Archer's Asylum

I'm back. I'm alive. And I'm still me. 

Back in December I had an accident at work and essentially broke my back. I had crushed vertebrae and have done extensive nerve damage to my lower limbs. I was rushed into surgery where I had a laminectomy and discectomy performed between L3 and S1 on my spine.

I have no feeling in my legs from the knees down. I have no movement in my right foot. I was discharged from hospital 2 months later. 

I have now been at home for 6 months and am doing intensive rehab and physiotherapy 4 times per week. I have muscles in my right leg that are beginning to atrophy and I have only just got an office chair from work to be able to get to my computer. I am still waiting for an arm chair to get me out of bed the majority of the time.

So yeah, that's where Archer has been. 

Hows your year going? Mines been kinda shit so far. 

I am a huge fan of this single issue stand alone story for Batman.

I mean whats not to be in awe of, the art is timeless, and we are given an origin story, out right , for the single most enduring and iconic villain in comicdom.

So when DC announced that they were doing an animated version of the story featuring the voice talents of Kevin Conroy, Tara Strong, and Mark Hamill I was over the fucking moon.

This was going to be the greatest Batman animation ever made, and the last 45 minutes of it are…. but damn, that opening half hour… It starts with Barbara Gordon’s last case as Batgirl. Which isn’t my issue, it shows her in a strong capable light for some of it, but my issue comes with how they changed her relationship with Batman.

This is a relationship that has been largely paternal in its portrayal, so much so that Batgirl’s usual beau is one of the Robins. But here they have a scene with Batgirl and batman making out and a later scene confirming they knocked boots.

This coming in the prologue reduces the Batgirl character to being stuffed in a refrigerator to propel Batman into his encounter with the Joker. I get that her being paralysed is a turning point for the character and that you needed to do something for a prologue, but you could’ve left out the sex and made it more powerful in my opinion.

Beyond that  though this animation is about the most faithful adaptation of any comic material that I have ever seen. The artists have recreated iconic panels from the one shot comic.

The brutality of Jim Gordon’s torture and descent to the very edge of madness is disturbing and harrowing in a way that is never seen in animated adaptations of western comics.

Batman looms larger than life and the stoicism and pain in his persona really come through, especially through his detachment from others and hatred of the Joker. And the Joker, my god the Joker… I’m not going to beat around the bush, Mark Hamill is the star of this. He just is. He delivers the dialogue with such ferocity that the Joker was scarier than he has ever been on screen.

The origin tale still makes you feel for the poor shlub that becomes The Clown Prince of Crime in Gotham City, but that sympathy is juxtaposed with the cold sadism of the man who crippled a woman just to torture her father. It was the same in the book but hearing Hamill but emotion and insanity into that dialogue made it all the more chilling to realise that in the end, the Joker actually has a point…

“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That’s how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.”

 

It’s scary and it’s harrowing because it’s true.

Watch it, ignore the prologue and just watch the adaptation. It will give you chills if you know the story. It will make you think if you don’t…

Happy Viewing

It has been too long since I have used this platform. 

I should really get back into it 

Well slap my arse and call me Bertha, this book moved me.

I’ve had a great deal of difficulty finding books that I actually give enough of a shit about to finish in recent years. So for me to finish a trilogy… and then go back and re-read the fucking thing is amazeballs. And I fell in love with the plight of the characters in this story from the very moment that I met them.

The background of the world is the gloriously undead. The shambling and rotted masses of the infected. In a world where the common cold and cancer (ALL CANCER) are a thing of the past, the genetically engineered super viruses joined together and had an unexpected side effect… RESURRECTION!

But Brain eating aside, the rest of the world continued. The apocalypse happened, and life moved on. Isn’t that just awesome? there are still cities, utilities, presidential campaigns, TV shows… and the news media has changed in such a way that now the most trusted news outlet sites are blogs, because bloggers didn’t lie about the issue when traditional news did. It’s awesome.

In this tale we follow the crew from the After the End Times news site. They’re three 20 somethings on the presidential campaign as a candidates official press pool. The writing is fresh and easy to follow, and the tone is so absorbing that I honestly read the book in about 3 or 4 sittings around work. I couldn’t put it down, I didn’t just read it, I fucking devoured it.

Mira grant kept the pace flowing at just the right speed, and added conflict and conspiracy with just the right timing that the reader is propelled, page after page, into the heart of a story that is gritty and real, despite the zombies, and shows a tenderness that is not often found in many horror thrillers of it’s ilk.

