Top 6: Summer YA Reads

Helloo, I thought I'd share my recommendations for top summer YA reads today! It's definitely raining outside right now, but that doesn't mean you can't curl up with a summery book and pretend we're enjoying a proper sunny summer. Some of the following are sunny, fun beach reads, others sunny, deserty, or boaty with excellent heroines, and some pretty intense reads perfect for when you've got time on your holidays to read a whole book in a day. So, if you're wondering which YA reads should take up valuable flipflop room in your suitcase, look no further than:

1. Asking For It- Louise O'Neill

Right in at the deep end with Louise O'Neill's harrowing Asking For It, which tackles head on issues of rape culture, victim blaming, and slut shaming to name but a few. Asking For It is the story of Emma O'Donovan, a confident, pretty, popular girl in her last year of high school in a small Irish town. Emma is raped by several rising football stars at a drunken house party, remembers nothing, and learns of these events, along with the whole town, through explicit smartphone photos shared on social media. Emma's own refusal to believe the events occurred, and the town's fear for the boys 'ruined futures' chimes true with just about every campus rape victim blaming story you've heard of in recent years. Being inside Emma's narrative in the aftermath of this traumatising experience is harrowing, but also so compelling. Why am I recommending with super dark and intense book as a summer read? Well I reckon you'll want to read it in a oner, and then have several hours/days to reflect and recover, ideally with wine in easy reach and a swimming nearby. 

2. How Hard Can Love Be?- Holly Bourne

Lightening the mood a little is Holly Bourne's How Hard Can Love Be? the second book in the Spinster Club series! Am I Normal Yet? followed Evie, who was dealing with both sixth form college, making friends with Amber and Lottie, and keeping on top of her OCD. How Hard Can Love Be? is Amber's story of her summer holiday spent in California working at the summer camp where her mum now lives with her new husband. Hoping to rekindle a relationship with her recovering alcoholic mum, searching for the special bond that they maybe never even had, harbouring a crush for fellow camp councillor and former prom king Kyle, and keeping up feminist discussions with Evie and Lottie via Skype, Amber has a very full plate, and that's before you mention all the little American school children under her care. Holly Bourne is so good at making angst seem not angsty at all, making How Hard Can Love Be? a super engaging and fun summer read. 

3. The Rest of Us Just Live Here- Patrick Ness

Patrick Ness's The Rest of Us Just Live Here, is basically from the perspective everyone in town who wasn't in Buffy's scooby gang, or in Dumbledore's Army, or in Bella's coven. All the non-chosen ones, who have to deal with the mysterious mystical goings on, or the next end of the world, as bystanders. Mikey is a teenager, who just wants to go to prom with his friends and graduate before the high school is blown up again. Mikey's more ordinary issues, dealing with unrequited love, battling OCD, and navigating family life all play out against the backdrop of another epic mystery for the 'indie kids' to solve, with snippets of these absurd and melodramatic stories providing a juxtaposition to the main chapters. Perfect summer reading as it's in the run up to prom, with just the right amount of satire of hero stories and conviction in the heroism of everyday actions. Full of heart, humour, and warmth. 

4. Bullet Catcher- Joaquin Lowe

This one's on the summer list for its sandy desert setting. Bullet Catcher by Joaquin Lowe follows the story of Imma, who lives in a desert land populated by gunslingers and once great, but now died out bullet catchers, and who leaves the small town of Sand on the tail of a stranger she saw catch a bullet, in search for her possibly dead and definitely long lost brother, Nikko. Gungslingers and bullet catchers representing either good or evil, hero or monster, Imma has to work out which is which and therefore which path to take. I thought this was a great read, I really engaged with Imma and found the plot to be driven by plenty of action and momentum. A total page turner for poolside reading, and a potential new favourite gunslinging heroine. There may be another gunslinging heroine on this very list though so choose your fave!

5. The Girl From Everywhere- Heidi Heilig

Heidi Heilig's The Girl From Everywhere is a perfect Hawaii based, time travelling, summer read! Nix Song lives on a pirate ship with her father and their crew, spending their days using historical maps to time travel to places and times collecting fantastical creatures and mythical objects from all around the world. Nix is sixteen, and is particularly good at finding the perfect maps for time travelling, as each map can only be used once. The story begins in India in 1774, travelling to present day New York, and then to Honolulu 1883. Most of the story plays out in Hawaii, where Nix's late mother once lived, her father desperate to find a map to take him back to the time before her death. The story was exciting and compelling and I really like Nix and found her soul searching and life planning very relatable, even if her concerns were time travel based! Definitely recommended reading for anyone who loves Pippi Longstocking, Lyra of Northern Lights fame, and pirates!

