#Book rec

[starrlikesbooks]

About 70% of my brain is totally dedicated to thinking about Hozier, so here are some Hozier book recs!

Self Titled:

• Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

• The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

• Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew

Nina Cried Power:

• No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

• Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

• Soulswift by Megan Bannen

Wasteland, Baby:

• They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

• Milo and Marcos at the End of the World by Kevin Christopher Snipes

• The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Unheard, Unearth:

• Icarus by K Ancrum

• Death's Country by R. M. Romero

• Summer in the City of Roses by Michelle Ruiz Keil

#hozier #unreal unearth #unreal unearth unheard #wasteland baby #nina cried power #bookblr #booklr #book blog #book rec #ya books #book list #starrlikesbooks #book recs #queer books

[samwisethewitch]

Homemaking, gardening, and self-sufficiency resources that won't radicalize you into a hate group

It seems like self-sufficiency and homemaking skills are blowing up right now. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic crisis, a lot of folks, especially young people, are looking to develop skills that will help them be a little bit less dependent on our consumerist economy. And I think that's generally a good thing. I think more of us should know how to cook a meal from scratch, grow our own vegetables, and mend our own clothes. Those are good skills to have.

Unfortunately, these "self-sufficiency" skills are often used as a recruiting tactic by white supremacists, TERFs, and other hate groups. They become a way to reconnect to or relive the "good old days," a romanticized (false) past before modern society and civil rights. And for a lot of people, these skills are inseparably connected to their politics and may even be used as a tool to indoctrinate new people.

In the spirit of building safe communities, here's a complete list of the safe resources I've found for learning homemaking, gardening, and related skills. Safe for me means queer- and trans-friendly, inclusive of different races and cultures, does not contain Christian preaching, and does not contain white supremacist or TERF dog whistles.

Homemaking/Housekeeping/Caring for your home:

Making It by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen [book] (The big crunchy household DIY book; includes every level of self-sufficiency from making your own toothpaste and laundry soap to setting up raised beds to butchering a chicken. Authors are explicitly left-leaning.)

Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust [book] (A guide to simple home repair tasks, written with rentals in mind; very compassionate and accessible language.)

How To Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis [book] (The book about cleaning and housework for people who get overwhelmed by cleaning and housework, based on the premise that messiness is not a moral failing; disability and neurodivergence friendly; genuinely changed how I approach cleaning tasks.)

Gardening

Rebel Gardening by Alessandro Vitale [book] (Really great introduction to urban gardening; explicitly discusses renter-friendly garden designs in small spaces; lots of DIY solutions using recycled materials; note that the author lives in England, so check if plants are invasive in your area before putting them in the ground.)

Country/Rural Living:

Woodsqueer by Gretchen Legler [book] (Memoir of a lesbian who lives and works on a rural farm in Maine with her wife; does a good job of showing what it's like to be queer in a rural space; CW for mentions of domestic violence, infidelity/cheating, and internalized homophobia)

"Debunking the Off-Grid Fantasy" by Maggie Mae Fish [video essay] (Deconstructs the off-grid lifestyle and the myth of self-reliance)

Sewing/Mending:

Annika Victoria [YouTube channel] (No longer active, but their videos are still a great resource for anyone learning to sew; check out the beginner project playlist to start. This is where I learned a lot of what I know about sewing.)

Make, Sew, and Mend by Bernadette Banner [book] (A very thorough written introduction to hand-sewing, written by a clothing historian; lots of fun garment history facts; explicitly inclusive of BIPOC, queer, and trans sewists.)

Sustainability/Land Stewardship

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer [book] (Most of you have probably already read this one or had it recommended to you, but it really is that good; excellent example of how traditional animist beliefs -- in this case, indigenous American beliefs -- can exist in healthy symbiosis with science; more philosophy than how-to, but a great foundational resource.)

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer [book] (This one is for my fellow witches; one of my favorite witchcraft books, and an excellent example of a place-based practice deeply rooted in the land.)

Avoiding the "Crunchy to Alt Right Pipeline"

Note: the "crunchy to alt-right pipeline" is a term used to describe how white supremacists and other far right groups use "crunchy" spaces (i.e., spaces dedicated to farming, homemaking, alternative medicine, simple living/slow living, etc.) to recruit and indoctrinate people into their movements. Knowing how this recruitment works can help you recognize it when you do encounter it and avoid being influenced by it.

"The Crunchy-to-Alt-Right Pipeline" by Kathleen Belew [magazine article] (Good, short introduction to this issue and its history.)

