Charity Reading Challenge Update - November 2016

It's been a long time since I've been able to do an update for this challenge. Luckily, this month, I can!

Host: Becky's Book Reviews
Duration: January 2016-December 2016

The Challenge:

'Read for a good cause!

Buy books at a charity shop, or, even a friends of the library book sale, or, donate a certain percentage of money for each book you read for the challenge.

You can choose your own goal of how many books to read, what charity you'll be donating money towards, how much money, etc.'

The full rules can be found on Becky's Book Reviews here.

My sign-up post can be read here.






November 2016

Number of books read so far: 3/10* (*total revised down to 10 from 20 - because I just wasn't going to make 20!)

This Month: 1





Title: Airport: Code Red by Michael White & James Patterson

Price: £0.25

Charity Helped:

The Red Cross -

The Red Cross does so much excellent work that it's hard to pin it down to one sentence -

they're there for crises big or small, providing emergency relief, aid, medical care, and tackling loneliness, protecting refugees, and training people in first aid.

Check out their website @ redcross.org.uk

They are active both within the UK and internationally

You can shop with The Red Cross on the high street, or on their online gift-shop here.

You can also donate directly (inc. to specific appeals) here.




My Thoughts on the Book:

I don't say this often. But I'd advise pretty much anyone to not read this book.

It's hugely Islamophobic from start to finish. I was hoping for something - anything - to provide some sort of counterbalance. But no.

What we have here is flimsy stereotypes and racist tropes, combined with a totally offensive scene where the Qur'an is thrown across the floor for no purpose other than antagonising a terrorist. Islam and terrorism is treated as one and the same throughout.

And we also have a good slab of sexism - just because.

The only reason I finished this book is because it's short and I'm woefully behind on this challenge. Save yourselves the pain.

I honestly can't believe a book published in 2016... strike that. It's 2016. *sigh*

I won't be buying any more James Patterson books 1st hand - charity shops only, even if I do read any of his others.

And this is going straight back to the donate pile. Maybe it can do some good there.

Total money raised for various causes: £4.49

Charities Helped: Fund for a local child, Oxfam, and The Red Cross.

Like this post? Try these:

• Charity Reading Challenge Update - August 2016
• The Charity Reading Challenge 2016

Friday Fics Fix - Tis the Season

I actually really liked this week's fic (well... obviously... since I'm recommending it... but you know what I mean!)

Sometimes a fic comes along at just the right moment - I currently have an awful cold, and am freezing on top because the weather's decided to go from oh, it's a bit autumn-y to dear God are we living in an iceberg?! within a few days, so I really needed something short and sweet.

And that's what I have for you!

via GIPHY

Now, frequent readers of this blog may have noticed that I have a thing for Sara Lance from CW/DC TV series Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.

So, what could be better than fluffy F/F romance featuring her canon (official) relationship with the beautiful Nyssa Al-Ghul?

Oh, I know, LET'S ALSO SET IT AT CHRISTMAS.

Yes, that's right. We have Christmas, we have F/F romance, we have fluff with no explicit scenes. You're welcome! :)

This week's fic is:

The Gift by DarkAliceLilith

Enjoy, and I'll be back with more fanfiction next week!






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Comics Wrap-Up - LEGO Time!

Film Trailers

I know the Lego Batman trailers have been around for a while, but I've only just gotten around to watching them, and dude, they're funny:

Other Stuff

In other Lego-related news (yes, weirdly, all of my comics-related news this week is Lego-related *shrugs* life is full of surprises) -

Johanna @ Comics Worth Reading explained how the DC Super Hero Girls Lego sets have won her over. And in honesty, they look pretty cool.

So that's it for comics until next week dearest nerdlets! See you then :)

Like this post? Try these:

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The Writer Diaries - Micropoetry, November 2016

Well, I certainly wrote more this month than I did last month.

I have no idea whether any of these are any good - but here you go anyway; enjoy! (Or not. Whatever.)






4th November

Princesses are flawless
Pale, weak, & soft
Born to be brides
Princesses don't kiss princesses;
Girls need to be princesses -
Right...?

