Nerd Church - The Importance of Chillaxation

You know what I've realised this week?

Relaxation is uber-uber-important.



This is a photo I took in Pembrokeshire. See? I keep telling you Wales is beautiful.

I don't mean just being lazy, I mean giving yourself some time to completely chillax.

Human brains are peculiar things, and they need processing time to put all the things they've thought about, seen, heard, felt, etc., into little individually-labelled folders, and then put those folders in the correct drawers in the filing cabinet.

(No, I don't mean literally - silly people! It's all metaphorical and junk, of course.)

I mean, we're all (by which I mean society - that big ominous thingummy,) obsessed with fitting more 'productivity' into everything.



You know what will actually increase your productivity? Chilling out.

I mean it, your brain works better when you've had time to relax and chill.

Stressing just makes you feel icky, makes your brain work like mush (and not the good kind of mush,) and impedes your ability to actually do all the productive stuff you want to do.

via GIPHY

So schedule in some you-time.

And don't spend that time worrying that you should be working - it kind of defeats the object of the thing.

Grab a book, or turn on the TV, or whatever you like... and don't stress over it. Allow yourself to actually enjoy it and to actually relax.



Self-care is important.

You have to take care of yourself - all of yourself - or you won't be able to do anything else.

We all have mental health, just like we all have physical health.

If you don't exercise and eat right, your physical health suffers. If you don't chillax and allow your brain some time to process everything - no matter how big or small - then your mental health suffers.



Sometimes you're not relaxed, even if you think you are.

Relaxing is far more difficult than it sounds - and I know that's a bit of a paradox,  but trust me on this one.

I'm exceptionally good at convincing myself I'm relaxed, when in reality I'm just less tense.

Remember to give yourself some time to actually relax - not just be less stressed ;)

via GIPHY

Cut the screen-time a bit.

I know this is heresy to a lot of people... but you need time without electronic screens. They screw with your brain.

So spend some time unplugged (yes, even e-readers, try paper once in a while,) - your poor digital-fatigued brain will thank you for it.

via GIPHY

Hopefully this post made a degree of sense.

I realise that I have the tendency to go way off-topic, and ramble my little reading-addict mouth off (or should that be fingers? I'm typing, not talking, after all,) but hopefully every so often I actually say something worthwhile (a girl can dream.)



Nerd Church is a weekly post where I ramble about just about anything and everything. Feel free to continue the discussion, but please link back here ;)



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The Writer Diaries: Micropoetry April 2016

A reminder, my dear blog-readers that micropoetry is something that I came across on Twitter, and dutifully dived into with little to no thought.


March was my first 'Writer Diaries' micropoetry post - where I essentially stick all the little bits and bobs of micropoetry I've written in the month into one blogpost, so that it's not lost forever in the mire of my Twitter feed.



Much less micropoetry from li'l old me this month, though.


I guess that's what happens when my method is essentially:

• have random phrases going round and round my head 
• write them down (usually directly into the Tweet box)
• head is now free of random phrases (woo!)

 

 

31st March

Not for the first time,
She wondered
Why they would make a girl of ink,
Into flesh and bone...




5th April

But surely you knew this before?
That she liked to watch the transient
Fade into decay
While celebrating and mourning the same?




5th April

My Shadow Man -
I dread the day
When you shadow another.
Am I your Shadow Girl?




20th April

You thought my spark had gone out
Hell no,
I'm a wildfire -
And I still burn




Like This Post? Try These:

• The Writer Diaries (or, I Need to Be Brave)
• The Writer Diaries: Micropoetry - March 2016

Friday Fics Fix! - No Sex, Please, We're British

Do you want the good news first or the bad news?

 

Let's lead with the bad news: this week's fic is Omegaverse.

I've explained Omegaverse and all of it's bizarreness before, and I'm not doing it again. Go check that post if you want to know more.



The good news then?

There's no sexy-times!

Did you hear that???? Omegaverse - the fount of weird alternate-universe porn - has produced a completely no sexy-times fic!!!!!!

via GIPHY

 

In fact, this fic (from the Sherlockians, that most dearly beloved and often most deranged group of fangirls and fanboys,) is about an asexual and aromantic Omega-designated Sherlock.

Now, a round of applause really has to go to the fic writer here: asexuality and aromanticism in Omegaverse?

You, my friend, are a credit to the fandom. You should have a certificate for services to nerd-dom.

 

via GIPHY

 

(Fangirling note: this gif, my dear nerdlets, is from the original 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.' That is Kimberley, Billy, and Tommy. Non-90s-kids do not know the pain. That was my childhood, right there.)