6. Rebel of the Sands- Alwyn Hamilton

This beautiful shiny book will look great in the sunshine. Our second gunslinging heroine of the list: Set in a desert land with magical sand beasts and a Rebel Prince uprising against the king, Amani Al'Hiza is determined to leave her tiny dead-end town and head for the bright lights of the big city. Our heroine is particularly skilled with guns, and can definitely fend for herself, although it helps that she can pass for a boy. The world building is brilliant- I had amazing imagery in my head of this Middle Eastern meets cowboy Western land, especially appreciating the train scenes, there's just something about a desert train that I really love. Romance, adventure, mythology, and gun-slinging are all woven together beautifully, in what I was very pleased to learn is the first part of a trilogy. I reckon this one would be perfect for any summer train-based travel you may have planned!

Let me know your summer YA recs! 

Books I read in May!: Bullet Catcher, Sea Lovers, Animal, The Girl From Everywhere, The Girl of Ink and Stars, The Encyclopedia of Early Earth, Wolf Hollow

May has come and gone and I read a whole stack o' books, you'll be pleased to hear. So for your reading pleasure here are my thoughts and feeling and stuff on them! I finished reading Joaquin Lowe's Bullet Catcher on my holidays up at our highland cottage by the sea, where I also took Sea Lovers: Selected Stories by Valerie Martin, which turned out to mostly not be stories about the sea despite the very overt sea themed cover, sigh. I apparently had a brief 'The Girl' season and read both Heidi Heilig's The Girl From Everywhere, and Kiran Millwood Hargrave's The Girl of Ink and Stars. I did not continue this season with The Girl on the Train, but I have read The Girl With All The Gifts so I feel fairly on top of the whole 'The Girl' thing. Oh apart from I haven't read any of the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and stuff, so really I'm quite behind on The Girl. ANYWAY, I also listened to Sara Pascoe's audiobook of Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body, which was so great and insightful and I may have to listen to again because it was a lot to take in. Graphic novel wise I know I recommend it a lot, but I've never actually read through the whole of The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isobel Greeneberg, so that was well worth doing this month. And I rounded of the month by reading Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk, the full review of which you can read by clicking here! Phew! 

Bullet Catcher

Bullet Catcher by Joaquin Lowe follows the story of Imma, who lives in a desert land populated by gunslingers and once great, but now died out bullet catchers, and who leaves the small town of Sand on the tail of a stranger she saw catch a bullet, in search for her possibly dead and definitely long lost brother, Nikko. Gungslingers and bullet catchers representing either good or evil, hero or monster, Imma has to work out which is which and therefore which path to take. I thought this was a great read, I really engaged with Imma and found the plot to be driven by plenty of action and momentum. I was put off slightly by the cover at first, which is a bit naff, and doesn't really capture the hard working, grimy sandy desert dwelling, fiercely loyal Imma. The type design is really nice, just a different girl or maybe an illustration if it's reprinted please! However if you don't judge a book by its cover, there is a great story of morals and loyalty with a very compelling lead character within.


Sea Lovers: Selected Stories

This short story collection definitely conned me into believing it would be about the sea. It's called Sea Lovers, there are waves and a fish/mermaid tail on the front in greeny blue. The cover of another edition that pops up when you google similarly has the seaside and a mermaid tail on it. It was a gift from my best friend, who knows I love the sea, and I brought it with me to the seaside to read... So it was much to my surprise that only in the last section one of the stories involves the sea and a mermaid. However I did enjoy the stories, as a short story fan I really enjoyed the lives the author drops you into. Mostly city dwelling, artists or writers, dealing with relationships past and present. I think I'll have a look out for more writing by Valerie Martin as I felt a great connect to many of the characters and with her story telling style. I'm blaming this one on her publishers!

Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body

This fascinating book is by comedian Sara Pascoe, who felt there was a gap in the market for an evolutionary biology book that focussed on female bodies, and so decided to write one herself. Autobiography and biology are combined in what is such an interesting, funny and engaging read. I listened to Sara talking, amongst other things, about hits book on Adam Buxton's podcast recently and felt compelled to read it. I'm a big sucker for audiobooks read by their authors, especially when it comes to comedians, and so I greatly enjoyed listening to this on my walks to work at the beginning of May. The book just covers so much, from mating and child rearing, to pubes and dieting, to abortions and consent. It really is fascinating and I will definitely have to listen again because there was just so much to take in. I guess read this if you enjoy mixing evolutionary biology with stand up comedy. Win win!


