An Unkindness of Ghosts – The Bookish Mutant

Read the Rainbow Book Tag 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Posted on June 17, 2024 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

I’m always up for a pride-themed book tag, so when I saw The Corner of Laura’s take on this one, I knew I had to give it a try! The tag was originally created by Isabelle @ Nine Tale Vixen.

RULES:

Link back to the person who tagged you
Credit & link back to the creator: Isabelle @ Nine Tale Vixen
Each book you pick should have an LGBTQIA+ main character and/or an LGBTQIA+ author. Try to include diverse books: different romantic/sexual/gender orientations, different ethnicities, etc.

Let’s begin, shall we?

🌈READ THE RAINBOW BOOK TAG🌈

RED: A book that gives you courage or is about courage

An Unkindness of Ghosts is a story of courage and resistance in circumstances that have all but walled you in—a generation ship that oppresses its lower-class passengers of color much like the antebellum South. Rivers Solomon never misses!

ORANGE: A book with a passionate/fierce protagonist

Jin-Lu from Road to Ruin is as tough as they come, but will do anything to protect the ones she loves. This novel was the perfect blend of post-apocalyptic sci-fi and fantasy!

YELLOW: A book that celebrates friendship

All of Alechia Dow’s books sparkle with themes of connection, but A Song of Salvation centers around the friendship (and eventual romance) between its three unlikely leads! Not her best, but still a sweet book.

GREEN: A Middle Grade book and/or a book featuring kids

It’s been ages since I’ve read (or even thought about) Star-Crossed, but I’m glad I remembered it—such a sweet coming-of-age story about a bisexual girl playing a genderbent Romeo in her class production of Romeo & Juliet!

BLUE: A book which includes a wedding or an already-established LGBTQIA+ couple

I seriously think that The Heartbreak Bakery has the most LGBTQ+ rep I’ve ever seen in a single book—several established queer couples, and characters spanning tons of sexualities, gender identities, and ethnicities!

PURPLE: A book featuring love at first sight

The Cybernetic Tea Shop is a sweet, cozy sci-fi novella about a robot who runs a tea shop and the romance that blooms between her and a technician!

BLACK: A book centered on an antihero or villain

Off With Their Heads centers around two cunning, bloodthirsty, and vengeful characters, in an equally bloodthirsty and vengeful world loosely based on Alice in Wonderland.

BROWN: A book that celebrates family, chosen or given

Don’t let the gritty-looking title and cover fool you—Activation Degradation is one of the most emotional celebrations of found family that I’ve read all year! Highly recommend it.

LIGHT BLUE: A book about star-crossed lovers

Across a Field of Starlight features a nonbinary romance that stretches across solar systems, war, and ideology.

PINK: A book as sweet as cotton candy

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster is a lighthearted, sweet romance about a bisexual girl scrambling to find a date for her sister’s quinceañera—and sort out her messy romantic history.

WHITE: A book that isn’t focused on romance

Another piece of lovely cozy sci-fi (from the cozy sci-fi queen herself), A Psalm for the Wild-Built has no romance, and focuses on self-discovery and friendship!

PURPLE CIRCLE: A standalone book that is perfect and complete on its own

Only This Beautiful Moment is the story of three generations of men in an Iranian family, and the interwoven threads of sexuality, trauma, and love.

RAINBOW: Free choice! Recommend any LGBTQIA+ book that you love

A Half-Built Garden was one of the best pieces of sci-fi that I read last year—a wonderfully nuanced and human vision of first contact, featuring a whole host of cleverly designed aliens!

I TAG ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE!

Today’s song:

:,,,,,,,,,,)

That’s it for this book tag! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Books

The Bookish Mutant’s Book for Asexual Awareness Week – 2023 Edition

Posted on October 22, 2023 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope this week has treated you well.

First off, apologies for the lack of a book review/Sunday Songs this week. I’ve just been busy with school, and I didn’t have as much time to sit down and write something that wasn’t the draft I’m trying to get myself back into the rhythm of writing. (I’ve been cobbling at this post in advance before this week, so that’s why you’re able to see it now.) Plus, I was just generally exhausted on Tuesday, but it was a good exhaustion, all things considered, because I’d seen Peter Gabriel the night before! Words don’t do justice to how incredible of a show it was. You’ll definitely hear about it later.

