Last October I was chilling with friends while crafting thanks to this book that was sent to me. After writing my post, I emailed the link off to the woman responsible for marketing the feminism crafting book. Exactly one month later she emailed me about the probability of reviewing a geek-centered retelling of Cinderella and wondered if I would like an advance reading copy. I gleefully typed my response saying I was looking forward to receiving this book. As I returned to my cozy college house I noticed the purple package on my bed and tore it open to find Geekerella within the purple paper. This morning while sipping on coffee, I finished the book. I was disappointed because I didn’t want the book to end.
Elle is theStarfield fangirl. She blogs writes fanfiction, and cosplays and her dad started a convention surrounding Starfield. It wouldn’t be a Cinderella-esque re-telling without Catherine the fake step-mom and Chloe the beauty vlogger stepsister. Darien fits as prince charming who so happens to be the prince in the movie reboot of Starfield. Sage is the fairy godmother in the form of jarring green hair and multiple facial piercings. I don’t want to say much more than that since the book hasn’t been released yet.
This book captures what a fangirl means and why I put so much of my heart and soul into a fictional series. I relate to Elle in the way she speaks of her relationship with her father and her passion for Starfield. Darien is a great character because he presents a new side of what it means to be in the public eye. He often feels alone and distrustful of those in his inner circle. Elle and Darien have this healthy geek relationship that often mirrors how I view my relationship.
Without a moment of hesitation, I rated Geekerella five stars on Goodreads. I wish I could erase my memory of this book so I could re-read it and be entranced with the story.
2016 was quite the year, to say the least. A couple of my blog posts are going to be devoted to end-of-year wrap-ups including this cute and clever tag created by Princess Deia. Here is my last hurrah to 2016.
Highlight – What’s one great thing that happened to you this year.
Visiting Chicago is one of my favorite experiences this year. I have always driven by Chicago, but I have never been to the heart of the city. It reminded me of a smaller and mid-western NYC. I had deep-dish pizza at Gino’s East along with visiting Millenium Park. One of my old roommates lives in the Chicago area so I’m trying to plan another visit soon to hit up all the museums.
Surprise – Be it TV show, film, game etc. that impressed you the most.
Overwatch is a game I wanted to play but didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did. There is a steep learning curve for me because when I first played, I sucked. With more practice, I got much better and actually was a vital role in my team. Mercy is my go-to healer character though I also love D.VA and her gigantic pink robot along with Zarya.
New Fandom – Did you gain a new obsession in 2016?
Tabletop gaming is a recent new fandom of mine. I played Pandemic for the first time this year and I also dipped my feet into a Star Wars D&D campaign. I hope to play more tabletop games and try another campaign sometime this year.
Still, going strong? – did one TV show have an amazing season. Or did a book series have a truly impressive addition this year?
Earlier this year I read Firefight the second book in the Steelheart trilogy. The second book was really good and I have Calamity on my TBR. I love this series because it’s almost a dystopian X-Men novel about beings with superpowers, who end up taking over the world instead. It’s one of my favorite series I have ever read.
Biggest disappointment of the Year.
DC’s movie lineup was discouraging. Batman V. Superman had a variety of issues including Lex Luthor/Jessie Eisenberg’s Riddler Lex. This movie was a mess with too much crammed into one movie. Darkseid references and a weird Flash dream? I had expected Suicide Squad to be the movie to redeem DC, but nah. I’m hoping Wonder Woman will be the movie that saves DC.
Event of the year – be it a convention, viewing party, geek girl brunch, etc.
CONvergence 2016 was my favorite convention I attended this year. I made my cosplay which was an exciting experience and I could unwind with friends. I met up with my uncle and my aunt and I went to the party rooms with them. Another highlight was MCBA Comic Con 2016. This con is entirely devoted to comic books and illustrators. I wish I had brought more cash to spend.
What are you looking forward to next year?
Movies: Wonder Woman, Spiderman Homecoming, Guardians of the Galaxy, Justice League, Beauty and the Beast. Besides movies, I will try and read more books and comics because this wasn’t as good of a reading year for me.
Quick Fire Round:
TV Show of the Year: The Night Manager with Tom Hiddleston.
Movie of the Year: Fantastic Beasts
Game of the Year: Overwatch
Book of the Year: I’m going with Nailbiter. It’s a horror graphic novel that I wrote a review about earlier in the year. It’s so good, I need to get my hands on the next couple ofvolumes soon.
Perpetual Page Turner is the book blog that starts this end-of-year book survey and I’m very happy to fill it out. Unfortunately, 2016 was not my best reading year compared to 2015. I still read a substantial number of books, but in 2015 I was blown away by my reading number. I cut out some questions because it was getting a little too long.
2016 Reading Stats
Number Of Books You Read: 33
Number of Re-Reads: 0. I’m not a re-read type of person.
