Bash's Books

As in, they're *my* books. I'll tell you if a book sucks, though. ~ Find me @bashsbooks on The StoryGraph, too!

[bashsbooks]

I have a profile on TheStoryGraph, bashsbooks, where I post short reviews of just about every book I read. I also try to keep my currently reading and up-next lists up-to-date.

[myjetpack]

The shocking truth of what is going on in our public libraries! (My latest Guardian Books cartoon)

[moonshinemagpie]

I can't wait for all the books I'm going to read once I finish all these books

[makingqueerhistory]

Hi! Do you have any recommendations of books that explore the relationship between queerness and Judaism? Thanks so much!

Yes, absolutely; this subject also interests me so I am excited to share some books!

First, the book I always recommend:

Beyond the Pale Elana Dykewomon

Another favourite of mine:

The New Queer Conscience Adam Eli

I also recently got a fantastic list from a patron in our discord!

A Rainbow Thread: An Anthology of Queer Jewish Texts from the First Century to 1969 Noam Sienna

Balancing on the Mechitza: Transgender in Jewish Community Noach Dzmura, Tucker Lieberman

Uncommon Charm Emily Bergslien, Kat Weaver

Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser, David Shneer, Judith Plaskow

The Soul of the Stranger: Reading God and Torah from a Transgender Perspective Joy Ladin

I hope this list helps!

[wilwheaton]

Florida and Texas, trying to out-fascist each other again.

[booksinmythorax]

"Don't use Libby because it costs libraries too much, pirate instead" is such a weird, anti-patron, anti-author take that somehow manages to also be anti-library, in my professional librarian-ass opinion.

It's well documented that pirating books negatively affects authors directly* in a way that pirating movies or TV shows doesn't affect actors or writers, so I will likely always be anti-book piracy unless there's absolutely, positively no other option (i.e. the book simply doesn't exist outside of online archives at all, or in a particular language).

Also, yeah, Libby and Hoopla licenses are really expensive, but libraries buy them SO THAT PATRONS CAN USE THEM. If you're gonna be pissed at anybody about this shitty state of affairs, be pissed at publishing companies and continue to use Libby or Hoopla at your library so we can continue to justify having it to our funding bodies.

One of the best ways to support your library having services you like is to USE THOSE SERVICES. Yes, even if they are expensive.

*Yes, this is a blog post, but it's a blog post filled with links to news articles. If you can click one link, you can click another.

[heathercollinsmd]

adding the tags from my favorite librarian @terrainofheartfelt ❤️

[brokehorrorfan]

Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror will be published on October 3 via Random House. It's curated by filmmaker Jordan Peele, who also provides an introduction and serves as editor with John Joseph Adams.

It features short stories by Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N.K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L.D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull.

The 400-page book will be available in hardcover, e-book, and audio book. The synopsis is below.

The visionary writer and director of Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation. A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele’s anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and—like his spine-chilling films—its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world... and redefine what it means to be afraid.

Pre-order Out There Screaming.

[flork-of-cows-official]

book recommendation

[paperandpencilsandskips]

[quantum-wordsmith]

[wagahai-da]

all quiet in a western font

[transbookoftheday]

Elle Campbell Wins Their Weekend by Ben Kahn

Ferris Bueller's Day Off meets Gamer Girl for middle grade in this hilarious, heartfelt story about a non-binary kid trying to figure out who they are at home, at school, and in the fandom that changed their life.

All Elle Campbell wants to do is meet their hero, non-binary icon Nuri Grena. Well, okay, they'd like a bit more than that -- they'd like to learn how to do cat eye makeup, for queen bee Casey to stop critiquing their outfits, and for the finale of Elle's favorite show to have been less terrible. But meeting Nuri means the most of all.

So when Elle learns that Nuri is coming to town for book signing on Saturday, Elle is thrilled. It's the perfect chance to meet their hero! Elle's never been happier since they came out as non-binary, but they have a lot of questions -- questions only Nuri can answer.

But Elle's dreams are dashed when an altercation with a surly substitute teacher lands Elle in Saturday detention. Elle is ready to give up until their two best friends come up with a plan to bust them out of school. A plan so outrageous, it just might work.

Yet that's just step one. The kids also have to make their way across town with no money, no phones... and no driver's licenses. But they refuse to give up -- even if that means "borrowing" scooters from elementary school loan sharks, or winning a laser tag tournament with a cash prize.

