#christian book recs

[faithfullyfound]

does anyone have any good Christain Book recs in the genres of

romance (fictional)

fantasy

historical fiction

historical non-fiction

self-growth

devotionals

growing in faith as a teen girl

Thanks.

[shyjusticewarrior]

Harvey viewing Batman as his friend Bruce and pulling his punches being how he realized he could keep things from his other half.

Oh my god, the bruharvey of it all.

[cillianmesoftlyyy]

Book Recommendations Based on Cillian Murphy's Characters! | Pt. 1?

These are all books that I've read and associate with Cillian's characters. Just because I include a book does not mean I completely agree/condone anything in them... they just remind me of the character. Characters included:

Crane

Jim

Matthew Joy

Killick

Raymond

Neil

Lenny Miller

Fischer

Let me know which books you’d recommend and which character’s recommendations you like the best!

[regulusrules]

Yo, I saw your post about orientalism in relation to the "hollywood middle-east" tiktok!

How can a rando and university dropout get into and learn more about? Any literature or other content to recommend?

Hi!! Wow, you have no idea how you just pressed a button. I'll unleash 5+ years on you. And I'll even add for you open-sourced works that you can access as much as I can!

1. Videos

I often find this is the best medium nowadays to learn anything! I'll share with you some of the best that deal with the topic in different frames

• This is a video of Edward Said talking about his book, Orientalism. Said is the Palestinian- American critic who first introduced the term Orientalism, and is the father of postcolonial studies as a critical literary theory. In this book, you’ll find an in-depth analysis of the concept and a deconstruction of western stereotypes. It’s very simple and he explains everything in a very easy manner.

• How Islam Saved Western Civilization. A more than brilliant lecture by Professor Roy Casagranda. This, in my opinion, is one of the best lectures that gives credit to this great civilization, and takes you on a journey to understand where did it all start from.

• What’s better than a well-researched, general overview Crash Course about Islam by John Green? This is not necessarily on orientalism but for people to know more about the fundamental basis of Islam and its pillars. I love the whole playlist that they have done about the religion, so definitely refer to it if you're looking to understand more about the historical background! Also, I can’t possibly mention this Crash Course series without mentioning ... ↓

• The Medieval Islamicate World. Arguably my favourite CC video of all times. Hank Green gives you a great thorough depiction of the Islamic civilization when it rose. He also discusses the scientific and literary advancements that happened in that age, which most people have no clue about! And honestly, just his excitement while explaining the astrolabe. These two truly enlightened so many people with the videos they've made. Thanks, @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog

2. Documentaries

• This is an AMAZING documentary called Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Villifies A People by the genius American media critic Jack Shaheen. He literally analysed more than 1000 movies and handpicked some to showcase the terribly false stereotypes in western depiction of Arab/Muslim cultures. It's the best way to go into the subject, because you'll find him analysing works you're familiar with like Aladdin and all sorts.

• Spain’s Islamic Legacy. I cannot let this opportunity go to waste since one of my main scopes is studying feminist Andalusian history. There are literal gems to be known about this period of time, when religious coexistence is documented to have actually existed. This documentary offers a needed break from eurocentric perspectives, a great bird-view of the Islamic civilization in Europe and its remaining legacy (that western history tries so hard to erase).

• When the Moors Ruled in Europe. This is one of the richest documentaries that covers most of the veiled history of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Bettany Hughes discusses some of the prominent rulers, the brilliance of architecture in the Arab Muslim world, their originality and contributions to poetry and music, their innovative inventions and scientific development, and lastly, La Reconquista; the eventual fall and erasure of this grand civilization by western rulers.

3. Books

• Rethinking Orientalism by Reina Lewis. Lewis brilliantly breaks the prevailing stereotype of the “Harem”, yk, this stupid thought westerns projected about arab women being shut inside one room, not allowed to go anywhere from it, enslaved and without liberty, just left there for the sexual desires of the male figures, subjugated and silenced. It's a great read because it also takes the account of five different women living in the middle east.

• Nocturnal Poetics by Ferial Ghazoul. A great comparative text to understand the influence and outreach of The Thousand and One Nights. She applies a modern critical methodology to explore this classic literary masterpiece.