The Girl From Everywhere

I was very excited to receive this book from Hot Key Books as it just sounded amazing and right up my street. Nix Song (cool name points) lives on a pirate ship with her father and their crew, spending their days using historical maps to time travel to those places and times collecting fantastical creatures and mythical objects from all around the world. Nix is sixteen, and is particularly good at finding the perfect maps for time travelling, as each map can only be used once. The story begins in India in 1774, travel to present day New York, and then to Honolulu 1883. Most of the story plays out in Hawaii, where Nix's late mother once lived, her father desperate to find a map to take him back to the time before her death. The story was exciting and compelling, although I think I maybe would've liked a little more time travel just because it was fun each time it happened. I don't think I'm quite on top of exactly what the rules of their time travel are, but I really like Nix and found her soul searching and life planning very relatable, even if her concerns were time travel based! Definitely recommended reading for anyone who loves Pippi Longstocking, Lyra of Northern Lights fame, and pirates!


The Girl of Ink and Stars

Similarly to Nix Song, Isabella Riosse lives with just her father- her mother and brother having died previously- on an island called Joya steeped with mythical histories of a warrior girl, Arinta and a fire demon, Yote. Her father is a cartographer, although under the regime of the governor, no one has even left the costal town by land or sea for many years. After a murder of a young girl, Isabella's best friend Lupe, daughter of the governor, goes missing, Isabella joins the search party to the rest of the now deserted parts of the island. I found stories and myth flowing together effortlessly as the lines between history and mythology blur, with Isabella getting guidance from her mother's old map of the island, spurred on by the strong character of Arinta the warrior to be brave and strong and most of all to commit to her map-making goals! Lupe and Isabella's friendship across class boundaries was beautifully portrayed, although the scenes in the tunnels did nothing but give me the heeby-jeebies! I wasn't super convinced about the re-naming of the continents, like Afrik, and they're not immediately coming to mind just now but India had a same but different name and North America too. The island of Joyo felt so apart from our own world that it could easily have add completely made up neighbouring continent names and still have been convincing. The book itself is a beautiful object, with each page adorned with illustrations of mappy and islandy imagery. A lovely MG fantasy read, whose world I would love to see expanded.


The Encyclopedia of Early Earth

I have recommended this graphic novel many times on this blog, so you'd be forgiven for thinking I had in fact read it all the way through, which I most certainly had not until this month. I used to just get it out ot flick through its beautiful pages, which is daft because I've read Isabel Greenberg's other comics and greatly enjoyed her storytelling style. I think the big hardback, coffee table size of this book just scared me off a bit! Having now committing to reading it through cover to cover, I can confirm that this is an enchanting and witty, beautiful and elegant piece of storytelling from a clearly wonderful imagination. I still highly recommend it! The Encyclopedia of Early Earth collects stories from all over the fictional Early Earth and from its Gods too, to create a myths and folk tales compendium of sorts, with at its heart an impossible love story. I believe Isabel Greenberg is currently working on her next book so I will most definitely be looking out for that!


Wolf Hollow

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk begins with the words "The year I turned twelve, I learned how to lie", setting us up for the recounting of the story from the point of view of young Annabelle...


You can read my full review by clicking here! It'll be a good time, I promise! Clicky!







I received copies of Bullet Catcher and The Girl From Everywhere from Hot Key Books, and Wolf Hollow for Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way affected the my views of these books. Promise!

Review! Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk begins with the words:

 "The year I turned twelve, I learned how to lie"

setting us up for the recounting of the story from the point of view of young Annabelle, who lives in a small rural town in post WW1 and WW2 America. A new girl called Betty comes to town, who turns out to be quite the bully, disrupting Annabelle's simple, peaceful life, and drawing into question the intentions and trustworthiness of the reclusive, wandering war veteran Toby. 

Annabelle's quest for justice and for the truth to prevail in the face of a town-wide manhunt has brought many comparisons to To Kill A Mockingbird. This novel definitely has the feel of an American classic, with various characters representing the good and just, right and wrong, and the evil and hysterical. Annabelle's Aunt Lily is a particularly good antagonist, representing the often misplaced intentions of the morally righteous. Annabelle herself is a convincingly thoughtful and moral character, whilst also encapsulating the naivety and certainty of youth.

