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Robin Hood Reading Challenge

Yes, I did put way too much thought into this! I don't care! In honor of My Gang To Me Day, I'm posting the silly bookish challenge I wrote up late last year themed around the silly show from my high school years because I am nothing if not nostalgic.

There's no real rules; I think I'll probably just try to check off all the prompts by the end of the year but you could also just read the ones that interest you, one from each catagory, etc. If I'm in the mood, I might do a readathon at some point where I try to tick off as many boxes as possible.

Levels

Outlaw: read 1-3 books

Spy: read 4-6 books

Master Archer: read 7+ books

Prompts

Characters

Robin: read a retelling or a book about/inspired by history

Marian: read a book focusing on current events and/or social justice

Djaq: read a book by an author of color who comes from a different region of the world than you do

Much: read a book where the perspective character is a servant or otherwise considered of secondary importance to someone else (e.g. Much to Robin, Watson to Holmes, a maidservant, or a vice principal, be creative!) 

Guy of Gisborne: read a book featuring either a redemption arc or a corruption arc (or both 👀)

Sheriff Vaisey: read a book featuring a villain you would consider "fun"/someone you love to hate

Allan-a-Dale: read a book with an unreliable narrator or a morally grey main character

Locations

Locksley: read a book set in a town (neither a city nor rural)

Sherwood Forest: read a book set primarily in the wilderness 

The Holy Land: read a book set in a climate different from your own

Weapons

Sword: read a book with a weapon on the cover

Bow: read a book with wood or trees on the cover

Knife: read a book with a "sharp" (ie attractive to you) cover

Trap: read a book with a cover you think is ugly

Bonus challenge: read a book about Robin Hood (do i recommend the official BBC Robin Hood audiobooks? no. but also yes. do read them. but they are not good <3)

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I wanna finish these books in the next 12 days so no help me. Actually the Jackson Letters can wait but I would like to make significant progress in it. And add in Love After The End edited by Joshua Whitehead. I'm halfway through the Koufax bio, already at least started everything else except The Doll. I'm gonna do it 🔫👀

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I'm really excited to join in with The Indigenous Reading Circle this year, which focuses on short story collections and speculative fiction! I have found a lot of really good books in 2021 by expanding my knowledge of indigenous authors and I can't wait to get started on some of these. Some I've heard amazing things about and some I've never heard of. Personally, I might skip the Stephen Graham Jones purely bc I've read him before and not vibed with his style, but the rest sound like stuff I would love. They do a Zoom meet up to discuss the books but I've been too chicken/unavailable to attend but maybe this year 👀🤞

(images via @indigenousreadingcircle on Instagram)

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One thing I love about North and South, Wives and Daughters and Cranford is that there is conflict and tragedy without outright villains.

This is the most clear in W&D. Even Mr. Preston is not a full on cad. He did fall in love with Cynthia, he really meant to marry her and he did wait years for her, and ultimately returned her letters out of the simple conviction that she wouldn't marry him one way or another.

Was the tragedy of Osborn Hamley avoidable? I don't know. The Squire's reaction in his grief is not a parameter to tell how he would have reacted before. Neither Osborn nor the squire mean to harm each other, on the contrary, they love each other... but that's not enough to make then harmonious because they cannot understand each other.

Cynthia is also not wicked, and her "jilting" has solid reasoning behind it, even if most of the time her thoughtless actions lead her to the hot spots.

It's just so fascinating and life like.

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Ooh I've read 4 of these but I'll definitely check out the others!! Thank you!!

What are y'all's favorite haunted house books? I've read a lot of them but I'm trying to narrow down my next read, caveats being I do not like Stephen King and am looking for an adult book not YA or MG.

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IndigAThon 2021 TBR! I've had really good luck with indigenous authors this year so I want to get to at least a couple of these. Read Jo Jo Makoons today and found it delightful ❤️

Also super siked to read an issue of Dawnland Voices, which is a literary magazine featuring indigenous authors from New England. Was a bit worried about the "land acknowledgement" prompt as I live on Wabanaki/Abenaki/Penobscot land and the only books I was finding via google were academic or out of print, but I love literary magazines AND it's specifically made by/for the local tribes! So that's cool.

