Elizabeth Fitzgerald's Blog: Earl Grey Editing, page 17

Skiffy and Fanty’s Month of Joy

 

January is traditionally a quiet month, as everyone recovers from the holidays and tries to avoid the blazing heat or the mounds of snow. It’s an excellent time to pause and take stock. Which is what The Skiffy and Fanty Show have been doing. They’ve been busy shifting over to their shiny new website and planning out the year ahead.

But they haven’t left their readers high and dry. Instead of regular programming, Skiffy and Fanty have been running their Month of Joy. Contributors and former guests have written posts sharing the things that bring light to their life.

Mine went up yesterday. Head on over to check out my photographic essay on the joys of summer.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Published: January 2018 by Harper Voyager

Format reviewed: Trade paperback, 544 pages

Series: The Daevabad Trilogy #1

Genres: Epic fantasy

Source: Publisher

Available: Publisher (print and electronic) ~ Abbey’s ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Dymocks ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, shes a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by–palm readings, zars, healings–are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, shes forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass–a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for . . .

When I picked up The City of Brass, I was a little intimidated. 500+ pages of historical fiction is a big ask when I’m reading to a deadline. However, my worries turned out to be unfounded. The City of Brass was a delight from beginning to end and I tore through it in no time.

The story is told in close third person from two points of view. The first three chapters come from Nahri, a young woman with a magical talent for healing. As an orphan, she uses this talent to help swindle the rich. She is first and foremost a survivor, looking to get by and perhaps one day leave Cairo to train as a doctor. After one of her fake rituals goes wrong, she flees the city in the company of a djinn she accidentally summoned. He convinces her to travel to the mysterious city of Daevabad to learn the truth of her heritage.

Which is where the second POV character comes in. Alizayd al Qahtani is the second-born prince of Daevabad. He’s a man of rigid convictions who finds himself sympathising with a rebel faction within the city. This puts him in a precarious position when his father places him in command of the city guard. It also places him at odds with Nahri.

This is a novel of shifting alliances and shades of grey, which is one of the reasons I loved it so much. None of the factions are shown as uniformly right, but engage in manipulation to further their ends. Even the faction advocating for the middle way arose from a history of violence, use dubious methods, and are mostly in it for their own power. The story also recognises that there are multiple factors at play–unlikely friendships form, despite political and religious differences.

Speaking of religious differences, it was refreshing to see an epic fantasy where the characters are predominantly Muslim. Nor is it made a big deal, though Ali’s strict adherence to abstaining from alcohol is a source of friction between him and his brother. Being Own Voices allowed the story to include elements that I may have otherwise found dubious. Any story written by a white, non-Muslim author featuring a Prince Ali and a magic carpet would have had to do a lot of work to convince me it wasn’t a stereotyped joke.

Despite starting out as historical fantasy, the historical elements don’t play a large part. Once Nahri leaves Cairo, the story comes across more like a secondary world fantasy. It will be interesting to see if this shifts in later books.

The style was very readable and the pacing was faster than I was expecting, at least at first. It slows down in the middle of the book to concentrate on developing relationships between characters and factions, then picks up again at the end. I found the shifts in the status quo gave enough resolution to be satisfying while simultaneously opening up whole new issues to be dealt with in the next book.

The City of Brass was a brilliant start to a new series and to my reading year.

2017 Awards Eligibility

With 2017 done, awards season is once again gearing up. To assist with the nominating process, I thought I’d share a list of works I’ve reviewed that are eligible.

Ditmar Awards

The Ditmars are Australia’s popularly-voted awards for SFF. Traditionally, they’re presented at NatCon. In 2018 that will be Swancon 43, held in Perth from 29 March to 2 April.

