Kirsten (kgriffith) reads all the queer things, 2018 ed.

Discussão75 Books Challenge for 2018

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Kirsten (kgriffith) reads all the queer things, 2018 ed.

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1kgriffith
Editado: Dez 31, 2018, 11:00 am

Hey folks, here we are in January once again. I basically crashed and burned with my reading AND tracking last year, so let's see if we can get 2018 off to a better start. I've been doing most of my bookish socializing over on Litsy, which is app-only and available on iOS and Android. I joined in February of last year and watching it grow has been awesome. If you decide to check it out, leave a comment here and feel free to add me; I'm kgriffith there too :)

Quick 'n' dirty copy-paste job for my top picks from 2017:

1. When the Moon Was Ours, Anna-Marie McLemore
I had no idea when I started this book that it would be one I consider potentially life-changing YA. It does get off to a slower start, but once I was in, I was all the way in. Featuring protagonists with intersectional identities; questions of culture, gender, sexuality, and family; a healthy dose of magical realism and unique prose, I wish it had been around 20 years ago for 16-year-old Kirsten to read.
2. The Lightning-Struck Heart, TJ Klune
Look, I’ve boiled this book down to a simple pitch: it is at once the raunchiest and most wholesome thing I’ve ever read. This book has EVERYTHING: wizards, a royal family, sexually aggressive dragons, a tender half-giant named Tiggy, a hornless gay unicorn -- need I go on? Restored some of the faith in humanity that 2017 obliterated.
3. The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas
Listened to this on audio, which I think was a good call. Bahni Turpin’s pacing probably isn’t for everyone, but her delivery was perfect throughout. This is a very accessible story about police brutality, race relations between classes, and living one’s truth. Recommend to absolutely everyone.
4. The High King’s Golden Tongue, Megan Derr
Yep, more MM romance fantasy, because 2017. I loved the characters in this one, as well as Derr’s decision to center a linguist as necessary to successful governance and the insightful reasons for the choice. Another fun romp, a bit less absurd than the Klune but no less enjoyable.
5. Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi
Beautifully told stories of intricately interwoven lives, over seven generations of a family. Do recommend looking up the family chart if you listen to it on audio; it can take a minute to know whose story you’re listening to if you’ve been away from them for a few chapters.

Honorable mentions to The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, which I’m sure would have been a lifetime favorite if I’d read it earlier; Uprooted by Naomi Novik which I’d have enjoyed much more on paper than audio; and The Monster at the End of This Book, a classic I’ve read to my new nephew every time I’ve seen him since he was born.

My goal for 2018 is to primarily read books by queers, people of color, QPOC, and disabled folks, and not to read any white cishet dudes. Queer/POC/disabled voices are often silenced not only deliberately due to their identities or subject matter, but because the deafening roars of praise for non-minority authors drown them out. As evidenced by my 2017 reading, my time is valuable and there isn't much of it for reading for pleasure. I want that time to be intentional, and I want more diversity in the books I can personally recommend.

My first book finished in 2018 isn't in keeping with the goal, but was a recommendation from my partner which I started in December, and I did listen to Amber Benson's narration, so I'll give myself partial credit.

