Review Time! - Growing Up by Tricia Sol

Title: Growing Up

Author: Tricia Sol

Genre: Contemporary, New Adult/NA, LGBTQ+, Romance (m/m,) Short Story/Novella

Release Date: 13 April 2016

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publishers, Less Than Three Press, via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

Something about this one caught my eye - I don't know why.

I guess I was interested in where the premise was headed, and whether the author would be able to pull it off without it going wrong somewhere along the lines.

So I requested it for review, and was happy to have my request accepted by the ever interesting Less Than Three Press.

It's quite short: about 74 pages, depending on what e-reader you're using.

And I read it in a day (partly because I wanted to know what happened, dammit!)

This book is in ebook format only.

Premise:

Kelly is back in his hometown, Glenn.

Although it's just a few hours away from his college, he tries not to go back too often - not least because no-one back home knows he's gay.

And then he runs into his former high-school teacher - Mr Bastion.

Except he wants Kelly to call him Luke now. And Kelly has had a crush on him since forever.

But Mr Bastion - Luke - he couldn't be interested in Kelly at all, could he?

Best bits:

Sol got this oh-so-right where it could've gone oh-so-wrong. Kelly is an awesome character - you 100% feel for him, and feel with him.

The awkward moments? The tension? The worry over his unaccepting family? You can totally feel the emotion in those paragraphs.

And those moments are where Sol truly excels - those moments are real.

I also liked the way this was a book about a guy who falls in love - not a book about love and sex that happened to have characters in it.

Kelly has a life outside of Luke - and there's a real sense of him trying to find his way in the world as an individual.

The love-scene is no less steamy for all that (fans self profusely,) but it's sex with real love and intimacy, not just porn for the sake of porn.

The balance of love, everyday life, character, etc. is pretty spot-on. It doesn't get overly-gooey, or overly-trashy. Which is great - and shows a potential for thoughtful plots on the part of Sol.

And the writing? Sol is a debut author, but she clearly has some talent. And I hope she keeps writing.

Not so great bits:

There is explicit sex here. Which isn't going to be to everyone's taste, no matter how well it's done.

There's also some swearing - again, not for everyone.

And there's some domestic violence and threats of sexual violence which may be distressing to some people. I personally, though, thought the subject was handled quite well.

The writing does get clumsy in places. Overall it's fine... but there are moments when it clunks instead of chimes.

Not the end of the world, but it's slightly jarring when you're reading.

I also felt like some places were a bit sketchy on detail. Some points could've been expanded and explored more.

We really could've done with Sol zooming in on the detail - the emotional detail, rather than buttons and carpets - particularly in terms of Kelly's ex, who sometimes feels more like a plot device than a flesh-and-blood character.

And if Kelly could stop going on about how inexperienced in love/sex he is at 21, that would be great.

21 is not old. Sex is not the meaning of life. Get over it.

Verdict:

This could've gone so wrong - it could've come across creepy, or over-sentimental, or overly-trashy.

Instead we have a story with heart and complex characters that I really enjoyed, and managed to give real moments of emotion and the complexities of life.

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads – Tricia Sol's Author Profile

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Friday Fics Fix! - Vegas Baby!

Update 24th September 2017: This fic is no longer available



OK, so this is FrostIron. But we've been through this guys. I ship the ship.

(Fangirl note: Shipping the FrostIron ship means that you really want Tony Stark to kiss and/or do unspeakably cute and/or sexy things to and/or with Loki.

And who wouldn't want that?)

This week's fic is:

What Happens in Vegas... by xXFanGirl23Xx

In which Tony and Loki pull a Ross and Rachel.

via GIPHY

There's some sexual references, but no actual sexy times!

I know! That's the second week in a row that I've tracked down fanfiction with no explicit gay sex! I'm a little worried, actually. Isn't that one of the signs of the apocalypse?

