Dora Reads is the book blog of a Bookish Rebel, supporting the Diversity Movement, bringing you Queer views and mental health advocacy, slipping in a lot of non-bookish content, and spreading reading to the goddamn world! :)
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In case you didn't know, St David, or Dewi Sant, is the patron Saint of Wales.
So I figured that I'd give this week's 'Nerd Church' post over to explaining a little bit more about my beautiful country.
A Few Basics
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, also known as Britain, Great Britain, or just the UK or United Kingdom, is made up of four main constituent parts.
These parts are Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. There are smaller territories like the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands - but those four are the largest.
Just to be 100% clear: I am not English. I am British. I am Welsh. I am not English.
The Welsh Flag
A Bit of History
The relations between the constituent parts of the UK has always been uneasy at best.
By which I mean that the non-English nation states resent, to a greater or lesser degree, living under the dominance of English governance and culture.
Wales has been part of the union with England for the longest period - since Medieval times. Unfortunately, we've been an unwilling partner (we were conquered - it doesn't lead to a great working relationship,) from the start - and have been unhappy about the situation for centuries.
Our Native Culture
The Celtic nations - Ireland (both Northern Ireland and ROI,) Scotland, Wales, Cornwall (now a part of England,) and Brittany hold the last strongholds of the remnants of Celtic culture.
This was our culture before the Roman Empire - one that once also covered England, but was driven out of that part of the UK by the Romans and subsequent invaders (the Anglo-Saxons (the word England is derived from 'Angle-land,') the Vikings, the Normans.)
Ethnically, the peoples of the UK are now pretty much a hotchpotch - most Welsh people have a good dab of English in them, as do the other British Celts.
But the culture... well, the culture is still strong here.
The Welsh word for Wales is Cymru - the land of the Cymry; the Cymry being a concept of... tribalism? brotherhood?... that doesn't translate into English particularly well, except maybe as 'Ours' - 'our people,' 'our land,' 'our culture.'
We have a strong connection to the land - 'Y Wlad.'
We have a target of 0% to landfill by 2050, as set by the Welsh Assembly (this is kind of like the State-government, with lots and lots of arguments with the UK parliament over who's in charge of what, and, of course, money.)
We have our own language - Cymraeg (Welsh)- which is basically the ancient language of Albion (Britain.)
So my first language is English (I'm trying to learn Welsh, it's not the easiest of languages.) Because my parents' first language is English - because their parents first language was English.
But my grandmother's parents were Welsh first language. They didn't bring her up speaking Welsh because 'you'll never get on in life that way.' They were worried she would be passed over for jobs and opportunities if she was a Welsh speaker.
Things have changed there (although, sometimes the pro-language lobby are more than a little obnoxious and pushy, and have a penchant for vandalism which I don't approve of) and hopefully that will mean a preservation of yr iaith (the language) in the years to come.
To be honest, I could go on and on -
I could talk about love-spoons and Welsh cakes and bara brith.
I could tell you all about the folklore and legends, the stories of fair folk and warriors and birds and sorcerers and magic.
I could tell you about the rural farms, and the mountains and valleys, and the industrial towns.
I could explain Welsh coal and Welsh slate and the Rebecca Riots and the Labour movement and the rise of Socialism. I could tell you about the Chartists and the Communists and the brave Welshmen who went in secret to fight against the fascists in the Spanish Civil War.
I could try to explain hiraeth - which doesn't translate - and how there are multiple words for rivers and valleys and the dippy bits of landscape that there are no easy words for in English.
I could go on about Owain Glyndŵr, and Llywellyn the Last, and Hywel Dda, and how you can never get an Englishman to say 'Ll' or 'Ch' correctly, and you can never remember how to write 'ŵ' with a standard keyboard, so you end up copy-and-pasting.
But, what I'll leave you with is our love of music - and our national anthem 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau' ('(Old) Land of My Fathers.')
This is sung by the most striking of Welsh musical traditions, the male voice choir - from Pontypridd, the town where the anthem was written.
The video quality isn't brilliant - but just listen...
