Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts

The Bookish Mutant’s Feminist Books for Women’s History Month (2024 Edition)

Posted on March 8, 2024March 6, 2024 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Friday, bibliophiles, and more importantly, Happy International Women’s Day!

Here in the U.S., March is Women’s History Month! In the years since I’ve started making these posts, the amount of attacks on women—in terms of laws attacking our bodily autonomy (as well as the bodily autonomy of trans and nonbinary people) and worldwide violence—has only increased. And amidst all of this turmoil, all I can take from this is that now, more than ever, we need feminism. We need to educate people, we need to help people to become less ignorant about the litany of issues plaguing marginalized groups here in the states and elsewhere. That, to me, is the most insidious consequence of the book bans spreading across the country: you take away a child’s ability to learn about perspectives outside of their own, and you produce an ignorant generation that does not question authority. In the absence of sound authority figures, books, more than ever, are our most valuable teachers.

Another change from my lists in previous years is that since my reading tastes have expanded, I’ve added adult and nonfiction books to this list—all of which I believe are just as valuable to feminism as any other book I’ve included. Enjoy!

For my previous lists, click below:

Let’s begin, shall we?

THE BOOKISH MUTANT’S FEMINIST BOOKS FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH (2024 EDITION)

SCIENCE FICTION:

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) – Octavia Butler | Adult | Dystopia | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Crane Husband – Kelly Barnhill | Adult | Novella, Dystopia, Magical realism, Retellings | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Meru (The Alloy Era, #1) – S.B. Divya | Adult | LGBTQ+, Romance, Disability | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ammonite – Nicola Griffith | Adult | Dystopia, LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Cloud Parliament – Olivia A. Cole | YA | Dystopia, LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bitch Planet, vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine – Kelly Sue DeConnick | Adult | Graphic Novels, Dystopia, LGBTQ+ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

FANTASY:

The Monsters We Defy – Leslye Penelope | Adult | Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Mystery | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Siren, The Song, and the Spy (The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea. #2) – Maggie Tokuda- Hall* | YA | High Fantasy, LGBTQ+. Romance, Disability | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
VenCo – Cherie Dimaline | Adult | Paranormal, Urban Fantasy | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath (Nampeshiweisit, #1) – Moniquill Blackgoose | YA | Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Disability | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Lost Dreamer – Lizz Huerta | YA | Historical Fiction, High Fantasy | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Everfair – Nisi Shawl | Adult | Alternate History, Steampunk, LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*NOTE: The Siren, The Song, and the Spy is book 2 in a series, but I feel it should be included on this list for the feminist themes included in this book in particular.

REALISTIC FICTION:

Your Plantation Prom is Not Okay – Kelly McWilliams | YA | Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Luis Ortega Survival Club – Sonora Reyes | YA | LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Imogen, Obviously – Becky Albertalli | YA | LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Firekeeper’s Daughter – Angeline Boulley | YA | Mystery, Thriller | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not Here to Be Liked – Michelle Quach | YA | Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
So Lucky – Nicola Griffith | Adult | Disability, LGBTQ+ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Forever Is Now – Mariama J. Lockington | YA | Novels in Verse, LGBTQ+, Romance, Disability | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Where You See Yourself – Claire Forrest | YA | Disability, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Scatter of Light – Malinda Lo | YA | Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

NONFICTION:

Sister Outsider – Audre Lorde | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Black Women’s History of the United States – Daina Ramey Berry and Kari Nicole Gross | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the 21st Century – edited by Alice Wong | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Invisible: How Young Women with Serious Health Issues Navigate Work, Relationships, and the Pressure to Seem Just Fine – Michele Lent Hirsch | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts – Rebecca Hall | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness – Austin Channing Brown | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

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

Today’s song:

never thought I’d go through this whole album bc I was so Kate Bush’d out in 2022 but this one’s fantastic almost all the way through

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

Monthly Wrap-Ups

September 2021 Wrap-Up 🍂

Posted on September 30, 2021October 1, 2021 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Thursday, bibliophiles!

September started out a little stressful, but now I feel like I’m in a better place than I’ve been for most of this year. I can neither confirm nor deny that this is because it’s finally fall and it’s cold enough for me to wear my favorite jackets.

Let’s begin, shall we?

GENERAL THOUGHTS:

September has been my first full month back in school; it started out more than a little stressful, thanks to getting my college applications all sorted out, but now that I’m (somewhat) over that hump, I’m feeling a lot better. I’ve managed to keep my grades in a good place, so I’m happy about that!

I also managed to finish draft 2 of my sci-fi WIP!! I’m super proud of myself for that one–I cut down a whole lot of filler, and I feel a lot better about it as a whole. I’m going to let it sit for a few months before I go back and edit it, but I feel great about it. In the meantime, I’ve been poring through a draft I abandoned in 2019 that was…surprisingly good, given that it was written almost two and a half years ago. I’ve been outlining on and off, but I’m going to try and actually get this writing business back in motion soon.

