#Marjorie Lu Sana Takeda

[389]

Monstress Marjorie Lu Sana Takeda 4

[twelve-kinds-of-trouble]

AAPI Heritage Month Book Recs!

As some of you may or may not know, this May is AAPI Heritage Month. To celebrate it, I wanted to make a short list of books written by AAPI authors or with AAPI characters in them. This includes poetries, comics, and graphic novels! Special thanks to @introvertedscarecrow @silver-war @aheartfullofquestions and @waywardpudding who gave me some of these recommendations! If there is anything incorrect or offensive, please let me know! Also, feel free to reblog this with your own recommendations. Remember to check trigger warning before purchasing a book!

Young Adult Books

A Pho Love Story— Loan Lee (Contemporary) Legend— Marie Lu (Dystopian) Warcross— Marie Lu (Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Thriller) Wildcard— Marie Lu (Dystopian) Girls of Paper and Fire— Natasha Ngan (Fantasy) Girls of Storm and Shadow— Natasha Ngan (Fantasy) Gearbreakers— Zoe Hana Mikuta (Fantasy/ Sci-Fi) The Ones We’re Meant to Find— Joan He (Sci-Fi) Namesake— Jhumpa Lahiri (Contemporary) Last Night at The Telegraph Club— Malinda Lo (Historical) Counting By Sevens— Holly Goldberg Sloan (Contemporary) Cinder— Marissa Meyer (Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dystopia)

Biographies

Good Talk— Mira Jacob (Is also a graphic novel!) Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls— T Kira Madden Minor Feelings— Cathy Park Hong Woman Warrior— Maxine Hong Kingston

Poetry

Milk and Honey— Rupi Kaur Soft Science— Franny Choi World of Wonders— Aimee Nezhukumatathil Foreign Bodies— Kimiko Hahn Inside Out and Back Again— Thanha Lai (Autobiographical)

Graphic Novels and Comics

Batgirl (Cassandra Cain)— Kelly Puckett and Damion Scott Monstrous— Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Fantasy, Steampunk) Demon— Jason Shiga (Sci-Fi) Forget Sorrow— Belle Yang The Best We Could Do— Thi Bui (Autobiographical) They Called Us the Enemy— George Takei (Autobiographical) Mooncakes— Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (Witches! Sapphic Witches! And Sapphic Werewolves! HOLY SHIT!! Young Adult)

Adult Fiction

The Poppy War— R. F. Kuang (Fantasy) Arsenic and Adobo— Mia P. Manansala (Mystery, Cozy) Everything I Never Told You— Celeste Ng (Mystery, Historical) If I Had Your Face— Frances Cha (Contemporary) A Little Life— Hanya Yanagihara (Contemporary) Severance— Ling Ma (Sci-Fi/ Dystopian) The Inheritance of Loss— Kiran Desai (Historical/ Contemporary) Here and Now and Then— Mike Chen (Sci-Fi/ Fantasy) The Night Tiger— Yangsze Choo (Mystery/ Historical) On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous— Ocean Vuong (Contemporary)

I'm pleased to say that some of these novels are LGBTQ+ which is just the best news I’ve heard in all my days, so please come to me with your reviews for them, as a lot of these books are on my to read list! Thanks!

This is also a good time to say that the rising violent hate crimes against the Asian community are not excusable. They are disgusting, and anyone who condones them can get off my blog right now, before I tear out their kneecaps through their gut.

@the-fridge-is-on-fire @peachy-saladlover @neonified (just thought you might like to be tagged!) Please reblog this, I spent way too much time on it.

[artsy-alice]

How about comics/graphic novel recs?

Off the top of my head, the ones I’ve read and loved are–

Saga (Fiona Staples, Brian K. Vaughan) - an adult sci-fi fantasy space opera with a set of diverse lovable characters and an exciting arc. Saga’s storytelling is amazing, combining galactic war hijinks with domestic and heartwarming family moments on top of great art. Seriously - THE ART IS GOALS. Trigger warning though, it’s rated M and can get quite graphic in terms of language, sex and violence..