Sisters in Hate by Seyward Darby (I feel like I need to give a content warning: this book contains explicit descriptions of racism, white supremacy, and Neo Nazis, and it's a very difficult read, but it really is a great, in-depth breakdown of the role women play in the alt-right; also explicitly addresses the crunchy to alt-right pipeline.)

These are just the resources I've personally found helpful, so if anyone else has any they want to add, please, please do!

#homemaking #homemaking resources #gardening #urban gardening #self sufficiency #self sufficient living #sustainability #sustainable living #homesteading #nontrad homemaker #nontrad housewife #urban homesteading #solarpunk #cottagecore #kitchen witch #kitchen witchcraft #crunchy to alt right pipeline #book rec #book recommendations #resource #long post #mine #racism tw #racism mention #transphobia tw #transphobia mention

[a-kind-of-merry-war]

I just pre-ordered these and I have come here to YELL ABOUT THEM

We've got...

Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa, a YA transmasc retelling of Pride and Prejudice

A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock, which is a queer horror with Frankenstein vibes about two dudes and their plant daughter

More Than a Best Friend (published as Don't Want You Like a Best Friend in America) by Emma R Alban, a historical sapphic best-friends-to-lovers story described as Bridgerton but with lesbians, with parent trap vibes

Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland, queer pirate adventure with OFMD vibes (Alexandra also wrote A Taste of Gold and Iron, which I really enjoyed and is also the only author in this list I know for sure is on tumblr, hello @ariaste)

#books #queer books #lgbt #lgbt books #book rec #bookblr

[librarycards]

hi, do you happen to have any writings about gender written by transfem butches and/or transfem poc that you'd recommend?

Yes! first, I recommend checking out this post, where I recommend / crowdsource some readings on butch trans womanhood / TMA subjectivity. I also highly recommend Emi Koyama's blog/body of work, b. binaohan's numerous writings and books, and the Trans Woman Writer's Collective (founded by Jamie Berrout, a powerhouse author/editor in her own right). My friend Valerie (@grimesapologist) has an excellent pamphlet out with them!

Some transfem/trans woman/TMA (acknowledging that there is as much variation in gender among TMA people as TME people, though the former group are systemically foreclosed from gender creativity in ways TME people are, within queer and trans circles, marginally permitted) writers of color I recommend include

micha cárdenas

Meredith Talusan

Vivek Shraya

jia qing wilson-yang

Ryka Aoki

Jules Gill-Peterson

Kai Cheng Thom

Trish Salah

[I've linked to my personal favorite/most influential work by most of the listed authors]

There are some great, relevant readings in the anthology Trap Door: Trans Cultural Projection and the Politics of Visibility. Lastly, this paper, A Tranifesto For the Dolls in Transgender Studies Quarterly is something of a who's who in this cohort of junior scholars in trans/feminist of color theory. Very exciting piece based off a very exciting conference roundtable that I actually attended back in 2022!

hope this helps :)

#book rec #ask #anonymous #readings #trans #transfeminism

[elysiumaze]

Mieko Kawakami in, Heaven.

#books #prose #quotes #book quotes #books and libraries #booksbooksbooks #lit #bookblr #book rec #literature #asian literature #japanese literature #mieko kawakami #words #writing

[balkanradfem]

have you read ‘kim ji-young, born 1982’ ?

i just watched the movie based on it and i can’t stop crying. I read that this book was what launched the 4B movement in korea. So i wanted to see it because it takes a lot to radicalize the average woman. No matter how much evil men do, the average woman tries to believe in men’s humanity. So the fact that this book alone radicalised so many women made me think it had to be phenomenal. And it was. I cried a lot. I think every woman should watch it before getting married. There’s no words to explain this movie. It’s painful to watch because it’s relatable but i think every girl should watch it so she doesn’t fall into men’s trap.

No, I haven't read it. Sharing your message for other feminists!

#kim ji young #born 1982 #book rec #feminism

[abracazabka]

I love the romantic quotes from The Priory of the Orange Tree but when Niclays said, “I loathe you. I loathe every lash of your eyes, every finger on your hands, and every tooth in your mouth. I loathe you to the very marrow of your bones...You cannot fathom the depth of the enmity I have felt for you. I have cursed your name with every sunrise”...that went pretty fucking hard 

#niclays roos #the priory of the orange tree #priory of the orange tree #samantha shannon #sabran berethnet #books #novels #bookblr #readblr #quotes #spilled ink #book rec #tpotot #the roots of chaos

[katy-l-wood]

Half of these are about one specific character. 😂

My new book, The Pits, is out in one week! Halloween 2023. Check out all the info about it, including where to order, on my website.