7th November

Sweethearts

- because your hearts are sweet, aren't they? -

remember that people are people

Who love & live & hope & wish

Just like you

13th November

Fight for hope.
Fight for people.
You'll make mistakes,
Get up & do things better.
Treat people like people.
Love with your whole heart

14th November

People are fallible

They can be selfish

They can be short-sighted

They can be ignorant

The best ones try to do better

Even if they fail

16th November

We told you
That the fire
Was burning
You laughed
And stuck your hand in the flame
Told us to do the same.
Unlike you, we felt the pain

24th November

I see your face

In the weirdest of places

And it never seems

To be good news

24th November

I put my heart
Into it all
& how I tried
To make it count
But you can't please all of the people
All of the time
No matter how you try








Like this post? Try these:

• The Writer Diaries - Micropoetry, September 2016
• The Writer Diaries - Micropoetry, October 2016

Review Time! - Eyes of Persuasion by Adrienne Monson

Title: Eyes of Persuasion

Author: Adrienne Monson

Genre: New Adult, Novella, Fantasy, Historical Fiction*, Crime*, Romance (M/F)* - (*ish )

Series: Blood Inheritance (#1.5)

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book from the author, Adrienne Monson, via The Review Chain in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Long story considerably shortened - I applied to review a different book of Adrienne Monson's via The Review Chain, and ended up with this one instead.

Just go with it - s'all good ;)

Premise:

Isabeau Maybrick has a lot of cr*p going on - not only does she have to marry some dude because her douche of an uncle is making her, she also has to make money on the side to pay off said douche-y uncle's gambling debts.

(Yes, before you ask - I've had coffee. Let's do this!)

Oh, and to cap it all off? Isabeau has a magic-y eye power which means she can persuade people to do stuff - but it's more than a little hit-and-miss.

Best bits:

This book is hugely enjoyable.

Like dude, it's readable, indulgent, and fun. Kind of like dessert in book form - too much is probably bad for you, but at this amount, you just have to treat yourself.

(Anyone else hungry for chocolate fudge cake right now? Just me? Ok.)

I like Isabeau - she's quite cool. But Meg, her resourceful maid, is clearly more of a bad-a*s, and I would've liked to see more of her.

The idea of Isabeau's magicky-type eye-power thingy is really intriguing - but I also like the way we didn't get caught up in the detail of it.

I think if we'd had too much of the ins-and-outs, it might've spoiled it a bit - the casual way it's approached somehow makes it feel more realistic.

The whole thing is just... fun... in the way of any swashbuckling entertainment with a side of fantasy, and just a smidge of crime as our intrepid heroine faffs about in boy's clothing as an early type of private investigator.

Not so great bits:

I don't like the name Isabeau - I know that's a v personal thing, but it bugged me for pretty much the whole book.

Also, Isabeau feels a little damsel-in-distress-y more than once. Possibly because she makes stupid decisions. #JudgingYou Isabeau - stop doing stupid sh**, m'k?

Unfortunately, there were places where the writing felt sticky and clunky - like it didn't flow right.

In places, it just felt like the author had gripped the prose too tightly, and that can make it feel awkward.

There's violence, a lot of domestic abuse from Isabeau's uncle, as well as references to attempts to force her into prostitution.

There might've been swearing, but I honestly can't remember (note to self: pay more attention to the naughty words.)

Verdict:

This was enjoyable as all hell, and one heck of an adventure :)

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

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Nerd Church - A Nazi Is A Nazi

I didn't think that this would be something I'd have to say in the 21st freaking century but 2016 has been... 2016.

So here it is:

Nazis are Nazis.

They are not 'Alt-Right' they are not 'alternative thinkers' or involved in 'alternative politics.'

Using these phrases makes them sound more legitimate. If you dress a bigoted thug in a suit, they are still a bigoted thug.

I don't care how crisp their collars are, or how well they've knotted their ties. I don't care how charming you find them, or how smooth a talker they manage to be. They are Nazis.

Swastikas and racial slurs, Nazi salutes and dehumanisation of marginalised peoples.

If it quacks like a duck, and it walks like a duck, then it's a duck. If it talks like a Nazi, and salutes like a Nazi, and/or uses the symbols of a Nazi, it's a Nazi.

And if they have Nazi memorabilia everywhere in their homes, if they shout 'Britain first' (a slogan used by hate groups) as they stab an MP to death? They are a Nazi.

