#G. Haron Davis

[godzilla-reads]

Happy First Day of Pride 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

To kickstart this month, I went to the local bookstore and bought this beauty, which I’m very excited to read.

🏳️‍⚧️ Transmogrify! : 14 Fantastic Tales of Trans Magic edited by G. Haron Davis

[transbookoftheday]

Transmogrify! by g. haron davis

Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you’ll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.

Featuring stories from:

AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy

g. haron davis

Mason Deaver

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

Emery Lee

Saundra Mitchell

Cam Montgomery

Ash Nouveau

Sonora Reyes

Renee Reynolds

Dove Salvatierra

Ayida Shonibar

Francesca Tacchi

Nik Traxler

[qualitymoonsuit]

Last night, I finished reading The Grimoire of Grave Fates, by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen. Now I'm reading the 8th book I got for my 33rd birthday. It is called Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic, by G. Haron Davis.

[oracleofmadness]

A ya fantasy book of trans magic stories!! I really enjoyed this. I love a book of short stories, so this was perfect.

Some of the stories gave a bit more attention to the trans MC rather than the magic, but all of them were very enjoyable. I loved the creativity of these authors, and I can tell that a lot of thought was put into each individual story.

I'd say that this is more fantasy oriented overall with less attention to solving many of the issues approached. However, I will never be unhappy about a book bringing positive attention to this great community of beautiful and wonderful individuals.

Out May 16, 2023!

[paragraphs-and-pages]

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic by g. haron davis

Continue reading Untitled

[tendersky]

All Signs Point to Yes book review

All Signs Point to Yes book review

All Signs Point to Yes, edited by Cam Montgomery, g. haron davis, and Adrianne White 336 pages published May 31st, 2022 (more…)

[the-final-sentence]

I smile.

g. haron-davis, from “If I can’t have love, I want power.”

[astralbooks]

Transmogrify! edited by g. haron davis

Read: 22/04/2023 - 27/04/2023

Rating: 3/5

Rep: trans protagonists (mainly non-binary)

CW: transphobia, misgendering, fantasy violence, body horror, discussion of suicide, deaths of family members

Review:

This is an anthology of fourteen short stories by transgender authors about transgender characters that involve magic in some way!

As is the case with pretty much any anthology you come across, some of the stories in here were better than others. My personal favourites were Mason Deaver’s Genderella, a mostly contemporary retelling of Cinderella featuring a trans girl teenager as the protagonist, Cam Montgomery’s Bend The Truth, Break It Too, featuring a cursed non-binary shopkeeper who cannot leave their shop and is constantly having to fight off possession, and Dove Salvatierra’s Espejismos, about a Latinx person in what seems to be a post-apocalyptic world who’s struggling to both survive in his family home and to reckon with his late father’s expectations of him.

A lot of these stories felt samey, though. You’d think with the freedom to write anything so long as the main characters are trans and there’s magic involved there’d be a little more variety, but no. A lot of these stories are set in a world where women do magic type A and men do magic type B and our brave non-binary protagonist has to argue their case to be allowed to do magic A/B/A+B/C (delete as applicable) and it got a bit tiring after a while. One story with this plot would’ve been enough. The point of an anthology is to have lots of different stories along a similar theme (in this case, transness and magic as a whole) but this started to feel like the same story again and again with different set dressings, and as a non-binary reader frankly it got depressing very quickly. I was hoping for a little more trans magic and not as much transphobia.

If a story wasn’t about a non-binary kid having to fight to be allowed to participate in things, then it was probably about a magic school in some capacity. I do understand why contributors wanted to write about magic schools. A story involving a magic school that centres transgender characters is something of a targeted screw you at a certain once beloved children’s author. But, again, there were a lot of stories involving a magic school, and the only one that seemed to have anything interesting to say was the one told from the perspective of the school itself, which, I’ve now double checked, is the one written by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy, and their ability to do something actually interesting is likely unsurprising.

There were very few transfem characters throughout this anthology. Out of fourteen stories, a grand total of only one features a trans girl main character. There’s another with a trans girl love interest, but she’s not the protagonist. Unless I’ve missed something major, that’s it. The overwhelming majority of protagonists in this anthology are non-binary, there are a couple of trans boys, and there is a single trans girl. This is an issue! I’m non-binary. I recognise that non-binary characters are underrepresented. But trans women are also underrepresented, if not more so, and them being so noticeably absent from this anthology is not a great look. This anthology is claiming to depict a wide range of trans experiences. If that’s really the case, you’d expect there to be more trans girls than there are.