Here in the U.S., Asexual Awareness week, or Ace Week, is celebrated from October 22-28! Even though I’m not on the asexual/aromantic spectrum, it’s impossible to not see how much this community gets left behind, even within the LGBTQ+ community; just as any other spectrum of identity, it’s just as valid and worthy of respect as anything else. I’ve been meaning to make more asexual book lists, but this time of year is kind of crazy for me. But this year, I figured I would start early so I would have another book list—we need to shed more light on these fantastic books and authors!

For my original list from 2020, click here!

Let’s begin, shall we?

THE BOOKISH MUTANT’S BOOKS FOR ASEXUAL AWARENESS WEEK

FANTASY:

Little Thieves (Little Thieves, #1) – Margaret Owen | YA | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
A Snake Falls to Earth – Darcie Little Badger | YA | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fire Becomes Her – Rosiee Thor | YA | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Not Good for Maidens – Tori Bovalino | YA | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daughter of the Burning City – Amanda Foody | YA | ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our Bloody Pearl (These Treacherous Tides, #1) – D.N. Bryn | Adult | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

REALISTIC & HISTORICAL FICTION:

Loveless – Alice Oseman | YA| ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Reckless Kind – Carly Heath | YA | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Summer Bird Blue – Akemi Dawn Bowman | YA | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If It Makes You Happy – Claire Kann | YA | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Radio Silence – Alice Oseman | YA | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SCI-FI:

Chameleon Moon – RoAnna Sylver | Adult | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Unkindness of Ghosts – Rivers Solomon | Adult | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The First Sister – Linden A. Lewis | Adult | ⭐️⭐️⭐️

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Have you read any of these books, and what did you think of them? What are your favorite books with characters on the asexual spectrum? Let me know in the comments!

Today’s song:

That’s it for this year’s recommendations! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Books

The Bookish Mutant’s Books for Disability Pride Month (2023 edition) ♿️

Posted on July 7, 2023 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Friday, bibliophiles!

Here in the U.S., July is Disability Pride Month! Although I’ve seen some more recognition for it in the past few years, I find myself saying this over and over—disability issues are left behind in intersectional feminism far too often. The larger representation in media of disabled people as otherwise white and cishet, the lack of accessibility at many pride events, and the hurdles that most disabled students have to go through in order to get accommodations at school is proof. And yet, around 27% of Americans have some sort of disability—myself included. As the literary world has slowly shown more stories with disabled characters, it’s more important than ever to uplift disabled voices.

Like some of my other themed lists this year, I’ve decided to expand it beyond YA, because I’d be remiss if I didn’t include some of the amazing Adult and MG reads with disabled rep over the years. I’ve separated all of these recs by age group, and included their genres, my rating, and the type of disability rep.

(SHOUTOUT TO NOT IF I CAN HELP IT, I FINALLY HAVE A MORSEL OF SPD REP)

for my lists from previous years, click here:

2022 (+ on having SPD and the lack of representation)
2021

Let’s begin, shall we?

THE BOOKISH MUTANT’S BOOKS FOR DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH (2023 EDITION)

YA:

Forever is Now – Mariama J. Lockington | Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance | anxiety, agoraphobia | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester – Maya MacGregor | Paranormal, LGBTQ+ | Autism | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Social Queue – Kay Kerr | Realistic Fiction, Romance | Autism | ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Queen of the Tiles – Hanna Alkaf | Realistic Fiction, Mystery, Thriller | anxiety, PTSD | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
You’re Welcome, Universe – Whitney Gardner | Realistic Fiction | Deaf | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Breathe and Count Back from Ten – Natalia Sylvester | Realistic Fiction | hip dysplasia | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling – Lucy Frank | Realistic Fiction, Novels in Verse | Crohn’s disease |⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Art of Saving the World – Corinne Duyvis | Sci-fi, Fantasy, LGBTQ+ | anxiety, endometriosis |⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Immeasurable Depth of You – Maria Ingrande Mora | Paranormal, LGBTQ+ | anxiety, OCD, ADHD |⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

