Hello 2019! Here's to a fantastic and productive year of reading!
There's some wonderful titles being released this year - here are some of my most anticipated!! On The Come Up by Angie Thomas Australian release: February 5th Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it. On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families. It's a goal of mine in 2019 to read a more diverse range of books - both regarding the perspectives of characters, and reading content from more authors of colour. The representation of marginalised communities in YA and general media is improving, but it's still very much an area that is lacking. There's alot of #ownvoices books coming out this year, including On The Come Up, and I'm excited to witness this change happen. Internment by Samira Ahmed Australian release: March 19th Rebellions are built on hope. Set in a horrifying near-future United States, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens. With the help of newly made friends also trapped within the internment camp, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla begins a journey to fight for freedom, leading a revolution against the internment camp's Director and his guards. Heart-racing and emotional, Internment challenges readers to fight complicit silence that exists in our society today. An Americanised and racially-driven retelling of The Handmaid's Tale? Yes please. Rebellion tales and stories of survival are getting increasingly more relevant in this political climate, but I'm excited to see how this story unfolds! Growing Up Queer in Australia ed. Benjamin Law Australian release: June Not a whole lot of information on this one yet. Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia was published by Black Inc. in 2018, and Growing Up Queer is expected to follow the same formula; an anthology of first-person accounts and writings about growing up as a member of the queer (LGBTIQ) community. Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: A Definitive Guide by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark Australian release: May 28th Sharing never-before-heard stories ranging from their struggles with depression, eating disorders, and addiction, Karen and Georgia irreverently recount their biggest mistakes and deepest fears, reflecting on the formative life events that shaped them into two of the most followed voices in the nation. In Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, Karen and Georgia focus on the importance of self-advocating and valuing personal safety over being ‘nice’ or ‘helpful.’ They delve into their own pasts, true crime stories, and beyond to discuss meaningful cultural and societal issues with fierce empathy and unapologetic frankness. These ladies are my whole LIFE. My love and interest in true crime stems from hours of listening to their podcast My Favorite Murder, and I'm excited to see what their part-true crime, part-joint biography entails! SSDGM I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver Australian release: unknown, 14th May in USA When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they're thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents' rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school. But Ben's attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan's friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life. At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity. In my quest to read every YA LGBTQ+ book ever written (one can dream...), I was SO excited to come across this one! Books themed around queer-specific events and experiences that are written by non-OV authors give me the creeps. For a very long time, if a published book was queer-centric, it was tragic, heartbreaking and upsetting, serving as commentary for non-queer readers about how awful life is for queer people. Often, non-OV queer books follow this formula. I'm ready to see a change in this, and I think I Wish You All The Best may be a key text to get us there. What are your most anticipated reads for 2019! Let me know in a comment, or contact me on Twitter or Instagram!! @totallybookss on Instagram @tessa_mars on Twitter
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WELCOME!Hello!! My name is Tessa, and I'm a 20 year old bookseller and blogger from Sydney Australia. I love queer YA, Schitt's Creek, and pizza scrolls. Archives
July 2020
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