Expanding Horizons

I'm lucky enough to have friends who remind me to push my self. To expand my experiences as well as my reading list. I'm sharing with you one of the most recent pushes. 

Reading encourages empathy and folks right now we need a lot more of that. For example, as a white CIS woman, I may not be able to walk a mile in a BIPOC person's shoes, but I can read their stories and learn in that way. 

Here are some books that might get you started. I've not read all of these books or authors. In upcoming posts, I will work hard to address that shortcoming.

Authors and Books recommended by me and mine

These are books and authors recommended by me, my husband, or some of close reader friends.

• Octavia Butler is highly recommended by sci-fi/fantasy readers everywhere. Octavia is a black writer with an extensive list of books to her credit. My husband is a huge fan. A friend strongly recommends the Xenogensis trilogy.
• If you're looking for a non-fiction queer voice, I recommend Love That Story: Observations From A Gorgeously Queer Life by Jonathan Van Ness. Jonathan may be a familiar name as he's most well known for Queer Eye. 
• Nnedi Okorafor is an African American female writer who has won numerous awards including the Hugo. Her Binti series is very popular but Marvel fans may be more interested in her graphic novels Shiri from the Blank Panther comics. 
• Caitlan Kiernan's book list is full of non-cis characters which isn't surprising as she herself is transgender. Explore her and I'm certain you'll find a story you'd love to read. 
• Ms Marvel, a Muslim teen who finds herself with super powers, is less unfamiliar as it once was thanks to the MCU. These comics have a solid following and worth a read.
• Toni Morrison is an African American female writer that you probably have read before or at least heard. Her books have been banned and widely discussed in and out of classrooms. Many of her stories center around Black characters struggling with some very painful truths of the Black experience. Her Bluest Eye is a book I read 20+ years ago and some of the imagery still sticks with me. Beloved has left a similar mark on me. If you haven't read Toni Morrison yet, you should. 
• Brave new World by Aldous Huxley is a book often banned but also taught in English classes. This book begs the question: Just because you can do a thing, should you? 
  
• 1984 by George Orwell presents a world full of totalitarianisms and suppression of individuality. This book is also often banned but also taught in English classes. If you've not read it in a while, maybe its time to re-read.
• Leslie Silko is a much loved Native American female author and should be a must read for any serious reader. I recommend Ceremony. I was fortunate to hear this author speak and found her engaging and as passionate as her books. 
• Rebecca Roanhorse has won many awards for her writing including the Hugo. I personally have read her Sixth World books that begins with Trail of Lightening. The Sixth World books aren't as popular as some of her other books, so if Trail of Lightening doesn't appeal, look at Black Sun.
• Crazy Brave by Joy Hario. She is most known for her poetry, which my husband loves. He picked up Crazy Brave recently.
• Tracks by Louise Erdrich is one my husband strongly recommends. It's the third book in the series by one of the premier Native American Authors in the country. I must admit, the husband and been urging me to read her books and I've not yet done so. Looks like it's time for me to remedy that.

Common Challenged books in 2021

These are books from the American Library Association. As I write this, I've only read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I need to change that, maybe you do too. 

• Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
• Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
• All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
• Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson
• Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin

Lana Harvey, Reapers, Inc Series

Author: Angela Roquet

I adore this series. Each book is a fun read that is over too quickly. Lana Harvey is a reaper. She has two close friends: Josie, a reaper, and Gabriel (THE Gabriel), an angel. Josie and Lana live in Limbo and work for Grim, harvesting souls. Maalik, an Islamic archangel, gifts Lana with puppies -- two hell hounds. What isn't there to love about this?

What I like best about these stories is their ability to draw me in and let me lose myself. These stories are fantastic escape mechanism. But they are also well crafted. They present a universe that includes the Abraham religions as well as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Greek, Celtic, and Norse paganism. The stories touch on topics we can all identify with: love, friendship, loss, war, bribery, and fear. But all those issues seem separate because of the universe that Angela Roquet has created for us.

I may be biased though. I just love to see new takes on old, established concepts. And Roquet does just that. She takes what we think we know about Gabriel, the Holy Spirit, Charon, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Seth, Horus, and countless other deities and presents them to us as "real" beings with hopes, fears and goals. Beings who make mistakes and feel regret. They are beings who know each other and work together, most of the time, to manage the various needs of the people of Limbo. I like Queen of the Damned and Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice for the same reasons.

Today, there are four books available in the Reapers, Inc series. The fifth is due October 6. I cannot wait. I pre-ordered! I recommend this book to urban fantasy reader. Especially those who has read and enjoyed: the Charlie Davidson books by Darynda Jones, Alex Jones books by Kalayna Price, or the Black Wings series by Christina Price.  

For more information, visit Goodreads.

Broken Bones

Author: Deja Black

I read this as an uncorrected proof off of NetGalley. 

I found this story in desperate need of revision. The climax of the story felt late in development. The main character's father spoke in a manner that didn't feel natural. In fact, I found it distracting and pulled me out of the story more often than not. The initial crisis for the main character, Dan Tolliver, and it's connection to Dan's love interest, Dr. Aiden Kavanaugh, didn't feel like a strong connection. I believe more time should have been spent leading the reader into the correlation between Kavanaugh and Keith. The fact that two of the characters were Sandmen seams extraneous. The plot could have developed just as well if it was merely an romance. 