This anthology has come under fire recently for not having any trans women or transfem contributors. It’s true that demanding people be entirely open about any queer identities they may align with isn’t a good thing to be doing. Nobody should be forced out of the closet and in many cases it can be genuinely unsafe for people to come out. However, every single contributing author is already openly transgender in some way, making this something of a flimsy defence in this case. To put it charitably, not making sure to include at least one openly transfem contributor to this trans anthology was a mistake, and it’s one that I hope won’t be made again.

In all, this anthology was fine. I liked some stories more than I liked others, which is typical for anthologies! But its claim to include a diverse range of trans experiences when it very plainly does not sours my feelings on it by a lot. In isolation, I wouldn’t even mind the majority of the stories being about non-binary characters provided there were also multiple stories about other varieties of transness, but there aren’t. The lack of stories about trans girls, and the last of transfem contributors, are glaring omissions that are probably indicative of wider issues in the publishing industry as a whole.

Thank you to HarperTeen for sending me an arc in return for an honest review.

[margaretthotcher]

Queer Book Recommendations

It's pride season in Wellington, New Zealand and my local library has published its second "Teen Staff Picks" zine! In that spirit, I bring you, a collection of lesser-known queer books featured in the two that have been released so far! I've narrowed the lists down to books that have 1000 or fewer reviews on Goodreads as of posting (though I actually use Storygraph personally). I haven't read most of these, they're new to me as well but looking forward to getting into them.

Sapphic

Trouble Girls - Julia Lynn Rubin

Planning Perfect - Haley Neil

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches - Kate Scelsa

The Meadows - Stephanie Oakes

Never Trust a Gemini - Freja Nicole Woolf

This Is All Your Fault - Aminah Mae Safi

The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet - Jake Maia Arlow

Youngblood - Sasha Laurens

In the Role of Brie Hutchens - Nicole Melleby

Achillean

We Are Totally Normal - Rahul Kanakia

Two Can Play That Game - Leanne Yong

Blaine for the Win - Robbie Couch

I Like Me Better - Robby Weber

The Language of Seabirds - Will Taylor

The Feeling of Falling in Love - Mason Deaver

Charming Young Man - Eliot Schrefer

Emmett - L. C. Rosen

Pages I Never Wrote - Marco Donati

Trans Characters

Across a Field of Starlight - Blue Delliquanti

Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure - Lewis Hancox

The Borrow a Boyfriend Club - Page Powars

If I Can Give You That - Michael Gray Bulla

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic - G. Haron Davis

Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity - Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Magical Boy - The Kao

Kisses For Jet: A Coming-of-Gender Story - Joris Bas Backer

Between Perfect and Real - Ray Stoeve

Featuring Queer People of Colour

Ander & Santi Were Here - Jonny Garza Villa

The Loophole - Naz Kutub

Spell Bound - F. T. Lukens

Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues - H. S. Valley

Rise to the Sun - Leah Johnson

Never Kiss Your Roommate - Philline Harms

Rainbow! - Bloom & Sunny

Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales - Melanie Gillman

Anne of Greenville - Mariko Tamaki

[richincolor]

New Releases

This week's an exciting one for new YA books! Quite a few of these books coming out tomorrow are at the very top of my must-read pile, like Transmogrify! and Venom & Vow. What's on your TBR?

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic edited by g. haron davis Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you’ll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.

Featuring stories from: AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy g. haron davis Mason Deaver Jonathan Lenore Kastin Emery Lee Saundra Mitchell Cam Montgomery Ash Nouveau Sonora Reyes Renee Reynolds Dove Salvatierra Ayida Shonibar Francesca Tacchi Nik Traxler

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs—in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn.

Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons.

In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend . . . but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo’s relatives reveal their true colors—but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems. Can Dylan save his family’s business and follow his heart—or will he fail to do both?

