#HIGHLY recommend to people looking for a good YA fantasy series

[snarkelf]

Both love and hate that there's basically no info on the third book of The Legendborn Cycle because on the one hand. I get to experience the hype of getting that information! But on the other hand. Once I finish Bloodmarked I'm just going to have to twiddle my thumbs and wait

[sassysnowperson]

How Not to Read Terry Pratchett's Discworld Novels

With the very exciting fantasy books poll bracket going on Discworld and how to read it is in the zeitgeist again. I figured I would take a crack at adding to this important topic with a guide drawn from my own chaotic mess of a reading journey:

Learn that Terry Pratchett is a fantasy author that several people whose reading taste you admire enjoy. He apparently blends comedy, good plotting, and a world that is both grounded and satirical and you're a big fan of all those things.

Fabulous! Decide to read some of his work.

Go to your local library. Love a good library. You're new to the area, so you're also exploring the library for the first time, too.

You have found Terry Pratchett! Points to you! Pull a book off the shelf at random. It's called The Dark Side of the Sun.

Start reading. Realize that this feels more like sci-fi than fantasy. Sigh in smug superiority about people who get the two confused.

Realize about halfway through that this is not, in fact, a Discworld book.

Nobody warned you the guy wrote other things!

It's still good, tho. Maybe a little rough but this was an older book and the author clearly has potential. Let's try again.

Review his works. The vast majority are Discworld. You are highly unlikely to grab another non-Discworld book. Go back to the Terry Pratchett section of the library.

Oh hey he wrote a book with Neil Gaiman! You've hears of that guy!

Grab Good Omens off the shelf.

Take it home, realize, much sooner, that this is also not a Discworld book. Still enjoy yourself thoroughly. You should read more of this Gaiman dude, too.

But okay. For real this time. Go back to the library and don't leave without *CONFIRMING* you have a Discworld book this time.

Grab a book. Look at the cover. Read the back Discworld! Ha HA! You've done it!

It's called Thud.

You are utterly gripped by a story of a man wrestling with himself, his growing child, the political tensions of a city and extremism that echoes reality beautifully while still being entirely true to itself. It's a story of responsibility and love and building communities and Fantasy Chess. You are driven nearly to tears by the sentence *WHERE IS MY COW?*

You emerge from the book fundamentally changed as a person, and finally understanding what all the fuss is about. You are now a Terry Pratchett reader for life.

You realize Thud was in the middle of a series. That was a part of another series. That explains why there was a feeling that you were supposed to know some of these people already.

You finally find one of those flowcharts and figure out a more sensible reading order.

I always sort of laugh when people ask where to start reading Discworld, because Thud would be first on absolutely nobody's sensible Terry Pratchett reading order. I'm still tempted to recommend it though!

(My actual advice: Going Postal if you love con men being stuck doing the right thing, Wee Free Men if you like YA and smart angry girls owning their own power, Guards! Guards! *and* Men at Arms if you like crime shows with heart and are okay giving earlier work a try (the quality gets better and better, but I think it needs at least two books to get you into it), and Monstrous Regiment if you like gender and queer feelings, anti-war books told in the middle of a war, and/or would prefer a stand alone novel...and, you know, Thud if you want a great read and don't mind some chaos.)

[mediawhorefics]

hi, i saw you recommended some lgbtq books a while ago but it's impossible to find anything from tumblr later on, so do you know any good fantasy/sci-fi/action/contemporary m/m books? like with actual plot instead of just romance and also with characters and (platonic) relationships other than the main couple. thanks!

hiiiii, sorry this is super late, but of course i can!

(apologies in advance cos some of these are prob books i’ve recced before 🤪✌🏻)

-> captive prince trilogy (cs pacat) | if you’re looking for something with actual plot, cp has a big political overarching plot that’s super compelling about the two princes of neighbouring enemy kingdoms trying to reclaim their respective thrones. there’s lots of triggering content so do look it up before… but while the romance is the main event, the political aspect of the book is really detailed and engaging.

-> dark rise trilogy (cs pacat) | 2 out of 3 books are out currently and the m/m romance is not the focus so far though it’s been well teased/a good slow start. the whole trilogy is a subversion of the classic medieval chosen one trope ft. an old world of magic being reawakened, a dark king’s return and an order of knights trying to prevent it. great found family vibes. ya historical fantasy.

-> hither page (cat sebastian) | a jaded spy and a shell-shocked country doctor team up to solve a murder in postwar england. historical murder mystery!

-> big bad wolf series (charlie adhara) | an ex fbi agent gets transferred to a secret agency dealing with werewolf crimes after being attacked by one of them. human and werewolf relations are tense and he ends up paired with a wolf agent from the wolf agency that echoes his to solve a series of brutal crimes. ok, i know this sounds like straight up werewolf porn, but i was really surprised by how engaging and well written the mysteries were in this series. i’m talking twists and shit, compelling/complex side characters…. this series completely took me by surprise.

-> seven summer nights (harper fox) | post war england, a shell-shocked archaeologist and a vicar fall in love while trying to uncover a small town’s archaeological mystery in the south downs.

-> the last binding series (freya markse) | edwardian magical mystery series, each book focuses on a different queer couple while following an overarching mystery/plot that threatens the welfare of magical britain. big found family vibes, lots of great side characters introduced in each book that then become leads in later books, beautiful writing.

-> a taste of gold and iron (alexandra rowland) | ottoman empire inspired fantasy world, a prince and his bodyguard must investigate a break in at one of their guilds, the results of which could save their queen’s reign.

-> the will darling adventures (kj charles) | 1920s mystery adventure series. great side characters, insp by 20s pulp novels. a wwi vet turned bookseller get swiped up in mystery and a spy he’s not sure he can trust. first one is a bit slower, but it picks up in book 2 & 3.

-> the kingdoms (natasha pulley) | 19th century alternate history mystery. an amnesiac journeys from london to a scottish lighthouse to try and unlock the mystery of his forgotten past. complex narrative and extremely immersive storytelling. the romance is central but subtle.

-> the binding (bridget collins) | 19th century historical fantasy. emmet is training to be a bookbinder in a world where books contain people’s memories and are highly controversial… eternal sunshine of the spotless mind vibes.

-> less (andrew sean greer) | arthur less is going on a worldwide literary tour to avoid going to his ex’s wedding. this book really took me by surprise, it was so delightful.