1. Lock In, John Scalzi
2. Bitch Planet Vol 1, Kelly Sue Deconnick
3. Lucifer at the Starlite, Kim Addonizio
4. Dragonfly in Amber, Diana Gabaldon
5. The Queue, Basma Abdel Aziz
6. The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller
7. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, Mackenzi Lee
8. Ink and Bone, Rachel Caine
9. Application for Release from the Dream, Tony Hoagland
10. She Had Some Horses, Joy Harjo
11. Practical Gods, Carl Dennis
12. Imagine the Angels of Bread, Martín Espada
13. Paper and Fire, Rachel Caine
14. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
15. Station Eleven, Emily St John Mandel
16. Sleeping Giants, Sylvain Neuvel
17. Waking Gods, Sylvain Neuvel
18. A Darker Shade of Magic, VE Schwab
19. Furthermore, Tahereh Mafi
20. City of Brass, S A Chakraborty
21. Of Fire and Stars, Audrey Coulthurst
22. Whichwood, Tahereh Mafi
23. Take Me With You, Andrea Gibson
24. The Wish Granter, CJ Redwine
25. Burning Glass, Kathryn Purdie
26. Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
27. Saga Vol 8, Brian Vaughan
28. Making Movies, Sidney Lumet
29. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket
30. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room
31. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window
32. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Miserable Mill
33. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Austere Academy
34. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Ersatz Elevator
35. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Vile Village
36. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Hostile Hospital
37. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Carnivorous Carnival
38. A Series of Unfortunate Events:The Slippery Slope
39. View with a Grain of Sand, Wislawa Szymborska
40. Dearest Creature, Amy Gerstler
41. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Grim Grotto
42. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Penultimate Peril
43. Fluent Forever, Gabriel Wyner
44. The Poet X, Elizabeth Acevedo
45. Dread Nation, Justina Ireland
46. Only Human, Sylvain Neuvel
47. A Study in Charlotte, Brittany Cavallaro
48. The Final Six, Alexandra Monir
49. Leah on the Offbeat, Becky Albertalli
50. Ash and Quill, Rachel Caine
51. Shatter Me Tahereh Mafi
52. The Upside of Unrequited, Becky Albertalli
53. Unravel Me, Tahereh Mafi
54. Head On, John Scalzi
55. The Star-Touched Queen, Roshani Chokshi
56. A Crown of Wishes, Roshani Chokshi
57. A Wish Upon The Stars, TJ Klune
58. Death and Night, Roshani Chokshi
59. Aru Shah and the End of Time, Roshani Chokshi
60. Exo, Fonda Lee
61. All Systems Red, Martha Wells
62. Smoke and Iron, Rachel Caine
63. Echo, Pam Munoz Ryan
64. Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi
65. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
66. The Dreamer, Pam Muñoz Ryan
67. Monstrous Beauty, Elizabeth Fama
68. Freshwater, Akwaeke Emezi
69. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
70. The Killing Moon, NK Jemisin
71. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
72. You Need a Budget, Jesse Mecham
73. Wild Beauty, Anna-Marie McLemore
74. Binti, Nnedi Okorafor
75. Binti: Home
76. Binti: The Night Masquerade
77. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
78. The Blood of Flowers, Anita Amirrezvani
79. Season to Taste, Natalie Young
80. How Tia Lola Came to (Visit) Stay, Julia Alvarez
81. Labyrinth Lost. Zoraida Cordova
82. Circe, Madeline Miller
83. Undead Girl Gang, Lily Anderson
84. George, Alex Gino
85. The Cooking Gene, Michael W Twitty
86. Rising Strong, Brené Brown
87. Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card
88. Tomorrow Will Be Different, Sarah McBride
89. Bitch Planet Volume 2: President Bitch, Kelly Sue DeConnick
90. Saga Volume 9, Brian K Vaughan
91. My Sister, the Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite
92. Lethal White, Robert Galbraith
93. Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead, Rick Riordan
94. How Long 'til Black Future Month?, NK Jemisin
95. Tess of the Road, Rachel Hartman
96. The Travelling Cat Chronicles, Hiro Arikawa
97. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli
98. Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik

2thornton37814
Jan 10, 2018, 8:31 am

Happy 2018 reading!

3drneutron
Jan 10, 2018, 10:00 am

Welcome back!

4reconditereader
Jan 10, 2018, 1:11 pm

Those 2017 books are amazing. I know because I read most of them, too! I hope 2018 brings books just as good.

5foggidawn
Jan 10, 2018, 4:47 pm

Hi, Kir! Happy New Year!

6PaulCranswick
Jan 10, 2018, 9:16 pm



Happy New Year
Happy New Group here
This place is full of friends
I hope it never ends
Its brew of erudition and good cheer.

7kgriffith
Jan 11, 2018, 12:52 am

Thanks, everyone!