Nerd Church is a weekly post where I talk about issues of various sorts. As always, feel free to continue the discussion, but please link back here. Like This Post? Try These:
Since I'm aiming to write this year - and write a lot - I figure it's OK to put some of my wackier ideas down on paper (or... y'know, screen,) for all to (hopefully) laugh at.
So I came up with the idea of 'Cracked Glass Slipper' posts.
Let me explain:
I've been toying for a while with the idea of retelling fairy tales in my own way - basically, as if I'm writing crack fanfiction. Only, this will be suitable for under 18s, unlike most crack fiction.
I'm under no illusions - this may go horrifically wrong pretty damn quickly. In which case I'll abandon it and pretend that it never happened *nods, smiles, laughs nervously.*
At the moment, what I have is random at best - it's demented, to be honest. I worry about myself sometimes.
And I have no idea whether it's any good - but then, I suppose I'll never know unless I share it with you all.
I apologise in advance if I scar you all for life. (It's a possibility at this point.)
Each story will be about made up of multiple parts (I think - not an awful lot of organisation happens in my head, so I'm not all that sure yet.) So each one will be serialised on Diary of a Reading Addict over several weeks/months (dependant on how long they are, and how quickly I write them.)
Hopefully this will be fun - and hopefully you'll all come along for the ride.
Update 24th September 2017: This fic is no longer available.
I haven't read all that much fanfiction this week - must be in a fic-slump of some sort again.
But, I do have a fic rec ready for you:
A mark of mine by xlypses
This is Stucky (Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes in a romantic relationship) and is quite sweet - all about past hurt and making things better for the future.
This is a short fic of less than 500 words, so it'll be easy to fit in in your coffee break or whatever - hope you like it, and I'll be back with more fanfiction-y goodness next week.
The Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice final trailer hit - still slightly concerned about this one. Ah, DC man... DC. Still, we can but hope for the best.
Single Issues
This week, I read Black Widow #1 (UK - US) from the 2010 onwards run.
I love this comic - it's one of the best that I've ever read. And I've read a ridiculously large amount of comics.
A heroine who kicks a** and is permitted to wear practical clothing and not be over-sexualised in panel after panel? I must be dreaming. I must!
Not to mention a butt-kicking storyline, smooth and noir-ish artwork, mortal peril, a bunch of gore and violence, and a romantic relationship with Bucky Barnes! Seriously, I need to get my hands on more of this series. Pronto.
But then, I should've expected it to be tippity-top-notch - Marjorie Liu's name doesn't appear on just any old cr*p (she rocks, so much!)
Other Stuff
Turkish Airlines. Apparently you can now fly to Gotham and Metropolis. I know. I don't know how to feel about it either...
[links removed - no longer at source]
I'll give them credit for originality, that's for sure.
It's a fab post and you should check it out if you can.
So, anywho, it got me thinking about my own blogging insecurities, and, well - I can't be letting you guys have all the fun/crippling anxiety, can I?
Here they are then, my own blogging insecurities:
No-one will care what I have to say: who am I after all? Just some random Welsh chick with a laptop. Who would care about my opinion?
I'm socially awkward: have you noticed my comments are a little... stilted sometimes? I have no idea what to say, or even whether I need to say anything. I resort to short answers and smiley faces in an attempt to let you know that I do appreciate you taking the time to talk to me - I just have no idea what to say to you.
The quality of my writing is no good: I know that this isn't true - but sometimes, I can't help wondering... do people like reading my blogposts? Are my reviews any good?
ARCs - specifically, getting round to reading everything I said I would: I have a habit of underestimating myself, and stressing the small stuff unnecessarily - it's all linked in with my depression and anxiety issues. So if I request a lot of ARCs, and somehow manage time and again to get approved, I have a small freak-out about how quickly I'm supposed to read them. I keep forgetting that there's no supposed to about it. After all, I purposefully avoid blog tours so that I don't have to deal with deadlines.