• The Question of Palestine by Edward Said. Since it's absolutely relevant, this is a great book if you're looking to understand more about the Palestinian situation and a great way to actually see the perspective of Palestinians themselves, not what we think they think.

• Arab-American Women's Writing and Performance by S.S. Sabry. One of my favourite feminist dealings with the idea of the orient and how western depictions demeaned arab women by objectifying them and degrading them to objects of sexual desire, like Scheherazade's characterization: how she was made into a sensual seducer, but not the literate, brilliantly smart woman of wisdom she was in the eastern retellings. The book also discusses the idea of identity and people who live on the hyphen (between two cultures), which is a very crucial aspect to understand arabs who are born/living in western countries.

• The Story of the Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole. This is a great book if you're trying to understand the influence of Islamic culture on Europe. It debunks this idea that Muslims are senseless, barbaric people who needed "civilizing" and instead showcases their brilliant civilization that was much advanced than any of Europe in the time Europe was labelled by the Dark Ages. (btw, did you know that arabic was the language of knowledge at that time? Because anyone who was looking to study advanced sciences, maths, philosophy, astronomy etc, had to know arabic because arabic-speaking countries were the center of knowledge and scientific advancements. Insane, right!)

• Convivencia and Medieval Spain. This is a collection of essays that delve further into the idea of “Convivencia”, which is what we call for religious coexistence. There's one essay in particular that's great called Were Women Part of Convivencia? which debunks all false western stereotypical images of women being less in Islamic belief. It also highlights how arab women have always been extremely cultured and literate. (They practiced medicine, studied their desired subjects, were writers of poetry and prose when women in Europe couldn't even keep their surnames when they married.)

4. Novels / Epistolaries

• Granada by Radwa Ashour. This is one of my favourite novels of all time, because Ashour brilliantly showcases Andalusian history and documents the injustices and massacres that happened to Muslims then. It covers the cultural erasure of Granada, and is also a story of human connection and beautiful family dynamics that utterly touches your soul.

• Dreams of Trespass by Fatma Mernissi. This is wonderful short read written in autobiographical form. It deconstructs the idea of the Harem in a postcolonial feminist lens of the French colonization of Morocco.

• Scheherazade Goes West by Fatma Mernissi. Mernissi brilliantly showcases the sexualisation of female figures by western depictions. It's very telling, really, and a very important reference to understand how the west often depicts middle-eastern women by boxing them into either the erotic, sensual beings or the oppressed, black-veiled beings. It helps you understand the actual real image of arab women out there (who are not just muslims btw; christian, jew, atheist, etc women do exist, and they do count).

• Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is a feminist travel epistolary of a British woman which covers the misconceptions that western people, specifically male travelers, had recorded and transmitted about the religion, traditions and treatment of women in Constantinople, Turkey. It is also a very insightful sapphic text that explores her own engagement with women there, which debunks the idea that there are no queer people in the middle east.

---------------------

With all of these, you'll get an insight about the real arab / islamic world. Not the one of fanaticism and barbarity that is often mediated, but the actual one that is based on the fundamental essences of peace, love, and acceptance.

[duckprintspress]

Duck Prints Press has contributors from many different religions and traditions, but given our love of books, we thought that the Yule Book Flood was a holiday we all could get behind. Jólabókaflóðið is an Icelandic tradition, wherein people unwrap books on December 24th and then stay up late into the night reading them.

Happy Jólabókaflóðið!

What books are you gifting to your friends and family this year?

please reblog and tell us what you're gifting, we're super curious!!

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

oh it's Soliciting Book Rec Hours again:

has anybody read a NOVEL (preferably spec fic, like SFF/Weird/horror) where the major conflict centers around a Crisis of Faith? character driven, is what i'm looking for, specifically in long form genre fiction. upper YA or adult, please! bonus points if queer.

at this time i am NOT seeking religious fiction recs (no, not even religious spec fic like ted dekker or whoever is writing such things now)(is ted dekker still writing)(no shade on this market, it's just not what i need)

thanks!!

