Micropoetry - January 2017

Ok, January 2017's micropoetry by yours truly.

There's only 3 pieces this month because I've been uber-busy with work, personal stuff, and #DisabilityDiaries2017

20th January

Strength.

Not shouting the loudest.

Not hating the most.

But loving all you can.

Getting back up.

Facing another day.

That's strength.

25th January

You do not understand

As I take you gently by the hand

& tell you

no

& try to stop you pushing the knife

further into me than you have

28th January

But my dears,

The rain

Is just the part

Of the sky

That we can touch.

And

That touches us.

Like this post? Try these:

• The Writer Diaries - Micropoetry, December 2016
• The Writer Diaries - Micropoetry, November 2016

Nerd Church - Never Ever Forget

Warning: this post discusses the Holocaust and related topics

Human beings can be horrific to each other. That's why we must never forget.

Holocaust Memorial Day last Friday reminded many people of the atrocities committed by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s. It's a lesson that we can't afford to forget.

We have to be willing to learn the lessons of those past days.

In order to do that, we have to force ourselves to remember how this happened - what led to the murder of so many.

Over the past few years, I've contributed to several projects to preserve historical documents digitally - including Holocaust records.

What's chilling about many of the records is their straightforward nature. This is the bureaucracy of genocide - a well-oiled machine of paperwork and permits.

It hits home, though, just what it is you're looking at, when you see the same date of death recorded for every member of the same family, or when you see record after record marked with the year 1942 as its final date.

Or when you look into the eyes of a Jewish girl your age in the picture on her identity papers - she's working as a secretary, she's dressed smartly, hair neatly curled.

Her smile is sweet but slightly mischievous. 

And you know she probably died soon after.

And she's full of life in her picture. And you realise she deserves to be remembered - not just because of what happened to her, but because of her.

And because no-one should have been able to take that life from her.

The Holocaust did not begin with murder. It began with the gradual erosion of human rights. It began with prejudice and hate.

It began with cataloguing people; registering them, restricting them, seeing them as somehow inferior. That can't happen again.

To educate yourself about the holocaust, there can be no better place to start than the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website.

You can learn more about the project I talked about - the World Memory Project - here.

You can also search the records that are available online so far for free.

Friday Fics Fix - And It's Our Time Now If You Want It To Be

Ahhhhh, fanfiction, some days you make me think this flying dirtball zooming through space isn't quite so doomed after all!

Which is an achievement, given the current levels of cr*pitude going around.

So why the optimism?

Well I've come across what I consider a little gem of a fic.

via GIPHY

I've been trying to read more diversely in terms of gender, since at the moment, most of what I read is by and about cis-gendered people who fit into the gender binary of male/female.

Fanfiction is often a great resource when it comes to reading diversely.

(Don't get me wrong - it can sometimes be shockingly mis-representative, but due to the open and accessible nature of the medium, there are also people doing some amazing stuff for diversity through fics.)

via GIPHY

This week's fic is a short, sweet, little fic about Harry Potter's friendship with Luna Lovegood.

Both Harry and Luna identify as non-binary in this fic, with Harry using they/them pronouns, and Luna using xe/xyr pronouns.






This week's fic then, my dear nerdlets, is:

Blibbering Humdingers are Allergic to Bread by hanarsweater









See you next week for more fanfiction-y-ness - same time, same place! :)






Like this post? Try these:

• Friday Fics Fix - Bat Outta Hell
• Friday Fics Fix - Absolutely Ace
• The Harry Potter Tag
• #DisabilityDiaries2017 - Harry Potter and the Representation of Scarring

Comics Wrap-Up - Destroyed in an Hour

(This post contains a gif with flashing images which may be a problem to those with photosensitive health conditions such as epilepsy or migraines.)

Film Trailers



There's an awesome new trailer for Logan!

In case you're not aware, Logan is about Wolverine as an old man, in an X-men universe slightly adjacent to the one we've been somewhat dealing with (damn you multiple timelines!)

As with all things in comics, sometimes it's best to just go with it.

And, in this new trailer, we get more of the awesome X-23, the cute kid/little violent trained killer that Wolverine has to look after.

Take a look:

Graphic Novels



Three graphic novels made my list of 'My 7 Top Picks of 2016's Books.'

Well done to Luna the Vampire: Grumpy Space (UK - US,) Blood Stain Volume 1 (UK - US,) and Monstress: The Awakening (UK - US.)

Other Stuff



The star of the Supergirl TV show, Melissa Benoist, marched with the Washington D.C. Women's March, and had an amazing sign.

I love her, and I love the Supergirl TV show - which is v. feminist, and you should all check out.

via GIPHY

The graphic novel memoir of American Civil Rights activist John Lewis has won 4 American Library Association Awards.

