#juno dawson

[novelconcepts]

Another year, another absurd amount of books read (296, because if I wasn't reading or writing this year, my brain was on fire). I was asked again for my top books of the year, so here we go: 2023's top 10, in no particular order.

This was the first book I read of the year--literally, vacated the hangout with my wife and sibling-in-laws to sit on their couch upstairs and eat through it. Do you love The Fall of the House of Usher, but wish for a nonbinary protagonist and a lot more mushrooms? This is the book for you! (T. Kingfisher is fucking rad, I made a concerted effort to only list ONE of her books on here, but honorable mention goes to The Twisted Ones for fucking me upppp.)

A gay, post-apocolyptic Pinocchio retelling involving copious robots, found family elements, and a cool-ass treehouse. Klune always hits for me with his unrepentant queer family dynamics and sense of humor. Honorable mention to the first two in the Green Creek series (although that's got a lot more...adult elements in among the werewolves, you've been warned).

I thiiiink I found this through The Homo Schedule podcast (PSA: if you missed out on Jasmin Savoy Brown and Liv Hewson doing a podcast together, now you know better), and it wrecked my shit. Tons of trigger warnings, as this is a memoir about abuse within a queer relationship, but it's so beautifully written. I personally suggest listening to the audiobook first, then standing anxiously behind someone at a book warehouse sale, hoping they'll set down the only paperback copy so you can swipe it.

A fantastical-historical reimagining in which the KKK is filled with literal monsters, and Black women are resistance fighters armed to take them out. Visceral and intense, and truly an excellent horror story.

Just. Such a soft time travel story about a daughter and her father and cherishing the time you get with loved ones. I was thoroughly unprepared for how lovely I found this one. It's very kind.

Spooky house, take-no-shit redhead, protective sibling elements, bisexual recluse with a sword who really just needs a nap. I haven't found a Harrow book yet I haven't slapped five stars on. She's so good at character and atmosphere, and I'm always surprised at how fast her stories race by.

The whole Daevabad trilogy (of which this is the first book) is just magical. A girl from the mortal world finds herself embroiled with the centuries-long prejudices and wars of djinn in a fantastical city. It's one of the rare stories of its kind that does have a love triangle, but doesn't feel like a love triangle; it's far less interested in the insufferable "who gets picked" than it is in the actual horrors these people are both perpetrating and coping with. It's an intoxicating ride.

Fuck You, TERFS: the book. Given that fact, there's obviously quite a lot of transphobia to deal with, but it's very clear that those people are wrong, and it's a super-engaging (and super-oh-god-what-comes-next) witchy time populated with queer, protective, interesting characters I'm excited to see again in the follow-up.

Have you ever wanted a haunted house story with visceral imagery and a rather lovely twist? Gailey has you covered. As much as I enjoyed The Echo Wife, I think I actually loved this one more, and it makes me so excited to see what else they've got up their sleeve.

One of my final reads for the year, when I was just churning through hardcovers at the speed of sound. I love this book. I recognize it won't be for everyone, but it takes so much of what I love about IT (one of my all-time favorite books, despite its flaws) and twists it through the lens of an author who escaped the Mormon church. It's horrific, it's fantastically abstract in places, it explores childhood and memory, imagination and abuse, and almost every character is queer. It's a great "I simply cannot sleep until I've finished" read.

#long post #book recs #t kingfisher #tj klune #carmen maria machado #p djeli clark #emma straub #alix e harrow #s.a. chakraborty #juno dawson #sarah gailey #kiersten white #plenty of others could go on this list as well but i figured i'd keep it to ten this time around #still can't believe i read just shy of 300 books in a year #bonus shoutout to the animorphs series all of which is out on audiobook now (the main books anyway) #and which honestly really do hold up well

[somebogwitch]

This is not a review.

In response to Irish far right groups targeting libraries.