[unfayth]

Passage: Letters of Fyodor Michailovitch Dostoevsky to his Family and Friends (translation by Ethel Golburn Mayne)

Painting: After Breakfast by Elin Kleopatra Danielson-Gambogi

[rachel-sylvan-author]

"Scary Stories for Young Foxes" by Christian McKay Heidicker

Thank you @yayyyybooks for the rec! ❤️

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Due to flare ups, I’ve been thinking more about my relationship with my disabilities and my relationship with God — any good resources/book you can recommend?

Hey there, sending love and solidarity as you go through flare ups and as you explore all this <3

You came to the right place — disability theology is one of my great passions! Here are my recs for you. If anyone has more resources to add on or insights for anon, please share!

For starters...

First, you might enjoy wandering through my #disability theology tag over on my other blog, which includes excerpts from various disability theologians.

Or reading through / praying with the disability text prayers I shared here last July for Disability Pride Month, which were written by a variety of disabled folks.

Since it's Lent, Unbound's Disabling Lent: An Anti-Ableist Lenten Devotional is timely!

___

Memoirs Exploring Christian Faith & Chronic Pain / Illness

My Body and Other Crumbling Empires, Lyndsey Medford (2023)

This memoir connects faith, chronic illness (especially autoimmune disorders), and the sickness at the heart of Western Empire / the Protestant work ethic.

How can we learn to work with instead of against our bodies? How can we rebuild our world to treat all bodies with the love and gentleness they deserve? .

This Here Flesh, Cole Arthur Riley (2022)

An incredibly beautiful book, poetic and searing...explores the goodness of embodied life and intersections between disability (particularly chronic illness), Blackness, queerness, womanhood, and more.

Each chapter focuses on a different emotion (anger, joy, lament, love...) to teach us how to honor and listen to what we feel in our bodies.

CW for accounts of sexual assault and other forms of and abuse and trauma, as well as accounts of antiblack racism. .

Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I've Loved, Kate Bowler (2018)

If you've been steeped in any kind of prosperity gospel, "if you pray hard enough you'll be healed" type Christianity, I highly recommend this book.

Bowler writes with gentle honesty about how her chronic pain and then cancer compelled her to move away from that kind of harmful Christianity into a faith with room for doubt, grief, and a God that holds her in her suffering.

___

Disability Theology — Books, Podcasts, Videos

Disability: The Inclusive Church Resource edited by Bob Callighan (2014)

If you're interested in the perspectives of various disabled Christians, I love the range of voices they brought into this text! A great intro to how theology and church life impact disabled persons and how our churches must re-form themselves with disabled persons at the center. .

My Disabled AND Blessed YouTube series

I've got multiple YouTube videos that draw from various disability theologians!

I especially recommend my introduction to reading the Bible with a disability lens — stressing how different biblical authors hold different views around disability; so what's God's overall message? — and my video on Luke 14's parable of the banquet!

If you have questions about or struggle with the Gospels' healing narratives, I also recommend my livestream on that topic. .

My friend Laura's Autistic Liberation Theology Podcast (you can listen wherever you get podcasts)

Laura explores scripture through the lens of an autistic trans person who uses a wheelchair and has multiple chronic & mental illnesses.

I especially recommend their episode on "the Gethsemane of things," which takes an honest look at pain and where God is in our suffering. (Most of Laura's eps don't have transcripts, but I shared an abridged version of this ep on my podcast and it has a transcript)

"I am not your ornamental prophet" is also a great episode for thinking about what pressures are put on disabled persons and how to construct boundaries for yourself .

The Mad and Crip Theology Podcast

This podcast interviews the authors who are published in the Mad and Crip Theology journal, which is really cool! You can watch episodes with captions on YouTube, or listen wherever you get podcasts.

A good starter episode: this one "on Queer and Crip Sexuality and the Disabled Christ" .