I also found moments of comparison to the Little House on the Prairie books, especially the scenes detailing the chores of farm life, and Annabelle's interactions with her parents. There was a similar timeless warmth to their familial love, and an attention to detail of the everyday tending to the animals and land, which enriched the world of the story to no end.

Wolf Hollow is an accomplished piece of children's literature, and I can see it being read and analysed in classrooms in the future, just as To Kill A Mockingbird is across the world today.

I received a review copy of Wolf Hollow from Penguin Random House in exchange for a fair review. This has in no way affected my opinions. Promise!

Books I read in April!: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Persepolis, Riverkeep, Public Library, Lumberjanes

What this blog post isn't really late what are you on about?? Here are the books I read in April! I listened to Minding Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? on Audible, continued my Marjane Satrapi season with Persepolis, super enjoyed reading a review copy of Martin Stewart's Riverkeep (the full review of which you can read by clicking here), got Public Library by Ali Smith from my local public library, and also caved and bought Lumberjanes part 2!

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

I have a thing for listening to the audiobook's of funny ladies. In fact I'll do a blog post on that soon as I have pretty much exclusively listened to the audiobooks of funny ladies! This is funny lady Mindy Kaling's first book, and follows a similar pattern to the other funny lady books (funny lady funny lady funny lady), offering part memoir/part advice book. I just really love finding out how successful women like Mindy Kaling have mapped out their careers and it is especially entertaining when they are the narrator. I feel very comforted to know Mindy was a nanny whilst she was trying to break into comedy, as I'm currently nannying while trying to get other stuffs going! Read/listen to this if you enjoy the likes of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, watched and loved The Office (US), and want to know how to make it in the biz or to feel like you know some insider gossip.

Persepolis

I caved and bought a copy of Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel Persepolis after having watched the film a few times, and having enjoyed her other books in previous months too. This edition includes both previously published volumes The Story of Childhood and The Story of a Return. I just really love Marjane's narrative style, her wit and humour shine through even when she is retelling the horrors of war and her separation from her family. Persepolis follows the story of her childhood in Tehran during the overthrow of the Shah, the Islamic Revolution and the war with Iraq, and then her time spent in Austria as a teenager after she was sent there to school for her own safety. If you've seen the film, I definitely recommend reading the graphic novel. There are so many extra little details and scenes that really make it worthwhile. Now Marjane Satrapi just needs to write some more books so the season can continue!

Riverkeep

I was super pleased to receive a review copy of debut author Martin Stewart's Riverkeep. The cover of the proof copy lists things like The Wizard of Oz, Ursula Le Guin, Patrick Ness, so obviously I was pretty excited to read it too.



Read my full review here! Please! I mean only if you want to. Clicky click. 

Public Library and Other Stories

I am very pleased to say I got Ali Smith's Public Library and Other Stories out from my local library. I really enjoy reading short stories, there's something about just spending a short time with a character and getting a snapshot of their story that I really like. As well as being a collection of short stories related to books and reading and the impact of these on our lives and homes, it is also a call to action to save our public library, which are under threat from funding cuts and closures across the UK. So, get out to your public library and join the cause by taking this book out! 

Lumberjanes , Vol. 2: Friendship to the Max

I read and super enjoyed the first volume of Lumberjanes some time last year and ended up caving and buying volume 2 this month (I cave and buy books pretty often have you noticed?). The story of Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley at Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types continues in this volume, with even more mysteries and myths to discover and solve. Also there are raptors. Totally action packed and fun, full of colour and humour, if you haven't read any Lumberjanes yet then you really, really should. The third bind up volume is out now so I definitely smell another book purchase on the horizon... I'm just trying to support my local shops leave me alone!!

I'll try to be more on time with my May reads, I really will! So far this month I have read, Bullet Catcher by Joaquin Lowe, Sea Lovers by Valerie Martin, The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig, and also listened to another funny lady's audio book, Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body by Sara Pascoe! Gonna try to squeeze in another novel and a graphic novel too by the end of the month. Don't forget to go read my full review of Riverkeep!

I received a copy of Riverkeep from Penguin in return for an honest review. I really like it I promise! 

Review! Riverkeep by Martin Stewart

I was super pleased to receive a review copy of debut author Martin Stewart's Riverkeep. The cover of the proof copy lists things like The Wizard of Oz, Ursula Le Guin, Patrick Ness, so obviously I was pretty excited to read it too. 

The story follows fifteen-year-old Wulliam, who is about to inherit his father's role as Riverkeep, which involves tending to the river's ice in winter and a lot of fishing out corpses too. A dark spirit possesses his father one night, which sets Wulliam on a journey away from his one know corner of the river, to row down the river's mouth and hopefully find a cure in the belly of a giant sea creature called the mormorach. 

