*Blows dust off this thing*

I still have zero available time, but I really want to start writing again. So let’s see how this goes…

The Amazons – real or myth?

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Adrienne Mayor, The Amazons

In 2016 I mentioned that I had bought a book by Adrienne Mayor, called ‘The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World’, and said I would talk about it when I had read it.

That time has finally come!

(I swear, I’m not actually a really slow reader, I’m just highly distractable and my TBR is well and truly out of control)

Pride Recs – Part Two

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A.M. Valenza, Alex Beecroft, Cat Sebastian, Ivan Coyote, Jordan L Hawk, K.A. Cook, KJ Charles, L.J. Baker, Less Than Tree Press, Megan Derr, Momoko Tenzen, Rowan Speedwell, Tamara Allen

Welcome to part two of my 2017 Pride Recs! Part one is here in case you missed it.

Pride Recs – Part One

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Alex Beecroft, Charlie Cochrane, Gail Carriger, John Boswell, Josh Lanyon, Kaje Harper, KJ Charles, Lynn Flewelling, Megan Derr, Tygati

I warn you now: This is loooong. In fact it’s so long that I decided to split it into two blog posts. Which are both long. Go get a drink or something.

June each year is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month – I think mostly in the USA, but it’s kind of spread out from there through the internet. In June 2017 some of my friends on Twitter were sharing book recommendations using the hashtag #PrideRec – I realised they were using a specific guide from somewhere regarding what kinds of books to rec each day, and I decided to join in. Then I challenged myself to come up with a rec for every item on the list. I didn’t get onto Twitter every day, but I made sure I caught up when I missed days.

Toward the end of the month I was thinking about how I’d like to write a full blog post so I could explain why I liked the books the I was rec’ing, and then a friend of mine asked if I could possibly do a blog post with my Pride Recs, and that decided me. Only I didn’t actually have time in June or July, as I was working on a major project that ate up all of my time and energy for the next several months (and then left me exhausted through the end of the year). I finally have time now, so I thought I’d sit down and write up that long-overdue blog post.

So, here are my 2017 Pride Recs and why I chose them:

Unmentionable

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Therese Oneill

I mentioned the other day that I was currently reading ‘Unmentionable’ by Therese Oneill and rather wanted to talk about it, so here goes.

More themed book orders

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Daniel Pool, Elizabeth Bisland, Nellie Bly, Therese Oneill

I have been too busy to blog during these past several months, and at times almost too busy to read, but nevertheless not too busy to buy more books. I have bought so many new books this year you guys, my TBR has reached completely ridiculous levels.

As on previous occasions some of my recent book orders have been somewhat themed.

Exhibit A: How 19th Century people lived. Both public and private aspects.

 

Exhibit B: The most thrilling ‘Round the World Race the world has ever seen. From both sides.

I am super looking forward to reading those last two, let me tell you.

I am currently reading ‘Unmentionable’ and rather want to talk about it. Fortunately, the thing that has been eating up most of my free time this year will be finished soon, so I will hopefully be able to get some new blog posts written up, including one I’ve been sitting on since June, and haven’t had the chance to even start yet.

Fantasy and Romance: Two great flavours that go great together

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Amy Griswold, Jordan L Hawk, Mary Robinette Kowal, Megan Derr, Melissa Scott

I grew up reading fantasy, starting with the Chronicles of Narnia in primary school, and never looking back. I sort of fell sideways into reading romance.

There’s such a social stigma surrounding the romance genre and the people who read and write in it, and so many assumptions made about the quality and content of romance novels, that I spent years actively avoiding the entire genre and assuming I would hate it, despite the fact that I’ve always loved stories about characters falling in love, be they written or in movies. I got into reading romance via BL manga, fanfic, and free original story-sharing on the internet, and became a romance fan before I realised what was happening.

One of the things I discovered on my journey into the land of romance was that it abounds in sub-genres and melded genres; want a well-written historic, science fiction, steampunk, urban fantasy, high fantasy, or supernatural novel or series with great world-building, relatable characters, heart-break, personal growth, heroic acts, bad guys and monsters defeated, new love discovered, complex relationship development, and a happy ending? Romance has you covered.

I have collected below some of my favourite fantasy romance series, books that I enjoy both for the well-crafted romantic relationships, and for the well-crafted plots and fantasy world-building. These books are excellent when judged as either fantasy or romance, and if you are a fan of either I highly recommend you check them out. Some of these books include graphic sex scenes, but none of them are dominated by them, and if you don’t like reading sex you can skip those scenes and enjoy the rest of he story. The super pretty cover art is of course an added bonus.

 

Tales of the High Court by Megan Derr

New books! Magical butt-kicking Librarians

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Genevieve Cogman, Jim C Hines

New books! Awesome ladies from history

Current Read: The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon

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Little Black Classics, Meredith McKinney, Sei Shonagon, The Pillow Book, Yoshida Kenkō

I have previously mentioned last year’s little splurge on Penguin Little Black Classics. One of the LBC’s I bought was ‘A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees’ by
Yoshida Kenkō (translated by Meredith McKinney).  Yoshida Kenkō was a monk in 14th Century Japan, and the book is a collection of excerpts from his most famous work  ‘Tsurezuregusa’ aka ‘Essays in Idleness’ (Wikipedia tells me a more accurate translation would be ‘Notes from Leisure Hours’ which seems to better fit the actual nature of the work, but admittedly sounds less catchy as a title).

I really enjoyed reading these excerpts, as they’re pretty much a collection of the idle jottings of a real person who lived 700 years ago, and somehow really relatable, for all that they’re the thoughts of a man who lived a very different life to mine, in a very different culture, in a different country, a really long time ago. In his own words (well, as translated by Meredith McKinney):
‘It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the past whom you have never met…’