Some eps of Blessed Are the Binary Breakers

While my own podcast largely centers trans perspectives, disability comes up frequently as well! Each ep has a transcript. These are the disability-focused ones:

"No End to Transphobia without Uprooting Ableism — exploring embedded forms of oppression"

"Our Pride Is Not a Sin — a Queer and Disabled Christian Lens"

"Goodness Embodied — an intersex, nonbinary first human and a disabled risen Christ"

"Marginalized Bodies as Spectacle and the good news in Jesus's disabling wounds"

"Eli and the prophet Elijah"

“Secular” books that helped shape my own theology

What Can a Body Do? How We Meet the Built World, Sara Hendren (2020)

Fantastic book digging into recent disability history, present, and future with focus on the “misfit” theory of disability where body and world interact with each other disharmoniously, and the creativity disabled people employ to make them more harmonious  .

Exile and Pride, Eli Clare (1999)

One of my favorite books of all time. Connects disability, queerness, rural life, trauma, and more. Clare is one of the originators of the concept of the “bodymind” (though he talks about that more in one of his later books)

___

Wanting even more resources? Here's my google doc with aaaaall the disability theology stuff — plus some helpful disability 101 stuff to share with loved ones!

Praying for comfort, wisdom, and community support for you as you journey! Please feel free to drop by again with any questions that come up or to share any insights you've gained any time <3

[inspacewithshween]

If the tags have brought you here...

HI! My name is Alex, I'm 21 years old, and I wrote a book!

What's this book about, you say? Well, I'm glad you asked.

Imagine one day, you wake up, and your God has spoken to you! They tell you "go, go to our holy land, be with your people!" and you listen because, well, you can't just ignore your God! So everyone travels and settles down near where their Religion started. And now it's 45 years later.

The Church has taken over most of the Americas and Europe, claiming its holy land as it pushes out the real natives. Theres one large government, and every country under the Church has one representative for that government.

Andrew Romanovich, a 27-year old, redhead trans-man and his sister, Estrid Antonova, have settled down in Ireland after Drew escaped his abuser 3 years ago. Drew is a tattoo artist, but takes odd jobs like killing a pedophilic principle, threatening politicians, and Estrid tags along.

But, when Doctor Ryan Dharel, CEO of a free healthcare company, contacts them and begs for their help, everything changes. The Church, a deadly infection, and Drew's ex-husband are hot on their trail.

Listen, this book means the world to me. I wrote it because I had something to say, and I think people can resonate with it. So if any of the tags brought you here, I'm sure you'd love my book, and I'm sure you'd love to help me get it published. Thanks for your time!

[and-her-saints]

Im sorry if this is silly, but like. I connect with catholicism in a lot of ways, in its prayers, its concepts, its aesthetics, etc. But i have a hard time with just. Trinitarianism. It doesn't make sense to me no matter how hard i try to make it make sense. How do i, like, get over this?

hiii! not silly at all!!! i feel like we all have dogmas that confuse us at the beginning. for me, it was the Immaculate Conception. could not wrap my head around it.

the Trinity is a doctrine from the very early Church. and despite the Council of Nicea (325 a.c.) having produced the Creed, many saints and theologians through the years have struggled and wrestled with the doctrine. whoever tells you “it’s easy, it’s clear to understand, you’re just not having enough faith” is honestly being incredibly rude.

St. Agustine of Hippo, one of the most influential theologians and Doctors of the Church, had a hard time with the Trinity as well!!! you are not alone!!! the (medieval) folktale goes that when St. Agustine was leaving Manichaeism and slowly converting back into Christianity, he went out for a walk near the sea to ponder about the Trinity. He could not wrap his head around it. During his walk, he saw a young child digging a hole in the sand. Quickly, the child ran back to the ocean, collected some water into a vase, and went and poured it into the hole. St. Agustine was perplexed. The child did this again, and again, and again. St. Agustine approached the child, and asked him: “My son, what are you doing?” The child turned around and said: “I’m putting the ocean in this hole.” St. Agustine laughed and said, “That’s impossible, the magnificent ocean cannot possibly fit into this tiny hole!” and the tale goes… that this child, who was no ordinary child but an Angel of God, said to Agustine: “I will sooner fill this hole in the sand with the ocean, than you will be able to understand the Holy Trinity.”

