Sometimes, you have to allow yourself to be selfish.
Yes, I know how bad that sounds. All our lives we're told it's 'Bad' with a capital 'B' to be selfish. And it can be. But you want to know what I've found out recently? There's different types of selfish.
See, there's such a thing as 'Healthy Selfishness' - that means that you can do things like, allow yourself a piece of chocolate or to buy a magazine as a treat, you can take a nice long shower or bath with all the pampering lotions and potions, and you don't have to feel guilty about it.
That doesn't mean it's ok to take advantage of people, to disregard others' feelings, or to be cruel. No, it just means you're allowed to put yourself first sometimes.
If you don't take care of you, then you can't take care of anyone else. You can't slay the dragon if your sword arm's broken, and you can't save the world on an empty tank. Take care of yourself, and the rest will follow (and I mean both physically and mentally.)
As someone who's been a carer, and as someone who has been through the mill and back again with depression, I can tell you that there is no shame in being vulnerable, or hurt, or ill, and there is no shame in putting yourself first.
Like this post? Try these:
Nerd Church! - Leave the Christmas Stress Behind
Reflecting on 2015
Tuesday, 22 December 2015
My Picks of 2015
Feel like reading my picks of the books I've read and reviewed (so far) this year? Well, my cheeky little monkeys, I've got you covered.
(This post may have been at least partially coffee-fuelled. I regret nothing.)
Joe Coughlin is a gangster - he's been in the business a long time. But he makes everyone money. So no-one would want him dead... right?
Basically, I cannot explain to you how much I love Joe in a way that doesn't make me sound a few stages on from completely delusional. Read my review. Then read the book. Then you'll know, because hopefully I'm not the only one who feels like this...
Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
These are the first two books in the 'Under the Never Sky' series by Veronica Rossi (not to be confused with Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent series.)
This is a YA dystopian series that hooks its claws in with compelling plot, and complex characters. If you like dystopia and/or YA where the heroine does more than sit and whine all day, then I highly recommend this series.
(This post may have been at least partially coffee-fuelled. I regret nothing.)
Death Vigil Volume 1 by Stjepan Šejić
I hark on about this one quite a bit (guilty as charged!) But this book really does deserve it. It's like the perfect storm of originality, beautiful artwork, and complex characters.
The Death Vigil are a group of demon-hunting people, snatched in the moments before death by their leader, Bernadette - who is a bad-ass.
I read a lot of graphic novels, and amongst all of them, this really did stand out to me this year. It also held me captive 'til the last page, and made me forget about the coffee I was drinking at the time - my coffee went cold. If you know me, you know that that's significant.
NOS4R2 (NOS4A2) by Joe Hill
I'm a big, ginormous, Joe Hill fan. And I absolutely positively loved all of this behemoth of a book.
The concept of worlds within the imagination was simply inspired, and Hill weaves his words like delicate silk (check me out being all poetical and sh**!)
Vic McQueen is one of the people who can use her imagination for real-world purposes. But when she comes across The Wraith, aka Charlie Manx, things are going to get very bad in Manx's world - Christmasland.
I wouldn't read this around Christmastime if I were you... unless you want to be traumatised of course, in which case, go right ahead.
Straight James/Gay James by James Franco
This may be a slight cheat - the book isn't out until early 2016, but I read it in 2015. So once again, I regret nothing.
This is one of my picks because I have to promote good poetry - it's like a compulsion, so sue me.
And this is good poetry - honest and heartfelt, like good poetry should be. (And yes, it's written by that James Franco.)
You want a stunning historically-set gangster novel? Read this book.
I hark on about this one quite a bit (guilty as charged!) But this book really does deserve it. It's like the perfect storm of originality, beautiful artwork, and complex characters.
The Death Vigil are a group of demon-hunting people, snatched in the moments before death by their leader, Bernadette - who is a bad-ass.
I read a lot of graphic novels, and amongst all of them, this really did stand out to me this year. It also held me captive 'til the last page, and made me forget about the coffee I was drinking at the time - my coffee went cold. If you know me, you know that that's significant.
NOS4R2 (NOS4A2) by Joe Hill
I'm a big, ginormous, Joe Hill fan. And I absolutely positively loved all of this behemoth of a book.
The concept of worlds within the imagination was simply inspired, and Hill weaves his words like delicate silk (check me out being all poetical and sh**!)