Works I’ve reviewed that are eligible for the Ditmars:

Best Novel

Bitten by Amanda Pillar

Corpselight by Angela Slatter

Crossroads of Canopy by Thoraiya Dyer

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix

The Impossible Story of Olive in Love by Tonya Alexandra

Retribution by Jennifer Fallon

The Time of the Stripes by Amanda Bridgeman

Valentine by Jodi McAlister

Who’s Afraid Too? by Maria Lewis

Best Novelette/Novella

Ashes by Amanda Pillar

Girl Reporter by Tansy Rayner Roberts

Humanity for Beginners by Faith Mudge

Matters Arising from the Identification of the Body by Simon Petrie

Phantom Spies by Dawn Meredith

I am also eligible for Best Fan Writer and Best Fan Publication in Any Medium for these reviews.

Hugo Awards

The Hugos are the international popularly-voted awards for SFF. Traditionally, they’re presented at Worldcon. In 2018 that will be held in San Jose, USA, on 16-18 August.

In addition to the material above, the following works I’ve reviewed are eligible for the Hugos:

Best Novel

Provenance by Ann Leckie

Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng

Best Novella

Acadie by Dave Hutchinson

The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch

Best YA Novel

A Voyage Through Air by Peter F. Hamilton

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee

Not Your Villain by C.B. Lee

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

Rift Riders by Becca Lusher

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Happy nominating, everyone! If you have recommendations (particularly for short stories), I’d love to hear them!

Bout of Books #21

Round 21 of Bout of Books wrapped up on Sunday, so it’s time for me to check in with my progress!

In my sign-up post, I mentioned my goal was to get through a minimum of three books. One of the books on my list, The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty, was over 500 pages, so I was concerned I was being a bit too ambitious. However, the book was less dense than I was expecting and I made it through. I also finished reading Hunger Makes the Wolf by Alex Wells (which I’d started prior to the challenge) and two-thirds of Ironheart by Jodi McAlister. So, it wasn’t exactly three books, but altogether I read a little over 1000 pages. I’m calling that a win.

What about you? Did you join in Bout of Books last week? If so, how did you do? If not, what did you read over the week?

For those interested in the next Bout of Books, it will take place on 14-20 May 2018. For further details, keep an eye out here or head over to the Bout of Books blog.

Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor

Published: January 2018 by Tor.com

Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)

Series: Binti #3

Genres: Science fiction

Source: NetGalley

Available:Abbey’s ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Dymocks ~ Kobo

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Binti has returned to her home planet, believing that the violence of the Meduse has been left behind. Unfortunately, although her people are peaceful on the whole, the same cannot be said for the Khoush, who fan the flames of their ancient rivalry with the Meduse.

Far from her village when the conflicts start, Binti hurries home, but anger and resentment has already claimed the lives of many close to her.

Once again it is up to Binti, and her intriguing new friend Mwinyi, to intervene–though the elders of her people do not entirely trust her motives–and try to prevent a war that could wipe out her people, once and for all.

Binti: The Night Masquerade is the conclusion to Nnedi Okorafor’s spellbinding series of novellas. It follows directly on from Binti: Home, which may come as a relief to readers anxious about the cliff-hanger ending.

There’s a lot packed into this novella, which is reflective of the many identities with which Binti is coming to terms. It’s a story that put me in mind of the lines from Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”: Do I contradict myself?/ Very well, I contradict myself;/ (I am large, I contain multitudes.) Like the poem, Binti contains many identities, with each book adding more. These identities don’t always sit easily together; in The Night Masquerade, we see more of how the angry, warlike Meduse part of Binti conflicts with her identity as a harmonizer. We also see Binti exploring her heritage as one of the Desert People, a minority she has been taught to look down on. These conflicting identities make Binti a complex and interesting character. One of my favourite things about this book was the way Binti isn’t above reproach. She has flaws, makes assumptions and mistakes. However, she learns from these and strives to do better and treat others with respect.

This internal exploration is balanced with external conflict, as fighting between the Khoush and the Meduse breaks out once more. This aspect of the book touches on themes of good faith and the impact large warring forces have on the individuals around them (and vice versa). It’s a violent story, but this is in keeping with the series–particularly the first book.

The settings throughout the book were evocative, forming characters in their own right. The desert in particular has a wonderful presence, conveying the sense of home Binti feels.

There were a number of twists in the last third of the book. Not all of them worked for me, though I did find them thought-provoking.