‘Allo, foggidawn! 😊

>4 reconditereader: which ones did you read?? Always fun to find folks with similar taste 😊

8reconditereader
Editado: Jan 12, 2018, 12:28 am

>7 kgriffith: Let's see. I read When the Moon was Ours (great!) and also The Lightning-Struck Heart, which was hilarious. (I put it and its sequel on my to-buy list.) I started but didn't finish yet The Hate u Give and also gave it to my sister. The High King's Golden Tongue is on my wishlist. Of course I've heard fabulous things about Homegoing but it might be a little heavy for me right now.

I have enjoyed The Mists of Avalon in the past, although I don't know how it would stand up to my re-reading it right now. Uprooted was amazing and I have always (since I was a little kid) liked The Monster at the End of This Book. I also liked Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum. I am perhaps dating myself here.

I like Scalzi's nonfiction better than his fiction.
:-)

9reconditereader
Jan 12, 2018, 12:29 am

Ooh ooh! Now I'm thinking about kids' books. I've always liked the Frog and Toad books. Perhaps tonight I will also reread Owl At Home.

10kgriffith
Jan 16, 2018, 10:45 pm

>8 reconditereader: Seems that we just might be bookish kindred spirits! :)

11kgriffith
Fev 24, 2018, 12:10 pm

12reconditereader
Fev 24, 2018, 6:12 pm

#7 I started but couldn't get around to finishing. I have #8 though. And #13 was extraordinary indeed! I love Bitch Planet. I like your taste in books.

13kgriffith
Fev 25, 2018, 12:16 pm

>12 reconditereader: It took me longer than I expected to finish gg2vv but I thoroughly enjoyed it and am really looking forward to the Felicity book! The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy
She also has a non-fiction book coming out Tuesday, Bygone Badass Broads.

14reconditereader
Fev 25, 2018, 3:09 pm

Yeah, I was thinking I might prefer the Felicity book, as I liked her better than her brother. I'll probably get it from the library.

15kgriffith
Mar 8, 2018, 6:36 pm

13. Paper and Fire, Rachel Caine
14. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
15. Station Eleven, Emily St John Mandel
16. Sleeping Giants, Sylvain Neuvel
17. Waking Gods, Sylvain Neuvel
(Broke my rule for 16/17, but didn’t know it? Oops.)

16kgriffith
Mar 15, 2018, 4:06 pm

I'm really getting my money's worth in audiobooks from Scribd; I'm so happy someone on Litsy posted about it last month. (I'm kgriffith there if you want to add me!)
18. A Darker Shade of Magic, VE Schwab
I'd had this on my TBR for a while and really enjoyed it, as I expected I would.
19. Furthermore, Tahereh Mafi
This was an unexpected joy of a read. I will probably purchase this to reread sometime in the future, which I've been trying not to do, but it was just so beautifully written.

18kgriffith
Editado: Maio 7, 2018, 12:44 am

19kgriffith
Editado: Maio 7, 2018, 12:44 am

24. The Wish Granter, CJ Redwine
25. Burning Glass, Kathryn Purdie
26. Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
27. Saga Vol 8, Brian Vaughan
28. Making Movies, Sidney Lumet
29. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket
30. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room
31. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window
32. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Miserable Mill
33. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Austere Academy
34. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Ersatz Elevator
35. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Vile Village
36. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Hostile Hospital
37. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Carnivorous Carnival
38. A Series of Unfortunate Events:The Slippery Slope
39. View with a Grain of Sand, Wislawa Szymborska
40. Dearest Creature, Amy Gerstler

All of the Unfortunate Events books have been audio as any time I can have eyes on paper I'm reading for school. It's been a ridiculously busy few weeks, particularly since we announced LibraryThing's acquisition of Litsy. If you aren't already on Litsy, I hope you'll check it out -- I've been using it for over two years, almost since it launched, and was so excited to hear that the founders wanted LibraryThing to take it on and help it thrive moving forward. If you do decide to sign up or have already, give me a follow and tell me you're from the 75ers! I'm kgriffith over there, too.

In other news, I recently found out that I've been accepted to Mount Holyoke College as a Frances Perkins Scholar, and will start there this September. So, this whole "reading for pleasure" business is going to be cut even more drastically for several years while I finish out my undergrad. ablachly is an alum and wrote one of my recommendations, which I'm sure had a lot to do with my acceptance. Yet another reason I have the best job in the world. :)

20norabelle414
Abr 18, 2018, 11:10 pm

Congrats Kirsten!!!