Yet our press (and I'm not going to link to the offending articles here because I don't want to give them traffic,) are more keen to blame Jo Cox for her own murder (for being a Remainer, and for not helping him keep his council house,) and his mother, and her black boyfriend (for being together.)

Why blame a Nazi when we can blame women and black men? *sighs*

Once again, The Daily Mail (Britain's fascism on display,) and The Sun (owned by Murdoch,) have acted irresponsibly and hatefully, and shamed our nation.

So, to reiterate: Nazis are Nazis.

Go out, and please try to make the world a better place.

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Why Critique Is The Opposite of Censorship

Dearest nerdlets, I have a few things that I want to say:

Firstly, guess what? Not everyone is going to have the same opinions as you.

That's why there are countless bloggers out there instead of just one person. We all think different sh**. That means that sometimes other people are going to have completely different opinions to you.

Sometimes, hell, OFTEN, the difference in opinion is going to get awkward.

You loved a book. That's great. Someone else didn't. They have a different take on the representation, or the prose, or the characterisation, or whatever. Guess what? That's great too.

Feelings tend to get most heated when discussing representation of marginalised groups. And there are reasons for that - historic reasons that come from a lot of hurt, prejudice, and negative representation.

But if someone hates a book you loved, people often react like it's a personal criticism. It's not.

Critique - and that's what bloggers and reviewers are supposed to do, isn't it? we're not marketing machines, we're critics - is not meant to attack anyone.

Critique is a way of discussing what is in this book.

If we all claimed that every book was perfect, firstly, it'd be boring, and secondly, it'd be lying.

NO BOOK IS PERFECT.

There is no book on this planet that is universally loved, with no flaws. Every book has good stuff, and bad stuff. Stuff you'd change, and stuff you wouldn't.

Now, someone else? They may keep all the stuff you'd change, and change all the stuff you'd keep.

The excuse that people use to bypass critique is censorship.

Critique is not censorship. Critique means someone has a different opinion to you - that someone disagrees with you, and is willing to express that.

Critique means that people are thinking about what they're reading. That people are allowing others to openly disagree. That people are not silencing the voices of dissent.





It's no coincidence, I'm afraid, that the voices that tend to be silenced are those belonging to people of colour (PoC,) LGBTQ+ people, and other marginalised groups.

Calling critique censorship is just another way to silence those voices. And that's not ok.

If someone complains about the way their identity - race, sexuality, religion, etc., is being portrayed, then don't accuse them of being unfair, or of censoring you.

Unless they have a history of personal vendettas with a particular author (and sometimes even then,) then they will have a reason for what they're saying. Listen to it. You may learn something.

And even if you don't, ultimately, agree? Their concerns and opinions are still valid.

Too often, you see people using the argument of censorship for their own purposes.

Trolls do this a lot - and, again, it seems to be PoC who get the worst of this - it's the attitude of 'I can say this horrible thing because free speech, but you can't disagree with me because censorship.'

The troll flexes their troll-y muscles by being the biggest a*shole.

Shouting 'Shut up, censorship!' when someone disagrees with you is censorship. Don't. Just don't.

People have a right to voice legitimate concerns.

Do I always agree? No. Of course not, I'm a stubborn little so-and-so.

But those opinions are totally valid.

Sometimes - and this counts especially for us white people, because we are, notoriously, really bad at this - you have to step back and listen to others.

The only way we understand is by listening.

And yes, I've changed my views by listening to people before now.

Look, we're human. We're going to disagree. There are even, unfortunately, going to be times when we can't get past* those disagreements. BUT WE'RE NEVER GOING TO AGREE WITH EVERYTHING EVERYONE ELSE SAYS.

*is it past or passed? I can never figure that out.




People from marginalised groups are not a hive-mind. And all of their opinions are valid.


But you have to listen - yes, even when there's not one opinion, but several.

It's easy to stand up for diversity and marginalised groups when the members of that group are agreeing with you. When they don't agree with you? You still have to listen.

Surely we can agree to give air-time to opinions that differ from our own? (And no, I don't mean the opinions of Nazi a*sholes.) I mean opinions about representation - from people affected by that rep.

No, it's not always going to be comfortable. But that's ok. It doesn't have to be comfortable. It just has to happen.








Because people have a right to raise their voices in disagreement. Not allowing them to do so? That's censorship.

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