I don’t want to spoil anything for you for this book because I’d hate for anyone to have done that for me but suffice it to say, if you like thrillers and zombies then this book is definitely worth your time. The characters are likable, the writing is clean and easy to follow, and most importantly (and terrifyingly in my opinion) it’s absolutely believable. The hubris of mankind releasing something unchecked and being unaware and unready for the consequences, but adapting and surviving any way? That happens at least once a generation. And this is an excellent example of what could be. I can’t recommend it enough.

Happy reading peeps!

Archer

Something I wrote on my blog about one of my personal pet peeves. Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think

Alrighty, so I've been absent from here for a long assed time and I feel like I owe you all an update. 

As you all know, I'm quite the passionate gamer and I have experience  making films and the like, so I am now running a gaming and pop culture blog called Ballad of the redshirts, which can be visited through the link in the title, and it has it's own sister youtube channel and facebook page. It's nothing big at the moment but it's where I am sharing nearly all of my thoughts on things lately. Games, Films, Books, TV, etc etc. I'd appreciate it if you could check it out sometime. 

Hopefully I'll be back on this platform soon, but you never know. 

I am going to be honest. I am getting sick and tired of hearing this from people who dislike negative reviews. Have you ever actually thought about that statement before? I mean really?

It doesn’t even make sense. On soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many levels. “If you don’t like it… Don’t read it!” Now someone please, tell me exactly how can you know that you won’t like a book before you’ve read it? You can’t, but lets look at some of the most popular tagged on statements I’ve heard.

1. You don’t like the cover.
2. Your friends don’t like it.
3. You don’t like other books like it.
4. You don’t understand it and question it too much.
5. You’re too old to like it
6. You’re too young to like it
7. You read it wrong
8. You don’t like the author

Those are the just some of the statements that I have personally seen being used either before, or just after, the use of “If you don’t like it. Don’t read it”. Now please let me be the first among us to stand there scratch my head, stroke my beard, sigh and utter “Dafuq?”

Look at those statements I mean really look at them and try to get behind the mentality of them. “You don’t like the cover”… Big freaking deal, I don’t like cover for lots of books that I love. Covers have nothing to do with the writing of a novel.

“Your friends don’t like it” *headdesk* I AM NOT A SHEEP! I read quite a lot of things that my friends dislike. And vice versa. And as for my real life friends… Practically none of them read anything that I’d like. We have different tastes… IT’S PART OF BEING HUMAN!

“You don’t like other books like it.” This one actually holds some semblance of a good point, however, just because I didn’t like a previous book that was similar to this one, doesn’t mean I won’t like this. If I’m interested in the synopsis of the book then I’ll give it a try.

“You don’t understand it and question it too much”…

…

….

I don’t even… There are no… DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW PETTY THAT SOUNDS? You have to understand a book to enjoy it? You have to not question a work to gain enjoyment of it? I’m sorry but what? If everybody who loved, let’s go with Harry Potter, understood it and questioned it at more than face value then it would not be loved by children around the world. But also if it didn’t have a deeper meaning that people had to think about to understand, and to question the underlying subtext then, conversely, it wouldn’t be loved by adults.

“You’re too old to like it.” Fuck off

“You’re too young to like it.” See above? Then keep fucking off.

“You read it wrong.” The fuck does that even mean? You can’t read a book wrong. Yes I will bring different things to a book with experiences of my life than, for arguments sake, my wife will with hers… But neither of us can read a book wrong. That statement doesn’t even make any fucking sense whatsoever!

And last but not least, my personal favourite, “you don’t like the author.” Bollocks, that’s what I think of that statement. What utter crap. Just because I have disliked an authors previous works DOESN’T mean I will dislike all of them. I disliked Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency By Douglas Adam’s… But I love The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy.

None of those comments make sense to me… I have failed to get into the mentality behind them… Wait, my beard senses are tingling again… they’re telling me that’s because I’m not a rabid fan. I have recommended books I don’t like to people, because I genuinely think they will enjoy them. But I didn’t know I wasn’t going to like it going into it. I never go into reading a book, knowing and/or hoping I won’t like it. Why would I waste my time on something I knowingly dislike so much?

So all I can say to people is… if you get told “if you don’t like it, then don’t read it” just scratch your head, momentarily try and comprehend the idiocy of the statement and then move on. Otherwise you’ll go a bit weird… Much like me.

Toodle-pip

Archer

Right this has been a question that has been on my mind for quite a while now. Y’know when you pick up a book and you are looking forward to reading it so you plough in. And the book completely fails to live up to your expectations. And it gets to the point where the book is so bad, I mean so bad that it is at that point you wish you’d picked up the book with the violence and the plotline and the writing that works for you, that you put it down.