21kgriffith
Abr 19, 2018, 11:06 am

>20 norabelle414: Thanks so much!

22reconditereader
Abr 20, 2018, 11:38 am

Congratulations!!! That's rad.

24reconditereader
Maio 3, 2018, 1:45 pm

Ooooh, I just got Dread Nation and I can't wait to read it.

25kgriffith
Maio 22, 2018, 10:31 am

46. Only Human, Sylvain Neuvel
47. A Study in Charlotte, Brittany Cavallaro
48. The Final Six, Alexandra Monir
49. Leah on the Offbeat, Becky Albertalli
50. Ash and Quill, Rachel Caine
51. Shatter Me Tahereh Mafi

26kgriffith
Jun 7, 2018, 10:26 am

52. The Upside of Unrequited, Becky Albertalli
53. Unravel Me, Tahereh Mafi
54. Head On, John Scalzi
55. The Star-Touched Queen, Roshani Chokshi
56. A Crown of Wishes, Roshani Chokshi
57. A Wish Upon The Stars, TJ Klune

28reconditereader
Jul 29, 2018, 1:58 pm

I also just finished Children of Blood and Bone and can't wait for the sequel.

29kgriffith
Ago 2, 2018, 2:29 pm

66. The Dreamer, Pam Muñoz Ryan
This was a lovely little listen, based on events in Pablo Nerudo's childhood. By turns heartbreaking and magical, I bought it for my nibling's upcoming birthday because I think it's a good one for her to grow into.

67. Monstrous Beauty, Elizabeth Fama
Got this from SYNC summer listening and it should have come with a content warning. It was pretty full of tropes and unnecessary continuation of misogynist BS, but Katy Kellgren was exquisite as always.

68. Freshwater, Akwaeke Emezi
This one blew me away, frankly. Narrated perfectly by the author, it's an intense and gut-wrenching narrative of the spiritual existences of multiple personalities within a single vessel as the result of trauma.

30norabelle414
Ago 2, 2018, 3:14 pm

>29 kgriffith: I always see Monstrous Beauty around when I am searching for books narrated by Katy Kellgren, but maybe I'll skip it and just relisten to Pride and Prejudice instead ;-)

31kgriffith
Ago 3, 2018, 10:20 pm

You know, I support that decision. ;)

32kgriffith
Ago 10, 2018, 11:55 am

Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier

I can see why so many people recommend this book. It was a suspenseful read, without being a thriller, which I appreciate.

33kgriffith
Ago 18, 2018, 3:42 pm

>28 reconditereader: What did you think of Dread Nation?? I loved it, and cheered when she made it absolutely clear that one of the characters was grey-ace.

34reconditereader
Editado: Ago 19, 2018, 7:03 pm

I loved it too! I've been recommending it a lot.

35kgriffith
Ago 19, 2018, 8:59 pm

>34 reconditereader: I think you’d appreciate Freshwater, too, if and when you’re ready for a heavier book.

36reconditereader
Ago 19, 2018, 10:08 pm

Oh, it's on my list, never fear :-)

37kgriffith
Ago 21, 2018, 11:12 am

>36 reconditereader: should have known ;)

38reconditereader
Ago 21, 2018, 11:52 pm

Would you like The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera?

39kgriffith
Ago 26, 2018, 1:59 pm

>38 reconditereader: K and her family moved to New York City from Puerto Rico when she was three. They landed in the middle of a blizzard, and K’s been complaining about the snow ever since.
This author is clearly a kindred spirit; that combined with the tags makes that a solid yes 😋

40reconditereader
Ago 26, 2018, 3:15 pm

And the sequel will be out in October!

42kgriffith
Ago 27, 2018, 2:12 pm

>40 reconditereader: I do love not having to wait for sequels :D

43reconditereader
Ago 27, 2018, 10:16 pm

Speaking of books with sequels that just came out, I came here to tell you about Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys.