I have a digital copy of Volume 1 just waiting for me!

Volume 1: UK - US              Volume 2: UK - US              Volume 3: UK - US

And a couple of interesting links for you:

• Charlotte Reber @ Book Riot talked about a pretty cool sounding webcomic called 'Strong Female Protagonist'

• Susan @ The Lesbrary reviewed webcomic/graphic novel series Mahu Josei Chimaka by Kaiju.

• Rosie Knight @ Women Write About Comics gave us a list of ten times someone's punched a Nazi in comics.

Like this post? Try these:

• Comics Wrap-Up: Tonight We Are Victorious
• My 7 Top Picks of 2016's Books

Conversations - On Reading Multiple Books

Conversations is a meme from Geraldine @ Corralling Books and Joan @ Fiddler Blue.

This meme is centred on the weekend, but yours truly is a Bookish Rebel who does what she wants, so I'm putting my post up on Wednesday.

(Wednesday is the new weekend, dearest nerdlets.)

This week's topic/question thingummy is:

Do you prefer to read a single book at a time, or multiple books at a time? Why?

Ha, I had to pitch in on this one!






I read soooooooo many books at a time!

Why? Well a variety of reasons:

• convenience/laziness (sometimes the book I would be reading is all the way downstairs! lol)

• genre-hopping

• short attention span

• a complete lack of patience and self-control (come on... who hasn't had that new and longed for book just call their name?!)

• an ever-expanding to be read (TBR) list which needs to be cut down on BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

• depression

Wait... did she say depression?

Yes my nerdlets, I did. As I've mentioned before, what I'm reading affects my mood.

So in order to stay somewhat OK when living with depression and using reading as the lifeboat that it is, I have to pay attention to the way my mood is sailing.

via GIPHY

Sometimes, what I'm reading brings me down.

And not like the 'ohmygodthefeels!' kind of down. I mean like depression-down. Which is awful.

It doesn't even always have to be a sad book. Sometimes chick lit and romances bring me down because I think I won't ever be that happy - and that's a worrying place to be in.

So then I change what I'm reading. It doesn't mean I'm giving up on the book, it just means that I need to read something else for a little bit, and I'll go back to the other book when I'm ready.








Sometimes it's more a question of what I need at that time, rather than avoiding what I don't.

Self-care isn't just for the bad times (and not just for those with mental health problems - everyone has mental health, just like everyone has physical health, so everyone can take care of it.)

Sometimes you want self-indulgence - maybe a favourite genre, or a favourite author.

Sometimes you just don't feel like reading the 500+ page book with the dense prose. Sometimes you want a lighter read - romance, chick lit, some poetry, whatever.

And then sometimes you do want to get your teeth into the long prize-winning tome that you've been eyeing up.

via GIPHY

In short, for me at least, it's all about what I feel like reading at the time.

I might literally read one book for ten minutes, and then switch to another for a chapter or two.

It's kind of just the way I deal with things *shrugs* we all need some breathing room every now and then - it's just this way, I get to keep reading! Lol.







And of course, I'll often read romances according to what my sexuality is that day ;)

If I'm not attracted to dudes that day, steamy m/f romances aren't going to hold as much appeal.

That's not to say that I never read m/f romances when I'm not attracted to men, but I tend to want more storyline, more character development etc.

via GIPHY

If a book is all sex scenes, at a time when I'm not attracted to anyone, for example - because I do have asexual days or periods of time - then I'm really not going to appreciate it *shrugs* simple as that.

So what about you guys? Are you a single-book kind of reader, or a 'I read what I like, when I like,' kind of soul?

Like this post? Try these:

• Conversations - Book Series: Yay or Nay?
• Conversations - Lending Out Books
• Conversations - Is 15 Years Old Too Young To Be Reading 50 Shades of Grey?

My 7 Top Picks of 2016's Books

(This post contains a flashing/fast-moving gif which may cause problems to those with photosensitive medical conditions.)

2016 wasn't 100% bad - just, like, 85%, or something. Anyway, there were some pretty awesome books!

I've purposefully picked books with 2016 release dates here - but I should point out that I also read some pretty great 'back-list' (pre-2016) titles during the year, they're just not on the list.

So, these are my picks of books released in 2016, that I read in 2016. Everyone got that? Great.

(And yes, I know this post is technically 'late' - but I make my own rules dammit!)

via GIPHY

I'm also uber-pleased to note that most of these are diverse books - so anyone who says diverse books are lower quality needs to go and ask themselves some serious questions 😇

They are also all written by women - girls rock!





Here we go then (and in no particular order, because I am a wuss who can't rank books over each other):

Nina Is Not Ok by Shappi Khorsandi

Amazon links: UK - US

For my international readers (and boy is that a phrase I'm never going to get used to,) who may not have heard of her, Shappi Khorsandi is an Iranian-British comedic genius.