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Already posted/talked about how excited I’ve been for the release of this newly-published book (Decolonizing “Prehistory”: Deep Time and Indigenous Knowledges in North America – 2021). But here are a few other cool-looking newly-published books (with publisher’s descriptions) from the same publisher, the University of Arizona Press. 

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From the publisher’s description: “Decolonizing “Prehistory” combines a critical investigation of the documentation of the American deep past with perspectives from Indigenous traditional knowledges and attention to ongoing systems of intellectual colonialism. Bringing together experts from American studies, archaeology, anthropology, legal studies, history, and literary studies, this interdisciplinary volume offers essential information about the complexity and ambivalence of colonial encounters […] and their impact on American scientific d!scourse. […] Constructions of America’s ancient past – or the invention of American “prehistory” – occur in national and international political frameworks, which are characterized by struggles over racial and ethnic identities, access to resources and environmental stewardship, the commodification of culture for touristic purposes, and the exploitation of Indigenous knowledges and histories by industries ranging from education to film and fashion. The past’s ongoing appeal reveals the relevance of these narratives to current-day concerns about individual and collective identities and pursuits of sovereignty and self-determination, as well as to questions of the origin – and destiny – of humanity. Decolonizing “Prehistory” critically examines and challenges the paradoxical role that modern scholarship plays in adding legitimacy to, but also delegitimizing, contemporary colonialist practices.”

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The Dine Reader: An Anthology of Navajo Literature – 2021.

This wide-ranging anthology brings together writers who offer perspectives that span generations and perspectives on life and Diné history. The collected works display a rich variety of and creativity in themes: home and history; contemporary concerns about identity, historical trauma, and loss of language; and economic and environmental inequalities. The Diné Reader developed as a way to demonstrate both the power of Diné literary artistry and the persistence of the Navajo people. The volume opens with a foreword by poet Sherwin Bitsui, who offers insight into the importance of writing to the Navajo people. The editors then introduce the volume by detailing the literary history of the Diné people, establishing the context for the tremendous diversity of the works that follow, which includes free verse, sestinas, limericks, haiku, prose poems, creative nonfiction, mixed genres, and oral traditions reshaped into the written word. This volume combines an array of literature with illuminating interviews, biographies, and photographs of the featured Diné writers and artists.

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Moral Ecology of a Forest: The Nature Industry and Maya Post-Conservation – Jose E. Martinez-Reyes, 2021

Forests are alive, filled with rich, biologically complex life forms and the interrelationships of multiple species and materials. Vulnerable to a host of changing conditions in this global era, forests are in peril as never before. New markets in carbon and environmental services attract speculators. In the name of conservation, such speculators attempt to undermine local land control in these desirable areas. Moral Ecology of a Forest provides an […] account of conservation politics, particularly the conflict between Western conservation and Mayan ontological ecology. The difficult interactions of the Maya of central Quintana Roo, Mexico, for example, or the Mayan communities of the Sain Ka’an Biosphere, demonstrate the clashing interests with Western biodiversity conservation initiatives. The conflicts within the forest of Quintana Roo represent the outcome of nature in this global era, where the forces of land grabbing, conservation promotion and organizations, and capitalism vie for control of forests and land. […] The Maya Forest of Quintana Roo is a historically disputed place in which these three questions come together.”

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Food Plants of the Sonoran Desert – Wendy C. Hodgson, 2015

“The seemingly inhospitable Sonoran Desert has provided sustenance to indigenous peoples for centuries. Although it is to all appearances a land bereft of useful plants, fully one-fifth of the desert’s flora are edible. This volume presents information on nearly 540 edible plants used by people of more than fifty traditional cultures of the Sonoran Desert and peripheral areas. […] Food Plants of the Sonoran Desert includes not only plants such as gourds and legumes but also unexpected food sources such as palms, lilies, and cattails, all of which provided nutrition to desert peoples. […]

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Moveable Gardens: Itineraries and Sanctuaries of Memory – 2021