Overall, Binti: The Night Masquerade was a satisfying conclusion to what has been a fascinating trilogy.

Loose-leaf Links #53

Loose-leaf Links is a feature where I gather together the interesting bits and pieces on sci-fi, fantasy and romance I’ve come across and share them with you over tea. Today’s tea is Heavenly Earl Grey from Adore Tea. It’s a little lighter on the bergamot than some other Earl Greys, instead having a bit of a musky flavour from the lavender and rose.

Awards News

Awards season is gearing up once more and there are a number of awards open for submission, including:

The Ditmar Awards. If you’re active in fandom or attended the Australian Natcon, you are eligible to nominate! This partial list of eligible works might help you decide.

The Norma K. Hemming Award. The award is given to mark excellence in the exploration of themes of race, gender, sexuality, class or disability in speculative fiction and is open to Australian authors.The jury was also recently announced.

The 2018 Rhysling Award, an international award for excellence in speculative poetry.

The 2018 Mythopoeic Awards, open to nominations by members of the Mythopoeic Society.

Meantime, the entries for the Aurealis Convenors’ Award for Excellence have been released. I do not envy the judges–there are some fascinating and disparate submissions.

Community and Conventions

A reminder that nominations for the Down Under Fan Fund close 31 January. DUFF will send one Australian or New Zealand candidate to the US to attend WorldCon 76 in August.

Nominations are currently also open for the Going Under Fan Fund and will close 15 February. GUFF will send one European fan to Australia to attend Continuum 14 over 8-11 June.

WorldCon 76 is calling for papers for their academic track. The theme is Make the Future and the deadline is 5 February.

The Review of Australian Fiction is closing its doors. The publication included many SFF writers in its issues over the years, so it’s a sad loss for the Australian spec-fic community.

The Australasian Horror Writers Association are looking to rebuild. If you are an old member or interested in becoming a new member, they request you contact them.

On Equity

Jackie C. Horne examines disability and historical romance in Mary Balogh’s Someone to Wed.

Over at Tor.com, Sarah Gailey discusses fear of the female voice.

A.C. Wise has a new column over at The Book Smugglers called Women to Read.

Roxane Gay called out Midwest Writers Workshop for fatphobia after their poor treatment of volunteer committee member Sarah Hollowell. MWW have issued an apology.

For Writers

I hope you’ve all been busy over the break because there are a lot of markets opening for submission! Apex Book Company (an outgrowth of Apex Magazine), is open for novels and novellas until the end of the month.

Kaleidotrope is open for fiction, non-fiction, poetry and artwork until 1 April.

Sword and Sonnet, an anthology about women and non-binary battle poets, is open for submissions throughout the month of February. Word limit is 5K.

Lightspeed Magazine will also be open 5-19 February.

Uncanny Magazine seeks stories for its shared-universe dinosaur issue.

Twelfth Planet Press is giving early notice that they will be open for novella submissions in September.

And Jonathan Strahan is already taking reprint submissions for his 2018 The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year anthology.

In other news, Jim C. Hines discusses his 2017 writing income.

Over at Book View Cafe, Marie Brennan discusses how to create rivers for fantasy worlds.

For Readers

Charles Peyseur is having a wonderful time over at Quick Sip Reviews with the 2017 Sippy Awards, including categories such as “I’d Ship That” Sippy Award for Excellent Relationships in Short SFF.

2018 Reading Challenges

If you’ve been following me for even a short time, you probably know I’m a sucker for a reading challenge. Some of the ones in which I participate are seasonal or only run for a short time–such as the Bout of Books challenge which starts today. However, I usually sign up for a couple of year-long challenges, just to keep things interesting.

2017 Challenge Wrap-ups

Regardless of any other challenges I sign up for, I always have a personal reading goal. Last year, it was 100 books. Since I set a personal best of 117 books in 2016, I thought this would still be a bit of a stretch. However, I’d finished 50 books by mid-February, mostly thanks to judging for the 2016 Aurealis Awards. I revised up to 150 and had made 181 by the end of the year.

For the annual Goodreads challenge, I committed to 100 books and logged 177.