Hurt You by Marie Myung-Ok Lee

Moving beyond the quasi-fraternal bond of the unforgettable George and Lenny from Of Mice and Men, Hurt You explores the actual sibling bond of Georgia and Leonardo da Vinci Daewoo Kim, who has an unnamed neurological disability that resembles autism. The themes of race, disability, and class spin themselves out in a suburban high school where the Kim family has moved in order to access better services for Leonardo. Suddenly unmoored from the familiar, including the support of her Aunt Clara, Georgia struggles to find her place in an Asian-majority school where whites still dominate culturally, and she finds herself feeling not Korean “enough.” Her one pole star is her commitment to her brother, a loyalty that finds itself at odds with her immigrant parents’ dreams for her, and an ableist, racist society that may bring violence to Leonardo despite her efforts to keep him safe.

Hurt You is a deep exploration of family, society, and the bond between siblings and reflects the reality that people with intellectual disabilities are far more likely to be the victim of a violent crime, not the perpetrator.

Last Canto for the Dead (Outlaw Saints #2) by Daniel José Older

Two gods-turned-teenagers wage simultaneous battles in the Caribbean and Brooklyn in this sequel to Ballad & Dagger.

Healer. Destroyer. Creator. Mateo Matisse and Chela Hidalgo are not just two teenagers in love–they’re powerful gods in human form. Powerful enough to have saved their Brooklyn diaspora community from the wrath of an ancient enemy and to have raised their once-sunken native island of San Madrigal from the sea. But soon they discover that their problems are far from over. On the shores of San Madrigal, two creature armies are battling for survival. And on the streets of Brooklyn, a once tight-knit community is divided, with two sides at each other’s throats. But worst of all, a heartbreaking prophecy rips these two young lovers apart, sending Mateo back to the city, where cops are now patrolling the streets, and keeping Chela tethered to the island, where chaos and death lurk around every corner.

Healer. Destroyer. Creator. As gods, their powers know no limits. But as teenagers–separated, desperate, grieving–what will become of them? And what will become of their people? Join their battle and witness their love in this thrilling conclusion to the epic saga that began with BALLAD & DAGGER.

Venom & Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore and Elliott McLemore Keep your enemy closer. Cade McKenna is a transgender prince who’s doubling for his brother. Valencia Palafox is a young dama attending the future queen of Eliana. Gael Palma is the infamous boy assassin Cade has vowed to protect. Patrick McKenna is the reluctant heir to a kingdom, and the prince Gael has vowed to destroy.

Cade doesn’t know that Gael and Valencia are the same person. Valencia doesn’t know that every time she thinks she’s fighting Patrick, she’s fighting Cade. And when Cade and Valencia blame each other for a devastating enchantment that takes both their families, neither of them realizes that they have far more dangerous enemies.

Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra Graduation is only a few months away, and so far Rubi Ramos’s recipe for success is on track.

*Step 1: Get into the prestigious Alma University. *Step 2: Become incredibly successful lawyer. But when Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, her plan is in jeopardy. Her parents–especially her mom, AKA the boss–have wanted this for her for years. In order to get off the waitlist without her parents knowing, she needs math tutoring from surfer-hottie math genius Ryan, lead the debate team to a championship–and remember the final step of the recipe.

*Step 3: Never break the ban on baking. Rubi has always been obsessed with baking, daydreaming up new concoctions and taking shifts at her parents’ celebrated bakery. But her mother dismisses baking as a distraction–her parents didn’t leave Cuba so she could bake just like them.

But some recipes are begging to be tampered with… When the First Annual Bake Off comes to town, Rubi’s passion for baking goes from subtle simmer to full boil. She’s not sure if she has what it takes to become OC’s best amateur baker, and there’s only one way to find out–even though it means rejecting the ban on baking, and by extension, her parents. But life is what you bake it, and now Rubi must differentiate between the responsibility of unfulfilled dreams she holds, and finding the path she’s meant for.

As Long As We’re Together by Brianna Peppins A heartstring-tugging, uplifting, modern spin on Party of Five — a love letter to family, hope, and finding strength in unexpected places.

Even though she has six siblings, sixteen-year-old Novah still knows what it’s like to feel lonely. Her friends never remember to invite her anywhere because they assume Novah will be too busy overseeing dinner, baths, and homework — tasks that fall to her when her parents are at work. She wouldn’t mind it so much if her “perfect” older sister, Ariana, wasn’t always excused from helping out. She’s the star of the volleyball team, and their parents don’t want anything to jeopardize the scholarships she’ll need to become the first member of their family to attend college.