“Moveable Gardens explores how biodiversity and food can counter the alienation caused by displacement. By offering in-depth studies on a variety of regions, this volume carefully considers various forms of sanctuary making within communities, and seeks to address how carrying seeds, plants, and other traveling companions is an ongoing response to the grave conditions of displacement […]. The destruction of homelands, fragmentation of habitats, and post-capitalist conditions of modernity are countered by thoughtful remembrance of tradition and the migration of seeds, which are embodied in gardening, cooking, and community building. Moveable Gardens highlights itineraries and sanctuaries in an era of massive dislocation, addressing concerns about finding comforting and familiar refuges in the Anthropocene. […]”

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La Raza Cosmetica: Beauty, Identity, and Settler Colonialism in Postrevolutionary Mexico – Natasha Varner, 2020

“In the decades following the Mexican Revolution, nation builders, artists, and intellectuals manufactured ideologies that continue to give shape to popular understandings of indigeneity and mestizaje today. Postrevolutionary identity tropes emerged as part of broader efforts to reunify the nation and solve pressing social concerns, including what was posited in the racist rhetoric of the time as the “Indian problem.” Through a complex alchemy of appropriation and erasure, indigeneity was idealized as a relic of the past while mestizaje was positioned as the race of the future. This period of identity formation coincided with a boom in technology that introduced a sudden proliferation of images on the streets and in homes: there were more photographs in newspapers, movie houses cropped up across the country, and printing houses mass-produced calendar art and postcards. La Raza Cosmética traces postrevolutionary identity ideals and debates as they were dispersed to the greater public through emerging visual culture. […]”

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No Species Is an Island: Bats, Cacti, and Secrets of the Sonoran Desert – Theodore H. Fleming, 2017

“In the darkness of the star-studded desert, bats and moths feed on the nectar of night-blooming cactus flowers. By day, birds and bees do the same, taking to blooms for their sweet sustenance. In return these special creatures pol­linate the equally intriguing plants in an ecological circle of sustainability. The Sonoran Desert is the most biologically diverse desert in the world. Four species of columnar cacti, including the iconic saguaro and organ pipe, are among its most conspicuous plants. No Species Is an Island describes Theodore H. Fleming’s eleven-year study of the pollination biology of these species at a site he named Tortilla Flats in Sonora […]. Among the novel findings are one of the world’s rarest plant-breeding sys­tems in a giant cactus; the ability of the organ pipe cactus to produce fruit with another species’ pollen; the highly specialized moth-cactus pollination system of the senita cactus; and the amazing lifestyle of the lesser long-nosed bat, the major nocturnal pollinator of three of these species. […]”

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Whale Snow: Inupiat, Climate Change, and Multispecies Resilience in Arctic Alaska – Chie Sakakibara, 2020

“Whale Snow explores how everyday the relatedness of the Iñupiat of Arctic Alaska and the bowhead whale forms and transforms “the human” through their encounters with modernity. Whale Snow shows how the people live in the world that intersects with other beings, how these connections came into being, and, most importantly, how such intimate and intense relations help humans survive the social challenges incurred by climate change […].”

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I don’t know if you’ll be able to help out, but I support BLM and want to learn more about black people in the UK but most of the stuff out there is about America. Do you have any recommendations about British black people? Books or documentaries or resources?

I'd be happy to help out! I agree the US tends to dominate conversations about race, but happily there are quite a few British books out there too! Disclaimer that these are just off the top of my head so if anyone wants to add more then please go ahead!

Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga! He's a prominent Black historian and has also done multiple documentaries which aim to expand traditional narratives of British history to include people of colour who are so often written out. You can find a full list on his Wikipedia page of course, though I'm unsure as to how many are on iPlayer and such! There's a child-friendly version of Black and British here too for any parents/teachers who are interested!

Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch is a more autobiographical book about Hirsch's experiences growing up as a mixed race woman in Britain. Hirsch attended Oxford University and works at the BBC, so it’s offers a good insight into what it's like for POC to exist in spaces that have traditionally been saved for rich white people. She's a journalist to so there are various articles of hers floating about covering a range of issues, some of which relate to race. She's also done a few documentaries that are worth checking out, including The Battle for Britain's Heroes which questions whether some of our 'heroes' (e.g. Churchill, Nelson) should really be honoured, and (not British but) African Renaissance which looks at Black culture in Ethiopia, Senegal and Kenya - maybe the first time I've seen African culture shown on its own terms.

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala is another half autobiographical work, covering stuff like the far right in Britain, policing and education. It does a great job of cutting through the squeamishness I think Brits often have when talking about race.

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge has become a sort of classic of its genre but I think it's totally worthy of all the praise it's received! It looks at how lots of white people in Britain (and more generally) equate racism with full-on hate crimes, meaning they don't consider themselves racist despite regularly committing micro-aggressions/other unintentional acts. Also an absolutely stellar insight into intersectionality throughout the book! Cannot recommend enough!

Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power by Lola Olufemi is a must-read for feminists! It discusses modern-day feminism and how it needs to remove itself from that girlboss capitalist yuckiness, and should instead focus on marginalised issues within feminism such as transmisogyny, sex work, and - of course - racism. Has been praised by Angela Davis so that's a huge plus!

The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla is a collection of essays by POC from across Britain sharing experiences of racism and immigration, and what it feels like to be constantly regarded as an 'other' or as an ambassador for your race.

Literally anything by Paul Gilroy! His work is slightly older and some of it is very ~academic~ but I don't want to suggest that it's therefore totally inaccessible. He talks a lot more about British national identity and our role in the world and how that has affected views on race and immigration. He's written lots (I recommend Googling him and having a better look yourself!) but There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack and After Empire: Melancholia or Convivial Culture are both fab.

If you're feeling brave then you could look at anything by Marxist darling Stuart Hall? Some of his writing is very difficult to penetrate imo, but it's worth it if you can. He's written a lot so I would recommend browsing his Wikipedia page first and seeing if there's anything that grabs you. Even if you don't feel up to reading his stuff cover to cover, he's still someone who every antiracist in Britain should know!

Honourary mention to Thinking Black: Britain, 1964-1985 by Rob Waters just because he taught me at university hehe! Obviously more of an academic history book, but again pretty accessible and a good insight into more radical Black politics in Britain in the era.

I haven't read it myself as I believe it's only just come out but David Harewood has a book called Maybe I Don't Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery which looks worth checking out! Foreword by our beloved David Olusoga too!

If you're still looking for more then a good tip with any of the academic books listed here is that you can browse the footnotes and/or bibliography to find further reading there!

If you're looking for documentaries then on the BBC you can browse for Black History Month stuff, (fictional) shows that centre Black British characters and narratives, and documentaries that do the same. There has been quite a lot done in the past year about all sorts of stuff - from Black people in the NHS, what it's like being Black in the church, more specific stuff on Stephen Lawrence, Windrush, the Newcross Fire, and even specials on Black celebrities such as Lenny Henry. There's also a Black and Proud section on Channel 4's website that does something similar (side note: cannot believe they've put Hollyoaks on there that's so funny).

I don't read much fiction myself, but it is important not just to see Black Britons as victims of racism, but also as… you know… complicated and fully rounded human beings who are able to experience the full spectrum of human emotion like everyone else. Like black people just… existing. Looking to others who do read fiction to help flesh out this section in particular but a couple again off the top of my head:

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola (I know this isn’t about Britain per se, but she's a Black British writer so I think it counts).

This is probably more than you asked for and you can likely tell that my academic background is in history so it is skewed towards that but I hope this helps! And again, if anyone wants to add anything then feel free!