Being overly-unique: this makes no sense. I know this makes no sense. But I've noticed that the majority of book bloggers either have kids, a job, a spouse, etc., or are teenagers. I'm neither of these things. And while I know that that gives me a unique spin on life, the universe, and everything, sometimes it feels like you won't be able to relate to me and my opinions because you're just at a completely different place in your life to where I am in mine. Plus, I'm weird - you know this, I know this, we all know this ;)
Not making money/being judged for trying to make money: I know this is a touchy subject blogging-wise, but I need income. I'm self-employed, and it's important to me that I get income wherever I can so that eventually I can be financially separate from my parents, just for a start. So, yeah, I have Amazon associate links for the UK and US - not because I'm a sell-out, but because I damn-well need the small amount of commission they provide if people buy things.
So, there you have it. Hopefully I didn't sound overly-neurotic, and you all still like me ;) You know I try to be truthful and open wherever possible (it's even one of my New Year's resolutions,) so, y'know, all that jazz...
Our brains are hyper-active filing machines - they absorb, mix, and smoosh together all of the things that we see, hear, experience, etc., throughout the day, and then spit out the surviving pieces in a compendium of Brain Stew.
What I'm saying is that we take outside influences and turn them into something new. It's the creative process.
That's not to say that we're being unoriginal when we write or draw something that is influenced by something else - just that we gain inspiration from a lot of very random places.
Our brains are constantly weaving the stuff they absorb into something else - which is truly wonderful, when you think about it.
So, how about crediting or acknowledging your inspirations?
This is one I've been thinking about a lot - if my brain is the one cooking the stew, how much credit do I need to give to the ingredients, or to the recipe book?
If I write something that is a bizarre combination of everything I read, do I have to list anything that I could possibly have been influenced by?
Well, I think we should treat the ingredients and the recipe book separately. Let me explain:
The Ingredients
The things that make up only a part of the over-all dish - so, if you were writing dystopia, your ingredients might be The Hunger Games, 1984, and a dash of Divergent, for example.
The end result is that your stew will have parts of the ingredients in it, but will taste different to the individual ingredients.
In this case, you really only need to credit if there's a particular ingredient you feel was worthy of praise - something special that you feel like people will be interested to know is in there. Just like if you wanted to point out you've been cooking with organic or local produce, for example.
The Recipe Book
If you're following a particular recipe, then you need to credit it -
If you've quoted someone else's work verbatim (word for word,) used someone else's work to derive a format (for example, blog memes and tags,) or taken pieces of someone else's work and altered it only slightly, you need to credit it.
There are a few instances where this isn't the case: where you're making a joke about volunteering as tribute, for example, you're making a cultural reference rather than quoting.
When you use copyright-free images (as I do,) where the creator does not require attribution - then you don't need to credit. That doesn't mean you can claim that image as your own. Because it's not.
The Brain Stew
Basically - the amount you credit your influences is up to you.
Largely, what you should do depends on how large an influence the source has had on you -
If you write a dystopian about a girl named Kats who uses a bow and arrow and fights in The Starving Competition - then it might be a good idea to credit The Hunger Games. A lot. Like really suck up with your acknowledgement. And you still might get your butt sued.
If you write a dystopian about a girl named Corinne who uses a bow and arrow, but only against clockwork soldiers who attack on every full moon (no idea where that came from by the way,) then there's no need to credit The Hunger Games, unless you really want to. You may have been influenced by it, but it's one of many ingredients, not the whole recipe.
Hope that's given you all some food for thought. Do you agree? Or do you think that you should always list all of your influences - regardless of how much or little effect they have on your work?
Basically, what we have here is a fairly steamy m/m werewolf romance. It follows the Omegaverse trope - something which will be fairly familiar to fanfiction readers like myself.
It's also quite sweet in places, very well-written, and there's signs of real character development, and real heart.
So, yeah, I thought it was pretty damned awesome - even though, at 35 pages, it's short to say the least. Time well spent.
Flu is not fun - I'll just point that out now and leave it there.
Now, I've had more than a few issues with health problems of various sorts over the past... ooh, decade or so.
And you know what? As ridiculous as it is, it's got to the point where every time I get a cold, or flu, or some sort of bug, I feel guilty about it.
I kind of blame myself - as illogical as that is. Because people make you feel guilty about it.