-> the house in the cerulean sea (tj klune) | linus baker, a case worker for the department in charge of magical youth, gets sent to an orphanage for so labelled 'dangerous' children in order to evaluate whether they're about/able to end the world and if the orphanage/the man in charge of it is best for them. big feel good book, really funny, great found family vibes, subtle love story, wonderful side characters.

-> the bedlam stacks (natasha pulley) | merrick tremayne is called upon by the india office to go on a dangerous expedition deep in peru to fetch quinine (essential for the treatment of malaria) despite the debilitating injury that almost cost him a leg. every expedition before his has yielded no results apart from dead bodies, but merrick has family history deep in the country so he goes against his better judgement. there, he meets raphael, a priest surrounded by strange stories of disappearances, cursed woods and living stones, and who might hold the key to his family’s past. really cool world building, really immersive writing, very subtle romance. more plot heavy than romance heavy, but it's still !!!!

-> salt magic, skin magic (lee welch) | lord thorny is cursed and can't leave his father's estate. trapped there for over a year now, he is slowly losing his mind. until industrial magical john blake arrives on the land to investigate an unrelated case involving witchcraft. soon enough the men get closer and must work together to figure out a way to break thorny's curse. historical fantasy, good mystery, fun twists. i haven't read this one in a while, but i remember really enjoying the mythology.

-> the watchmaker of filiigree street & sequel (natasha pulley) | telegraphist thaniel receives a mysterious watch on his birthday whose pre-set alarm saves him from a terrorist bombing on scotland yard. since the bomb was made with clockwork parts and only the bomber could have known when to set the alarm, thaniel is sent by a detective investigating the bombing to live with the suspected watchmaker to figure out what’s going on. sherlock holmes vibes. slow burn/subtle romance. delightful writing.

-> under the whispering door (tj klune) | an unpleasant and selfish man in life, wallace price meets his reaper at his near-empty funeral and gets taken to a whimsical tea shop where he meets hugo, the ferryman whose job it is to help him move on and crossover into the afterlife. a task that becomes complicated as wallace starts developing feelings for hugo. found family vibes.

[supersoakerfullofblood]

Great Books About Gender Identity

Seeing some posts about how new-adult romance novels popularized by BookTok don't show genuine queer experience and largely tokenize queer characters. And look, the prose of these books is ass too. One of my reading interests is how themes of gender/masculinity/femininity interact with other elements in a novel, and with the culture from which the novel was written. I've read a lot of great books on the topic!

As a disclaimer, most of these books don't have explicit queer representation. I read a lot of old books where that wasn't a thing you could openly write about, but you could write about cultural perceptions of masculinity/femininity (a lotta people still didn't like this, but like, you usually weren't stoned for it), which is where modern queer theory and identity comes from! So if you want to feel understood by a novel, here are my book recs on gender, in no particular order:

The Earthsea series by Ursula K. Le Guin: a series of children's fantasy novels that build the foundation for modern children's and YA fantasy (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, some Neil Gaiman, Brandon Sanderson, etc.). Men and women's roles in society and relations with magic are a major theme in the series, and while no character is queer (though there's a reference late in the series about witches living together), characters are always bound or freed by the gender they express. Also, all the characters are black, which was unheard of at the time of the first book's publication (1968) and is frankly still unheard of today. And it's just a fun read!

The work of Virginia Woolf: My favorite author and one of the largest players in what we today call gender studies. Highly recommend Orlando, where the titular character changes inexplicably from a man to a woman halfway through the novel (it's tempting to call them "the first trans character," but the label feels disingenuous. Transsexuality as we know it didn't exist then, and Orlando didn't choose or want to switch genders. It just happened to them); A Room of One's Own, Woolf's essay on life as a woman author; and The Waves, a book less about gender identity and more about wholistic identity.

The work of Kate Chopin: Chopin is a huge player in starting the feminist literary movement of the 20th century, influencing the work of many authors on this list. If you can stomach Victorian prose, Chopin is for you!

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: Plath's novel is written from an intimately feminine perspective and wrestles with questions of mental illness from such a perspective. A must-read.

The work of Oscar Wilde: Thrown in jail for a bit for likely being at least a little gay, Wilde's writing frequently riffs on and critiques gendered social customs. Highly recommend The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Windermere's Fan, and definitely other stuff of his I haven't read yet.

The work of Madeline Miller: I think Circe is the only "BookTok book" I've read that I thought was good, and boy is it fantastic. Its ideas of gender feel a bit cliche or elementary at times (Circe sometimes reads like an "empowered girlboss" stereotype), but how it plays with this identity at the same time it plays with Circe's identity in her family and pantheon make this book special. And Miller really is a delightful prose stylist. Galatea is also pretty good, and I haven't read Song of Achilles yet.

The Hours by Michael Cunningham: based on Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, Cunningham reprises Woolf's themes for a book set in the 90s! Great read, and another master of the craft.

The poetry of Sappho: The popular conception of Sappho is that she's this girlboss prodigal lesbian in a patriarchal society, which isn't true. There's definitely some truth there, but it's much more nuanced, and certainly Sappho couldn't conceive of the labels we put on her today and those labels' connotations. In any case, her poetry is some of the first, if not the first, love poetry from a feminine perspective.

Any piece of literature about slavery/colonialism written by a woman: This is a broad category, but the intersection of femininity and race is a broad topic which many writers fall into. You really can't go wrong here. My recs are Toni Morrison, Jean Rhys, Zora Neale Hurston, Oroonoko by Aphra Bein, and Jean Toomer. I still need to read Gwendolyn Brooks, Octavia Butler, and Alice Walker.

The work of Shakespeare: You can't go wrong here. Obviously not explicitly queer, but many of his plays deal with cultural gender perceptions and, of course, crossdressing! Twelfth Night is probably his strongest play on this front, but The Winter's Tale and Measure for Measure are both great here, and most of his plays have at least a little commentary on the gender front.

Leave other recs in the comments/rts! :)

[evelhak]

What are some series (any media) that aren't well known, but you enjoy, and would encourage other people to seek out?

I love this topic! Thank you for stopping me from aimless scrolling for another hour. It's always a little hard to determine what is well known but I'm just gonna have to go with my surroundings, so I'm gonna talk about some that I've never seen anyone mention on any social media.