You put it down and then it starts to collect dust, you don’t finish it. You can’t finish it, you enjoy your (in)sanity far too much. So you review it, and being the awesomely funny and sexy reviewer that you are you tell your readers that you didn’t finish the book and that this is a review of what you did read. All is well. Your review is up, it’s getting likes, you’re one step closer to ruling the world…

But the question remains. If you do not finish a book should you review it at all? Stop and think about it for a moment whilst I grab a beer.

…

…

…

OK, thought it over? What do you think? Should bloggers/readers review DNF’s? Personally I think we should if we are so inclined. And here’s why. You have every right to share your thoughts about the work you have just, arguably, wasted your precious time reading.

Why shouldn’t you share your disappointment with others? All reviews have the ability to be helpful. You can’t deny this. True they might not always be helpful to everyone but they are never totally unhelpful. There will always be at least one person who will be aided by your reviews. Be it because they agree with your opinions and the things you point out or, inversely, because they disagree with them.

Don’t look at me like that, it happens. I’ve read negative DNF reviews of books and noticed the points that the reviewer had made. But they had made me want to read the book more, I’ve read positive reviews that totally put me off the book because they’re just so much blatant fangirling and squee and they just put me off the work. Hey, shit happens. But that still doesn’t help when you do DNF.

This is going to seem like a how to guide in part. And I suppose that’s the point because DNF reviews are controversial in the blogosphere. And with good reason. They aren’t entirely an accurate representation of the work now are they? It’s true, you didn’t actually read all of the book and you never know, the questions you have may be answered by the end of it… But you never know, they might not.

IF, and that is a big if, you do decide to DNF then don’t be all ragey. That’s not going to help, at all. Not even a little bit. Relax, de-stress, have a (dozen or so) drink(s). Then focus on the plot. Why didn’t it work for work? Was it the execution or the concept itself? Were the character’s likeable at all? The section of it you did read… was it well paced or slow as treacle in the winter? Was it well written or not?

I know that that seems like a lot to focus on for a partial review but if you, like I, decide to review books that you put down then I think you should at least review them in the same way you would review any other book. Do it with the same snark, same sarcasm, same method… however you write your reviews normally. The book still deserves that, it did something right after all. It got you to pick it up in the first place didn’t it?

And will you get negative comments? Probably. Will they have an effect on you? Without a doubt but remember. Don’t get mad, be civil. Be chill… Channel the epitome of cool himself… Morgan Freeman. Remind them politely that while you respect their opinion they have no reason to belittle you for yours and that if they loved it so much, maybe they could better serve their fandom by writing their own review.

Stop sighing, yes I know, that in some cases, I am preaching to the converted and that you’d be just as well telling them to fall in a hole for all the chance they’ll change their minds, but don’t let them force you into stifling your opinion. Your thoughts mean a lot to someone, and at the very least they act as a journal of what you thought of the book if you ever decide to re-read.

So should we review DNF’s?

I’ve shared my thoughts and feelings.

What do you think?

Archer.

So, I tried to read this series on my kindle but that was ALL the books in one uber file, which I get, but I felt like I was getting nowhere with it. I would read for hours at a time and only progress one or two percent. It just made me cry, at least with the boxed set I have now I can physically see how much I have read and each volume is just one book. Hopefully this will mean I will finally get round to finishing the series instead of crying over the e-ink it was published on. 

Heheheheeh 

And people say Bournemouth is boring...

BELLA HAS HAD HER SURGERY AND IS AT HOME RECOVERING NICELY!

She has a huge bald spot on her hind quarters but even right after having a piece of bone removed and her leg muscles cut open she is moving around a whole lot more. 

She is such a sweetheart, but she is once again very wary of people because... y'know... we took her to the vet a whole bunch of times and each time a bit of her got shaved and removed. First time blood, this time bone... 

She still loves to be cuddled and purrs like an almighty motor while being petted. SHe's even getting more adventurous and came out to the lounge room last night to eat from the food towers there, and to knock over a dvd stand lol. 

Lissa and I really cannot thank you all enough for all the help you have given us. So far we have raised $1490 which is just enough to cover the surgery, and we have said now that any more money that comes in we will use to buy her a big soft bed, a kitty condo and toys. 

From the bottom of my heart guys, you're awesome. And I love each and every one of you. 

If you would like to help make her life comfortable, please follow this link...

http://www.gofundme.com/y7eg8b8

We are so very nearly there. 