#politics #lgbt #homophobia #ireland #libraries #juno dawson #anti fascism

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Character, book, and author names under the cut

Quinn Saint Nicholas- The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards

Kade Bronson- Wayward Children Series by Seanan McGuire

Leonie Jackman- Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Seregil í Korit Solun Meringil Bôkthersa- Luck in the shadows/the nightrunner series by Lynn Fleweling

#Quinn Saint Nicholas #the last sun #tls #the hanged man #thm #the hourglass throne #tht #The Tarot Sequence #KD Edwards #Kade Bronson #Wayward Children #Wayward Children Series #Seanan McGuire #Leonie Jackman #Her Majesty's Royal Coven #hmrc #Juno Dawson #Seregil í Korit Solun Meringil Bôkthersa #Luck in the shadows #seregil i korit #alec of kerry #the nightrunner series #Lynn Fleweling #lgbt books #polls #queer book character tournament 2.0

[wlwbookshelf]

BOOK ROUND-UP: 2023 SEQUELS It's never a bad time to revisit a beloved world! Anticipated sequels (or prequels) we are looking forward to in 2023 include:

The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson (Book 2, Her Majesty's Royal Coven)

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (Book 0, Roots of Chaos)

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake (Book 3, Bright Falls)

The Severed Thread by Leslie Vedder (Book 2, The Bone Spindle)

The Faithless by C.L. Clark (Book 2, The Magic of the Lost)

The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi (Book 2, Ending Fire)

Books without a cover image released yet that are also anticipated 2023 sequels are:

Alecto the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (Book 4, The Locked Tomb)

In Charm's Way by Lana Harper (Book 4, The Witches of Thistle Grove)

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan (Book 2, The Radiant Emperor)

It’s not too late to get into any of the series yet. Just in time for the next book!

#books #book round up #book recommendations #wlw books #bookblr #litedit #yalitedit #storyseekers #booksociety #dailylitgfx #lgbtqialitdaily #sapphic literature #sapphic lit #wlw literature #wlw lit #novelsnet #fictionnet #samantha shannon #juno dawson #ashley herring blake

[pxsieszn]

"Boats sail on the rivers, and ships sail on seas, but the clouds that sail across the sky; are prettier far than these."

Juno Dawson - Wonderland

#juno dawson #Wonderland #book quote #bookworm #book quotes #bookish #books #book lover #book quotations #bookaholic #booklr #books and reading #booksbooksbooks #bookshelf #life quotes #quotes #quoteoftheday #life quote #quotations #beautiful quote

[charliejaneanders]

'If I didn't want to read a book about suspension bridges, I wouldn't go pick up a book that said this book is about suspension bridges and read it. A public library has to have content for everybody, not just me. That was to service the entirety of the community,' city council president Mark Jensen said.

Fremont City Council votes to keep contested book 'This Book is Gay' in library

#fuck yeah #censorship #libraries #sanity #more of this please #books #juno dawson

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

Downward dog 🐶🤍

#booklr #book photography #book pic #the shadow cabinet #juno dawson #bookworm #bibliophile #fiction #fantasy #witchy #book picture #book aesthetic #books and dogs #books and coffee #book lover #book nerd #my photos #mine

[whatdoyoudoieat]

Yaz pulled the Doctor back. ‘Doctor,’ she said, low so that Jaya and Tempika wouldn’t hear. ‘This isn’t our fault.’ ‘Isn’t it?’ ‘No!’ Yaz shook her head. ‘We didn’t tell them to start a bonkers religion based on a day trip we once made, did we? We didn’t arm a whole bunch of insurgents and monks! The Doctor sighed a deep sigh and perched on a damp boulder. Some natural light filtered through the rocks and everything glowed a beautiful blueish-silver. ‘Oh Yasmin, you are as kind of heart as you are tiny of hand.’ Yaz couldn’t not laugh. ‘Thanks! I think.’ ‘I sometimes think I should superglue a rear-view mirror on top of the TARDIS. I spend so much time running forwards, I sometimes forget to look back.’ Yazmin sat right next to her, their thighs pressed together. The Doctor went on. ‘My people, the Time Lords, had a Book of Truths of their very own and the first rule was that we’re not meant to get involved. We’re supposed to be silent little ghosties, never leaving any footprints.’ Yaz gave her knee a nudge. ‘And you know what? I pretty much tore up the rulebook when I was your age.’ Yaz smiled. ‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’

The Good Doctor by Juno Dawson.