Lumberjanes (Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and co.) - Five super cute and rad and awesome girls have summer camp adventures. Also addresses issues like sexuality and gender identity in a positive way, never feeling too heavy. It’s wholesome fun and just an over-all feel-good story. I LOVE LUMBERJANES SO MUCH..

The Wicked + The Divine (Gillen and McKelvie) - problematic teens awaken as reincarnations of various gods and become even more problematic celebrities. But also they’re all destined to die in 2 years. Of course everything goes smoothly. This has a good ensemble of characters that you’d either love or hate, and an interesting story that takes its own pace, and of course delicious spins on mythology. Good commentary on fame, relationships and mortality..

Princeless & Raven: The Pirate Princess (Jeremy Whitley) - Princeless follows a princess who gets tired of waiting in her tower, befriends her dragon and goes on an adventure of her own, rescuing other princesses on the way. Raven The Pirate Princess is a spin-off which follows Raven, princess of pirates, supreme badass, and her all-female crew. Both stories are A+..

Monstress (Marjorie Lu and Sana Takeda) - i picked this up because the art was breath-taking??? But the story also turned out to be amazing. It’s steampunk and fantasy, in an Asian-inspired setting, with priestesses and cats and half-humans and gods and demigods and cthulhu… The world is just so rich in detail, like the art! And the MC is a badass disabled asian woman. READ MONSTRESS..

Sandman (Neil Gaiman) - I faithfully collected all volumes of this series as soon as I started on my first job. This one’s kinda old, and a hella long read but it’s also hella good. It’s by my dude Neil Gaiman, and it’s about Dream of the Endless and his siblings Death, Destiny, Desire, Despair, Destruction and Delirium. Who are… metaphysical entities. It’s a story about stories. And about uhhh… existence and dreaming and death and… stories? Y’know, Neil Gaiman stuff..

The Umbrella Academy (Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba) - This one’s getting a Netflix adaptation real soon and I’m excited~ :D Anyways it’s a fun two-volume romp about a dysfunctional family of superheroes. First volume is great family action-drama. Second volume reads like a swag-filled Doctor Who episode. The narrative voice is very… Gerard Way-ish. Has some lines you’ll swear you’ve heard on an MCR song..

Space Battle Lunchtime (Natalie Riess) - A COOKING SHOW! IN SPACE! WITH ALIENS! A CUTE GIRL! WITH A CYBORG GIRLFRIEND! AND ALIEN FRIENDS! IT’S SO CUTE! AND FUN! READ SPACE BATTLE LUNCHTIME!.

Legend of Korra: Turf Wars (Michael Dante DiMartino & Irene Koh) - C’MON IT’S AVATAR KORRA AND HER GIRLFRIEND ASAMI AND THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ON ANOTHER GREAT STORY.

Marvel titles that are my faves:

Angela: Queen of Hel

Ms. Marvel

Runaways

Young Avengers 

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat

Loki: Agent of Asgard.

Backstagers (James Tynion IV & Rian Sygh) - queer theater nerds, where you at? I’ve seen this described as the male equivalent of Lumberjanes, and I have to agree. It’s wholesome fun adventures of a bunch of nerdy theater kids who discover weird supernatural stuff in the basement. With many theater and anime references! There’s a character basically described by the authors as their “Momiji” and of course he was the best character. Fun!.

Hopeless Savages (Jen Van Meter) - two 70′s punk rock icons got together, settled down and had four children. Plot twist: THEY WERE GOOD AT IT. This is a family drama-comedy with quirky lovable characters getting thrown (and sometimes running headfirst) into ridiculous plots. The message of family resilience and defying expectations is great. I loved everything about this series..

Nimona (Noelle Stevenson) - shapeshifting girl employs herself to be an evil villain’s sidekick so they can take down a great hero. My copy of this at home is now worn out because it’s been borrowed by countless younger siblings, cousins and siblings’ friends..

The Prince and the Dressmaker (Jen Wang) - strong ambitious dressmaker gets hired by a crossdressing prince to make him dresses. Prince’s dress-wearing alter-ego becomes a fashion icon. Cue drama and coming of age. THIS IS SUCH A SWEET AND GREAT READ GUYS I’M IN LOVE WITH IT..