Jean le Flambeur series by Hannu Rajaniemi

I feel like it should be quite well known, but maybe it's just not in the spaces I'm in or with people my age. But this is a very intricate and suspenseful sci-fi book trilogy by a Finnish author who writes in English. It begins with a thief trapped in a virtual prison. It's highly conceptual in the design of its world and the author is definitely not holding your hand explaining how everything works, but for me it was part of the charm and a wild and satisfying experience, it really sparked my imagination when I was attempting to visualize it all, and I didn't mind if I didn't understand everything because interpretation is the whole point of reading for me. The characters are also complex enough for a character driven taste. If you are looking for something that is highly stimulating for an abstract thinker, try it.

Syysmaa-sarja by Anu Holopainen

Sorry, this is just in Finnish... and the reason I never see anyone talking about it may just be that every Finnish fantasy nerd read it ten or more years ago like me. Although it would be nice seeing younger people find it now! It's a very overtly feminist fantasy series of 6 books, where people are divided into religions that worship a different tree. The mainstream worships oak which is very patriarchal, and the books focus on people (often women, queer or neurodivergent coded people) in very different and difficult life situations, who come in contact with a small group of rowan worshippers who are trying to create possibilities for a different kind of life and society. These were my favourite fantasy books as a teenager.

Lumikki Andersson series by Salla Simukka

These books have English translations, I don't know what quality, because I only read them in Finnish. But it's a YA "thriller" trilogy you should not read as thriller. It's a character driven modern Snow White with elements of thriller and mystery. Lumikki Andersson is not clear on everything that happened in her past, but she doesn't want to be a target so she has mastered the art of appearing insignificant and uninteresting in any given situation by impressive micro level acting and analysing people's every gesture. The main character is the point of this series and her internal world and observations are wonderfully written. If you like old mystery and gothic novels, if you read Sherlock Holmes for the character, if you love fairytales and satisfying analogies, you should read these poetic and insightful explorations on personality, trauma and survival.

Charity Bishop's books

These are speculative fiction books with a Christian twist, so proceed with caution if you need to. I got into them when I was studying theology and wrote my master's degree analysing different concepts of God in self-published Christian fiction. I am not religious and my interest in religion is psychological and anthropological and as such I often find fiction books written by religious people about religion interesting. In terms of literary merit, I've found these books to be the most enjoyable ones I've read in this genre, with well developed characters and plots where faith works as an organic part of the whole speculative element instead of the story just being a tool for preaching which is quite common in this genre.

I was going to do more than just books but I got tired now, so good night Tumblr. 💙 I'm always ready to give recommendations.

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I've read so far in 2023!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

___

88. Under the Iron Bridge by Kathy Kacer--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

UNDER THE IRON BRIDGE was an understandably difficult read, especially since it explores one of the worst crimes against humanities in living history.

I can't even imagine what it would have been like to live in a society where people were clearly being indoctrinated and brainwashed and feeling powerless to not become a part of that problem. The way the MC's classmates talked about their "leader" and how the lessons in their "youth program" were so inspiring and eye opening was so deeply disturbing. This book isn't for the faint of heart, especially because even though the MC is incredibly against the regime and is actively trying to escape it, the dialogue and indoctrination that he witnesses is sickening.

This is a very important read, I believe. The discomfort I felt while reading this is a good reason enough (for me) to recommend it because history can be uncomfortable and sometimes that's the best way to avoid repeating it.

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89. The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan--⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE MAZE OF BONES was a fun read! I can see why it was so popular when it first came out, especially since it was a semi-interactive mystery book.

This was also darker than I was anticipating and I kind of loved that.

I will definitely be checking out the rest because I need to get some answers 👀

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90. Parting Shot by Linwood Barclay--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I made the mistake of jumping into this book without seeing if it was the first in a series or nah. Turns out it's book four, aha, and although it pretty much spoiled the events of the previous books, I'm looking forward to being properly introduced to the main characters!

With all of that being said, though, I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit! Like always, I loved the twists that Barclay wrote and the mystery behind the whole thing. Especially those last few chapters.

It took me a bit to get into PARTING SHOT, but I would still recommend it. There's just such an addicting quality to these books--the mystery of it all, the suspense, the twists. So fun and perfect for summer!

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91. The False Prince by Jennifer E. Nielsen--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First of all, I can't get over the fact that this is a middle grade book???? This is such a mature and dark read that I wouldn't have been surprised to see it in the YA section. I'll definitely be recommending this one to the older middle grade and younger young adult readers!

I don't know what I was expecting when I first started THE FALSE PRINCE. It had been sitting on my shelves for years and I finally picked it up, thankfully. This was such a fun read! I love the trope of prepping someone to be a fake anything of power. It was fun and the sassiness gave it an extra edge I wasn't expecting.

I highly recommend this one, especially if you like quick fantasy novels that feature an MC you can't help but root for, and a twist that isn't entirely unpredictable, but is still a hell of a lot of fun to get to!

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92. Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White--⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I listened to this as an audiobook and I won't lie, I had to restart it because my mind was wandering everywhere during my first listen. While this book was enjoyable and features incredibly important topics, something about it just didn't pull me in as much as I was hoping it would.

First off, extreme trigger warning for anyone who has religious trauma. The cultish dialogue and beliefs of these religious characters was so jarring and uncomfortable. Their erasure of the MC's identity because it didn't align with their God's beliefs made me so uncomfortable, and although I know this was the point of using this controversial topic, it made me contemplate DNFing. But then I remembered that discomfort in this context is good because it's further forcing me to feel some modicum of discomfort that real-life people actually feel in their very real lives experiencing very similar forms of oppression and erasure.

I did find it fascinating how the literal monster that the first male MC is turning into could be a metaphor for how the world might view his real identity and not just the person they hide behind the mask. But his old life would rather keep him as the monster than as who he truly is. That aspect of the novel was genius and a perfect juxtaposition to the MC's desire to just be who they are (even if it means eventually accepting who he is becoming.)

The second MC was a character with Autism and while I am not well-versed in the topic, I absolutely adore reading characters with Autism. White has their second main character stimming and finding ways to cope when he's over-stimulated, and I loved seeing those honest and vulnerable moments.

The plot had its fun moments and even though the story was full of heavy imagery and messages, I think they all worked well together to make this a gritty story. I'd recommend it (especially because I know some people absolutely loved this), but be wary of the trigger warnings.

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93. The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay, the level of cuteness and representation in this book was, phew.

I was first a little wary of this one because it sounded almost too cute to be true. And then I started it (after promptly forgetting what the synopsis was about) and YESSSS, I'm so glad I finally picked it up!!!! I loved it so, so much!