Then there was the 2017 Australian Women Writers reading challenge. I committed to reading 25 books and reviewing 15. I read 66 books and reviewed 25, both up on 2016.

Lastly, I had a couple of other small personal challenges. I wanted to take a year off worrying about Mt TBR (not that it was keeping me up at night) so I could feel more free to read whatever I wanted. I committed to making at least one trip to the library every month and reading at least one piece of fan fiction.

I was very successful with my library goal and ended up making at least a couple of trips every month. It helps that my local library is awesome–easy to use and with a great selection in my preferred genres.

I was less successful with the fan fiction. I managed every month except November and December, but it was always a bit of an effort and the pieces I read tended to be on the short side. I suspect romance novels fill the same niche for me as fan fiction does for others. Live and learn.

2018 Challenges

Once again, there are all the usual suspects. First up, my personal goal for this year is to read 125 books. Honestly, I had a hard time trying to decide what seemed reasonable. 2016 & 2017 were both record years and I find it hard to judge if they mark a permanent change in my reading or whether they are outliers. I expect this year will give me the answer.

For the annual Goodreads challenge, I’ll be aiming for the same.

I haven’t signed up for the Australian Women Writers reading challenge this year. I don’t feel I need to increase my reading of this demographic and maintaining current numbers doesn’t seem like much of a challenge.

Instead, my focus will return to shrinking my Mt TBR. I’ve done a little culling (more on that in my TBR report at the end of the month) and would like to have the pile down to 330 books by the end of the year. I have no idea if that’s realistic, but I guess I shall find out!

To help me with this, I’m signing up for Beat the Backlist challenge. Thanks to Ju for pointing me to this one. I’ll be aiming to read 52 books published before 2018. It is perhaps a bit conservative, but I’m also mindful of over-committing myself. I’m always so optimistic in January!

What about you? What reading goals and challenges are you participating in this year?

 

Bout of Books #21 sign-up

I’m determined that 2018 is going to be the year I get Mt TBR back under control. No, really, you can stop laughing now.

Fortunately for me, the 21st Bout of Books starts next week:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 8th and runs through Sunday, January 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 21 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Being a low-pressure challenge, Bout of Books lets me set my own goals. As with the last few times, I’m aiming to get through a minimum of three books. Here are a few of the books I’m thinking of tackling.

I doubt I’ll get through all of them, but I’ll certainly try.

If you’d like to join in, there’s still time to sign up!

What’s on your TBR pile this week?

Mt TBR Report: December 2017 & Yearly Wrap-up

Happy New Year! I hope those of you celebrating had wonderful holidays. 2017 was a rough year for many, so I hope 2018 has been kind to you so far. I had a lovely break and was glad to spend some time with my family and friends. I also manged to get plenty of reading done, which was a great way to see out the year.

Speaking of which, it’s time for me to take a good look at my reading stats for the year.

2017 reading stats

2016 was a record-breaking year for my reading at 116 books. 2017 blew it out of the water with 181 books. Judging the 2017 Aurealis Awards was spread out over both those years, so I’ll be interested to see if this increase in numbers is solely attributable to that or whether it will be a lasting phenomenon.

Fantasy remained my most popular genre. However, the proportion was down by over 10%. In contrast, the proportion of romance I read approximately doubled, at the expense of non-fiction, historical fiction and mysteries. Science fiction held steady.

Of the 181 books I read in 2017, 140 were written by women. I read 9 books written by authors of unknown, non-binary or multiple genders.

44% of the books I read in 2017 were written by Australian authors. Considering all the Aurealis reading I did at the beginning of the year, I’m surprised it isn’t higher.

35% of the books I read that year were from authors I consider diverse. This is an improvement on 25% on last year. However, just three of these books (to the best of my knowledge) were by an author with a disability.

My consumption of e-books was slightly down on the last two years, at 47%. I think this is partly attributable to my increased use of the local library.

57 of the books I read were published in 2017. The average age of the books I read was 1.4 years. The average tenure on Mt TBR was 59 days–which is more than 100 days shorter than last year. This means I’m getting through a lot of newer work while the old stuff continues to gather dust.