Daytripper (Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba) - this one is a profound story about an obituary writer, who reflects on his life’s possibilities - how things could have gone differently had he made different choices, and how it might change how he’s remembered (or not) after his own death. It’s hard to describe exactly, but it’s a very cathartic read..

Sunstone (Stjepan Sejic) - whenever someone asks me what I think of 50 Shades of Grey, I always go “50 what? I’ve read Sunstone. Nothing can come close to that.” So. Yeah. Sunstone is a funny, sexy and sweeet romance story between two women done superbly. Plus, seriously, the bdsm community rep here is great. Thanks Mr. Sejic, it’s what they deserve.

Special Mention:

Mythspace ( Studio Salimbal ) - because HELLS YEAH, Space Opera, Filipino Style! I supported this series back when it came as individually self-published issues in the local comic cons, and I was so proud when they got picked out by a publisher and I saw a bound volume on bookstore shelves. - Anyways, it’s a kid and a bunch of Filipino mythological creatures in space battles and other standalone adventures set in the same universe. It’s published in English, and you can check it out in Tapas or buy issues in gumroad!

[crowleytakesall]

Books Read in 2017

I really don’t know what else to say at this point. Other than I toned it down a bit from last year. ;)

OH actually: I noticed I was being a failure at listing the illustrators of graphic novels. So I’ll try to do that from now on. I apologize to all those artists I’ve neglected to include in my bylines, but thankfully I believe you are all listed on the linked pages. Which is better than no credit at all....

Total: 144

All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister

Please Excuse This Poem: 100 New Poets for the Next Generation ed. Brett Fletcher Lauer and Lynn Melnick

But What If We’re Wrong?: Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past by Chuck Klosterman

Culture and Customs of Korea by Donald N. Clark

Making Whiteness: The Culture of Segregation in the South, 1890-1940 by Grace Elizabeth Hale

サイレントヒル by Sadamu Yamashita

A History of Nepal by John Whelpton

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

I Little Slave: A Prison Memoir from Communist Laos by Bounsang Khamkeo

Game On!: Video Game History from Pong and Pac-Man to Mario, Minecraft, and More by Dustin Hansen

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva

Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

DC Universe: Rebirth - The Deluxe Edition writ. Geoff Johns, illus. Gary Frank, Ethan van Sciver, Ivan Reis, and Phil Jimenez

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Silver Child, Silver City, and Silver World by Cliff McNish

The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman

A Modern History of the Somali: Nation and State in the Horn of Africa by I. M. Lewis

Uzumaki Vols. 1, 2, and 3 by Junji Ito

Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route by Saidiya Hartman

One-Eyed Doll by James Preller

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J. K. Rowling

Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond

The Vikings: A History by Robert Ferguson

Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1-5 and The Kane Chronicles #1-3 by Rick Riordan

Draw The Line by Laurent Linn

Somalia: A Nation Driven to Despair: A Case of Leadership Failure by Mohamed Osman Omar

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology by Valerie C. Scanlon and Tina Sanders

Ultraviolet and Quicksilver by R. J. Anderson

Harmony House by Nic Sheff

Me Against My Brother: At War in Somalia, Sudan, and Rwanda by Scott Peterson

Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey by Isabel Fonseca

Cultures of the World: Somalia by Susan M. Hassig and Zawiah Abdul Latif

The Somali Diaspora: A Journey Away by Abdi Roble and Doug Rutledge

Half Bad by Sally Green

The Civilizations of Africa: A History to 1800 by Christopher Ehret

Omega City by Diana Peterfreund

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

The Dragons of Noor by Janet Lee Carey

Asylum, Sanctum, Catacomb, and The Asylum Novellas by Madeleine Roux

Unraveling Somalia: Race, Violence, and the Legacy of Slavery by Catherine Besteman

A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom

Unnatural Creatures ed. Neil Gaiman and Maria Dahvana Headley

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture by Heather Marie Akou

The Foundry’s Edge by Cam Baity and Benny Zelkowicz

Diagnoses From the Dead: The Book of Autopsy by Richard A. Prayson

House of Secrets by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear by Seth Mnookin

A Silent Voice #2-7 by Yoshitoki Oima (read the first one last year)

Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan

Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks by Ken Jennings

Printer’s Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History by Rebecca Romney and J. P. Romney