Vic McQueen is one of the people who can use her imagination for real-world purposes. But when she comes across The Wraith, aka Charlie Manx, things are going to get very bad in Manx's world - Christmasland.
I wouldn't read this around Christmastime if I were you... unless you want to be traumatised of course, in which case, go right ahead.
Straight James/Gay James by James Franco
This may be a slight cheat - the book isn't out until early 2016, but I read it in 2015. So once again, I regret nothing.
This is one of my picks because I have to promote good poetry - it's like a compulsion, so sue me.
And this is good poetry - honest and heartfelt, like good poetry should be. (And yes, it's written by that James Franco.)
You want a stunning historically-set gangster novel? Read this book.
Joe Coughlin is a gangster - he's been in the business a long time. But he makes everyone money. So no-one would want him dead... right?
Basically, I cannot explain to you how much I love Joe in a way that doesn't make me sound a few stages on from completely delusional. Read my review. Then read the book. Then you'll know, because hopefully I'm not the only one who feels like this...
Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
These are the first two books in the 'Under the Never Sky' series by Veronica Rossi (not to be confused with Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent series.)
This is a YA dystopian series that hooks its claws in with compelling plot, and complex characters. If you like dystopia and/or YA where the heroine does more than sit and whine all day, then I highly recommend this series.
Under the Never Sky review – Through the Ever Night review – Author's Site
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Last updated: 27th March 2026
Monday, 21 December 2015
Review! (Woo!) - World Gone By by Dennis Lehane
Title: World Gone By
Author:
Dennis Lehane
Genre:
Crime, Historical Fiction, Gangster.
Series: Coughlin (#3.)
A
few starting notes:
I'm a Dennis Lehane fangirl. Pure. Simple. True. So when I saw World Gone By at the library, I really couldn't help myself.
This is #3 in the Coughlin series - following Danny Coughlin (in The Given Day,) and later baby brother Joe Coughlin (in Live By Night and World Gone By.)
It can definitely be read as stand-alone, though there are spoilers for Live By Night in particular. To be honest, you'll get much more out of this book if you read Live By Night first - just for the character history if nothing else.
My sequel-reviewing rules apply here. No spoilerage for the series beyond what's in the book blurb here.
Sunday, 20 December 2015
Nerd Church! - Leave the Christmas Stress Behind
I hope wherever you are, and whatever you're doing, you have a wonderful time over the next week or so.
Regardless of your beliefs I hope you enjoy any holiday you may be celebrating - and just enjoy the week in general if you're not celebrating anything.
Christmas can be stressful though - family is stressful enough on its own: add the duty to buy everyone presents, the pressure to create precious memories, and the worry that you've over-spent, over-eaten, and have been drinking too much wine, and you have a potential recipe for disaster.
Try to remember a few golden rules to stop the stress:
Christmas doesn't have to be perfect.
The most perfect Christmases, paradoxically, are the ones which aren't perfect. The Christmases you'll remember in years to come are the ones where something got burnt, someone forgot to buy a present, or there was a problem with the lights - and you'll have still had fun, still enjoyed, and still made it special.
Enjoy your Christmas - the little things matter more than anything else.
Enjoy what you have - whatever you have.
Didn't get that must-have gadget, handbag, or piece of jewellery? The world goes on. Enjoy what you did get - even if it was just a box of chocolates, a totally random and inappropriate kitchen item, or a slightly beaten-up card.
I'm sure whoever gave you whatever unwanted gift was doing their very best. Smile and make do, and enjoy the fact that someone thought of you. (Buying yourself a little something is also worth a smile - you care about you, goddammit!)
Try not to take out holiday stress on other people.
You know all the reasons you get stressy and p**sy at Christmas? Everyone else has them too.
Try to be understanding and not take your stress out on others - even if they're acting unreasonably; they're probably stressed out too.
Nerd Church will be back on Sunday, 10th January.
Regardless of your beliefs I hope you enjoy any holiday you may be celebrating - and just enjoy the week in general if you're not celebrating anything.Christmas can be stressful though - family is stressful enough on its own: add the duty to buy everyone presents, the pressure to create precious memories, and the worry that you've over-spent, over-eaten, and have been drinking too much wine, and you have a potential recipe for disaster.
Try to remember a few golden rules to stop the stress:
Christmas doesn't have to be perfect.