As for the rest of the month, it’s been peaceful. We got the book club back up and running at my high school, I spent the weekend in Vail, and I went to two fantastic concerts–Spoon and St. Vincent! They were both great, but the latter will always have a special place in my heart. St. Vincent was a major hero of mine in middle school, and she’s still a hero now, and seeing her live made all my dreams come true.

And now it’s almost October! I’m so excited–Halloween season, loads of good movies coming out (The French Dispatch, Dune, etc.), fall in general…good times.

Wes Aderson's new film is very popular in Cannes, the director of "Virgo" is back - iNEWS

READING AND BLOGGING:

I read 21 books this month! More than I expected, given that I haven’t had as much time to read this month, but I did read a lot of shortish books, so…

2 – 2.75 stars:

Namesake (Fable, #2) by Adrienne Young — *Namesake (Fable, #2)*

The Taking of Jake Livingston – Ryan Douglass (⭐️⭐️)
Utopia – Thomas More (for school) (⭐️⭐️)
The Unbinding of Mary Reade – Miriam McNamara (⭐️⭐️.5)
What Big Teeth – Rose Szabo (⭐️⭐️.5)
Namesake (Fable, #2) – Adrienne Young (⭐️⭐️.5)

3 – 3.75 stars:

Amazon.com: Our Bloody Pearl (These Treacherous Tides): 9781721833412: Bryn, D. N.: Books — *Our Bloody Pearl*

The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre – Robin Talley (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Prime Meridian – Silvia Moreno-Garcia (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Final Draft – Riley Redgate (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Witches of Ash and Ruin – E. Latimer (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe – Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (⭐️⭐️⭐️.25)
Broken Web (Shamanborn, #2) – Lori M. Lee (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
Come On In: 15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home – Adi Alsaid et. al. (anthology) (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
Our Bloody Pearl – D.N. Bryn (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)

4 – 4.75 stars:

Amazon.com: The Mirror Season: 9781250624123: McLemore, Anna-Marie: Books — *The Mirror Season*

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts – Rebecca Hall, Hugo Martinez (illustrator) (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Tell the Machine Goodnight – Katie Williams (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Harley in the Sky – Akemi Dawn Bowman (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Lagoon – Nnedi Okorafor (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Kindred – Octavia Butler (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Curses – Lish McBride (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25)
The Mirror Season – Anna-Marie McLemore (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25)
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea – Maggie Tokuda-Hall (re-read FOR BOOK CLUB SHHH) (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)

FAVORITE BOOK OF THE MONTH (NOT COUNTING RE-READS): Curses – 4.25 stars

SOME POSTS I’M PROUD OF:

September encompasses Latinx Heritage Month and Bisexual Visibility Week, so I listed some book recommendations for both!
I had a lot of fun reviewing Curses, Tell the Machine Goodnight, Harley in the Sky, and Final Draft!
yeah uh I really didn’t post much other than reviews and Goodreads Mondays this month oops 😵‍💫

POSTS I ENJOYED FROM OTHER WONDERFUL PEOPLE:

SONGS/ALBUMS I’VE ENJOYED:

I just LOVE the first 8 seconds of this song (and the whole thing, for that matter) for no particular reason

ridiculously catchy

okay I really need to listen to this whole album

can confirm now that I’ve seen these guys live twice that they are SPECTACULAR in concert

SHE’S BACK

seeing her live was simply magic

note to self: listen to more Andrew Bird

DID I FOLLOW THROUGH WITH MY SEPTEMBER GOALS?

bradpittstain | Damon albarn, Blur band, Britpop

Read at least 20 books: 21!
Don’t stress too much about college stuff oof: yep! Now that I know how things work, I feel a lot better.
Take care of yourself: well, I listened to “Girls & Boys” on repeat on Bisexual Visibility Day, so I’ll count that as self-care.

GOALS FOR OCTOBER:

Read at least 20 books
Post more than just Goodreads Mondays/Book Review Tuesdays (schoolwork permitting, of course, schoolwork first)
Celebrate SPOOKY SEASON accordingly

Today’s song:

That’s it for this month in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: August 30 – September 5, 2021

Posted on September 5, 2021 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

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

I’d say it’s been a nice week for me. Homework has been light, and the weather’s been cooling down a little where I am. (We did get some hail the other day, though – definitely caused a bit of a racket during Stats class…)

Reading-wise, I went into a slight slump, but by the middle of the week, I’d broken out of it. I got a bunch of promising library books as well, and I’m confident that I’ll continue my good streak! Related, we had my first meeting for my school’s book club on Friday, and I’m so happy about the turnout! We gained lots of new members, and they all seem very passionate about books, so I’m so glad they’re here now.

Writing has been on-and-off in terms of progress, but I finished up the climax and…now I’m onto a particularly sad scene, and it’s not completely done yet, so…[cue my sad playlist]

Other than that, I’ve been petting my cat, listening to loads of music, volunteering at the library, and visiting the Denver Botanic Gardens – yesterday evening was beautiful!