#13th doctor #dr who #doctor who #day trip #juno dawson #yasmin khan #thasmin #books #nu who #graham o'brien #ryan sinclair #jodie whittaker

[whilereadingandwalking]

Gosh, this series is good! The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson is the second in a series that started with Her Majesty's Royal Coven. At it begins (spoiler for the first book ahead), Ciara Kelly is trying to stay incognito as she takes over the body of the soon-to-be High Preistess of HMRC. Meanwhile, Leonie sets out to save her brother from the claws of escaped fugitive Hale, and personal dramas shake and curl in the small town where young Theo nurses a new body and huge magical potential. It's all about to get a whole lot worse.

The last thing I expected following the first book was to genuinely start rooting for Ciara. Talk about a good anti-hero! If the enemy of book one was transphobia, the enemy of this book is virulent toxic masculinity and patriarchy (what a surprise, right?). The novel swerves from humor to horror to dreadful suspense to emotional twists and turns by the pound. It's bold, dramatic, and impossible to put down, and just like the first, it ends with some pretty impossible feeling twists that will leave you reeling (I already have some theories, and am very, very interested in when 3rd book Human Rites is going to come out. Dawson's world continues to be rich, fascinating, and devastating.

Content warnings for g-slur, violence, misogyny, suicide, domestic abuse/violence, emotional abuse, addiction, sexual violence.

#the shadow cabinet #juno dawson #bookworm #her majesty’s royal coven #book blog #my book reviews

[homerjacksons]

[instagram]

#books #book aesthetic #bookedit #bookblr #bookstagram #book stack #pretty books #naked hardcovers #after the forest #kell woods #wild is the witch #the nature of witches #bring me your midnight #rachel griffin #belladonna #adalyn grace #what the river knows #isabel ibanez #her majesty’s royal coven #juno dawson #ninth house #leigh bardugo #a day of fallen night #samantha shannon

[eutravels]

Doctor Who: Redacted

So, more than a year after the release of this audio series, I've decided to give it a go. I've listened to the trailer and so far it's great! I'll give each episode a review and publish it all when I'll have listened to the whole piece.

If you don't wanna get spoiled, you might want to skip the ep by ep review straight to the end of the post to read my overall opinion on the series.

Episode One: SOS

The episodes are pretty short, so I felt like this one went very quickly. Nothing much happens however there's already so much mystery and interrogations, I'm already hooked! There's also quite an important amount of background development for at least one the main characters. I find it really easy to like them from this first episode only since they are written and acted so naturally. I already love Cleo, whom I guess is the main character. Shawna and Abby are just a lovely little funny duet that works really well, and oh my god, Shawna's clearly in love with Abby, I can't wait to hear more about that.

I liked that L.I.N.D.A. was mentioned since the setting is really similar to this iconic story and it kind of makes it canon that the L.I.N.D.A. organisation survived the Love and Monsters events.

Also, oh my my my, I LOVE Rani I can't wait to hear more of her in the next episodes, I didn't know she was in this!

Episode 2: Hysteria

Oh this one was great as well! Certainly not as good as the first one in terms of character work, but there's a lot happening!

The references to the previous events from the TV show are great but also so frightening because you can really see the consequences of these events on the lives of the direct witnesses. I guess the two characters we met so far are the ones we see in the actual episodes (that journalist girl in Partners in Crime and that doctor who gets interviewed at the end of Smith and Jones). The latter one's story is pretty sad, I wish I could have given him a hug :(

Can't wait to hear the next one!

