Review! - The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

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Title: The Art of Being Normal

Author: Lisa Williamson

Genre: YA, Contemporary, LGBTQ+

A few starting notes:

The bookish online community has me chomping at the proverbial bit in terms of the contemporary genre (especially YA.)

(Because I clearly wasn't reading enough genres before *rolls eyes, smiles*)

So to get a start on my epic TBR, and take advantage of the books I can get my hands on without selling my blood for book money, I borrowed this from the Welsh libraries ebook system.

(Because we actually have some of our priorities right here in Wales - and I'm happy to say that literacy is one of them. Sorry, I'll stop being smug and/or political now.)

This is a book about transgender people. I am cisgender and so do not have enough prior knowledge to truly analyse the representation of trans people in this book.

So, here's some reviews I found from the perspective of transgender reviewers:

Here's a review from Goodreads user Neo.

And here's a review from transgender reviewer James, who blogs/booklr's @ Crusing For Content

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.

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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 ;)

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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.

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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 ;)



Like this post? Try these:

• Nerd Church - Millennials Are Gonna Get There... Somehow
• Nerd Church - What To Do When The Mean Girl Finds Success

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!!!!!!

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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.

 

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(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.

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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

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.