#The Pits #Book Release #Bookblr #Book Rec #My Writing #My Art #Poll #Tumblr Poll

[rhythmelia]

Support a translator of color!

This is an ongoing situation as of 2023.06.24.

My friend Yilin (she/they) does a lot (A LOT) of work translating literature from Chinese to English, among other things. And they allowed me to signal boost this on tumblr since she doesn't have one yet.

The beginning of the thread is here: https://twitter.com/yilinwriter/status/1670305203206385665 and all the tweet images below are not described because they are previews of direct links to the tweets.

Key points: The British Museum stole their translation work and used it, uncredited, in a major exhibit where they "appeared in photos on a giant display, on signage, in a physical guide, in a digital guide, in an audio guide, and in an app that is available for international download. How did NO ONE catch there was no credit?"

The response from the British Museum has been enormously disappointing so far:

"we will not be reinstating the translations in the exhibition that have been removed following your complaint, and therefore you will not be acknowledged in the exhibition as your work will not be featured" - except the uncredited translations are still in the 30,000 copies of the exhibition catalog.

Go check out more updates downthread as the situation develops.

Want to support Yilin?

"If you want to write to them or have written to the BM, you can help convey these demands of mine to them: - credit + public apology everywhere the work appears - proper payment (increased to account for lack of prior permission given & all the time the work was uncredited)"

Boost Yilin's book! "The Lantern & the Night Moths, an anthology of Chinese poetry that I selected & translated, featuring poets incl. Qiu Jin, accompanied by my essays on translation, forthcoming w/ @/invisibooks in Spring 2024"

Yilin's page: https://yilinwang.com/book-announcement-the-lantern-and-the-night-moths/

and the pre-order link: https://invisiblepublishing.com/product/the-lantern-and-the-night-moths/

I'll try to update as more things happen, or you can go camp out on the thread.

Edit: please reblog the most current update here from 2023.07.05:

#Chinese poetry #British Museum #Yilin Wang #translation #copyright infringement #colonialism #translation is a lot of work! credit the translators! #signal boost #my post #book rec #long post #If you see this through me #please update the most current reblog #you can probably find it most easily on my blog in Yilin Wang tag #crowdfunding #lgbtqia+ #racism #the full post is so long now as of 2023.07.05 but more to come~

[colubrina]

CONGRATULATIONS TO SEANAN MCGUIRE, WHO WON A HUGO AWARD FOR WHERE THE DROWNED GIRLS GO!!!

If you are not reading the Wayward Children series, you REALLY should be! You know portal fantasies? Kids go into magic worlds -- Narnia, Oz, whatever? -- and then at the end they come back? What happens to them then?

They are fucked up, is what happens.

My personal favorite of all of these is In an Absent Dream, but they are all good. And they are all novellas, so they are fast reads.

#book rec #500

[celepom]

It’s Pride 2023! Time to put up some more comic recs!

This time I’ve put together some stories about discovering one’s own queer identity, outlining a family history of queerness, and several stories where being queer isn’t the focus - queer characters are simply allowed to be.

Belle of the Ball By Mari Costa

High-school senior and notorious wallflower Hawkins finally works up the courage to remove her mascot mask and ask out her longtime crush: Regina Moreno, head cheerleader, academic overachiever, and all-around popular girl. There’s only one teensy little problem: Regina is already dating Chloe Kitagawa, athletic all-star…and middling English student. Regina sees a perfectly self-serving opportunity here, and asks the smitten Hawkins to tutor Chloe free of charge, knowing Hawkins will do anything to get closer to her. And while Regina’s plan works at first, she doesn’t realize that Hawkins and Chloe knew each other as kids, when Hawkins went by Belle and wore princess dresses to school every single day. Before long, romance does start to blossom…but not between who you might expect. With Belle of the Ball, cartoonist Mariana Costa has reinvigorated satisfying, reliable tropes into your new favorite teen romantic comedy.

---

The Moth Keeper By Kay O’Neill

Anya is finally a Moth Keeper, the protector of the lunar moths that allow the Night-Lily flower to bloom once a year. Her village needs the flower to continue thriving and Anya is excited to prove her worth and show her thanks to her friends with her actions, but what happens when being a Moth Keeper isn't exactly what Anya thought it would be? The nights are cold in the desert and the lunar moths live far from the village. Anya finds herself isolated and lonely. Despite Anya's dedication, she wonders what it would be like to live in the sun. Her thoughts turn into an obsession, and when Anya takes a chance to stay up during the day to feel the sun's warmth, her village and the lunar moths are left to deal with the consequences.

