#maureen f mchugh

[shortstorytournament]

Short Story Tournament

THE STRANGE CASE OF SIR ARTHUR CARMICHAEL by Agatha Christie (1933) (link) - tw: racism, death

I dreamed of cats - I continually fancied I heard him. Now and then in the distance I caught a glimpse of that beautiful animal.

YELLOW AND THE PERCEPTION OF REALITY by Maureen F. McHugh (2020) (link) - tw: brain injuries, animal distress

I will never know reality. Wanda is proof. If she can’t handle it, no one can, But I have traveled through the gathering dark and come to her. It doesn’t matter that I will never know the vibration of quantum energies, never see them or touch them.

[mr-craig]

Sunset used to depress me. But I learned in Baffin Island, you’ve just got to remember the light, keep it inside you, and wait. The sun comes back every morning.

~ Maureen F. McHugh, from China Mountain Zhang

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

[haveyoureadthisscifibook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

[witchyfashion]

With a breathtaking array of original stories from around the world, P. Djèlí Clark, Amal El Mohtar, Garth Nix, Darcie Little Badger, Sheree Renée Thomas, and two dozen other fantasy and science fiction geniuses bring a new and exciting twist to one of the most beloved figures in fiction, witches, in never-before-seen works written exclusively for The Book of Witches, compiled by award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan and illustrated by award-nominated artist Alyssa Winans.

Witches! Whether you know them from Shakespeare or from Wicked, there is no staple more beloved in folklore, fairy tale, or fantasy than these magical beings. Witches are everywhere, and at the heart of stories that resonate with many people around the world. This dazzling, otherworldly collection gathers new stories of witches from all walks of life, ensuring a Halloween readers will never forget. Whether they be maiden, mother, crone, or other; funny, fierce, light and airy, or dark and disturbing; witches are a vital part of some of the greatest stories we have, and new ones start here!

Bringing together twenty-nine stories and poems from some of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers working today, including three tales from a BIPOC-only open submission period, The Book of Witches features Linda Addison, C.L. Clark, P Djeli Clark, Indrapramit Das, Amal El Mohtar, Andrea Hairston, Millie Ho, Saad Hossain, Kathleen Jennings, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Cassandra Khaw, Fonda Lee, Darcie Little Badger, Ken Liu, Usman T. Malik, Maureen F. McHugh, Premee Mohamed, Garth Nix, Tobi Ogundiran, Tochi Onyebuchi, Miyuki Jane Pinckard, Kelly Robson, Angela Slatter, Andrea Stewart, Emily Teng, Sheree Renée Thomas, Tade Thompson, and E. Lily Yu—and contains illustrations from three-time Hugo award-nominated artist Alyssa Winans throughout. This extraordinary anthology vividly breathes life into one of the most captivating and feared magical sorceresses and will become a treasured keepsake for fans of fantasy, science fiction, and fairy tales everywhere.

https://amzn.to/48Loftf

[darkpoetrynprose]

“It was spring, the barren time in March when you cannot be sure if it is really warner, but you are so desperate for change that you tell yourself the mud at the edge of the sidewalk is different than winter mud and you are sure that the smell of we soil has suddenly a bit of the scent of summer rains, of grass and drowned earthworms. And it has, because it is spring and inside the ground something is stirring.”

― Maureen F. McHugh

[countzeroor]

Book Review: China Mountain Zhang

Time to catch up with the book reviews for the Sword & Laser Book Club, with my thoughts on China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh. Continue reading Untitled

[rg060295]

This list includes a list of 5 anthologies coming out between now, and the end of the year! I am based in the UK and therefore all dates and relevant links I have found reflect this!

In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia Anthology

Published by Titian Books on September 12th 

Look I have not really enjoyed any dark academia I have read, nor have read from any of these authors so this is a risky choice. However, this is the season for dark academia and I am intrigued. This collection of 12 stories includes well known authors of the genre (sub genre?) Olivie Blake & M.L. Rio as well as David Bell, Susie Yang, Layne Fargo, J.T. Ellison, James Tate Hill, Kelly Andrew, Phoebe Qynne, Kate Weinberg, Helen Grant & Tori Bovalino. 

Goodreads // Storygraph // Amazon //

Peach Pit 

Published by Dzanc Books on September 12th 

A collection of 16 stories about and following unlikeable, unhinged and monstrous women. Which basically sums up some of my favourite types of short story collections. With story description makes it sound similar to other collections such as Out There with a bit of Cursed Bunny. Edited by Molly Llewllyn and Kristel Buckly featuring stories from; Lauren Groff, Deesha Philyaw, K-Ming Chang, Megan Giddings, Sarah Rose Etter, Chaya Bhuvaneswar, Alicia Elliott, Chana Porter, Alice Ash, Maisy Card, Vanessa Chan, Chantal V. Johnson, Amada Leduc, Alison Rumfitt, Yah Yah Scholfield & Aliya Whitely.

