Review Time! - These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Title: These Shallow Graves

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Crime

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 had the chance to read this ahead of it coming out in a new paperback edition from Bonnier Publishing/Hot Key Books, and as it was on my TBR list anyways, I of course jumped at the chance.

(There may have been some actual jumping involved... just saying.)

Premise:

Jo Montfort is one of New York city's upper class.

Her seemingly perfect world of Victorian high-society balls is hiding a lot of secrets.

And her father's death is not as it seems.

Jo's world is about to come crumbling down. But she will find out the truth.

Best bits:

A well-woven historical setting, full of secrets and intrigue? Donnelly is spoiling us here guys!

Even more evocative is Jo herself.

I truly loved her unique blend of determination, strength, and sheltered naivety, as well as her interactions and chemistry with other characters.

Basically, Jo is amazing.

And this book has a lot to say: about women and feminism, about poverty, about corruption, about doing what's right.

There's a lot of ground covered here, but in the sub-text and subtle realisations, rather than soap-box style ranting.

Even the love triangle/rectangle (depending on which way you squint) has original twists and turns, and isn't irritating (*praises the reading gods*.)

The sub-plots feel relevant and everything is tangled together beautifully; the characters are vivid, the prose well-written.

You will love the dynamic between Jo and Eddie - a reporter who's helping her get to the bottom of just what the hell is going on here. It brings a variety of the feels, and is just fab.

Seriously, could you want anything more than this from your historical fiction? ;)

Not so great bits:

This is not a quick read. Even though the chapters are short, it does require perseverance and some actual effort on the part of the reader.

While I didn't mind this, it will put a lot of people off.

And that trapped, hemmed-in, frustration, that Jo feels? The reader's feeling it too.

Now, on the one hand this shows some considerable skill on Donnelly's part, because the ability to use the prose to mirror Jo's feelings in the actual words? That takes some doing.

On the other hand, when the prose feels claustrophobic and restricted? You're going to get frustrated. And that's frustrating ;)

There's also violence and forensics-style gore (ok, I'm starting to sound like those randomly specific warnings before TV programmes,) and a couple of references to sexy-times.

But it keeps to the YA-vibe by not going too far down the sexy-times path.

Verdict:

OK, so you're going to have to put some effort in. But, you know what? It's worth it.

This is one of those books that is so different from what you were expecting - and is all the more awesome for it.

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

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Nerd Church - Love Will Always Win

My plan for this week's 'Nerd Church' post went well and truly out the window.

I was planning on doing another post about the EU referendum.

Instead, I'm going to write a post about love and hate. Which kind of works into some of the things I've been trying to say in my referendum posts anyway.

If you want to catch up on my EU posts, you can check out the one on migration here, and last week's post on what the EU does for us here.

Give them a look, because the EU referendum on Thursday really is an important issue.





Given the events of this week - the murder of Jo Cox, and the deaths of so many people in Orlando, I felt like this post was an important one to write.

Far-right, white supremacist, extremism and Islamic extremism are two sides of the same warped coin. These people are more alike than they will ever admit.

Both feed on the fear of anyone even slightly different to themselves. Both are an ugly cycle of fear and hate that just keeps fuelling itself.

We should not fear people who are different to us. Because they are also the same as us. And isn't that beautiful?

Why is there so much hate in this world? How is it possible to be so full of rage and fear directed at another person, or group of people? We're a strange little species.





I don't understand. Can I repeat this, again and again? I don't understand.

I love everyone - that may sound disingenuous, but it's true. I love you - whoever you may be. I even love people I don't like (trust me, it's possible.)

Love is infinite. There is room in my heart for all 6 or 7 billion of you. Plus the animals. (And fictional characters, of course.)

Do other people not see the world like this? Is that why I don't understand?

Because from where I'm standing, you are all beautiful, wonderful, precious, creatures - intricate and unique and amazing. All of you.





I may hate your views - but I couldn't ever hate you.

I hate everything that Trump and Farage, and people like them, all over the world, stand for.

