Category: Fiction Book Reviews

Trans Rights Read-a-Thon

Posted on by Jen

Square image with a banner in tans colors around it with the words I'm taking part in the trans rights readathon March 20th to March 27th and the hashtag #TransRightsReadathon under thatI am taking part in the #TransRightsReadathon from March 20th to March 27th!

My goal is to read at least three books and fundraise for the Trans Health Legal Fund during that time.

I am currently reading “Laziness Does Not Exist” by Devon Price. While Devon Price is actually Trans I’m not going to cheat and use that as one of the three books because I’m hoping to finish it today.

Then tomorrow evening after work I will dive into the read-a-thon. The three books I’ve picked out to read are:

“The Thirty Names of Night” by Zeyn Joukhadar

“Seeds for the Swarm” by Sim Kern

“Transcendent: The Year’s Best Transgender Speculative Fiction” by K.M. Szpara et al.

During the read-a-thon I will be posting on my Mastodon account about the books I’m reading and some fundraising related posts. I’ve already donated $25 to the Trans Health Legal Fund – if you have the means to donate please consider donating there as well or another charity of your choice. If you cannot donate you can still help by boosting by following the #TransRightsReadathon on various social medias and sharing the posts you see.

Screenshot of an email receipt from the Trans Health Legal Fund showing that $25 was donated

Books Finished so far in 2023

Posted on by Jen

Below are the books I’ve read so far in 2023, not necessarily in order within the month of completion.

Books Finished in January

Nophek Gloss The Graven #1, by Essa Hansen
I liked the characters though the plot was a bit confusing and sometimes frustrating, but I still enjoyed it. I will need to check out the next book.
Black Sun – Between Earth and Sky #1, by Rebecca Roanhorse
This was a really interesting book. I enjoyed the different points of view characters their stories as things progressed. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too by Jonny Sun as Jomny Sun
A surprise graphic novel! It was a fun read.
Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Zelda Knight, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spiritand Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction, edited by Joshua Whitehead
This applies to the above two because I’m saying the same about both. I really enjoyed the stories in both anthologies. They each have a lot of interesting characters and stories about the characters. As with any anthology I read I look forward to looking up the various authors and seeing what else they have written.

Books Finished in February

Not a Nation of Immigrants: Settler Colonialism, White Supremacy, and a History of Erasure and Exclusion by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
This was an interesting read – some history I already new about and some I did not. There was a lot of stuff I would say is important for us to know.
The Vanished Birdsz by Simon Jimenez
The way this story unfolded took some getting used to but I really ended up enjoying it. There’s a lot going on and a single paragraph can span several years which makes things even more interesting. The characters make it all wroth it.

Books Finished in March so far

Some Kids Left Behind: A Survivor’s Fight for Health Care in the Wake of 9/11 by Lila Nordstrom
I really enjoyed reading this and I feel like I learned a lot about the aftermath of 9/11 from the point of view of people like Lila – people who lived near the towers. There’s a lot I had never heard about or realized. Also a lot comparisons to be made about what is going on now with COVID