Sunday, 24 January 2016

Nerd Church - Look for the Light

people


I've not had the greatest of weeks when it comes to depression. No reason (when is there ever?) just depression being a f**king b**ch again (as it tends to do.)

But I had my books. And my books rock. I sank into them, and let them pick me back up again.

So today's Nerd Church is simply my message to you - keep going through the dark. Use all the things you have to, the books, the songs, the films, the hobbies, whatever. Keep going. The fact that you're still here is testament to how strong you are.


Nerd Church is a weekly attempt by yours-truly to bring 'issues' to light in a non-denominational way (non-nerds welcome!) Feel free to continue the conversation, or have your own Nerd Church congregation, but please link back here ;)


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Saturday, 23 January 2016

Mini-Review! - Poetry From the Lady of the Pier by Effrosyni Moschoudi

Poetry From the Lady of the Pier coverTitle: Poetry From the Lady of the Pier

Author: Effrosyni Moschoudi

Genre: Poetry, Short Stories, Chick Lit


Verdict:

I have to say that I enjoyed the short story included as a 'bonus' here more than the poetry itself.
 
There's nothing wrong with the poetry as such - but it was a little too dramatic for my tastes I'm afraid; it's poetry from a novel series though, so maybe has more effect in context.
 
The short story was a fairly decent piece of chick-lit, which I enjoyed before bed. Maybe would have been a good idea to publish it as the short story with the poetry as an extra...? Just a thought.



 
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Friday, 22 January 2016

Friday Fics Fix - A Couple of Watsons

friday fics fixIt's been another slow week for me fanfiction reading wise.

Maybe I just need to relax and geek out one of these days... really go nuts with the fanfiction and sh**.

Anyway, I did find a crossover between Sherlock and Elementary (y'know, the other Sherlock Holmes series,) which made me giggle some:

The Curious Case of John and Joan by lucycantdance

Like I said, not much, but a bunch of fun: and fun is good. :)


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Thursday, 21 January 2016

Comics Wrap Up - Like a Bat Outta Hell

Film Trailers

The Suicide Squad trailer hit! (Stand by for minor fangirl moment: ohmygod!canyouseeitcanyouseetheawesomenesscanyouseeit?!?!?!OHMYGOD!!!NBFIURGHIWOR!!!! - ok, I think that's over.)

It looks pretty damn good. Jared Leto's joker man, Jared Leto's joker.

TV Trailers
 
Agent Carter is back, back, back! Loving the flamingo. Loving Peggy. Loving Jarvis. What's not to love?! (I will always love Peggy Carter. Always.)

Graphic Novels

My review of the graphic novel STARVE Vol 1 (UK - USA) (which I mentioned last week) was posted on Tuesday. You can read my review here.

Single Issues

Pretty Deadly #1Pretty Deadly #1 (UK - US) is a kind of western/cowboys type deal-y, only with a sort of supernatural element bunged in for luck (it's probably better than I'm making it sound.) There's a bunch of gore and a few naked ladies, so, y'know, it ain't one for the kids.

I thought the artwork was pretty damn good, and the story seemed to have some potential. It did take a while to get into, and the story wasn't really in full swing by the end of the issue - so probably one to read as a series-starter, rather than anything else.

Film

I reviewed Constantine (2005) on Monday - an uber-great film based on the Hellblazer graphic novels. You can read my review here.

Other Stuff

Die-hard Marvel fans learned a little more about the upcoming Civil War II this week - awesomeness!


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Wednesday, 20 January 2016

Review (Yay!) - Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson

Hetty Feather book coverTitle: Hetty Feather.

Author: Jacqueline Wilson.

Genre: Kids, Historical Fiction.

Series: Hetty Feather (#1).

Amazon: UK - USA.



A few starting notes:

Any British female (and hopefully quite a few males,) under 30 will have heard of Jacqueline Wilson. The vast majority will have read at least one of her many, many, books.

Hetty Feather is probably suitable for kids aged 10 or 11 and up. It's also more than suitable for teens and adults - good books don't require limits.


Premise:

Hetty Feather is a Victorian foundling. Her little life is not meant to be anything grand - but Hetty, a bright girl with a skill for 'picturing' - is not overly-keen to resign herself to her lot.


Best bits:

Hetty is a great character - part Matilda and part Jane Eyre, with a dash of Oliver Twist for luck. She's a fantastic little fire-brand, and the first-person narrative creates a lot of empathy with her.

Her relationship with an early foster family, particularly foster brother Jem, provides a real heart (and real heart-break) for the book - as does the slow dissolve of many of her childhood dreams. It's not over-done, leaves some room for hope, and is really quite beautiful.

The writing is mature enough to please adults, but not too complex for a kid to understand. The prose is pretty damn good.


Not so great bits:

There are things that may be upsetting to some here, the book doesn't shy away from the realities of the time: physical punishment, child death, poverty, and the implication of attempted child abduction. It's all handled pretty well, but younger readers in particular may find some parts distressing.