But you know what? Read the fic. It's actually pretty good, and pretty cute. :)



via GIPHY

And I'll attempt to come up with something non-Loki-related for a change next week ;)

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Comics Wrap Up - Little Frayed Around the Edge

Film Trailers

DIVIDED WE FALL!

AND I'M NOT SURE MY HEART CAN TAKE MUCH MORE OF THIS!

And if that weren't enough? We have the first teaser for Doctor Strange!

I'm a big fan of the sorcerer supreme, but it has to be handled right... or it just becomes really naff.

First impressions are good though folks!

And Benedict Cumberbatch! With what is apparently a plausible American accent! Yay!

For you DC fans, and those of us who keep being tempted further into DC's tricksy hold, there was the Official Blitz Trailer for Suicide Squad.

Man, does this film look good :)

Jared Leto's laugh is so creepy though! So very, very, creepy!


Graphic Novels





This week, I reviewed Paper Girls Volume 1 (UK - US) - a graphic novel that I thought I wouldn't like, and was proved spectacularly wrong.

It rocks. You can see my review of it here.








I also read two graphic novels this week - both awesome, and pretty much the polar opposites of each other.

I Hate Fairyland Volume 1: Madly Ever After (UK - US) is completely insane.

It's about a girl who gets stuck in fairyland, and 27 years later, is pretty damned pis*ed off about it. It was mental, and a loved it.




Blood Stain Volume 1 (UK - US) is about a young woman who can't keep a job, until she answers a weird job ad to be the assistant to a scientist...

Reviews of both I Hate Fairyland and Blood Stain will be with you sometime in the next two weeks.






Other Stuff


I wrote a blogpost about 'How Superhero TV Shows Are Leading the Way for Diversity.'

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Jennifer Rummel at YABookNerd wrote a short and to-the-point review of Gotham Academy, Volume 1 (UK - US)

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How Superhero TV Shows Are Leading the Way for Diversity

You know me guys, I love my superheroes. You know what though? Superheroes on TV are really getting their sh** together in terms of diversity. And it rocks.


Bad-a*s Chicks

via GIPHY

Marvel's Agent Carter is one of my favourite TV shows. Peggy Carter's cool, and she kicks a*s. She doesn't take sh**.

Also, and fantastically in my opinion, if she gets in a fight? Her hair isn't magically OK the next minute. It's tousled. It's out of place. It's realistic!

Yes, we have a TV show that allows its female lead to have messy hair if she's been in hand-to-hand combat! This is the way forward dammit!!!

Also, being set in the 40s, it doesn't ignore the prejudice against women of the period. In fact, Peggy uses it to her advantage. And successfully runs rings round the dudes in the process.

Seriously, Peggy Carter is a feminist hero if ever there was one.

And of course, she's not the only one:

Agents of Shield is brimming with female bada*ses - Melinda May, Jemma Simmons, Bobby Morse, and Skye/Daisy.

Arrow has the butt-kicking Black Canary and Thea/Speedy.

Legends of Tomorrow has both White Canary and Hawkgirl.

And of course, Supergirl is pretty damned cool herself.


Disabled But Rocking It



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OK, aside from the 'my superpowers/the super-villains have damaged me for an episode or two' we don't see too many long-term disabilities in superhero TV shows.

What we do have my friends is Agents of Shield's Leo Fitz - who (*mild spoiler*) becomes brain-damaged while saving himself and Jemma Simmons.

I defy anyone to not be genuinely touched by actor Iain de Caestecker's performance. It's amazing.

But he isn't OK by the next episode. It takes him a long time (like a whole series) to feel close to 'normal' again.

And even now, with that storyline all but by the way-side, he stumbles over words and clicks his fingers while he's trying to find the right one.

I'm sure a lot of people don't even notice it, but the fact that they've left it in means that they haven't just conveniently forgotten his disability. Which rocks.

And Fitz himself? A genius scientist with an all-consuming love for Ms Simmons? He keeps rocking it, and keeps getting better and better at it.