 

 

Also, I really love the whole Lestrade-is-protective-of-Sherlock (on account of him being basically Sherlock's dad,) thing.



This week's fantastical piece of fanfiction, then, is:

I Can Stand Alone by SailorChibi

Honestly, I'm so chuffed to have found something which takes a well-worn AU and finds something original to say about it :)



Also, I haven't recommended a fic with sexy-times in a month. Still can't help feeling it's the calm before the storm.

via GIPHY

 

 

 

 

Like this post? Try these:

 

• Friday Fics Fix - There Is Omegaverse (And I'm Taking You All Down With Me)
• Friday Fics Fix - Stuck in the AU



Comics Wrap Up - Nuttier Than a Squirrel's Hoard

Film Trailers

The final trailer for X-Men: Age of Apocalypse, is here.

Stand-by for extreme fangirling:


OHMYGOD THIS LOOKS SO FAB, MYSTIQUE IS ON THE GOOD-SIDE AND APOCALYPSE LOOKS NUTTIER THAN A SQUIRREL'S HOARD!!!!

PLUS - THE CLAWS!!!!!!! AT THE END - LOOK AT THE FREAKING CLAWS!!!!!!!!

X-MEN VERSION OF QUICKSILVER!!!! DUDE IS SO AWESOME!!!!

KURT, EVER-LOVING NIGHTCRAWLER, WAGNER!!!!!!


In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a little bit excited.



Graphic Novels




This week, I reviewed I Hate Fairyland, Volume 1. I love Gert and her wacky green hair and completely cynical (and more than slightly demented) outlook on life :)


You can see my review of I Hate Fairyland here.





I've decided to put my review for Luna The Vampire Vol 1: Grumpy Space  back a month or two so that it goes up closer to the release date for this title.




My review of Blood Stain, Volume 1 which I told you all about last week, is, at the time of writing, the most popular post of all time on my blog, which kind of rocks :)


You can check out my review of Blood Stain here.








Like this post? Try these:

• Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - I Hate Fairyland, Vol 1: Madly Ever After
• Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Blood Stain, Vol 1
• Comics Wrap Up - This Ain't a Scene

Last updated: 30th Jan 2026

Month in Review(s) - April 2016

Lots more reviews this month! Especially of graphic novels.

There've been some truly rocking graphic novels out this month - my faves are probably Blood Stain and I Hate Fairyland.

Check out all the lovely reviews! :)

Kids

Eliza Rose by Lucy Worsley - historical fiction



New Adult

Growing Up by Tricia Sol - contemporary, LGBTQ+, short stories, romance (m/m)



Adult

Play Hard by J T Fox - LGBTQ+, romance (m/m,) short stories, contemporary
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult - contemporary, crime*, witches*, magic realism* (*ish)



Graphic Novels

Golem by Lorenzo Coccetti - dystopian, sci-fi, manga
Paper Girls, Vol 1 by Brian K Vaughan - sci-fi
Blood Stain, Vol 1 by Linda Šejić
Echoes by Joshua Hale Fialkov - horror, crime
I Hate Fairyland, Vol 1: Madly Ever After by Skottie Young - fantasy, fairies/fae, humour

Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - I Hate Fairyland, Vol 1: Madly Ever After

Title: I Hate Fairyland, Volume 1: Madly Ever After

Author: Skottie Young

Contributors: Jean-Francois Beaulieu, Nate Piekos of Blambot, Rian Hughes

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Fairies/fae, Humour

Series: I Hate Fairyland (#1-5)

Release Date: 20-26 Apr 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.

Didn't really know what to expect from this one: but it looked mad as the proverbial box of cats, so I went for it.

And you know what?

It was most definitely mad as the proverbial box of cats.

Premise:

Little Gertrude was brought to Fairyland when her wish to go there was granted.

To get home, she just has to finish her quest and find a key.

Turns out, quests aren't Gertrude's strong-suit.

Flash forward twenty-seven years, and still looking like an eight-year-old, Gertrude is pi*sed (in more ways than one,) and making chaos and killing the hell out of sh** wherever she goes.

And she's still trying to get that damned key!

Best bits:

You know when something is so random, and so off-the-wall that its just ridiculously funny? That's how I find this book.

It's difficult, as a reviewer, to call something funny, without it sounding fake or forced.

But I mean it - I found this really funny, and I was actually laughing at more than one point while reading it.

It has Deadpool-style humour: lots of violence, lots of randomness, lots of breaking the fourth wall in pretty b*lls-out style.

The artwork is perfectly balanced for the blend of randomness and violence - cartoony, but not kids-style cartoony.

It's bright, but not cutesy, with enough hints of fairyland to make the violence stand out more without resorting to dark and brooding. Dark and brooding this book is not.