ADULT:

Meru – S.B. Divya | Sci-fi, LGBTQ+, Romance | sickle-cell anemia | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Unkindness of Ghosts – Rivers Solomon | Sci-fi, LGBTQ+ | Autism | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Outside – Ada Hoffmann | Sci-fi, LGBTQ+ | Autism | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Noor – Nnedi Okorafor | Sci-fi | prosthetic limbs (cybernetic) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
She Who Became the Sun – Shelley Parkey-Chan | Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance | amputee | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Final Strife – Saara El-Arifi | Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Romance | amputee | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Seven Devils – Laura Lam & Elizabeth May | Sci-fi, LGBTQ+ | Autism, prosthetics | ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Chameleon Moon – RoAnna Sylver | Dystopia, Fantasy, Sci-fi, LGBTQ+ | Autism, anxiety, PTSD | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Get a Life, Chloe Brown – Talia Hibbert | Realistic Fiction, Romance | chronic illness (fibromyalgia) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

MIDDLE GRADE:

El Deafo – Cece Bell | Graphic Memoir | Deaf | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The War That Saved My Life – Kimberly Brubaker Bradley | Historical Fiction | twisted foot | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not If I Can Help It – Carolyn Mackler | Realistic Fiction | SPD | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Have you read any of these books, and what did you think of them? What are your favorite books with disabled rep? Let me know in the comments!

Today’s song:

That’s it for this year’s Disability Pride recs! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Books

The Bookish Mutant’s Books for Autism Acceptance Month ∞

Posted on April 20, 2023April 23, 2023 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Thursday, bibliophiles!

As some of you may know, April is Autism Acceptance Month here in the U.S.! I don’t think I’ve highlighted a book list for the occasion, but in my ongoing quest for disability rep in general, I’ve come across many great books with Autistic protagonists and stories. If you’re looking to diversify your reading, it’s always important to uplift every kind of marginalized voice, and disability rep in general often gets left in the dust. So I’ve compiled a list of books by Autistic (with one exception—the author is still neurodivergent, just not Autistic) for this month.

NOTE: some of the older books on this list may still use the term Asperger’s, but in recent years, the term has since been renamed to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the DSM-5, in part because of its association with Hans Asperger, who was involved with Nazism. Some people still use the term, but it is still important to acknowledge the history behind the term.

Enjoy these book recs!

THE BOOKISH MUTANT’S BOOKS FOR AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH

READ:

The Outside (The Outside, #1) – Ada Hoffmann: (Adult, Sci-fi) a fascinating science fiction story on a massive scale! | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily – Laura Creedle: (YA, Romance) a sweet love story between a girl with ADHD and an Autistic boy! | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
On the Edge of Gone – Corinne Duyvis: (YA, Sci-fi) a harrowing, dystopian vision of the world moments after a comet’s blast changes a girl’s life forever. | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Queens of Geek – Jen Wilde: (YA, Fiction) a fun love letter to comic cons, fandom, and geek culture! | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester – Maya McGregor: (YA, Paranormal) add a 30-year-old murder mystery to a nonbinary teen’s coming-of-age story, and you’ve got something like this book! | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Unkindness of Ghosts – Rivers Solomon: (Adult, Sci-fi) the raw, unforgettable story of a colony ship structured like the Antebellum South, and one woman’s quest to change things for the better. | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ON MY TBR:

Unseelie (The Unseelie Duology, #1) – Ivelisse Housman: (YA, Fantasy) I have this one on hold at the library, and I can’t wait for it to arrive—a fantasy novel about an Autistic changeling!
Afrotistic – Kala Allen Omeiza: (YA, Fiction) I love that this novel centers a young Black Autistic girl—it’s so refreshing to see disability rep that isn’t just white!
Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal – Anna Whateley: (YA, Fiction) I’m a woman of simple tastes. I see queer and neurodivergent rep, and I click “want to read” without a second thought.
Ellen Outside the Lines – A.J. Sass: (MG, Fiction) I don’t read much MG these days, but I’m excited about the queer and Autistic rep in this one!
Social Queue – Kay Kerr: (YA, Fiction) I just started reading this one—I’m excited to see how it explores autism and dating!
Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl – Brianna R. Shrum and Sara Waxelbaum: (YA, Fiction) again—queer and neurodivergent rep. Need I say more?