When we speak about Mysteries of the faith, like the Mystery of the Trinity, it’s not meant to be the easy answer. It’s not something you “get over,” like a stone on the road. I think it’s more about inviting these uncertainties and questions into your relationship with God. Wrestling and fighting as much as you need. But allowing some Mysteries to be. It’s alright to have questions and doubts, these are not character faults. If anything, in own personal opinion, every single doubt I’ve ever had has been the beginning of a new and exciting new journey of discovery.

Now, unto more solid theological advice. To me, the argument I find most compelling is one of St. Agustine’s points On The Trinity. This whole idea is about digging deep into the reality of God to us as Christians, and the Truths about God we find in 1 John 4:7-21. “God is Love,” we say, but what does that have to do with the nature of the Trinity? I am no theologian, but the way I understand it, is that the Trinity is the response to the statement: “God is Love.” God is Love, therefore, God must love. God must be Lover (the Father), Love (the Holy Spirit) and the Beloved (The Son). How can there be Love, with nothing to Love? The Trinity is the dance in which God loves God, at the same time of God BEING Love, without the whole ordeal being entirely self-serving, stagnant, or exhaustive. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but I am quite in love (badum-tss) with this outlook.

I have not personally read this book, but it is on my TBR, it is Richard Rohr’s “The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation” (2016) I’ve heard wonders about it. It’s definitely not theology heavy, as far as I’ve researched (for that, I think St. Agustine’s On The Trinity might be best) but it could be an approachable glance at what the Trinity/mysticism about the Trinity looks like.

I hope this kind of helps you out!

[final-interlude]

Book recs, please?

You know how there have been modern retellings of Greek mythology (think Circe By Madeline Miller or the Medusa book that came out recently), is there any based on the theology of the Bible and any of the stories within it? Not a historical recount or analysis of the events but told from the perspective of one of the witnesses (doesn't have to be in first person, even though I just made it sound like it does lol). I've been eating through all the books I have read recently and I'd love for one like that to be my next one.

Thank you very much in advance, if anyone has any recs! 💛

[shyjusticewarrior]

Harvey Dent, the inconsistent man that you are ❤️

Alright, I'll do real analysis.

When Harvey wants to feel in control, the other is just an extension of him. When Harvey wants to shirk responsibility, then he's a whole other guy.

In related news, you should pre-order Two-Face: Trial Separation.

(Two-Face #4, Two-Face #6)

[eternallyfatedjadedspaded]

me trying to find this one part of The Brothers Karamazov that inspired a LOT of my ILY fic like... DAMN, forgot how much this book stabs in the same vein of TSH.

“Above all, do not lie to yourself. A man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point where he does not discern any truth either in himself or anywhere around him, and thus falls into disrespect towards himself and others. Not respecting anyone, he ceases to love, and having no love, he gives himself up to passions and coarse pleasures in order to occupy and amuse himself, and in his vices reaches complete beastiality, and it all comes from lying continually to others and himself. A man who lies to himself is often the first to take offense. it sometimes feels very good to take offense, doesn't it? And surely he knows that no one has offended him, and that he himself has invented the offense and told lies just for the beauty of it, that he has exaggerated for the sake of effect, that he has picked up on a word and made a mountain out of a pea--he knows all of that, and still he is the first to take offense, he likes feeling offended, it gives him great pleasure, and thus he reaches the point of real hostility...”

“In most cases, people, even wicked people, are far more naive and simple-hearted than one generally assumes. And so are we.”

“What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.”

“Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams.”

“Forgive me... for my love - for ruining you with my love.”

(note to readers of ILY: much pain and confliction to come as the five above especially inspired a lot of this brand of hc i have for Henry, as well as some the rest really lol. my hc was inspired a lot by Ivan Karamazov in particular, his convos with Alyosha go so hard. i swear it's also gonna make a lot more sense of his total assholeness, so sorry for the longest wait ever (long enough for you to read the entire TBK book and i probs still won't be done). the character development doesn't write itself tho, nor do my class assignments so... low key might even use some of these in the notes section. heads up, same kinda vibes and inspiration of grappling with everything in life and man in the crossover too so...)

General TSH vibe quotes from TBK

“They were like two enemies in love with one another.”

“But to be in love is not the same as loving. One can fall in love and still hate.”

“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.”