PoC Moments

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OK, things could definitely be better in terms of non-white people in leading roles in superhero shows. I get that.

But there are moves forward. And good ones at that.

John Diggle/Spartan is a main part of the Arrow team, and an invaluable friend to Oliver Queen from almost the very start of the series.

Cisco Ramon/Vibe is one of the most beloved characters from The Flash. He's also a genius, funny as all hell, and has a good heart.

'Mack' from Agents of Shield is moving further and further into the limelight as the series moves forward.

Melinda May, also from Shield, is Chinese-American, and the character of Daisy/Skye (who, aside from Phil Coulson, is the closest thing to a lead that the ensemble cast of Agents of Shield has,) has a Chinese mother.

And Barry Allen was raised by the West family - an African-American father-and-daughter duo who remain an integral part of The Flash's set-up.

There are plenty of other examples too, but the point is that the more we have non-white characters who rock, the better it's going to be :)


A Little LGBTQ+




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There aren't many LGBTQ+ characters in superhero shows. I don't know why.

The most prominent is Sara Lance, aka Arrow's first Black Canary, and Legends of Tomorrow's White Canary. She's had romance-moments with Oliver Queen, but her longest relationship was with her girlfriend, Nyssa Al Ghul.

Sara's a bad-a*s bisexual assassin, with a minor killing addiction. She rocks. But she's also kind of scary.

Elsewhere, we have the police captain from The Flash who is engaged to his boyfriend and bemoaning planning the wedding. A minor character, yes, but it's nice to see an LGBTQ+ character in a position of authority which stereotypically would usually be seen as too 'macho' for a gay character.

There's also Curtis, a gay black man, who works for Felicity Smoak in Arrow.


Room for Improvement

Yes, there's definitely room for more diversity in superhero shows. Particularly in terms of LGBTQ+, disability, and mental health (which is hardly, if ever, mentioned in superhero shows.)

There's also room for more main characters who aren't white, or male.

But there have been strides forward. And we have to celebrate the baby steps if we want the bigger steps to follow.

And, overall, I'm proud of the superhero TV shows - a lot of genres aren't doing this well in terms of diversity, and the efforts of the superhero shows blend seamlessly with the characters and plots we all love.

Hopefully, some of this will rub off on other genres, and on the movie arms of the Marvel and DC stables.


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Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Paper Girls, Vol 1

Title: Paper Girls, Vol 1

Author: Brian K Vaughan

Contributors: Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson, Jared K Fletcher

Genre: Graphic Novel, Sci-Fi

Series: Paper Girls (#1-5)

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.

I was totally prepared to not like this - and I'm not entirely sure why.

I guess maybe I thought it was just going to be about boring paper-delivery-girls and their struggles to buy roller blades...or something. It's not. Don't worry.

So when I decided to see what the fuss was about?

Wow. It's... something else.

Premise:

A group of paper girls get wrapped up in something waaaaaaay bigger than themselves.

Something happens to them on their paper route. And nothing's going to be the same again.

Because now... now they have to survive.

And there's some mighty weird sh** going down.

Best bits:

These girls rock. Witty, brave, but uber-realistic, I absolutely love seeing girls like this in the world of comics.

The whole thing has kind of a Super 8 (UK - US) vibe. Maybe because it's set in the 80s, and maybe because loads of random sh** is going on, and the kids are a witness to all of it.

Either way, it's a compliment, not a criticism.

The artwork manages to catch the retro-ness of the 80s while still keeping a fresh feel to the colours and lines. Not an easy feat, and definitely something that deserves a mention.

I love the sci-fi elements - and the fact that we only really know as much as the girls at any given moment; it's pulled off with what can only be described as finesse.

This also struck me as a great graphic novel for newbies - I don't mean that in a negative way.

I mean that it is really accessible to people who maybe aren't so keyed into the genre as die-hard graphic novel fans. It's not intimidating. So newbies are welcome here :)

Not so great bits:

I might be one of the only people on earth to think this, but I don't like the cover.