---

Hollow By Shannon Watters, Branden Boyer-White & Berenice Nelle

Isabel "Izzy" Crane and her family have just relocated to Sleepy Hollow, the town made famous by—and obsessed with—Washington Irving's legend of the Headless Horseman. But city slicker-skeptic Izzy has no time for superstition as she navigates life at a new address, a new school, and, with any luck, with new friends. Ghost stories aren't real, after all.... Then Izzy is pulled into the orbit of the town's teen royalty, Vicky Van Tassel (yes, that Van Tassel) and loveable varsity-level prankster Croc Byun. Vicky's weariness with her family connection to the legend turns to terror when the trio begins to be haunted by the Horseman himself, uncovering a curse set on destroying the Van Tassel line. Now, they have only until Halloween night to break it—meaning it's a totally inconvenient time for Izzy to develop a massive crush on the enigmatic Vicky. Can Izzy's practical nature help her face the unknown—or only trip her up? As the calendar runs down to the 31st, Izzy will have to use all of her wits and work with her new friends to save Vicky and uncover the mystery of the legendary Horseman of Sleepy Hollow—before it's too late. 

---

Until I Meet my Husband By Ryousuke Nanasaki & Yoshi Tsukizuki

The memoir of gay activist Ryousuke Nanasaki and the first religiously recognized same-sex marriage in Japan. From school crushes to awkward dating sites to finding a community, this collection of stories recounts the author’s “firsts” as a young gay man searching for love. Dating is never ever easy, but that goes doubly so for Ryousuke, whose journey is full of unrequited loves and many speed bumps. But perseverance and time heals all wounds, even those of the heart.

---

Is Love the Answer? By Uta Isaki

When it comes to love, high schooler Chika wonders if she might be an alien. She’s never fallen for or even had a crush on anyone, and she has no desire for physical intimacy. Her friends tell her that she just "hasn't met the one yet," but Chika has doubts... It's only when Chika enters college and meets peers like herself that she realizes there’s a word for what she feels inside--asexual--and she’s not the only one. After years of wondering if love was the answer, Chika realizes that the answer she long sought may not exist at all--and that that's perfectly normal.

---

M Is for Monster By Talia Dutton

When Doctor Frances Ai's younger sister Maura died in a tragic accident six months ago, Frances swore she would bring her back to life. However, the creature that rises from the slab is clearly not Maura. This girl, who chooses the name "M," doesn't remember anything about Maura's life and just wants to be her own person. However, Frances expects M to pursue the same path that Maura had been on—applying to college to become a scientist—and continue the plans she and Maura shared. Hoping to trigger Maura's memories, Frances surrounds M with the trappings of Maura's past, but M wants nothing to do with Frances' attempts to change her into something she's not. In order to face the future, both Frances and M need to learn to listen and let go of Maura once and for all. Talia Dutton's debut graphic novel, M Is for Monster, takes a hard look at what it means to live up to other people's expectations—as well as our own.

---

Golden Sparkle By Minta Suzumaru

Himaru Uehara’s first year of high school is off to a good start, minus one problem—he keeps having wet dreams. With only his mom and sister at home—and having skipped health class in middle school—he thinks it means there’s something wrong with him. Thankfully, a new friend has just the remedy and teaches Himaru exactly how to deal with those pesky dreams! But his solution only leads to more confusion, and the two find themselves navigating feelings they’ve never felt before.

---

Thieves By Lucie Bryon

Ella can’t seem to remember a single thing from the party the night before at a mysterious stranger’s mansion, and she sure as heck doesn’t know why she’s woken up in her bed surrounded by a magpie’s nest of objects that aren’t her own. And she can’t stop thinking about her huge crush on Madeleine, who she definitely can’t tell about her sudden penchant for kleptomania… But does Maddy have secrets of her own? Can they piece together that night between them and fix the mess of their chaotic personal lives in time to form a normal, teenage relationship? That would be nice.

---

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic By Alison Bechdel

Meet Alison's father, a historic preservation expert and obsessive restorer of the family's Victorian home, a third-generation funeral home director, a high school English teacher, an icily distant parent, and a closeted homosexual who, as it turns out, is involved with his male students and a family babysitter. Through narrative that is alternately heartbreaking and fiercely funny, we are drawn into a daughter's complex yearning for her father. And yet, apart from assigned stints dusting caskets at the family-owned "fun home," as Alison and her brothers call it, the relationship achieves its most intimate expression through the shared code of books. When Alison comes out as homosexual herself in late adolescense, the denouement is swift, graphic -- and redemptive.