I would very much like to punish them for the hurt they've caused throughout their lives, make them re-pay every injustice they've caused - but I'd never shoot them. You can't kill ideas with bullets.





Do I hate the man who killed innocent people in Orlando? Do I hate the man who killed Jo Cox? No.

I feel sorry for them. I hate the hate that motivated them. I hate what they did. I hate what they stand for.





I hate the hurt that must've been inside them.

I wish I could've taken it away before it hurt others. I wish that others had not spread the hate to them. I wish that people did not feel so isolated, alone, and scared that it turns to hate.

I wish so many things.

Can we just be nice? Is that so hard?

Do people have to be murdered because they're different? Do our football fans have to attack each other? Do we have to spread fear like a vile disease?





The connection of Thomas Mair to mental health problems in the media is worrying to me.

Because sometimes the media seems to jump on this as the one and only 'reason' for what people have done - as if all people with mental health problems will automatically commit murder the second they are diagnosed. This just spreads misunderstanding and fear.

People with mental health problems can be vulnerable to extremism. These people are also the victims of this hate - the way it spreads can catch them at their most vulnerable, leaving them defenceless to fight it.

But most people with mental health problems are more likely to be the victims than the perpetrators of crime. Please do not demonise us. We are as normal as you are.

Ideas spread like germ warfare, and those with the least immunity are those who feel isolated, alienated, afraid, hurt.

ISIS' supporters are like lost little boys and girls, who feel like they don't belong; they only realise too late what they have done, if they ever realise at all.




Jo Cox - someone few of us had heard of before a few days ago - lived a beautiful life.

Her actions and her speeches speak of someone full of hope, and love, and life.

The way to honour her flame burning out is by sparking our own. By saying no to hatred, and turning instead to light, and to love.






The people in Orlando were targeted because of their love - because they loved in a different way, because hatred can't understand the many forms that love can take.

Every one of those people was another beautiful flame. Let their deaths strengthen our light; we can't let the darkness be the legacy of their lives.

Love is beautiful. Love is strong. Love endures. It will always win.




Nerd Church is a weekly post where I ramble on about discuss various issues, and sometimes attempt to make the world a better place. If you liked this post, I'd love it if you shared :)

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5 Must-Read Non-Fiction Books

Non-fiction tends to get eclipsed - in book-blogging and in general - by the awesomeness that is fiction.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with fiction taking centre-stage, but that doesn't mean that we should leave non-fiction to languish by the wayside.

Non-fiction can be vitally important for a variety of reasons: not least that it tells us important things about life, the universe, and everything (42! - I'm such a nerd.)

So, my dearest nerdlets, I give you here a list of 5 non-fiction books which I consider to be 'must-reads.'

3 of these are memoirs/autobiographies - not of politicians or pop stars, but of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances.




These books are 'must-reads' because of what they are - because of what they represent, and the message that they send to the world.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Amazon: UK - US

This is no great work of literature - and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Anne Frank's diary was never really intended for publication, so it's not written to appeal to an audience, or really to tell any clear story.

The main strength and value of this book is that it is so ordinary - it's the diary of a life cut unfairly and unjustly short, true, but a life that belonged to a real, breathing, loving, wonderful girl. A girl who was so very human.

And because of this, it shows even more vividly the horrors of the holocaust - this was not just the fate of nameless, faceless, people, who were nothing to do with us. This was the fate of normal people; just like us.

This book is proof of the potential and beauty that hatred can steal from the world.

12 Years A Slave by Solomon Northup

Amazon: UK - US

I actually reviewed this quite a while back; it's an incredible, and very, very powerful book.

Solomon's dignity, humanity, and love, prove a definite contrast to the horrendous situation he finds himself in.

I think everyone should know his story, if only so that we understand the human cost of the shameful practice of slavery.

Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic

Amazon: UK - US

The last of the memoirs/autobiographies in this list, this is the honest, bitter, ugly, beautiful work of a Vietnam veteran - describing both his time in Vietnam, and the longer battle of rights, dignity, and recovery, back home in the US.