The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley

Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey

You’re More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to Making Things Happen by Eric Liu

The Father of Forensics: The Groundbreaking Cases of Sir Bernard Spilsbury, and the Beginnings of Modern CSI by Colin Evans

Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA, and More Tell Us About Crime by Val McDermid

Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson

It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis

White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg

The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class - And What We Can Do About It by Richard Florida

An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal

The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How to Fix It by W. Chris Winter

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire by Jack Weatherford

Dissecting Death: Secrets of a Medical Examiner by Frederick Zugibe and David L. Carroll

Asking For It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture - And What We Can Do About It by Kate Harding

ワンパンマン Vol. 1 - 3 writ. ONE illus. Yusuke Murata

Buried in the Bitter Waters: The Hidden History of Racial Cleansing in America by Elliot Jaspin

Forensic Nurse: The New Role of the Nurse in Law Enforcement by Serita Stevens

So Brilliantly Clever: Parker, Hulme, and the Murder that Shocked the World by Peter Graham

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute by Zac Bissonnette

Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper

The Silence of the Sea by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Beyond Monongah: An Appalachian Story by Judith Hoover

Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favelli and Francesca Cavallo

The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth

These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley

Inferno by Dan Brown

Paper Girls Vol. 1 writ. Brian K. Vaughn, illlus. Cliff Chiang, Jared K. Fletcher, Matthew Wilson

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

Warcross by Mary Lu

Life on Mars: Poems by Tracy K. Smith

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World by Reshma Saujani

Head First C: A Brain-Friendly Guide by David and Dawn Griffiths

A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain

Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting it Done by Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser

Coding for Beginners in Easy Steps: Basic Programming for All Ages by Mike McGrath

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening writ. Marjorie Liu, illus. Sana Takeda

Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

Native Son by Richard Wright

Courage is Contagious: And Other Reasons to be Grateful for Michelle Obama ed. Nick Haramis

This is the Part Where You Laugh by Peter Brown Hoffmeister

The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness by Jill Filipovic

Coding for Dummies by Nikhil Abraham

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond by Marc Lamont Hill

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Artemis by Andy Weir

Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy by Tressie McMillan Cottom

C Programming: Absolute Beginner’s Guide by Greg Perry and Dean Miller

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything by Chris Hadfield

To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

The Memory Code: The Secrets of Stonehenge, Easter Island, and Other Ancient Monuments by Lynne Kelly

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

[libralita]

The Great Unhaul of 2017

So I’m looking at my last bookshelf tour and I realized how different my shelves look now compared the beginning of the year. I went back and created a list of books I’d gotten rid of based on my previous bookshelf tour. I counted a total of 90 books. 35 were unread and 55 were read.

Now, I didn’t get rid of all 90 books in one day, it was usually several decent size unhauls periodically throughout the year. And there were several large series that I decided that I was no longer going to continue reading. Specifically Falling Kings, Throne of Glass and Shadowhunters.

Since I created that list, I might as well share:

Falling Kingdoms – Morgan Rhodes

Rebel Springs – Morgan Rhodes

Gathering Darkness – Morgan Rhodes

Frozen Tides – Morgan Rhodes

A Book of Spirits and Thieves – Morgan Rhodes

(TBR) The Darkest Magic – Morgan Rhodes

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – Jenny Han

PS I Still Love You – Jenny Han

Always and Forever, Lara Jean – Jenny Han

(TBR) The Kiss of Deception – Mary E Pearson

The Unexpected Everything – Morgan Matson

Since You’ve Been Gone – Morgan Matson

The Young Elites – Marie Lu

(TBR) Snow Like Ashes – Sara Raasch

(TBR) We All Looked Up – Tommy Wallach

This is Where it Ends – Marieke Nijkamp

(TBR) Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour – Morgan Matson

(TBR) Second Chance Summer – Morgan Matson

(TBR) Across the Universe – Beth Revis

(TBR) Nerve – Jeanne Ryan

Unwind – Neal Shusterman

(TBR) Unwholly – Neal Shusterman

(TBR) Unsouled – Neal Shusterman

(TBR) The 5th Wave – Rick Yancey

(TBR) The Cursed Child – JK Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne

(TBR) The Glittering Court – Richelle Mead

Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park – Rainbow Rowell

The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture – Roger J. Davis, Osamu Ikeno

(TBR) The Architect of Song – A.G. Howard

(TBR) The Winner’s Curse – Marie Rutkoski

(TBR) The Selection – Kiera Cass

(TBR) Carry On – Rainbow Rowell

Burn for Burn – Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Fire with Fire – Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Ashes to Ashes – Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

The Shadowhunter’s Codex – Cassandra Clare, Joshua Lewis

Clockwork Angel – Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince – Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess – Cassandra Clare

City of Bones – Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes – Cassandra Clare

City of Glass – Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels – Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls – Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly Fire – Cassandra Clare

Lady Midnight – Cassandra Clare

The Bane Chronicles – Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson

(TBR) Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy – Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman

(TBR) Heartless – Marissa Meyer

Demigods & Magicians – Rick Riordan

Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds – Rick Riordan

(TBR) The Red Pyramid – Rick Riordan

The Sword of Summer – Rick Riordan

The Hammer of Thor – Rick Riordan

The Hidden Oracle – Rick Riordan

(TBR) Magnus Chase #3 – Rick Riordan

Isle of the Lost – Melissa de la Cruz

(TBR) Return to the Isle of the Lost – Melissa de la Cruz

(TBR) Ruby Red – Kerstin Gier

(TBR) I Crawl Through It – AS King

(TBR) Replica – Lauren Oliver

Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening – Marjorie M. Liu, Sana Takeda

Nimona – Noelle Stevenson

(TBR) Smoke and Shadow – Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino

The Lightning Thief Graphic Novel – Rick Riordan

The Sea of Monsters Graphic Novel – Rick Riordan

The Titan’s Curse Graphic Novel – Rick Riordan

(TBR) The Red Pyramid Graphic Novel – Rick Riordan

The Stonekeeper – Kazu Kibuishi

The Stonekeeper’s Curse – Kazu Kibuishi

The Cloud Searchers – Kazu Kibuishi

The Last Council – Kazu Kibuishi

Prince of the Elves – Kazu Kibuishi

(TBR) Escape from Lucien – Kazu Kibuishi

(TBR) Firelight – Kazu Kibuishi

SuperMutant Magic Academy – Jillian Tamaki

The Eye of the World – Robert Jordan

(TBR) The Great Hunt – Robert Jordan

(TBR) The Dragon Reborn – Robert Jordan

Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

Hans Christian Andersen Tales – Hans Christian Andersen

The Virgin Suicides – Jeffery Eugenides

(TBR) And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie

[katybudgetbooks]

Intro to Speculative Fiction by People of Color adapted from The Fantasy Inn

Classics

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Mythic Fantasy

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee

Fire Boy by Sami Shah

Urban Fantasy

The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard

Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara

Bad Blood by L.A. Banks

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

Jade City by Fonda Lee

Zero Sum Game by SL Huang

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Kreuger

Paranormal Romance

Bearly a Lady by Cassandra Khaw

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Better off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Erotic Science Fiction

The Stars Change by Mary Anne Mohanraj

Space Opera

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Ragamuffin by Tobias S. Buckell

Science Fiction

Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Want by Cindy Pon

Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany

Science Fantasy

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Star Wars: Finn’s Story by Jesse J. Holland