Her first novel though, is not light-hearted. It's not funny. It's not for the faint of heart. And it's freaking incredible.

Seriously, this is one that I'm sooooo happy I had a digital review copy of, because I was so privileged to be one of the first people to read it.

Since then, I've basically been like 'read the thing!' whenever it's been possible to recommend it.

And I'm clearly not the only one, since it was recently nominated for the inaugural Jhalak Prize - though Khorsandi unfortunately withdrew the book from the longlist out of concern that drawing attention to her ethnicity might alienate white readers.

It's a disappointing decision, but it's far from my place to tell a person of colour (PoC) how to market their own book.

And it really is a fantastic book guys! You can see my full review here.

Swan Boy by Nikki Sheehan

Amazon links: UK - US

Nikki Sheehan is a definite talent. I can't wait to see what she comes up with in the future.

Swan Boy is a remarkably artistic and lyrical kids' novel (middle grade/MG) and it's just... a stunningly beautiful read.

Honestly, it's amazing.

Check out my full review of Swan Boy here.

Blood Stain, Vol 1 by Linda Sejic

Amazon links: UK - US

Linda is an amazing person who writes awesome and oh-so relatable comics that make me laugh and bring me smiles when I need them.

You will love the hapless Elliott as she tries to make her way in this bizarre world of adulting (and she has levels of clumsiness and bad luck that most of us will recognise!)

You can see my full review of Blood Stain, Vol 1 here.

Monstress, Vol 1: The Awakening

Amazon links: UK - US

ORHGUIREJNGOIRGHNKETMNHOEIROIJTGGWMKRNGHTOI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are very few books which I consider '5 star' books guys.

(And I have issues with the arbitrary and restrictive nature of star ratings anyway - which is why I don't use them on this blog!)

But, if there is such a thing as a five-star book, then THIS IS A 5 STAR BOOK.

It has everything - fantasy, world-building, a disabled Asian protagonist, and stunning artwork.

And I want to adopt the small fox child. Soooo cute!

The ladies in charge here - Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda - have a lot to be proud of.

You can see my fangirling ramble review here.

Santa Muerte by Lucina Stone

Amazon: UK - US

One which I haven't reviewed yet (but I will dammit! I will!)

Santa Muerte is an awesome-sauce first instalment in a new-adult urban fantasy series by the lovely Lucina Stone.

What is urban fantasy? It's only an uber-incredible sub-genre of paranormal and fantasy that involves paranormal-types faffing about in cities and/or towns!

Add in the focus on brujas (witches,) and a chatty prose-tone (that's totally a phrase now. Shh,) and what more do you want?!

Luna the Vampire: Grumpy Space by Yasmin Sheikh

Amazon: UK - US

Do you want grumpy internet-style humour with bright colours and a millennial attitude? Of course you freaking do!

Seriously, Luna makes me smile. And will make you smile too.

Check out my review here.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

Amazon: UK - US

Another bruja book, although a lot different to Santa Muerte, Labyrinth Lost is the beginning of a YA series about a bisexual Brooklyn Latina girl, Alex, who has a big mess to clean up.

This one is so involving, and those of you looking for a new YA obsession and/or fandom need look no further!

You can see my review of Labyrinth Lost here.

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• The Happiness Tag
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Nerd Church - Not a Sprint

OK, it's time to face reality: that douchebag is now in charge of the USA.

But there are people out there who are willing to stand up and say, 'hey douche! We're not going to stand idly by and watch you! We're going to make your life AS DIFFICULT AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.'

Because when it comes to Trumpy McTrumpface (my fellow Brits will get that reference,) there is no such thing as being petty to him, or to his supporters.

Because he is the symptom, the symbol, of so much that is wrong with the world - bigotry, hatred, and down-right stupidity being just the tip of the iceberg.

If you want to draw a moustache and devil horns on his picture, you do it. If you want to make farting noises every time someone mentions his name, you do it. There is no petty here.

So what do you do? Well my nerdlets, you fight. (Metaphorically - I'm not encouraging violence... although neither am I condemning people who want to punch actual freaking Nazis.)

You recognise when to push and when to hold back, you realise that this is a marathon not a sprint, and you stand up for justice, equality, fairness, and treating people like people.

You've got to be prepared for the long-haul guys. Self-care is nothing to be ashamed of - you can't do anything if you're too burnt out or ill to function.

And you do the small stuff. Because the small stuff makes the big stuff happen.

Support human rights organisations, people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, disabled people, people of different religions, and women's rights.

Support diversity. Support truth, justice, freedom, hope. And help us win the marathon.

Like this post? Try these:

• Nerd Church - We Are Strong
• Nerd Church - Let's Hope It's a Good One
• Nerd Church - Sing It For the World