44kgriffith
Ago 28, 2018, 9:58 pm

>43 reconditereader: You do realize you’re gonna have to wait on hearing what I thought of all your recommendations until at least winter break, right? 🤣
Also, are you on Litsy??

45reconditereader
Ago 28, 2018, 10:44 pm

I'm not on Litsy cuz I don't have a smartphone.

...
...
Witchmark.

46kgriffith
Ago 28, 2018, 11:42 pm

>45 reconditereader:, you’re evil, you are...

47reconditereader
Ago 30, 2018, 8:44 pm

Thanks! (-;

48kgriffith
Dez 10, 2018, 1:43 am

75. Binti: Home
76. Binti: The Night Masquerade
77. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
78. The Blood of Flowers, Anita Amirrezvani
79. Season to Taste, Natalie Young
80. How Tia Lola Came to (Visit) Stay, Julia Alvarez
81. Labyrinth Lost. Zoraida Cordova
82. Circe, Madeline Miller
83. Undead Girl Gang, Lily Anderson
84. George, Alex Gino
85. The Cooking Gene, Michael W Twitty
86. Rising Strong, Brené Brown
87. Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card
88. Tomorrow Will Be Different, Sarah McBride
89. Bitch Planet Volume 2: President Bitch, Kelly Sue DeConnick
90. Saga Volume 9, Brian K Vaughan
91. My Sister, the Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite
92. Lethal White, Robert Galbraith
93. Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead, Rick Riordan
94. How Long 'til Black Future Month?, NK Jemisin

Thank goodness for audiobooks is all I can say. While I've spent some of my commute with Mango on auto-play, or listening to content for classes, it's been mostly Marco Polo messages and books keeping me company on the commute to and from school :) I had rounded up my top 5 of 2018 last week, but now I need to reconfigure my list because NK Jemisin's short story collection is freaking amazing.

49norabelle414
Dez 10, 2018, 11:52 am

Congrats on reaching (and passing) the magic number!

50kgriffith
Editado: Dez 10, 2018, 12:27 pm

>49 norabelle414: Thank you! I think this is only the second time I've done it since I started tracking, so it's kind of a big deal :)

51drneutron
Dez 10, 2018, 12:44 pm

Congrats!

52FAMeulstee
Dez 11, 2018, 2:19 pm

Congratulations on reaching 75 and beyond, Kirsten!

53reconditereader
Dez 11, 2018, 11:39 pm

Do you think you'll have a 2019 thread, too?

Whee!

54kgriffith
Dez 14, 2018, 9:53 am

>52 FAMeulstee: thanks very much!

>53 reconditereader: Oh yes, I'm just waiting for someone else to kick off the group ;) It didn't yet exist when I updated on Monday.

55kgriffith
Dez 31, 2018, 10:55 am

95. Tess of the Road, Rachel Hartman
96. The Travelling Cat Chronicles, Hiro Arikawa
97. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Beck Albertalli
98. Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik

I just might hit triple digits for the first time this year... whoa. And SO many really stellar books, it was tough to narrow down my top five!

56thornton37814
Dez 31, 2018, 11:35 am

57foggidawn
Dez 31, 2018, 3:04 pm

>55 kgriffith: I’ve read three of those, and they were excellent! You have a great reading streak going!

58kgriffith
Jan 1, 2019, 3:00 am

57> I’ve really had a mostly great reading streak all year! But then, I think maybe having required reading contributes to any and all other reading feeling like it’s excellent, regardless of how I’d feel about it in a vacuum 🙃

59kgriffith
Jan 1, 2019, 8:15 pm

99. The Kitchen Madonna, Rumer Godden
100. I Could Pee on This Too, Francesco Marciuliano

Okay, I know I kind of cheated there, but I read some chunksters this year too, and did SO MUCH school reading that I didn’t count! First time hitting 100 titles since I started tracking over a decade ago.

60norabelle414
Jan 2, 2019, 10:01 am

There's no such thing as cheating in the 75ers group :-)

Congrats!!!

61kgriffith
Jan 2, 2019, 1:05 pm

Thank you!