Gemsigns by Stephanie Saulter

Dystopian

Ink by Sabrina Vourvoulias

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

Legend by Marie Lu

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

Apocalyptic

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac

Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson

Steampunk

The Sea is Ours edited by Jaymee Goh & Joyce Chng

The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus

Zombie Fiction

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Alternate History

Lion’s Blood by Steven Barnes

Wild Seed by Octavia Butler

Historical Fantasy

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

Witchmark by C.L. Polk

Mother of the Sea by Zetta Elliot

Fantasy of Manners

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

Time Travel

Time Salvager by Wesley Chu

An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim

Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen

Comedic Science Fiction

High Aztech by Ernest Hogan

The Brothers Jetstream: Leviathan by Zig Zag Claybourne

Young Adult

The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymulina

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

Middle Grade

Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh

The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi

Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano

Fairy Tale Fantasy

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

Huntress by Malinda Lo

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Dark Fantasy

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez

My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

Mythology

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Sword & Sorcery

Imaro by Charles R. Saunders

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Romantic Fantasy

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

The Island of Eternal Love by Daína Chaviano

Literary

The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko

The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker

Magical Realism

Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

When Fox is a Thousand by Larissa Lai

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

So Far From God by Ana Castillo

Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis

LitRPG

Changing Faces by Sarah Lin

Epic Fantasy

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera

The Dragon Songs Saga by JC Kang

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

The Wolf of Oren-yaro by K.S. Villoso

Graphic Novels

Storm: Make it Rain by Greg Pak, Victor Ibanez, Scott Hepburn, & Matteo Buffagni

Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Black by Kwanza Osajyefo, Jamal Igle, Robin Riggs, Tim Smith III, & Sarah Stern

Legend of the Mantamaji by Eric Dean Seaton, David Ellis Dickerson, & Brandon Palas

Webcomic

The Meek by Der-shing Helmer

Audio Drama

The Glass Appeal by Elijah Gabriel | Website

Here Be Dragons by Jordan Cobb | Website

Redwing by JV Hampton-VanSant | Website

Flyest Fables by Morgan Givens | Website

Kalila Stormfire’s Economical Magick Services by Lisette Alvarez | Website

Standalone Novel

Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng

Severance by Ling Ma

She Weeps Each Time You’re Born by Quan Barry

Smoketown by Tenea D. Johnson

The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna

Novella

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavalle

The Sorcerer of Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson

Novelette

Hell is the Absence of God by Ted Chiang

Short Story 

Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar | Read for Free Now

A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong | Read for Free Now

The Water That Falls On You From Nowhere by John Chu | Read for Free Now

Anthology

Futureland by Walter Mosley

Dark Matter by Sheree R. Thomas

[whatkindofmanmakescappuccin-blog]

Quando pensamos em cultura nerd e geek, logo nos vêm à mente artigos relacionados a Star Wars, Star Trek, Senhor dos Anéis, Marvel, videogames e a lista só cresce… Ficção científica e fantasia estão, por essência, inclusos nesse enorme aparato da indústria cultural. A questão que pouca gente ainda relaciona ao tal Dia do Orgulho Nerd ou Dia da Toalha, em 25 de maio, é a representatividade feminina, negra, religiosa e LGBTQ+ nessas produções. Por isso mesmo que vou exaltar aqui a produção de uma mulher: Mary E. Pearson, com o livro The Kiss of Deception.

Caindo de cabeça no mundo das Crônicas de Amor e Ódio, taca o play aqui:

Eu tinha tudo preparado pra postar hoje uma crítica de Abominação, do Gary Whitta, cedido com carinho pela DarkSide Books, fruto da nossa parceria. Mas tem outra coisa mais urgente: ontem, 25 de maio, foi esse Dia da Toalha no qual se consagra o Orgulho Nerd e a loja Amazon Brasil preparou uma lista quilométrica de ofertas de ficção científica, fantasia, RPG, além de promoções da editora DarkSide e da Aleph (você pode ver tudo clicando aqui). Mas me assustou a quantidade mínima de livros escritos por mulheres ou com personagens femininas centrais.

>> Lia >> O Assassino e o Príncipe >> Narrativa >> Plot Twist

Em março desse ano, participei do projeto Mulheres Para Ler idealizado pela Iara Picolo do canal Conto em Canto e vários foram os debates levantados acerca da importância em ler mais livros escritos por mulheres e/ou com personagens femininos na trama central. Isso na fantasia e na ficção científica acaba sendo mais crítico ainda, porque muito se produz (e poderia ser bem mais!), mas pouco se divulga do trabalho feminino. Afinal, Gandalf, Batman e Capitão América não conversam com o mundo inteiro, por mais que se tente afirmar o contrário.

Lia

Desde 2015 ouço falar em Mary E. Pearson. Foi com ânimo que soube da publicação do The Kiss of Deception no Brail pela DarkSide Books em março de 2016. Pela minha teimosia em querer ler em inglês, demorei séculos esperando um preço mais aceitável e nada desse valor cair (é de ouro, é?). Cansei de esperar e comprei, de muito bom grado, a edição da DarkSide, que ainda veio com um pôster com a capa do livro de um lado e, do outro lado, o mapa dos reinos.