I remember having long periods of time off in school as a teenager. Phone-calls from attendance officers just stress you out, making you feel like it's your fault that you're not well enough to be in school (and it's not like my grades were suffering - the lowest I got was normally a B.)
And the other kids? Well, you spend a month in pain, and they expect you to just suck it up and get on with it. Why are you complaining? It's unhelpful, to say the least.
I don't think people do it on purpose.
I think it's just somehow become ingrained in us that people aren't as ill as they say - that, unless they're in hospital, or dying, then they must be doing it for attention. Instead, people are genuinely unwell, genuinely in pain, and genuinely not being helped by your attitude.
I think sometimes it feels the same when you talk to people about your mental illness.
So I don't. Because people look at me differently when I tell them I have depression - and not in a kind or sympathetic way.
(Also, as a side note, I approve of the BBC's current 'In the Mind' season of cross-series programmes as a whole.
There are a few instances, though, where even under this banner, the portrayal of mental health problems is misinformed at best.
The trailer for Eastenders (British soap opera) this week showed a mental health nurse telling the character Stacey that she was 'getting stronger... more able to cope.' This line made me hugely angry.
People with a mental illness are not weak. They are already strong.)
Nerd Church is a weekly post where I go off on one about 'issues' of various sorts. Feel free to continue the discussion, but please link back here :)
The other day, I stopped, I stalled, I hesitated. I didn't want to record books I'd read on my Goodreads - even though that would've upped the number-count on my challenge.
Because, putting it frankly... it was m/m werewolf porn.
Felt the need to put a full moon in here... just because.
So I hesitated - I didn't want family and friends seeing what I'd read, because I didn't want them thinking I was weird (well... ship has probably sailed on that one... weird-er.)
(By the way, the reason that I don't share my Goodreads profile with you lovely people is that it's linked to personal social media accounts, and, knowing my luck, I'll be the one who the crazy mad-axe-murdering stalker decides to fixate on. It's just inevitable.)
So, didI actually add those books to my account?
Damn right I did!
I suddenly realised that I had to - because otherwise I'm sending a message that some types of books are 'worthier' than others. And you know what? That's simply not true.
Those books (Omega Beloved by Aiden Bates and Omega in Heat by Heather Silver - you can tell that I usually read a lot of fanfiction, right?) while short, and not what many would consider 'literature,' still had things to say.
And, actually, Omega Beloved in particular was very well-written, and gave a lot of scope for development in the further books of the series.
To further fan the flames of controversy -
I've tried to read Possession by A S Byatt not once, but twice. This is a 'literary' and 'worthy' book that a lot of people flap on about and are over the moon for.
I couldn't finish it. I couldn't get on with it. I just couldn't connect; I found it too pretentious and wooden.
Would I say that, to me, the time spent reading Omega Beloved was time better spent than the time I spent trying to force my way through Possession?Completely and utterly.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't read things held in critical regard.
Quite the opposite. I'm saying people should be accepting of both.
I didn't like Possession - a lot of people did. To those who genuinely enjoyed it - good on you. It wasn't my cup of tea, so what?
And if m/m romance isn't your cup of tea? Fine. I don't mind. But please don't think there's anything wrong with reading it - or anything else, for that matter, just because other people don't.
Reading is the key part - and then, you can judge the book on its own merits, instead of on preconceptions of genre or style.
No more guilty pleasures! We shouldn't have to feel guilty about reading what we enjoy.
Apologies in advance - I'm not making much sense. I have flu. It f**king sucks.
But, it did give me the perfect inspo. for this week's dose of fanfiction - after all, what better medicine is there? (Don't answer that.)
So, I decided to select a particular brand of fluff (fangirl note: fluff is sweet lovey-dovey relationship stories/scenes/moments - usually involving kissing or cuddling of some description,) for this week: the sick fic.
Sick fics involve one partner in the relationship taking care of the other when they're ill. It's all thoroughly wish-fulfilling domestic-bliss fuzziness - just what I need at the moment!
This is a short Stony (fangirl note:Captain America and Iron Man relationship,) fic, where Tony is the ill one.