- Dominique

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i was editing a paper and didn't have time to make this post, but some time ago i had promised to do a list of sci-fi from india. i think all of these texts are specifically within the indian subcontinent, and not from the rest of south asia. anyway

science fiction is particularly interesting as a choice to me; because i am someone who much much much prefers reading fantasy fiction. the problem is that for fantasy fiction written and published in the subcontinent, the genre's main features make it difficult reading for me. fantasy does have a tendency to look backwards, usually takes cues from the middle-ages, or searches for a #gloriouspast and all that. for indian writers, (who are, very often, upper caste), this means looking to the ramayan or mahabharat for inspiration, or even looking to the mughal era. needless to say that i have no interest in recreations of hindu mythology, and even lesser interest in seeing uncritical reimaginations of casteist systems. i haven't read people like roshani chokshi and all, but that stuff is published out of india so, there's different factors guiding it. and the first time i read stuff by ashok banker i couldn't take it. all of that ram oriented worship - no thank you.

sci-fi, on the other hand, has some interesting things to say. a lot of these writers are admittedly upper caste, but because sci fi is not hankered by the glorious past, some of them have explored relationships between religion, caste, gender and state through the medium of science fiction in more and more interesting ways. plus, because genre is already a slippery thing in regional indian contexts, there's actually a reasonable amount of translated fiction that has lately been classified as science fiction.

ok i've rambled enough. starting with Short Story Collections:

1. Anukul by Satyajit Ray: ok i know satyajit ray makes it onto many lists for his more artistic and literary endeavours, and god knows i have no love for the way bengali writers have colonised indian academia, but i promise his detective fiction and science fiction is where its at. this is a pretty easily available short story that looks into the implications of robots and AI within the context of dharma and caste. it's got an interesting take on all of these things, even the attitudes towards immigrants, and i really enjoyed this short story. there's a short film adaptation of this story that's genuinely pretty good if you can find it. my prof in MA screened it for us.

2. It Happened Tomorrow edited by Bal Phondke: remember when i said that genre is slippery and you can find regional language stuff which fits the modern genre category science fiction? go for this book to find out more. it's got 19 short stories in translation, from various parts of india.

3. Breaking the Bow edited by Anil Menon and Vandana Singh: this book isn't as much in circulation anymore because these short stories explore the Ramyan through various critical lenses, and that shit isn't allowed in the new government anymore. there are some really interesting things being said about india's position as a power in the world (which seem hilarious in retrospect).

4. The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet and Other Stories by Vandana Singh: i know that science fiction isn't everyone's cup of tea because at times it can be very hard and has more edges than something magical and fantastical. if so, really go for this. vandana singh writes science fiction a lot like fantasy, and this book has genuinely some of the loveliest stories. one of the stories that has stuck with me is actually about a muslim professor who loves maths, and journeys through time and space.

5. Shockwave! and Other Cyber Stories edited by ?? I think it's ashok banker again, but honestly the goodreads page lists four authors and amazon lists none. make of that what you will: there's this one story in this called Almaru that i think about once every month. it has a robot revolution and the robots are called kathputlis. this is my pitch for you to read this.

moving on to NOVELS:

6. The Competent Authority by Shovon Chowdhury: this is. the funniest book. time travel, nuclear bombs, radiation, purple bananas, and a plethora of SUPER DEPRESSING hot takes on indian society, and this is still the funniest book ever. the premise is pretty simple: the author makes an astute observation that if india were to fall under dictatorial sci fi rule post a nuclear bombing, it would most likely be taken up by a bureaucrat. this book has some things to say about the bureaucracy, an india in general - yet its very funny and whimsical at the same time. plus, it has an enormous amount of heart for something thats pretty bleak. the author isn't just making fun for the sake of it you know??

7. The Beast with Nine Billion Feet by Anil Menon: i'd mentioned this in another list for YA reads, but this is a really good book. it takes a different tack, and tries to explore a combination of leftist ideology coming together with identity politics, alongside a straightforward coming of age journey. the premise is straightforward. two kids have new friends in the neighbourhood, and something about them is off. as they become friends they realise some interesting stuff about their society and community, and the science fiction has Things to Say as it were. daddy issues all around! really sweet characters! pune in the future!

8. Generation 14 by Priya Sarukai Chabria: i think this book was republished in another title, but i read it when it was called generation 14. i think it's pretty interesting how sci fi authors often use robots to reexamine caste, and i mean. i don't know how to feel about that exactly, but at least they aren't shying away from it i guess?? something i liked about this book was how it takes you way into south asia's past alongside the heroine, the way she searches way into her memory for more and more humanity, and that's really the crux of this book. where should a clone go in history looking for human identity?