Episode 3: Lost

Oooooh some answers! But more questions...

It's really getting a lot more mysterious and I'm completely involved in the plot!

I don't have much more to say at this point, let's see what Episode 4 brings!

Episode 4: Angels

Yay! A whole episode referencing Blink! The return of Larry! With clothes hopefully this time!

Apparently he's not married to Sally, as the end of Blink pointed towards a romance between the two characters, but that's fine.

He said the Doctor's turning against them. What does it meeeaaaaan???

It's great to have the girls altogether in one place, even though now they seem to be in a bad position... I'm turning on the next one right away, I need to know what happens next!

Episode 5: Interrogation

I'm glad it was just UNIT because now we got to have Kate again and that is GREAT!

Also, Cleo is such a badass, she slayed this whole episode.

The tension kept going up throughout every interrogation until the climax, and just when you thought the episode couldn't be more interesting than it already was, this enigmatic guy comes in and makes Cleo speak out her bad bitch speech.

Episode 6: Recruits

A lot happens in there! Finally the Doctor appears briefly, the team is arguing, what is going ON???

The soft reveal about Cleo's father means he met the Doctor, maybe he's someone we know from the show, or a victim of one of the events from the show.

Too many questions!

Can't wait for episode 7!

Episode 7: Requiem

Oh the Doctor's finally back.

So much happens but at the same time so little does. There's only three episodes left, we've barely heard the Doctor, we have no answers...

I don't know if it gets me hooked or frustrated but I need more! All I know is that time flies by when I'm listening to this, the dialogues are superb, amazing writing and direction. It kind of makes me want to read Dawson's books!

Episode 8: Ghosts

This one was proper scary! So Requiem was Madam Vastra? I'm kind of sad they couldn't get Neve McIntosh to come back for the part but it helped not spoiling the reveal to me so that's a win I guess.

I know that there's a second series but I kind of hope the story gets wrapped up by the end of this one so that it makes a whole. We'll see!

Episode 9: Rescue

WE KNOW MORE

Actually we don't know a lot but we do know more. It's great!

I was NOT expecting Cleo to be Redacted and it's really an interesting twist that may give the finale a lot of work to do.

I can't wait to here about it!

Episode 10: Salvation

Oh the finale was so good, I didn't expect such a satisfying ending.

Cleo not joining the Tardis makes a lot of sense because she has a lot to deal with at home, she has to reconnect with her mother and learn to forgive her and herself for what they did to each other, it's not an adequate moment to fly off in the universe.

I'm glad I could finally hear 13 a bit more, and she was as great as always.

Abby and Shawna!!!!!!!!! Finally!!!!!! I wasn't sure their relationship was going to end up this way so I'm happy for them!

Great end, I love it!

Fanart by @dykepaldi

How lucky were we to have this last year! And to think I only caught up with this now! It's a wonderful piece of free media from the Whoniverse in a very well known format for the fans, but directed in such a fresh brilliant modern way! It's important to mention how important this piece is to the LGBTQIA+ community, because the main director and producer, the main writer and the members of the main cast are all part of our community. I, as a cis gay man, am not represented (I think) in this play, but it was still so emotional to me to see such bold and open trans and sapphic representation. I love that for our community and in hard times like these, it's great to be reminded that safe spaces exist. And if like for me, your safe space is just anything Doctor Who related, you know that despite the bigotry you may find around you, Doctor Who is there and cares about you.

Storywise, it's clearly written by fans, for fans, and they meddle, they play with the TV show's events, I love it, I absolutely adore it. Some parts of the story feel more hard-hitting than others do, but the overall arc is just brilliant.