Needless to say, Novah feels like she’s been given a raw deal, especially when she’s forced to cancel a maybe-date with her crush, Hailee. Then one terrible night, their parents don’t make it back home. A car accident takes their lives and leaves seven heartbroken kids on their own. The Wilkinson siblings have no grandparents, no aunts or uncles. Since Ariana has just turned eighteen, she manages to convince the judge to give her temporary custody. If she can keep her family running smoothly, they’ll get to stay in their home. If not, they’ll be placed into foster care.

Novah will do whatever it takes to keep her family together but finds herself in a constant power struggle when Ariana refuses to take her advice, even once it becomes clear that they are all in way over their heads. Will Novah find her voice and summon the strength to do the impossible? Or will she be forced to say the hardest goodbyes of all?

[tracichee]

ICYMI: I'm part of another anthology! 🏠 A few weeks ago, Page Street YA revealed the cover of THE HOUSE WHERE DEATH LIVES, edited by Alex Brown, and look how gorgeous it is! I love writing short stories, and I think this is one of the best (and most tragic 💔) I've ever written, so I can't wait for you to read it!

Here's the official description:

🏠THE HOUSE WHERE DEATH LIVES ANTHOLOGY (originally titled: This House is Haunted) edited by Alex Brown:

✨New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors weave interconnected haunted house stories to build a unique collection of chilling tales, with stories from Alex Brown, Nova Ren Suma, Gina Chen, Traci Chee, Linsey Miller, Rosiee Thor, Courtney Gould, Kay Costales, Liz Hull, Shelly Page, Justine Pucella Winans, Sandra Proudman, C.L. McCollum, Nora Elghazzawi, Tori Bovalino, G. Haron Davis✨

🏠A dance to the death. A girl who’s just as monstrous as H.H. Holmes. A hallway that’s constantly changing—and hungry. All of these stories exist in the same place—within the frame of a particular house that isn’t bound by the laws of time and space.

🏠Following in the footsteps of dark/horror-filled YA anthologies like His Hideous Heart and Slasher Girls and Monster Boys, and Netflix’s ground-breaking adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, this YA speculative fiction anthology explores how the permanence of a home can become a space of transition and change for both the inhabitants and the creatures who haunt them.

🏠Each story in the anthology will focus on a different room in the house and feature unique takes on monsters from a wide array of cultural traditions. Whether it’s a demonic Trickster, a water-loving Rusalka, or a horrifying, baby-imitating Tiyanak, there’s bound to be something sinister lurking in the shadows.

THE HOUSE WHERE DEATH LIVES releases August 6, 2024, but pre-orders are available now via Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon, or check with your favorite local retailer to see about pre-ordering!

Cover credits: Laura Benton & Rachel Jablonski

[rosieethor]

Yay! New Story alert!

So excited to share I have a story in THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED, an anthology edited by Alex Brown coming from Page Street YA in 2024! My story is about a phantom cursed to haunt her former dance teacher's ballroom for eternity who meets a girl who finally makes her want to leave. It's a dissection of toxic perfectionism in dance culture and full of sapphic yearning. I hope you'll like it!

"Lauren Knowles at Page Street YA has acquired This House Is Haunted, an anthology of 16 stories edited by Alex Brown, which highlights monsters, ghosts, and folklore from various cultural backgrounds with each story exploring a different room in a sprawling haunted house. The contributors are Nova Ren Suma, Gina Chen, Traci Chee, Courtney Gould, Linsey Miller, Rosiee Thor, Shelly Page, Nora Elghazzawi, Kay Costales, Liz Hull, Justine Pucella Winans, Sandra Proudman, C.L. McCollum, Tori Bovalino, and G. Haron Davis. Publication is set for spring 2024. Renee Nyen at KT Literary negotiated the deal for world rights; Brown is now represented by Amy Elizabeth Bishop at Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret."

[qualitymoonsuit]

I just finished reading Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic, by G. Haron Davis.

[lgbtqreads]

Do you know of any anthologies of short lgbt stories? I have All Out by Saundra Mitchell but I’m having a hard time finding any others. Any help would be appreciated!!

Oh, sure - there are lots! First of all, Saundra actually edited three; after ALL OUT came OUT NOW and OUT THERE. They’re on this list on the YA page:

*Night of the Living Queers ed. by Alex Brown and Shelly Page (coming…2023? 2024?)