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Have you read any of these books, and if so, did you like them? What are your favorite books with Autistic rep? Let me know in the comments!

Today’s song:

That’s it for this list of recommendations! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday (2/22/21) – Sorrowland

Posted on February 22, 2021 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.

Here’s my final Goodreads Monday pick for Black History Month here in the U.S., as February is coming to a close. (Still can’t believe it’s almost March). At this point, I’ll read anything that Rivers Solomon writes, so this was a novel that I immediately added to my TBR when I found out about it!

Let’s begin, shall we?

GOODREADS MONDAY (2/22/21) – SORROWLAND by Rivers Solomon

Amazon.com: Sorrowland: A Novel (9780374266776): Solomon, Rivers: Books

Blurb from Goodreads:

Vern – seven months pregnant and desperate to escape the strict religious compound where she was raised – flees for the shelter of the woods. There, she gives birth to twins, and plans to raise them far from the influence of the outside world.

But even in the forest, Vern is a hunted woman. Forced to fight back against the community that refuses to let her go, she unleashes incredible brutality far beyond what a person should be capable of, her body wracked by inexplicable and uncanny changes.

To understand her metamorphosis and to protect her small family, Vern has to face the past, and more troublingly, the future – outside the woods. Finding the truth will mean uncovering the secrets of the compound she fled but also the violent history in America that produced it.

Rivers Solomon’s Sorrowland is a genre-bending work of Gothic fiction. Here, monsters aren’t just individuals, but entire nations. It is a searing, seminal book that marks the arrival of a bold, unignorable voice in American fiction.

So why do I want to read this?

Gardens of the night GIFs - Get the best gif on GIFER

First off, THAT COVER! I just love the color scheme, the plants, the typeface…🥺

I started getting into Solomon’s novels last year. The Deep and An Unkindness of Ghosts were masterpieces, so of course I’m jumping at the chance to read something else that they’ve written! Their prose is consistently powerful, unique and gripping, and it’s clear that they’re a master storyteller.

The synopsis describes this one as gothic fiction, and I think Solomon’s writing style would translate perfectly into that kind of story! I’m always up for paranormal tales of the woods and strange monsters, and the fact that we’ll soon see Solomon’s take on it is so exciting for me!

Sorrowland is expected to come out this May, so I’ll see you all then…

Flower Opening GIFs - Get the best GIF on GIPHY

Today’s song:

That’s for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Book Tags

Enola Holmes Book Tag

Posted on January 16, 2021 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Hey there, bibliophiles!

You probably noticed that I didn’t post anything for about a week and a half or so. The first two weeks of school were just really overwhelming and I had quite a lot of projects to do and quizzes to study for, so I had to take a little time away. But things are starting to go back to a manageable level school-wise, so I’m back. For now. And hey, three-day weekend!

Anyway, I went through some of my tags that I’ve been wanting to do, and I found this one! Enola Holmes was absolutely a series that shaped my childhood, and even though I found the Netflix movie to be a bit of a disappointment, I think we can all agree that Millie Bobby Brown is phenomenal.

This tag was created by Cielo @ Bellerose Reads, and that’s where I originally found it as well. 🙂

Rules

List the rules and the prompts of the tag in your post
Thank the person who tagged you and pingback to their post
Give credits to the creator of the tag, Bellerose Reads, and pingback to her post.
Tag at least 5 people to do the tag.

Let’s begin, shall we?

Enola Holmes: strong woman is the new black – The Movievaures

🌹THE ENOLA HOLMES BOOK TAG 🌹

ENOLA HOLMES: An independent and smart female protagonist

Amazon.com: Daughter of the Pirate King (9781250095961): Levenseller, Tricia: Books

Alosa Kalligan from Daughter of the Pirate King was my first thought–strong-willed, independent, and the captain of a pirate ship at just 17. Gotta love Alosa.