First, I loved that we had a dual perspective because I enjoy being able to see both sides of a story, rather than seeing the MC freak out about a potential miscommunication. Both characters were so rounded and offered so much to the story that I simply can't imagine this book without either of their POVs.

Secondly, I loved the representation of mental health! It was candid and didn't shy away from the very real anxiety that exists when faced with social pressures, or the reality of when someone is emotionally overwhelmed and struggles with their depression for days at a time. It was heart-rending and so honest that I couldn't help but want to hug these characters.

Finally, I loved the chemistry between the two characters. I love reading books where the characters are obviously falling in love, but are completely unaware of it until it slaps them in the face. It's fun because you can then yell at whichever MC has completely missed the fact that they're in love. It's strangely therapeutic.

I loved this book so much. From the fun setting, to the memorable friends and side characters, this book was just full of fun from the beginning to the end! (Even with some slightly less intense spicy scenes!)

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Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts!

___

Happy reading!

[annarellix]

The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell

‘Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We’re going to kill them first.’

Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No doubt he’s wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn’t protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat’s a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this one gets his magic? Wouldn’t want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object). Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you’re probably not going to like it, because we’re violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations. At least, until such irritating concepts as friendship and the end of the world get in the way. My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title – until I discovered the people I worked for weren’t quite as noble as I’d believed. Now I’m on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent.

Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . .

My Review: It's the first adult fantasy book I read by Sebastian de Castell and I thoroughly enjoyed as it's gripping and well plotted story with elements of grim dark and epic fantasy and a lot of fun. Cade Ombra and his companion are not the good guy who fight to improve the world, they fight because they want to be paid and when you're involved in a suicide mission may be you need to involve some guys who are very bad if you want to survive or at least try to survive. Because your mission is to kill the seven deadliest mage on the continent. That said it could be the retelling of the Seven Samurai or other stories involving 7 heroes or anti-heroes. But we're on the anti hero side and there's always a lot of humour that keeps the story entartaining even when it could be too gory or grittyl I loved Cade because he's a realist but also a good guy at the heart even if life was harsh and killed a lot of illusions and dreams. A gripping, highly entertaining and well plotted story. Excellent storytelling and character development. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Jo Fletcher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The Author: Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realised how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor and product strategist. His only defence against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way. Sebastien’s acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series The Greatcoats was shortlisted for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy. the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut, the Prix Imaginales for Best Foreign Work and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His YA fantasy series Spellslinger was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and is published in more than a dozen languages. Sebastien lives in Vancouver, Canada with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats.

http://www.decastell.com https://twitter.com/decastell

Book page: https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/sebastien-de-castell/the-malevolent-seven/9781529422801/

[the7thcrow]

CORYNN HI

belated merry christmas if u celebrate!!! wow im so late but let's pretend im not 🙂

i hope that you're doing well and enjoying the rest of this year!

also a question that has been on my mind lately, what is the inspiration of your username? i'd guess it's because of that book, 6 of crows? maybe i got the title wrong woops hehe but yeah!! feel free to explain it or not :) and also, if you'd like to, recommend us some books!! i'm not a native english speaker so i'm looking for a few books to read in english :^)

take care of yourself! and have a good day <3

so I had just finished typing a giant response to this when my laptop died and deleted the whole thing💀 so here we are for round two.

if you were late for christmas wishes, then I am like, horribly horribly late. so instead.. happy new year! hope it treats you well ash <3

as for my username, yes it is inspired by six of crows hehe. I made this account way back in 2017 and didn't rlly use it, but when I came back to write fanfic I thought it was kinda cool and kept it even though the blog has nothing to do with the series lol.

but as for book recs, ofc I have some! admittedly I haven't read much in the last year or two, so some of these I read a while ago and am not sure if they still live up to how much I loved them years ago, but I figured i'd include them anyway:

all time favs:

the secret history by donna tartt: this is like, my all time favourite book, when people ask this is what i say. it's the only book i've bothered to read twice. admittedly I know it isn't for everyone, as it's highly satirical and slow-paced, but if you're alright with that I can't recommend it enough. i'm low-key an avid hater of first person narration 99% of the time, but richard's perspective in this book is so deliciously horrible I can't help but love it. honestly i could talk about it forever. highly recommend.

the way of kings by brandon sanderson. this book is literally everything I could ever hope to achieve with my writing. so complex. such amazing characters and development. insane world building. and so massive. it's like 1200 pages, and there's four more with the same amount that are already out, of what will become ten. it is a commitment, but I think it's so worth it (I'm currently almost done book 2, and will be immediately picking up book 3). if you like fantasy this is my number one rec.

the grishaverse by leigh bardugo. given my username i'm sure this isn't a surprise lolol. this series includes some of my favourite characters across any form of media. it includes the shadow and bone trilogy, the six of crows duology, and the king of scars duology. personally while I think the shadow and bone trilogy is the weakest instalment (mostly bc I don't like first person narrative) it's where I would start. fun story, great cast, and a good way to settle into the world. they're also YA so they read pretty easy.

some other books/series I recommend (with variety for your reading preferences):

an ember in the ashes quartet by sabaa tahir

the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater

1984 by george orwell

turtles all the way down by john green

they both die at the end by adam silvera

the troop by nick cutter

illuminae by jay kristoff and amie kaufman.

[nyxreads]

I actually never heard of SJM until today when I asked a friend that had the red haired girl with the hot guy (sorry don't know their names) so I'm one of the people that was fooled into believing they're the otp then they tell me they aren't even together it seriously is a fanfic otp to me they're insane and all they do is send hate to you guys. Do you recommend the series of books by this author what are they about and who are the otps?

Hello anon,

It's okay. The red hair girl is Gw/yn and the guy is Azriel. Idk if this is safe to say, but for me, it's a crackship. Like, there's literally no romantic build up. It's pure mentor-trainee.

Moving forward, Acotar was more like NA than YA so if you like that then I think it's good. Acotar is about Feyre Archeron, a 19 year old human girl who was dragged on the Fae world (Prythian) after killing a wolf. She was captured by a beast, Tamlin, one of the seven High Lords in Prythian. From hostility, her feelings for Tamlin changed into something else. And as she discovers the beauty of the Faerie land she also found that something is not right. And she's set to discover and solve it.

Anon, as much as I wanted to tell you the otp I'm afraid I'm gonna spoil the series to you.