It's too neon, overly-retro, and I just don't like it. Maybe that was one of the things putting me off trying it out.

I know a lot of people adore the cover - so, to each his own.

I know I say this a lot, but there's some swearing and violence. So if you don't like that, you know what to do.

Although, unlike The Private Eye (UK - US) - the other Vaughan title I've reviewed, it hasn't got any sexual content. So that's a change to my usual list of warnings.

Verdict:

A really awesome graphic novel, with an awesome set of characters.

This is really great - and has a lot of potential for the future of the series.

Plus, it's enjoyable for new graphic novel readers and seasoned comics addicts alike. What more could you want?

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads

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The Get To Know Me Tag

Thanks to Emily @ The Paperback Princess for tagging me. Check out her blog. It rocks.



Vitals

Name: You lot don't need to know that. But you can call me Cee Arr. (Said like 'C. R.') ;)

Nicknames:

Cee/C

My family call me Bear/Care Bear/Baby Bear/Little Bear, and even Bear-y. Because... family are just like that sometimes. (I moan, but I like it really.)

via GIPHY

Birthday: Older than I look, younger than I feel

Star Sign: Virgo

Occupation: Ninja-warrior princess, obviously ;)



Appearance 

Hair Colour: Chestnut-ish with the odd strand of red, black, blonde, etc.

Hair Length: Long. Very long. It's been long since I was a dwt - wait, you don't understand that, it's Wenglish - since I was very little.

Eye Colour:

I actually have central heterochromia, which means that both of my eyes are two different colours.

The outside of my iris is a green-ish blue (or should that be blue-ish green?) but there's a circle of amber-brown around the centre of my pupil.

Best Feature: Umm... pass.

Braces: Nope

Piercings: Hell no - even the idea makes me shudder. I'm such a wimp ;')

Tattoos: No - I'm hugely needle-phobic and allergic to most inks. I can't see me getting a tattoo ending well.

Right or Left handed: Right handed.



Firsts 

Best Friend:

I don't know - a girl from down the street? And then there was the girl who ate crayons.

And then there was my first 'proper' best friend - because she was way smarter than the other idiot 6-year-olds. I was really picky as a kid ;)

Award: I used to get certificates for 'being so perfect' - I kid you not. They just ran out of excuses and kept giving me cr*p. Possibly because I could both say and spell 'certificate.'

Sport:

I'm a British kid with an older brother. I was made to be football (soccer) goalie from the time I could stand. Our goal was the garden gate. It clanged every time the ball hit it.

And brothers? No qualms about kicking the ball at your head - hard.

Real Holiday:

I've never been further from Wales than England. Which shocks a lot of people... but I feel weird when I even go that far. I could never live outside Wales *shivers.*

My first holiday was probably either Paignton or Torquay - both of which are in Devon.



Favourites

Film: I don't know! Why ask me these questions?!

TV Show: Nope, no clue.

Colour: Orange. It's bright and unexpected - like yours truly ;)

Song: WHY DO YOU KEEP ASKING ME THESE QUESTIONS?!

Restaurant:

Pizza Hut. There is pizza. There is buffet. There are clearly labelled choices for vegetarians.

AND PIZZA.

via GIPHY

Shop: There's a Costa coffee me 'n' the BFF tend to frequent, so it'd have to be that.

Book: NO. THAT IS NOT A QUESTION I AM ANSWERING.

Shoes: I've got a pair of marks & sparks boots that I wear to death. I've re-heeled them several times, and replaced the soles once. The heels need replacing again.



Currently: 

Feeling: Like I'm arguing with a questionnaire. A lot.

Single or Taken: Single. And that's fine by me.

Eating: I just ate a chocolate biscuit. Living la vida loca ;)

Thinking About: Lots of stuff - none of which is probably safe to share with you. I think I corrupt you lot enough as it is.