It's a timing coincidence that I started listening to this less than a week before the release of the second series but honestly I'm not sure if I'll give it a go considering how Ella Watts was kicked out of the production without a word and being replaced by James Goss (whom I love) who certainly does not have a hard time finding his voice in the Whoniverse. I don't understand this decision and I'm really disappointed. Watts apparently responded with class and dignity but I'll have to say that the BBC are kind of backstabbing her after she created the whole project that was so successful in the end. Just... not cool...

I like Goss' works so maybe I'll listen to it some day, but I think I need to process the info first.

To end on a much more positive note: listen to this. You need no knowledge of any other spin off or eu stuff, and it's free on the BBC app worldwide. You're in for a great time if you haven't listened to it already.

#doctor who eu #doctor who expanded universe #doctor who #dr who #dweu #ella watts #juno dawson #thirteenth doctor #13th doctor #jodie whittaker #new who #nuwho #cleo procter #charlie craggs #lois chimimba #holly quin-ankrah #redacted #doctor who redacted

[thebanishedreader]

Book Bans in California

As of June 2023

This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

Banned from libraries and classrooms as of September 2022.

Synopsis from BookTrust.org

"Following her previous book Being a Boy, young adult author and former PSHCE teacher Juno Dawson offers up a funny, frank look at all things LGBT in this intelligently-written non-fiction book. 

Including testimonials from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, this is an accessible and inclusive take on what it's like to grow up LGBT, addressing all the worries and anxieties young people may have about this topic - whether or not they are questioning their own sexuality. Dawson writes responsibly and sensitively about her subject, but has plenty of fun along the way - and Spike Gerrell's irreverent illustrations add an extra dose of humour too.

A fantastic book for classrooms and school libraries, This Book is Gay is a must-read for teachers and parents, as well as teens themselves."

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Blackwell's (UK)

Statistics Source: Pen America

Support the American Library Association!

#literature #banned books #lgbt #lgbtq #this book is gay #juno dawson #queer books #queer lit #book banning #book bans #american library association #aesthetic #dark academia #reading #library aesthetic #libraries #books and libraries #books and literature #keep reading #book activism #freedom of speech #freedom of the press

[transbookoftheday]

The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

SPOILERS FOR "HER MAJESTY'S ROYAL COVEN"!

In the second installment of Juno Dawson's "irresistible" fantasy trilogy (Lana Harper), a group of childhood friends and witches must choose between what is right and what is easy if they have any hope of keeping their coven--and their world--from tearing apart forever.

Niamh Kelly is dead. Her troubled twin, Ciara, now masquerades as the benevolent witch as Her Majesty's Royal Coven prepares to crown her High Priestess.

Suffering from amnesia, Ciara can't remember what she's done--but if she wants to survive, she must fool Niamh's adopted family and friends; the coven; and the murky Shadow Cabinet--a secret group of mundane civil servants who are already suspicious of witches. While she tries to rebuild her past, she realizes none of her past has forgotten her, including her former lover, renegade warlock Dabney Hale.

On the other end of the continent, Leonie Jackman is in search of Hale, rumored to be seeking a dark object of ultimate power somehow connected to the upper echelons of the British government. If the witches can't figure out Hale's machinations, and fast, all of witchkind will be in grave danger--along with the fate of all (wo)mankind.

Sharp, funny, provocative, and joyous, Juno Dawson's sequel reimagines everything you think you knew about her coven and her witches in a story that spans continents and dives deep into the roots of England and its witchcraft. Ciara, Leonie, Elle, and Theo are fierce, angry, sexy, warm--and absolutely unapologetic as they fight for what they believe in, all in the name of sisterhood.

#the shadow cabinet #hmrc #juno dawson #transfem #trans book of the day #trans books #queer books #bookblr #booklr

[wlwbookshelf]

THE SHADOW CABINET - JUNO DAWSON Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After the cheeky way Juno Dawson ended book one, I was glad to get an ARC for The Shadow Cabinet, the second book in Her Majesty's Royal Coven series. I have been desperate for answers. The book didn’t disappoint, and it was good to reconnect with the coven. 