It took me stupidly long to get the Wizard of Oz connection, but essentially Wull picks up fellow travellers along the way, each on their own journeys, with their own problems to solve and wisdom to share. I got a really cold and dark and gloomy vibe from this book, with hints of scary unknown magic and terrifying creatures all alone the banks of this icy river. I admit for the first few chapters I was suddenly aware of and then annoyed about the lack of female characters, but this resolves itself pretty quickly and I really felt for Wull and his desperation to complete his journey and exasperation at his fellow travellers. 

I can really see a Silvain Chomet animation of this, as Belleville Rendezvous and The Illusionist have similar gloomy, grimy moments, and warm camaraderie moments too. I think the texture of Chomet's animations would really suit this story. 

Definitely worth a read if you like stories with some journeying in them! I'd love to see spin off with Mix as the main character so fingers crossed this world gets expanded.

I received a copy of Riverkeep from Penguin Books in return for an honest review. I really liked it I promise! 

Books I read in March!: Rebel of the Sands, Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, A Gathering of Shadows

I read and marked like a zillion essays and dissertations in March so my reading brain was very tired, but I did manage to read three whole books! I also read some graphic novels and you can read my round up of the ones I read in February and March in their very own dedicated post. The few books I did manage to read were the wonderful Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton, Ayisha Malik's Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, which I loved, and much anticipated sequel to A Darker Shade of Magic- A Gathering of Shadows, by V.E. Schwab. 

Rebel of the Sands

I may have initially judged this book by its beautiful shiny cover, but the contents were no disappointment. Set in a desert land with magical sand beasts and a Rebel Prince uprising against the king, Amani Al'Hiza is determined to leave her tiny dead-end town and head for the bright lights of the big city. Our heroine is particularly skilled with guns, and can definitely fend for herself, although it helps that she can pass for a boy. The world building is brilliant- I had amazing imagery in my head of this Middle Eastern meets cowboy Western land, especially appreciating the train scenes, there's just something about a desert train that I really love. Romance, adventure, mythology, and gun-slinging are all woven together beautifully, in what I was very pleased to learn is the first part of a trilogy. Follow Alwyn on social media too, she's great! 

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged 

I took the recommendation of Leena Norms in her Fresh Reads video, and I regret nothing! I loved this book. It was so much fun and I learned so much about British Muslim culture. Sofia Khan has just broken up with her boyfriend, due to his unwillingness to move out of his parents house after their potential future marriage. Discussing her dating experiences at work, as a publicist at a London publishing house, her boss convinces her to write a Muslim dating book. This book is essentially that, a British Muslim dating book. Full of wit and humour, balancing religion and relationships, marriage-obsessed relatives, racists on the tube, praying at work, writing her book,  and joining a Muslim dating site, Sofia's story is extremely entertaining and engaging. 

A Gathering of Shadows

A Gathering of Shadows is the much anticipated sequel to A Darker Shade of Magic, and I was very excited to see what would happen next after the very fast paced first book. This sequel takes place four months after the events of book one, and spans several months too, so we get a real feel for the wider world. Lila is the more central protagonist this time and she has essentially become a pirate and it's great. She has also been practicing magic under the tuition of her ship's captain, Alucard Emery, and learning as much as she can about Red London. Back in the city itself, Kell and Rhy are under much closer protection after both almost dying to defeat the Dane twins in White London, with Prince Rhy busy planning the massive international event, The Element Games, to be hosted in the city, and Kell essentially just pining after Lila. I really enjoyed the book, it was a great sequel, picking up the pace from the first book, and continuing this great pacing throughout. I loved Lila's new pirating life, and oh! that amazing opening scene. The bustling crowds of the Games really reminded me of the Quidditch World Cup, so that obviously sat very favourably with me. There was an effort throughout to remind the reader of details and events from the first book, which I found to be very elegantly executed and helpful, and that certainly isn't an easy thing to pull off. I found the chapter lengths to be perfect too; there is really just an overall brilliant attention to detail throughout. An amazing sequel- so excited for part three!


I'm currently reading Riverkeep, so far so good, and I have such a big tbr pile right now it's a little overwhelming but as far as problems go, it really could be worse! I just got a copy of The Girl From Everywhere from Hot Key Books and I have a sneaky feeling it's going to jump to the top of the pile...!