9. Escape by Manjula Padmanabhan: again, i think i mentioned this book in another list but goddamn. goddamn this book is depressing. seriously, read it only if you really feel up for it. india fucked up massively and decided to eradicate women from society, was wiped off of global map by the other political powers, and one last girl has been saved and harboured by her brothers. see how that's depressing just to describe it??? be careful when you read this book.

10. Domechild by Shiv Ramdas: of these, i think this is the most straightforward one in terms of sci fi roots. south asian science fiction is also concerned with capitalism, of course, but the trend i have noticed is that people really like exploring caste and gender in indian sci fi a lot more. this one is more straightforward because it's a pretty clear conversation around capitalism and ownership of the self, tropes that have a more western science fiction root, yk?? it's not bad or anything, its just not very new.

and now the final category... Books That I Wouldn't Recommend But I Had Fun Reading:

11. Vimana and Zombiestan by Mainak Dhar: the reason i wouldn't recommend this is because it's pretty bad writing that leans into a masculine survivor fantasy and also repurposes hinduism to make it jazzy and is VERY islamophobic. the reason why i had fun was because it's in the "so bad its good" category for me. i often read bad books to figure out trends more. like i read Once Upon a Curfew by Srishti Chaudhury recently because i've been noticing that emergency oriented indian fiction is getting more popular lately, and i wanted to know what was up. that was a pretty bad book too, but it wasn't bad enough to become good yk. of these two books i'd still say steer clear of vimana because i find hinduism glorification just so hard to swallow lately.

12. Toke by Jugal Kishore Mody: again this isn't like... good writing, because it's clearly written by a stoner and for stoners. the premise is that everyone's becoming a zombie and the way to stop it is to get stoned. two stoners have to save the world. go figure. it's bad, but you know,,,,,,,, it's entertaining. like i wasn't unhappy when i was reading it, which is more than i can say for some of the books i've left out of this list.

okay LAST last category: Books I am PLANNING To Read:

1. The Last Jet Engine Laugh by Ruchir Joshi: i think this could be an interesting book in retrospect, like it had predictions more for this year than any other. plus looking into 30 years of history through a sci fi framework just sounds intriguing to me.

2. His Footsteps Through Darkness and Light by Mimi Mondal: personally i think the conversation around representation is very american, and it doesn't always translate well into an indian context, but that's a topic for another time (ask me about it sometime, idk). that being said, Mimi Mondal is one of the few dalit spec fic writers, so i really wanted to read this book by her. it's available only on kindle unfortunately, and much as i dislike drm-ed copies, she has made it available drm free!! so i might have a go at this later in the year. one can never tell with me, i just go by my mood more than anything else really.

3. Aliens in Delhi by Sami Ahmad Khan: mostly because i love delhi and i love aliens and sami ahmad khan is a really nice guy. that's all.

final notes: you will notice even in this list that sci fi writers in india can be a bit of an ingroup, because this is a genre that's not always accessible to non upper caste writers. it's something to keep in mind when approaching literally any english literature published inside or outside india, i guess.

apologies for that very long post!! hope this is a nice list for whenever any of you feel like reading sci fi. i promise im not a booklr, but its just nice to talk about south asian books that i read on here. i have too much disdain for diaspora writing, so i've never really been able to talk about the stuff in india i actually LIKE reading. there's a lot of it!! someday i will make a list of detection fiction maybe, or even young adult writing that's not sci fi or fantasy.

ok i promise im done

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Midnight & indigo: Twenty-two Speculative Stories by Black Women Writers (2020)

Midnight & indigo celebrates Black women writers with this Speculative fiction special issue of their literary journal. From basements to highways, small towns to new worlds, emerging and established storytellers share tales of fear and discovery, redemption, and resistance.