---

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat By Sakaomi Yuzaki

Cooking is how Nomoto de-stresses, but one day, she finds herself making way more than she can eat by herself. And so, she invites her neighbor Kasuga, who also lives alone. What will come out of this impromptu dinner invitation...?

Kasuga and Nomoto promised to spend their Christmas and New Year’s together. Now, they find themselves learning more about each other’s families through the food sent by Nomoto’s mother. Cute character bento, salmon and rice, stollen, fruit sandwiches, roast beef…Nomoto and Kasuga warm up to each other over a cheerful holiday season.  

#Pride 2023 #book rec #comic #graphic novel #autobio #fantasy #science fiction #high school #queer #lesbian #gay #asexual #intersex #bisexual #romance #book recs #pride #LGBTQIA #LGBT comic

[tenaciousgeckos]

Kaz: My ducks? In a row. Ordered. Disciplined. Behaving predictably. Your ducks? Scattered. In disarray. Waddling aimlessly. Desperate for a leader to impose structure.

#six of crows #shadow and bone #kaz brekker #inej gafha #ducks #ducks in a row #funny #incorrect quotes #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #crows #nina zenik #matthias helvar #books #fandom #book rec #tv show #lgbtq #vaguely criminal activities

[sekhmetpaws]

Once more thinking about something that permanently altered my brain's chemistry and the way I see life and I think I should share it here, even if no one is going to see. In the How to Train Your Dragon book series, there is a scene where Hiccup faces an enemy who owns an axe that has two sides, one that is golden and shiny, the other that is blackened, bloody and rusty. He would throw the axe in the air and make decisions depending on which side it would land on. Said axe eventually is used to decide Hiccup's fate. However, despite being trapped by the narrative in many ways, Hiccup is the protagonist of his own destiny. He reaches for the axe as it falls, and turns it himself so it lands on the golden side. Whether the axe was going to land on the gold or the dark side originally is irrelevant. He chooses to be alive and be free. Every time I go through a difficult moment, as I am right now, I think about this scene, as silly as it may be.

I am allowed to grab the destiny axe. And so are you.

#how to train your dragon #hiccup #life advice #axe #destiny #the chariot #literature #book rec #narrative #HTTYD despite being obviously meant for kids has many strong messages #And a very complex narrative about destiny repeating ones mistake and being responsible for your own choices #Everyone should give it a chance honestly #brain chemistry

[librarycards]

PSA for all who hate censorship and live in Florida!

Banned Books USA is offering a free (only pay for shipping) commonly-banned/challenged books in FL. These range from kids to adults, fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. They'll keep sending them as long as they can afford it, so please donate if you have the means, and share with those who could benefit from it, especially educators and those who care for kids.

Here are just a few from the list that I recommend:

Toni Morrison, Beloved and The Bluest Eye

Marcus Ewert, 10,000 Dresses

Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing

Junji Ito, The Art of Junji Ito: Twisted Visions

Alison Bechdel, Fun Home

Jacqueline Woodson, Red at the Bone

Jonathan Kozol, Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools

Mariko & Jillian Tamaki, This One Summer

Tillie Walden, Spinning

Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go

Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five

Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis

#mine #book rec #found this via electric lit's newsletter(which i also recommend) and wanted to share! #described #id in alt text

[elysiumaze]

I don’t miss it, because I have my childhood more now than when it was happening...

Clarice Lispector in, Near to the Wild Heart.

#quotes #books #prose #book quotes #books and libraries #booksbooksbooks #bookblr #literature #book rec #lit #clarice lispector #near to the wild heart #books and quotes #books and literature #books and reading #books and coffee #books and novels #reading #words #spilled ink #dark academism #dark academia #dark acadamia quotes #dark acamedia

[literatureaesthetic]

to anyone wanting to read about palestine / israel, i highly recommend mornings in jenin by susan abulhawa. i wrote my dissertation on this book. it has so many layers, it's so complex, and it's a really good novel if you're looking to develop a better understanding of the history between palestine and israel

#book recs #book rec #book recommendations #literature aesthetics #books #book #bookish #bookblr #bookworm #bookstagram #dark academia #booklover #books and libraries #palestine #israel #hamas #susan abulhawa #mornings in jenin