Genre You Read The Most From Graphic novels, only because this genre doesn’t take me that long to read.
Best in Books
1. Best Book You Read In 2016?
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll is my pick. Initially, I thought I wouldn’t like this book because the main character was miserable to be around. However, once I read more of her backstory, I started to sympathize with her. The main character is different by the end of the book and she starts focusing on her happiness and dreams.
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.Every book blogger could not stop raving about this book. I read it and I was not impressed. The fact that St. Clair kept doing shady things with Anna behind his girlfriend’s back was not romantic and ruined it for me.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
Operation Stop Hate by Jessie Chandler. This book was intriguing because it analyzed a hate group that was based in Minneapolis. There were parts that I read that I was angry with because this group was just awful in general. It saddens me that people in the world truly believe this way. This book was really well written and I’m on the lookout for more in the series.
4. Best series you started in 2016? Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016?
I read the entire Brilliance trilogy by Marcus Sakey. Overall, I liked the series.
6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016?
Rainbow Rowell is my favorite author. I read more of her books in 2015, but I usually always love everything she writes.
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
Transgender 101 by Nicolas M Teich.I don’t typically read non-fiction novels, but I have always been interested in sexuality and gender. This book is informative and educational.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Justice for Sara by Erica Spindlerwas a thrilling mystery. I discovered this book by browsing the mystery section at my local library. This book demonstrates how your family isn’t always the members related by blood.
9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
Nailbiter Volume 1. SO GOOD.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?
Firefight by Brandon Sanderson. The Steelheart series has the best book covers.
11. Most memorable character of 2016?
Suzie from Sex Criminals. Her plans are over the top and she’s devoted to saving her library from demolition. If Suzie existed in the real world, I feel that we would be best friends.
12. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016?
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly. This graphic novel surprised me because I wasn’t expecting how it would turn out. I won’t spoil anything, but I liked Barbara as a character.
13. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
Anna and the French Kiss…. and I really really didn’t like this book. 14. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
I read Zodiac Starforce and thought it was upbeat and nicely written. I liked the bright colors and all of the characters had their own strengths and personalities. Can’t wait for the second volume.
Blogging/Book Life
1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2016?
I always follow Super Space Chickfor book reviews. I haven’t discovered a new book blog, but I like blogs that are broader versus writing something so specific.
2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2016?
Feminism Crafting Book. I’m not usually a crafty person, but when I was sent this book to review, I will admit throwing a crafting party added to the experience of writing the review. I made the empowering underwear that I’m still wearing.
3. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
Minnesota Comic Book Association Spring Comic Con. I met Phil Juliano and I ended up supporting his Kickstarter campaign. This is a great con to do networking in the Minnesota Comic Scene so I’m glad I went.
4. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2016?
Met my goal of 30 for Goodreads, so that’s pretty good.
5. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
My biggest issue is that I want to read before I sleep, but sometimes after a long day, I just want to go to bed. I want to schedule a time to read before I reach that feeling of fatigue where all I can think about is sleep. I also would love to do more reading during the day instead of just at night.
6. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I only use Goodreads because I like how organized the site is and how it keeps track of what I’m reading.
Looking Ahead
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2016 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017?
Finishing the Steelheart series and maybe doing a Harry Potter series re-read.
2. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017?
My winter break has been lively so far. Last Saturday I visited Source Comics & Games for the first time and I was blown away. The Source is gigantic and organized with a welcoming atmosphere.
As a thrifty shopper, I drove to The Sourcefor their holiday jubilee sale. Sales are one thing, but having local creators and illustrators table at the event is an additional incentive to stop by. Twin Cities Geek *TCG* whom I also write for was tabling at the sale too. After the half-hour snowy drive to get there, I pulled up to the parking lot and found it was full. Near the parking lot, a police officer was directing traffic which I wasn’t expecting. I was impressed that so many people showed up to support a smaller business. As I noted earlier, the Source is a big place to browse because of the endless rows of comic books. Funko figures and action figures were appropriately placed above the shelves while underneath were racks of hardcover D&D books.
image by Chance Wyatt Oberlander.
In between mingling with other geeks, I was approached by Chance Wyatt Oberlander. Chance creates his own unique graphic novels and luckily I was able to review one for TCG. He approached me and handed me two copies of his books. He said that he really appreciated the article I wrote and this was a thank you.
Once I get paid in a week, the Source will be my new place for pursuing comics. The huge selection is promising as I’m behind on many issues. The only bummer about The Source is the commute. Obviously, that’s not their fault, but it’s about a half-hour drive or more in traffic. I left early because it started to snow and I’m glad I did considering I was stuck in traffic. Despite the traffic, The Source is worth the drive and I’m looking forward to my next visit.