Feminist Orchestra: I Call Myself A Feminist- Edited by Victoria Pope, Rachel Holmes, Amy Annette, Alice Stride, Martha Mosse.

The first book for March in Jean (BookishThoughts)'s book club, The Feminist Orchestra, is I Call Myself A Feminist: The view from twenty-five women under thirty. An edited collection of essays, written by women under thirty, this book offers various perspectives from women on their reasons for calling themselves feminists. There is plenty of discussion going on the thread on the Goodreads page where everyone one seems to be coming to a similar consensus.

One common comment is on the feeling that some of the chapters could go a little more in depth than they do. Depth was a bit of an issue for me in some of the essays. Some of them almost felt like first drafts... and this was all the more obvious next to the stand out chapters, where I became really aware of the difference in quality of writing. However I'm willing to chalk this up to an earnest attempt to get multiple voices of women under 30. Not meaning to imply younger writers are not good writers, but more that in some cases this will have perhaps been their 3rd essay on feminism and not their 100th.

It's also maybe a taste thing. I was really drawn to the more stylised or topic specific essays like Naomi Mitchison's 'A Typical Engineer', which focussed on feminism in the male dominated engineering industry, and Alice Stride's 'This is NOT a feminist rant: the language of silencing women' , which looked at the all too persuasive 'sexist whisper', and 'My journey to feminism' by Louise O'Neill, which had a similar outline to other chapters, but was full of O'Neill's clever wit, sarcasm and humour. In these essays the author's personal voice or writing style really strongly showed through, and I preferred these in contrast to the almost schooly personal statement vibes I got from a few.

The effort to include non-white and non-cis and non-straight feminist voices, however was so great to see. I felt like my claims of intersectional-feminism were bolstered by these diverse stories. Maysa Haque's 'Islam is my feminism and feminism is my Islam' was so interesting, and I always appreciate some cat love. '"Roti kamana": stories of survival' by Samira Shackle was equal parts immensely illuminating and horrifying. And the words of Meltem Avcii in her essay 'Why I call myself a feminist' were seriously powerful.

So I have finished with the feeling that I could probably manage to get my teeth into some more advanced/academic feminist writing, which is an exciting thought as I'd quite like to have a bookshelf full of feminist books that I've actually read AND understood. 

This month it's Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, which I plan to read in a much more timely manner than I did with this one!

Graphic Novels of Feb and March: In Real Life, Skim, Embroideries, Fun Home, Chicken With Plums

This year I'm counting graphic novels in my reading challenge because they totally count and as I read 5 over February and March I thought I'd round em up here in this very post. It turns out my local library has a pretty good collection so I've been working my way through that!

In Real Life

I picked up this beautiful graphic novel by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang on my birthday. As usual I was drawn in by its beautiful illustrations but the story was worth staying for. Anda is a high school student who loves online gaming, specifically the massively-multiplayer role-playing game Coarsegold Online. Anda is REALLY GOOD at this game, and is part of a all-girl guild. Real life and online life collide as Anda makes friends within the game with another kid in playing in China. I loved the art, I loved the story. I feel like it has a really strong moral heart within it. Also the physical copy is a beauty. The colours are wow!

Skim
I found Skim in the library, and was drawn in by the authors Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki who also wrote This One Summer, which I read last year. I also remember reading excerpts of this in my Sequential Narrative class in Toronto. So I was happy to finally read this story of Kimberly Keiko Cameron, nicknamed 'Skim', a wannabe Wiccan at high school in the early 90s. There's a suicide storyline, when a classmates' boyfriend kills himself, and the school becomes obsessed with spotting depression in its students. Skim is secretly meeting her English teacher Ms. Archer during all this, while also figuring out her friendship with her best friend, finding dates for the formal, and generally navigating teenage life. A really nice coming of age story, encompassing all the complications of high school. Has the same kind of thoughtful nostalgia as This One Summer .

Embroideries
The beginning of my Marjane Satrapi season. I had recently rewatched the Persepolis film (of which I now have a book copy and will read soon!), and spotted Embroideries in the library. This is such a funny and truthful little book. It's only a hundred or so pages, but there is so much good stuff packed in there! Over an afternoon of tea drinking, we learn of the love stories and sex lives of several generations of Iranian women in Majane's family. Her grandmother, mother, aunts, neighbours, cousins, all have stories from their various marriages and romances. I absolutely love Marjane Satrapi's humorous narrative style and her artwork is just great, capturing the personalities of each character in simple ink. 10/10 definitely read this! If anything. it's super enlightening!