Short Stuff ed. by Alysia Constantine

Summer Love ed. by Duet Books

Proud ed. by Juno Dawson

*Transmogrify! by g. haron-davis (coming 2023, up for preorder)

All Out ed. by Saundra Mitchell

Out Now ed. by Saundra Mitchell

Out There ed. by Saundra Mitchell

And in adult there are loads more - Neon Hemlock does some, there’s the Transcendent series (not sure if they’re all edited by Bogi Takacs but at least some are), Sword + Silk, Absolute Power: Tales of Queer Villainy, ed. by Erica Friedman… if you scroll down here you can find a whole bunch at the bottom - anything “Ed. by” is a multi-author antho: https://lgbtqreads.com/sff/

[duckiereads]

9 Books I Saved from the Store at the Barnes and Noble 50% Hardcovers Sale

Can you believe that people were just going to leave these books at the store without homes? I simply couldn't bear it, so I picked them up and took them home so that they might have a good home in the new year.😂

As I write this, it is in fact the last day of the Barnes and Noble After Christmas 50% off Hardcover sale. Last year, I only brought home two books. This year, I took a few more than that.

As always: Summaries are from Publisher/Author sites.

If any of these interest you and if you are able, please support your favorite bookstores or local libraries when acquiring these and other books!

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

In an isolated castle deep in the Austrian forest, teenaged Laura leads a solitary life with only her father, attendant and tutor for company. Until one moonlit night, a horse-drawn carriage crashes into view, carrying an unexpected guest -- the beautiful Carmilla. So begins a feverish friendship between Laura and her entrancing new companion, one defined by mysterious happenings and infused with an implicit but undeniable eroticism. As Carmilla becomes increasingly strange and volatile, prone to eerie nocturnal wanderings, Laura finds herself tormented by nightmares and growing weaker by the day...

The Project by Courtney Summers

From Courtney Summers, the New York Times bestselling author of the 2019 Edgar Award Winner and breakout hit Sadie, comes her electrifying follow-up—a suspenseful, pulls-no-punches story about an aspiring young journalist determined to save her sister no matter the cost. Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died in a tragic car accident, her sister Bea joined the elusive community called The Unity Project, leaving Lo to fend for herself. Desperate not to lose the only family she has left, Lo has spent the last six years trying to reconnect with Bea, only to be met with radio silence. When Lo’s given the perfect opportunity to gain access to Bea’s reclusive life, she thinks they’re finally going to be reunited. But it’s difficult to find someone who doesn’t want to be found, and as Lo delves deeper into The Project and its charismatic leader, she begins to realize that there’s more at risk than just her relationship with Bea: her very life might be in danger. As she uncovers more questions than answers at each turn, everything Lo thought she knew about herself, her sister, and the world is upended. One thing doesn’t change, though, and that’s what keeps her going: Bea needs her, and Lo will do anything to save her.

All Signs Point to Yes edited by G. Haron Davis, Cam Montgomery, and Adrianne White

A haunted Aquarius finds love behind the veil. An ambitious Aries will do anything to stay in the spotlight. A foodie Taurus discovers the best eats in town (with a side of romance). A witchy Cancer stumbles into a curious meet-cute. Whether it’s romantic, platonic, familial, or something else you can’t quite define, love is the thing that connects us. All Signs Point to Yes will take you on a journey from your own backyard to the world beyond the living as it settles us among the stars for thirteen stories of love and life. These stories will touch your heart, speak to your soul, and have you reaching for your horoscope forevermore.

A Show for Two by Tashi Bhyiuan

All Mina Rahman wants is to finally win the Golden Ivy student film competition, get into her dream school, and leave New York City behind for good. When indie film star Emmitt Ramos enrolls in her high school under a secret identity to research his next role, he agrees to star in her short film for the competition…if she acts as his NYC tour guide. As Mina ventures across the five boroughs with Emmitt, the city she grew up in starts to look more like home than it ever has before. Suddenly, Mina’s dreams—which once seemed impenetrable—begin to crumble, and she’s forced to ask herself: Is winning worth losing everything?