I genuinely appreciated how the book blended personal dilemmas with more significant, high-stakes conflicts, giving each character a rich complexity that drew me in even more. 

Once again, the ending packed a powerful punch that left me reeling. The unexpected twists throughout the story kept me on my toes, and I found myself utterly absorbed, racing through to see what would happen next. 

The Shadow Cabinet is an easy five stars for me, and I can’t believe I now have to wait for book three!!! Thanks to Penguin for an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

#books #the shadow cabinet #her majesty's royal coven #juno dawson #book review #sapphic lit #booklr #litedit #wlwbooks #wlwlit #wlw literature #bookedit #storyseekers #book creation

[pxsieszn]

"I'd like to know what nothing feels like. But, of course, it wouldn't feel like anything at all."

Juno Dawson, Wonderland

#wonderland #juno dawson #book quote #book quotes #life quotes #quotations #quotes #book quotations #quoteoftheday #life quote #beautiful quote #bookworm #bookish #books #book lover #bookaholic #booklr #books and reading #booksbooksbooks

[denimbex1986]

'Russell T Davies has opened up about the decision to use the deadname of trans character Rose Noble in Doctor Who's The Star Beast.

The first 60th anniversary special introduced Rose, played by Yasmin Finney, as the daughter of Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). The episode includes various references to Rose being transgender, including a conversation about pronouns, and showing her grandmother Sylvia (played by Jacqueline King) attempting to get to grips with how to refer to her.

At one point, Rose is seen being called by her deadname by a group of bullies. Deadnaming is the act of referring to a transgender or non-binary person by the name they used prior to transitioning or coming out and, in this case, is shown to be a malicious attempt to undermine Rose's identity.

Speaking on the Official Doctor Who Podcast, Russell T Davies explained: "Rose, at one point, is deadnamed in the street by some kids calling her by her deadname, which is Jason.

"The interesting thing about Jason is actually it means 'Healer' or 'Doctor' which means that Donna actually named her child after the Doctor, without realising it, subconsciously, which was a nice fact in there.

"To get that across and to get the prejudice that's being shown towards Rose by those bullies and thugs in the street, we actually have to have a scene of deadnaming."

He then asked Juno Dawson, co-host of the podcast and writer of Doctor Who: Redacted: "Is that a good thing to do? Is that a wise thing to do? Is that a difficult thing to do? I personally think we should stare into difficult stuff like this but equally what a nice easy life I've got and I'm ready to be told otherwise, so what do you think?"

Dawson said: "I feel that it is important to show the lived reality of trans people. Rose is played by an amazing trans actor, Yasmin Finney from Heartstopper, and it happens.

"The important thing here is that the characters who misgender Rose aren't presented as aspirational characters. I think it's important how upset, if stoic, Rose is, how it really upsets Donna, and I think that's important. To my mind, as a trans person and as a writer, there is no point in trying to sugar the pill – trans people face transphobia.

"It felt accurate and honest to me that Rose is misgendered. It felt honest and right that Sylvia sometimes struggles with pronouns because she's learning, because she understood her grandchild was one thing and then Rose chose a different life for herself. For me, I thought that scene was quite important and it felt honest."

Previously speaking about Finney's casting at the premiere of The Star Beast, Davies explained: "It's not just a Doctor Who thing for me, it's something I and a lot of other writers are very keen to do, to be progressive and to just reflect more of society.

"And it's funny, in casting Yasmin, there's very few people we could have cast, and it's like a light came down from heaven and there she was – before Heartstopper, actually.

"It was just so powerfully meant to be, and I think she does the most amazing job and it's an absolute privilege to work with her to get her on screen."'

#Doctor Who #Yasmin Finney #Rose Noble #Russell T. Davies #Juno Dawson #The Star Beast #Donna Noble #Catherine Tate #Heartstopper