Fun Home
I listened to Fun Home being discussed on the SRSLY podcast and then, once again, spotted it in the library. I'd been looking out for Alison Bechdel work, so I was very pleased to find it. This is a longun, with Bechdel looking back over her childhood at her relationship with her father, who died when she was in college. His death came just a few weeks after she came out as a lesbian to her parents, at which time her dad also came out as gay. Bechdel looks back over events in her childhood to unravel the mysteries of her father and their relationship and come to terms with his death I guess. This was a really interesting graphic memoir, mostly set in the family's funeral home business. Thoughtful, unapologetic storytelling and detailed artwork. Definitely wroth reading.


Chicken With Plums
Continuing Marjane Satrapi season, the library also had Chicken With Plums! Set in November 1955, Nasser Ali Khan is a celebrated tar player, and Marjane Satrapi's great-uncle. The story takes place over the eight days leading to his death, after he has given up on life due to the breaking of his beloved tar. Satrapi tells stories of his past and of his childrens' futures too, again with the same humour and wit she is known for. Offering glimpses into Iranian culture pre-1950s, and handling issues of death, love, life, and music with humour and grace. Also now I want to eat chicken with plums mmmm.





Any graphic novel recommendations are most welcome! Lemme know!

Books I read in February: The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School, How Hard Can Love Be?, The Marvels, The Sleeping Prince

These be the novels I read in February! I also read some real nice graphic novels, which I reckon I'll talk about in a separate post! Yippee! Kim Newman's The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School was lent to me and then I bought my own copy because I liked it so much! How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne was so much fun, definitely lived up to her previous work which I have loved. She just really does teenage voices well. The Marvels by Brian Selznick is a beautiful big heavy shiny book full of illustrations and I really enjoyed the format. And Melinda Salisbury's The Sleeping Prince, a much anticipated sequel, did not disappoint!

The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School

Ooh I right enjoyed this! Set in a boarding school for students with special gifts, the daughters of criminal masterminds and outlaws, and famous bug scientists. Amy Thomsett is sent by her mother after her gift for floating has become too strange for her to deal with. With her new friends Amy sets up The Moth Club after the mysterious Hooded Conspiracy abducts a girl from their dormitory. The mystery deepens as a serious case of mass-hysteria, mass-hypnoses completely overtakes the school. I was hooked pretty quickly and loved the way this novel unfolded. I found there to be some weird pace-slowing exposition of characters in a few key places. Also there were SO MANY NAMES to remember, with each student at any time being referred to by their first, second, or nickname, or by their house. This problem probably could've been solved if I had found the big list of students listed by year and house in the back... None of this dampened my enjoyment though. If you enjoy dreary coastal boarding schools, beating up bullies, moth species, female friendships, and superheroes in wartime, then this book is for you. 

How Hard Can Love Be?

The much anticipated second book in the Normal Series. I loved Am I Normal Yet? and Holly Bourne's previous book The Manifesto on How to be Interesting. This one follows Amber, as she leaves the Spinster Club for the summer to spend a few months in California with her mum and her mum's husband, at their summer camp. There's the usual strong feminist discussion throughout, with Amber skyping back home to Evie and Lottie, and with her new camp friends. Amber navigates the summer with said fellow camp councillor friends, trying to figure out her relationship with her emotionally distant and recovering alcoholic mother. There's also a very handsome prom king boy called Kyle who is showing a lot of interest in Amber, much to her befuddlement. So a whole load of issues to tackle all with Holly Bourne's signature humour and wit. Loved it! Not sure what ground the third in the Normal Series will cover, I mean surely that's everything now? Maybe pubes? Not enough Spinster Club pube chat yet for sure. 

The Marvels

On a very different note, I got this beautiful shiny gold book for Christmas and was super intrigued to see how the balance between illustration and text would read. A story of shipwrecked theatrical sailors in 1766 leads in pictures to a story of several generations of sons working and performing in a London theatre. The illustrated story stops with a fire at the theatre and we pick up in 1990s London, with a schoolboy named Joseph who runs away from boarding school to his uncle's bizarre historical townhouse, where he slowly begins to unravel the mysteries of Billy Marvel and his theatrical descendants. The unfolding of the mystery was very enjoyable and seeing the relationship between uncle and nephew grow was rather lovely. It got me right in the heart. And the real stories it's based on were very interesting too. This beautiful book is definitely not style over substance. 