“If he's honest, he'll steal; if he's human, he'll murder; if he's faithful, he'll deceive.”

“Love is such a priceless treasure that you can buy the whole world with it, and redeem not only your own but other people's sins. Go, and do not be afraid.”

“...I believe that you are sincere and good at heart. If you do not attain happiness, always remember that you are on the right road, and try not to leave it. Above all, avoid falsehood, every kind of falsehood, especially falseness to yourself. Watch over your own deceitfulness and look into it every hour, every minute. Avoid being scornful, both to others and to yourself. What seems to you bad within you will grow purer from the very fact of your observing it in yourself. Avoid fear, too, though fear is only the consequence of every sort of falsehood. Never be frightened at your own faint-heartedness in attaining love.”

“The world says: "You have needs -- satisfy them. You have as much right as the rich and the mighty. Don't hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand more." This is the worldly doctrine of today. And they believe that this is freedom. The result for the rich is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder.”

“I think the devil doesn't exist, but man has created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness.”

“The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man.”

“And what's strange, what would be marvelous, is not that God should really exist; the marvel is that such an idea, the idea of the necessity of God, could enter the head of such a savage, vicious beast as man.”

“You will burn and you will burn out; you will be healed and come back again.”

“I think I could stand anything, any suffering, only to be able to say and to repeat to myself every moment, 'I exist.' In thousands of agonies -- I exist. I'm tormented on the rack -- but I exist! Though I sit alone in a pillar -- I exist! I see the sun, and if I don't see the sun, I know it's there. And there's a whole life in that, in knowing that the sun is there.”

“Remember particularly that you cannot be a judge of anyone. For no one can judge a criminal until he recognizes that he is just such a criminal as the man standing before him, and that he perhaps is more than all men to blame for that crime. When he understands that, he will be able to be a judge. Though that sounds absurd, it is true. If I had been righteous myself, perhaps there would have been no criminal standing before me. If you can take upon yourself the crime of the criminal your heart is judging, take it at once, suffer for him yourself, and let him go without reproach. And even if the law itself makes you his judge, act in the same spirit so far as possible, for he will go away and condemn himself more bitterly than you have done. If, after your kiss, he goes away untouched, mocking at you, do not let that be a stumbling-block to you. It shows his time has not yet come, but it will come in due course. And if it come not, no matter; if not he, then another in his place will understand and suffer, and judge and condemn himself, and the truth will be fulfilled. Believe that, believe it without doubt; for in that lies all the hope and faith of the saints.”

(this one DEF ILY energy. might have to listen to the book again to get inspired even more as i work in my free time. this book really did inspire tf out of me.)

here's some more so i don't look as i already do with this fixation. i reckon Donna def drew upon him for writing both TSH and TGF.

if this aint them:

“Do you know I've been sitting here thinking to myself: that if I didn't believe in life, if I lost faith in the woman I love, lost faith in the order of things, were convinced in fact that everything is a disorderly, damnable, and perhaps devil-ridden chaos, if I were struck by every horror of man's disillusionment -- still I should want to live. Having once tasted of the cup, I would not turn away from it till I had drained it! At thirty though, I shall be sure to leave the cup even if I've not emptied it, and turn away -- where I don't know. But till I am thirty I know that my youth will triumph over everything -- every disillusionment, every disgust with life. I've asked myself many times whether there is in the world any despair that could overcome this frantic thirst for life. And I've come to the conclusion that there isn't, that is until I am thirty.”

And this is Richard (but like shhh about the lord stuff):

"I'm a Karamazov… when I fall into the abyss, I go straight into it, head down and heels up, and I'm even pleased that I'm falling in such a humiliating position, and for me, I find it beautiful. And so in that very shame, I suddenly begin a hymn. Let me be cursed, let me be base and vile, but let me also kiss the hem of that garment in which my God is clothed; let me be following the devil at the same time, but still I am also your son, Lord, and I love you, and I feel a joy without which the world cannot stand and be."

[silverskye13]

So I started reading House of Open Wounds, by your sagely recommendation, and I think it's my new favourite book. The magic? the Magic? Okay but The Magic.