Acotar is not that deep or complex. It's more of romance, and character building. Some of the rules in the series aren't still clear, (like how mating bond works). But if you're looking for a Romance Fantasy series, I guess this one is for you. (this is really one of my fave series)

The order of the books are : A Court of Thorns and Roses / A Court of Mist And Fury (the best in the series) / A Court of Wings and Ruin / A Court of Frost and Starlight (Novella) / A Court of Silver Flames.

It's still not yet done. So far, the first trilogy were about Feyre. While Acosf is about her sister, Nesta. The series tho it was originally meant to be just about Feyre, her sisters would also have their own stories.

Throne of Glass is SJM's first ever series. (This is what I always recommend to my friends). This is more of a YA, and the world building and character building was really really great imo.

In Adarlan, where magics are banned and was ruled by a ruthless king, Celaena Sardothien; an assassin, was summoned in the castle by Prince Dorian to be his Champion in exchange for her freedom. But she first have to defeat 23 killers, warriors and suchs.

She's being trained by Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Guard. When she thought everything's gonna go in her favor, one by one, her competitors started getting murdered. Now she's set to discover who the killer is before she becomes the next victim.

I totally highly recommend this series, and this one literally gets better and better after every book imo.

For the otp, again, I'm afraid I'm gonna spoil you.

So for CC, sadly anon, I'm yet about to start the series. (I'm still too bitter to start this one lmao)

[bookcub]

Have you ever read the Bartimaeus Trilogy?

A series about a world where some people have access to unfathomable power by means of magic, and this leads to the formation of an oppressive class structure where the magical upper classes are full of parasitic psychopaths who use their magic to gain power and wealth at the expense of the non-magical classes.

Oh and the source of their magic is the brutal enslavement of sentient supernatural beings known as djinn through threats, torture, and magical binding

The titular character (Bartimaeus) is an enslaved djinn and he's such an endearing and tragic character, who uses blistering wit and sarcasm to cope with the fact that his slavery takes everything from him- his dignity, his safety, his free will, and even his loved ones. He has nothing and he knows it, so he resorts to acting as a kind of immortal class clown to mask/cope with his suffering.

It's an extremely intelligent YA fantasy series that touches on some very serious topics (classism, colonialism, imperialism, the evils of slavery, master-slave psychology and how there's no such thing as a "good master") whilst at the same time having plenty of humour, action, and heart-wrenching emotion

Anyways it's probably the best fantasy series I've read in a very long time and I highly recommend reading it if you haven't already

no i havent read it but i have heard of it! it looks very good, i will keep your recommendation in mind!

[saturdaysky]

hello! i hope you don't mind a message, but i am just excited to see someone else who liked AMCE and would love to know if you have recs for books that are similar, because i've been thinking about it for like a month straight since i finished reading it and would love something else to occupy my brain the way that it did. no pressure to answer ofc, just happy to share good vibes over a book :)

I do not mind it at all! <3

I do have some books that scratched a similar itch as A Memory Called Empire! I looooved the thoughtful focus on culture and language and identity within an intricate setting, so these recs follow that pattern somewhat.

Under a cut because this got kind of long.

The Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie

Liked the exploration of culture, identity, and imperialism in AMCE? You will probably like these books, since they also grapple with those themes. Also present is the exploration of personhood, who has it, and who does not -- because our main character is a person who used to be a starship. Or well, sort of. Wikipedia has a decent blurb:

The novel follows Breq—who is both the sole survivor of a starship destroyed by treachery, and the vessel of that ship's artificial consciousness—as she seeks revenge against the ruler of her civilization.

These books are honestly some of my favorite books ever. They combine a really thoughtful and deliberate focus on all the stuff mentioned above, fascinating plots and world-building, and characters who absolutely made me Feel Things. Highly recommended if you like, say, emotionally closed-off and damaged characters learning to care and be cared for while also skillfully navigating an intricate web of power to pursue their goals and reckon with the harm they've caused. But with bonus smart thoughts about robots.

The Foreigner series by C.J. Cherryh

I haven't fully made my way through this series, but it's rewarding every time I sit down to read another book. The books follow Bren Cameron, diplomat to an alien court, as he negotiates the intricate web of politics and intrigue involved in making sure the crash-landed colony ship he represents doesn't get obliterated or obliterate anyone else, despite humans making some monumental fuck-ups in the recent past.

And when you live and work and eat among one people, how much do you really belong to the people you came from? Of course, neither side really trusts someone who straddles both worlds, and to cap it off, the atevi people he lives among are different from humans in a fundamental way: they have no word for friend or love because those are alien concepts to the atevi. They do not feel such things. Instead, they live by an intricate web of obligation and favors. Trust is something a little more practical and a lot more deadly, for the atevi.

But these are not heartless novels -- part of the joy is watching the main characters grow meaningful relationships, even though the form is fraught and strange and never quite means the same thing to the people on either side.

If you like slow and thorough explanations of culture where meeting with your friend's grandmother is a potentially perilous activity (because the tea might be poisoned, because she might take you on a hunting trip you won't come back from, because she's a formidable political power and might be trying to assassinate your friend, because your friend might know all of this and have sent you anyway, also your friend is the king) these are books you might like.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

If you like deep dives of culture, language, identity, and loyalty within the deadly intrigue of a fantasy court, I hiiiiighly recommend this book. The book follows Maia, the youngest and least-favored heir to the throne who gets unexpectedly crowned when everyone else in line dies and must quickly learn to survive the cutthroat politics. But Maia isn't cutthroat by nature; he is kind and must negotiate how to keep that kindness in the face of pressures that would be easy to solve with cruelty, as well as people keen to take advantage of what they think of as a weakness.

This book'll hit you with a lot of fantasy language at first (it's a focus of the book), but if you stick with it you'll be fine. You're learning all this intricate court language at the same time as our protag; he too is a little out of his depth at the start.

Steerswoman series by Rosemary Kirstein

I dearly want to go back and read these -- it's been a few years, but they absolutely sucked me in. The books follow Rowan, a steerswoman, as she tracks down the mystery of a strange and incongruous gemstone. In-universe steerswomen are basically traveling scientists and naturalists who have taken an oath of truth.

