An Unkindness of Ghosts Rivers Solomon Akashic Books October 3, 2017 During a particularly tumultuous phase of my early undergraduate career, marred by angry confusion at the unfamiliar metamorphosis of my identities, I stumbled upon a class about slavery. Of course, on my predominantly white, liberal-ass college campus, at the dawn of Obama’s second presidency,…
Soaring Magic and Shaky Groundwork: Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
Mask of Shadows Linsey Miller Sourcebooks Fire August 29, 2017
The Gunslinger Misses the Mark
Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Stephen King Donald M. Grant, Publisher June 10, 1982 Despite spending most of my life reading almost everything I could get my hands on I had never read a Stephen King novel… until The Gunslinger. When I initially heard there was going to be a film adaptation I was mildly intrigued…
Review: Lessons from The Woman Fantastic in Contemporary American Media Culture
With an interdisciplinary approach to the portrayal of the “woman fantastic” in contemporary American media, this collection examines her appearance across comics, books, and television.
Remixing the Classics: Hideo Furukawa’s Novella Slow Boat
Slow Boat Hideo Furukawa Pushkin Press June 6, 2017 A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The novella Slow Boat by Hideo Furukawa is, in his words, a remix. He states, “To take your love for the original and situate it in the present,” and he does exactly that…
Dogears: Velvet Wrapped Steel and Homicidal Royals
The Mothers Brit Bennett Riverhead Books October 11, 2016 Disclaimer: An Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of the book was provided by the publisher for an honest review. I found out about this book while reading the October 2016 issue of Vogue. Lupita Nyong’o was on the cover looking gorgeous as usual, and I came across…
Bearded Gourd And Other Euphamisms: A Review of Loose Lips
Loose Lips: Fanfiction Parodies of Great (and Terrible) Literature from the Smutty Stage of Shipwreck Edited by Amy Stephenson, Casey Childers Grand Central Publishing September 27 2016 Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In Loose Lips: Fanfiction Parodies of Great (and Terrible) Literature from the Smutty…
YA Trope Crushing: A Mortal Song by Megan Crewe
A Mortal Song Megan Crewe Another World Press September 2016 If you’re even slightly familiar with young adult novels, you know that one of the more popular tropes found is “The Hero is The Chosen One.” With A Mortal Song, Megan Crewe flips this trope on its head and dropkicks it.
Love in the Laboratory: Gail Carriger’s Romancing the Inventor
Romancing the Inventor Supernatural Society #1 Gail Carriger November 1, 2016 Romancing the Inventor is the first book of the Supernatural Society, an LGBTQ+ focused novella series set in Gail Carriger’s Parasolverse. Note: A review copy was provided at no charge by the author. Imogene Hale is young(ish), more than averagely pretty, and so not interested…
Review: The End of the Perfect 10 by Dvora Meyers
The End of the Perfect Ten: The Making & Breaking of Gymnastics’ Top Score–from Nadia to Now Dvora Meyers Touchstone 2016 The Olympics may be over, but your gymnastics obsession doesn’t have to be. Admittedly, I am only an every-four-years watcher of women’s gymnastics, so my obsession is limited to a short time frame, but…
Gender Fluidity in Fiction: Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
Symptoms of Being Human Jeff Garvin Balzer & Bray February 2016 Jeff Garvin’s debut novel Symptoms of Being Human is a contemporary young adult novel starring Riley Cavanaugh, the only child of a prominent California congressman. The story opens on the morning of Riley’s first day at a new school, detailing the process of eating…
High Stakes and High Seas: My Last Continent & What We Become
Disclaimer: A review copy of these books was provided by the publisher for an honest review. My Last Continent by Midge Raymond and What We Become by Arturo Pérez-Reverte are two recently released novels from Simon & Schuster, and if you skim their surface, they initially appear to be quite similar. Starting with their covers—My Last Continent…