Christmas 2017.

Hope you had a nice Christmas if you celebrate. Every year I do a Christmas present post so here is this years!

This year I got some really nice Wonder Woman pyjamas, and quite a lot of Pusheen things. My Nan got me a really cosy scarf from New Look and some super soft M&S gloves, which you can't really see in the pictures but am really grateful for as I needed both.

 Possibly the start of a new collection?!

This is a little book of quotes and drawings of Louis Theroux!

 My sister got me some very cool Catwoman back issues to add to my collection. They were wrapped in amazing paper that featured my faves Raymond Holt from Brooklyn 99 and Ron Swanson from Parks & Rec (see my Instagram for a picture!)

 Of course I got some pops! DC Bombshells style Catwoman, Major and a Geisha from Ghost in the Shell and Ron Swanson.

Finally some books. Her Body & Other Parties was actually a pre-order that I'm really excited to read, and look how beautiful the cover to Sour Heart is!

Favourite comic covers of 2017.

As mentioned in my favourite comics of 2017 post I am really behind in my comic reading this year- that hasn't stopped my buying them though! I have been really impressed with the variants that came out this year- special shout out to Wonder Woman which has had some beautiful Jenny Frisson covers. Another mention has to go to both Bombshells United (especially that Babs Tarr cover) and Batgirl and the Birds of Prey (so glad to see Catwoman on so many of the covers!) So here are some of my fave covers of 2017...

Mental health at Christmas.

Christmas time isn't always a happy time for everyone and if you are struggling with your mental health it can be a lonely time. I just wanted to take a moment to say that you are never alone, whoever and wherever you are. If you need someone to talk to them you can find my email on the side bar. There are also some great organisations you can reach out to. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. We are human beings, not superheroes and trying to deal with stuff on your own makes it so much harder. 

(I copied this list from this post on Den of Geek as there are some really useful contacts here if you need them)

Young Minds is dedicated to the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. Parents concerned about their youngsters can call 0808-802-5544. Here is its website.

CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably, aimed at young men feeling unhappy. It has a web chat service, and freephone phone lines. You can find its website here.

MIND is an organisation that aims to make sure nobody has to face a mental health problem by themselves. You can find its website here. The MIND infoline is 0300 123 3393.

SANE does amazing work too in battling the stigma that seems to go with mental health. Between 6pm and 11pm, you can give them a call on 0300-304-7000. They welcome calls from anyone affected in any way at all by mental illness and challenges. Here is SANE's website.

The Samaritans do such wonderful work. You can talk to them around the clock on 116 123, a freephone number in the UK and Ireland. Or drop an email to jo@samaritans.org – you’ll get a reply within a day or two.

The Depression Alliance can help those around you gain a better understanding of what depression is, and how it affects you. It has a directory of support groups around the country, here. It's merged with MIND, but for the minute, has a separate website.

PAPYRUS is a group that supports teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal. You can call them on 0800 068 4141.

If you’re dealing with a bereavement, or struggling with grief, then CRUSE Bereavement Care can be found here.

If you’re struggling with a relationship, then RELATE is a great organisation. You can find it here. 

Finally, I just wanted to wish all my readers a lovely Christmas if you celebrate it x

My favourite graphic novels & comics of 2017.

For personal reasons this year has been a bit of a fucker, and as a result I did nowhere near as much reading as I'd have liked. My comic reading seems to have suffered the most and I have huge piles of comics and series I am behind in. Because of that there are a lot of series that I very much love that aren't on this list due to being so behind in them (Gwenpool, Paper Girls, Motor Crush, DC Bombshells, Zodiac Starforce, WikDiv, Batgirl to name a few...) but out of what I read here are my favourites! 

I'm hoping in the new year to catch up with the backlog I have and have a few weeks booked of to hopefully do so! 

Lately Nov/ Dec.

A cute bookmark I got in a Veronica Dearly box

Uni work. Urgh it's been a tough few months but I have handed everything that's due this year wooo!

Just a delicious burger that I couldn't even finish and still feel bad about it :D

I went to Ikea and DIDN'T buy pick'n'mix. I don't know who I am anymore.

I was feeling really fed up so ordered some of my favourite chocolate. Totally worth it.

It snowed really bad and it was great for the first day because I got the day off work and had a snowball fight but then it just got annoying because busses were cancelled and there was ice everywhere and it was rubbish!

Some recent-ish comics!

My favourite reads of 2017.

In no particular order here are my favourite reads of 2017!I didn't have the best reading year this year, I read a total of 77 books- including graphic novels  (which I'll do a separate favourites post on). There were some stand out books that I loved...

As a huge fan of Sarah Lotz I very much enjoyed her Everest set horror The White Road. Dystopian survival thriller The Last One was a pleasant surprise earlier in the year which kept me on the edge of my seat. I also read a lot more YA than usual and especially loved the quirky and fun horror Horrorstor, as well as dystopian mystery See How They Lie. 

If I had to pick and overall favourite though it would have to be Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. A beautiful novel about family, friendship and small town life this book made me cry more than once. Read my full review here.

Although there were some real gems I hope next year to have a far longer list of favourites!