Comic-author Ben Kahn makes their middle grade debut with this zany, heartfelt love letter to friendship, John Hughes movies, and the power of accepting who you are . . . even when there's no set map for where you're going.

[this-machine-k1lls-fascists-dea]

Really happy to see this at my local library

[oracleanne]

OOOOH. *happy YA librarian dance*

[thessalian]

I want this in every library, everywhere. After all, some kids won’t even google this stuff because they don’t want parents/siblings checking their browser history.

[adventurer-c]

This is really awesome. And if you’re not familiar with how the Dewey Decimal system works - the numbers subject-based, which means these numbers are applicable in EVERY library. So if you see something you want to research on this list - look for those same numbers in any of your local libraries.

[jkfngkjwnfgkfnkslf-deactivated2]

This is wonderful.

[the-woman-of-belgravia]

Reblogging to possibly save a life

[layaart]

space books ✨🪐🌘

[untitled-google-docs-document-d]

Heeey does anyone has books recs that are fantasy stories with aroace protagonists? The kind that are sex/romance averse or repulsed to be more specific and that aren't in a qpr. Just your old and classic aroace who isn't a fan of romance at all and is single from the start to the end.

I just really need to read some ace or aro story that isnt your modern ya book. I want some diversity yknow????

[qbdatabase]

Middle Grade Fantasies with Aro-Ace MCs:

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Hernandez, Carlos (MG; aro-ace black female & aro-ace Cuban male, NO ROMO)

Every Bird a Prince by Reese, Jenn (MG; aro-ace female)

YA Fantasies with Aro-Ace MCs:

Archivist Wasp by Kornher-Stace, Nicole (YA fantasy/sci-fi; poc aro-ace female, NO ROMO w/male character)

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy Lee, Mackenzi (YA fantasy/historical fiction; aro-ace female)

This Golden Flame by Victoria, Emily (YA aro-ace female)

In an Absent Dream by McGuire, Seanan (YA, part of a series; aro-ace female)

Silver in the Mist by Victoria, Emily (YA; aro-ace female)

Vespertine by Rogerson, Margaret (YA; aro-ace female with anxiety and scarred hands)

Adult Fantasies with Aro-Ace MCs:

The Bruising of Qilwa by Jamnia, Naseem (poc aro-ace nonbinary)

Goddess of the Hunt by Eileen, Shelby (Greek aro-ace female)

City of Strife Arseneault, Claudie (huge cast of LGBT+ character, with an aro-ace character but I honestly don't remember who; still a GREAT series)

The Stones Stay Silent by Ride, Danny (aro-ace transgender male)

The Map and the Territory by Tuomala, A. M. (aro-ace female; black male; NO ROMANCE between them)

Strange Worlds by Gonzales, Hailey (questioning aro-ace male)

Sere from the Green by Jankowski, Lauren (fantasy/mystery; aro-ace female)

Kaikeyi by Patel, Vaishnavi (fantasy/historical; Indian aro-ace female)

[boook-whore]

when the thrift store has a book section >>>>>>

[makingqueerhistory]

The Male Gazed: On Hunks, Heartthrobs, and What Pop Culture Taught Me about (Desiring) Men

Manuel Betancourt

Featuring deep dives into thirst traps, drag queens, Antonio Banderas, and telenovelas--all in the service of helping us reframe how we talk about (desiring) men--this insightful memoir-in-essays is as much a coming of age as a coming out book Manuel Betancourt has long lustfully coveted masculinity--in part because he so lacked it. As a child in Bogotá, Colombia, he grew up with the social pressure to appear strong, manly, and, ultimately, straight. And yet in the films and television he avidly watched, Betancourt saw glimmers of different possibilities. From the stars of telenovelas and the princes of Disney films to pop sensation Ricky Martin and teen heartthrobs in shows like Saved By the Bell, he continually found himself asking: Do I want him or do I want to be him? The Male Gazed grapples with the thrall of masculinity, examining its frailty and its attendant anxieties even as it focuses on its erotic potential. Masculinity, Betancourt suggests, isn't suddenly ripe for deconstruction--or even outright destruction--amid so much talk about its inherent toxicity. Looking back over decades' worth of pop culture's attempts to codify and reframe what men can be, wear, do, and desire, this book establishes that to gaze at men is still a subversive act.

(Affiliate link above)

[caats]