November is slowly coming to an end and I’m about halfway done with Christmas shopping. I don’t usually create a Christmas list because as I grow older I realize I’m fortunate to have my family, friends, and my cat to keep me happy and that’s really all I need. However, I always desire new books and comic books to read to help me fall asleep at night. Here is my ongoing Comics Christmas List:
Nail Biter Volume 2 Bloody Hands
I reviewed Nail Biter way back in the summer but it’s my favorite graphic novel I have read this year. I love the horror/gothic aspect to it and the first volume left a cliffhanger which I love and hate because I have no idea what’s going on.
Sex Criminals Volume Three The Hard Way
This sex-positive comic series is also one of my favorites. It’s so weird and funky, but I really enjoy it.
Mind Wave Comics
Mind Wave Comics is a local comic company in the Twin Cities where I’m from. I heard about them from an episode of Panels & Pizza, a podcast I listen to. They have comics about a superhero titled Wonderboy, Bolt, and Totem, featuring a Native American hero. Representation is really important in comics, so I’ll have to pick up Totem for sure.
Diet Land by Sarai Walker
This isn’t a comic book, but I like the premise of the story. From reviews, it seems like it talks about the beauty standards that the media sets and portrays body positive emotions. Our bodies are awesome and are capable of amazing chemical reactions that keep us breathing. We should celebrate our bodies’ various shapes and sizes. This has been on my Goodreads list for a while so I hope I will finally pick it up soon.
It’s my last semester of college classes and I can’t believe that it’s already November!? Where did that time go? I’m excited to graduate because, after 5 years of being in college, I’m ready to be done. I brainstormed while at work and I came up with my November goals.
Catch Up on Doctor Who
I am so behind in Doctor Who! I watched the first series with Capaldi and it took me a long time to get used to him as the Doctor. After completing the series twice, I finally am on board. Amazon Prime has the newest series and that’s going to be the show that I watch in addition to all my fall TV shows.
Beat Yoshi’s Island or Remastered Zelda Ocarina of Time
My poor neglected 3DS; I see it sitting on my shelf in the Hello Kitty case, but I never take it out. I played a little Yoshi’s Island yesterday and I forgot how cute this game is. I decided I wanted to make sure I finish one of these games in the month of November. Also, I have never played a Zelda game before so I’m excited to hopefully start that game soon.
Read 2 Books in November
I’m currently reading a book written by a local MN author, but I also have the YA Black Widow novel sitting waiting to be read. I’m super excited to start that book. I also hope to pick up some new trade paperbacks sometime soon.
Honestly, I don’t have anything else I want to add to this list. These goals should keep me pretty busy. Plus once the end of November hits, finals will be approaching quickly so I need time to devote to that. This small list is perfect for this Thanksgiving, winter month.
Crafting is such a fun, relaxing way to chill with friends. A couple weeks ago I was contacted to review a new crafting book titled Crafting with Feminism 25 Girl Powered Projects to Smash the Patriarchy. The author shown above is a feminist of course and she’s wearing some of the above crafts you can make. I was emailed a $30 e-gift card for supplies and sent the book for free. Unfortunately, you can’t use the e-gift card in stores only online so I actually haven’t used it. I plan on using it to make a more expensive craft in the future so I can order supplies online. Me & my group settled on the empowering underwear and the tampon crafts.
As a crafting beginner, I wish I would have done more research on making underwear. Apparently, you can’t use a bleach pen on spandex which I didn’t know. Two of the girls in my group ruined their underwear accidentally. So if you use a bleach pen, don’t use it on spandex!! I used cotton underwear and it worked really well. Here are some of the pictures of the finished underwear:
My pair of underwear turned out really well!
Bleach Pen with Spandex Underwear Before:
Bleach Pen with Spandex Underwear After:
As for the tampon craft, the tampons look kinda creepy. I think we used too thick of a pen because we called them the “Joker & Harley tampons” So using a thin point sharpie probably would make the tampons look a lot better. I have attached the Joker & Harley tampons here:
Joker Tampon is on the left, and Harley Quinn is on the right.
Overall, I thought this book was fun. I still really want to make the coffee mug, the feminist-empowered flask, and the candles. However, there are some crafts that just aren’t appealing to me. I have no interest in sewing a uterus pillow, decorating vagina decorations on the Christmas tree, and making anything revolving with tampons. Granted I’m not good at sewing so that’s part of the reason why I don’t want to do some of the crafts. If you’re a self-declared feminist like myself, I think you will love the crafting book.
New York City Comic Con is slowly coming to a close. One day when I’m out of college and I make more money to put to traveling, I will show up at New York Comic Con hopefully in cosplay. Until then, I will just observe from the depths of the internet. I wanted to share my favorite announcements/geeky news from this convention.