My mean rating (out of 5) was 3.2, which is about the same as last year and suggests I’m still probably being a bit generous with my ratings… or sensible enough to ditch books that aren’t working for me.

These numbers probably don’t mean much to anyone else, but I have such fun keeping track of them throughout the year. I’m looking forward to seeing what 2018 brings.

Mt TBR Status

Mt TBR @ 1 January 2017: 327

Mt TBR @ 31 December 2017: 367

Books Read

166. Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng. Reviewed here.

167. Girl Reporter by Tansy Rayner Roberts. Reviewed here.

168. Unclaimed by Courtney Milan. Second in The Turners series. Sir Mark Turner wrote the book on chastity and its success has made him a rockstar of Regency London. Not everyone is happy about it. When he escapes to the country to mull over a decision, he meets Jessica and is instantly attracted to her. However, Jessica is a courtesan with ulterior motives and sets out to seduce him. I loved the way that there’s room for honesty in the role Jessica is playing and how it highlights the way the patriarchy places the burden of chastity on women.

169. Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim. A non-fiction book about making the transition from corporate employee to small business owner. Some of the advice on marketing is a little outdated now (the book’s almost 10 years old), but otherwise seems like solid advice.

170. Deep by Kylie Scott. Fourth and final book in the Stage Dive series. When her sister marries one of the other band members, Lizzy finds herself irresistibly drawn to bass player, Ben. This was definitely my favourite of the series. Scott continues her trend of placing her heroines in painfully embarrassing situations.

171. Goblin Quest by Grant Howitt. An RPG in which players are goblins in an evil army who undertake outrageous tasks with disastrous (and usually fatal) consequences. The game was a ton of fun and the writing style was quite amusing. However, the information wasn’t laid out in the most accessible way.

172. Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman. Second in the Lady Helen series and my first reread of the year. Regency fantasy. Having been cast out of her uncle’s house, Lady Helen embraces her training as a Reclaimer. However, forces are working against her both inside and outside the Dark Days Club. Just as delightful to read the second time around. I’m itching to get my hands on the next book.

173. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor. A sci-fi novella about a girl from an insular Earth tribe who becomes the first of her people to leave home and attend a prestigious university on another planet. One of my favourite books from 2016 and one of very few I reread in 2017

174. Lord Heliodor’s Retirement by Amy Rae Durreson. After foiling an assassination attempt against the Queen, Lord Heliodor is encouraged to retire to the country to deal with his PTSD. Instead, he ends up reconnecting with an old flame and uncovering another plot against the throne. A sweet second-chance m/m romance with an older couple and plenty of adventure.

175. Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor. Having survived the off-world trip to her university and her first term of classes, Binti heads home to reconnect with her family. Perhaps not quite as gripping as the first, but I liked that it shows the fallout from the previous book and built on the world.

176. Super Spy Science Secret Santa by Tansy Rayner Roberts. The only reason Dr Quentin Blythe tolerates Secret Santa at the Q Lab of the Secret Science Center is because it often leads to breakthroughs in spy technology. This year he finds himself especially beleaugered when the Big Cheeses decide to allow the Agents to join in the festivities. Short, sweet and funny, it made perfect holiday reading.

177. Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor. Review forthcoming.

178. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. A delightful middle grade book about a boy who grows up raised by ghosts after his family is murdered. Each chapter reads like a discrete story, though there is an overall plot.

179. Girl in Boots by Stephanie Burgis. A short story from the perspective of a side character in The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart. It’s all about friendship and chocolate, making it another perfect holiday read.

180. Sunvault edited by Phoebe Wagner and Bronte Christopher Wieland. Reviewed here and apparently missed in my records until now.

181. Hold Me by Courtney Milan. Reviewed here. After including this in my Favourites of 2017, I felt compelled to go back and reread it.