The most perfect Christmases, paradoxically, are the ones which aren't perfect. The Christmases you'll remember in years to come are the ones where something got burnt, someone forgot to buy a present, or there was a problem with the lights - and you'll have still had fun, still enjoyed, and still made it special.
Enjoy your Christmas - the little things matter more than anything else.
Enjoy what you have - whatever you have.
Didn't get that must-have gadget, handbag, or piece of jewellery? The world goes on. Enjoy what you did get - even if it was just a box of chocolates, a totally random and inappropriate kitchen item, or a slightly beaten-up card.
I'm sure whoever gave you whatever unwanted gift was doing their very best. Smile and make do, and enjoy the fact that someone thought of you. (Buying yourself a little something is also worth a smile - you care about you, goddammit!)
Try not to take out holiday stress on other people.
You know all the reasons you get stressy and p**sy at Christmas? Everyone else has them too.
Try to be understanding and not take your stress out on others - even if they're acting unreasonably; they're probably stressed out too.
Nerd Church will be back on Sunday, 10th January.
Saturday, 19 December 2015
Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) Rat Queens Deluxe Edition Volume 1
Title: Rat Queens Deluxe Edition Volume 1.
Author:
Kurtis J Wiebe.
Contributors: Stjepan Šejić, Tess Fowler, Roc Upchurch.
Genre:
Graphic Novels, Fantasy, High Fantasy.
Series: Rat Queens (#1-10.)
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'd heard Rat Queens talked about on various sites as being worth the read, so when the chance to review the Deluxe Edition of Volume 1 came up, I decided to give it a shot.
Friday, 18 December 2015
Reflecting on 2015
2015. What a year.
I started this blog at the end of 2014. At the beginning of 2015, there wasn't a single review post on here - just a bunch of randomness. (I beg you not to look at my first posts - the embarrassment!)
The look of my blog was completely different. I didn't have a profile picture (and now I have a hand-drawn mythological bird avatar to bring me luck and/or help me communicate with the dead - yay!)
Basically, at the beginning of 2015 I was one hell of a newbie as a blogger.
I hope that my posts, my reviews, my randomness, have helped to make this blog something you want to actually read (please! O.O) - I certainly think that I've grown as a blogger and a writer and what-have-you (but then, if I didn't I wouldn't be writing this post.)
I certainly post more frequently now - and I think I'm starting to get the hang of reviewing, as well as being open and hopefully entertaining.
Some things don't change though - I still love books, and I still drink far too much coffee. And I still try to be honest and genuine in everything that I post here!
I started this blog at the end of 2014. At the beginning of 2015, there wasn't a single review post on here - just a bunch of randomness. (I beg you not to look at my first posts - the embarrassment!)
The look of my blog was completely different. I didn't have a profile picture (and now I have a hand-drawn mythological bird avatar to bring me luck and/or help me communicate with the dead - yay!) Basically, at the beginning of 2015 I was one hell of a newbie as a blogger.
I hope that my posts, my reviews, my randomness, have helped to make this blog something you want to actually read (please! O.O) - I certainly think that I've grown as a blogger and a writer and what-have-you (but then, if I didn't I wouldn't be writing this post.)
I certainly post more frequently now - and I think I'm starting to get the hang of reviewing, as well as being open and hopefully entertaining.
Some things don't change though - I still love books, and I still drink far too much coffee. And I still try to be honest and genuine in everything that I post here!
Friday Fics Fix - Christmas-y Fics!!!
Christmas is coming! We all know what that means... silly Christmas fan-fiction!!! Wooo!!!!How Loki Stole Christmas by kel25 is amazing.
It's an Avengers-themed Loki-centric parody of How the Grinch Stole Christmas... what could be better, I mean really?
A Hogwarts Christmas by Car Car is a fic from wa-a-ay back in 2001.
It's another parody (yay, parodies! (I think I need less coffee, or maybe I'm just excited about Christmas)) of a well-known Christmas poem: 'A Visit From St Nicholas' perhaps better-known as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.'
This is Harry Potter themed with Dumbledore and the Weasleys - just great.
In a similar vein is Twas The Night Before Christmas by awakened-earth a Sherlock fanfic (as in, BBC's Sherlock.)
It's barmy, and made me smile like a fool when I read it. Which is what I want from my ridiculous Christmas fan-fiction goddammit!!!
Friday Fics Fix is going to take a little break over Christmas - it'll be back on Friday, 8th January, assuming I'm able to face reading more fanfiction again by that point :)
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