A fairly short book that makes hard reading in places, this is one that everyone needs to read - because Kovic was there; he saw it, he felt it, he went through it.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Amazon: UK - US

This is a book I wrote a mini-review for during Mental Health Awareness Week.

'Reasons To Stay Alive' is an important read because of what it stands for - a hand in the dark, a discussion about mental health, and an end to stigma.

Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates

Amazon: UK - US

This is a book I am determined to make EVERYONE read.

It's a real eye-opener in terms of the sexism and misogyny, as well as the violence towards women, that still exists, right now, in 2016.

As I said in my review, I don't necessarily agree with all of the opinions in this book, but it is one of the most worthwhile books you will ever read.

If it's not on your TBR list then put it on there - right now.

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Friday Fics Fix! - So Many Alternatives

We in the fandom world like AUs (Alternate Universes to the non-fandom-speaking.)

Now, I've come across my fair share of unique AUs, and my fair share of fairly common AUs. What this week's fic does is take a bunch of the common ones and smush them together to make a unique one.

This, my dearest nerdlets, is fandom at it's finest; stick all the sh** together, in the most indulgent way you can think of, and just keep going! :)





So, what AUs are we dealing with here?

Well, just in this fic, I can spot hints of the Werewolf AU, the Barista/Coffee Shop AU (this is actually a very common AU - no, really,) the College AU, the Modern/Contemporary AU, the Vampire AU, and the Stripper AU (that last one is also more common than you'd think.)

...And those are just the ones I noticed!







Oh, and it's also one of those universes where Thor and Loki are not brothers, and are in a relationship.

This is known as Thorki. Often fic writers don't even bother removing the brotherhood-status, and just make it incest. Oddly enough, I prefer Thorki when they're not related! ;)






I think it's time to break out this gif right here:

via GIPHY

(This is one of the most popular gifs to describe fandom in general.

Do not judge us until you've tried our way of life!)

And, before I forget, there are sexy-times. 18 + only guys.

So, this week's fic is:

It's Complicated (The Werewolf Barista AU) by verymilkytea

Yes, there is poor spelling/grammar in places. Yes, it is as mad as a box of cats.

...But it's also awesome. And wish-fulfilment is what we all came here for, right? If we wanted 'normal' we wouldn't be living the fandom life ;P

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Comics Wrap Up - Love Like Winter

Graphic Novels



This week I reviewed Klaw, The First Cycle (UK - US).

This is a graphic novel about shape-shifter type-people, and was pretty interesting - particularly in terms of using the Chinese zodiac as the basis for all the shape-shifting-ness.

Check out my review for more info.






Other Stuff

In the course of my Twitter meanderings around the #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend hashtag, I came across this excellent post on Vox dealing with the romantic aspects of Civil War, and how the studios are mistaken in where the romance lies (Warning: Captain America: Civil War spoilers.)

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Continuing on the theme of the lovely Bucky Barnes, a post appeared on Women Write About Comics on 'The Feminization of Bucky Barnes.' (Warning: spoilers for all three Captain America movies.)

I don't agree with everything in this post - but it's a very interesting look at Bucky's role in the films, as well as aspects of his appeal to the female portion of the audience.

(Although, in honesty?

He's a dark, dangerous, troubled, loner with puppy-dog eyes, long hair, leather, and a rugged handsomeness.

Add to that that Steve loves him, and he has a teddy-bear-like vulnerability, and why wouldn't we love him too?)

via GIPHY

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Archie Comics have announced a new Josie and the Pussycats series. This could actually turn out pretty cool - as long as they don't fall into too many stereotypes.

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What Is Poetry?

I like poetry. You may've noticed this. You may not have.

But a lot of people don't read poetry. They feel like they don't 'get it' or even know what 'it' is.



So, what is poetry?


The Simplistic Answer


Poetry is a form of literature. It usually has shorter sentences than prose (but not always, because is life ever that simple?) and is arranged in lines.

Sometimes it rhymes. Sometimes it doesn't rhyme. Sometimes it has a regular rhythm - and sometimes it doesn't.