“Pensei em todos os momentos em que passara escondida quando criança, saindo sorrateiramente no meio da noite até a parte mais calma da cidadela: o telhado. Aquele era um lugar em que o ruído constante era silenciado, e eu me tornava um daqueles pontinhos calados conectados ao universo.” – p. 35-36; Lia.

Somos apresentados à Lia, ou Arabella Celestine Idris Jazelia, Primeira Filha da Casa de Morrighan. Sim, ela é princesa, mas não se sente à vontade com os privilégios que tem à sua disposição. Desde sempre, ela questiona o rei, seu pai, dos motivos de ele não sair do castelo e visitar aldeias e reinos vizinhos e ter contato com as pessoas simples. A fala afiada também fere possíveis inimigos, autoridades militares e religiosas que, por mais ameaçadoras que sejam, preocupa mais a Lia sobre o que eles podem fazer às pessoas próximas a ela.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Na iminência de ser casada à força, num ato político em prol da paz entre os reinos de Morrighan e Dalbreck, Lia foge para Terravin, povoado a alguns dias de distância de Morrighan. Acompanhada pela melhor amiga Pauline, Lia abdica de todos seus direitos de realeza a fim de viver uma vida simples, sem luxos, executando trabalhos braçais diariamente.

O Assassino e o Príncipe

A notícia da fuga da princesa se espalhou pelos reinos e chegou ao reino de Venda, uma comunidade de bárbaros inimigos dos reinos de Morrighan e Dalbreck. Já no começo da trama, temos conhecimento de que um assassino de Venda foi chamado para matar Lia. Em nenhum momento sabemos o seu nome nem temos uma descrição de sua aparência. Apenas um detalhe fica claro: por motivos que não ficam evidentes, o assassino tem raiva de qualquer pessoa ligada à realeza.

“Eu estava com raiva porque ela teve a coragem de fazer o que eu não tive coragem de fazer! Quem era essa menina que metia o nariz entre dois reinos e fazia o que desejava?” – p. 41; Príncipe

O príncipe de Dalbreck, com quem Lia se casaria, também decide ir ao encontro de Lia. A motivação dele, contudo, é uma e somente uma: a sina do menino mimado, o famigerado orgulho ferido. Em nenhum momento o príncipe consegue admitir e superar que foi abandonado pela “noiva” e quer conhecê-la justamente para saber quem é essa menina que se acha tão superior a ponto de quebrar tratados entre reinos e esnobar um casamento e uma posição de nobreza. Arrogante pouco, né? E, mais uma vez, não temos descrições físicas nem nomes são citados.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Antes de encontrar Lia em Terravin, os capítulos com a perspectiva deles são apresentados apenas como “O Assassino” e “O Príncipe”. Depois que eles encontram Lia, eles recebem nomes e, ainda assim, não sabemos quem é quem, ou até com quem Lia corre mais perigo: com Kaden ou com Rafe? A única vontade que bate no leitor é gritar “É cilada, Lia!”, mas ela nem desconfia e trata ambos como simples comerciantes de passagem por Terravin.

Narrativa

Há alguns anos, tenho alimentado um certo pavor de narrativas em primeira pessoa. Infelizmente, é uma tendência fácil e rápida que autores têm de demonstrar a perspectiva de um personagem, mas isso não é fácil de fazer com maestria. Narrar em 1ª pessoa é um risco e pouca gente se toca disso: se o leitor não simpatiza com o personagem, adeus! A sensação é de estar preso atrás dos olhos do personagem, numa jaula cheia de espinhos nas grades.

“Era uma vez, criança Há muito, muito tempo, Sete estrelas pendiam no céu. Uma para chacoalhar as montanhas, Uma para revirar os oceanos, Uma para afogar o ar, E quatro para testar os corações dos homens.” – p. 135; Os Últimos Testamentos de Gaudrel

Mary E. Pearson narra em 1ª pessoa com extremo domínio. Não cansa nem desequilibra, por mais que ela traga 3 ou mais personagens para serem descritos através da “perspectiva da câmera”. A delicadeza das palavras nos mostra uma beleza no olhar de cada personagem, por mais antagônicos que sejam. Lia tem seus momentos de chatice e não deixa de encorajar a curiosidade por suas decisões, e isso é muito mais importante que um cliffhanger fácil ou um deus ex machina barato (aquelas soluções que caem do céu, sabe?).