SHERLOCK HOLMES: Your favorite mystery/thriller book

Amazon.com: Grown (9780062840356): Jackson, Tiffany D: Books

I don’t read much mystery, but Grown was such a raw and powerful book! Monday’s Not Coming was incredible too…I’ve only read three of her books, but Tiffany D. Jackson is definitely a master of the YA mystery genre.

EUDORIA HOLMES: A character that defies the rules of their society

Amazon.com: How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse: Book One of the Thorne Chronicles eBook: Eason, K.: Kindle Store

Rory Thorne from How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is the perfect example for this prompt–not just defying the royal family by taking control of her situation and starting a revolution, but…I mean, eventually becoming a space pirate is the ultimate defiant move when you’re a princess, I would think.

MYCROFT HOLMES: The most annoying character you know

Amazon.com: The Hunger Games (9780439023481): Collins, Suzanne: Books

It’s been a while since I’ve read The Hunger Games, but I haaaaaaaaaaated Gale. The whole “catnip” nickname was just an instant dealbreaker…[vomits]

LORD TEWKSBURY: A character you want to protect at all costs

Amazon.com: The Gilded Wolves: A Novel (The Gilded Wolves, 1) (9781250144546): Chokshi, Roshani: Books

Zofia from The Gilded Wolves is just too good for this world. And now that I’ve read book 2…[cries]

INSPECTOR LESTRADE: A loyal side character

Amazon.com: Raybearer (9781419739828): Ifueko, Jordan: Books

Sanjeet from Raybearer always stayed by Tarisai’s side, and he was the PERFECT side character! I think he was my favorite character in the whole book, honestly…

MISS HARRISON: A book that aged like milk

The Familiars: Epstein, Adam Jay, Jacobson, Andrew: 9780061961106: Amazon.com: Books

Whew, this one’s a throwback for me…

The Familiars was my favorite series for a while when I was in elementary school, but even when it was still coming out, I remember being super disappointed by the fourth book. (Unnecessary, didn’t like the style of the illustrations, cliffhanger that was never resolved…) I’ll still always have a soft spot for this series, but I remember outwardly cringing at the writing the last time I flipped through it…

LINTHORN: A character you hated from the very beginning

This one was a major disappointment…

Pru from Instant Karma bothered me almost from the get-go…she was just so demanding and bratty. (And hey, I get being mad for getting a C on a group project, but…would it really kill you to settle for a B?)

EDITH: Your favorite book with Black rep

Amazon.com: An Unkindness of Ghosts (9781617755880): Solomon, Rivers: Books

It was super hard to pick just one book for this prompt, but I read An Unkindness of Ghosts last summer, and it blew me away!

I TAG:

Erin @ Reading on a Star
Cherelle @ A Bolt out of the Book
Phoenix @ Books with Wings
Allison @ Just a Bookworm
Riddhi @ Whispering Stories
Ahaana @ Windows to Worlds
Anyone else who wants to participate! If you see this post, consider yourself tagged! (And if I tagged you and you haven’t read/watched Enola Holmes or you didn’t like it, my bad!)

The World Is Quiet Here — Enola Holmes (2020)

Today’s song:

NEW JULIEN BAKER AND IT’S ABSOLUTELY TRANSCENDENTAL (plus this video is INCREDIBLE)

That’s it for this book tag! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: August 24-30, 2020

Posted on August 30, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles!

All things considered, the first week back to online school wasn’t too bad. Not much homework, but lots of google meets. At least classes end at noon everyday…

I ended up posting a lot more than I anticipated this week, and I’ve had a nice and productive week as far as blogging and reading my eARCs goes. (Expect my reviews of Jelly and Mary next week!) I finished off my library haul, and I loved the last two, and I enjoyed all of my eARCs. And I’m certain that I’ll have another great reading week next week; I got a gift card to my favorite bookstore on my birthday, and I got to spend it on three of my most anticipated releases of the year! (See “Currently Reading/To Read Next Week” below for said reads.)

Other than that, I got some new art supplies, ate lots of good food, watched Prometheus (ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL! Michael Fassbender can do no wrong…), and did a lot of drawing and writing. I’ve fallen a bit behind on the latter, but now, I’m nearing 300 pages, and I have a better sense of where it’s going, so that’s a plus.