The books start out in what seems like your fairly typical Standard Fantasy Setting with wizards and dragons, but as Rowan learns more about the strange gem, it's clear that this Standard Fantasy Setting is...not as it seems. There are three things that I loved about these books: the sense of wonder and discovery as our fantasy scientist protag reasons through problems and begins to discover she lives in a sci fi world, the interesting relationship between the main characters, and the excitement you as a reader have when YOU realize exactly what mysterious object Rowan is describing and what the implications of that are for the setting.

The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

Riveting series -- brutal and beautiful. Straddles the line in some respects between sci fi and fantasy. Follows characters who live on a far, far-future Earth plagued by catastrophic climate events called "Seasons" that last generations. There are some people born who have power drawn from the earth; these people are alternately hated and ruthlessly trained to hone their powers to attempt to prevent another Season. (This sort of sounds like the setup to a YA coming-of-age novel, but it is really really not.)

The world and fantastical aspects are fascinating (cyclical post apocalyptic societies! geology magic!), and the books themselves explore family bonds, racism in both a personal and systemic sense, and broken systems and the wounds they leave upon the people within them even as those people wound others. The series is not a light read, but it is a good one.

Literally anything by Ursula K. Leguin

All of her work could be recommended if you liked AMCE. Her writing spans fantasy and science fiction, and includes thoughtful and moving explorations of some similar ideas: culture and cultural exchange, gender, different societal setups, you name it.

If you're looking for a good novel, The Left Hand of Darkness is a classic for a reason. If you'd like a sample platter of interesting short stories, The Birthday of the World and Other Stories is wonderful.

[levisqueaks]

There is nothing quite like a good book...

I meant to update Saturday but it’s the 17th and I have officially finished 10 books and have three others in a partially completed status. 

Books I’ve read so far in 2022 and what I rate them: 

The Guest List

by Lucy Foley

4 stars. It had a good plot and a lot of great twists. As murder mysteries go, I really enjoyed it. However, it loses a star because of the constant POV shifts which made it really hard to keep track of all of the twists and turns. 

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy

by Mackenzi Lee 

4 stars. I listened to this one on audio, so I do think I may have lost some of the nuance that listening causes (for me). I thoroughly enjoyed the sequel to Gentleman’s Guide of Vice and Virtue. It was fast-paced and energetic. 

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

By Marianne Cronin 5 stars. A beautiful and emotional look at life, love, death, and the journeys we travel. I definitely recommend this one if you want an emotional read! 

Kept

By Maya Banks 2.5 stars. And that’s generous. As far as mindless smut goes, this one actually had some semblence of a plot... it just wasn’t a great one. It gets this many stars because of how hilariously terrible the whole thing was. I actually enjoyed reading it, but it wasn’t good. 

The Scottish Prisoner

By Diana Gabaldon 3 Stars - 4.5 stars with the alternate ending written by  @iihappydaysiiand  @mistresspandorawritesthings​. I struggled to get into this one, even though I was really excited to read it. I loved getting a whole book of Jamie and John being a grumpy old married couple and Tom Byrd was the best part of the book. We stan the poor Wee Byrd. Finishing the book with Whatever It Costs (starting after Chapter 32 of TSP) was honestly utterly fantastic and I highly recommend you do the same! 

If God Is Love, Don’t Be A Jerk

By John Pavlovitz 4.5 stars. It’s a niche read but it was a great philosophical look into the state of America and Christianity. A little too bible-y for me, but I do enjoy his blog posts so this was a great palette cleanser to transition into a new series. 

The Day the World Came to Town

By Jim Defede 4 stars. This book is about Gander, Newfoundland and the events of welcoming in over 6,000 people who had their flights grounded on 9/11. For the source and story, I felt like it was a really great read and gave a lot of insight into the events and the way people came together. However, it was very matter-of-fact storytelling and it had the potential to be extremely emotional. Still a recommended read! 

Bartholomew Nelson and the World of Zathya 

By Antonio Gilyard 5 stars. I really enjoyed this book! It’s a YA Fantasy novel that has really awesome character development, magic, intrigue and lots of plot turns! A hidden gem I definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy worlds! 

Locked in Time

By Lois Duncan  3 Stars. I used to love this novel as a young teen and so I picked it up again because I didn’t really remember the plot. As an adult it was easy to see the plot pockets and bad dialogue but the premise was still kind of neat. Gothic horror meets YA Fiction. Definitely a dated book. 

The Selection 

By Kiera Cass 3.5 stars. Lord this book. It was absolute trash with a problematic plot device but it was still a fun few-hour read. YA Romance? It has a caste system that feels a bit like the hunger games, meets the bachelor. If you want a guilty pleasure read with little substance, this is definitely the book for you. The white ass names in this book sent me into hysterics.  In Progress Reads: 

Boyfriend Material

By Alexis Hall First Impressions: This book is hysterical and campy. Very excited to see how it plays out. But so far, I think I’m going to really enjoy it! 

The Weight of Ink

By Rachel Kadish First Impressions: This is a dense book full of amazing history, mystery, and intrigue. I’m about 10% into it, and I’m very excited to see what happens next! 

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek 

By Kim Richardson First Impressions: I am really enjoying the story so far. It’s a little hard to get into for audio, so I’m working to borrow an e-book or print version to finish it. But the story is super captivating so far! Any recommendations that you would pass on? Please share them! I’m hoping to cross 100 books this year. 

[agentaletha]

Raybearer

Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself? - Goodreads

Raybearer by Jordan Ifeuko, 2020 Amulet Books

Raybearer is a lovely young adult fantasy novel, the first in a two book series. I read a fair amount of YA, and a good amount of speculative fiction and still Raybearer felt new and exciting. In fact I’d say it’s probably my favorite YA I’ve read so far this year. The world building is unique with a wide variety of cultures (obviously influenced by certain real world countries but with enough departure to not feel just relabeled with fantasy names), interesting magic abilities, a sense of history, and an unusual system of government.

While stories of youths rebelling against oppressive regimes are YA’s bread and butter, this takes a deeper look at justice and inequality. I love that Tarisai’s goal for most of this first book is just to protect her friends and chosen family. There are so many that we don't really get to know all of them, but the ones we do know are perfect. While Tarisai has a strong sense of right and wrong (literally, she gets physical symptoms from injustice) the entire time, the book covers her journey from ignoring it, then trying to save individuals, to trying to affect the whole empire. But even when her purpose is to protect, she still sees systemic injustices and comes up with systemic solutions, wanting to fulfill her role as more than keeper of the status quo. This is a story that questions why things are the way they are and how the status quo is maintained, but also looks seriously at what can be done better in the future. The problem isn’t one bad person abusing their power, the problem is the system that supports and maintains inequalities. I appreciated that there are no scenery chewing villains here - everyone has understandable motives, from lashing out to hurt because they were hurt, to fear, and to how easy it is to dismiss injustices that happen to other people, in other places and justify that that’s just how it is, no point in trying to make a difference. Everyone is treated with compassion, even when they make bad decisions or react from their emotions, which they sometimes do.