Marvel Defenders: Villain Casting & Iron Fist Trailer
Sigourney Weaver was cast as the villain and an Iron Fist teaser trailer was leaked on the internet. Also I just want to take a moment and say how much I love Krysten Ritter’s bright blue boots/heels. I need to get a pair of my own. Marvel and Netflix are a great pair as I have thoroughly enjoyed every single Netflix Marvel show
Clockwork Dagger Book
Thanks to my wonderful Twin Cities Geek editor, I was able to get a free PDF copy of this new book. Apparently it’s a steampunk science fiction book and it sounds really interesting. I’m currently reading a couple of books at once, but I plan to devour this as soon as possible. I love free books especially since I wasn’t able to make it to New York Comic Con.
Batwoman Solo Comic
A Batwoman solo comic is in the works and did I mention that she will be a fabulous queer and lesbian superhero? I’m excited. I love seeing different LGBTQIA+ groups represented in comics so to see this happening by DC is a step in the right direction. This won’t be released until February 2017, but I’m keeping my eye on it until then.
Wonder Woman Statues
There were a couple images released of Wonder Woman statues to coincide with the release of the DC film. They look so intricate and replicate Gal Gadot’s natural beauty. I loved this one with the majestic horse and Wonder Woman raising her sword ready to defend her honor. This is probably the movie I’m most excited for because it’s Wonder Woman and her appearance in Batman v. Superman was one of my favorite scenes.
This ends my round up of New York Comic Con news, are you a huge fan of the Defenders like I am? Let’s discuss the Iron Fist trailer in the comments!
I adore small comic strips. One of my most profound memories from my childhood was stealing my dad’s comic section from the Star Tribune and reading each strip daily. Most comic strips are found in the local paper, and that’s about it. Comic strips aren’t as popular as they used to be. Comic books and graphic novels aren’t something I would consider a strip because it’s full stories on multiple pages. I am promoting a GoFundMe project about a lovable comic strip with plenty of general geekiness in each panel. Best in Show is the strip and the launch can be found here: Best in Show Campaign
I met the author, Phil Juliano at May Comic Con this year in St. Paul. He approached me and was gracious as he learned about Twin Cities Geek, another site I write for. He gave me a free sampling of Best and Show and I wrote a spotlight interview about him.*link will be posted at the end*. Through all of our encounters, I kept a watchful eye on his work. So when I spotted his campaign, I wanted to promote and support his new book.
Best in Show is a strip about a geeky guy named Peej who figures out how to time travel. So where does he go? Back to his childhood because who else misses being a kid? Peej in actuality wants his old Star Wars toys which is why he picked his childhood to revisit. This comic strip frequently exhibits nostalgia about childhood while also examining how entertaining children can be. It’s hilarious, heartwarming, and nostalgic as I think back to my favorite toys as a child.
Spending money on multiple GoFundMe projects can be expensive. Phil’s GoFundMe though is rather cheap. $12 dollars for the book, $15 if you want it signed, and $25 for a print with the book. As a Minnesota native, I like bringing awareness to the talent that started here.
Being a consumer is necessary for backing a project that you want to see. I want to see this book launched so I will be promoting this campaign. Even if you don’t have the funds for this project, sharing my post is equally important. Kids will love this story and adults will fantasize about their most missed beloved childhood toys.
Barbara Gordon is one of my all time favorite comic book characters. She’s young at heart, she’s extremely intelligent and I admire that she’s a computer hacker. She cares immensely for Bruce and she was a great role model for disabled characters in comics. I’m enraged at how Barbara’s story is being told in multiple movies and games. I’m writing this post as a disappointed fan who knows Barbara deserves better.
I consciously thought about writing this post after I finished playing Arkham Knight on a Saturday night. As I play the game, I watch vividly as Barbara is kidnapped. I cruise through Gotham trying to find her because I’m sad she was kidnapped in the first place. After punching, kicking, and running Scarecrow’s men over in the Batmobile, I find Barbara. She seemingly “kills herself” after being exposed to Scarecrow’s gas, but she ends up being alive. Too bad she is only in the game for maybe an hour. I will say though that there is a fun part where Barbara will hack certain objects to help Batman in the finale, which was really epic!!
The Killing Joke is another story that really throws Barbara’s character in the trash. I understand it’s based off the Alan Moore comic and Barbara is paralyzed and stripped nude by the joker. It wasn’t necessary however, to add more footage of Barbara and Batman having sex. Like what? Batman has always been a guardian to Barbara and it was way too weird to throw this random sex scene in. Barbara is sexualized for no reason at all.
I hope in the future, Barbara Gordon gets a good film or TV series as I think she deserves it.
The Killing Joke is an abysmal portrayal of Barbara. I will say Arkham Knight did get better with how Barbara ended up helping out Batman. Hopefully, DC comics can see the hatred they have caused in the community and are willing to give me a decent Barbara Gordon story. It will be worth every penny.
Bizarre Brunette 