Watching: Futurama, actually. You gotta love a bit of Futurama.

Wearing: Clothes. I usually wear clothes.



Future:

Want Children? No. Not really.

Want to be Married: Nope.

Careers in Mind: Author, poet, blogger, magical unicorn, aeroplane: y'know, the usual.

Where you want to live: Wales. Always and forever. Near my family. Like, next door if possible.



Do You Believe In... 

(Quick note here: If you're easily offended, you may want to skip this section. These are my own beliefs, and they're not intended to offend/upset anyone.)

God?

Urm... difficult one...

QUICK! LOOK OVER THERE! A DISTRACTION!

Oh you're still here? Ok, I'm not saying no, but not saying yes either.

Miracles: Depends what you count as a miracle. Coincidences/the universe moving itself into place? Yes.

Love at First Sight:

Not impossible - just hugely improbable. Apart from with animals.

Me and my boy-cat had an insta-love moment the first time I met him at the shelter.

Ghosts: Definitely.

Aliens: Again, not impossible. But I don't think they'd ever reach here.

Soul mates:

Depends in what context. I think people tend to use it as an excuse for some damn creepy/unhealthily obsessive relationships. But then some people are really cute with it.

And of course, it's totally possible that both of you come to the conclusion that you're going to track down the other's soul throughout all of their incarnations in order to protect them throughout time :)

(Ok, you're all looking at me weird now... LOOK! A DISTRACTION!)

Heaven: Urm... I think that whatever there is, or is not, will exist, or not, whether, or not, I believe it exists, or not. ;)

Hell:

I hope not. For many reasons:

A) if there is, let's face it, I'm going there.

B) I like to think if there is a God, then he's not a jerk, and wouldn't be so vindictive.

C) the poor devil gets all the shaming when he's only doing God's dirty work.

D) I don't wanna go to heaven (if it exists) if there's a system in place that allows people to go to Hell. I'm officially that stubborn.

Kissing on the first date: Depends how you both feel!

Yourself: Urm... where's that distraction when I need it? ;)



Thanks for tagging me Emily, I'm going to tag these lovely folks (no, you don't have to do it if you don't want to.) Check out their blogs.

Emma Jane @ The Book Crunch
Olivia @ Olivia's Catastrophe


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Nerd Church - Millennials Are Gonna Get There... Somehow

Life is hard for us millenials

Life is difficult. And everyone seems determined to convince we of the millennial breed that we're lazy, ungrateful, little so-and-so's.

It's not ungrateful to want to work for a fair wage.

It's not ungrateful to want good working conditions and some dignity.

It's not ungrateful for us to want something better than working our ever-loving butts off just to live at a basic level of existence.

It's not ungrateful for us to want a future - a home that we can actually own one day, the prospect of something better, and the hope that one day we may even be able to retire.

(Ha, yeah, that's gonna happen! I'm going to drop dead at the age of 100, still trying to meet a deadline so I can pay the rent. Yay.)

 

In no way is it ungrateful to want to be happy.

So it doesn't matter what the generations that came before us think - they're not exactly winning prizes for what they've done to this world.

Maybe... maybe this is our chance to make things better? Somehow?

To stop this merry-go-round before our children (provided we have any) are forced to fight it out in the arena for the glory of their Districts? Maybe?


Breaking the mould

Don't be afraid to take the path less travelled guys - no matter how scary it may be.

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After a looooong story which involves some gut convulsions (as fun as they sound!) I ended up not going to university.

 

And yes, the road I've found myself on in the years since is hard - financially and emotionally - but I am so glad that my life is on the path that it is.

 

Because it's a path I chose for myself, albeit as a reaction to circumstances.

 

So keep going guys - because the way we millennials are going to leave our mark on this world?

 

By being the generation that kept going. And never gave up.


Nerd Church is a weekly post where I rabbit on about 'issues.' Feel free to continue the discussion, but please link back here ;)

 

 

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