Because this fall is exciting, I’m doing a joyous meme for you guys! The good people at The Broke and the Bookish have asked everyone to say what books they are looking forward to this fall, and I am looking forward to A LOT of things this fall. Onward! The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Patrick Ness – How many years has it been since I had a new Patrick Ness book to scream about? TOO MANY. TOO MANY IS THE ANSWER. This one is about all the high school kids who aren’t Chosen Ones, who are just trying…
27 CommentsReading the End Posts
Note: I received an ebook copy of The Scorpion Rules from the publisher, via NetGalley. This has not influenced the content of the review as I cannot be bought for a simple ebook and would require at least a comfy armchair before I would even consider compromising my integrity. Does the world need yet another story about a plucky white heroine in a dystopic future world and a love triangle? I might have said no before reading The Scorpion Rules, but I’d have missed out on a genuinely excellent book. Greta is a Child of the Peace: a hostage for…
21 CommentsSo I knew that Liberia was colonized by free black Americans in the early 1800s, and I knew the name “American Colonization Society,” but I also thought these groups were one and the same. I thought the American Colonization Society was a free black invention, like a sort of proto-Marcus-Garvey situation. What a silly, naive bunny I was to think that. The American Colonization Society was a bunch of white guys who came up with the great idea of sending all the free black people to Africa, which would serve the dual purpose of getting rid of black people the American government didn’t want, and maybe…
22 CommentsTrumpet came out in 1998 and that is surprising. Remember 1998, y’all? In 1998 the nation was having enormous arguments about Gay/Straight Alliances in high schools, and I was sitting in the backseat of my friend’s dad’s car and staring blankly at my friend because she had just said she didn’t approve of the gay lifestyle and I had not up to that point realized that humans of my acquaintance held views of this type. Also in 1998: Scottish poet and author Jackie Kay wrote a book called Trumpet about a non-tragic trans character. Way to go, 1998. You were…
8 CommentsA slightly shorter links round-up this week, team, sorry about that! Things have been happening; I just haven’t been remembering to save the links about them. The wonderful Linda Holmes lists five shows that TV execs will never stop making. My favorite is “The Adventures Of Mr. Superabilities And Detective Ladyskeptic.” Beyond “diversity in SF”: Some ideas for (awesome-sounding) panels on diverse topics, for SFF conventions to take under advisement. The latest issue of Open Letters Monthly carried a report from the Romance Writers Association convention. The more I think about romance novels and their place in society, the more…
23 CommentsNote: I received an e-galley of Sorcerer to the Crown from the publisher for review consideration. Some brilliant person described this book on Twitter a while ago as a postcolonial Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and I have been all about it ever since. Zen Cho’s debut novel tells the story of Zacharias Wythe, the first ever black Sorcerer to the Crown. Suspected of involvement in the death of his predecessor, Zacharias becomes enmeshed in a political conflict among magical parties in (what is not yet) Malaysia, fights for his position against an interloper magician recently returned from the realm…
29 CommentsI do not. Do. Serial killers. I bring this up to explain the multi-year gap between reading the first volume of Locke and Key (like 2011ish I want to say?) and now, finishing the series. The first volume gets kinda serial-killer-y, is my recollection, and I did not care for that. I will not abide with stories about serial killers, except I guess that one time I made an exception for Lauren Beukes because everyone said “definitely definitely make an exception for Lauren Beukes” okay but apart from that, NO EXCEPTIONS. Locke and Key, incidentally, is not about serial killers. It’s about…
19 CommentsReading the End Bookcast, Ep.47: Separating Books from Authors and M. J. Carter’s The Strangler Vine
Happy Wednesday! This week the Jennys go deep on separating the authors from the work and why we can’t take Jonathan Franzen seriously. Then we review M. J. Carter’s historical mystery novel, The Strangler Vine. You can listen to the podcast in the embedded player below or download the file directly to take with you on the go. Episode 47 And as promised, the cover of our next read, Patrick DeWitt’s The Sisters Brothers. See how cool? Get at me on Twitter, email the podcast, and friend me (Gin Jenny) and Whiskey Jenny on Goodreads. Or if you wish, you can…
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