Goodreads // Storygraph // Amazon //

Mermaids Never Drown 

Published by Titian Press (UK) / Feiwel & Friends (US) on September 26th 

From the team behind Vampires Never Get Old (which you may know about from the Story ‘First Kill’ which became a Netflix show) comes a second Young Adult collection exploring mermaids. Edited again by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker and featuring many well known and beloved YA authors such as Darcie Little Badger, Kalynn Bayron, Preeti Chhibber, Rebecca Coffindaffer, Julie C. Dao, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Adriana Herrera, June Hur, Katherine Locke, Kerri Maniscalco, Julie Murphy, Gretchen Schreiber, and Julian Winters. I am particularly excited to see Darcie Little Badger who I have loved both their long work (Elatose) and their short fiction (in Love Beyond Body Space and Time) and also I am intrigued by June Hur who I have only read Historical mystery work from so this will be a different spin.

Goodreads // Storygraph // Amazon //

Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror 

Published by Random House on October 3rd 

An anthology I surprisingly only found out about when putting together this list. Out There Screaming is a collection of stories edited by writer and director Jordan Peele. It is an anthology of ‘all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation. Alongside an introduction from Jordan Peele it also features stories by Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N.K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L.D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull. 

Goodreads // Storygraph // Amazon // Libro.fm //

The Book of Witches 

Published by HarperVoyager on August 1st (US) and October 26th (UK)

Edited by Jonathan Strahan the editor from The Book of Dragons and featuring art from artist Alyssa Winans throughout This is large collection focusing around witches featuring 29 stories and poems from well known contemporary SFF authors; Linda Addison, C.L. Clark, P Djeli Clark, Indrapramit Das, Amal El Mohtar, Andrea Hairston, Millie Ho, Saad Hossain, Kathleen Jennings, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Cassandra Khaw, Fonda Lee, Darcie Little Badger, Ken Liu, Usman T. Malik, Maureen F. McHugh, Premee Mohamed, Garth Nix, Tobi Ogundiran, Tochi Onyebuchi, Miyuki Jane Pinckard, Kelly Robson, Angela Slatter, Andrea Stewart, Emily Teng, Sheree Renée Thomas, Tade Thompson, and E. Lily Yu. This is a must pick up for me for two reasons, I enjoyed reading The Book of Dragons last year, and found some new favourite short stories, and two it includes some of my favourite authors. So even if I only enjoy their stories this would be a win for me!

Goodreads // Storygraph // Amazon // Libro.fm //

[smthold]

I was going through my read list to see if there's anything I can maybe re-read for fun and saw China Mountain Zhang, the first book by Maureen F. McHugh I've ever read that sent me into the worst 'either i inhale everything this person has ever written right this moment or i perish' spiral. I distinctly remember at some point I just stopped sleeping.

There's a sentence in her short story 'Laika comes back safe' that perfectly encapsulates the reader's experience with McHugh:

I just sat there and died and no one noticed.

It's like cutting yourself on a very very sharp piece of metal: you can't even feel it, you don't see the cut, but the moment you move, you're gonna bleed out.

[shortstorytournament]

Short Story Tournament

YELLOW AND THE PERCEPTION OF REALITY by Maureen F. McHugh (2020) (link) - tw: brain injuries, animal distress, racism mentions

I will never know reality. Wanda is proof. If she can’t handle it, no one can, But I have traveled through the gathering dark and come to her. It doesn’t matter that I will never know the vibration of quantum energies, never see them or touch them.

THE ADVENTURE OF THE GREEK INTERPRETER by Arthur Conan Doyle (1894) (link) - tw: death

I had come to believe that he was an orphan with no relatives living, but one day, to my very great surprise, he began to talk to me about his brother.

[okbuthowgayisit]

Book: China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh

Is it gay: YES

[nusumigaki]

それでわたしは、世界というのは自分が思っているよりずっと正常なのだということを知った。

[fox-steward]

hey i’ve been reading a LOT of ursula k. leguin, catherynne valente, maureen f. mchugh—looking for author or book recs that are similar, preference to women authors. basically love speculative future, apocalyptic or post apocalyptic, sociologically minded sci-fi, gorgeous writing (lyrical like valente or precise and evocative like leguin or mchugh).

other authors i’ve enjoyed: margaret atwood, paolo bacigalupi (windup girl and waterknife!! so good!), aldous huxley. also i detest dave eggers so please do not utter his godforsaken name to me ;)

i also just took a couple detours this month to read watership down and lord of the flies, almost like palate cleansers, but quality palate cleansers, so those are welcome, too. anyway, i’m in a book desert currently so i’d appreciate any recommendations!

ty :)

[slightlyacademia]

"It was spring, the barren time in March when you cannot be sure if it is really warner, but you are so desperate for change that you tell yourself the mud at the edge of the sidewalk is different than winter mud and you are sure that the smell of we soil has suddenly a bit of the scent of summer rains, of grass and drowned earthworms. And it has, because it is spring and inside the ground something is stirring."

-Maureen F. McHugh

[brilliantyears]

10, 19, 2 for book ask!

2. top 5 books of all time? The cruelest question! How do I pick just 5? (The order changes all the time, too...)

Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh

10. do you have a guilty fav? I... don't, I think I really have one? What makes a book a guilty fav?

19. most disliked popular books? There are more popular books I dislike, but those popular books aren't necessarily well liked either... whereas these three seem to be almost universally loved (and I lowkey hate them).

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

[lyssahumana]

First Lines: Maureen F. McHugh - China Mountain Zhang

The foreman chatters in Meihua, the beautiful tongue, Singapore English.