQ+(and gender questioning)(F/F)

*ish

Release Date: 5th October

Amazon: UK - USA

Month in Review(s) - September 2017

September was a mixed bag.

But then, that's life I suppose! Still, it was my birthday month, so there's that at least ;)

(I ate soooo much pizza and chocolate cake!!!! 🎂🎂🎂🍕🍕🍕😁)

Nerd Church - Dreamers, BE YOU!

This one's for the dreamers; for the writers, the bloggers, the vloggers, the artists, the entrepreneurs.

(This one's for all you rock and rollers, all you crash queens and motor babies... 😉😎)

Friday Fics Fix - B-A-B-Y Baby

Something a li'l different for you this week my nerdlets!

This week I've got a fic based on the awesome film Baby Driver - if you haven't seen it, it's pretty damned cool!

For those not in the know (or in need of a reminder,) Baby Driver is about a getaway driver called Baby who plays music (LOUD) on a semi-permanent basis to drown out his tinnitus (and the whiny bank robbers he works with.)

Comics Wrap-Up - Throw the Matches Down Into the Glitter

TV Series


Another Supergirl trailer!!!

OMG, sh**'s gonna go down this series! Lol.

(Warning: flashing images)

Review Time! - The Idea of You by Amanda Prowse

Title: The Idea of You

Author: Amanda Prowse

Genre: contemporary

Amazon: UK - USA

#BannedBooksWeek | Nerd Church - On Censorship

24th-30th September 2017 is Banned Books Week, as set up by the American Library Association (ALA.)



I'm all for intellectual freedom my nerdlets; I'm against censorship in general.

Friday Fics Fix - Anything But Ordinary, Please

In fandom, anything that can be shipped eventually will be shipped.

Which is both awesome and terrifying when you think about it. 👍😅

(Fangirling notes: fandom is here used as a collective term for fans.

Shipping is wanting two (or more) characters to be in a romantic or sexual relationship. This may or may not conform to the official materials, known as canon.)

Comics Wrap-Up - I Think It Looked a Little Better On Me

TV Trailers




New little trailers for the CW's DC shows guys!!!

Review! - Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran

Title: Moranifesto

Author: Caitlin Moran

Genre: Non-fiction; essays; anthology

Amazon: UK - USA