And I love the fact that Gert's natural hair colour is apparently green. I mean, why not, right?

Not so great bits:

THIS BOOK IS NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNGER READERS.

I can't tell you that enough. This ain't for kids, folks.

Lots of gore and violence, and lots of Gert giving pretty much everyone the finger.

Most of the gore and violence is perpetrated by someone who looks eight, and is in fact, fairly damned bloodthirsty.

So, if that's not your thing, you've been warned.

Other than that, there's very little to fault with this book.

Maybe it all felt a little loose and out-of-control in a few small places, but then, with a plot this random I'm just surprised there was any semblance of control at all, really.

Verdict:

Quite simply - I loved it.

It's not going to be for everyone. Because if it doesn't suit your sense of humour, you will hate it.

But the randomness, the off-your-head plot, the insanity of it all?

Well, it was all very me, wasn't it?

If it sounds like it's you too, then give it a try.

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

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Review Time! - Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

Title: Salem Falls

Author: Jodi Picoult

Genre: Contemporary, Crime*, Witches*, Magic Realism* (*ish)

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

I figured of all Jodi Picoult novels, this was the one I'd be most likely to enjoy.

It has witch-y elements and secrets and atmosphere, and all that sort of stuff. Cool, huh?

So when I saw it in the library I figured I'd pick it up and give it a try.

And there is a lot to talk about here - buckle up guys!

Premise:

Jack St Bride is a man looking for a fresh start and a town where no-one knows him. What he finds is Salem Falls.

Addie Peabody is the owner of Salem Falls' local diner. She's clinging onto a painful past when Jack St Bride walks in one day, looking for work...

Gillian Duncan and her coven are hiding what they are from their town and their families.

One night can change everything.

Salem Falls may be a small town, but it has a lot of secrets - what really happened in the woods that night?

Best bits:

I loved that this book had so many layers. It's one that really gives you a lot to think about. 

Even the title can be interpreted in as many metaphorical ways as you can shake an English teacher at. (Please don't shake your English teacher - they don't appreciate it.)

All the different aspects and themes going on in this novel make up an uber-intricate piece of fiction.

And it's good for books to make us think occasionally - to challenge our perceptions and ideas. Salem Falls certainly does that.

This is a book that is just full of feels. I mean it - the intensity is like: argh!

And every time you think we're headed somewhere something else happens!

You're like: dude, are you even serious right now?!?!?!


Jack's already dealing with the thing and the other thing and you're going to stick THIS on his plate as well?!

LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!!!!

The writing is serviceable and draws you on... and by the end, you SO want to know what happens that you WILL finish this book!

I liked the atmosphere and all the intricacies, and the fact that nothing here is quite what it seems to be.

I also liked the references to Arthur Miller's The Crucible (UK - US) (note to self: want to read or find on audiobook,) and Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (UK - US) (which I listened to on audiobook in the LA Theater Works version (UK - US,) and loved.)

Not so great bits:

It can't be avoided that the mean theme of this book is rape and sexual assault, mainly involving underage girls.

There is a lot about the subject in this book - and if it's an issue that affects or distresses you then I strongly advise that you do not read this book.


There's also some swearing and violence.

While you can tell that Picoult has made an effort to balance-up the portrayals of sexual assault, and its victims, in this book, I still felt like it didn't make clear enough that teenage girls are rarely the seducer in these cases, and that false allegations of rape are extremely rare.

Girls are also rarely quite as manipulative as I felt some of them came across here; some of this may even be seen as victim-blaming. I personally think it stops short of that, but others may not see it that way.

It did also get a little over-dramatic for my tastes (I could practically hear the Eastenders cliff-hanger music in places,) but it keeps your attention I suppose.

I didn't find the denouement (me and all my posh and fancy words ;P) to be all that convincing, given what happened before.

I can't really go into too much detail about that, given the spoilerific possibilities, but I just wasn't quite sold on the resolution here.

I hated Jack's mother - she was just so holier-than-thou but she didn't seem to give two sh**s about Jack.

Jack himself I have mixed feelings on - again, can't go into too much details due to spoilers, but one of his flashback scenes changed the way I looked at the character and how he treats women.

While the writing was largely fine, I occasionally got the feeling that the writer was mentally high-fiving herself for being so smart. Not often, true, but it annoyed me.

Verdict:

Not entirely sure how much I liked this one. I did like it, and I didn't like it: does that make sense?

Still, the amount of thought-provoking moments and happenings make this well worth the read.

And if you like books with lots of intensity, lots of stuff going on, and a deep level of atmosphere, then this is one for you.

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

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