Books Acquired

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Joyeaux by Tansy Rayner Roberts

An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

On a Barbarian World by Anna Hackett

Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor

Lord Heliodore’s Retirement by Amy Rae Durreson

Hunger Makes the Wolf by Alex Wells

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor

The Undercurrent by Paula Weston

Super Spy Science Secret Santa by Tansy Rayner Roberts

Ice Wolves by Amie Kaufman

Girl in Boots by Stephanie Burgis

Strangehold by Rene Sears

The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

Real World by Amy Jo Cousins

Fucking Apostrophes by Simon Griffen

Online Reading

An Unexpected Honor by Ursula Vernon. This was Ursula’s acceptance speech on winning the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novelette. Presented as a piece of flash fiction, it tells of what happens to a whale’s carcass. I think it says a lot about the author.

Story Seed 85 by Rivqa Rafael. Super short flash fiction about an AI. It shows just how much can be done with so few words.

My Favourite Reads of 2017

With Christmas now just a couple of days away, Earl Grey Editing is shutting down for the year. I’ll be on holiday as of today until 3 January, making this my last post of 2017.

Before I go, I thought I’d share my favourite reads from this year. These are not books that were necessarily published this year (although I believe most of them are), just read by me this year. In no particular order:

The Lady Helen books by Alison Goodman. Regency fantasy involving demon hunting without scandalising the nobility. I’m sure this comes as no surprise to anyone, since I recently reviewed Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club for Skiffy and Fanty, and was part of the panel that awarded Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact an Aurealis for best YA earlier this year.

Elegy by Jane Abbott. Another I read for the Aurealis Awards earlier this year and my opinion doesn’t reflect that of the other judges or the award. Two souls fated to continually play out their doomed love reincarnate in a small Australian town. In my opinion, this is one of the most underrated books of the year. The characters are well observed and the writing is gorgeously lyrical.

Iris and the Tiger by Leanne Hall. Yet another from the Aurealis Awards. This is a middle-grade novel about a young girl called Iris who is sent to Spain by her parents to manipulate her eccentric aunt into leaving Iris her fortune. This is a delightfully whimsical novel with elements of magical realism. It’s about trust and unashamedly being your own, quirky self.

These themes also crop up in Valentine by Jodi McAlister. An Australian teenager teams up with her annoyingly attractive worst enemy to figure out why the fae are killing off their friends. I ate this up with a spoon and can’t wait for the next book to come out in February. You can see more of my thoughts in my review.

I read a surprising amount of good contemporary YA this year… surprising because it’s not a genre I usually read. That may change, thanks to these books. Queens of Geekby Jen Wilde was a story about three Australian friends who travel to the US for a ComicCon-style convention. One thread tells a f/f romance between two starlets. It touches on bisexual erasure and being a woman in the entertainment industry. The other thread tells a f/m romance between two of the friends, and touches on anxiety and fat-shaming. You can see more of my thoughts in my review.

There has been plenty of hype about When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, but I felt the book lived up to it. Two Indian American teenagers have very different attitudes towards their arranged marriage and work out their differences while attending a camp for computer program developers. This is a sweet romantic comedy that did a great job of respecting tradition while pushing back against patriarchal garbage.

Kylie Scott’s first foray into contemporary YA romance ran in quite a different vein. Trust is about two teenagers who bond after they’re caught in an armed robbery that goes horribly wrong. It’s a wonderfully fat-positive, sex-positive story that touches on trauma and not caring about what other people think. You can see more of my thoughts in my review.

Courtney Milan’s first contemporary romance Trade Me made my favourites list in 2016. The next in the series, Hold Me, makes the list this year. It’s a delicious enemies-to-lovers story modeling the ways women can be both beautiful and intelligent. It is tender, nuanced and made me laugh out loud. You can see more of my thoughts in my review.

Along with Courtney Milan, Ann Leckie makes my list for the second year running. Provenance is a stand-alone novel set in a distant part of the Imperial Radch galaxy. It focuses on a woman whose ambition and lack of political cunning gets her caught up in the manoeuvring of others. I loved the way her compassion and her admin skills proved to be assets. You can see more of my thoughts in my review.

Those are my top picks for this year. What’s on your list?

I hope those of you who are celebrating have a wonderful holiday. May the new year bring you an abundance of tea and books. I look forward to seeing you in 2018.