Loving the Diverse Reading Challenge

Posted by Pooks on January 25, 2017 in What Pooks is Reading | Comments Off on Loving the Diverse Reading Challenge

I’ve been a bit surprised to see how many of the recommended diverse SFF books I’ve already read, which becomes more obvious when I’m looking for something for this challenge. On the other hand it’s not all that surprising since one of the things I love about reading is the opportunity to ‘live’ another life, experience another world, and that includes the characters, not just the universe they are in.

I’m always fascinated when there are different covers for the same book.

I need to write some coherent thoughts about The Wrath and the Dawn. The rather dark premise was a bit muted by the fact that a lot of the relationship between the King who murders all his wives and the bride who marries him to wreak vengence [aka an alternate telling of Scheherazade] plays out a bit more YA romance than dark fantasy. But that didn’t stop the dark from flashing through, and by the end, whoa, yes. I am so busy with my writing schedule right now, that might be as coherent as it gets, actually.

I’ll add this. I read for the feels. And by the end of this book, oh my, the feels. So by the time it ended I felt that not only had the rug been nicely yanked from under my feet, but the emotions were high and expertly told. Great job on that.

Next up? February is POC main character month. I found a list of 10 SFF novels with protaganists of color.

Would you marry the dead son of rich family if it meant helping your family survive? Did I mention he was rich? After Li Lan’s adoring, but irresponsible, father comes to her with an offer to marry the deceased son of the wealthy Lim family, she soon finds herself being drawn into the afterlife. Not only is the story family ghosts and secrets intriguing, but the peek into ancient Chinese culture, even from the other side of life and death, makes for a captivating read.

Seriously. How can I not read this book???

Well, listen. I just downloaded it from Audible. I find I just rarely am reading these days. Listening gets me through a lot of tedious chores and helps me go to sleep at night [even if I do end up listening to some sections over and over before I finally stay awake through them].

Bonus points: As you know, this is something that really enhances an audiobook book for me, and sometimes the lack thereof can stop me from downloading. The novel is about a Chinese girl in the British colony of Malaya. The narrator [who happens to be the author] is not reading with an American accent, for which I sing hosannas.

If you’re looking for books for the February challenge, here are a few of my favorites:

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovich [Midnight Riot in the US]. Harry Potter as biracial Probationary Constable Peter Grant of London’s Metropolitan Police.  This is everything an Anglophile like me could love, with magic. First in a wonderful series.

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. Oh how I love Anansi Boys. The audiobook is one of my top five all-time faves. I hate to admit it but I’m rather hit or miss with Neil Gaiman, but this one is top of the heap.

Fledgling by Octavia Butler.Vampires, genetic modification, race, sexuality, humanity. It’s all here. She’s an 11-year-old black girl with amnesia… except, as her needs soon reveal, she’s not. And then there are those who want to kill her.

And I’ve already mentioned The Wrath and the Dawn, and Ember in the Ashes.

It’s not February yet. Do I have to wait?

It’s not too late for you to start the #diversereads2017 challenge!

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