And the way gods work, and, and the cultures, and and and, The characters especially! Poor Jack, he just wants to help. Every line between him and his God had me howling. Prassel is my favourite but I'm biased. Honestly I have so many feelings about this book and not any of the words to explain them.

I have not finished the book yet, (im at the part where we find out about Masty's identity) but I am seriously enjoying it so far! I will definitely be taking a look at the other books on your list.

Ayyy I'm glad you like it! It is a stellar character study and I'm starting to learn that's a strong point for Adrian Tchaikovsky's. And the world building is definitely some of the most unique I've ever read.

I think Banders had to be my favorite character. All of the characters were complex and interesting, but I really loved her? Dichotomy? She's a rebel of her system and also a product of her environment. She has major blind spots to her privilege and station and also near all-inclusive compassion for people she deems are hers. I have known people like her in real life, and they were also uniquely military. It's so so interesting, the odd gaps people build to encompass people they like, and she has them in a very human way I've never seen a character showcase before.

Also, she is a thief and a scoundrel, and I love her.

[healerqueen]

Book sale time!

Readers of Tumblr, can I interest you in an e-book sale? It is a very big, very good sale, and I can tell you about some very good books. The sale lasts till Monday night. All books in this sale are discounted to $0.99 on Amazon, and a few of them are free. And I have recommendations! I recommend all these books highly. Visit https://blackfridaybooksale.com/ to browse the sale, or search the title and author of each book on Amazon.

Stay tuned for some really good books in many different genres, for every kind of reader. These are some of my favorite books to recommend year-round, and they're all on sale today. You can get five books for the price of one, the same price as a cup of coffee.

Book Recommendations

BREAK THE BEAST by Allison Tebo (epic and glorious fantasy retelling of Beowulf)

THE RELUCTANT GODFATHER and the TALES OF AMBIA series by Allison Tebo (hilarious, heartwarming, and quirky romantic comedy fairytale retellings)

THE GOBLIN AND THE DANCER (standalone sweet fairytale adventure)

SUMMON THE LIGHT by Tor Thibeaux (fantasy retelling of The Tempest from the perspective of Caliban)

REBEL WAVE: Seasons 1 and 2 by Tor Thibeaux (futuristic undersea adventure)

THE REALM BENEATH (brand-new multi-author anthology of undersea short stories featuring fantasy sea creatures, mermaids, and the like)

ILLUMINARE and DAWNSONG by Bryn Shutt (epic fantasy with deep themes, characters, and worldbuilding)

SEVENTH CITY by Emily Hayse (Alaskan-inspired fantasy with platonic relationships)

THESE WAR-TORN HANDS by Emily Hayse (Western historical fantasy retelling of King Arthur, the first book in a trilogy)

FAIREST SON by H. S. J. Williams (beautiful, wintry retelling of Snow White featuring deep themes and characters with fae elves and goblins)

MOONSCRIPT and COLLUSION by H. S. J. Williams (epic fantasy featuring elves, other fantasy creatures, family drama, and the battle between light and darkness)

MOUNTAIN OF THE WOLF by Elisabeth Grace Foley (Western historical fiction retelling of Red Riding Hood with mystery and adventure)

LOST LAKE HOUSE by Elisabeth Grace Foley (1920s historical fiction retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses)

Other Westerns and historical fiction books by Elisabeth Grace Foley (Elisabeth Foley's vintage Western suspense novel LAND OF HILLS AND VALLEYS is on sale for $2.99, 50% off, and so is her excellent new anthology THE SMOKING IRON)

Historical fiction fairytale retellings by Rachel Kovaciny (excellent historical fiction reads, period, and strong, interesting retellings)

THE ACCIDENTAL CASES OF EMILY ABBOTT series by Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick (contemporary spy mystery series; fun, humorous, and sweet; the first three books out of eight are free today and the rest are $0.99)

Snap up a few of these before the deals are gone (or after!). It's a great time to stock up on good books to read. This is the only Black Friday shopping I do each year, and I'm always pleased with the good books I buy for such a low price. (By the way, you can read Kindle books on a laptop in your browser if you don't have a Kindle, or use the Kindle app on your phone.)