Bella has had her desexing stitches removed and Dante has been cuddling with her and grooming her.

Her infection has cleared up and she is happier and more confident.

But her hip is definitely bothering her. She can't settle because it pains her. She has to rest it when moving. She gets frustrated and it breaks my heart. 

I want so badly to make her more comfortable and see her as happy as she can be. 

This is surgery is definitely gonna be a life changer for her. 

But other than her hip and the movement issues that causes, she seems to have settled nicely. She is currently sleeping in a cat bed after having a brief exercise on hobbling back to it, but she is purring so loudly. 

I want to help her so much. Please help me to do this.

PUTTING THIS BACK UP AT THE TOP OF THE FEED!

Bella's gofundme is $1000! Good job to everyone has donated, and thank you for all for participating in this giveaway.

I know I said that I would do the drawing at 10:00 p.m. 7/9 (which is right now). I want to make sure I've got everyone on the list & give any last minute donators a chance to participate, so I'm going to leave it open until morning!

Last chance to correct my list of participants!

Well, because of BL stupid reblogging function which I now hate more even than I did before - but I digress - you actually can't see my reblog language when you view the post on my actual blog. So, I'm trying to fix the problem here. If you've already commented on the other post, no worries - it still counts. If you comment there first, and then find this post, again, no worries. I will monitor them both!

Now, to business:

Most of you have seen Big Beardy Bloke's post about his beautiful kitten, Bella, who was rescued and needs surgery. If not, this a cut and paste:

I'm sure most of you have seen this in the interim, but in case you haven't (and even if you have) ...

This is Bella.  She needs surgery to mend the effects of an improperly healed break in her leg and pelvis, and a dislocated hip that has settled out of the joint.  She needs surgery in order to improve her mobility and quality of life, and to stop any pain she may be feeling.  Her new adoptive parents -- Big Beardy Bloke Buried By Books and his wife -- would like her to have that surgery, but are struggling to cover the costs.  Their crowd funding campaign with GoFundMe.com(http://www.gofundme.com/y7eg8b8) is currently at a little more than 1/4 of the set target -- just short of covering the costs of Bella's diagnosis, or looked at alternately, a little more than 1/3 of the estimated costs of surgery.

All those of us who have pets know what those pets mean to us.  All of us, I'm sure, would spare no expense to give our own pets the veterinary care they need.  Having lost one cat to a belated and erroneous veterinary diagnosis myself, I understand very well that time is absolutely of essence in this regard.  Animals can tell us that something is wrong with them, even if they can't put a voice to precisely what it is -- and they shouldn't be made to suffer, any more than any human should be made to suffer.

Giving via GoFundMe.com is 100% pain-free, 100% anonymous if that's how you prefer your gift to appear, and as easy as hitting an online retailer's "buy" button.  Please think about what you can do to help.  Thank you!

And the giveaway, from Moonlight Reader:

OK, people - I feel like we here at Booklikes can do better than this for Bella!

So, here is my proposal. I am doing a giveaway of a $50.00 amazon gift card. The price of entry is a $10.00 donation for Bella's surgery. Donate $10.00, chance to win 5 times that amount to buy books at amazon.

Make your donation using your booklikes user name, and then come and comment on this post. I'll use the random number generator to choose the winner for the GC will happen in 72 hours.

Note: in the case of a non-US winner, you can substitute the amazon GC for any book seller as long as I can buy the GC from my computer in the U.S. I don't think that Book Depository does gift cards. So, that's out.

If Big Beardy Bloke doesn't get at least $50.00 in donations from this offer, I will cancel the giveaway & just donate the money to the gofundme. Go forth and participate.

And if for some reason this offer violates some random law or something, I'll have to cancel it. Sorry.

It looks like the following booklikers have entered the giveaway:

Nospin

Books, Hockey & a Bucketful of Snark

Chaotic Reading

Hunger For Knowledge

Murder by Death

Tracey's Stay in Midian

Sarah's Library

Nothing Better Than a Good Book

With a $50.00 donation from HFK, we are up to $80.00 in new donations from this giveaway. Big Beardy Bloke can let me know if he gets additional donations through paypal to enter into the giveaway. We've met the threshhold for the donation to finish, so look for the winner @ 10:00 p.m. (Pacific time) on July 9!

If I missed anyone, let me know!

Let's help Bella.

Rape is about men who refused to recognize consent is a requirement for sex. 

These are good illustration of what consent is, for men to get the message why consent is necessary when they want to have sex with someone. Without consent, it is rape.