I personally didn't like the infancy parts - I know Hetty's supposed to be quite fanciful, but the first-person accounts of being a baby are just a little too unbelievable in my opinion.


Verdict:

I really enjoyed this book - I think it's excellent. Fans of Jane Eyre or Matilda will love it, and I think adults will be captivated (I know I was!)

Honestly, this was a fab book, highly entertaining, and certainly worthy of praise.






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Tuesday, 19 January 2016

Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Starve Vol 1 by Brian Wood

Title: STARVE Vol 1.

Author: Brian Wood.
 
Contributors: Danijel Zezelj (artist,) Dave Stewart (colourist.)

Genre: Graphic Novel, Dystopian.

Series: Starve (#1-5.)

starve graphic novel coverRelease Date: 26 Jan 2016.

Amazon: UK - USA.

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.
 
The cover here grabbed me. 'Don't judge a book by its cover' doesn't really count for graphic novels - the cover is the place where the artwork is showcased, after all.
 
It seemed different. And you know me, I like different.

Premise:

OK - my description probably isn't going to do this justice, because this book takes its premise and beats the living sh** out of it, but I'll give it a shot:
 
Gavin Cruikshank was the TV chef. Then he dropped off the grid. His TV show, STARVE, is now a huge hit without him - and has undergone some changes along the way.
 
Now the network wants him to compete as a contestant on STARVE. Gavin Cruikshank is back, bitter, and fed up of the network's sh**.

Best bits:

The artwork here is amazing. Every single panel is like a painting - and a beautifully grim one at that. Honestly, this book is... it's something that's incredibly difficult to explain.
 
The artwork has this grit and realism, while at the same time being beautifully stylised and slightly surreal. Partly, this is down to the colours: earthy and almost touchable (look at me, waxing lyrical and all that!) with slashes of crimson where required.

This is dystopian. What with all the fighting and inequality and everything. But it's so close to what we have now that it's actually hard to tell whether this is set in the future, or just a slightly exaggerated version of what we have now. Which is kind of unnerving.
 
I also liked the inclusion of Gavin's family - his struggles to re-connect with his daughter, and the bitterness of his ex-wife who feels he used her as a cover for his homosexuality. I like when there's very human feelings at the heart of things.


Not so great bits:

I could've done without the images of butchery and bloody meat etc. (and before you start with the 'you'll eat sausage but...' bit, I'm a vegetarian.) Doubtless there are some people who it won't bother - but it bothered me.

There's a lot of swearing and a fair amount of violence, as well as references to drugs. Not for everyone, but not done simply for shock-value either.
 

Verdict:

I hope I've given you some idea of just how fresh, original, and downright good this graphic novel is, but it's really a difficult one to convey.

It's just so different - in a good way, of course - and I truly loved it. Though I sincerely doubt I will ever be able to look at either chefs or reality TV in the same way - particularly chefs.
 




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Monday, 18 January 2016

Popcorn Review! - Constantine (2005)

ConstantineThe Film/ TV Adap: Constantine (2005.)

The Bookish Inspiration: The 'Hellblazer' graphic novels.

Main Cast: Keanu Reeves, Shia LaBeouf, Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton.

Director: Francis Lawrence.

BBFC Rating: 15.

Amazon: USA.



Opening credits:

Perhaps unfairly, this film flies under most people's radars. Maybe that's appropriate - Hellblazer, and Constantine, has always appealed to a small cult audience, rather than being mainstream.

This is also my best friend's favourite film. So I've seen it more than once. Because we have to support each other's insanity, obviously.


Premise:

John Constantine is a demon-hunter and exorcist trying to avoid eternal damnation (as you do >.<).

Angie Dodson's sister is found dead. Is there more here than meets the eye?

Something's coming. Are they ready?



Best bits:

There's a louche gothic-ness here that wraps you in its intricacies. The horrors are harsh. Constantine is bitter: he smokes, drinks, and takes far too much cough medicine. And somehow you end up just loving it.

Keanu Reeves, taking the lead role, delivers what can only be described as an excellent performance. But it's Tilda Swinton's brief scenes (though you will love to hate her in this film,) that will stick with you; along, of course, with the fiery and rusted vision of hell.

The effects are great - though many will find them disturbing. And the whole thing has an awesome gritty feel to it that will please fans of horror films, as well as those who like things that are a little out of the box.


Not so great bits:

There's a lot of discussion of heaven and hell, demons, mental health, cancer, and suicide. I'm sure there will be a significant portion of people that aren't in the right place to be watching this film.

It also gets somewhat graphic in terms of violence and gore, with suicide scenes that could definitely shock many people.

Don't get the wrong impression - it's not gratuitous, but then, neither does it shy away from the physicality of the thing (hard to say any more than that without getting into dangerously spoilerific territory.)


Popcorn Worthy?

This is definitely worth breaking out the popcorn - great for evening viewing, but maybe not one to watch alone at 3am with the lights off. Unless you want to, of course, but I warned ya!


Buy Now USA - IMDb



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