The Sleeping Prince

The Sleeping Prince is the sequel to The Sin Eater's Daughter, which I read in March last year actually. I've been very organised and gone back to have a look at that review, in which I say it felt very much like the first act in a bigger story. The Sleeping Prince certainly proves this, really widening out understanding of the kingdom. I also was hoping for more movement in the form of travel, and um, TICK, so much of this story takes place on the road, exploring different towns, and it definitely fulfils my wish of more depth of understanding of the rest of the kingdom, after seeing it through Twylla's very insular world. The sequel in fact takes place from the perspective of an entirely different female protagonist. Errin, an apothecary, who is the sister of the guard Lief from book one, is living in poverty with her ailing mother in a rundown town. Mysteries and mythologies are all getting untangled from real history in this book, as a war is beginning following the waking of the titular sleeping prince. Errin seeks help from the mysterious Silas to find a cure for her mother and after a lengthy period of suffering in the horrible run down town, takes to the road to take matters in to her own hands. A strong sequel I think! And I am verrrrry much looking forward to the next book where I'm hoping we'll see more of Errin and Twylla's worlds colliding.

Look out for a post on the graphic novels In Real Life, Skim, and Embroideries!

Top 6 Podcasts by Women

Within the last year I have become an avid podcast listener. I think I started by listening to people I liked being interviewed on The Nerdist (over that now), started listening to Comedy Bang Bang religiously, and after Serial became obsessed with This American Life, delving right into the archives. I spent my summer last year walking around the city listening to funny and interesting podcasts and now most corners have a little audio memory that pops up when I walk by. As a nerdfighter I listen to Dear Hank & John every week, and had a fling with Gilmore Guys for a while too. I listened to all the Adam and Joe Show archives I could find, and then super enjoyed Adam Buxton's podcast last year too. But today I specifically want to talk about the podcasts I love that are by women. I made a conscious shift in my listening to find more female voices as a lot of the popular podcasts ruling the roost, and the ones I devote a lot of time too, are male led. This was not a fruitless effort and I am continuing to find funny, entertaining, inspiring podcasts by women all the time. In fact I found a whole bunch more when I was looking at other 'top female podcast' lists in prep for this post. So here are my Top 6 Podcasts By Women, and not just FOR women, I reckon most of these should have universal appeal. In no particular order, here they are:

1- The History Chicks

Hosted by Beckett Graham and Susan Vollenweider, this podcast focusses on the oft-ignored women of history. I recommend episode 60: Four Inventors for a taste of what the tone of the podcast is like. Normally it is one woman from history per episode, so have a scroll through to find some of your favourites.

The History Chicks- Episode 60: Four Inventors









2- SRSLY

Hosted by Caroline Crampton and Anna Leszkiewicz of the New Statesman, SRSLY covers all things pop culture in music, film, tv, books, internet. I recommend episode 29: The One Where They Take it Seriously, a special episode on Friends, which is a little different from their usual episodes but very fun in their in depth analysis of the series. Their special episode on Harry Potter is just as fun. Usual episodes cover current pop culture phenomenon, which is also fun!

3- Call Your Girlfriend

Hosted by Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow, this podcast covers pop culture and politics and everything in between and encourages my new favourite girl-love thing, Shine Theory. I recommend episode 42: Twitter Ninja, which covers the all-lady congress during the DC snowstorm, menstruation and marijuana, and Kanye's Twitter rants. 

4- With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus

Hosted by actor and improver Lauren Lapkus, a frequent Comedy Bang Bang guest also known for her roles in Orange is the New Black and Jurassic World no less! Lauren Lapkus is the guest and her guest is the host in this improv podcast. I believe the guest brings the character and set up for Lauren to improv along to. I recommend the episode Eliza Skinner: Post-Apodcastlypse, which is a very funny post-apocalypse survivor broadcast. Fun fact: I'm listening to this one right now!

5- Criminal

Hosted by Phoebe Judge, Criminal is a podcast about crime. I found it looking for a true crime podcast to fill the gap after Serial season 1. I recommend episode 35: Pen & Paper, about a courtroom sketch artist. This episode is not particularly creepy or gruesome, just pretty interesting. There are much more crimey episodes for sure. 

6- Funny Lady Film Club

Hosted by Alexandra Fiber & Danielle Gibson, this podcast is pretty much what it says in the title: funny ladies talking about a particular film each episode. I recommend episode 25: Charlies Angels with Tessa Hersh, in which it's discussed whether the 2000 film stands the test of time.

That all folks! Apart from a quick shout out to Black Girls Talking, an awesome podcast that I didn't include in this list because I've only listened to one episode so far!

Enjoy! :) Let me know your recs!