Kaden e Rafe são excepcionais. Temos raiva de ambos pelos seus trabalhos e motivações mesquinhas, mas as diferenças entre ambos quase não aparecem. Um príncipe preocupado em recuperar sua reputação e um assassino sempre a usar a desculpa de “sou um soldado, devo fazer o meu trabalho”: nada importa, porque ambos perseguem, oprimem e confundem Lia. Dona Pearson moldou bem as doses de bonzinho e vilão em cada um. No final, as nuances são tão simbólicas que ficamos nos perguntando: “como não percebi antes?”

Plot twist

O momento mais aguardado desse primeiro volume de Crônicas de Amor e Ódio é justamente a revelação: quem é mocinho, quem é vilão. E não vou contar nada, não é justo que até os mais interessados na estória tenham essa quebra de expectativa. O que vale aqui é a surpresa de conferir se o seu palpite foi certeiro ou se passou longe.

A estrutura que a sra. Pearson propõe divide os acontecimentos e as revelações milimetricamente. Não dá pra sentir que existe algo fora do lugar, porque é isso: cada elemento assume o lugar que lhe cabe. Com uma mitologia fantástica suavemente medieval e, arrisco a dizer, um leve toque em distopia futurística, é o típico livro pra reler e ter uma experiência diferente justamente por saber do final.

“A cada passada que ele dava, todos os meus pensamentos sobre ele se desenrolavam e formavam algo novo, como uma tapeçaria sendo virada do avesso, revelando um emaranhado de nós e feiura.” – p. 270; Lia

E o final em si não é surpreendente e isso é algo a ser apontado: estamos acostumados a séries de livros com volumes acabando em cliffhangers absurdos, baratos e até covardes, bem no estilo “episódio de The Walking Dead”, só pra pessoa continuar fisgada pela curiosidade. Pearson não fez isso e eu agradeço que ela fuja à tendência. Justo, sincero e coerente, The Kiss of Deception entrega surpresas incríveis durante todas as páginas e, com certeza, não necessita de cliffhanger arrebatador.

Eu quero mais e necessito ler o volume 2, The Heart of Betrayal, o quanto antes. 4 oclinhos e meio pela nobre honra de Lia.

As Crônicas de Amor e Ódio, volume 1: The Kiss of Deception Edição de 2016 da DarkSide Books ISBN: 9788566636864 406páginas Skoob | Goodreads Onde encontrar: Amazon BR

***

Se Star Trek era famoso por quebrar padrões e hoje nem passa no Teste Bechdel (a grosso modo, um teste que avalia o bom aproveitamento de personagens femininas), temos aí, sim, um sério problema de representatividade nesse nicho que eu, pelo menos, não fecharei os olhos. Nessa promoção da Amazon foi difícil achar trabalho feminino no mar de nomes masculinos, e depois de algum tempo procurando, descobri e vou enaltecer a graphic novel Monstress ilustrada pela artista Sana Takeda e roteirizada pela Marjorie Liu.

Além delas, temos aí Mary E. Pearson, Helene Whecker (já comentada aqui no Desfalk), Mary Shelley, Ursula K. Le Guin, Marie Lu, Victoria E. Schwab: elas e várias outras escrevem ficção fantástica e científica e merecem nossa atenção, pra muito além de qualquer Marvel e DC que tente se politizar porcamente no intuito de vender.

Darklove é o selo da DarkSide Books dedicado à publicação de trabalhos de mulheres.

Mulher, fantasia e inconformidade em The Kiss of Deception Quando pensamos em cultura nerd e geek, logo nos vêm à mente artigos relacionados a Star Wars, Star Trek, Senhor dos Anéis, Marvel, videogames e a lista só cresce… Ficção científica e fantasia estão, por essência, inclusos nesse enorme aparato da indústria cultural.