The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, a magic school in the clouds where Marvellers from around the world practice their cultural arts, like brewing Indian spice elixirs and bartering with pesky Irish pixies. Despite her excitement, Ella discovers that being the first isn’t easy—some Marvellers mistrust her magic, which they deem “bad and unnatural.” But eventually, she finds friends in elixirs teacher, Masterji Thakur, and fellow misfits Brigit, a girl who hates magic, and Jason, a boy with a fondness for magical creatures. When a dangerous criminal known as the Ace of Anarchy escapes prison, supposedly with a Conjuror’s aid, tensions grow in the Marvellian world and Ella becomes the target of suspicion. Worse, Masterji Thakur mysteriously disappears while away on a research trip. With the help of her friends and her own growing powers, Ella must find a way to clear her family’s name and track down her mentor before it’s too late.

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

Lahore, Pakistan. Then. Misbah is a dreamer and storyteller, newly married to Toufiq in an arranged match. After their young life is shaken by tragedy, they come to the United States and open the Clouds’ Rest Inn Motel, hoping for a new start.   Juniper, California. Now. Salahudin and Noor are more than best friends; they are family. Growing up as outcasts in the small desert town of Juniper, California, they understand each other the way no one else does. Until The Fight, which destroys their bond with the swift fury of a star exploding.     Now, Sal scrambles to run the family motel as his mother Misbah’s health fails and his grieving father loses himself to alcoholism. Noor, meanwhile, walks a harrowing tightrope: working at her wrathful uncle’s liquor store while hiding the fact that she’s applying to college so she can escape him—and Juniper—forever.   When Sal’s attempts to save the motel spiral out of control, he and Noor must ask themselves what friendship is worth—and what it takes to defeat the monsters in their pasts and the ones in their midst.  

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

Note: Sequel to Legendborn

The shadows have risen, and the line is law. All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new: A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion. But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped. Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected. When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death. If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income. In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants. Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.

Eros/Psyche by Maria Llovet

The Rose female boarding school is paradise for young girls...but only if you follow the rules. Because, if you disobey them, you can end up expelled, or even worse, dead. Sara and Silje are two students learning the rules of the school, which includes classes by day...and the casting of curses and spells by night. A love develops between the two, which is tender, but threatens to break under the weight of the dark secret society within The Rose. Acclaimed creator Maria Llovet (Faithless, Heartbeat, Loud) brings you a surreal, bewitching tale of love, magic, and tragedy in Eros/Psyche.

Did anybody else save some books from the shelves during the sale? What should I read first?

[anntickwittee]

Books I read in 2023:

January:

Petty Treasons by Victoria Goddard ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spellbound by Allie Therin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Suki, Alone by Faith Erin Hicks, Peter Wartman, Adele Matera

Legend of the Fire Princess by Gigi D.G., Paulina Ganucheau

Babel by by R.F. Kuang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Eidolon by K.D. Edwards ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

February:

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Starcrossed by Allie Therin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wonderstruck by Allie Therin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Davenports by Krystal Marquis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Proper Scoundrels by Allie Therin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

March:

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

April

The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Greenwode by J. Tullos Hennig ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Saint Death's Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

May

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nimona by ND Stevenson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check, Please! Book 1 by Ngozi Ukazu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check, Please! Book 2 by Ngozi Ukazu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

June

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heartsong by T.J. Klune ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Last Command by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

July

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thrawn by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brothersong by T.J. Klune ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

August

The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sourdough by Robin Sloan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic edited by g. haron davis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb Cat Sebastian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Once a Rogue by Allie Therin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lion's Legacy by Lev A.C. Rosen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Legacy of Yangchen by F.C. Yee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Infomocracy by Malka Ann Older ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The House Witch by Delemhach ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by K.J. Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fence Disarmed by Sarah Rees Brennan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fence: Striking Distance by Sarah Rees Brennan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by K.J. Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

September

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Aurelius (to be called) Magnus by Victoria Goddard ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dark Lord's Daughter by Patricia C. Wrede ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins Reid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Circe by Madeline Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

October

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cassiel's Servant by Jacqueline Carey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

November

Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Top Story by Kelly Yang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If Found Return to Hell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Death I Gave Him by Em X Liu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander by Victoria Goddard ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

December

Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Art of Destiny by Wesley Chu ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sourcery by Terry Pratchett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some Desperate Glory Emily Tesh ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Husband Material by Alexis Hall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️