I’m really looking forward to the second book! In the words of George Washington from Hamilton,”Winning is easy young man, governing’s harder.” I love seeing what happens next and I’m going to leave it there to not give any more away.

Spoilers ahead as I talk about representation

As for LGBTQIA representation, it’s there but fairly background. Same sex relationships aren’t stigmatized and it seems there’s a bit of an “everyone is bi” default, although all the main on-page romantic relationships are male/female. Gender roles vary by culture but don’t seem to be strictly delineated in the palace although gender does seem to be considered strictly binary. One of the 11 is gay and fairly flamboyant about it - he’s described as a “bleeding-heart poet” dreaming of handsome swains, but that’s about it. However, there is an asexual character and while he’s not the protagonist, he is one of the key players. A little less than halfway through the book, when she is an anointed member of his council, Tarisai asks the Prince to meet her privately at a known lovers’ meeting spot. He’s afraid she has the wrong idea and this is what he tells her:

 “There’s something I should tell you. I don’t...I don’t think I want sex. Ever. And I don’t mean with you, I mean - with anyone. Girls, boys. Anyone.” He stared at the leaves on the ground, smooth brow furrowing. “I mean, I’ve had crushes before. On you, on Jeet, and some of the others. I’ve just … never been interested in the sex part. Sometimes I wonder if I’m broken.”

You aren’t broken, protested the voice inside me. You’re the kindest, most loving person I know. Run. Live.

“But I’m crown prince,” he continued, grimacing, “and I have to have heirs someday, so… I guess - if I could choose anyone-”

The conversation ends there because Tarisai stabs him.

Ekundayo, or Dayo for short, is described as happy, naive, trusting, and having a “big fragile heart”. He is the Crown Prince, but he believes in the best of everyone. He’s well meaning but doesn’t always get it. They don’t have a word for asexual, but the author makes it clear by indicating that it’s all genders he’s not interested in and that he’s not aromantic as well. And the author includes the classic, “I wonder if I’m broken.” On the one hand, broken would go on my ace characters bingo sheet, but on the other, it’s a classic for a reason. Asexuality is already so much more visible than when I finally encountered it over ten years ago that maybe in another ten private wonderings about our brokenness will no longer resonate with the younger generations. I hope so. In the meantime, I already liked him as the soft-hearted prince and this made my heart go out to him. I love that Tarisai’s immediate reaction is “you’re not broken” although she doesn’t get the chance to say that out loud or even finish the conversation. I assume it will come up again in the next and final book. I really don’t know what’s going to happen next and I love that.

In summary, I loved Raybearer and I think it’s a good representation of an ace character that doesn’t fall prey to stereotypes (although I am keeping an eye on how often naive tends to show up) and I highly recommend it as a diverse thoughtful YA fantasy.

[writingwithcolor]

Completely non-serious question, but is there anything we can do for you guys in these trying times? Moral support, funny asks? I guys do a lot, and I want to do something for y'all in return

You’re too kind! I will accept 

all updates about how everyone’s writing is going 

Book recommendations (diverse)

and/or your best tiger king memes!! 

Colette

Your Book Recommendations 

The Second Mango (Mangoverse Series) by Shira Glassman

A Blade so Black by L.L. McKinney 

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan 

Sorcerer to the Crown (Sorcerer Royal Series) by Zen Cho

The City of Brass(The Daevabad Trilogy) by S.A. Chakraborty

Daughters Of Nri by Reni K. Amayo

Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus 

 A Bride's Story, Vol. 1 by Kaoru Mori (Manga)

Links go to goodreads. Don’t forget your local bookstores when shopping! Also, some libraries are open for pick-up or have ebook databases.

Commentary re: the books

adhdkirabraginsky

i was about to rec the mangoverse until i remembered that shira is, in fact, a mod on this very blog.

Colette: she is, and she’s awesome!

anicalewis

You might have already read it, but A BLADE SO BLACK is great! Smart and funny #ownvoices YA retelling of Alice in Wonderland with a Black heroine and a strong Buffy vibe.

theories-fans-andwombats

Book recommendation: Girls of Paper and Fire. I finished book one, soon to start book 2. It’s a phenomenal book with a POC main cast (the majority of the characters are coded to be Eastern Asian, with some Southern Asian influence as well) as well as LGBT characters and great fantasy elements. I will say, it deals with some darker subjects like sexual assault and classism, but it’s done well!

@basada-en-la-esperanza

Have you read Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho? It’s a book for those of us who wanted to read Jonathan Strange but couldn’t spend 500 pages caring about exclusively Cis White Men. And the companion/sequel, The True Queen, has a scene with the inner thoughts of a Muslim girl, while her well-meaning white Englishwoman host tries to serve her guest pork, that made me feel so seen! (I’m not Muslim, but I’m Jewish.) They’re both wonderful books, I highly recommend them! (Also The Golem and the Jinni is my favorite Jewish book I’ve read in forever.)

@hacash

for book recs, i CANNOT recommend the Daevabad trilogy (City of Brass, Kingdom of Copper, and a third book hopefully imminent) enough. It’s a fabulous fantasy series set in an alternative 18th century Middle East - as a white reader who’s read probably every iteration of the European mythology stories, it was so fun to find a really well-written, in-depth world centred around Middle Eastern and Islamic folklore!

@akcipitrokuloI would recommend Daughters Of Nri by Reni K. Amayo… but I read it after it was recommended here, so just a thank you for introducing me to awesome book which I also bought for my SIL.

@profoundlygaywriterI started Stars and the Blackness Between Them earlier in the school year but never finished it because I was so swamped. What I did get through was pretty good, so maybe give that one a look

@wisteriaprincess 

It is not a book, but a manga I would like to recommend, the name is Otoyomegatari (A Bride’s story) and is about the stories of different women from Central Asia. I know it is not a book, but it is the first time I saw positive representation of Muslim people (I’m not Muslim, though, so I can’t really say, but I read a post from a Muslim person and he was very happy and saw it through positive eyes).