And that title could not get fluffier if it tried. I might get diabetes just looking at it.
Plus, the Stony shippers (fangirl note: people who champion the Steve & Tony relationship,) could really do with some love right now - what with Civil War looking set to drive them further and further from canon (official) storylines.
Solidarity, fangirls and fanboys, solidarity with our brethren in the Stony ship.
Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (UK - USA) - this is the Spider-man from the 'Ultimate' universe.
Just to make it clear, Marvel has so many canon (i.e. - official,) alternate universes that they are now numerically coded.
The Ultimate Universe - the biggest and most well-explored alternate - is Earth-1610; and now you know that useless fact thanks to yours truly.
There are so manyversions of Spider-man, that it's sometimes referred to as the Spider-verse, which can be called upon sometimes when the big sh** goes down. And if they're ever desperate enough to call Spider Ham aka Peter Porker, then they're desperate.
This is an awesome comic with some fab artwork - and Miles is of Black-Hispanic heritage: yay for diversity! Even if it is outside of the mainstream Marvel universe (which is Earth-616, in case you were wondering.)
Silver Surfer #1 (UK - USA) is just the right blend of outer-space kookiness and down-to-Earth sweetness. With an interesting angle for the series going forward, I really enjoyed it.
Not entirely sure how I haven't come across the 'Marvel Super Heroes: What the--?!' web series before, but wow is this random. Take a look at the Valentine's episode:
Is anybody else scared now? All of you? Great, my work here is done.
I really enjoyed this - though perhaps not to epic fangirling levels, like most people seem to.
It was fun though, as well as interesting and entertaining. I loved the random chapter titles.
The ebook I borrowed from the library was clearly aimed at a British market because it took Americanisms like 'mom' and 'chips' and anglicised them to things like 'mum' and 'crisps.' Unfortunately, this came across as just strange - particularly as it wasn't consistent throughout.
I really did enjoy it though - and will probably read more of the series in future.
This was another pretty random read from my library. Honestly, I wander around just going 'ooh! mine now!' and that is how I choose what to read the majority of the time.
This is a sequel (not that I've read the first one,) so I will keep the spoilerage to a minimum (i.e. the level that's in the blurb for this book.)
Premise:
Hedi Peacock-Stronghold is half-fae (fairy,) and half-werewolf. She's trying to keep her mate's werewolf pack (that's mate in the animalistic sense, rather than a friend) together in his absence. But what about when he returns?
She thought it would be all her wishes coming true: her mate, Robson Trowbridge, returned to her, and bringing Lexi, her brother, in tow. But things are rarely that simple.
Oh, and there's people trying to kill her. Can't forget those!
Best
bits:
A lot of this was really fun - I love Hedi's sarcasm, and some of the situations she ends up in are so complex and random that I enjoyed the sheer 'hell, just go for it!' attitude of the author.
I found Lexi an exceedingly complex character - if you don't feel at least some sympathy for him, you are made of stone. Simple as.
And my mental squeals at Hedi to 'not be stupid and do this instead' seemed to actually be heard! I know! I'm so used to characters taking the stupid route, that it's a pleasant surprise when they decide to do the smart thing for once.
Not
so great bits:
There were moments when I lost interest because the plot slowed down or the author seemed to lose some degree of control - these were noticeable, but overall the book managed to scramble its way back on-track.
There are, obviously, spoilers for the previous book in the series - if you want to avoid that then read the books in order.
There's a bunch of swearing and some violence that won't be to everyone's taste - and a few sex-bits (fans self,) so if that isn't your thing, you've been warned.
There's also references to torture, addiction, and child abduction - and probably some other stuff too - that some people may find distressing.
Verdict:
I really enjoyed this book - and it grabbed me. I felt sorry for Lexi, loved Hedi's attitude (and willingness to listen to my mental suggestions,) and the whole fae and werewolf deal-y that was going on; really enjoyable.
OK, so its Valentine's day. And I don't have any problems with the lovey-dovey people. But, I'm one of the terminally single (which is fine by me, by the by.)
There are more ways to spread love than just the romantic sort. We can start by not being jerks - it helps, all I'm saying.