Basically, poetry is relatively short lines, usually conveying emotion of some description. Apart from that, the definitions are vague at best.

The Hippie-Dippy Answer

Warning: Some of this may be a bit sarcastic. Not very, because I have respect for the peace n love vibes from hippies. And my upbringing was a weird mix of traditional, intellectual, and hippy bat-sh** craziness.

My parents are quite normal when you meet them... honest.

Poetry is the breath and essence of life transformed into words. It's freedom and love translated onto the page.

But it's not constricted to the page - poetry can be anything, anywhere.

It's something you feel in your eternal spirit, and something which washes over you in waves of light-energy. *Laughs at self.*

(Ready to start singing kumbaya yet?)

via GIPHY

(I can kind of relate to this gif - although not to the drugs part.

But I've def. seen the inside of too many shops that sell incense. Incense and sandalwood. Everywhere. EVERYWHERE.

Most people's early shopping experiences aren't accompanied by New Age pan-pipe music, but whatever...)

The Pretentious Answer

Warning: This section is highly sarcastic. ;)

Poetry is an art form which the lower-classes (anyone who couldn't afford private school) are unable to comprehend because we have tiny minds.

Poetry can only be written by poncey middle-aged white men in dusty literary studies, because clearly they are the only people who could possibly understand it *eye roll.*

Poetry should only be read by people who adore the poncey middle-aged men, and will faun over them and never question anything they say, and believe they are the greatest artists who ever lived. *Bashes head against laptop.*

The Honest Answer

Poetry - good poetry at least - is not something that you get. Good poetry gets you.

Poetry is simply lines arranged on a page, that, if the poet's done their job right, mean something to you.

Poetry can be written by anyone, and read by anyone. It's about whatever you want it to be about.

And never let anyone tell you anything different. If you can appreciate song lyrics, if you can appreciate prose, film, music, dialogue, anything, on any level, then you can appreciate poetry. Screw the shamers.




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Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Klaw, The First Cycle

Title: Klaw, The First Cycle

Author: Antoine Ozanam

Contributors: Joel Jurion, Yoann Guille, Mike Kennedy

Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Fantasy, Superhero*, Paranormal* (*ish - there are shifters of various types and somewhat of a superhero origin story.)

Series: Klaw (#1-3)

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.

This looked interesting - shape-shifting and all that jazz! (Woo!)

Plus the cover rocked, and covers are usually a good indication of graphic novel rock-itude.

Premise:

Angel Tomassini is about to learn a few truths - one is about his father, and his father's business.

The other... well, the other is about shape-shifters.

It's going to get interesting.

Best bits:

There were parts of this with a superhero origin-vibe. Which I kind of dug - it's nice to see superheroes who aren't the property of Marvel or DC.

And it didn't over-shadow the character-driven aspects (character-driven superhero story? Hallelujah!)

The artwork was adequate - verging on rockin' in places - and the character design in particular really shone through.

I loved the way that the post-shape-shifting animal-people looked - the tiger in particular (which as the tiger is the focus here, is a good job too!)

The shape-shifting is based on the Chinese zodiac - which was a nice twist, and added another layer to the whole deal-y. :)

And I liked Angel - a likeable protagonist with the right level of gung-ho stupidity to fit the storyline, but not make you want to throw things at him repeatedly.

Not so great bits:

There were moments when I was a little lost as to what the hell was going on. Brief, but mentionable.

And there was much blood and violence. It's more comic-style than anything, but it's definitely noticeable.

I can't remember any swearing... but there might've been some tucked in there somewhere.

My bug-bear here is a big time-jump in the middle, which I felt was fairly unnecessary.

Also, some of the supporting characters were a little thin-on-depth for my liking.

The girl - whose name I can't remember - was pretty much the only female character of note, and was disappointingly flimsy, all-in-all.

Verdict:

This was an interesting take on so many tried-and-tested tropes.

I enjoyed it, I just would really have preferred some stronger roles for female characters.

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads

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