[panncakes]

hey what are wlw shows you would recommend?

this question made me a little sad because the amount of good quality shows with wlw leads is just not a lot (really waiting for that gl industry to go wild huh) and made me realise why i go looking for good rep in other places

anywho wlw shows with a wlw main character or romance i’ve enjoyed lately (sorry if you are looking for more bl/gl type recs; i don’t have those):

- anne+ (a dutch series made by queer women; currently only available on netflix in the netherlands/belgium so if you have a vpn please check it out; it’s definitely worth it this post lists other places you could watch it depending on what country you are in)

- killing eve (im assuming most people have heard of this one);

- dickinson (based on emily dickinson with a contemporary twist);

- i am not okay with this (comicbook-esque teen drama that sadly wasn’t picked up for a second season - so be mindful of that);

- the haunting of bly manor (horror and tears; be warned)

there’s a few more tv shows that have wlw side/ensemble characters/romances so if you are interested in those i could list those as well but honestly the main meat of that will always be black sails which is truly the best tv show of all time and has canon bisexual, lesbian and gay characters; but also just has the best writing of a show i have ever seen.

and if you are like me and are always a little unsatisfied with the wlw tv shows options available (especially the lack of genre diversity) and don’t mind exploring other mediums i would highly recommend trying out fiction podcasts. specifically; mabel (thriller fairies with the most stunning prose even if i understand about 50% of what’s happening), alice isn’t dead (from the creators of welcome to night vale!), the strange case of starship iris (sci-fi baby!) and the penumbra podcast - the juno steel stories specifically (there is a wlw couple that gets introduced in season 2 and become main characters in season 3; but the queer rep in here is amazing and it has a non-binary main character!).

and because now i’ve started recommending wlw material i’ve enjoyed lately i might as well share the books i’ve read the past year as well because this is where i’ve gotten the bulk of my enjoyment lately; the seven husbands of evelyn hugo (historical novel, mostly), this is how you lose the time war (sci-fi?), the priory of the orange tree (high fantasy), something to talk about (romance), the falling in love montage (ya novel)

[francesderwent]

Without further ado, here are the winners for the Overly Specific Genre Book Awards for 2020.  

In the Fluffy High School Rom Com of Tropes category: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, by Jenny Han.  To All the Boys absolutely lives up to the guiltless-pleasure charm of the movies.  Lara Jean is a wonderfully thoughtful, endearing narrator, and the romance has so much sweetness in it.  Recommended, with the sequels, to anyone who watched the movie more than once.

In the Fluffy Adult Romance of Introspection category: How to Walk Away, by Katherine Center. Katherine Center is my go-to romance writer, always managing to balance heroines who aren’t merely made up of foibles and their truly hunky counterparts with surprisingly deep and effective musings on life and happiness.  How to Walk Away is my favorite of hers.  I laughed, I cried.  Recommended to those looking for a love story that’s gentle but meaningful.

In the Regency Rom Com category: Cotillion, by Georgette Heyer. Details the fake engagement between a country girl who just wants to see London (and maybe make an old crush jealous) and a young man of means who has previously only cared about his wardrobe.  Meddling, sight-seeing, and quite a lot of shopping occurs – and maybe love?  This book made me laugh, and it made me google words and phrases from the time period.  Recommended for anybody who likes To All the Boys and wishes period dramas were a little more lively.

In the Culture and Theology That Isn’t Exhausting to Read category: Orthodoxy, by G.K. Chesterton.  A book about gratitude and wonder.  Recommended for anybody who ever worried if all those fairytales made them look at the world in a naïve way.

In the Trashy YA Fantasy Enemies-to-Lovers category: The Folk of the Air trilogy, by Holly Black, starting with The Cruel Prince.  I read a lot of trashy YA this year, and it’s a genre with a lot of darkness into which hope never fully breaks, and with a lot of subversion which never stops to ask the deeper meaning of the thing it’s undermined.  In the middle of that, The Folk of the Air is a story about power and trust which starts dark and modern, and then by the end has fully transformed into a fairytale. (Content warning for a couple of sex scenes.  They’re skippable.)  Recommended for anybody who likes it when the character who thinks all they’re good for is destruction learns to trust and love.

In the Court Intrigue and Informal Pronouns of Intimacy category: The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison. Masterful worldbuilding and beautiful character development.  About a young, neglected person rising to power and coming into his own. I cried a lot.  Recommended for anyone who gasps when they suddenly say somebody’s first name in a period drama, and anyone who’s ever said to themselves, “I wish I could find another book like King of Attolia.”

And finally, my top 3 books of the year:

In the Children’s Literature That Made Me Cry category: The Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy, by Jeanne Birdsall.  This series about four young sisters doing their best to make friends, pursue their various hobbies, and uphold the family good name makes me want to use words like "delightful" and "charming" to describe it.  It has a remarkably timeless feel even though the first book was written in 2005, but is particularly reminiscent of Louisa May Alcott and Frances Hodgson Burnett.  The stories are unapologetically about good people who love each other.  They will lighten your heart.  Highly recommended for: young girls of twelve, disillusioned adults, and any human being with a beating heart.

In the Masterful Conclusion to Series in the Works for Over Two Decades category: The Return of the Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner. What is there I can possibly say about this book? It has everything – moments of picturesque domesticity with our old faves, gasp-worthy moments of power and brilliance, lore that repaints the context and meaning of the whole saga. But especially, Return of the Thief drives home what the series has been about all along: what makes a hero, what makes a human being.  A man without a right hand can steal treasures greater and more hidden than anyone else even thought to look for.  A man seemingly without courage can face down armies.  A woman without beauty can inspire unimaginable love.  A man without freedom can makes the choice to change the fate of nations.  And a child without a voice can rise above generations of disloyalty and false messages from false gods to save kings and countries.  The whole series is highly recommended for: sarcastic teens, people who hate Game of Thrones, and anybody who likes people who are smarter than them.

In the Stories About Love That Are Also About Murder category: The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, by Laurie R. King. The setting is the early 1900s in England, exquisitely well-researched and immersive. The protagonist is Mary Russell, young, brilliant, and with an interest in theology.  Her dearest friend is a supposedly retired detective who has turned country beekeeper.  These books are masterfully subtle, with trust and love growing up quietly amongst the mysteries and the theological symbolism.  Highly recommended for: people who like Agatha Christie and also the found family trope.