You can spread love in zillions of ways - supporting charities, friends, families, or just random people.
Maybe I'm not being clear - what I'm trying to say is, why don't we use Valentine's as an excuse to be loving? To everyone.
Do something nice. Make the world just one little bit better :)
Part 3 - the final part! - of my alternative Valentine's playlist. Aren't you excited? :P
Sooooo, this third part is all about destructive love - y'know, the down-side of things, the burn-a-hole-in-your-heart side of things. That's fun, right? ;)
A reminder that this is my personal taste in music - which tends to err on the emo/rock/indie/punk side of things.
And there's probably swearing in here somewhere.
Green Day - Brutal Love
Argh! This song! I love this song! It's like a soul-filled punch to the chest - in a good way. :)
My Chemical Romance - I Don't Love You
Soooo many levels to this song - all of them very tragic. A beautiful song, and one of my favourites.
All American Rejects - Hope He Gives You Hell
A bitter break-up song if ever there was one.
Fall Out Boy Ft. Foxes - Just One Yesterday
This is an incredible song about how love hurts. I love this song. So much. So very much!
James Blunt - Love Love Love
At first glance, you may think this is a lovely song - then, as with all James Blunt songs, you listen to the words and realise it's all about pain :) Enjoy.
Hope you've enjoyed my slightly-wacky list-making! :) I know I have.
So, here's part 2 of my alternative Valentine's playlist: here bright and shiny and new.
Sick of sappy love songs? Here's some alternatives from your dear Cee Arr (me, in case you were wondering) - this post is all about 'unusual' love songs.
'Unusual' love songs - for the purposes of this post at least - are songs about the things that normally mean love: weddings, kisses, love in general; that are slightly off-key, quirky, and/or unexpected. Listen to the lyrics, you'll get it.
Again, this is my personal taste in music - which tends to err on the emo/rock/indie/punk side of things.
There's probably swearing in here somewhere.
The Killers - When You Were Young
'He doesn't look a thing like Jesus...'
Panic! At the Disco - I Write Sins Not Tragedies
'But what a shame the poor groom's bride is a whore...'
Fall Out Boy ft Big Sean - The Mighty Fall
"How the mighty fall/ the mighty fall/ how the mighty fall in love...'
AFI - Love Like Winter
"She wanted love/ I tasted blood...'
So, there you go! Tomorrow's (last) portion of the list will be about Destructive Love (yes, I know some of today's could've gone in there - shhh.)
This week's Friday Fics Fix is FrostIron. Again. (Reminder: FrostIron is a Tony Stark and Loki romantic relationship. It works surprisingly well. And I read a worryingly large amount of it.)
I know, I have a problem. But I kind of don't care!
This is a loooong fic - I'm still on the last couple of chapters because it's like novella-length or something. But it's worth it.
This fic will make you feel things - if it doesn't, then you need some serious sensitivity training. Like, seriously.
So, to give you a little idea of what this is about:
Loki, in his Jotun (frost-giant) form has been banished to Midgard (Earth) by the ever-a**hole-y Odin. (Odin in fanfiction is usually about ten times more of a jerk than he is in the films, maybe even more.)
Loki isn't doing too well on Earth, and ends up homeless and ill on the streets of New York.
Eventually, a seriously unwell Loki is taken in by the Avengers. And Tony has sort of a soft spot for him.
There's also some crossover with the X-men: including the ever brilliant Nightcrawler. The fic-author manages to make this seem unforced and natural, which is quite an achievement.
You will want to hug Loki, and probably Tony, more than once.
It's also written really well, which is refreshing. Sure, it has some spelling/grammar issues here and there - but this is fanfiction, it doesn't have fancy-schmancy proofers to check through for typos.
There's also some swearing, alcoholism, homelessness, prejudice, bigotry, massive abuse and neglect by terrible parents, and some pretty icky medical moments. Just to warn you.
But, this is really well-developed and thought-provoking.
Honestly, this is one of those fics that remind you that fanfiction can be beautiful and genuinely worthwhile.
Read it, you'll love it.