That said, these issues may have been addressed between the uncorrected proof I read and final publication. In the end, the characters the reader is suppose to like, I did like. I wouldn't discourage someone from reading this but I'm not likely to recommend it to someone. 

For more information on this title, visit Goodreads.

New Perspectives

I am one of the few people of my acquaintance who loves Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice.

My husband hates it because he feels Anne Rice jumped the shark when writing The Vampire Lestat. He finds Queen of the Damned disjointed and poorly written. Others just think Anne Rice is overly hyped and best read by teenagers who do not know any better.

I can accept the teenager crack. It's probably a valid reaction. I know I quit reading them in college and when (spoiler) Anne wouldn't let Louis die. I threw that book across the room. Anyway...

I love Queen of the Damned. Yes, it does jump from plot line to plot line. But this is something any reader of George R. R. Martin has experienced in his Song of Ice and Fire series. I like this structure. It almost teases the reader and keeps them reading and reading to get to the plot line that really has the reader hooked. This doesn't outshine my real reason for loving this book. I love how Anne explains the reason vampires exist. To me, this is enough to make me love this book. Rice took an old myth, one that exists in every culture, and tells us why those myths exist.

I've read other books that do this, explain some fictional thing into existance. Memnoch the Devil, also by Anne Rice, does this too in a slightly different way. Lucifer approaches Lestat, looking to make an agreement with the Vampire Prince. While this book doesn't explain anything, it does present another face to Lucifer. In some ways, humanizing the Morningstar, making the reader see him in other way. Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty did similar things in film. God needs a vacation in Bruce Almighty and Steve Carell has his own Noah experience in Evan Almighty.

It's interesting to look at things in a different way, in a different angle. As children, we play with prisms and lenses. We're fascinated by these. Books can do the same thing for adults. And I love those books for the altered thinking I experience between their covers.

The Little Paris Bookshop

Author: Nina George

This book starts out feeling almost dreamlike and then the main character has an emotional crisis. Jean is still heartbroken over a failed relationship nearly 21 years prior to the start of the story. Every day he opens his bookstore, on a boat in one of the Paris canals, and treats his customers. Yes, treats. He sells books as if they are medicine. He recommends and sells books based on his customer/patients emotional needs. A true romantic notion of the written word. And for 21 years, he has been in love with a women who left him. 

The story is that of how Jean fell in love, how he lives after she left, and Jean's voyage of discovery of why she abandoned him. 

Truthfully, I've set this novel aside for the time being. I'm in need of something less real and more fantasy. I'll pick this story up again another day when I'm ready for Jean.

For more information on this title, visit Goodreads.

The Pact

The Pact is a series of 8 novella's by Christian Marshall.

The story centers around a group of very different people who are recruited into an espionage ring. Each recruit has a skill, knowledge, or connection to "The Syndicate," an international criminal organization. 

The novella's are very well written. Characters have distinct voices, flaws, and objectives. The tension builds nicely. The conflict also builds well. It's en engaging read. As I was editing the manuscripts, I would get anxious for the next novella to arrive in my inbox. I couldn't wait to see the next piece of the puzzle. 

The Pact is something I wouldn't have picked for myself to read but I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it. I do recommend this to others, without hesitation. 

Not all things are perfect though. Despite my enjoyment, I would have preferred to have this story in one novel instead of eight episodes. That is just my personal preference. I do not think one novel would have improved the story. It just would have meant I didn't have to wait for the next 80 pages. 

The Pact is available through a number of ebook retailers. 

The Determined Heart: The Tale of Mary Shelley and Her Frankenstein

As an Undergraduate, I was an English major. Naturally read Frankenstein, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Byron. I also read William Godwin, Mary Shelley's father, and Mary Wolstencroft, her mother. When I found The Determined Heart, I knew I had to read it. 

Antoinette May, the author of The Determined Heart, did a great job in her fictionalized account of Mary Shelley's life. I'm only half through the book and can already say I recommend it. The writing, characters, and plot pace is good. I can easily immerse myself in the story.  I am anxious to find time to continue reading.  I'm even reading late into the night. Overall, I am finding this to be a well crafted read. 

Any reader who is familiar with Mary Shelley or any of her friends and family should at least consider reading this book. If you're a fan of Frankenstein, I would say this book is a must as it easily presents a look into what influenced Mary Shelley. While fictionalized, it still hits the major points of Mary's life. Fans of historical fiction should read this book.

As much as I recommend this book, and as familiar as I am with the major characters of the book, I have to say...I hate seeing Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron portrayed as such assholes. Yes, assholes. I knew that Bysshe was an adulterer and typically one step away from debtors prison. I knew Byron was arrogant and self involved. These things are well known. But it's still difficult to read. How could flawed people create such amazing works? 

Some of the publications by the numerous authors referenced in this novel are:

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Maurice Hindle (Editor, Introduction)
• A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Mary Wollstonecraft
• The Anarchist Writings of William Godwin by William Godwin, Peter Marshall (Editor)
• The Complete Poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Neil Fraistat (Editor), Donald H. Reiman (Editor)
• Lord Byron: The Major Works by George Gordon Byron, Jerome J. McGann (Editor)

UPDATE: I finished the novel and I still feel the same as my previous post. It was a great read. A read I couldn't wait to get back too.