Black girls are disappearing in broad daylight in the woods of Kent County. A new tea shoppe in a gentrifying neighborhood sells a mysterious concoction. French tourists, seeking to get out of New Orleans during a hurricane, encounter a stultified writer. A woman befriends a strange creature in a wishing well off Fordham Road. Consumed by guilt for his war crimes, a soldier volunteers to rebuild an orphanage. A babysitter learns that a father keeps monsters in the basement. What could be scarier than monsters in the basement? A zombie fighter runs into the worst creature imaginable: a teenage boy. Terror ensues as villagers hunt for a witch on the run. A niece makes dresses for her aunt, a singer accused of cannibalism by their church. As a Zambian girl’s supernatural powers grow, so do complications with the organization that can help her control them. Radiation levels spike on a dying Earth, and it’s only a matter of time until life dies along with it. On Millennium, everything will be okay—right?

…and many more stories.

Contributors include: Kylah Balthazar, Kalynn Bayron, Michele Tracy Berger, Tara Betts, Changu Chiimbwe, Addie Citchens, Jennifer Coley, Tracy Cross, Lyndsey Ellis, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Taliyah Jarrett, Silk Jazmyne, Michelle Renee Lane, Candice Lola, Joy Monaè, Cheree’ Noel, Endria Richardson, Ravynn K. Stringfield, Malissa White, Kanyla Wilson, Jade T. Woodridge, and Nicole Young.

by Ianna A. Small  (Author, Editor)

Get it here

Ianna A. Small is the founder of midnight & indigo Publishing and creator of midnight & indigo, a literary platform dedicated to short stories and narrative essays by Black women writers. m&i is her love letter to women like herself, who long to reach the pinnacle of their purpose. She dreams of one day running midnight & indigo from a lounge chair overlooking the archipelagos of Santorini.

[SuperheroesInColor linktr.ee / FB / IG / Twitter / Twitch / Support ]    

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Looking for children’s and young adult books by Jewish authors? Katherine Locke’s list is an excellent place to start:

Picture Books:

Gitty and Kvetch by Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illustrated by Ariel Landy

The Polio Pioneer: Dr. Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine by Linda Elovitz Marshall, illustrated by Lisa Anchin

Tía Fortuna’s New Home by Ruth Behar, illustrated by Devon Holzwarth

Middle Grade:

The Magical Imperfect by Chris Baron

The Many Mysteries of the Finkel Family by Sarah Kapit

Recipe for Disaster by Aimee Lucido

Young Adult:

Strange Creatures by Phoebe North

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

Read more about the books (including why Locke recommends them) here!

[Image Description: Graphic featuring the WNDB logo and a tiled square of cover art for 9 children’s and young adult books written by Jewish authors, set against a colorful background of abstract shapes.]

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Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard

Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.

Thanh’s new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won’t take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions.

Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate—and her own?

Genres: fantasy, romance

Get the book from The Book Depository here!

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Made a Bookoplathon spread in my reading journal, figures I would hit Chance twice and get the shortest and longest books in my TBR. Then went to the library and, bc I crossed off every prompt on the Summer Reading Bingo Board, I got vouchers for 4 free books 😎 also got entered into a giveaway for a $50 gift card for the local book shop. Apparently my odds are good, the librarian said hardly anyone has bothered to do it :/

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hardcover or paperback? bookstore or library? bookmark or receipt? stand alone or series? nonfiction or fiction? thriller or fantasy? under 300 pages or over 300 pages? children’s or ya? friends to lovers or enemies to lovers? read in bed or read on the couch? read at night or read in the morning? keep pristine or markup? cracked spine or dog ear?

[ry-ter]

I will actually start using this blog again for things that aren't shitty pics of my reading journal but not today! I thought I might try a vague kanban board for the books I'm reading. I get tired of putting books as currently reading on GR only to pause them after one chapter but not actually DNF-ing so I thought this would keep my head a little more organized of what I have going and when it gets too cluttered, I know to finish some stuff or DNF something, plus a section for things I want to write reviews for but don't have the brains for at the time.

[ry-ter]

I really enjoyed the 1000 Doors Readathon last year so I was excited to see there's gonna be a mini version later this month and decided to put probably too much effort into a spread in my reading journal. I was in a mood and ran with it!