I Got Ninety-Nine Problems, and Sonja Ain't One

You know me, yeah? The bookish rebel with a penchant for all things nerdy.

I appreciate a good graphic novel. I don't even mind the odd naked lady (I have little shame left at this point.) So when I'm complaining about over-sexualisation, it's for a reason.

What am I blathering on about? Well my erstwhile readers, as a measure of how well, or not so well, my blog is doing, I sometimes Google it. (I know, I know, but really - the search engine is right there and it's not like I'm googling my name; it's for research... *hoping you believe that.)

So, I'm there, googling away, and come across a link to my Red Sonja: Black Tower review on a Facebook group. And at first I'm like, yay! Someone knows I exist! And then I read the first comment...



 

I was like... hang on, did this guy just completely dismiss my opinions... purely on the grounds that I'm a young woman?

 

And did this guy even read my review?

 

Firstly, it was the degradation involved, not the realism. If I wanted to criticise realism, then the mad as a box of frogs storyline would've been in the firing line... though as I mentioned in the review, I was kind of loving the bonkers aspects.

 

Also, I think my problem was more with the lack of outfit, rather than the outfit itself. But eh, potato/potahto. If you want to ramble on about bikinis then don't let me stop you (am I bovvered? - sorry, Catherine Tate moment.)

 

Last time I checked, strange though it may seem, characters were an integral part of story; funny that. Therefore, anything that bugs me enough to move me to write about it, is fair game my dears. Otherwise it would be dishonest. And I don't do that.

 

'Why state the obvious?' he asks. Because I don't like what that obvious implies - that Sonja needs to be nearly naked, butt and boobs to the wind, in order to be popular, powerful, successful, and worth-while. That somehow all her other qualities aren't enough.

 

I really love Sonja. She herself is not my problem. It's people who can't see past the bikini, and never draw her in actual clothing, that annoy me.

 

And despite the flaws, I do like the book. Strange that, a 'female reader' - who clearly could never be the target audience of anything and therefore has no relevant opinions *rolls eyes sarcastically* - liking a graphic novel, and having things she both likes and dislikes about it.

 

It's almost as if I had a mind of my own or something... but maybe I'm just confused. I thought I was 20-something, not 20. You might not think the 'something' matters, but as someone who gets ID'd for things all the damned time, it kind of matters to me. Personal niggle that.

 

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Why I Don't Provide a 'Star' Rating

You may or may not have noticed, if you've read any of my reviews previously, that I don't provide star ratings, or a rating system of any kind.

I know a lot of people do provide some sort of numerical rating. And good on them, if that's the way they like to review them I'm not going to argue.

So what's the point of this post then? Well, just to give you a little insight into why I choose not to provide ratings.

I'm a hard-ass

When I'm using sites or systems where I have to provide some sort of star rating, I absolutely hate it. Because I feel like the way that I rate things using a number value doesn't actually give a fair judgement on a book.

Putting it plainly, I'm a hard-ass; I will give the vast majority of books 3/5, just because I think that pretty much everything is average. (That's what makes it average, isn't it? The fact that it's on a par with the majority of other things? ...See? I'm a hard-ass.)

I'm hesitant to give pretty much anything four or five stars. And I probably give a lot of things four stars which, to most reviewers, would be given an automatic five.

One reviewer's trash...

We're all different. What I get out of a book and what you get may be two completely different entities.

How is anybody then supposed to provide a useful review? Well, I try to point out the good points, and the bad points, and leave it up to you whether to give that book a chance.

If I gave a book only 1 star, I may put you off something you would really enjoy, whereas if I point out the things I thought were good and not-so-good, you're more likely to come to an informed decision.

Couldn't I do both? Well, yes, but that rating would still be there, in the back of your head, influencing your perceptions. And I don't want to dictate what you're allowed to enjoy.

Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey things

Maybe it's just me and my inconsistency, but my view of books tends to change as time goes on.

Sometimes this is because of re-reading something and getting a different experience from it, and sometimes it's just me being fickle; but I may one day find myself in the position of disagreeing with my own rating assessment of a book. And that would just make me feel guilty for no reason. (Which is bad... just saying.)

Every book has an audience somewhere

If I didn't like something, it doesn't mean it was bad - just that it wasn't my thing.

Read what you want, and don't let the shamers get you down!


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Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve. Goodbye 2015. Hello 2016, and the opportunities, joys, sorrows, trials, and love it will bring.

If you're going out tonight please take care of yourself, and don't over-do things.

The people who call you boring for not wanting another drink won't remember this conversation in the morning, so it really doesn't matter. What matters is staying safe and healthy.

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i chi! Happy New Year to all of you!

Take care, have fun, make it a good one.

 

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Success! Goodreads Challenge complete

Argh! I'm so chuffed! 200 books over and out!

OK, so there was a lot of 'cheating' with the graphic novels, comics, and poetry. But who cares? Goodreads allows it - so I do too!!!

On to 2016!


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Film Trailers

Christmas day brought us another smack-down slice of the Merc with the Mouth, the insatiable, the incredible, Mr. Wade Wilson himself: Deadpool!

I've only given you the green band (universal-ish) trailer here, because that's enough to be corrupting the innocent with for one day. Deadpool can corrupt pretty much anyone.

To watch the red band, you have to prove to Youtube that you're over 18. Then you get all the inappropriate comments, adult humour, and swearing like a sailor, that Deadpool can give to you. And that's not a small amount.

I love Deadpool. So very much.

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Review! (Woohoo!) - The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams

Title: The Boy in the Dress.

Author: David Walliams .

Genre: Kids, Humour.

A few starting notes:

I saw the BBC adaptation of the Boy in the Dress last year, so took my chance to borrow the eBook from the Welsh libraries service.

 

This is suitable for ages 9 or 10 up, maybe a little younger, or a little older, depending on what kid is actually doing the reading.

 

Premise:

Dennis is your normal 12-year-old boy living a normal, boring, life. Except, inside, Dennis is a bit different. But who's going to accept a 12-year-old boy in a dress?

Best bits:

I'm not entirely sure this could be more British unless the cover featured a bulldog drinking tea. This is just amazingly British - particularly in terms of humour - not surprising, I suppose, when it comes to David Walliams.

 

In the tradition of the legend of children's writing, Roald Dahl, Walliams doesn't speak down to kids and/or readers. He's along for the ride, down to taking a moment to look up details of football (soccer to the Yanks.)

 

The kids are going to love the gross bits - all the snot and the farting is like catnip to 10-year-olds. And Walliams manages to keep the balance and not go too far with the icky stuff.

 

Of course, mention must be made of the fantastic pencil-scratch-style illustrations of Quentin Blake, who was Roald Dahl's primary illustrator for many years.

Not so great bits:

There's very little to argue against with this book - although I can see how more conservative readers may be put off by the premise of a boy in a dress.

 

There's occasional use of the slightly-homophobic slang insult 'woofter,' which may insult some people.

 

Verdict:

I really did love this book; it was fun, entertaining, engaging, and genuinely good-hearted and well-written. I would recommend this to pretty much anyone.

Buy Now UK - Buy Now USA – Goodreads – Author's Site

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Goodreads Challenge - The Final Days

3 Days, 3 Books - I can do this!

I will get you Goodreads Challenge - you will not defeat me!

 

 

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